《Alpha's Blind Luna》 Chapter 1 Chapter 1 The forest was a different kind of silence. It was a silence that didn¡¯t envelope you, didn¡¯t make you lonely. It made you feel apart of it, it beckoned you to be part of it. The wind through the trees and grass, the birds making their calls, the bugs alerting each other of their presence. It was a ce where you could just breathe in the fresh air. As a werewolf, the forest meant so much to us. It was a freedom and peace that we reveled in. Being in the trees, being with nature was just a nature state of being. ¡°Auri!¡± I took another deep breath. It was a safe ce, a ce where there wasn¡¯t anyone bothering you, where you could just be safe in its¡­. ¡°AURI!¡± I sighed. ¡°Yes, Maddie, I¡¯m here.¡± I didn¡¯t know how long I had been missing from the house but apparently it was long enough for my half-sister toe home from school and try looking for me. ¡°Mom¡¯s already home and she is pissed. You didn¡¯t set anything out for dinner tonight.¡± Madison or Maddie as she preferred to be called was four years younger just turning fifteen. Though she could be mistaken for my age with the amount of makeup and short shorts she wore. She was the girly princess that you would expect the most popr girl in school would be. Her energy and bouncing positivity could be nauseating at times. But, even with our parents, she turned out okay. Spoiled, but nothing that would make you worry for her mate in the future. I turned 19 a few months ago and I was proof of the love my father had for my mother. They were not fated mates, but chosen. That was, until Melissa came into the picture. Melissa was my fathers fated mate and it ended up being awkward few years. That was until my mother died in a hunter attack when I was four. We, my mother and I, had been captured and tortured by the hunters. My pack found me dayster, wandering in the forest. I was left scarred permeantly. My mothers body was found days later. Almost immediately, a pregnant Melissa and Tyler, my two year old half-brother, moved into our home. That¡¯s when it started. I, being the reminder of my dad¡¯s ¡°indiscretion¡± as Melissa called it, was shown just how unwanted I really was in the family. They never failed to remind me of how I was broken and undesirable and that would never amount to anything. That even if I had a mate out there, they would reject someone broken like me. Whether that be a verbal reminder or physical reminder. N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content. ¡°I left the casserole in the oven to just be turned on and the sd is in the fridge. There is also ice cream sandwiches in the freezer in case anyone wanted them.¡± I kept my voice down not to let it carry too far into the forest. ¡°Oh. Well, she¡¯s pissed. Might wanna exin before she tells Dad.¡± I could hear the sad smile in her voice. I nodded and got up off the tree roots I had been sitting in between. Maddie¡¯s footsteps were hard against the ground and I head her almost trip a couple times. One of the times I reached out to grab her. ¡°HOW do you do it?¡± She huffed at me and I chuckled. One of the worse scars that I had been left with were my eyes. From the pack doctors, they said the hunters had injected a wolfsbane liquid or poison or something directly into my eyes. It had blinded me. Well, blinded my human side of me. My wolf, Kai, still had her vision and we had be well versed in me using her eyes to see. But out in the forest, my forest, I didn¡¯t need sight to know where I was going. ¡°It¡¯s easy when you memorize every part forest.¡± ¡°Yeah right. One day Auri. One day you are gonna have to spill all your secrets. Including that damn cake recipe. If I find my mate and go without that recipe, I will lose my mind.¡± Iughed. ¡°You watch me every time I make it! You know all the ingredients.¡± ¡°Yeah! But you never measure ANYTHING. And you just throw shit in when you like it.¡± Sheughed as well, opening the back door to the house. Our house was a modest two story house. As we were reminded of it¡¯s modesty every time Melissa got a new pair of shoes or a new purse. It was too modest for her taste. My father worked at the Alpha¡¯s business as an ountant but he didn¡¯t make enough to keep Melissa happy. He would say that we would move into a bigger and better house once he was promoted to Lead ountant. But I liked our home. The kitchen still had enough space to work and even had an ind with a bar. It had three bedrooms, an office, a den and living room. Plenty of room for a family of five I thought. Walking in after Maddie, I heard Melissa stride up to me, and I knew what wasing. A p reverberated outside as I hadn¡¯t even closed the door yet. It took me a second to collect my rattled brain when I realized she was talking to me. ¡°¡­bitch. Nothing but a uselessyabout and you don¡¯t even do anything¡­¡± ¡°Mommy! Auri made dinner!¡± To her credit, Maddie would sometimes try to help. But she would never go or speak against them. Ty was a little more vocal, feeling that I was somehow his responsibility, but my father was the next Beta to the current Alpha. And Ty was in line to be the Beta as well. So there was only so much he could do. ¡°It¡¯s in the oven, I just need to turn it on. Then the sd is in the fridge, in the red container.¡± I managed to cough out, after the the stinging subsided a little. ¡°You were told multiple times never to leave this house. Madison had to go get you. How often do you go out? What if someone saw you?¡± I sighed. ¡°I will get started on dinner.¡± ¡°You better. Your father will hear about this.¡± I walked into the kitchen and started to prep the sd, turning on the oven at the same time. Maddie was still trying to make a case for me, but Melissa was quick to shut her down. Melissa moved to somewhere else in the house and Maddie came into the kitchen, sitting on one of the ind stools. ¡°Sorry Auri, I tried.¡± I smiled. ¡°The attempt is appreciated. Though you would think she would be too busy with the Gathering ball nning toe home early.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never been so excited in my whole life. What if I find my mate the first time I go?¡± I chuckled. ¡°Then I would have to give you my cake recipe.¡± ¡°Do I get it too if I find my mate?¡± Ty came down from upstairs and leaned over the ind. I pped his hand away from the croutons I had made for the sd. ¡°No snacking. Wait for dinner. And now you want my recipe too?¡± Ty huffed. ¡°Just because I don¡¯t watch every move you make, doesn¡¯t mean I don¡¯t want it. Cause I do.¡± He paused. ¡°Like a lot.¡± Iughed at them. They were probably my saving grace in this house. Even when they had to turn a blind eye. They never hurt me directly and tried to include me in their brother-sister rtionship. The front door opened and closed. We all stiffened. Father was home and Melissa had already reached him, talking in hushed voices. ¡°You guys better go.¡± I whispered to them as I turned and quickly got a ss, filling it with a can of beer from the refrigerator. ¡°Ingrate!¡± My fathers voice boomed through the house. He strode into the kitchen where I passed him the ss already You could smell the alcohol on his breath and the slight slur in his speech. Ever since he got passed up for the promotionst month, every day he started to smell more like alcohol than wolf. ¡°Dinner is almost ready, it¡¯s in the oven and we can eat as soon as¡­.¡± ¡°Your mother told me that you were outside today when she came home. That Maddie had to find you.¡± I swallowed. ¡°Yes father. I was sitting in the trees just outside the house.¡± He took hold of my arm and dragged me through the house. Throwing me into the floor in the den, he growled, ¡°How many times do I have to tell you that you are not allowed outside.¡± ¡°I just needed¡­¡± ¡°Did you shift?¡± ¡°No father, I would never.¡± ¡°DID YOU SHIFT?!¡± He yelled and kicked me in the stomach as Iid on the ground. I coughed out; ¡°Never.¡± ¡°Why didn¡¯t they rid me of you? Why do you ALWAYS cause me PROBLEMS?!¡± He yelled as he kicked me again. I whimpered, curling up into a ball. Times like this Kai, my wolf, would try to help calm me down. She never asked to be let out at home, not after our first shift. She feared for my safety while I was in this house. Sometimes she would urge me to fight back, to show them just who I truly was. But it would only be worse for me in the end. I wanted to see Ty and Maddie free first. I waited for more hits but none came. The timer on the over was beeping. ¡°Maddie, get that will you and put it on the table.¡± He picked me up my shirt, nearly choking and ripping it off me. ¡°You, will go to your room. No food. No water. Nothing. And I¡¯ll see how long it willst this time.¡± He basically threw me into my walk-in-linen-closet that was converted into my bedroom. Inded on my bed as my head hit the wall and let out a small cry. My father shut the door and locked it. Clutching my head, I had gotten off easy this time. Probably because tomorrow was the ball but I wasn¡¯t going to look a gift horse in the mouth. I just waited for the headache to end. Chapter 2 Chapter 2 Werewolves can shift anytime usually between 13 to 18. Earlier orter was rare but it did happen. Once you shifted, you were considered part of the pack. You would start training, doing boarder patrols, and taking a more active role in the pack. You would also start going to the Gatherings for finding your mate. It was held once every quarter and changed locations. This quarter it was at our pack, Midnight Moon. We weren¡¯t the biggest pack, or maybe even top 5, but we were still fairlyrge territory with 300-400 werewolves. We were also pretty popr because we were right in the middle, meaning you didn¡¯t have to travel as long and most packs surrounding us woulde. The themes and activities would vary. Pics, sports days, dances, drive-in movies, bowling, ice skating. There has been a lot over the years. This time though, the current Luna and Melissa being the Beta¡¯s mate, decided that a fantastical ball was in order. Ballgowns, and suits. Music and chandeliers. Princes and princess, basically was their theme. They nned on using one of the older abandoned homes, which did look a castle, and renovated it over the past month to be set for the Gathering. We wouldn¡¯t be having another one until the year after so they wanted it to be memorable. I had never been to one. I shifted when I was 12 and my father had beaten me an inch to death. Saying that I didn¡¯t deserve a wolf. My shift was never recorded and all record of me basically evaporated into thin air. I didn¡¯t go to school. Melissa said that I would be bullied and she was ¡°saving me¡± from school. So I basically didn¡¯t exist anymore within my pack. I wasn¡¯t allowed out of the house and I was never allowed to shift, ever. I didn¡¯t even know how to mind link, something thates with being apart of the pack when you shift. But it was different this time. Maddie had shifted this year and this would be her first Gathering. I don¡¯t know how I got tossed into the mix but Ty, Maddie and I were required to go. I wasn¡¯t looking forward to it outside the food. The idea of having a full meal without getting thrown out of the dinning room because I was souring the taste sounded heavenly. But finding a mate was not my top priority. Maybe to get the rejection over with. My body was covered in scars that never healed, blind, and not even registered in the pack. No one in their right mind would want me. So the rejection was inevitable and it was something that I knew would hurt and I just wanted to get it over with. I was leaving the next morning anyways. My father and Melissa had decided when I was 8 that I was old enough to work at a factory just outside of the pack boundaries. The factory¡¯s shady hiring practices fit perfectly with their idea of putting me to use. So they would drive me to the border, and drop me off. From there, I would walk over to the factory. They would run three months on, four months off. It was probably why I was able to stick out the abuse they put me through. At least, it kept Kai settled. All my money would go to them. Over the years though, I had built up my own life outside of the pack.. I had stopped working at the factory. They still thought I worked there and I still brought home my paycheck so they never asked, nor cared. I funded Melissa¡¯svished lifestyle. She refused to get a nail dirty for fear of breaking one of them, so she didn¡¯t have a job other than gossiping with the other ¡°high ss¡± women of the pack. I made up for everything my fathercked in money, which made him despise me more. ¡°Auri?¡± Ty whispered through the door. I blinked, I must have fallen asleep. ¡°Yeah?¡± I heard the door silently unlock and open. Ty climbed onto my bed and handed me a sandwich and a ss of water. He sat down, looking me over. ¡°You okay?¡± I nodded, munching on the sandwich. ¡°You won¡¯t be if father catches you.¡± He scoffed. ¡°At most he would give me a stern talking to.¡± He paused. ¡°You sure you okay?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine Ty, really. I think they want to make sure that I look okay for the Gathering.¡± Kai pushed her eyes onto mine and I could see Ty, staring at the door. ¡°You worried about tomorrow?¡± This content ? N?v/elDr(a)m/a.Org. He shook his head and looked back at me. ¡°If I find my mate, I¡¯ll leave here. But who will sneak you food or make sure you have bandages? Maddie is far too loud.¡± Iughed quietly. It was true. She was like a bull and had no sense of stealth or being quiet. ¡°Well, I head to the factory tomorrow. So there is at least three months of not being here. Then, after that, I guess I¡¯ll just try and survive.¡± ¡°You could be a rogue. I know you have people who can help.¡± He said it so quietly, even being literally a foot from him, if I didn¡¯t have werewolf hearing, I might not have heard him. ¡°I could. I¡¯ve thought about it.¡± Ty¡¯s face snapped to me, visible shock written on his face. ¡°Please. Don¡¯t you think I¡¯ve thought about actually being free. About all my options. It¡¯s always been a possibility. I just¡­don¡¯t want to leave you guys. Have their anger turn to the two of you. I¡¯m still your older sister.¡± He nodded, grimacing a little as I finished the ss of water and I handed it back to him. ¡°If you need help¡­¡± I smiled. ¡°I know Ty, I know. Thanks. Again.¡± I gave him a small chuckle. Once he left, I closed my eyes, trying to sleep. ''Maybe we will find our knight in furry armor tomorrow. And he will take us away from all this.'' Kai mused. Iughed. ''You¡¯re too optimistic. He will reject us and we can get on with our lives.'' ''You don¡¯t know that Auri! He may love us even more! We are one of a kind!'' This time, I rolled my eyes. ''We are definitely one of a kind. A kind that no one wants. Now sleep Kai. Otherwise we will look like the living dead in the morning.'' She grumbled. ''Okay. But I still hold out hope.'' ''And that what I love about you Kai.'' Sleep came soon and I slept dreamlessly, a rare urrence considering the nightmares I had. I didn¡¯t wake up until there was banging at my door. Chapter 3 Chapter 3 ***Logan¡¯s POV*** ¡°LOGAN!¡± I groaned and rolled over in bed. ¡°I swear to god Logan. If you think you are getting out of leaving, you got another thinging.¡± ¡°Since when have you been excited for these stupid Gathering events.¡± I covered my head with my pillow. Bryan was too damn loud this morning. ¡°It¡¯s not the Gathering, Alpha. It¡¯s the supernatural bar thats in the city over! They have a damn fine singering in and I have been wanting to go since I was like eighteen!¡± Bryan whined against the door. I threw my pillow at the door. This was the first day in years my workload had been cleared and I had every intention of sleeping in. I had taken over the pack at the young age of fourteen. My parents had died that year and we had lost nearly half our pack members. Now, we were the secondrgest pack, under the Alpha King himself. I prided myself in the strength of my pack and I demanded respect. It took a bit, but we got there. Now twenty-three, I had a handle on everything regarding my pack. Minus being able to get out of the Gathering activities. There was still an Elder Council that unfortunately weighed in a lot of old ideas and ideals. One being that the pack needed a Luna. Frankly, I didn¡¯t need anyone. I had taken on the pack in full, including the duties of the Luna. Bryan, my Beta, was twenty-one and also had not found his mate but you didn¡¯t see them hounding him to find his mate. I had been to every single one of these stupid events since I was thirteen. Not a single time did my mate show up. And now I was worried that I would end up being ten years older than my mate. Bryan would tease me constantly about it. But apparently there were a few who had recently gotten their wolves and it was supposed to be an exciting Gathering this time. ¡°Please Alpha. Please.¡± ¡°Good goddess, Bryan. A man needs his sleep. For once in your life let me sleep in.¡± Silence came from the other side and I sighed in relief. Finally. I could¡­ ¡°Alpha, we need to speak before you go.¡± ¡°DAMN IT MICHAEL.¡± I yelled, throwing the pillow to the floor and stomping over to the door. I was only wearing sweatpants and I nearly pulled the door off the hinges as I opened it. Michael, one of the elders on the council, didn¡¯t look phased at all by my outburst. ¡°There is something we need to discuss if you are able to find your Luna this evening.¡± I groaned. ¡°Is it not enough that I need to go to this thing, but now there is more if I DO find her? Where was this talk three years ago?¡± He cleared his throat. ¡°We just want to remind you that rejection will not be tolerated¡­.¡± ¡°REJECTION?!¡± I yelled at him and he did actually step back. ¡°You dare speak to me about rejection when it¡¯s not only my decision. I will have you know, YOU do not get to decide who my mate is and WHAT I DO with my mate when I find her. So do NOT tell me what will or won¡¯t be tolerated.¡± I growled and it came from both me and Cato, my wolf. His head was bowed slightly, his neck bared to me, showing his submission for me as Alpha. He slowly backed away before leaving the house. I pinched the bridge of my nose. ¡°Well, now that your awake, want some breakfast?¡± Bryan looked down the hall, d in his cartoon bear apron, holding a frying pan with a pancake still cooking in it. I tsked. ¡°Yeah, fine. I¡¯m gonna grab a shirt.¡± Bryanughed as I turned and got ready for the day. - It was about 3pm when Bryan and I stood outside the packhouse. We were looking at the options of cars with our hands crossed. ¡°What if only one of us finds out mate? Then I don¡¯t want to be the third wheel and neither do you.¡± ¡°But do we really want to bring two cars?¡± ¡°I mean, is gonna take us, what, four hours to get there. You can be without me for four hours Alpha.¡± Bryan chuckled and I suppressed the urge to hit him. ¡°If we both find our mate, or if we both don¡¯t, it will be idiotic.¡± ¡°Can we show off just a little? I mean between you and me, we are the most eligible werewolf bachelors in the whole damn US, and may even include Canada. We both own multiple businesses which have made millions and we literally have eight cars we are looking at right now.¡± I chuckled. He was right, of course. He may be energetic and seem like a party animal but he was smart. Smart, meticulous, and strategic. When he wanted to be. The other times he was an immature frat boy who came home with a yellow Lamborghini because it called to him from the window. ¡°Fine. You take your Lambo and I¡¯ll take the Bugatti. If neither of us find our mates, we will go to the supernatural club you want to go to.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Bryan did a skip and grabbed the keys from our wall and started the Lamborghini. Sighing, I grabbed the keys and got in the Bugatti. Bryan was already off and I pulled out, following his trail. It would be four hours to the Midnight Moon pack. I turned on the radio and leaned back, settling into the ride. My thoughts ran to what I would do if I did find my mate tonight. ''You would take her home immediately and mark her.'' Cato said matter of factly. ''Unless she rejects us.'' Cato scoffed. ''Why would any mate reject us? Look at us.'' ''Maybe because our reputation.'' Cato grumbled. ''Your reputation.'' ''Ours Cato. Our reputation. And I¡¯m not excited to scare a little thirteen year old who had the misfortune of being my mate by immediately taking her home and marking her.'' Cato chuckled. ''What Bryan teases with really got to you.'' I huffed and reposition myself. ''I haven¡¯t found her yet Cato. That means she¡¯s probably new. thirteen to fifteen maybe seventeen if I¡¯m lucky. Thats a big jump from twenty-three.'' ''Maybe she couldn¡¯t make the other ones.'' I felt him shrug and I shook my head. ''All of them? Since I was thirteen? Please.'' I watched as Bryan swerved between traffic in front of me. N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content. Truthfully, I was worried. What the elder came and said mixed with my own concerns set me on edge this time. Maybe it was time to give up the fated and just have a chosen mate. Cato growled. ''You will not give up yet on our mate Logan. She is out there, I know it.'' Cato said matter-of-factly. ''Sometimes I hate your optimism. And being able to read my thoughts. It mighte to that though Cato. Just be prepared.'' I heard a small grumble of ''never'' but Cato retreated to the back of my mind and I was left alone for the rest of the drive. We knew the Gathering Activity started at 6pm and we had left a littleter than anticipated but we arrived at 6:30pm and there were still a lot of people going into the building. We turned heads as we pulled up, Bryan right behind me in our fancy cars. We watched as girls stared and then started to hold their heads up higher. Bryan lived for the attention. I however, had no love of attention. Just as I stepped out of the car Cato growled. ''She¡¯s here Logan. I smell her. Our mate is here.'' Stunned, I looked at Bryan and he looked at my wide eyes and understood. He gave me a thumbs up. ''Are you sure Cato?'' ''I¡¯m sure. She¡¯s here. Our mate is here. We need to find her.'' Chapter 4 Chapter 4 ***Auri¡¯s POV*** Maddie had woken me up around 10am pounding on my door. Our parents had already left and wouldn¡¯t be back for the rest of the day. We would meet them at the ball since they were the hosts. Ty would have to take us in his carter in the evening. She was bounding around the house as I got a brunch ready for us and she ferried me, with brunch, up to her room. ¡°Auri, do you want me to do your make-up? I won¡¯t do a lot, but at least a little eye shadow?¡± I chuckled. ¡°To what Maddie? Bring out the grey in my eyes?¡± She scoffed. ¡°I mean, I could match it with Kai¡¯s eyes. Are you going in blind to the ball?¡± I nodded and looked out the window, Kai giving me her vision. I first was assaulted by Maddie¡¯s choice of pink and white stripped wallpaper and ridiculous amount of red heart pillows, but I settled my vision on the forest outside. The lush green soothing my eyes. Usually, I went blind just about anywhere unless I was unfamiliar with the surroundings. This was different. I didn¡¯t want to hid behind her eyes. If my mate was gonna reject me, they were gonna see all of me. ¡°Well, I think I can still make something happen. Cause sometimes if you look in your eyes long enough, if feels like you could see a gxy in there.¡± ¡°Maddie, the romantic in you is admirable. But you focus on you. How¡¯s the dress? Did Father let you get ¡®the one¡¯?¡± She huffed and put her hands on her hips. ¡°No! Daddy was such a hard-ass when he saw it. ¡®No daughter of mine will be walking around like a skank¡¯. And mom couldn¡¯t fight him. So I had to settle for this one.¡± I didugh at her impression of our father. She had picked out a very skin tight red dress that did look absolutely gorgeous on her. But it also made her look like she was twenty-one and would have brought all the boys to the yard. Maddie wasn¡¯t curvy by any means, but she was definitely more developed than your average fifteen year old. Hell, even your average seventeen year old. The dress she did settle on, the one she was pulling out, was a midnight blue. It did hug her but it red out into a typical ballgown. The sticker price on the dress had been astronomical and I knew thest three months I had worked went to that dress. But I felt better that it didn¡¯t go to another designer purse for Melissa. It was Maddie¡¯s first Gathering and she should have something special. ¡°You know, maybe the Alpha from the Harvest Moon pack ising. Maybe I¡¯ll be his Luna. He¡¯s been waiting for me this whole time.¡± She twirled, holding the dress up to her. ¡°Poor guy. I wouldugh if he gets stuck with Suzie or someone.¡± I chuckled. ¡°What is he, like 30 now? And his mate ends up being 13! Imagine!¡± Maddie started tough as well. ¡°Oh how cruel the Moon Goddess can be.¡± She plopped down at her vanity and started a skin routine that I didn¡¯t envy. ¡°What about your dress? I know dad didn¡¯t give you any money for one.¡± ¡°He brought home some fabric and said to make it myself.¡± She turned around, half her face covered in a green paste. ¡°WHAT?! Don¡¯t tell me it was that ugly pastel blue bag!¡± I nodded. ¡°The amount of fabric brought home wouldn¡¯t even cover half my body. But it¡¯s not like I can say anything.¡± ¡°So what are you doing?¡± I smirked. ¡°You remember Melissa and fathers oldforter. During Melissa¡¯s metallic phase?¡± ¡°The shimmery silver one? God that thing hurt my eyes. A king size silver nket. As though we don¡¯t have a weakness to silver.¡± ¡°That one. Its been in my closet for like four years. So I used that to make something.¡± She gave me a look of ¡®I don¡¯t believe you could make something nice out of that color¡¯ but she didn¡¯t say anything. She turned back to the mirror. ¡°Well, at least you should try and look hot. You might find your mate.¡± Looking at me through the mirror, she waggled her eyebrows. ¡°Maybe Alpha Logan is YOUR mate.¡± I made a gagging sound and sheughed. We spent most of the day in her room. I made ate lunch since I knew that Maddie would insist on not eating dinner because one, there would be food there, but also that she would not have a food baby in her dress when she walked in. Maddie was finishing her makeup when I head the front door open and close. I leaned my head out and heard Tying up the stairs. ¡°Cutting it a little close Ty. We need to leave in an hour or so.¡± He scoffed. ¡°Says the one not even in her dress.¡± I stick my tongue out at him. ¡°Maddie¡¯s dress takes like 10 people to get her into. I may need your help. I only count as five people.¡± This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org. He waved me off and went into his room and I heard the shower start. ¡°Alright Maddie, let¡¯s try to get you into this thing.¡± It was another 15 minutes but just as Ty came out, dressed in ck cks, ck shirt, white tie and a white dress jacket, I managed to get Maddie in andced up in her dress. Her breasts were just under her chin but she said thats exactly how she wanted it. It was one night and who needed to breathe, were her words. ¡°Auri, now would be time to get your dress on.¡± My hair was already done thanks to Maddie. I looked nothing like the dark chestnut brown family. My hair was a tinum color, nearing white in the right light. It matched exactly with my wolfs color. It was almost as thick and unruly as well. Maddie had braided it to the right side and put little pins of peals. It was to be swept in front of my right shoulder. I hopped down to my closet and took out my dress. I had it covered in a bag so it wouldn¡¯t get dirty or get eaten by moths. Running to the bathroom, I slipped off my baggy shirt and sweatpants I had been in all day. The dress was probably my finest work yet. It looked like a greek goddess. It had a deep V-neck that also dropped low down the back. The fabric clung to me and shimmered and I made the skirt part of the dress slightly pleated to allow movement. It also had pretty high slits up the side of my thighs. Sure, it showed off all my scars, but damn did I feel good in it. It was definitely not Father approved and it made me very happy. It would be thest time he would ask me to make my own dress. I walked out of the bathroom, adjusting my hair to over the shoulder when I heard water being spewed all over the kitchen. ¡°DAMN.¡± Maddie put her hands on her hips and swayed them back and forth. ¡°Who knew you were hiding that body under those baggy pants and shirts.¡± Ty, who was still coughing from inhaling water cleared his lungs enough to say, ¡°There is no way you are wearing that.¡± Maddie turned on him. ¡°Why the hell not? Auri looks HOT.¡± ¡°We are supposed to find mates, not me beating off men with a stick cause my two sisters look like they just stepped out of their wet dreams.¡± I wrinkled my nose. ¡°One, I am NO ONES wet dream. And two, we all know how tonight is gonna go for me. So you can just focus on making sure Maddie is taken care of.¡± He shook his head but Maddie squealed. ¡°We are gonna bete and Mom will KILL us. Let¡¯s go now!¡± She looped arms with me and dragged me out of the house, followed by Ty who locked up. His car was a nice sedan that he had paid for himself working at the mechanics while he wasn¡¯t in school. I helped Maddie get her entire dress into the back seat and sat in the front seat of the car. ¡°When¡¯s thest time you sat in the front seat of the car?¡± I chuckled. ¡°Never?¡± He started to drive and I could feel him staring, I had already request Kai to back off for the night. ¡°You know I can feel you staring, right?¡± Ty cleared his throat. ¡°Sorry. You do look lovely tonight though. That dress¡­¡± he paused for a moment, ¡°¡­suits you.¡± I smiled and Maddie leaned forward from the back. ¡°SUITS her? She looks like a bombshell. A damn greek goddess. I should have forced Dad to get the red one.¡± She leaned back in the seat, huffing. ¡°Next time maybe?¡± Ty chuckled. ¡°I hope there isn¡¯t a next time.¡± This made both Ty and Iugh. We pulled into the parking area of the castle at exactly 6:00pm and it took both Ty and I to get Maddie out of the car. We walked into the castle and into the main ballroom where the lights were low and music was ying. And so the night began. Chapter 5 Chapter 5 Maddie left our side immediately as soon as we reached the ballroom, talking to who I could only assume as ssmates. Ty had stayed back with me for a moment and he graciously walked me over to a corner. The smells were a bit overwhelming mixed with the loudness of the music and chattering. I was thankful for Ty¡¯s help. ¡°Go, I know you got some friends here.¡± I felt him shake his head. I tilted my head toward him, now aware that he was stiff as a board. ¡°You smell her don¡¯t you, your mate?¡± He squeezed my hand. ¡°I do.¡± ¡°Well, what are you waiting for! Go get her! Jesus Ty! Don¡¯t stand next to the person you know for SURE isn¡¯t your mate.¡± I chuckled and pushed him further in the room. ''I don¡¯t smell anything special.'' Kai came forward for the first time in a while. Maybe they aren¡¯t here yet, it is still pretty early. I looked around, there were a lot of people, but there were still people filling into the ballroom. It was only 6:15pm after all. Father and Melissa had seen us walk in and both Ty and Maddie were happy to describe the look of disgust on their faces when they had spotting my attire. But I just tucked myself in the corner. I could feel a few eyes on me but I refused to use Kai to see them. I waited for another ten minutes or so in the corner before there were so many people it was bing suffocating. There were so many smells and sounds it hurt my extra sensitive senses. I had lost the sound of both Ty and Maddie in the crowd and I didn¡¯t want to go to them either. Who wants a blind older sister hanging around. It was apparent too, by the silence of Kai, my mate was not here. Putting my hand against the wall, I made my way to the back of the ballroom, away from the people funneling in. When we were kids, the current Alpha¡¯s parents used to live here. And so we would be brought here every so often. I knew this ce better than most and so slipping down the hall, I made my way down a side staircase which lead to a door outside. The castle was closer to the forest than our own house and I slipped off my heels that I had snuck out of Melissa¡¯s pile of ¡®To be Donated¡¯ and made my way barefoot into the forest. As soon as I hit the tree line I was already feeling better. That silence that the forest brings, muffling reality amongst the leaves and dew covered grass. Not too far in, was my favorite perching rock. It was a little smaller than I remembers. We used to pay King-of-the-Rock as children. Sitting on it now, my legs dangled off and just missed the small stream below. I adjusted my dress and just leaned back, soaking in the moon that woulde through the trees. For a moment the silence was interrupted by two very loud engines pulling up the to the castle. But they soon died down and the music and chatter from the party dissipated into the wind through the trees. It was a perfect night to be out in the forest. ''Don¡¯t be disappointed, Kai.'' This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org. She huffed. ''How can I not be disappointed? It¡¯s the first real chance we got to get out to see if we have a mate within the packs.'' ''A mate who would inevitably reject us.'' ''You don¡¯t know that Auri! Stop it!'' I scoffed. She knew I was right, she wasn¡¯t willing to give up yet though. I was thoroughly willing to give up. ''Is what Ty said bothering you?'' Kai said quietly. ''You mean running away, bing a rogue. Having Morgan take care of us. I mean, it¡¯s an option. We have a good savings built up. She snorted but let me continue. We could finally get out from under their thumb. Maybe if both Ty and Maddie find their mate tonight, when we leave tomorrow, we just don¡¯t come back. Come out of retirement and work under Morgan.'' There was a long pause of silence. The forest filled in between as, as though we were talking side by side. ''Okay.'' I lifted up my head. ''Okay?'' I felt Kai nod. ¡°Alright then.¡± I said it out loud and took a deep breath. We would be free of them. We wouldn¡¯t be thest ones left. The wind whipped up again and I leaned back, letting it flow over my skin, my usual baggy clothes didn¡¯t let my skin breathe the warmth of the air. I felt like I was recharging in the moonlight. The tiredness and weariness of life just melting away all the negative emotions I was feeling. A couple times, a pair of wolves were run a few yards away from me into the forests. Mates, running through the trees for the first time together. I don¡¯t know how long it was that I was out there. I felt a little bad. I knew Ty may have looked for me. If his mind waspletely taken over by his mate. Hell, he might have already taken her home, leaving Maddie and I to go home with Father and Melissa. Or Maddie left with her new mate leaving just me. I shuddered at the thought. The clouds seemed to have moved on and I enjoyed full moonlight when I heard crunchinging into the forest. Someone wasn¡¯t being subtle about their entry. Passively, I turned my head over, knowing it might be one of my sibling or some couple who decided to make out in the forest. The wind picked up again and blew towards the castle, towards the sound of someone stomping through the forest. ¡°You know, some of us are trying to enjoy the quiet moonlight.¡± My voice carried through the trees and for a moment the footfalls stopped. I smiled and leaned back up into the moonlight. But the footsteps continued forwarded towards me and I sighed. They were even louder than before and I pushed up from reclining position, sitting up straight. I turned in their direction. They paused not too far from the rock. It was a while and the silence of the forest settled back in. ''Do you need me?'' Kai asked but I didn¡¯t answer. ¡°Frankly, I feel like you didn¡¯t get the hint that I was¡­¡± ¡°What is your name?¡± The voice, deep and gravely, caressed my skin as I gasped. I couldn¡¯t speak, couldn¡¯t move. I just sat there, the voice alone making my body reaction. I knew what this feeling was without an exnation. Kai cooed from the back of my mind. His voice growled this time. ¡°What is your name, mate?¡± Finally, I managed to swallow my shock. ¡°Auri, my name is Auri Meadows.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve finally found you.¡± Chapter 6 Chapter 6 ***Logan¡¯s POV*** I walked into the building with a mission. Get in, grab my mate, get out.We weren¡¯t staying here.I finally had found her, my mate, my Luna and I was not going to stick around for the party. Bryan basically had to run to keep up with my strides.I scanned the ballroom but realized my eyes would do nothing for me here.It would be my nose and Cato that would be the one to find her.I walked around the room, people parting for me, knowing exactly who I was. My face probably didn¡¯t show a single ounce of happiness either. The Alpha of the hosting pack tried to speak to me, but I threw Bryan at him and continued my sniffing search throughout the room. There was a corner of the room, where it smelled like her the most. Seems like she spent a good amount of time standing here. Cato confirmed my suspicious but she wasn''t here anymore.I looked around and tried to pinpoint the next location. Down the hall Logan.To your right, the scent goes that way.I didn¡¯t even need to confirm with him.I trusted Cato more than myself at this point. The hallway was empty and I looked around. There were stairs up and down, as well as a multitude of doors. ¡®Down the stairs to the right" My feet almost flew down the stairs and I jumped thest three.I was starting to get annoyed. My mate was leading me on a wild goose chase. After all these years, I didn¡¯t need another chase. What if I was about to lose her? What if she would leave all together? My heart constricted. ''Focus Logan.Out the door.Outside, into the forest." I pushed the door open and strode into the forest.I was not trying to be quiet.I was following the scent and with each gust of wind I felt like I was being tortured by her.It became stronger and stronger. "You know, some of us are trying to enjoy the quiet moonlight." Suddenly, I froze.I nearly melted on the spot.Her voice reached me and I swayed.It was smooth like the wind or water. It also wasn¡¯t a voice of a child, but of a woman. My heart was skipping and I started to walk closer, my feet falling as though they weighed 100lbs. There was a clearing with a small steam that flowed through it. Next to the stream was a sizable rock that jutted out over the stream. I couldn¡¯t breathe. My mate was sitting on the rock, moonlight shown on her as though the Moon Goddess herself was showing me what I was searching for. I looked her up and down. The silver dress shimmered and only seemed to entuate the tan of her skin. But when she looked at me, her eyes were apletely grey. "Logan, she¡¯s blind" Cato said it and I couldn¡¯t even fathom it. He started to whine more. ''She has so many scars.Logan, what happened to our mate.What has she been through?" I couldn¡¯t even answer him. Because for the first time, I was seeing her legs, arms, back, everything perfectly sculpted but was covered in scars.She was a werewolf.She was supposed to heal though. Why hadn¡¯t she healed? The scars were massive and her eyes, showing their unseeing grey. "Frankly, I feel like you didn¡¯t get the hint that I was..." Her voice again started to make me melt again and I had to interject. "what is your name?" It came out gruffer than I meant to to be.I saw surprise wash over her.She hadn¡¯t smelled me.She didn¡¯t know. The wind was blowing in my direction and she hadn¡¯t registered who she was talking to. Now, I watched as her body reacted to my words, I savored it in the moonlight. My patience was a singr thread at this point. "What is your name, mate?"I repeated. "Auri, my name is Auri Meadows." Her voice flowed over me like the stream that she was just barely dipping into. "I¡¯ve found you." I almost choked out the words. I watched as the initial shock wore off and was reced by sadness. Her eyes, though unseeing, were still so expressive that I watched the sadness swirl around and start to swallow her.She leaned forward and jumped off the rock, her dress noting all at once with her, giving me a perfect show of a tight round ass.She was a knockout. An ass, breasts, hips, and everything was tight. If anything she was a little too thin.She was the most beautiful creature I had everid eyes on. "Did you want to reject me now? Or wait tillter?" Cato whined as I tried to focus on what she was saying. Reject? This beautiful creature? I didn¡¯t know how to react. Shock, anger, confused...all just passed through my mind as I looked at her, still bathed in the moonlight. Auri, she said her name was. It was magical, she was magical. Like she belonged to the forest more than she belonged to me. As though the moon goddess had presented me with a forest nymph. I was on the cusp of losing her though. "Reject you? Why would I reject you?" I wished the main emotion behind my words was confusion but they came out angry. Auri was obviously confused and torn as well.She looked taken aback by my question. "Because I¡¯m not...wless? I¡¯m blind and scarred and..." Her words seems to flow away from her. They washed over me as I saw tears form under her eyes. How long she thought her mate would reject her.Wouldn¡¯t like a broken mate.I¡¯m sure there are some out there.Cato whined. "But we are not that kind" Cato smiled. ''We are not" I walked towards her and brushed my hand against her cheek, catching her tears. Savoring the feel of her skin on mine.She was so damn beautiful my heart almost couldn¡¯t take it.It threatened to hammer out of my chest. "I will not reject my mate.My fated.My soulmate.Not ever." I took her hand in mine. It was shaking. She had a slight smile on her face as I kissed her hand. Goddess, her smile, even the smallest one, was about to bring me to my knees. I would do anything for this woman. If she asked for the moon, the stars, and everything in between I would give it to her. After a moment, I was able to identify her smell. It was forest but the forest in the morning, just before the sun was rising and then if you wove in a spice, cinnamon or nutmeg or a little of both. "Auri, do you have you things here at the castle?" She shook her head. ¡®Of course she doesn¡¯t.She thought her mate was going to reject her" "Auri, is there anything you need to pick up at your home before we leave?" She took a deep breath. "There are a couple things at home, I would like..." "Is it far?" I started to pull her out of the forest and she slowly let me lead her. "No, only about 10 minutes or so." I nodded and pulled her closer to me. ¡®Hey dumbass, why not introduce yourself" Cato chuckled. "shit."I said in a low voice but it was enough to make her jump and stop. "No no! I just...I forgot to introduce myself. My wolf, he reminded me." She giggled and my heart started to hammer again in my chest. "Logan.Logan Everfell." She stiffened. "You mean, Alpha Logan, from the Harvest Moon pack?" I watched as her eyes shed and her wolfs eyes reced her own. She looked at me, for the first time.I could hear her heart speed up and she started to pull back against my hand but I refused to let her go.She looked like she was ready to run and I wasn''t going to lose her. "I am but to you it will always be just Logan." She started to stammer, "I...I can¡¯t be a Luna, someone like me can¡¯t be a Luna..." My anger red up. "Someone like you? Someone the moon goddess picked out for me specifically?" "Broken..." Her voice was barely a whisper. "You, my dear mate, are not broken.You have survived, and one day, I would like to know all what you have survived.But the fact that you are in front of me, means that you lived through all of it.And that kind of strength is what I need.What a Luna needs." I pulled her, hard, towards me and she stumbled on the grass.As soon as she fell against me, I wrapped my arms around her and put my head against her.My 6¡¯4"frame towered over her 5¡¯6" but I kissed the top of her head and felt as a shiver went all the way down her body. No matter what, I wasn¡¯t letting my nymph go. Her hands came up and rested on my chest and she grabbed my shirt in her hands. She was crying silently. Picking her up bridal style, she let out a small squeak and I strode over to the Bugatti. I opened the door with one hand and set her down gently. Stealing a kiss on her cheek, I closed the door and quickly made my way to the drivers side. Getting in, I put my seatbelt on and checked to make sure she had hers on. N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content. "So where is this house of yours?" My voice sounded more confident than it was at this point. "It¡¯s down the road, east." I nodded and started up the car. She jumped a little when the engine roared to life but I pulled out and headed down the road. We sat in silence except for directions she gave. I nced at my nymph as often as I could, seeing her work through what had just happened.But I couldn¡¯t help it.I started to smile.I had found her, and she was mine. Chapter 7 Chapter 7 Chapter 7 ***Auri¡¯s POV*** I couldn''t function. Here I was, sitting in Alpha Logan''s fancy car, driving towards my house to pick up my things. My mind still reeling from what just happened. "I told you our mate wouldn¡¯t reject us" Kai was smug and she had been ecstatic to hear that our mate was an Alpha. 3 I was not. I was not even entertaining the idea of being a mate, let alone a Luna I had heard the confusion and anger in his voice when he asked why he would reject me. I thought it was obvious and especiallying from a man who was notorious for throwing out the weak. ¡®We aren''t weak though" ¡®Right, but he doesn¡¯t know that. He only can judge me by how! look. And we look like we¡¯ve been through hell and back again" 1 ¡®And like he said, we are strong for it, strong for surviving it" Kai was chastising me as we drove down the road. 1 I gave directions where I needed to, but for the most part, we stayed quiet. I could feel him nce over or stare for a little bit before looking back to the road. Truthfully, I was melting under his gaze, his scent, like firewood and fresh rain. It was a hell of abination but it made me want to either run away into the forest or bury my face in his chest. He was so built and sorge that I felt towered over. But instead of being intimidated, I felt protected and safe. He had pulled me to him and hugged me. I just about lost my mind. Having a mate was so much different than what I thought. How was anyone able to reject this feeling, or evene close to fighting it? He was in all of my senses and my overly heightened ones were making me lose my head. Looking at him, he oozed strength and sex. Kai finally forced her eyes on me and I stared at my mate, his ck hair was messy and fell past his ears when it wasn¡¯t slicked back. He was tan and his eyes were an ice blue that lit up as though the moon was staring into me. My heart had hammered a hole in me and I wondered if it would ever work properly again. We pulled up to our street and I directed him to which one it was. I panicked for a second. "TP IL_.be right back." Heughed, unbuckling his seat. "I¡¯m not going to allow you to carry your stuff to my car alone." I nodded and took a deep breath. It was fine. This would be thest time I would be back here right? I walked up to the door, still carrying the Ta-Re- Donated shnes and reached dawn to the nter to pick up the spare key. Turning the lock, I walked in. 1 listened for anyone but after confirming it was just us, I allowed Logan toe in. "Ts this the Beta¡¯s house?" T nodded. This content ? N?v/elDr(a)m/a.Org. "My father is Beta Issac." He chuckled. "Well, looks like they aren¡¯t doing too bad." I didn¡¯t answer as I walked into the hallway. Opening up my little walk-in-closet, I looked around. Really, when I said a couple things, there wasn''t much I could bring. Most of my clothes were from hand-me-downs from Ty that I had mended and altered. I felt my mate behind me and I spun around. 2 "What the fuck is this?" His eyes were shing back and forth. I couldn¡¯t tell if he was angry or just having a conversation with his wolf. "This...this is where I...sleep..." I turned from him, not wanting to see the look on his face. Leaning down, I grabbed my small purple box that had a bunch of photos from the time before Melissa.Everything else had been removed and burned from the house. "Auri, will you tell me why you sleep in the closet and not a room?" I cleared my throat acouple times, mimicking Melissa¡¯s voice. "I don''t deserve a room. I am thankful for my father and Melissa keeping me and giving me a roof over my head. They provide mea ce to stay and I don¡¯tin." I sounded gross as it came out and it was regurgitated from all the times they had said it. "Pm sorry, what did you just say?" I chuckled. "Don¡¯t worry about it. It doesn¡¯t matter." I heard him back up against the wall and I looked behind me to see Logan taking deep breaths, trying to control his wolf. ''Kai, can you help him?" ''I can try, but you will lose your sight for a second. I¡¯ll try to talk to Cato" I nodded and my vision went back to normal and I waited fora moment, listening to his breathing slow. I felt his hand move and listened as he ran his hand through his hair. "T want an exnation before we leave." It wasn¡¯t a question, it came out more of an order. I nodded. When I climbed up the stairs, Logan followed close behind me. I opened Maddie¡¯s room, and went into her bathroom where I kept my little toiletry bag. "This is my half-sister Madison¡¯s room. Tyler¡¯s is the one next to it and the one on the other side is Father and Melissa¡¯s." He wandered over to to Ty¡¯s, opened it for a minute and mmed it shut. I went back down the stairs and Logan followed again. I started to pull the clothes I had out of my cubby hole and Logan reached over and grabbed them. "Are any of these actually yours?" I shook my head, knowing what he meant. 1 "Forget these then, leave them. We will get you a new wardrobe." He tossed them back into the closet. "Do you mind if I take some of the tea I made before we go? We have a couple hours drive right?" "Whatever you want, my love." Logan chuckled as he had to reach out to me before I tripped on my own feet. This man, calling me his love, was going to be the death of me. I opened up the fridge and took the container out. I poured some into a thermos and swallowed down the feeling that I was stealing from them by taking it with me. "T''ll go to the bathroom before we go." I put the thermos next to my box and my bag of toiletries, feeling wholly under packed but Logan had thrown all my clothes back in the closet. I went to the restroom and then came back out to Logan leaning against the wall. "I want an exnation, love." My knees started to go again. "Um...I¡¯m not sure where to start?" He took a deep calcted breath. "How long have you slept in the closet?" "Since I was four, after my mom died and Melissa moved in." "When¡¯s thest time you purchased clothes?" I blinked, trying to think. "Honestly...1 don¡¯t remember." Logan tsked. "Did they ever lock you in?" I nodded, my hands busying themselves within the pleats of my dress. Logan took my hands away from my dress. "Auri, did they ever hurt you?" I couldn''t answer him. Would he be ashamed of me? Would he think I was weak? Would he throw me away? I couldn¡¯t deal with the thought. "Auri, answer me." He was trying to keep hisposure. I''m sure Kai was trying to helping. 1 "Yes." I choked out in a whisper. His hands that held mine started to shake but when I held them instead they stopped shaking. "I¡¯m taking you away from here. You are nevering back. Ever. And I¡¯m having a chat with your Alpha." 8 I nodded, unable to say anything else. Afraid to say anything else. He grabbed my things off the counter and pulled me out of the house. I locked up and put the key back. Making my way down the front steps, I climbed into his car. Kai made her way back and her eyes reced mine. I looked at the house I had grown up in; that my mother had raised me. It had turned into a ce that I wanted nothing more than to get away from. Now, I was finally leaving. Logan didn¡¯t wait as he pulled the car around and sped down the road. Sitting on my hands, I reveled in the awkward silence between us. It wasn¡¯t for another 20 minutes did Logan finally break the silence. "wanna y 20 questions?" I chuckled. "Sure." Chapter 8 Chapter 8 "What''s your favorite breakfast food?" I smiled. "French toast.What¡¯s your favorite hat?" Loganughed. "Fez." Laughing as well, I asked "A fez, really?" He nodded. "I look damn good in a fez.Don¡¯t knock it till you see it." We had been paying ''20 questions¡¯ for an hour now.We were well past 20 questions and had moved on from the regr favorite color or candy. "What was your mom like?" Logan was quiet for a bit before he asked.I took a deep breath and leaned back in the seat. "From what I remember? She was like sunlight; you just wanted to be with her and soak up the warmth. But at the same time, she was the forest.Proud, mysterious, and magical. We used to take walks in the forest, just us. Sometimes she would take her wolf form, sometimes not, but we would alway go and walk." It took me a minute to think of another question. "I know the stories of how you took over the pack and that your parents died in a rogue attack.Was it hard?" I could hear Logan chewing on his lip. "It was hard losing my parents.But I think had I wallowed and not had anything that I needed to step up into, it would have been harder.I was passed the title of Alpha at the worst possible point for our pack.Half of them had been wiped out by the rogues and the other half mourned for them.I think we all had to learn to adapt and it was hard but we came out stronger for it." There was silence that hung heavy from the topics, each in our own thoughts. It was already 11pm and still had an hour or so away from his pack. Tomorrow I would wake up in apletely new ce, with all new people, and nothing that belonged to me other than the small box I brought. Tomorrow would be the start of somethingpletely new and unknown.The thought popped up and I realized I was supposed to show up for my 3 month work stint. "Oh shit!" I spurted out my tea. "what? Whats wrong?" Logan had a slight panic sound. ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. "Can I borrow your phone?" I looked at him through Kia. Morgan would worry so bad if I didn¡¯t call him from our usual pickup spot. Logan furrowed his brow. "Do you not have a cellphone?" I shook my head. "We will have to remedy that immediately." He shifted in his seat and handed me his phone.I looked at it, a ck square. Where the hell were the numbers? How the hell was I supposed to use this? My confusion must have come off because he chuckled and tapped the screen and a photo of a sexy woman showed on the screen.I smirked and looked over at him. "Fuck." He was red as a tomato. "Just...Jesus fuck...the phone dial is on the right bottom corner.Just tap it." I held back theughter, trying to make it more awkward for him as I tapped the corner. Conveniently ced on the sexy¡¯sdy upper thigh. The number pad popped up and I dialed the number I knew by heart. Morgan was my Papa and was the closest thing I had to someone who would be my actual loving parent. He saved me from the streets when I was ten while working at the factory. We had been inseparable ever since. The phone rang on the other end and I could see he was curious about who I was calling. "Hello? Who is this?" "Papa!" I smiled over the line. "Ah! My cub! Whose number is this? This isn¡¯t a payphone." "No no.I..managed to find my mate." I looked up to Logan who was looking at me confused. "Well! Princess! That¡¯s great news! Tell me he is taking you away from that fucking shithole."Iughed and saw the tension in Logan ease a little. "Yeah.We are driving away as we speak." "Thank the lord.I¡¯m assuming that means you won¡¯t being in tomorrow for work." "yeah.That¡¯s what it seems. I might be byter, I¡¯d like to introduce you to him.If he¡¯s open to it." I looked at Logan again, he was looking at the road. "I think he¡¯s a good one Papa.He might understand." "I¡¯ll trust your judgement my little cub.Don¡¯t worry.You settle in.Call me when you can.I want to make sure you are okay." "I will.I love you Papa." I whispered thest part, my eyes filling with tears. "Don¡¯t cry princess.I love you too.We will see each other soon.Don¡¯t you worry.Otherwise I will march my undead ass over to you and start an entire war just to give you hug." I choked out a thank you before hanging up the line. I passed Logan back his phone and wiped my tears with my hands. Morgan was someone who meant the world to me. Not a lot of werewolves would understand me having an adoptive vampire father. He insisted on calling me a cub and said that until I turned at least five hundred years old he wouldn¡¯t stop. I used to get so mad when I was little but now it was endearing to hear him call me that. He had taken over my paycheck when I turned fourteen so I wouldn¡¯t need to continue to work at the factory. So technically, I worked for him, while also doing some odd jobs here and there. Earning a separate ie that I saved myself. We used to joke about who my mate would be and how good or bad they would be. I kept my life with Morgan, with my second family, a secret. My odd jobs earning me fame in the supernatural world but it wasn¡¯t something that belonged within the pack mentality. I was not weak, not matter how I looked. Kai got mad so many times when I would take the abuse at home, knowing full well that my father did not scare me. He was still my father though, they were still my family. No matter how fucked up they were. "It sounds like you at least have someone you can count on." I nodded. Looking at Logan, who was passive except for how tight he was holding the steering wheel. "Thanks.He would have started to worry if I didn¡¯t show up for work." "I¡¯m surprised they let you have a job." Iughed. "How do you think they paid for my sisters dress?" Logan¡¯s face turned to me, horrified and I justughed more.It was funny now. Now that I was being taken away from it all.It was going to be behind me, and not something I would have to deal with again.Except on my terms. I leaned against the seat, exhausted.I closed my eyes for a moment and felt sleep taking over. Logan put his hand on my thigh which, at first, only served to heighten my anxiety. The feel of electricity coursing through me. As he started to move his thumb back and forth, stroking me in the most gentle way, a calmness set in. I closed my eyes again and just felt it wash over me.It didn¡¯t take me long to fall asleep knowing that I had a protector to keep away the nightmares. The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!