For generations The Bishop family has revered the goddess of the moon and dedicated their lives to share with others the merciful and awesomeness of their goddess. Unlike many wolves in the states who had been turned into a beast of the night through a viral bite, the Bishops have bared the children of Selene, (or Artemis, or Awilix, or Changβe depending on your faith), and have seen this feat as a blessing for their devout fellowship of her greatness. Most of the Bishopβs early generations were spent as a nomadic unit, traveling from pack to pack along the west coast, they were knowledgeable teachers and useful allies. Their name grew synonymous with blessings and good luck, for each pack they visited gained something of importance after their departure. The belief and practice of worshipping Selene, the goddess of the Moon and creatures of the night, can be attributed to the Bishop family and all of their efforts.
For some time the Bishops found themselves in the Emerald City of the Evergreen State. With their eldest son, Micah, finding his mate in the form of another βpure-bredβ werewolf of the reigning Alpha family the nomadic preachers set up their own church in the heart of the Queen-Anne district and watched as Micah vowed his life and love to Aria. The two lived happily in their youth, eventually, the Bishops moved eastward without Micah and continued their teaching and preaching of Selene over the east coast. Some 35 years later on the bridge between their youth and midlife Micah and Aria brought a beautiful baby boy into the world and gave him the name Azariah.
Five years later the couple gifted Azariah with a beautiful baby sister, Chloe, and this was one of the first people Azariah promised himself he would protect, as a kid his parents thought it was the cutest thing to hear. Ahh⦠what a good big brother.
Azariah was a quiet child, always looked preoccupied or lost in thought. What looked like daydreaming to others was actually full conversations with Qaletaqa, who retold the tales of a far distant past and recalled the beauty of the Goddess he served directly. The times of puberty brought along his first shift and it was a... strange experience. Completely different from what his mother and father prepared him for. There was no intense pain or desire for blind chaos, instead he felt like he was watching a movie, seeing through the eyes of the wolf but unable to direct action or provide thought, but he could hear Qaletaqa clearly, and more so could feel the joy of the wolf as he padded along the green grass and wove between the elder Evergreens.
The family of four left the west coast once Chloe was old enough to easily travel with and sought a new life amongst an established pack in the heart of Salem, MA. The kids grew up in the town, exploring the neighboring states during breaks, visiting their grandparents who had established a second church of Selene in New York City and formed a small pack of believers who gave back to the community and provided a safe place for lone wolves and various supernatural beings needing help. During his high school years, Azariah noticed how the pack had been changing after the son of the previous Alpha won the position after beating him in combat. There were rumors of the orders the Alpha gave to the single women of the pack, the harsh way he treated the widows and the men below him. No eyewitnesses ever came forward to affirm the rumors but Azariah still kept them in mind. Though no one needed to wait long to see how terrible the Alpha truly was, at the next pack meeting he made sure to exhibit his power. With two of the women who often spent their time with Chloe beside him barely clothed and obviously broken, and with his beta sporting a beaten face, the elders were enraged, the followers of Selene disgusted. Qaletaqa a cold burning fury had Azariah silently seething, glaring through red tinted vision as the poor excuse made his declarations and issued his demands.
Like an arrogant fool, he demanded all single men of age leave the pack, unwanted and unwelcome until they have found mates elsewhere. Which meant all women of age and coming of age in the pack were to be his mates and lifelong toys, none were given the authority to leave the pack or the pack lands. The command shook everyone to their core and the Alpha made sure to make an example of the first elder who sought to give sound advice against weakening the pack as such. Bloodied and humiliated the alpha left the elder and turned as if waiting for another to step forward to face the same fate. No one did and on went the commands of a deranged leader, who broke the faith of his people with every word he spoke and strengthened the promise Azariah made to take his life.
The day after his 18th birthday, only a couple months into the school year the 3rd and 4th member of the Alphaβs pack had come to the Bishop house to issue the demands of the Alpha. The newly turned βmanβ was quiet as he listened to what they had to say, but his mother was not, she demanded to know what her son was meant to do in the middle of his senior year and away from them. Among her hysteria, she cursed the Alpha and the pack that let him ascend to the leadership position. This was the only time Azariah reacted or said anything, catching the hand aimed to strike his mother the blue of his irises glowed with the rage he had felt on that very first day two years ago. Azariah agreed to leave for New York where his grandparents welcomed him with open arms.
For five years he dedicated himself to training and learning all he could about himself, Qaletaqa and their goddess. Then judgment day came. On the Eve of Chloeβs 18th birthday, he returned to Salem, greeted the wolves on patrol and the Alpha he knew could sense his unconcealed presence and issued his challenge for the spot at the top of the pack. Like a coward, the Alpha tried to deny, but the elders who saw hope and a chance for change in Azariah were quick to back him up. So the fight was set, during the night under the power and watch of the moon before the entire packβ¦ or what was left of it.
Unlike the sadistic means of the weaker man Azariahβs fight was swift, but not merciful. There were times the man had begun to tap out, but the rage of Azariah and Qaletaqa was meant to be felt. The rage of the pack, heartbreak of mothers, and humiliation of the elders was meant to be righted, the Alpha would answer his wrongdoings with his life. So he did, a look of disbelief frozen on his face as his head tumbled to the feet of Azariah, the new alpha and protector of the people.