The night grew silent and the air stilled. All of nature seemed to be holding its breath, waiting, and watching.

The four Fae watched the night sky as the clouds began to slowly part. Gradually, little by little, the moon began to shine through the opening. And, then it was there, full in all of its beauty. The clouds encircled it but it shone fully, as if it were looking down on them. Though no heat came from the moon, its light bathed them in a different kind of warmth and they knew it was from the Great Luna. The light from the moon hit the moon stone that lay on the ground and it began to glow, a soft white light at first, but quickly grew in brightness.

Alston was the first to speak as he began the ancient chant to call the Luna’s children. It was a chant that had never been spoken out loud. And, one by one, they all joined in.

By the power of the moon,

It’s light over all it looms,

By the radiance of the stone,

You are not your own.

We call you.

You who are strong,

You’ve wandered far too long,

You who lead the weak,

It is you your creator seeks.

We call you.

Your time is now, your purpose is here,

Division is gone, restoration is near,

Heed the call, baying into the night,

Make yourself ready for the fight.

We call you.

We call you.

We call you.

The Packs of the Great Luna,

WE CALL YOU.

The final words rang into the night as the four Fae lowered their hands and looked back up to the moon. The calm that had draped over the forest began to dissipate as the wind began to blow and the trees swayed in a timeless dance. Over the howl of the wind they heard her voice as clearly as if she were standing before them.

“Ready yourselves. It is done.”

Nissa looked over to Alston and let out a shaky breath. “Why does that sound strangely ominous?”

It was Dain who answered. “Because, that is the only word that could possibly describe the joining of the packs.”

Chapter 5

“I felt it in my soul as I stood in the cool evening air. She beckoned to me, urging me to hurry, telling me time was short. As I stared up at the moon, the moon that shouldn’t be full on this night, I knew that every wolf looking up into the sky, anywhere in the world, would see a full moon. The Great Luna had sent out her call and we, her creation, were to answer it. For the pack.” ~ Victor, Bulgaria Pack

“Is that what I think it is?” David, Beta of the Coldspring pack asked his Alpha as they stood on the porch of the pack headquarters.

Jeff didn’t answer right away. He dwelt upon what the moon was saying to him. He didn’t know how, but he knew that their creator was calling them? Finally, he looked over to his Beta. “Yes, it’s the call of the moon. We’re beingsummoned.”

“What does that mean?” David asked. The Coldspring pack was a very young pack and didn’t have the knowledge and history like the other packs did, especially since they had been operating under the radar when Lucas Steele had been their Alpha.

“I’m not sure exactly, but I know who does.”

Jeff pulled out his phone and flipped through his contacts until he found the name he was looking for. Vasile. He dialed and waited for the line to connect.

It was only two rings before his call was answered.

“Hello?” A deep voice answered from the other end.

“This is Jeff Stone of the Coldspring pack and I’m calling to speak with Vasile.”

There was a pause on the line, some scuffling, and then a new voice came on.

“This is Skender, I’m Vasile’s fourth. Vasile is a little tied up at the moment. Is his regarding the call of the packs?” Skender asked.

Jeff let out a deep breath. “Yeah, about that, what exactly does it mean?”

“The moon stone is the way the Great Luna calls the wolves to her. We are being summoned to come.”

“Come where?” Jeff asked.

“Close your eyes, Jeff Stone, of the Coldspring pack and focus.” Skender’s voice was deep and soft as he spoke to the Alpha.

Jeff closed his eyes and listened. He felt it deep in his soul and could hear her voice like a gentle whisper of wind against his flesh.

“Carpathian Mountains,” Jeff muttered under his breath.

“Very good,” Skender answered. “Your pack is young and you wouldn’t have known what to do, but the others will know. If she is calling them to the Carpathian Mountains then they need permission to be in Vasile’s territory, which means you will come to the pack mansion.” Skender gave Jeff the information that he would need to get to the Romanian pack headquarters and then explained the rest of what it meant to be called.

“The moon stone isn’t just a call to gather,” Skender said. “It is a call to arms. There is a threat to her creation and she is rallying the troops, so to speak. Obviously, you can’t bring your entire pack. There are twelve packs in various places around the world and to have them all together in one place, would be not be wise. So, you are to bring yourself and your top three. You may bring your mate as well, but the top three must leave their mates with your pack. This is not a vacation, Alpha.” Skender’s voice grew more serious. “There are things going on of which you are unaware, but you will be soon enough. Get on the first plane here. Do not waste time.” There was a pause and then in a formal tone Skender spoke. “For the pack.”

“For the pack,” Jeff answered, automatically.