The Hidden Luna

Chapter Two

Ally’s POV

Syd and I spent the next couple of days just relaxing before classes began. We watched movies, helped floor mates move in and ordered takeout. I couldn’t help but get excited for my first day of classes. Syd was more excited for all the parties that were going to take place during the first week. I swear the girl has talked more about parties than anyone I had ever met before. I won’t deny that I was partly intrigued but my studies had to come first. My excitement for my classes, kept me up on Sunday night.

Throughout my childhood, I never slept the night before the first day of school. The nerd in me was too preoccupied with all the possibilities a new year would bring. I wondered if I would be able to keep up, what would my grades be like, would my professors be nice, would I even enjoy college? I tossed and turned all night and decided against going for a swim as I was determined to try to get some sleep.

I must have drifted off to sleep after the last time I checked the clock at 3a.m. My alarm woke both Syd and me up and she jumped out of bed and ran into her closet.

“What could you possibly be looking for? You picked out your outfit already, down to your jewelry!” I asked laughing to myself.

I honestly didn’t expect Syd to respond as she was digging through her closet looking for something and mumbling to herself. I went straight into the bathroom and got in the shower. The hot water is just what I needed to fully wake up. I washed my hair and then I washed my body. I’m rinsing off my body wash when I hear the bathroom door open. Syd has absolutely no sense of privacy and I audibly groan.

“Ally get used to it. We are sisters now with one small bathroom. Plus you don’t have anything I’ve never seen before.” She said this with a mouthful of toothpaste.

“Says you. I’m not ready to expose my humpback and third n****e to the world yet. Also, I already told you that I use my morning showers to shed my skin.” I say over the sound of the shower.

I was just met with laughter. Having been an only child even after being taken in through foster care, it took some getting used to. Even when I was in a group home, I avoided the other kids and kept to myself. She quickly brushed her teeth and hopped into the shower as soon as I got out. We switched positions and I brushed my teeth and stared at my reflection in the foggy mirror.

“I have bags under my eyes. I definitely didn’t sleep enough.” I say to her as I stare at my tired emerald green eyes. I brushed out my long brown hair into manageable curls and tied it up into a ponytail.

Unlike Syd, I didn’t have my outfit preplanned so I just grabbed a pair of jeans and a tank top. I didn’t know if the classrooms would be cold or not so I wanted to play it safe. Fashion means nothing to me so I couldn’t care less about anything other than looking decent and not being uncomfortable.

Classes went by so quickly. I was surprised when it was Friday and we had completed our first week. I was initially stressed about keeping up and what the environment would be like. I thought my professors would be very strict and there would be a ton of work. I was definitely wrong about my professors. Being a smaller college, the professors were very laid back. Maybe it was the Colorado vibe but it felt like they were making an effort not to stress out their students. It helped that all my professors provided detailed syllabi that allowed us to see upcoming homework and projects. I worked ahead and had completed homework for the first three/four weeks in the first few days.

The only unfortunate thing is that Mike and his goons were in almost all my classes. We only got a reprieve in our English Comp class. I was thankful for the strictly freshman class everyday. It also happened to be our last class of the day. I thanked the gods for that small favor.

The first day of classes, Mike had tried to sit next to me. I tried to be polite, even though I was uncomfortable. He would not take the hint. I ended up moving seats before the class filled up and the professor started. I moved myself to an end seat and Syd posted up in the seat next to me. I made a couple of friends in the class I didn’t have with Syd and managed to avoid sitting next to any of them. However, it didn’t stop them from sitting behind me.

Mike loved leaning over and whispering to me “Good morning beautiful. Hope you aren’t tired from starring in my dreams last night.”

“I hoped you enjoyed them because it will never be real life. Now leave me alone.” I would snarl at him.

By the end of the week, I was getting fed up. I didn’t know how I was going to finish a semester with them bothering me. I honestly don’t know why they were bothering me so much. My foster mom loved to tell me how men always want something they can’t have. I never really understood until now. My ignoring Mike must have made this a personal challenge. Even when I was outright rude, he found it funny.

Tonight was the first night that Syd had decided she was going to attend a party. She invited me but I was not interested.

“I’m just not ready for socializing yet. I’m still gathering my bearings and getting comfortable. Plus you know I enjoy my alone time.” I say while watching with amusement as Syd destroys her closet

“The girls are going to be here in like 5 minutes. Do you think you can help us get ready at least? I definitely need you to help me with my hair.” She asked while doing a terrible job giving me puppy dog eyes.

“I’ll help you on one condition” I said.

“Why do I feel like I’m about to sign over my first born child? Since I am definitely the dramatic one of the two of us, I agree to whatever it is.”

“Ha! You might regret that in the morning when I wake you at 5:30 for a hike”. I laughed.

“You are lucky I’m a morning person and love the outdoors.” She simply replied.

A few minutes later her friends, who I affectionately refer to as her fan club, arrived. I helped them with their hair and makeup and watched them all climb into their Uber. Once they were gone, I laid on my bed staring at the ceiling. Since I spent the week focusing and getting used to college life, I hadn’t gone to the gym. I knew a quick workout and swim would be the best way for me to end the week. I grabbed my car keys and headed to the gym.

I went straight to the women’s locker room and picked a locker to secure my bathing suit, personal items and clothes to change into for home. I selected a treadmill in front of a screen showing Game of Thrones and tuned into the frequency to listen to the episode. I took a quick selfie and sent it to Syd letting her know where I was. She replied with a pic of her and her girlfriends taking shots. I replied to her text with “Make good decisions”. Her reply was just “lol”. I was definitely the mother hen of our little group. I put my phone away and concentrated on working out. I had that weird feeling someone was watching me but every time I looked away from the screen it didn’t seem like anyone was paying any attention to me. I chalked it up to my paranoia.

Owen’s POV

It had been a week since I had seen the dark haired beauty. I made a point to come to the gym at different times throughout the week in an effort to catch a glimpse of her again. I knew her and her friend had purchased a membership so I hoped to see her and somehow build up the nerve to speak to her. However, I came up empty handed each day. The week came and went and it was now Friday night. Thinking about what Mike and his friends said about her friend being a party girl, I had assumed that I wouldn’t see either girl. I was pleasantly surprised when she walked in shortly after me and made herself comfortable on a treadmill.

I watched her get comfortable on the machine and even take a selfie. Just seeing her smile brought a smile to my face. My wolf was pushing me to talk to her but I thought it was too soon. I was content to just watch her work out. From where I was stationed, I could watch her without being obvious. It just looked like I was paying attention to the screen above her head.

“Talk to her. Get close so we can smell if she is our mate!” My wolf, Darren, said in my head.

“Calm down. I don’t want to scare her away. Even if she is our mate, I don’t think she is a wolf because she is so small. We would have to be very careful with her so that we don’t scare her off.”

Darren growled to me in my head. “I’m tired of waiting. You haven’t been around any female since Vivianne”

FLASHBACK

I coughed as I breathed in smoke which was now filling the pack house. I ran to my parent’s room and found them both dead in their bed. Whoever snuck onto our land somehow made it up four flights of stairs and into the guarded Alpha housing. The only way this could have happened is if it was a pack member or they received specific intel from a pack member. I ran down the hall to the Beta’s room. I choked back vomit when I saw the bodies of the Beta, his mate and his two twin children. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. Why would they hurt the pups? Every room held the bodies of someone I knew and loved.

I ran out of the packhouse to our pack hospital to see if there was anyone left alive. I was met with more of the same. Bodies torn apart and just left out in the open. I headed down to the dungeons to see if by chance someone thought to take cover down there. They even massacred the prisoners. The rogues that were being held for questioning were dead along with all of the guards.

How could everyone be dead? Why didn’t anyone mind-link me to tell me that they were under attack. I only knew something was wrong when I felt the death of the Alpha. Upon his death I was overwhelmed with grief and strength at the same time. Alpha strength being passed to me and the grief of the pack members still alive to feel the disconnect of my father. I stood in front of the pack house not knowing what to do next. There was nobody. I had no family, no pack. Just a house that was halfway smoldering. I wouldn’t be able to defend it on my own in case the rogues returned.

I knew that I would need to leave as soon as possible. If rogues attacked again, I would surely die. If another pack attacked, I would surely die. I ran upstairs to my room and grabbed a bookbag and quickly filled it with clothes. I didn’t see the need to grab anything besides my phone, charger and toiletries. After double checking that I had everything I needed, I made my way to the alpha office. I was so glad my father had started the transition for me to take over as alpha. One of the first things he did was show me where we had hidden cash in random books and what was in and the combination to the safe. I grabbed all the cash and proceeded to empty the safe. The most important item is the charter for our pack. A document that represents the Bold Moon Pack that shows the pack was officially passed down to me. If I was to ever re-establish my pack, I would need this document for the council. Although I had bigger concerns right now. Figuring out why and who took out my entire pack was the priority. Secondly, finding out why I was still alive. Before I left, I grabbed a picture of me and my parents.

I headed to the garage hoping that our vehicles were still intact when I smelled the approaching rogues. I ran to the garage and threw my duffle into the passenger seat of my favorite car. My 2019 Mercedes-AMG GT63. I peeked around the corner and could see the rogues going from house to house and pulling bodies out of the homes and setting fire to them on their lawns. The leader of the rogues was standing in front of the pack house looking up at it. The rage that was building inside of me started to bubble to the surface. My wolf wanted control and I was about to gladly give it to him when I saw a manicured hand wrap itself around the rogue’s waist. I knew that hand. It still wore the engagement ring that I had given her less than 24 hours earlier.

Present Day

I physically shook my head to snap myself out of it. The memories had set off my wolf and he let out a howl in my head while he retreated once again. I glanced back at the dark haired beauty and a sense of calm washed over me. She was lost in her own world staring at the tv screen. I didn’t want to risk her catching me staring so I concentrated on my weights. Since I had spent a small amount of time connecting with my wolf, I felt stronger. I increased the weights and easily did my reps. I deadlifted with ease.

“We could go for a run after.” Darren surprised me saying.

“OK.” Was all I said back to him.

It had been a little over six months since the last time I was able to connect with my wolf and go for a run. But at that time, I had to practically beg and plead for him to come forward. It has been just over a year since he initiated it. I couldn’t help the smile it brought to my face. Even if this girl was not my mate, there was something special about her. Maybe I should try talking to her. I took a deep breath and when I looked up, she was gone. I audibly laughed at myself. Must be fate.

I looked around and didn’t see her on any of the machines. She must have left while I was sitting here daydreaming. I know I will see her again and get another chance. I gathered my things, wiped down the bench and headed out to my car. I plugged in my phone to charge and was trying to decide where I would be staying tonight. Most nights, I would just sleep in my car. I usually showered at the gym but I think that since I know I’m going to be here for a while, I should get myself a hotel room. Money wasn’t a problem so I think for tonight I would get a hotel and tomorrow I would start looking for a room or an apartment to rent. Once the decision was made, I went to pull out of my parking spot when movement in the dark caught my eye. I normally would have ignored it but it seems like they were avoiding the lights and creeping in the shadows. The person pulled out their phone and was typing something when the light of the screen caught his face. I let out another growl when I saw it was Mike.

Last updated 1/25/22