The Fate of the Rejected Alpha

SELENE IS DECEIVED

“Today, we will finally have our god or goddess, the ruler of the moon!” Zeus speaks loudly so that everyone can hear.

The arena is close to the limit between the sky and the land and all the gods, even the ones of the underworld are present.

"My children, Mahni and Selene will compete for the title," Zeus pronounces with his chest full with pride.

Mahni and Selene, Zeus' children, are twins. They were born on the eclipse caused by the alignment of all the planets, which happens from millennia to millennia. For five hundred and fifty years they trained hard for this great day.

Mahni is sixteen feet tall, has silver hair and amber-colored eyes. His body is muscular and he has a square chin without a single strand of beard. His voice is deep and his presence is so dominant that people were able to feel it from miles away. However, kindness was never his concern; arrogant and spoiled, he always thought himself superior and the word love was never part of his dictionary. He is an extraordinary warrior, the hunt has his name as a description.

But Selene – she never stayed behind her brother, but always one step ahead of him. Mahni didn't like that.

Unlike her twin brother, Selene's thirteen feet tall. Her hair, just like her brother's, is silver, falling down in waves shy of her thin waist. Her eyes are blue, a dark hue, but one that conveyed tranquility and from her skin radiated a bluish light. She has a slim body, but with all the muscles defined. She's the best at hunting, at sports, at strategies. Her master had been Athens herself, Zeus' eldest and favorite daughter. Selene's fascinated by love; unlike her brother, she never wanted to be a goddess, all she ever wanted was to have a companion by her side.

But Selene was hiding a secret. In the mortal world, she found what she's always been looking for. Love for her came in the form of a human man.

He always looked up at the sky, while the stars shone and she watched him for days. His black hair that went up to his shoulders fluttered at the hissing of the night wind. His strong muscles from hard days of training, the dark color of his skin, his full lips, his beard and everything about him – she was, simply put, fascinated by the masculine beauty in front of her.

One night she decided to disguise herself as human and called him by his name:

“Lycaon," a sweet sound hovers over the calm whistle of the wind filling the young king's ears, as if the most beautiful of songs resonated in his ears.

"Who are you?" He asked. In his eyes it was possible to see how impressed he was with the beautiful woman in front of him. He had never seen anything more beautiful.

"My name is Selene. Why do you always look so much at the sky?" She takes a few steps until she's standing next to Lycaon.

"I miss the moon. It's been years since I last saw it in the sky. Count the months since the last time I saw it is practically impossible," he says.

The ancient moon goddess passed away, succumbing to the sin of greed. She wanted to be more than a mere moon containing only prominence during the night. Her service was only for the benefit of humans, without any recognition. She wanted to take Zeus' place, wanted to be worshiped, and so a war broke out and quickly came to an end; Zeus killed her in battle, her body fell into the abundant seas of the earth and made the waters salty. So that humans would survive, Zeus created fresh water among the hills.

The moon always played an important role, it was essential and when the ancient goddess passed away, the night sky was without its ruler. Zeus made a replacement star, but she also died a few years ago. Fortunately, it is not long before the new sovereign is chosen, and the sky returns to its times of glory.

"She will appear again," Selene says with conviction and Lycaon looks at her profile.

"Coming from you, I have no doubt," he says smiling.

They met every night for six months under the glow of the stars on the beach.

Selene sighed and counted the hours so she could see her beloved again.

But her secret didn't last long. Her brother soon found out and saw in that an opportunity to beat his sister. For Mahni, blackmail was nothing more than just something he had to do in honor of his success.

"Give up on the competition!" He imposes calmly as he walks with her through the gardens of white roses.

"No, I've prepared a lot for this day, and I'm not gonna–"

“I'll tell Zeus about your escapes to the human world, and I'm sure Dad won't be too happy about it,” he threatened.

At that Selene's body stops moving and the air seems to get heavier. She disguises the slight shaking of her fingers and clenches her hands into fists.

"Are you blackmailing me?" she asks with a furrowed brow and her mouth compressed in a thin line.

"Of course not," Mahni jokes. "My dear sister, I'm just trying to make things easier for both of us," he smiles.

"I don't see how that can be easy," Selene says between her teeth with her jaw hardened by anger.

“When I become the god of the moon, I can intercede for you to be a human and thus be able to live beside your beloved,” he says and Selene begins to take an interest in her brother's words. “However, you'll have to bring me a wolf.”

His smile becomes dark and that makes Selene shiver.

"Why a wolf?" She frowns in confusion, and that amuses Mahni.

"On the day of the competition we'll have to gift each other and I want a wolf. Big and black. One different from all the others, much bigger and with red eyes. I want one. This way both of us will be happy," he declared as he looked at her, making it clear that he's not open to any other type of negotiation.

"Promise that I will be transformed into a human?" She sighs, giving up, and that makes Mahni smile even more.

"Of course, my sister. Have I ever lied to you?" He asks, still smiling, putting his arm over his sister's shoulder as they return to their father's castle.

Hope blinded Selene and soon she found out that she shouldn't have believed the false words of her twin brother.