The Runaway Luna's Daughter

"Dew!" Jenine called out, her voice shaky with the fear that had now started to creep in. The light from the portal through which she had crossed had died out with a flicker, leaving the entire forest in an eerie silence and blackness.

Her eyes blinked quickly, adjusting to the darkness.

The moonlight seeped through the roof of the forest and onto the clearing where Jenine had found herself. It lit up to a generous extent the clearing, but the part of the forest where the trees were the thickest looked like a scene out of a horror movie, an eerie darkness covering them as the thick roof created by the trees prevented the moonlight from passing through. Something moved behind the shadows at the far end of the clearing, and Jenine jumped.

"Dew, is that you?!" she called again, her hands clutching tightly the denim bag she had brought with her. Still no answer.

The thing shuffled again behind the bushes in the dark, startling her. She strained her eyes as hard as they could go, forcing them to catch a glimpse of what was there. Still nothing.

"Maybe I'm just seeing things," she sighed, readjusting the bag that hung upon her aching shoulder.

"No, you're not!" a voice boomed like a canon in the blackness of the night, echoing throughout the entire forest.

The air felt colder as Jenine felt a shiver run down her spine. Her heart quaked to a stop.

"Turn around, little girl," the voice growled.

She had never heard anything like it. It had a rumble to it, like a hundred wounded dogs snarling at the same time.

Jenine stifled the scream that threatened to escape her quivering lips. Her eyelids batted very quickly as they always did when she was nervous. Or scared.

She felt a lump in her throat and tried to swallow, but it seemed the lump had found its home. Her chest felt heavy like a log of wood had been dropped on it, and she realized that she had been holding her breath.

She turned around slowly, whimpering, her breathing in short, fast gasps.

"Lost, my friend?" the figure growled from the shadows.

Jenine couldn't see its face clearly, but the eyes? She could see them. They glowed like sapphire that had been exposed under the sun-a bright, blue color, beautiful yet cold and frightening. The figure moved forward.

Jenine took a step backward, her heart hammering against her chest like a war drum, threatening to explode.

The figure took another step out of the darkness and into the moonlight, and she could see its face in the semi-darkness. It was a man. He had a great deal of facial hair. His eyes were sunken deep into their sockets, and his face was contorted into a permanent scowl.

"Are you lost..." his lips grinned, exposing a set of jagged teeth, "my friend?"

He licked his lips predatorily, his face glistening with mischief as his hands balled into fists.

How he stressed the word "friend," very slowly, so slow it was almost a drawl, sent Jenine's heartbeat into a thumping frenzy.

His lips curled upwards into a crude smile as the familiar scent of fear wafted from Jenine into his nostrils.

"RUN!"

Jenine heard the voice scream loudly inside her head. She could swear it but this wasn't the time to think about what was real and what wasn't. Right about now, her only reality was the threat glaring right at her, his body quivering giving away his impatience to pounce on her and tear her to shreds.

She took another step backward. Her bulging eyes darted around in a futile attempt to seek a window of escape. Or a messiah.

The man's lips curled up again into his unfriendly smile as he took a step further, his cold blue eyes piercing deeply into Jenine's, making her heart race.

Instinct kicked in like a volt of electricity-a raw, powerful, undefined need for survival.

She swirled around very quickly, taking to her heels, her feet crushing the dried leaves that lay on the forest floor.

"Shit shit shit..." she groaned as she sprinted haphazardly.

Her hair flailed behind her as she ran. She held tightly onto her bag as she raced across the forest as fast as she could and as much as the trees scattered all over could let her. A part of her hair fell across her eyes; she pushed it back with one hand, steadying her bag with the other, all without slowing down.

"Ouch!" she cried as she hit a stump. She hadn't seen it. Her legs wobbled under her body. Her shin smarted where the little tree had made contact.

"I should have taken PE... seriously," she gasped as her weak lungs stretched to their limits. All the running was definitely taking a toll on her untrained body. Her legs finally steadied under her tiring body.

A low growl behind her reminded her of the imminent danger. She had seen apex predators hunt down their prey on Nat Geo wild but nothing could prepare her for what she was about to hear or see.

The growl came again and this time louder. It sounded nothing like anything she had heard before-something between the heart-rending screams of a tortured man and the roar of an angry animal. An unearthly sound of bones snapping filled the air like an announcement of doom.

She looked back.

Turning just in time to see her pursuer bend on all fours, shifting into a wolf, a wave of realization hit her. This place wasn't the same with the plain ol' city she had lived all her life, where nothing almost happened. This was the supernatural world where the werewolves thrived-lived, hunted, and marked territories-and quite frankly-sadly for Jenine-the rules of the human world did not apply here. This was Lupestone, home to several fierce packs where the prestigious and feared Nightmoon pack reigned supreme with a very powerful Alpha.

"Oh God," Jenine cried as the wolf closed in on her with bared teeth and intent in his eyes. Time seemed to slow down for him as he caught up very quickly. He swiped at her feet with his long claws slicing through her jeans and flesh, drawing blood.

Jenine's scream pierced through the darkness, disrupting the stillness of the night. Pain coursed through her body in torrents as her open flesh grazed against the coarse material of her torn jeans. She tried frantically to regain her footing, but her legs slowly gave in to the excruciating pain. The ground seemed to draw her to itself as she crashed down, wincing in pain.

The wolf stealthily and steadily approached her with a low growl, snarling, his fangs exposed and saliva dripping out of his hungry jaws.

"Help!" Jenine screamed, her eyes blurred with tears, and her senses heightened by fear.

The wolf stalked closer and closer.

"Somebody help me, please!" she screamed again, kicking backwards, pushing herself over the forest floor.

The tears poured from her eyes in streams as she dragged herself across the floor. It didn't help matters that the pain from the wound on her leg was driving her crazy

The blood gushed and stuck the jeans to her open flesh in an uncomfortably painful manner.

"Oh God," her body shuddered, as she propped her back against a tree, turning to face the wolf, who seemed to enjoy the hunt.

She stared into his icy, cold eyes with wide, pleading eyes, but he kept closing in, the scent of blood from Jenine's wound intoxicating him like wine.

If anything, Jenine's fear seemed to ignite the murderous fire in him, for the more she whimpered, the more he growled.

A clawed paw forward, then another, and another... and he was three paws away from her.

Her trembling hands grasped tightly onto the grass, distributed sparsely all over the floor. Her teeth chattered inside her mouth even as she gritted them. She shut her eyes tightly, resigning herself to fate.

Fate, who had been against her right from the beginning. Fate, who was right in her face, growling and desperately eager to make a meal out of her.

"Leave her alone!" a strong, deep voice roared.

The air seemed to pause as the voice hung idly filling the forest with a rage-filled dread.

Jenine's heart skipped again.

Slowly, she opened her tightly shut eyes.

A tall, heavily built man stood at the edge of the forest, appearing from behind the trees. His eyes peeking through dark, curly hair glowed a bright gold as he stared with a wild look on his face, his back hunched.

The fangs hung out of his lips speaking of fear and death. The claws sticking out the end of his fingertips looked like solid pain. He was borderline away from being a complete wild animal.

The wolf that had been Jenine's hunter turned to face him with teeth still barred, growling menacingly. He turned again to face Jenine.

"I said leave her alone!" the man roared, his eyes flashing in the dark.

He stepped forward, his graceful frame crouching.

Jenine heard the snap-quick and instant-as he shifted to a wolf in a blink of an eye.

A field of energy pulsed around him, vibrating, daring the wolf to make a move

Jenine's eyes widened in their sockets.

The sparse moonlight danced gracefully on his sleek brown fur. It reflected the light creating a dull halo over him, making him appear larger than he actually was.

Honey-colored eyes sat in his eye sockets. His lips curled back, revealing a set of pointy fangs that made Jenine shudder.

The trees shook as he roared, his clawed paws threading the ground.

The other wolf turned around from his prey to face him, his eyes sizing up the newcomer, his teeth still barred, and-to Jenine-it seemed he was contemplating battling.

Jenine felt her cheek flush. Her breathing became laboured as her temperature rose, her heartbeat increasing by several BPMs.

"Oh God," she gasped, her body quivering.

Her eyes drooped tiringly, threatening to close.

She shook herself but winced as the pain in her leg stopped her short, reminding her of her mortal wound. Her head spun as she took a pitiful look at the leg.

The wolf that had chased down Jenine seemed to rethink his decision. He stopped growling, staring apprehensively at the big wolf before him. He finally gave in, dropped his tail, and strutted away, but not before giving a bark that expressed his utmost displeasure.

Jenine heaved a sigh, relief visible on her face. She unclenched her fists that, up until now, still held onto the grasses. She looked up at the brown wolf that had saved her.

He stood perfectly still, staring at her through glowing toffee eyes.

Jenine could see him shifting back to his human form as he walked up to her, his eyes piercing deeply into hers as if searching her soul.

Her eyes widened, threatening to pop out of their sockets as she ogled this godlike man, and for the first time, she noticed he had not so much as an underwear on.

"You shouldn't be out here this late," the words rolled from his mouth heavily like a stream of water thundering down a waterfall.

His bare chest was broad and well-carved, complemented by well-defined biceps that had veins snaking around them like vines.

His messy black hair drooped gently onto his face. His crimson red lips looked intoxicating as he steadied his honey-eyed gaze on the girl sprawled before him. His eyes strayed to her leg.

"You've lost a lot of blood. Best to get you to a healer."

"I... I didn't... I don't..." Jenine stammered as she cowered under his steady gaze.

Her eyes strayed to his lower body, and she looked away immediately, feeling dirty inside of her. She didn't have too much time to feel bad. Her head felt light and spun and her eyes burned-and much to her dismay-slowly started closing like they had a mind of their own.

"Oh, fuck me," she muttered as his strong arms picked her up.

Luca's POV

I stormed out of the pack house striding furiously with my fists clenched.

My father was at it again. His constant yapping about me finding a mate who would-in his exact words-"stand by you" when I took his place as Alpha was already draining. Too bad for my mental health.

I don't mean to paint him bad to look good, but we've had this conversation several times in the past.

All the females in the pack, as far as I knew, had at least two glaring red flags that could be seen from miles away.

Were they beautiful? Yeah, I mean most of them had bodies to die for, but I felt no connection. Not even a bit.

And, last time I checked, the Moon Goddess was still responsible for mating wolves. It's no fault of mine that someone failed at their fucking job!

"Don't let it bother you," my wolf, Zak purred. "Don't let the old man bother you. We have all the time in the world."

"If only that was true," I sighed as I strolled out of the compound, my father's grey hair filtering its way into my mind.

The guards barked their salutes as I walked through the gate.

I came onto the road leading to the forest, where I always let Zak take his run. This had proven to be therapeutic for me, as I always felt better after Zak had had a good ass run.

I let him rip out with a roar, my clothes turning to shreds as he emerged. He darted into the forest, running between trees with utmost glee, as fast as he could, covering miles in minutes.

It was Zak who first got the scent. He stopped running and took in the sweet scent that filled the serene night air. The scent of daisies that smelled like they'd been doused in sweet perfumes. It was too strong to not be noticed. It seemed to draw me to itself, clouding my senses. It could only mean one thing.

"MATE!" we both exclaimed at the same time.

I had never felt this way before. Karl, my father's beta and the pack adviser had told me all about it.

"You'll feel it when you feel it," he had said, "and you wouldn't be able to hold yourself back; try as you may."

And he was fucking right!

I could feel my heart pounding like war drums as Zak got to work, sniffing his way excitedly towards the scent.

He stopped abruptly after covering some ground, and I immediately knew why. There was something else. The scent of another wolf nearby.

We both listened and could hear the pattering of running footsteps and the unmistakable roar and growl of a wolf. This ignited a fire in me.

The night breeze brushed against Zak's face caressing his fur. The shrubbery zoomed past fast in a green blur as he raced through the forest around the trees towards our mate. His heavy paws thudded the forest floor with an urgent rhythm. The thought of our mate coming across harm's way was more than enough to make him bolt wildly like lightning, faster than he had ever run.

"If any harm comes her way, I swear to the Goddess..." I cursed as Zak sprinted like our lives depended on it.

I could see the hindside of the wolf as Zak eased up to where he crouched in a hunting stance, ready to pounce on my mate. It took every ounce of self-control in me to not pounce on the fucker who was already face close to my mate.

"Why is she sprawled on the floor like that?" I wondered as Zak gave way for me to take back the reins.

The scent of fear-no, not fear... Terror-filled the air, but there was something else. I could smell blood. This wolf had laid his fucking hands on my mate!

"Leave her alone," I roared as the bile rose in my throat, my eyes burning. I could hear the roaring of my pulse in my ears as my blood boiled. How dare he?! How dare he draw blood from my mate?!

The wolf turned to me. He seemed to want to make a go for it and carry through with whatever twisted plan he had conjured. I could see the intent in his eyes.

I roared at him again, and to make a statement, I let Zak out, who was always more than happy with the idea of showing off his full strength.

Standing tall on powerful long paws, he was a very large wolf who made other wolves look like pups.

We glared at the wolf with bared teeth and fiery eyes.

Like all other wolves always did when they saw him take his fighting stance, he walked away like the loser he was.

"Fucking pussy."

My gaze settled on my mate as she lay there on the floor, her eyes wet with tears. Her long, black hair rested gently on her face, glued to it by the tears she had been crying.

I shifted back to my human form as I approached her, slowly, ardent desire washing through my body.

My senses were heightened, making me want to mark her and make her mine there and then.

Her wet, hazel-brown eyes stared at me as I approached. I could tell she wasn't afraid of me.

Apprehensiveness coated her all around like a halo, but it didn't stop her from taking a peek at my member. I smiled inwardly as she looked away immediately.

"She's a good girl."

She stammered a reply to my offer to get her to a healer. Her eyelids blinked fast as she struggled to keep her eyes open but lost the battle of wills as they shut on their own.

I picked her up, her hair swaying, her arms dangling as I took in the sweet scent that enveloped her like mist.

My temperature rose. Electricity passed through my body as our skins rubbed against each other. Her pretty oval-shaped face... those lips... They had already become my undoing.

I placed her dangling hands around my shoulders. I shut my eyes, taking a deep breath as I accessed the mind link.

Zak purred restlessly, but I ignored him as my attention, whole and entire, was focused on my wounded mate.

"I can't feel her wolf," Zak whispered quietly.

"What?" I asked as my eyes ravaged the beautiful, luscious skin that was her body.

"I said she has NO WOLF!" Zak's voice rose in my head, drawing me out of my reverie.

"What?!" I exclaimed, peering into her face. "How can she have no wolf?"

My racing heart sank slowly.

How could my mate, the future Luna of the Nightmoon pack whom I've waited for all these years-27 fucking years-be wolfless? More so, how could the Moon Goddess mate me to a wolfless girl? She certainly had a very weird sense of humour.

"No," I said as I felt Zak's coldness grow.

"I didn't even say anything."

"Yet," I replied as I held onto my mate walking out of the forest. "Sooner or later you'd say it."

The black Cadillac pulled into sight, its engine roaring as it sped down the road towards me.

The tyres screeched to a stop directly in front of me, and my driver, Noah, wound down the tinted glass window, revealing his smug but compassionate face. I had requested for his service through the mind link. It was one of the numerous perks of being part of an Alpha family.

"I came as quickly as I could," he grunted, opening the door and stepping down, the car keys dangling in his hands. He had some clothes draped over his hunched shoulders. His eyes bore down on me then rested on the girl in my arms lingering a little bit.

I let out a low growl as my eyes followed him. She was mine. MINE!

His eyes caught mine and he muttered an apology hastening to open the back seat.

"Luca, she's of no use to us if she's wolfless," Zak finally let it out as I placed her gently onto the shiny black leather seats of the Cadillac.

"I don't want to hear it, Zak," I snapped at him in a raspy voice.

I placed her injured leg delicately on the seats to avoid any discomfort it would cause her. Not like it'd matter anyway since she was passed out like a dog that had been shot with a tranquilizer.

I could feel Zak whine in exasperation.

I clicked the door shut.

"Where to, sire?" Noah asked.

He handed the clothes to me with a flourish.

"Take her somewhere safe. To a hospital or a healer. Anyone. Don't let anything happen to her."

My glowing eyes reflected against the glass as I peered through the tinted windows into the back seat one last time.

The engines of the Cadillac roared as Noah zoomed off into the night, disappearing quickly around a bend.

I took in the night air deeply in my lungs. I proceeded to put on the clothes Noah had nicked from the pack house's exclusive clothes room.

"What?" I asked as I felt Zak's cold, muzzled face stare at me in my head.

"Why then aren't you taking her to the pack house? We have the best doctors and healers there."

"I know," I muttered, wondering if I had made the right decision.

Zak was right. I couldn't risk having a wolfless mate, no matter how much the mate bond pulled me. It wouldn't turn out well for me, and knowing how egocentric my father tended to be sometimes-especially with matters as sensitive as the future of our pack and don't get me wrong, this has helped him in no small way to effectively lead the pack and maintain its prestige and strength in Lupestone-this was seemingly the best way to handle this.

"This is probably for the best," I muttered again, looking up into the sky.

It is for the best I said, but why did I feel like a huge chunk of me had been severed and dragged away towing the Cadillac speeding out of sight?

The pack house was as cold as death when Luca returned. He listened to hear if his father was still up but safe for the occasional low calls of the pack house guards and the intermittent howling in the distance, all was quiet.

Luca's footsteps thudded the ground in a perfect rhythm as he walked. A rhythm filled with sadness. With apprehension. With regret?

He was supposed to feel better after letting his wolf loose, but the happenings of the night-his wolfless mate-kept tugging at his heart the way a crazed wolf would its own tail.

"My Lord," the sentry greeted as he walked past them into the big house that was the pack house. Their heads bobbed down and up in unison like they had practiced it.

Their eyes glowed as Luca strode past them into the house.

Alpha Ferguson, Luca's father, had painstakingly taken his time to select them from the most powerful and noblest of families, and their loyalty was to their Alpha.

The water from the shower gushed as Luca stood under it, his head bowed. It was necessary to clean up to erase every evidence of what had transpired tonight.

His father's sharp nose could scent anything from miles away. It didn't help matters that his beta, Karl, had an even sharper nose. His was frighteningly sharp, and it's rumored that back in the day, he could sniff out even colors and magic.

Luca's frame shuddered as he breathed out heavily, his mind replaying the events of the night.

The water streamed from the shower caressing his skin with its cool drippers. His heart thumped like a tomtom in a festival, hard and fast against his chest as his abandoned mate's face animated in his mind. The mate he had quietly disposed of.

Those eyes... her hair... her scent... he couldn't get them off his head as they clouded every bit of his mind's eye.

"You shouldn't feel bad about this," Zak snorted as he dried himself with the white cotton towel that hung just beside the shower. "You did what you had to do. You thought of the future of the pack."

"And at what cost?" Luca sighed his voice a low growl as he rubbed the towel vigorously against his head in a bid to dry out his hair.

He stared into the mirror and instead of seeing himself, he saw her again-the bleeding leg... the red-stained jeans... the messy hair...

"Is there anything I could have done differently?" he sighed again, his eyes resting upon the gold chandelier that dangled overhead as he got into bed.

"Yes actually," Zak quipped sarcastically. "Give her a wolf."

"Why?" Luca muttered, passing a hand over his hair, ignoring his wolf's sarcastic remark.

"Why? Just why? It doesn't make any sense at all. Why would the Alpha's friggin son be mated to a wolfless girl? Fucking Moon Goddess!"

He pounded his fists into the bed. His claws ripped through the foam like pies as his wolf stirred.

The heavy breathing-Luca's inhale and exhale-filled the room as he withdrew his claws from the sheets, willing himself to calm down. This breathing exercise his mother, Cora had taught him to control his rage as a pup had come in handy one too many times.

"This is too much even for me," he sighed, dropping back onto the bed. His eyes stared into the ceiling. He could still see her face.

Her entire being seemed to hover around him pulsating like an energy field in his already tired mind. It didn't take too long before the stillness of the night enveloped him as he drifted away into sleep's welcoming embrace.

*******

Luca woke up with a start. The bang on the window was low enough to not cause a stir but loud enough to jolt him out of dreamland. He'd kept seeing the girl's tear-streamed face even as he slept.

He moved quickly to the side of the window, instinct guiding him.

The bed sheets slipped to the floor in his hurry.

His eyes glowed a bright gold in the semi-lit room as he waited like the predator he was, calmly and patiently, his claws out and his veins tingling.

The window creaked open slowly.

A booted leg came through it into the room.

Another leg came through, then a body.

Luca's strong arms grabbed the intruder, slamming him against the wall with a force so strong the wall shook. He roared ferociously into the face of the visitor, fangs exposed and his hair standing on edge.

The picture frame on the table close by-that had Cora's picture in it-fell down flat and the glass shattered into a million pieces on the floor.

"Good goddess!" the intruder groaned, his voice laced with pain, taken entirely aback by the force with which he had been slammed against the wall.

"Elisha?" Luca peered into his face. He released his grip on him and stepped back.

"Geez," Elisha coughed weakly, sliding down against the wall to the floor. "What was that force, Luca?" he sputtered, blood dripping out the corners of his mouth. "You nearly killed me."

"I nearly killed a burglar," Luca replied, a smirk plastered across his face. "That's what the news would say in the morning."

"You... really... think I'd start with your... bedroom if I wanted to start off a career... in burglary?" Elisha stuttered painfully, struggling to speak in between quick short breaths. "You must think so little of me."

He wiped the blood from the corners of his mouth with the back of his hand. He was lucky his wolf was strong and healed him fast.

"You could have just used the front door."

Luca extended his right hand to him.

"Must suck to be your wolf. I can't imagine the things you put him through."

"He's strong," Elisha slapped his hand away. He groaned as he shuffled to his feet using the nearby table as a brace.

"Good as new," he announced, spreading his arms out at his sides.

"You good?"

"Yeah, I'm really grateful for that backbreaking experience," Elisha grunted, his hand rubbing the back of his neck. "I really needed a massage."

Luca picked up the sheets from the floor and tossed them onto the bed.

"You really should learn how to use the front door, Elisha. They'd let you in. You know this already."

"I'd... rather not," Elisha grunted curtly, pulling his jacket in place. "What would happen to my stealth training?"

Elisha was Luca's childhood and trusted friend. He had always had his back and stood up for him against the bigger kids who had tried to bully him in school.

Being the Alpha's son certainly did nothing to save Luca then; instead, it seemed to increase in no little way the bullies' wrath and loathing for him.

He was a timid kid with anger issues. Ironic.

Elisha, however, was a crude little boy who did not hesitate to hurt those who touched the things he loved. Unfortunately for those bullies, he had grown to like Luca after he'd shared his lunch with him.

Elisha was quite the fireball, always looking for new adventures. His newly found conquest now was the zeal to build his stealth, and what better way to do it than sneaking around the most skilled and well-trained wolves in Lupestone?

"Whatever," Luca grunted a reply. He proceeded to fill him in on his escapade for the night. He skipped the part where he had asked Noah to keep her safe. No one could know. No one.

"Did you at least get her name?"

"You're missing the fucking point!"

"What would you have me ask?" Elisha snapped back at him, raising his arms over his head and dropping them in exasperation. "You found your mate and because she had no wolf, you left her to die?!"

"I did it for the pack," Luca shrugged, his hands folded across his chest.

"Listen, man," Elisha's voice rose, "you need to start doing shit for yourself!" He poked a finger into Luca's chest.

"I mean, I get the whole I-am-the-Alpha's-son bullshit and all of that, but you can only give your best when you're happy yourself! You give up way too much of yourself. Your father's beta, Karl, would be more than happy to be Alpha if you didn't exist and trust me, he'd do a fucking great job!"

Elisha's words hung over the room like icy air in winter, its weight bearing down on Luca.

His face creased in thought, his right hand caressing his sharp jawline.

"I doubt that."

He had seen Karl, on many occasions, go out of his way to protect his father, the Alpha. His loyalty to his Alpha was simply a strong one that couldn't be broken easily.

"I had no idea you were a deep thinker," Luca prodded, intentionally going for Elisha's weak spot.

"I learnt a lot from my grandma," Elisha snarled, the sarcasm heavy in his voice.

His boots crushed the glasses from the picture frame as he walked over them making for the window.

"Use the fucking front door, Elisha!"

But he was gone.

His frame whole and entire slinked through the window like a wraith landing on the other side with a faint thud.

Even as he slithered into the dark, Luca's eyes followed him watching his every movement.

The way he moved... like a phantom. It was like nothing he had seen before. Elisha was definitely something but he didn't know what yet.