Alpha's Love For His Luna

Allison's Point of View

As the bus to Highland came to a stop in front of me, I stood at the bus station, coughing my bag. Everything I've worked so hard for over the past three years is finally coming true.

I haven't had a life because of school, studying, and working two to three part-time jobs, but it all feels worthwhile today. I'm heading to Highland to study at the only university in the country where wolves and humans study together, and a lone shifter like me is more than welcome.

I take a step forward and hand my bag to the man who is loading the bags onto the bus. I climb the stairs and look around for a seat. Because we are one of the first stops, the bus is only about a quarter full, and I can easily find an empty seat halfway down. I try to prepare myself for the long voyage ahead.

Highland is on the other side of the country, and getting there will take more than a day. The bus will take a circuitous path throughout the country, stopping at a number of key towns and cities along the way.

Flying would have been more convenient. There are direct flights that would get me there in a couple of hours, but they are an unnecessary luxury for me. The bus may be inexpensive by most people's standards, but once I arrive in Highland, I'll need to find a part-time job immediately before my meager resources run out.

That is my main concern: running out of money. That despite all of my efforts and sacrifices to get there, I find myself unable to afford to stay.

I'm not afraid of moving to a new town on my own. I'm used to moving around and never staying in one spot for long. Mum and I would relocate every six months to a year. We'd have to find a place to live, I'd have to acquire a part-time job to help pay the expenses, and I'd have to adjust to a new school.

I would strive to make new acquaintances and study hard in order to catch up and stay towards the top of my classes. In summary, I was doing all possible to keep my ambition of attending this university alive.

One of the best aspects of studying in Linton is that I will be able to stay for five years. For the first time, I will be able to settle anywhere and call it home. There will be no more being forced to leave because the local pack dislikes loners or because mum simply decides one day that it is time to move on.

She was always convinced that there was a greater town waiting for us to discover it. With a better school than the one I was attending, a nicer place to live, and better-paying jobs. We'd have to go if she decided to look for a better place.

Now I'm finally going somewhere that will accept a lone shifter. I'll be able to transform into my wolf and flee without worry of being chased out of town by the local pack for being on their pack's territory.

Highland is in the territory of the Scarlet Moon Pack, however they are a peaceful pack. They don't consider all lone wolves to be rogues. They leave us alone until we cause trouble, which is especially true if we are attending university.

It'll be great not to have to constantly look over my shoulder, waiting for the local pack to figure out who I am and launch an assault.

The only drawback is that my mother is not present to share this moment with me. She has been the one constant in my life. Always there to lift me up and cheer me on when I fall. There to make our constant movement more bearable. Laughter and joking, each new town an adventure. And it happened while I was with her.

That all came to an end six months ago when she was murdered in a car accident. The van driver who drove her over

walked away from the scene. I don't even have the reassurance that her assailant has been apprehended and punished. She was never informed that I had completed all of my tests and had been accepted to the university of my dreams.

So here I am, eighteen years old, an orphan, set to embark on my new life without her. At the very least, I won't have to figure everything out on my own.

The university has connected me with another lone wolf who has agreed to show me around and assist me.

to establish himself as a new werewolf on school. For the past month, we've been messaging each other every day.

Jaxon assisted me in locating acceptable student housing close to the institution. I'm going to live with the other werewolf students. They are all loners, like me, and will be able to assist me in adjusting to my new circumstances.

I look out the window, seeing the landscape change as we leave Cunnington behind. Every couple of hours, the bus stops to pick up fresh passengers, and we have the opportunity to eat and use the restroom.

The bus is steadily filling up, and I don't think the seat next to mine will be empty for long. We arrive in the first major city on our trip after six hours. It takes us half an hour to get to the bus station via the congested traffic. When we arrive, I grumble quietly when I notice the long line of people waiting to board the bus.

The seat beside me will not remain empty.

There is almost no chance that another wolf will sit next to me. Wolves do not take buses. Those that are part of a pack or have enough money will drive or fly themselves. Only a lonely orphan like myself would be forced to travel by bus.

I am not an anti-social person, nor do I despise humans in the manner that some shifters do. It only takes concentration to maintain the pretense and act like a human in their presence. We must be extremely cautious not to raise their suspicions. The last thing we want is for people to think we're not human. They must never discover the existence of shifters.

That may appear simple because we look and sound exactly like them in our human form, but even the most gullible human can detect a difference. They can detect the predator lurking within.

I've had more experience dealing with humans than most wolves. We loners tend to live on the edges of werewolf society, hiding in human communities and pretending to be just like them because we don't belong to a pack. We strive to blend in while remaining as distinct as possible. We work with humans and attend their schools, but we rarely form close human friends because it is simply too risky. So the prospect of spending the next eighteen hours in close proximity to one makes me nervous. I just hope they're not the chatty kind.

Maybe I can pretend to sleep for the most of the trip.

As the new passengers board the bus and begin to look about for a seat, I notice a tall man with dirty blonde hair and a muscular build approaching me. As he considers where to seat, his glance travels around the bus and its passengers. He looks over at the seat next to me before looking up. He comes to a halt and looks me in the eyes. My heart skips a beat as I take in his brilliant blue eyes and his broad mouth, which widens into the sexiest smile I've ever seen.

He is too beautiful, too perfect to be human. My heart skips a beat as I realize who he is. A wolf similar to myself.

"You're blocking the way," a passenger stuck behind him complains. "I have to find a seat."

The seductive stranger turns to face him. I observe as the human pales and takes a step back. "I'm sorry," he says quietly.

This seemed to satisfy the magnificent wolf, as he turns back towards me, his gaze fixated once more on my face, a smile playing on his lips. He walks up the aisle and points to the seat next to mine.

"Is this seat taken?" he asks, his gaze never leaving my face.

"No, it's free," I gulp. I'm able to sputter.

As he settles into his seat, he smirks at me.

He turns to me and speaks gently so only I can hear him once he has made himself at ease. "There's no need to predict where you're going, little wolf. Highland University."

Allison Point of View.

"Yes," I'm able to say. "Are you also going? Are you a university student?"

His smile gets bigger. "Same kind of thing. I plan to study for a while, but I haven't decided if I will stay or not. I'm a loner, so it's not easy for me to settle down anywhere."

I'm looking at him. He doesn't look like he's by himself. He looks like a pack wolf because he is big and strong and wears expensive clothes.

The majority of loners are smaller and less well cared for. They don't have this wolf's courage and strength. We spend our time looking around, waiting for trouble to come to us or for a pack of wolves to attack us. This wolf looks like he could fight any pack that came after him, and I'm pretty sure he would win.

He must know some of what I'm thinking because he turns to me and says, "When you get to Highland, you'll meet a lot of different kinds of wolves, including pack wolves and wolves that live alone. We haven't all been through the same things."

I nod. I know that I haven't had a lot of exposure to how werewolves act. Mom made sure that we didn't hang out with other lone wolves.

He told me, "Not all lone wolves are good like us." "Many of them are bad people who would attack at any chance. They would see us as easy prey. We are only safe when other werewolves can't find us."

My mother didn't really want me to go to Highland. She thought I would be in danger there, but she knew how much I wanted to go, so she gave in. She had told me that I would never be safe, not even there.

"So, little wolf, what are you going to do when you get there? "Where are you going to stay?"

"The university connected me with another lone wolf who found me a place to live."

"Good, because you will need help and someone to show you around."

"What do you think?"

"Oh, I know people there who can help me. Also, this isn't the first time I've stayed in Highland."

I turn to look at him more closely and realize that he must be in his mid- to late-twenties.

I ask him, "What made you decide to come back to school now?"

"Things are starting to change in Highland, and I want to be there when they do," he says in a vague way, before changing the subject and asking me, "So, what do you want to study?"

"Health care."

"That is an odd thing for a wolf to write about. Doctors on Earth don't know much about how our bodies work."

"No, but healers can only work with packs, and none of the healers in a pack will treat a lone wolf." I thought if I knew more about medicine in general, I might be able to use my training to help people who live alone. It might not be as good as getting treatment from a real healer, but it would be better than what we get now."

"It's nice that you want to help other wolves. He really tells me.

I redden. Thank you. What do you plan to study?" I would like to change the subject.

"Some of this, some of that. I think I'll make up my mind when I get there and see how the land is laid out." He then gives me a smile and closes his eyes, ending our conversation.

-----'

I spent the rest of the trip trying to rest and talking to my new travel companion.

I found out that his name is Calvin and that he has lived alone since he was a teenager. He's been all over the country, and the places he's stayed and things he's done sound a lot more interesting than the life I've had so far.

Not for him the boring work of getting by that I had to do as a kid. But I know that he never tells me too much about himself. Where he was born or any family stories.

I guess he doesn't feel like he can trust me because we just met and I'm a stranger. I'm not complaining because I don't want to talk about my personal life any more than he does.

I tell him that I've spent my whole life going from place to place with my mother, but I don't go into much detail. I do tell him that she died recently, but I don't say much more than that. He cares, but I'm glad he doesn't try to get me to talk about what happened.

I'm surprised by how easy it is to be with him and how quickly time goes by. Before I know it, we'll only be forty miles away from Highland, and our trip will be over.

"Thank you so much for making this trip so fun. I was worried that sitting here for hours with nothing to do would be boring, but having you here has made it a lot of fun."

"So have I," I have to admit. "I hope we'll run into each other again. I don't know any Highland residents."

"I have no doubt. Let me help you with your bag when we get there."

"I can also tell you about Jaxon, the wolf who has been helping me. He will come get me and take me to my new home."

Yes, of course.

When the coach gets to Highland, he keeps his promise. He stays with me as I get off the bus and helps me carry my bag into the building of the bus station. I can feel myself getting more and more excited. I am here at last.

I look all over to find Jaxon. I won't have to wait long to see him. He is standing by the exit with a rough cardboard sign that says my name in big black letters.

I turn around to show Calvin where he is, but he's not there. My bag is sitting next to me on the ground, right where he was just a few minutes ago. I look all over the building for him, but he is no longer there. I'm surprised that he was able to move so quickly and quietly that I didn't notice him leave.

I'm hurt by the fact that he didn't say goodbye. I thought he was serious when he said he liked being with me. Even though we might not be friends now, I had hoped that we would be in the future. I know deep down that I wanted to be more than just friends with her. But I realized now that all I was to him was someone to talk to on a long, boring bus ride.

I sigh and decide to stop thinking about him. Calvin's lack of interest in me wasn't going to ruin my first day in Highland. I had been looking forward to being here for too long to let him ruin it for me. I put on a big smile and started walking toward Jaxon.

"How are you?"

"Nice to meet you, Allison," he says with a warm smile. "Greetings from Highland. I'm sure you will love it here.

Could I help you with your bag?"

I say "thanks" as he picks up my old, beat-up suitcase. Even though it's heavy, his werewolf strength makes it easy for him to lift it. He turns around and starts walking out of the bus station's door, and I follow him closely.

Allison Point of View.

"My car is out front. I'll take you to your new house and introduce you to the three people who live there with you. Since you already know that they are all werewolves, you can feel at ease with them and won't have to hide who you really are."

"Good. It will be nice to not have to worry about telling someone my secret."

"Daniela, Tobby, and Adams won't have any trouble with that. They can help you get used to things. It's great to live in Highland.

People and werewolves are in good numbers. The Scarlet Moon Pack lives near people and tries to be like them as much as possible. Because of this, a lot of wolves, both lone wolves like us and pack wolves, like to go to college.

"I don't get it; don't the wolves in the pack hate us?" I ask.

"It isn't easy," Jaxon says, "but we make it work." We don't talk to others. Lone wolves and wolf packs don't get along, and that helps us keep the peace. No one wants to do anything to let the humans know that we are not like them.

"If you can keep the peace, it can't be that bad," I tell him as I watch him carefully.

"No, it's not, but there are rules you have to follow. Once you're settled in, the guys can tell you more about them. I promise you will have a great time in Linton as long as you follow the rules."

"That is all that I care about." I've been waiting a long time to get here. I won't let politics with the pack of wolves ruin it for me. Also, it can't be worse than being chased out of town by a pack of angry dogs.

"You'll love the house. It's on the edge of town, near the forest, but the university is only a twenty-minute walk away. You can ask the guys to show you around. Tell you where you should run when you're in wolf form.

--------

My new house is only a ten-minute drive away. As we leave the town center, we see big houses with freshly painted fences and well-kept gardens, but it doesn't take long for them to give way to a poorer area. The houses are still big, but most have been turned into apartments, and the gardens around them are overgrown and not taken care of.

"It's not the best part of town, but it's not as bad as it looks, and no one will bother you. Jaxon tells me, "No one will ask any hard questions."

"It's okay," I tell him. I've lived in much worse places than this one.

He pulls up in front of a small house at the end of the street and says, "Well, here we are." Some of the other houses we've seen are in worse shape than this one. It has a small, well-kept garden, and the door is a bright red color.

"Daniella likes to take care of the garden, and she has enlisted the help of Adams and Tobby to decorate the house. He warns me, "She is a bit of a wild card, but she has a good heart."

He takes my bag out of the car's trunk and walks up the driveway. I hurry to catch up with him. I'm starting to feel nervous for the first time since I got to Highland. I've never lived with anyone else besides my mom. I hope I can get along with my new roommates.

Jaxon rings the doorbell. A girl with long dark brown hair and brown eyes opens the door a few minutes later. She is tall and looks very attractive.

"Hi, Jaxon," she says as she hugs him.

After she let him go, she turned to me and looked me over from head to toe. I can tell she's judging me, but she's not being mean. After a moment, she says, "This must be our new housemate... Hi. She grabs my arm and pulls me into the house, saying, "Welcome to 'Lone House.'"

"Thanks," I say in a shaky voice.

"It'll be great to have you here. Even though Adams and Tobby are fine, I am outnumbered. We will be able to hold our own now that there is another she-wolf in the house."

"When did that ever cause you trouble?" He does this with a smile. "You always do what you want. The guys will help you with anything."

She says, "You're exaggerating," and waves Jaxon away.

"They adore you," he says.

She used to listen, but now she doesn't. As she leads me through the house, she says, "I'll take you to your room so you can drop off your bags. Then I'll show you around the house and garden in detail.

You'll really enjoy the garden. It is so quiet, and the forest is right behind it. When we want to go for a run, it's easy for us to get there. After your trip, you must be dying to move. That's possible tonight."

"But first, you need to meet Adams and Tobby with Allison," Jaxon tells her.

"Yes, well. We can also do that."

We both follow her up the stairs. "Your room is right next to mine at the end of the hall."

She opens a door and leads me into a large room with a high ceiling and a window that looks out over the garden and into the forest. It has a double bed, a closet, and a desk for studying, but that's about it.

"This is perfect," I say. I'm used to living in apartments with only one bedroom. This is much bigger than that.

"The bathroom is through the third door on the left. While I show you around, Jaxon will bring your bag up to your room.

"Should I?" He asks her with a smile on his face.

"Of course you will, Jaxon. You are always so helpful," she tells him with a killer smile that lights up her beautiful face.

He blushes and returns to the stairs to retrieve my bag.