Chapter 150: Once Upon A Royal Mating

"You are glowing and so is my brother," Maria said flatly.

Nova glanced at Maverick who was, in fact, glowing gold.

Her lips parted. He cut her off before any words came out.

"I’m fine, Nova."

"I don’t know if it is harmful, Maverick."

"You do realize I’m a literal Alpha, right?"

"You do realize that sentence has never once stopped anything bad from happening to an Alpha?" Nova fired back.

Maverick grinned down at her like he found that adorable. "And yet."

"Maverick."

"Nova."

"The High Luna ordered for her arrest when Derek glowed gold and now she’s afraid of it," Maria explained to Freya and Dante like Nova wasn’t sitting right there.

"He seems fine to me," Freya replied like Maverick wasn’t there.

Nova looked at Maverick. Maverick looked at Nova. No words were needed.

"A Moonseal is the official term for what is on your arm, Nova," Freya began. "It reveals itself only under a Celestial Blue Moon, an event that occurs approximately once every decade. Or when called upon. But no such summoning has occurred in thousands of years. Its origins remain one of the oldest legends of our elemental bloodlines, dating back to the earliest days of wolf history."

Maria’s eyes softened. "Our father used to tell me this story. Before bed. He did voices."

Nova racked her brain but came up empty. The Starborne manor had a library she was permitted to clean and occasionally read from when no one was looking. Never had she come across the term Moonseal or anything on elemental bloodlines.

"The story is seen as myth. And only known by a select few." Freya set her tea down and folded her hands in her lap. She looked at Nova with warmth. "So you are receiving something special tonight."

"I am honored to hear it then," Nova replied and meant every word.

Freya straightened in her chair, and when she spoke again, her voice had changed. The grandmother was gone. What replaced her was a storyteller whose family had been telling this story for longer than most packs had existed.

"Many millennia ago, during a time when rivers ran gold beneath the full moon, there was a great war. Greater than the one we faced in Helix three centuries ago. This was not a war between wolves. This was far darker. It was between wolves and vampires. The vampires attacked without provocation, turning the gold rivers red and nearly wiping out wolf-kind. The wolves who survived did so by retreating into the deep places of the world, into mountains and forests and caves where sunlight could reach but armies could not."

Chills ran down Nova’s spine at the thought.

"The vampires did not age," Freya continued. "They could not die. Originally, they had been a mortal species. But one day, they discovered a way to steal divine power from a celestial being, and in doing so, they broke a covenant between the gods and mortals since the creation of living things. The gods were enraged, but bound by divine law. What had been stolen could not be reclaimed, only cursed."

Freya paused. The fire crackled. Dante was watching his wife with the quiet reverence of a man who had heard this story a hundred times and found it more important on the hundred and first.

"Thus, the vampires retained their immortality at a price. Any exposure to sunlight would bring them to their actual age instantly. They were not permitted to enter wolf homes or sacred grounds unless given permission by someone living in the home. And their bodies would continue to decay slowly while living. Thus their eternal beauty was no more and they became masked creatures of the night. But even with that curse, they were unkillable and still winning the war. When all hope seemed lost, a prophecy foretold of a princess who would be blessed by the Moon Goddess, bearing a sacred mark. Her touch would turn rivers gold, and her celestial light would possess the power to end the war."

Maria’s eyes went wide, sliding onto Nova with the subtlety of two searchlights.

"Nova turned a river gold. And her water at dinner turned gold and floated above the table," Maria explained with pride on her face.

Nova’s face heated again, avoiding eye contact with Maverick who was also staring her down with the intensity of a thousand suns that she could feel along with his arm on her back.

"I got excited there. Please continue, Freya," Maria said.

Freya waved her hand. "Oh, no worries, dear. I can confirm that the gold water has not reached the elders’ intelligence network. Where was I?"

"The prophecy," Maria replied.

"Oh yes. The prophecy also carried a warning. The princess’s virgin, unmarked blood, spilled upon the sacred altar, could also break the vampires’ curse, restoring their bodies to the age at which they had first been turned. Naturally, on the day she came of age, she was captured and brought to their altar. But before a single drop of blood could be spilled, two Alpha Kings reached her and sank their fangs into her simultaneously, marking her as their own. Their combined venom forever altered her blood, rendering it incapable of breaking the vampires’ curse."

Dante’s gaze landed on Nova then moved to Maverick. Whatever arithmetic was happening behind his eyes, he kept the answer to himself.

"When the venom took hold," Freya continued, "both Kings underwent a divine transformation. Their strength surpassed that of any Alpha in recorded history."

Maria grabbed Nova’s knee. Hard. Her fingers clamped down with the urgency of a woman whose mouth was closed but whose hand was screaming.

Nova was very ticklish and jolted sideways into Maverick, who caught her with one arm and looked at Maria like she had just detonated something. Maria’s hand was still on Nova’s knee. Nova was trying very hard to not laugh, which was the wrong reaction for the moment and her body didn’t care.

Freya watched the three of them with the patient amusement of a woman waiting for the children to settle before continuing the bedtime story.

"After both Kings had marked and mated with the princess, their bites became fatal to vampires. Both Kings vowed to protect her, and in recognition of their devotion, the gods bestowed upon each an elemental gift. One gained dominion over fire, his wolf burning crimson. The other commanded lightning, his wolf crackling with electricity as the storms themselves bent to his will."