Chapter 5 The Missing Luna

Seraphina

The kitchen was a cold expanse of granite, black stone, and chrome. It was massive. Everything looked like it belonged in a magazine, too clean and too expensive. A large wooden cross hung on the wall, carved with deep, intricate lines. I looked at the photos lining the walls, hundreds of warriors with stone-cold faces. Even the women looked like they could snap a neck without blinking.

I sat on a stool, my hands tucked between my knees. I felt out of place. Back at the camp, I would have been the one scrubbing the pans, not watching the Alpha's sister cook for me.

"Don't let my brother get to you. He is a big wimp under all that growling," Margo said. She laughed, tossing a handful of ingredients into a pan. "I swear it."

"He kidnapped me, Margo. He burned my home to the ground." I stared at the chrome toaster, seeing my own hollow reflection.

"If you are his mate, he can take you. That is how the Goddess works. You can say no, but the pull never stops." Margo stirred the food, her voice casual, like we were talking about the rain. "He's had a hard life, Seraphina. Bad things happened to him."

"So if I say no, I can leave?" I leaned forward. "I have people to take care of back home. I need to fix what he broke."

"Alexander told me you were still with Xandriel. I thought he would have..." She trailed off, the room going silent. Just the sound of that name made my skin crawl. "Actually, Xandriel is the monster here."

"I owe him," I whispered. I didn't want to say it, but it was the truth I lived. "He saved me from men who wanted to do worse."

Margo spun around, her eyes flashing. "No. You don't owe him a damn thing. He didn't save you. You live with us now. You will never see that bastard again. He has your head in such a mess." She slammed a spatula down, making me jump.

"What do you know about him?" I asked. Her anger felt personal.

"Everyone knows him," she said, her eyes darting toward the door. "Fifteen years ago, Xandriel raided us. Just like we did to him yesterday. He took something special. He tore Alexander's soul out. He murdered our parents, kidnapped our people, and he took you."

My heart stopped. The air in the kitchen felt thin.

"He took me? From here?" I stared at her, my head spinning. "I don't remember any of that. He never told me."

"You were a baby. Maybe five or six. Alexander has been waiting forever for you. He's older than me, so I only know the stories he tells. He never touched another woman because he was waiting for his mate to be born. Then Xandriel came and stole you away."

I looked at my hands. This was my home? I felt like a stranger in my own skin.

"He waited for you to turn eighteen," Margo continued, her voice softening. "He searched for years. He never claimed anyone else. When you turned eighteen, your parents gave up their rights to him. You are our Luna, Seraphina. You always were."

"Me? A Luna?" I shook my head. "Xandriel treated me like trash. If Alexander knew where I was, why did he wait so long?"

"We couldn't find the scent until one of Xandriel's men messed up. Alexander went in for revenge, to take back what was stolen. He didn't even know it was you at first. You smelled like... like other men. Like sex."

I flinched, my face burning with a shame so deep I wanted to crawl into the floor. "Then your Alpha saved me from a life I chose."

"Call him Alexander. And yes, he did." Margo set a plate in front of me, but the smell of the food made my stomach turn. "He isn't a jerk. He's just hurting. Give him a chance. One date."

"No way," I snapped. I fisted my hands on the counter. "I'm not a Luna. I'm a servant. I've been used and marked. I'm not pure. I don't deserve him."

"Shh. I'll fix it. You two will go out, you'll talk, and you'll see who he really is." Margo clapped her hands, her excitement making me feel sick. I didn't want a date. I wanted to disappear. I was terrified he would realize I was broken and discard me just like Xandriel did.

"Margo, please," I begged.

She didn't listen. She grabbed my hand and hauled me upstairs to her room.

Hours later, I was staring at myself in a mirror. Margo had forced me into a black dress that clung to every curve. It was strapless and short. I was wearing black Louboutins that made my calves ache. I looked like a different person. I looked like a prize.

Margo pulled the car up to a small Italian place. It was quiet, decorated with string lights and rose bushes. A fountain bubbled nearby. It was beautiful, and I hated every second of it.

I used to dress up for men back at the camp, but that was for survival. This felt different. This felt like a trap. I wasn't going to bend. I wasn't going to give him a piece of me just because he bought me a dinner.

Honestly, I'd rather he just put a bullet in me and ended the suspense.

I stepped into the restaurant, and the heavy door was held open by a man who gave me a look I didn't like. The room was loud. Glasses clinked and people laughed, but the noise felt like it was pressing against my skin. Back at the camp, I was practically the female Alpha, but in this crowd, I felt small. My palms were slick as I gripped my purse tight.

I saw him. Alexander was sitting at a table right in the center of the room. When he caught my eye, he stood up. A small smirk played on his lips. He looked like he was holding back nerves, which was crazy. He was the most beautiful man I had ever seen. He wore a sharp black suit, and his jacket was draped over the back of his chair. He looked like power personified.

He pulled my chair out for me.

"Thanks," I whispered. I kept my head down. I had to be polite. If Margo was right, if I had been stolen from this pack as a child, then Xandriel's cruelty made even more sense. He hadn't kept me because he wanted me. He kept me to spit in Alexander's face.

"You look stunning," Alexander said.

His voice was like warm honey. It was the first truly kind thing he had said to me, and it made my breath hitch. I felt a heat bloom between my thighs that I couldn't ignore. I blushed, looking away. He was easily the most attractive man in the place. Every woman in the room was staring at him, but his eyes were locked on me.

"Thanks," I mumbled. This mate bond was a nightmare. I wanted to hate him, but I couldn't stop looking at the way his shirt pulled against his chest.

"Wine?" he asked. He started to tilt the bottle over my glass.

"No, I can't drink."

He paused, a dark look crossing his face. "Why not?"

"I just can't," I said, my heart starting to race. I felt my hands shaking in my lap. "Xandriel didn't allow women to drink. And I'm only nineteen."

Saying that name was like dropping a match in a room full of gasoline. Alexander's jaw clenched so hard I thought it might snap. He looked like he wanted to break the table in half.

"Nineteen. It feels like an eternity since you were gone," he said. He looked pained, his voice cracking slightly. "I'm sorry for everything I did to make you doubt me these last few days. I was out of my mind."

"You don't have to apologize," I said. I tried to focus on the silverware.

"I do. I fucked up. I was so angry at Xandriel that I lost my patience. It hurt that you didn't remember me, Seraphina. It felt like a knife in the gut."

I looked up and caught his gaze. He wasn't looking at my dress or my face. He was looking into me. I felt like a disappointment. I wasn't the girl he remembered. I was something broken.

"I'm sorry," I whispered. "I'll do better."

"None of this is on you." Alexander reached across the table and grabbed my hand.

The spark was so intense I nearly jumped out of my seat. My heart leaped into my throat.

"I would never treat you the way he did. I don't know the details of what happened in that camp, but I promise it will never happen again."

The waiter arrived with our food, and a thick silence followed. I stared at the steak and potatoes. It smelled incredible. My stomach cramped with hunger, but I didn't move. I kept my hands firmly in my lap. Alexander was watching me. I knew he could feel my fear radiating off me.

"I need you to calm down," he said softly. "Every wolf in here can smell how scared you are. I won't hurt you, Seraphina. I just want to talk."

"I am calm," I lied.

"You aren't. Why aren't you eating? If you don't like it, I'll order the whole menu until we find something you want."

"Not until you start, sir," I muttered.

The memory hit me like a physical punch. Xandriel had once choked me until I saw spots because I took a bite of bread before he gave the word. He fed my dinner to the dogs while I watched. I went five days without food after that. I wasn't going to make that mistake with a new Alpha.

Alexander leaned in close. His scent was overwhelming.

"You don't have to follow his rules here. If there was only one plate of food left in this world, you would eat it and I would starve. You are my Luna. You come first. Always."

I swallowed hard. I wanted to believe him so badly it hurt. I wanted to lean across the table and let him hold me until the memories of Xandriel faded away. But I was terrified of the catch.

"Why are you being so nice?" I asked. "You don't have to do this."

"I'm not faking it. I want to take care of you. You don't have to sleep in my bed. You don't even have to eat at my table if you don't want to. Take all the time you need."

"Margo said this was a date," I said, feeling a tiny bit of the weight lift.

"It can be whatever you want it to be. I've waited fifteen years. I can wait a little longer," he said with a small smile.

I started to relax, picking up my fork. But then the restaurant doors swung open with a bang. Alexander's expression went stone-cold in a split second.

"Yoohoo! Alexander boy, long time no see!"

A man who looked like a total thug strolled into the room. The peace was gone. I dropped my fork, my heart sinking. I couldn't even have one meal without the world falling apart.