Chapter 32
Diana and I had said goodbye to the pack to leave early for the ceremony. We thought it'd be best to arrive a day earlier to get to know everyone and acquaint myself with the elders and the other spirit wolves.
"So why don't people know about spirit wolves?" I asked, breaking the silence of the car. We still had a while to go before getting there and I figured I could get some questions answered.
"It's a long story," she brushed off.
"It's a long ride," I countered, glancing away from the road to give her a pointed look. She sighed but gave in, shuffling into the seat before speaking.
"It's mainly to remain protected against threats, the biggest one being hunters," she explained. "They attacked werewolves, vampires, witches, almost every supernatural creature they could get their hands on. They would specifically hunt gifted individuals, like head witches or powerful vampires," she paused.
"Is that's why they attacked my parents? Because they had extra powers?" I asked.
"Yes, they knew about Gifted werewolves and targeted them particularly. Your parents' pack was one amongst many," she sighed. "We've lost many gifted individuals to those humans. Particularly the elementals.
"They almost wiped them out to extinction and those gifted with elemental powers by the goddess are hard to come by these days," she muttered. It was silent for a moment longer, the hum of the truck filling the quiet.
"The elders decided to not publicise the existence of the spirit wolves and eventually it all became a sort of myth, a forgotten legend," she shrugged.
"And when was the last presentation ceremony of the spirit wolf?" I asked.
"Two centuries ago I believe," she murmured, deep in thought. "A young lady from Scandinavia. You'll meet her today," I nodded, gripping the steering wheel tighter. Nervous excitement ran through me for a second. "How many spirit wolves and elders are there?"
"At the moment there's six spirit wolves, of which you'll make the seventh and a total of seven elders," I nodded at her answer.
"And how do you become an elder exactly?" Diana groaned besides me.
"What's with all the questions?" I laughed at her frustration.
"You're always so cryptic Diana, I have to fish everything out from you," I pointed out. She huffed but answered.
"There's no real process of becoming one, you just have to be wise and old as f**k," I snorted at her choice of words.
"I just have one more question. My mother was a Healer and my dad was a True Warrior. Am I supposed to train or something to be able to use my powers properly?" Diana had only taught me how to use my mental powers.
"Those powers are mainly instinctual but if you'd like to train them properly, I suggest you practice with a witch or a warrior," she mused. "Now let me sleep the rest of the journey. I'm f*****g tired," I chuckled at the old woman besides me.
She shuffled once more in her seat before closing her eyes as I continued driving the rest of the way in silence.
Finally, after a couple of hours, we crossed the border into the central territory. I immediately sensed wolves running in the forest on either side of the road.
I continued driving until I came to a halt in front of a large brick mansion. The building looked old but well kept, the windows and the stone architecture screaming of a different era.
A formally dressed man stood by the door, hands clasped behind his back. Diana and I stepped out the truck, the man at the door welcoming us.
"Greetings Diana, Artemis, the Elders have been expecting you," he opened the large double doors and ushered us in. "I am Draek, the official ambassador for the Elders," he introduced.
I quirked a brow at Diana, wondering where the actual Elders were. She just shrugged.
The inside of the building was just as grand as the outside. It seemed everything was made of deep oaks and rich mahogany's. As we walked further into the mansion, even the furniture looked something out of a different era, with Victorian chairs and Turkish rugs. "The Elders are thrilled you are here and will formally meet you tomorrow during the ceremony," he led us up a large grand staircase and through a series of halls as he talked. "I'm the meantime, you can meet the other spirit wolves who are in the territory," he stopped before a set of large mahogany doors.
"The maids will provide you with everything you need, including clothes," he grimaced lightly at my old band t shirt and ripped shorts before returning continuing with his poker face.
"You are free to choose how you bide your time, however, there are two rules you must upkeep while on this territory," I blinked up at the slender man, waiting for his next words.
"Firstly, as a Spirit Wolf, you should always wear white. This is so people know your status and worth and any confusion regarding your identity is avoided. Exactly what you wear is up to you, as long as it is a clean and crisp white," He paused, his grey eyes boring into me ands I furrowed my brows. I nodded regardless, showing I understood.
"Secondly, you must never approach the Elders without being summoned. The Elders reside in the Southern chambers and must not be disturbed whatsoever. Am I understood?" I didn't appreciate his slightly demeaning tone, speaking to me as if I was a child. "Yes I understand," I replied, pursing my lips. He nodded before quietly leaving. Once he was out of sight, I turned to Diana, giving her a questioning look to which she shrugged and shuffled to the door next to mine.
Before I could ask her anything, she had pulled the heavy doors open and disappeared inside, the doors slamming loudly behind her. I chuckled to myself at her antics.
I stepped inside my room too, pushing the doors and gazing in awe at the room.This is property © of NôvelDrama.Org.
The space was large and it was more of a mini apartment as opposed to a single bedroom. On one side of the open planned space was a large king sized bed with a wooden frame. There was an oak nightstand besides it with a matching chest of draws not too far. On the other side of the space was a mini kitchen and lounge area. It was small but impressive, matching the rest of the space with white and brown themes.
It was a shame I wouldn't be staying too long.
I spotted two other doors and discovered one to be an en suit bathroom while the other was a walk in wardrobe.
It was startling the sheer amount of white clothes lining up the space without a speck of colour. Feeling a little overwhelmed, I quickly pulled the first item my hands grabbed, finding myself holding a cute white dress.
The style of it instantly reminded me of similar dresses I had worn during my short stay the the Phantom pack. My mind flashed to a small dark haired girl with a shy eyes and a hesitant smile.
I fingered the slight pattern on the center of it, and after a moment more of contemplating, I shrugged and quickly showered and slipped on it on, admiring how the backless piece showed off my tattoos.
There was a knock on my door, and before I could answer, both doors were pushed open and a tall Native woman strutted in, her dark eyes landing on me as she smirked.
"So you're the new girl everyone's been talking about," I didn't know what to say to that as the striking female sauntered around my room, assessing it.
"I'm Selene, Spirit Wolf of the Central and Southern Territories," she held out a smooth bronze hand for me to shake which I did firmly.
"Artemis," I introduced. She raised a brow at me, eyeing me for a moment longer before smirking again.
"A woman of few words, I see," She drawled, perching on the edge of my bed. She smoothed out her white pencil skirt as she sat, looking up at me expectantly.
"I'm not sure what you want me to say," I admitted. She watched me a while longer but I held my ground. I had spent so much time with Diana and gotten used to all her hard glares and pointed looks. I understood it was mostly just an intimidation tactic. Just as she regarded me, I regarded Selene, letting my eyes truly take in her appearance. She was tall, impossibly so with her heels. Even as she sat down, I could tell she was easily six foot.
She was also curvier than me, with an impressive figure perfectly defined by the tight white shirt and pencil skirt she wore.
She had her ink black hair pulled away from her face, in a long and sleek ponytail, which only emphasised her sharp cheekbones and angular jaw even more.
"I have to say, you're impressive Newbie," she chuckled. "But enough games, you and I will be seeing a lot of each other. You'll be assigned to work across all the American territories with me," I perked up at that.
"So how are all the other spirit wolves split?" I asked.
"Come, I'll introduce you to them all while I explain," she stood up, easily towering over my slimmer frame and walked out the door with me trailing after her.
We quickly left the mansion and headed out the back into what appeared to be a large garden. The green space was expansive, with well trimmed shrubs and flowerbeds decorating it. A marble fountain stood proudly in the center with several garden furniture dotted around it.
I almost stopped and stared at the people sitting there. They were all incredibly attractive, all wearing stunning white clothes.
Selene strutted towards them confidently, settling on an empty loveseat and patting the space besides her. I took the open seat, turning to face the small group. In total, there were four guys and one other girl asides from me and Selene. "Everyone, this is Artemis, our newest addition," I smiled politely at all the new faces. "Artemis, this is Aylin," she gestured to a petite blonde woman with grey eyes. "She is the guardian of Northern Asia and Europe,"
Next, she gestured to the lanky olive toned male besides her.
"This is Koray, Spirit Wolf of North Africa and the Middle East," The man in question didn't even acknowledge me as he sat with his head titled back and eyes closed.
"Besides him is Badar, Spirit Wolf of Southern Africa," I met his red eyes and smiled at the albino man who smiled back.
"Then we have Vikesh, guardian of Southern Asia," she pointed to a darker toned bulky man before pointing to the last male with dark eyes and matching dark hair. "And lastly, we have Reiko, guardian of Eastern Asia and Polynesia,"
"Why are you all so young?" I asked. A chorus of chuckles and laughter ring out at my direct question, leaving me even more confused. "I thought you were all centuries old?"
They chuckled for a moment longer before anyone answered my question.
"Oh Artemis, there's clearly a few things we need to explain before your ceremony tomorrow," Aylin giggled. "We age much slower than the average werewolf, to the point where a century is considered a decade for us," I nodded thoughtfully at her response, another question already forming in my mind.
"And your names, what do they mean?" Badar grinned widely at Selene.
"I like her, she's very smart. Are you sure she can't work with me instead?" He joked. Selene sent a smirk my way, leaning back in her seat to watch me.
"They are all related to the moon in meaning, much like both your names Artemis," The woman besides me drawled. I wasn't surprised she knew I had two names. Read more novels at NovelDrama.Org.
"Both names?" Aylin repeated.
"Artemis Cynthia Garcia," The native woman spoke up. Koray finally opened his eyes to settle his dark gaze on me.
"You have the exact same name as the First Elder," he pointed out. I had no idea who the first elder was since no one bothered explaining anything to me, so I turned to my companion besides me with a questioning look.
"Oh my, it seems we have some proper explaining we need to do," she chuckled.
And just like that, I spent the rest of the day learning about the history of werewolves and the elders, and exactly what my names meant.