#4 Moonlight on the Water

Navy

The next morning I found myself in the archives room. It was somewhere around 5:00 when I woke up and I decided to come straight here to get to work on my research. I was desperate to find out what happened to my grandmother’s mate and children after she fled. I began with the photo album that Knox had found the picture of my grandmother in. We already knew that the last page was torn out.

I started looking through the other books, trying to find the first record book of this pack, the one that Knox’s grandfather founded. Eventually, I located an entry from 1975 that detailed Clayton Greystone’s travels from Canada to California. I immediately recognized the name and wondered if Knox’s brother, Clay, was named after his grandfather.

In June of 1975, Clayton Greystone and his pack arrived in Eureka and found the coordinates that the Council had given him. There was a picture included in the records of the small packhouse that was left behind. I pulled out the picture and laid it next to the photograph of my grandma.

I looked around the room and saw a large whiteboard hanging on the back wall. I quickly erased the scribbles that were on it and grabbed the black marker. I wrote down the information I knew, starting with Quinton Marshall becoming the Alpha in 1960, when he met my grandma in June of that year, and ending with the arrival of Blue Moon in 1975. I used magnets to hang the pictures up next to the dates, leaving a large space between the last two dates.

I wrote the word kids and exile with a question mark next to them in the blank space. I needed to figure out when Cordelia and Quinton had their children and when Cordelia was exiled, that way I could determine how much time passed before Blue Moon moved in. I abandoned the whiteboard and decided to take another look at the first photo album.

I flipped to the last entry in the photo album, the one that details Cordelia’s Luna ceremony, and read it again. I turned the page and scanned the remains of whatever was torn out. I grumbled, frustrated at being so close to the information and yet not having access to it. I angrily shoved the book away and watched it drop to the floor.

The book flipped onto its back and spread apart, straining the spine. I sighed and bent to pick the album up when I noticed something strange coming from the tearing spine. I knelt down and picked at the spine of the book, pulling a small piece of paper loose from the bindings. It was so tiny, barely the size of a penny, but I could tell it had been folded over a bunch of times.

I stood up and took the folded paper to the desk, flipping on the lamp to get better light. I carefully started to unfold the paper. Once unfolded it was about the size of a Post-It note and contained one single sentence:

The truth lies with the Luna’s secrets.

I stared intently at that one little sentence. It wasn’t the ominous message that gave me pause, but the elegant handwriting that I would recognize anywhere. It belonged to Luna Cordelia. Now I knew I had to talk to my grandma.

I left the archives in a hurry, running back up to my room to grab the conch shell I had brought with me. We fondly called it the shellphone. It was a way of contacting sirens from the surface. I stuffed the shell in my bag and quickly made my way to the beach behind the packhouse.

It was still too early for anyone else to be awake, the packhouse still dark and the sun just barely starting to grace the sky. I ran through the sand and stopped just short of the water. I pulled out the shell and placed it to my lips, giving it one hard blow. A song sounded from the shell that only my desired recipient could hear. Today that person was my grandma.

I sat down on the sand, holding the shell, and watching the horizon. After a few minutes, I started to see a disturbance on the surface of the water. Standing, I squinted against the rising sun and watched as a siren skirted the water and ascended from the sea. My grandma stepped out of the water, her human legs slowly taking form.

“It’s been ages since I’ve had legs.” Grandma sighed, shaking out her wobbly feet. She smiled at me and I ran up to her for a hug.

“Where are we?” She asked, looking around. Suddenly her eyes went dark and she began to frown,

“Navy.” Her voice trembled.

“This is where you lived with Quinton, isn’t it?” I asked. She looked at me and nodded once.

“It’s a different pack now. One that’s led by Alpha Knox Greystone, my mate.” I confessed. Grandma’s eyes got even wider,

“You’re mated to an Alpha?” She gasped.

“Just like you.” I said.

“Are you sure it’s a different pack?” She asked.

“This pack was founded in 1975 by Knox’s grandfather who came from Canada. The packhouse and territory was abandoned.” I explained.

“Abandoned? In 1975?” Grandma’s voice was clearly shaken. I nodded, afraid of making her too emotional.

“I wanted to ask you when you left.” I said in a small voice.

“April, 1970.” She answered without hesitation.

“So, what happened in those five years?” I said mostly to myself.

“That’s the million dollar question, isn’t it?.” Grandma said.

“I want to find out what happened to Quinton and your children.” I told her. Grandma looked at me with a sad smile, shaking her head. She took my hand in hers, giving it a squeeze.

“Nevermind that, child. Nothing can change what happened here all those years ago. Things turned out how they were supposed to. Now, it’s your turn to create a new adventure with your Alpha.”

“Knox couldn’t believe that the Council forced you out. He said that they wouldn’t dare try anything like that now. He said that so many Alphas are mating with non-werewolves, the Council would have a war on their hands.” I said quickly, trying to assure her that I was safe.

“Times have changed, as they always do, and I’m glad for that. I know you will be a much better Luna then I ever was, and you and your Alpha will build a great life together.” She smiled, patting my hand.

“I don’t know if I’m ready for that kind of responsibility.” I sighed.

“Of course you are,” Grandma chuckled,

“You were born to lead. I always thought you would have made an excellent Queen of the Siren.”

“I want you to have something.” I said, fishing the photograph out of my bag. I handed it over to my grandma who took it with her shaking hand.

“Oh my.” She gasped, covering her mouth as she admired the photo,

“I never thought I would see his face again.” She whispered, rubbing her finger across Quinton’s face.

“Knox thinks I look like you.” I said, looking at the photo over her shoulder.

“Smart lad.” She laughed, sniffing the tears away. Just then I felt the presence of someone behind me. I shuffled Grandma out of sight and turned to face the intruder, on high alert.

“Navy? What are you doing out here? I was looking everywhere for you, you had me so worried.” Knox cried, jogging across the sand to meet me. I smiled at him and accepted his hand, moving to the side to reveal my grandma.

“Knox, this is my grandmother, Coredila,” I said, introducing them,

“Grandma, this is Alpha Knox, my mate.” Knox looked at grandma in surprise before extending his hand and bowing his head,

“Luna Coredila, it’s an honor to meet you.” Grandma shook her head with a smile, taking his hand,

“I haven’t been a Luna in a long time, please, call me Grandma.”

“You’ll always be a Luna here, ma’am. I want to personally apologize on behalf of the Council for what happened to you. I’m horrified that they would do something like that.” Knox said.

“It was a different time, young Alpha. We were at war with the species and the Council was new to power; they had a lot to prove.” Grandma said.

“Navy told me about your stories of a time before the Council. I’ve never been told about a royal werewolf bloodline. Our history has always been the Council.” Knox said, wrapping his arm around my waist. I eyed his touch curiously, trying to decide when we got to the casual displays of affection part of our relationship.

“Yes, the Council has done well hiding werewolf history. It was even before my time that the royal bloodline existed, the early 1900s or late 1890s, I believe is when the Council overthrew them; more than fifty years before I was Luna. But, at that time, there were still living people who remembered the royals and that scared the Council.” My grandma explained.

“Grandma, I called you here to ask you something.” I said, interrupting them.

“Yes, dear?” She turned her attention back to me.

“I was going through the archives and I found this.” I handed her the small note I found in the spine of the photo album. Grandma glanced at it for only a second, seeming to recall exactly what she had written all those years ago.

“You are looking for trouble, aren’t you?” She sighed at me. Knox leaned over her shoulder to read the note.

“Where did you find this?” He asked me.

“Inside the photo album that had her picture in it.” I said,

“Yes, right where I left it.” Grandma added, shocking Knox.

“You left this?” Knox asked.

“I also tore out the last page of the book, if you noticed it’s missing.” She smirked.

“You did that?”

“The last page contained the records of what the Council did to us, to me. I knew they would want to get rid of it, to get rid of any evidence of a siren Luna. So, I removed the page and hid it. I left this as a clue in case anyone started poking around. I never imagined it would be my own granddaughter.” She chuckled.

“Where did you put it?” I asked.

“I told you to let this go.” Grandma sighed at me.

“Cordelia, what the Council did to you was wrong.” Knox said.

“It was, but it doesn’t matter now. Navy said that Alphas are mating non-werewolves all the time. The Council’s reach is shrinking. The problem will solve itself.” Grandma said.

“But, don’t you want to know what happened to Quinton and your children?” I begged her.

“Some things are better left unknown, child. I would rather create a wonderful life for them in here,” She said, tapping her forehead,

“Then learn some horrible truth.” I wanted to argue more, but Knox squeezed my hip and shook his head.

“Whatever you want, Grandma.” I sighed, giving in.

“Come here, child.” Grandma smiled, pulling me in for a hug,

“All I want now is your happiness.” She kissed my cheek and pulled away,

“And for you to take good care of my granddaughter.” Grandma gave Knox an accusing glare. He held his hands up in a mock surrendered,

“With my dying breath.” He said sincerely. I rolled my eyes at the pair of them.

“How’s the family?” I asked before she left.

“Oh, just the same.” Grandma said, waving her hand dismissively.

“How’s mom?” I mumbled.

“Just the same.” She said again.

“And have you seen Cameron?” I asked her, turning my back on Knox to try and avoid his eavesdropping, even though I knew it was a mute point. Grandma shook her head at me,

“Don’t worry about him, Navy. He’ll be fine.”

“Try not to be so obvious about whose side you’re on, Grandma.” I laughed.

“I’m on your side, Navy. I just so happen to know who’s best for you.” She said smugly. I gave her another hug before sending her off into the ocean.