A'neridi Moonwalker

Daughter of M'lugeiros Moonwalker and an outsider.

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CHAPTER ONE: THE MANY LOVES OF NERIDI MOONWALKER

Neridi Moonwalker was the daughter of the Beta, Lugeiros Moonwalker, but being the daughter of the Beta only didn't afford her any fancy titles. No matter. She was loved no less and got along great with her half-siblings.

If only she could get along with her other family the same.

Her first son, Ardreth, made no attempt at hiding his contempt for her or his siblings. He loathed the fact that his father was an outsider, just some wolf she'd met for a night at just the right time. He'd been born from that meeting and she'd been overjoyed. It wasn't as if it was odd for the females in the Wildfate to mate with outsiders. It was encouraged, even. Helped keep the genes diverse, Alpha Reythyra had said, whatever that meant. But the moment her Ardreth had learned he had no father he could meet, he had gone cold to her, replying in snarls and clipped statements.

She'd tried to rectify the mistake when it came to her next pup. Venfiel had been born only after Neridi had been bonded to her dear Dornelis. Sure, she and Dornelis weren't exactly the usual bonded couple. They saw each other as more friends than anything, but they did love each other in their own way.

Her sweet, solemn Venfiel saw no problem with this setup. She was just happy to have them, Neridi was sure. But Ardreth hated Venfiel and Dornelis as much as he hated Neridi. Nothing, it seemed, could make her firstborn son forgive her for his being born.

Her other two children, Olara and Naelor, were born after a time with the pack's breeding male, and Neridi knew in her heart that this had shattered whatever possibility her firstborn could muster to love them. It wasn't as if Dornelis minded, or even Venfiel either. They had seen the two new pups as their own, a part of the family. But Ardreth hated them, of course. Neridi could only wonder why he remained in the Royal Hollow if that meant he would be near them if he hated them so much. But she could never claim to understand her firstborn.

Neridi snuggled closer to her two youngest, now adolescents. She really shouldn't ponder these things before bed, she knew. Dornelis often told her that she'd wake up in a bad mood if she spent all night thinking. But she couldn't help it. She had seen Ardreth watching his assigned pups earlier in the day and she couldn't keep her thoughts from her son. He wasn't terrible with the pups, from what the rumor was. He'd only watch the aggressive ones, but he treated them fairly, if not kindly. So why did he hate his siblings so much?

Neridi sighed and closed her eyes. She should really just go to sleep by now. There would be a long day of hunting tomorrow. But she couldn't help but wonder once more. Where did she go wrong?