Talking To The Moon | Complete |

I'll Come To Thee By Moonlight

'Alessio Ercolani, son of Edmondo and Allegra Ercolani, awaken.'

He merely stirred, not even registering my voice as it floated through his mind, and tucked Luna tighter into his arms; such a fitting name for a woman of such strength, who would accomplish great things. She would one day be a wonderful Mate and mother, and live up to her name just as any Luna would.

Alessio, in turn, would always be there for her, lift her up even when she insisted she did not need his help; it was not only his nature to help the weak and lead without question, but his privilege. He had led his Pack through thick and thin, but the arrival of his Mate meant that now he could finally grace his Pack with their Luna; his Pack had shaped itself to become their Pack, and would now be complete. The Pack would be even stronger now, more resilient, and forever united.

'Alessio, awaken!' My voice was as gentle as a summer breeze, though not without a razor edge of authority; if he could not be obedient to me, how could he expect his Pack to be obedient to him?

About to call on his Wolf, who I knew would know who I was, a small smile touched my lips as he finally awoke, eyes uncomprehending and dim in the darkness; he truly was awake, and not in dream, as I was. To prove the theory correct, he rubbed a hard hand over his face before his eyes latched onto his Mate as she slept soundly. The confusion was clear on his face, and almost made me laugh.

'Alessio,' I trailed off, waiting for him to respond to my voice, 'it is all a dream; your Mate is perfectly safe, insanely happy, and sleeping as soundly as a babe, which is what you should be doing... Sleep!'

My voice was like a flash of white lightning, there and gone almost without comprehension, as his eyes immediately drooped closed and he fell backwards onto the pillows. As I watched him, the protective wall he'd built up in his head slowly fell, leaving him open to my presence. 'Alessio, dear child, awaken.'

His subconscious instinctively knew my voice, but still did not register who I was; even still, he awoke, subconsciously, while staying asleep physically. His eyes were wide as they finally found me, in the comfort of my shadows. As he stumbled towards me in a dreamy haze, even still trying to discern who I was, his Wolf finally awoke and nudged him roughly. 'Don't you know who that is, you idiot?!? She is the Moon Goddess! Bow to her!'

'Luna!'

~000~

He collapsed to one knee immediately, head bowed, as his Wolf danced around at the sight of me; very few Wolves, much less humans, had ever seen me, even in dream. 'Forgive me, merciful goddess, for not bestowing the upmost respect on you.'

My lips then tugged into a smile as I dropped to my own knee beside him, my hand gentle as it tipped his chin so that his eyes stared into mine. 'Oh, dear child, please do not apologize; you had no idea who I was! Do not feel the need to bow to me, either; please arise.'

As his eyes scanned my face uncertainly, his hand cupped mine to his cheek as his own lips lifted into a smile; then, his other hand skimmed my waist as he pulled me to stand beside him. 'Luna.' As he sighed, his eyes slowly took in the sight of me, a dazed look passing over his face; the pure white satin dress hung just right over my petite frame, falling loosely around my legs while clutching tightly at my hips and breasts. The dress was flattering, I knew, just as I even knew that I could never hold a candle to his own Luna- his Mate.

Smiling, I took his hand gently as he continued to gaze in wonder at me. 'You must forgive me, goddess, for thinking such impure thoughts of you, but you are not even the most beautiful woman that I have ever seen- my Mate is...'

As if he had just plucked those thoughts from my own mind! Ducking my head, I quietly giggled, the sound a mere breath of air. 'Darling child, I know that no one is as beautiful as one's Mate; it is a concept that I have easily accepted and forgotten...' Patting his hand, I watched his own eyes stray from mine to embrace the woman in his arms. 'And she indeed is a very beautiful woman...'

'I am so lucky- so privileged- to have her.' His voice was gentle as he smiled down at the woman in his arms, then flashed that same smitten look at me. 'All because of you, wonderful goddess.' He dipped into a low bow, lips still tugged into that smitten smile as he kissed the air around my hand in a show of respect and gratitude. 'Oh, how you have blessed me, dear goddess.'

Once again cupping his cheek, I drew his face up until our eyes locked as a smile played on my own lips. 'Child, surely you must know by now that even if I had not had my hand in the Fating, you two would have found each other; Fate or not, Luna was born for you, and you her.' There was that sappy grin of his again; no wonder Luna loved the way he looked at her! 'You are her silver lining, her light in the darkness; she is your strength even when your Alfa prowess fails.

She has been through so much, but it has only strengthened her into the Luna that this Pack- that you- need. She has been broken down, only for you to build her back up; she has been beaten, only for you to kiss her scars.' At the startled look on his face, I smiled gently even as my hand gripped his in a vice, voice apologetic. 'Darling child, she was careful not to let you see her scars, though she has many...

Give her an infinite amount of time and trust, and she will show you her testaments of strength. She will tell you things that will make you go crazy for blood, and things that will make you sob as if you were a mere babe; it is then that she draws strength from you, and you from her.' As his eyes closed from the sudden onslaught of emotions, I could not help but clutch at him tightly. 'Keep her close, hold her tight, and love her like no one else ever has.'

'Believe me, goddess, I plan to!' His voice was husky with both anger and desire as he spoke; anger from the hurt that his Mate had suffered at the hands of those she trusted most, and the desire to rip every single person that has ever hurt her from limb to limb. 'My little Mate will never go one day- one second- without knowing how much I love her- she will not even have to guess, because she will know.'

'Remember that, darling child, always. When times are hard, cling to her; when things are going good, worship her; when your Pack finally welcomes her, help her to lead as well as you do.' Smiling, I squeezed his hand tightly once more and continued, 'When you even think of her, know that she thinks of you as well; when you love her as hard as you can, know that she loves you just as much...'

With that, I bowed my head into his chest with a peck to his cheek as a gentle breeze blurred my image from his eye. Then, I was gone.

~000~

The wolf released one long, lonely cry into the night, face raised to bask in the glow of the moon. The beautiful, haunting sound was a message to his Mate, one that I would never, ever grow tired of hearing; even if his Mate did not hear his song, she would see the light in his eye, and know that they would be together.

A song of my own burst through my lips, easily blending perfectly with the others' yet somehow standing out. As I sang the same single, long howl as the others', I was thrown back to the time when I could Shift and run free with my own Mate; I had not Shifted in what seemed to be an eternity, even though I still from time to time joined the harmony of my moon children.

Look for me by moonlight;
Watch for me by moonlight;
I'll come to thee by moonlight, though hell should bar the way!