Forgive Me, My Precious Luna

MIA.

"Mia, you look beautiful." My father said, running his hand across the ends of my white flowing gown. A hard lump slipped down my throat as I stared into the mirror, tears threatening to fall down my cheeks.

Today was supposed to be my eighteenth birthday, the happiest day in the life of every teenage girl, the day one truly became free. But here I was, dressed in my mother's pale wedding gown, about to wed a man whom I feared more than I could ever love.

The thing is, I was never really your average teenage girl. No one from this part of Rosewood was but besides the fact that I was a werewolf, I was also just an Omega which from here, was way worse.

They always said an Omega was only good for two things, as a breeder for whatever Alpha was willing to settle down for her or to become a slave to your own Pack.

It's either one of two, never anything else.

Born an Omega, I was often considered the weakest and lowest of the Pack hierarchy. It didn't matter that my father was the Alpha of Blood Moon, Pack rules would always be Pack rules. And amongst those rules, was the eighteen-year-old one.

"Happy birthday" He whispered, my father's words piercing right through my ears as a shiver went down my spine. My eyes caught a glimpse of the cake in the corner of the room and the decorations all around.

I could understand how much my father wanted this to be easy.

But I'm afraid there was no easy way to put the fact that he was literally pimping me off to Alpha Ezra, a man whose ruthlessness the whole town knew of but who my father swore by for the sakes of politics and whatnot. I was to be exchanged for whatever it was that was on the line and my only crime was being the Omega daughter.

Girls my age already saw their wolf, it most certainly didn't help that I had yet to see mine. Eighteen years was too late, even when I stood beneath the moon the day before, there was still nothing. And sometimes, it felt as though I wasn't human but I also wasn't a wolf.

It was almost impossible to fit in growing up, being the outcast, I was often bullied and looked down on by everyone else. Making friends wasn't easy but finding love was the hardest. Especially when all I've ever wanted was a love like my father and mother's.

And although she was no longer with us, some days, it still felt like she was. Days like this when I wished she was here but she wasn't. It had been twelve years, even though it felt longer. Twelve years since she fell ill and never recovered.

Twelve years since I last saw her.

Everyone moved on, even my Dad, by law had to remarry Eileen soon after who became my stepmother. They bore two kids, Daniel and Ingrid. Like I said, everyone had moved on but me.

Wearing her dress now, it was hard to not feel overwhelmed by her presence. Her scent, her aura, her vivid smile engraved in the back of my mind. The tears did fall at that moment and my Dad noticed.

"Mia" He called softly but I cowered my head. "Hey hey" He whispered before reaching for my cheeks. "What's the problem? You look beautiful, and Ezra is going to love you." He said.

"You know Dad," My voice broke. "You know I don't want to marry a man that I don't love. A man I could never...love."

"Oh, Mia" He called.

"How do you think your Mom and I met?" He asked. I lifted my gaze to him. "Look, what I'm trying to say is," He paused. "It may not be now but one day, you're going to realize that everything I'd ever done was for your own good"

"I don't want to marry him, Dad. Please." I pleaded.

"Mia"

"When have I ever lied to you?" He asked. I sobbed.

"I don't...I don't love him." I whispered before feeling his fist clench up. He pulled away. "Well, love isn't real! Okay, Mia!" He yelled and the sound of his voice shredded my heart.

His words, however were a lot worse.

Through my blurry eyes, I stared at him in disbelief.

A breath hitched in my throat once he looked back at me. My father's arms fell beside him.

"You know what I mean," He said. "Because if it was, she'd still be here right now" And in that moment, the hurt was evident in the tone of his voice. He didn't need to say anything else for me to understand because I did.

"Just," He sucked in air through his lips. "You know the Pack rules. You're eighteen and without a wolf, trust me you're better off with someone who could take care of you. Someone I'm sure would be able to protect you if anything ever happened"

"Ezra is-"

"Ezra would, Mia" He stifled his lips. "Enough, please."

"Don't make this harder than it already is. If it was any other person, they would already be down that aisle." He straightened his back before walking towards the table. He picked up the bouquet of flowers resting on it and then he halted.

Slowly, he turned around to hand it over to me.

"One more thing," He buried his hands into his pocket before hesitantly bringing out a piece of paper. "This is uhm," He cleared his throat. "This was from your mother." My heart sank in my chest as I looked up at him.

"You were only supposed to read it before you walked down the aisle. Those were her instructions" He said and with shaky hands, I reached for the letter, clenching it tight.

"Please, Mia" My Dad whispered, holding onto the door and there was a crack in his voice. "Ezra is waiting outside for you." He said. I heaved a deep breath. "Can you...Can you give me a moment?" I whispered and he nodded before walking out.

As soon as the door closed, I sat by the edge of the bed, opening up the letter, and as I read through, for that moment, it was almost like I could hear her voice.

"My Dear Mia,

If you're reading this, then I assume you are seconds away from walking down the aisle. I wrote this letter for your father to give you on your special day, only because I know I won't be able to.

And I want nothing more in this world than to be right there when you say yes to that lucky man, whoever he is. Nothing more than to have watched you grow into the amazing, fierce woman I always knew you'd become.

I'd give anything you know, anything to be able to fight this.

Anything to not leave you behind. But unfortunately, I have to.

I love you, Mia, from the moment I first laid eyes on you and held you in my hands, I've loved you because you reminded me so much of me. And I wanted to so badly protect you from the world. And the little time we spent together, I could tell you had a big heart.

And a whole lot of love to give, which is why I'm writing this letter because I don't want you to make a mistake, the same mistake that I did. Mia, you deserve to be loved the way you love.

You deserve to be seen by that one special person who'll be able to move your heart and sweep you off your feet. That person that you're going to look at and you'll know immediately that they're your person. Mia, if the man waiting for you at the altar isn't your person,

-then don't walk it.

Please, please don't walk it. Don't live a life of regret like I did. But if he is, if he's the right person and you know, only then do you have my blessings.

Please, Mia."

I sucked in a deep breath through my lips as I closed the letter at once but the words kept echoing in my ears. "Don't live a life of regret like I did." Tears streamed down my cheeks.

A million questions raced through my mind.

Was she talking about my father? Was their love not as perfect as I thought? And most importantly-was I really about to marry Ezra, a man I knew wasn't for me?

I got up, straightened my dress, and wiped my tears before walking out.

At that moment, my brain was foggy and my palms were cold. And it wasn't until I stood facing the chapel doors about to open that I came to a halt.

There was a ringing sound that pierced my ears.

"What am I doing?" It hit me suddenly.

"Are you having cold feet?" A voice echoed from behind amidst chuckles and I knew exactly who it was before I turned back. "Kyra" Her name slipped off my tongue, leaving a sour taste.

"You look hideous in that dress, as always" She struck out a finger and laughed loudly and on cue, the rest of her dolls did the same. This was all they did, the three of them, ever since I was little, they sought to make my life miserable. But absolutely not today.

"What happened?" She puckered her lips. "Did Ezra reject you too?"

"Did he realize that beneath all that makeup and fancy dress is a worthless, and wolfless piece of shit?" She gritted while I clenched my teeth. "Oh fuck you." I cussed, walking towards her and sticking the bouquet of flowers in her face.

"You know what, you're right." I snapped back, to her surprise.

It was the first time an Omega ever got a word in.

"How about you do everyone a favor and marry Ezra instead? You're just as heartless and soulless as he is. A perfect match." I hissed and a gasp escaped her lips. The look on her face was priceless but unfortunately, I immediately turned around to leave.

And it hit me in that moment exactly what I knew I had to do.

Without saying another word, I ripped my veil and took to my heels, the ends of my dress in one hand as I ran the opposite way from the chapel-where the whole Pack was waiting for me inside.

I found the stairs and without saying goodbye to either Ezra or my father, I fled.

My mind was racing, and so was my heart but I knew one thing, that I was desperate to leave this place and to put it all behind me. And so for the first time in my whole life, I left the Pack.

Even though I had no idea where I was going now.

But fate had other plans because that was the same day I met Him.

MIA.

"Arrgh!" I screamed.

My feet snapped through a branch as I fell to the ground. I felt the ends of my dress rip across but even more so the sting that came from the thorns slicing through my skin.

I forced myself up, even though I could barely move. My feet were bleeding and my whole body ached. I clenched my teeth together, picking out the thorns from my flesh before completely ripping the wedding dress in half.

The weight of the ends fell around me as I struggled to my feet. I threw a look over my shoulders, the breeze icing the tears on my face which I wiped savagely. Night had fallen and after running the entire day, I had reached the outskirts of Rosewood.

The darkness clouded the periphery of my eyes as the winds picked up with howling from a distance. This was no place to be at this time, especially as a wolfless rogue. I had heard all about the forest, but it was even scarier now that I was in it.

I limped forward carefully, not that I had much of a choice but my ankle could literally snap in two with too much pressure.

By this time, I had no idea where I was going and the thought that I was making a mistake crept into my mind. There was no way I could survive in here. Maybe it's not too late to turn around, I thought.

Except it was.

At that moment, a strange feeling consumed me. Like I could feel the intensity of eyes boring into me. The hairs across my skin stood as I walked with my back.

"It's nothing." I whispered to myself. I hoped. But even I wasn't as half as convincing because the truth was, someone was out there.

I turned around, picking up my pace and slicing through the leaves as fast as I could. My heart was pounding against my chest as I ran. I could hear thuds behind, of footsteps that didn't belong to me. Deep breaths escaped my pale lips as adrenaline fired in my heart.

But before I knew it, a hand clamped over my mouth drawing me to the side. My eyes widened with fear as I felt my feet leave the ground. I let out a scream which was nothing in a forest this size.

"Let me go!" I yelled, unaware of what was behind me. But his cold scent purged through my nose. His voice was like death.

"What do we have here?" His breath slammed into my neck as his grip around my ribcage tightened. Bile rose into my throat and I could barely breathe.

"Please," Escaped a whisper.

"Don't fight this. If you stay still, you won't get hurt and I just might let you live." His claws tore the back of my dress and dug into my skin. I wailed with tears falling from my eyes as I jerked from him, falling back to the ground.

I turned on my back but the darkness shielded his face. His shadow was three times mine and he looked like something of half man, half beast. I clawed away from him before realizing he wasn't alone.

"You disobeyed me. Now you won't live." He muttered.

"I'll make sure of that." I stood to my feet, with as much strength as I could garner and I plunged myself forward. Even though I knew there was no way I could outrun him, I still ran as fast as I could.

The pressure ruptured through my ankles as I ran. My face was wet with tears and my heart jackhammered in my chest. I ran, and ran. Through the forest, I ran. Until I couldn't anymore.

Before I crashed to the ground, an image of my mother flashed behind my eyes and I thought one last time, at least I'd get to meet her again. But just as all hope was lost, I saw a shadow before me.

The moment his cold palm caressed my skin, I lifted my eyes to him.

He was one wall of a man, crouching low to lift me from the ground. I collapsed into his hefty arms as he roped me closer.

"Are you okay?" His words took me like a storm and my heart, all of a sudden was calm. I couldn't look directly into his stern brown eyes-they were so golden, so blazing with a fierce look. And his jaw was the sharpest I had ever seen.

The weight of his body pressed into mine but I could tell he wasn't trying to hurt me. He was trying to protect me. There was a daunting look in his eyes, like he'd recognized me from somewhere.

But I was sure I'd never seen this man in my life.

"Please don't hurt me," I murmured. "I won't." He whispered.

"What are you doing here?" His fingers swept through my hair and I turned around to the now peaceful forest, like I was running from nothing and I looked back at him.

"There was someone there-something. He tried to hurt me. We need to get away before he comes back" I cried as panic surged in my voice but the man before me was the calmest.

"Do you not hear me?" I screamed.

"Relax, my sweet angel." A smirk appeared on his lips. "No one will dare hurt you. Not when I'm with you." His voice thundered and so did the gloomy skies above all of a sudden.

"I need to get you out of here. You're wounded badly." His gaze softened as he grazed my wet cheeks. Suddenly, my feet escape the ground and I'm on his shoulders.

The next few hours were a blur but when I awakened, he was beside me. With a wet towel in his hands, dapping across my bruised skin. Our eyes met at that moment, and there was a fire in my chest.

His face wasn't hidden in any darkness now. I could see him. I mean, I could really see him. His perfectly sculptured face with strong cheekbones covered in beard scruff and a thin pale scar that ran across his temple, nearly an inch away from his golden brown eyes.

His dark hair was the length of his neck, cascading his sides like a Greek god. And his scent-a heady mix of pine and earth, with a subtle undertone of something wild, like the forest after a storm.

It was intoxicating, and primal, and it filled my senses, making me dizzy with the need to get closer to him. The warmth of his presence washed over me, and I could feel the raw energy radiating from him.

It was the first time I felt this way. And his eyes, dark and intense as they locked into mine with an almost hypnotic pull made the air between us crackle with tension.

I sat up on the bed, pulling away from him for a moment.

"I'm not going to hurt you." He promised. But I already knew that. His eyes told me first. He reached for my hands, and his were just as callous as they were warm.

"What happened to you?" He quizzed.

"Nothing." Reluctance was subtle in my voice because after everything, I still didn't know this stranger. He may have helped me, but how sure was I that I was a hundred percent safe now?

"You are in a wedding dress, I'm pretty sure it's not nothing." The ghost of a smile flashed across his lips before they turned cold. "You know I'm not very lenient with trespassers." He echoed.

"I know a Blood Moon when I see one, and this isn't your land."

He inched closer towards me, pressing tightly around my hands. His face was meters away from mine and the heat of his breath crashed into my ears. My skin ruptured with goosebumps.

"And I know you're the Alpha's daughter." He whispered.

"That's right," Before pulling away. "You're not very hard to read."

"But the question is what would an Alpha's daughter be doing all alone in the forest, without any guards or help if she wasn't running away from something? From someone."

"I was lost," I murmured.

"Don't lie to me. I saved your life, just now."

"Do you think if I was going to hurt you, I wouldn't have already gotten it over with?" He muttered and I lifted my gaze to him.

"I don't belong there," I said. "I've felt that way for so long now but the moment I knew was when my father was about to give me away to Alpha Ezra-as his wife, as his breeder." My eyes stung.

"I couldn't do that. I could never marry a man I don't love."

By the way he stared, I had a feeling that he already knew the truth, he only wanted me to tell him. A feeling that he knew me-that I was supposed to know him too.

There was this feeling, like a fire in my chest.

"You don't have to go back there." He broke the silence. "If there is anything I know about Ezra, he'll always come back. If you stay here, I'll be able to protect you, from anyone" He pulled away but I stood.

"Do I know you?" My voice caused him to halt and when he turned around, I was barely an inch away from him. He locked his eyes into mine and my hands found his pale skin. His fell around my hip.

At that moment, I could feel the lingering heat from his touch, and it felt like my heart wanted to burst out of my chest. It started as a flutter, a sensation both thrilling and terrifying.

"Why do you feel so familiar?" A whisper escaped my lips.

"Like my heart knows you." His gaze held mine, intense and unyielding, and I felt something shift deep inside me-something ancient, primal, and undeniable. I leaned into him.

"Who are you?" I stared into his eyes and he leaned into me too, the heat from his growl crashing into my skin. "Lucien." He replied.

"Lucien Storm." His gaze softened.

"Your Mate."

MIA.

ONE YEAR LATER.

It had been over a year since I met Lucien Storm, the once cold-hearted Alpha of the Black Mountain Pack and a man I'd come to love. That day, I sat, staring into the mirror. In this same room.

That day was far from vague-the first day I came here. Attacked and wounded in the forest, the day he saved me. The day he looked into my eyes, sure as anything under the sun and he told me.

"You're my Mate." A growl that stung the deepest parts of me, like suddenly explaining the fire I felt in my chest all this time. The magnetic pull to him. The inexplicable bond and familiarity like we'd met and known each other our whole lives.

That day was fated. It was our destiny. Because if I hadn't run away from home, from Ezra-I would've never met him. I wouldn't even be sitting here today, the happiest I'd ever been.

I wouldn't say the past year was the easiest, moving into a foreign place where everyone questioned your integrity, your intentions. For the longest time, the Blood Moon and Black Mountain weren't essentially enemies but they weren't allies either.

So it was normal for his Pack to feel some type of way the day he brought me in, the day he introduced me to them. To his Father too.

But the feeling of segregation was not strange to me. It's something I've felt my whole life, even in my own home. So, this was no different. Actually, maybe it was. Maybe it was better.

Because I had him.

Lucien.

Every day that passed from the day we met, he began to open up more and more. Slowly, I began to know who he truly was. Which was far from whatever anyone described him as.

Cold. Ruthless. Unforgiving.

All traits necessary for becoming an Alpha but those that were close to him, he allowed to truly know who he was underneath. Which was loving and tender and funny. The kind of wittiness you'd hate at first but come to love in the long run. He had that.

It wasn't so hard to fall in love with him, not at all. Looking back at that moment in the room where he told me I was his Mate, there was a sensation that ruptured inside me. A feeling close to one my mother described in her letter to me.

Lucien was everything she described. He was a man that lit up my heart, a man that swept me off my feet. Something Ezra could never do. A man I could be my most vulnerable. A man who protected me.

Truly, in every sense. Even from his own people. From his Father too.

Like I said, the last year wasn't the easiest but it was necessary because it led me to this very moment.

I took a look down at my finger, wrapped around in the most precious diamond. I was to be a wife. His Wife.

And unlike the last time, this was something I chose.

This was something I wanted. There wasn't a man I'd rather be with than Lucien Storm. There wasn't a man in this world who could love me more than him. That even I could love more than him.

At that moment, he appeared through the door, drawing me into his large arms. He pressed a tender kiss into my hair.

"Are you ready?" I closed my eyes, surrendering to him. "I am."

"I'm a bit nervous though." I turned around to face him and he looked into my eyes. "Why?" He asked.

"It's just that I haven't seen them in so long. Not since it happened. Not since I ran away." I replied. "Honestly, I would be fine if we just stayed. Like stayed away forever." Lucien said.

"But tradition." A whisper escaped my lips as he pressed his forehead against mine. "Fuck tradition. You know I'm not one to follow the rules" He scuffed and I chuckled.

"I mostly want them to see the grave mistake they made by letting you go away. I want them to know that you're safe with me. That you've always been. And that you're happy." Lucien whispered. My eyes were wet with tears.

"I am happy." I echoed.

"To be honest, I want to gloat as well. That you're mine."

"I would tell the whole world if I could." Lucien's hand cupped my face, drawing my eyes to meet his smoldering brown ones and I smiled. "What did I do to ever deserve you?" I whispered.

"I should ask that. You've been an Angel, I, on the other hand, not so much. I've done a lot of things that I'm not proud of. And the only reason I can see that now is because of you. It's because you changed me. You know that, Mia?" He said softly.

"You made me want to be a better man, a better person."

"And one day, I can't wait to start a family with you." His hand dropped my stomach and my guts tied in a knot. I blushed.

"One day we will." I whispered to him. In that moment, completely forgetting my anxiety about meeting my Father again after so long-the dreadfulness of returning home. In fact, I was more than ready now.

Only because of how much I wanted this to be behind us.

"Come on," He slipped his hand firmly through mine as I stood up and we were headed out through the doors.

"You look beautiful, Mia." A deep voice echoed from the corridor and I turned around to Roman. He was Lucien's Beta, his best friend and right-hand man all this time. Lucien said he didn't have a brother but the closest to that could be easily Roman Voss.

"Thank you." I flashed a smile back at him and Lucien rolled his eyes to the back jokingly. "Careful now, Mr Voss" He warned with a French accent he couldn't escape sometimes.

"You couldn't steal her even if you tried." He teased, flashing the ring across my finger before placing a kiss on it. "Oh no," Roman laughed before his face became stoic as a stone.

"I've already had my one great love in this lifetime." He said with eyes foreshadowing memories, I didn't know much but what I did was that Roman was once married to a woman named Lydia who died in a car accident some time back.

Lydia was his mate and has been ever since then.

At that moment, Lucien squeezed his shoulders. "But I'm fine." He quickly smothered off. "You sure?" Lucien asked.

"You sure you can take care of things till I get back?" Roman shook his hands. "Of course. Of course, I would." He forced a smile convincing enough for Lucien. And we were headed to the car when suddenly another voice thundered from behind.

"Are you forgetting something or should I say, someone?"

Lucien halted by the car, meeting my eyes for a second before turning around to his father.

"Of course not." He muttered, burying his hands into his pocket. His Father walked towards us but came to a stop next to me. His accessing eyes wandered from the crown of my head to my feet.

"Dad." Lucien cautioned. "Now is not the time."

"Should I not follow my son to the family of the woman he intends to marry for life? Should I not give my blessings also or does my son not deem me worthy or important in his life to do so?" He turned to Lucien, the words already on the tip of his lips before they fled out.

Lucien exhaled, locking eyes with me. I shook my head to refrain him from allowing his father to get under his skin.

He just opened the front door of the car for him to enter but his Dad insisted on staying in the back, with me. It wasn't until the car moved that it was clear why he wanted to.

Lucien stared through the rearview mirror as his father leaned towards me with a voice barely audible and words that sent chills down my spine.

"I don't know what it is you want with my son. Or whatever spell you have him under but that wedding is not going to happen." He pulled away once he made eye contact with Lucien.

"Not while I'm alive." But not fast enough until those words got out, loud and clear. And my eyes began to water with tears. It took everything for me to signal to Lucien and everything for him to hold himself back. But at the end of the day, Simon was his Father.

And even though I had no idea why he was so disapproving of me aside from the fact that I wasn't one of them, there was nothing either of us could do about it.

Except love each other regardless, and keep loving each other. Hopeful that one day it would be enough to change his mind. But Simon was just one father. We were still yet to meet mine on a day that was bound to change everything, forever.

The car came to a halt finally and the waves of memories crashed into my face. The whiff and the familiarity of a place I once called my home. The door opened and my feet met the earth.

He was right there, armored by my once family but his eyes melted once he saw me. I stepped forward to him.

"Hi, Dad."