Luna of Light

"Where am I?"

Gaia

I had awoken in an unfamiliar room. I had no idea where I was or how I had gotten there. I sat up, trying to remember something, anything. I found myself naked, in a bed I did not know. Panic coursed through me. Where am I? I rolled out of the bed, wrapping the sheet around myself and looked around. The air smelled like wood and nature, like camping. I seemed to be in a cabin of some sort. I went to the window and pushed the curtains apart. I blinked in the bright sunshine and looked out onto a thick, lush forest, surrounded by mountains. What the f**k? Unease filled me. I dashed over to the door and yanked on the knob, but it didn’t move. I tried again, but nothing happened. My heart began to beat faster. I pressed my ear to the door and could hear someone shuffling outside.

“H-hello?” I called, tugging on the doorknob. “Is someone there? Help! Let me out!”

“…Luna, everything is alright.” Called an unfamiliar voice. A wave of terror rolled through me.

“I’m not Luna, my name is Gaia! You have the wrong girl, please let me go!” I pounded on the door, yanking the knob as hard as I could. The wood of the door creaked and began to bow inwards. Whoever it was outside exclaimed in alarm.

“Luna, you need to calm down!”

“I said, I’m not Luna!” I felt damn near hysterical. I pulled harder on the door, and it groaned in protest. Suddenly I felt a force pull back, and the knob was yanked from my hand, leaving it stinging.

“Breathe, Luna Gaia, everything is okay! Calm down!”

I tried the knob again, but this time the door didn’t move an inch. It was being held from the other side. Anger and fear boiled up from my stomach. Suddenly I felt very hot and I dropped the sheet covering my body.

“I will say it one more time.” My voice took on a low, reverberating tone that even surprised me. “Let. Me. Go!”

Immediately the knob began to turn and I began to feel hopeful before another voice spoke. “No, you can’t let her out! We have the Alpha’s orders, this door stays closed!”

“Yes, Beta.”

Unbridled rage coursed through my body and lashed out like an explosion. There was a hot flash of pain and then I was on all fours, loosing a thunderous roar that shook the very room. I heard the men outside cry out in alarm, scrambling away. I slammed a paw into the door, my long black claws sinking into the wood. I pulled on the door, and it bowed violently. I pushed my snout against the opening, snarling ferociously.

“Luna, please!” One of the men cried out. I would tear him limb from limb and feast on his blood.

“Get away from her!”

I dropped to my belly instinctively, the authority in that voice forcing me to submit. I crawled backwards from the door, sniffing at the air. An amazing smell was wafting towards me. Actually, it already permeated the entire room I was in, but it was getting stronger by the moment. I rolled my hips primally, an odd mix of angry and aroused as I eyed the door. I huffed, and began to pace the room, impatient.

“Leave. Now.”

“Daws…” One of the men tried.

“NOW!” A wave of arousal shot through me, making me growl. I knew that voice. Deep into my very soul, I knew it. I knew him.

The door clicked, and a moment later slid open. And there he was.

Tall. Gorgeous. Silver hair. Blue eyes. Strong. Powerful.

Mate.

A low rumble of a growl started in my chest as he closed the door behind him, holding both hands up defensively.

“Gaia.” He said, his voice low and quiet, and yet I felt it in my very bones. The fur on the back of my neck stood on end and I whimpered involuntarily. “It’s okay, baby. It’s just me. You’re okay, I promise you.”

He took a step towards me and I snarled instinctively, crouching as I scanned him for any potential threat. He backed away again, inclining his head to me, hands still up.

“I’m not going to hurt you, Gaia. No one is going to hurt you. Can you shift back for me, baby?” He crooned to me, singing to my very soul. His soft tone soothed my raging wolf as if his words caressed my fur, calming me. “Everything is alright. Shift back for me, Gaia. It’s ok. Come back to me, baby.” He murmured into my head, as well as out loud, his scent filling my senses, his request filling me with the singular desire to do whatever it was that would make him happy. Shift back? I wasn’t sure how. I shook my head, uncertain. Imagine your body, your hair, your arms and legs and face.

My muscles began to contract, shortening as my bones shifted and popped. Moments later, I was on the floor, naked, and human again.

He was beside me in a moment, wrapping me up in the same sheet I had thrown off. He pulled me into his lap, rubbing my back.

“Gaia, Gaia, Gaia.” He murmured into my ear. “You’re okay, baby.”

“D-Dawson?”

A little rumble of happiness came from his broad chest. He was so warm; although he was wearing a white button down shirt, open at the collar, and blue pants, I could still feel his radiating heat through the clothes. “Yes, my little Luna, I’m here.”

“What…where am I?” I had so many questions, I could barely hold them in. He stood, still cradling me in his arms and moved over to sit on the edge of the bed, settling me in his lap again. I shifted slightly so I was more turned towards him, and rested my hand on his shoulder, curling the other against his chest.

“You are at our home.”

“Our home?”

“Yes. Our pack house, on our lands.”

Flashes of last night began to come back to me. Pack. Werewolves. “You…you’re a werewolf.”

“Yes, honey.”

I shivered and he pulled me tighter against his ridiculously warm body, thinking I was cold. “I…I’m a werewolf…?”

“Yes, you are.”

“And…I’m in your…pack?”

He chuckled quietly. “Kind of. This is your pack too, Luna. You will rule it with me. But yes, I suppose, you are a part of my pack, as you are my mate.”

I frowned, looking up at him. God, he was so damn gorgeous that I was momentarily distracted by his hard jaw, his full lips, that little beauty mark, those incredible eyes…

His expression shifted all at once, his eyes darkening with lust as he looked down at me. I could sense…smell…definitely feel him becoming aroused underneath me. My mouth watered and I felt dampness between my thighs.

“Don’t look at me like that, Gaia.” He whispered; his voice thick with desire.

“Why not?” I whispered back, biting my bottom lip. His eyes darted down to my lips, and his head dipped ever so slightly, like he was fighting every urge to kiss me.

“Because you’re confused, and scared, and this is all very new to you, and even though you know me, you don’t really know me, so I imagine that it might be a bit overwhelming if I threw you on to this bed and f****d the hell out of you. Which is exactly what I’m going to do if you don’t stop looking at me like that.”

Holy Hell. If that was supposed to cool me off, it definitely had the opposite effect. I could feel the wetness between my legs seeping into the sheet around me, and my n*****s hardened as a wave of desire shot through me. A look of desperation filled his eyes. My fingers clenched his strong arm, and I pressed my palm against his chest, feeling his heartbeat pound under my hand. I slid it slowly up to his neck, not breaking eye contact with him.

With a low growl, his lips crashed into mine, hot and needy. I tangled my fingers in his hair, locking his face to mine, kissing him back fervently. I shifted in his lap, throwing my legs on either side of his hips so I was straddling him. He clutched me tight, arms around my waist as I parted my lips, sliding my tongue against his. I moaned into his mouth, wrapping my arms around his strong shoulders, and his hands clutched desperately at my hips. Unable to help myself, I ground my crotch against his huge, hard erection, still trapped in his pants. He inhaled sharply, and then all at once I felt myself flying through space, his warmth gone.

I was on the bed, still tangled up in the sheet, and somehow, Dawson was now across the room, pacing restlessly in front of the door. I pushed myself up on my elbows, trying to figure out what had just happened.

“We can’t.” He said, and I wasn’t sure if he was talking to me or himself. “We can’t. We shouldn't. Not yet. Not like this. Not until you’re sure…”

“Sure of what?” I panted, still breathless.

“That you want this! That you want…me…”

“Oh, I’m pretty damn certain I want you, no worries there.” I sat up on my knees and he groaned, running both hands through his tousled silver hair.

“Gaia, you’re killing me!”

“What’s wrong?” I watched him pace, trying hard to ignore the sting of rejection tickling at the corners of my eyes.

“I…need you to understand. All of this. I can’t mate you until you do.”

Mate. “You keep using that word. Mate. What does that mean?”

His pacing slowed and he looked at me. “Gaia…how do you feel about me?”

I love you. The words came completely unbidden to my mind, and I just barely kept them from flying out of my mouth. I didn’t even freaking know him! I had just met the guy yesterday! I shook my head, trying to control my wild emotions. “I…I like you…I guess…”

He smiled knowingly at me, flashing me his adorable dimples. “Why?”

“Why?”

“Yes. Why do you like me? What do you like about me?”

“I…” I couldn’t answer. I didn’t have an answer. I knew literally nothing about him other than his name and the fact that he was a drop-dead gorgeous werewolf Alpha. And yet…

“That’s what it is to be a mate, my little Luna.” He was coming closer again, whether he knew it or not, but I wasn’t about to stop him. I wanted him closer, needed him closer. “Our souls are fated for each other. They have been since birth. Maybe even before that. It wasn’t until you reached maturity that your wolf was freed, and the mating bond locked in for you, but I’ve known it since the moment I first saw you. Smelled you, actually.”

I frowned at that. “Smelled me?” I tried to discreetly sniff myself. Did I stink?

He laughed, and sat on the edge of the bed again, a safe distance from me. I inched closer, unable to help myself. “Fear not, my angel. You smell incredible. Like…cherry pie…”

A slow grin spread across my face as the euphemism was not lost on me. “Alright then. So we’re…soulmates.”

He nodded. “And as I am Alpha, ruler of this pack, that makes you my Luna, my queen.”

So that’s what that means. “So that’s why everyone keeps calling me Luna.”

He chuckled again, his blue eyes sparkling with happiness. I loved seeing him happy. It made me want to throw my arms around him. “Yes, baby. It’s your title now. Our entire pack now knows that you are their Luna.”

My smile faded. “You said rule…queen…what does that entail exactly?”

I blinked, sensing my growing unease. “Well, the details you have lots of time to learn. I’m pretty sure my mother, the former Luna, is practically panting at the idea of sharing all of her knowledge with you. But essentially, you will stay here and help me to lead, protect, and strengthen this pack, as a mother would guide her children. You’re royalty now.”

Stay here? “Where exactly is here?”

“We’re up in the mountains now. Everything west of here, to the ocean, east, to the hills and south to the city where you were raised, is my territory. Our territory. We rule all of the wolves within those borders.”

I felt myself starting to panic again. A feeling like whimpering was sounding in my head, my chest, my soul. I shivered. “I can’t be queen of a werewolf pack. I’m barely a werewolf myself! I don’t know anything about…anything! Besides, I’m still in high school! I can’t stay here! What about my Dad? Oh my God, my Dad!” I jumped up from the bed, clutching the sheet to my chest. He stood too, hands raised like he was trying to calm a wild horse. “He’s probably losing his freaking mind! I just vanished from my birthday party! I have to go back! You have to take me back!” I shuddered violently, and heat coursed over my body.

“Gaia, breathe.” Dawson urged me. “As a newborn, your wolf is extremely volatile and wild. She’s very in tuned to your emotions, any strong feeling will cause her to think she needs to take over, to protect you. Over time, you’ll learn how to control your wolf, to stay in charge, even when you shift, but right now, if you don’t calm yourself, you’ll lose it. Breathe, baby.”

I tried. I took several deep, shaking breaths, even as my stomach clenched, and jolts of pain wracked through me. My legs gave out, but as usual, Dawson was there to catch me, settling me on the bed and sitting beside me. He rubbed my back soothingly, his warmth washing over me and his scent filling my senses. I inhaled him deeply and my wolf settled. “That’s my girl. Good job, Gaia. You’re learning control already. You have no idea how impressive that is. Most young wolves don’t gain control for months, some even years. My Beta Khason, the other guy who was with us last night, was so out of control when he first shifted that he couldn’t shift back for eight months.”

“Eight months?” I sat up to look at him incredulously. He was grinning at the memory.

“Khase is already a pretty impulsive person. He runs on instinct, ruled by emotion. Turns out his wolf was even more so. The wolf took complete control, he wasn’t even aware or conscious in his body for months. And once he was, it still took him weeks to gain enough control to shift back.”

I blinked at him in awe. “That must have been terrifying.”

He shrugged. “We all grew up in this, Luna. He has always known he was a wolf. We took care of him, stayed nearby so his wolf would learn that we were his pack, he could trust us. And then, once he finally shifted back, we refused to ever let him forget it.” He laughed.

I found myself smiling too. I knew his beta even less than I knew him, but I already liked him. He brought out the light in Dawson’s serious blue eyes. I loved that. But I sobered as I remembered what had concerned me. “Dawson, I need to go home.” I said, keeping a strong handle on my emotions so I wouldn’t lose control.

He lit up as I said his name, but his expression darkened again a moment later. “Gaia, you are home.”

This is not my home! I took a deep, slow breath, calming the wave of fear and anger. “My father will be worried about me. I can’t just disappear and run off to be a werewolf queen. I need to go back.”

He clenched his jaw. “I can have your father brought here.”

“What, kidnapped like me? No, I won’t do that to him.”

A small growl escaped his chest. “You were not kidnapped.”

“What do you call this? Snatching me away from my birthday party, driving me up into the mountains, locking me in your bedroom and refusing to let me go?”

He blinked, his expression shocked and hurt. “Gaia, I brought you here to protect you! The wolf was coming out, no matter where you were, and I figured you didn’t want to have to live with the memory of massacring a room full of teenagers! I locked you in here because you needed to rest, and I didn’t know what state you’d be in when you awoke! Clearly I was right to do so!” He indicated the door, where the ragged grooves of my claw marks remained. My face flamed and I stood up.

“I only did that because I couldn’t get out!” I snapped.

“And you couldn’t get out because you would have done ‘that’ to my wolves' faces!” He actually used finger quotations at me. My temper flared.

“I need to go home!”

“Gaia, you are barely in control! I can’t just let you wander off to a city full of humans! Be reasonable-”

“TAKE ME HOME!” I roared. My voice took on the same thunderous duality that his had had earlier when he addressed his men. His face went slack with shock and he actually stumbled back a step. I blinked in surprise. “I…I’m sorry…I didn’t mean…”

“Okay.” He said quietly.

I stared at him. “What?”

“I’ll take you home.”

“I…thank you…” I was astonished at his sudden change of heart. I tried to meet his eyes, but he kept them on the floor.

“As my Luna commands.” He murmured.