The Discarded Luna

The Rescue Of Diana and the Pack

The door opened and I didn’t even look. Why care.

“Shit.” The new voice peaked my interest but I still did not care enough. “What have they done to you?”

A warm hand brushed back my ragged hair and I finally looked at this new comer. Recognition hit me as I stared up at the Beta. He had tears in his eyes as he looked over me. “I should have found you sooner, forgive me.” Then he picked me up.

Lights flashed by me, a breeze brushed my skin, and then I was not moving anymore. I stared without really seeing, nothing connected anymore. What is life if you can’t even remember your name? Feel? Even remembering was a chore.

“Shit.” The Beta’s voice broke the silence. “What to do first?” I felt a weight on me but it was light. My memory said it was a blanket of some kind.

I felt a slight twinge as something started coming back. Banging and slight cursing was filling the area and I became curious. Rolling my head, I found myself on a couch in a rundown house. The Beta was running around the kitchen trying to find something. A small prickle in the back of my mind prompted me to do something. It was like my wolf was pushing me to move, to live. Warmth seeped back into my bones and I started to feel around me. My sense crashed into me as I smelled my own stink. My eyes watered as I started to process what had happened and currently happening.

Beta came back with a bowl of something. He saw my face and almost dropped the bowl.

“Luna?” He asked, kneeling next to me with the bowl. “Here, can you sit up and sip on this?”

I nodded slowly as I weakly sat up. My body protested and screamed at me. I cried but I wanted to push past this. I needed to push past it, if not for myself then for Laura who decided I should live.

Finally sitting up, I let the Beta spoon feed me some warm soup. I felt the warmth keep coming back into my body. With that sensation, I felt the destruction that my body has gone through. Tears kept coming as I was fed. After I ate, Beta asked to touch me. I nodded slowly and he picked me up gently, taking me to a bath. He laid me in a tub and started the hot water. Crying out from the pain, Beta grabbed my hand and let me cry, scream, and breakdown from the abuse I had suffered. I sat there, water swirling around me and growing black from the grime on me. The Beta sitting on the other side of the tub, holding my hand. The warmth from his hand into mine was comforting but also foriegn. My wounds, both physical and other, were so painful, but I knew that there was more hurt held deep down. Wounds my wolf, my rock, Laura, took from me. Screams and pain racked my body as my mind started to assess the damage I had taken. Waking up from the nothingness was reliving the trauma, but in real time. Finally, I stopped screaming and fell back against the tub.

The rest of the evening went by in a blur. Beta was kind and gentle as he treated my physical wounds, fed me again, and tucked me into a bed.

“I am sorry I did not find you sooner. I am sorry that this is a rundown place.” He said by my bedside holding my hand. I squeezed his hand and looked at him slowly.

“Thank you for finding me.” I said in a whisper but meant every word. A tear came from his eye and he nodded.

“Go to sleep, I will not let anyone harm you again.” He said and I smiled awkwardly, feeling like I was able to drift off.

I bolted upright. The room was different, I was not in the cell. Clean sheets were on me, light shown through a window, and the Beta was asleep in a chair next to me. He bolted upright as well, looking around ready for danger.

“What is wrong?” He growled out as he kept looking around.

“Where am I?” breathing heavily, I looked at him intensely.

“At an abandoned house at the edge of our property.” Beta said. Realizing that there was no danger he sat back down and rubbed his hand through his hair. “No one uses this place or even knows it really exists.”

I breathed deeply and looked at him. Something was different. Freezing, worry set in.

“What is wrong?” Beta asked and was leaning forward looking over me as he watched me go into a panic mode.

Throwing back the covers, I looked at my body. There was no pain, no bruises, not even cuts or scars from the abuse.

Beta looked at me too and gasped. “What?”

I shook my head. “I don’t know.”

Reaching deep into my mind, I called for my wolf. A faint reply greeted me and confirmed my thoughts.

Tears came to my eyes and I looked at Beta. “My wolf, she did this. She is trying to keep me alive.”

Beta shook his head. “That is impossible or I don’t know.” He got up and paced back and forth.

“What has happened?” I asked, finally getting over the shock.

“A lot. You have been locked up for two weeks.” He turned to me, shame on his face. “It was the soonest I could get you out.”

Blanching, I felt my stomach drop. “Only two weeks?” It had felt like months but Beta nodded his head.

“Yes, they would not tell me where you were. Instead, they convinced Dante that you were dead.”

“What?” I lurched up, anger and longing boiled up in me. The mate bond pulled slightly at me, but it was weak, almost broken.

“It was last week,” Beta watched me carefully. “He was given the news by Jason, who has become a confidant of Vanessas.” I spat at their names and growled low.

“They told him I died and he believes them.” Stating the words I walked out of the room. Anger bubbling over at the idea that my mate could not see beyond his own nose. My mate was the cause, why did he pick Vanessa? Why did he allow those things to happen? My wolf was dying, I was dying because of what they did to me.

Storming into the downstairs, Beta hot on my heels, I couldn’t control my rage. The couch went flying as well as the side table. Things were broken left and right. I lost control and by the end I was crying on the floor.

Beta finally approached me and knelt next to me.

Wiping my tears I looked at him. “Thank you again for saving me, but I can’t stay.” During the rampage, I made up my mind. The pack that I loved was no longer, the man that was to be my mate did not even know I was alive or cared, and Vanessa with her goon had broken me.

Beta nodded sadly. “I understand, but I must be selfish.” He gripped my hand and looked with the most saddest but determined look I have ever seen.

“Please, save Dante before you go.”

My heart stopped beating, my breath did not come, and I felt the world collapse.

“What?” I gasped out and stood, backing away from him. “I will not save that man. Clearly he does not need saving with you, Vanessa, and the others around.”

“He does,” Beta interrupted. “I am not enough. Ever since Vanessa came he has been different. Our pack is starting to suffer from it. We are losing money, business, and soon we will lose the ability to feed or house our pack members.”

I remembered the finances that I dealt with, the projects we weren’t completing and the projection of losing a lot of income. My heart panged for my pack.

“I cannot save them.” I whispered, defeat in my voice. “I am broken, more than anyone could ever know. Beta,” I walked up to him. “You are the person that he trusts. Give him another chance to be saved by you, but I can’t.”

Beta’s face fell. “You are his true mate, right?” He pleaded. “Why won’t you help him?”

“Because he let me be broken.” I yelled. “He came to me and looked at my broken body and mind. He only cared about her. I will not sacrifice anymore for him. He wants her, so let him have her. I will go on my own and die peacefully.”

Beta touched my hand but I pulled back, growling low. “If not for Dante, please do it for our pack.”

Faces of my parents, friends, and neighbors came to mind. Then the scorn and fear in their eyes after my parent’s death and Vanessa’s bullying. They abandoned me as well. Could I abandon them?

Sighing, I knew the answer. “I do not do this for him. I do it for our people who have been in fear of their Luna for too long. To save the pack, I know I must save him. Fine, I will but that does not mean I will be with him.” I glared at the Beta. “I only do this so he can run the pack the way he used to, and to save them.”

Beta nodded his head, acknowledging what I said.

My stomach growled and looking at the kitchen, I saw the shambles it was in. Sighing, I looked at Beta. I need to know his name, can’t keep calling him beta, I thought to myself.

“First, what is your name? I never learned it.” I asked as he got up.

“I am Alexander Burduo.” Alexander said. “You can call me Alex.”

Nodding, I asked the next important question. “What do we have to eat Alex?”

Alex grimaced at that. “Not much, I can go to my house and get food then come back. Actually,” he looked at his watch, “I need to check in with Dante. Can you wait about two hours?”

I nodded and headed towards the kitchen. “You aren’t going to tell him anything yet.” I told him over my shoulder as I poked around for any food to snack on.

“Yes Luna.”

“Don’t call me Luna.” I growled low. “I will not be one to this pack. I am only saving it because my parents would want that.”

“Yes, ma’am.” I sighed at Alex’s response and looked at him. He was by the door, ready to go.

“I am ok, please do what you need to do.” I said. Alex nodded and raised two fingers. “Two hours and I will be back. Please stay here and rest.”

I smiled at him and nodded. Alex left and I was alone. The silence was peaceful. Managing to find an apple, I sat on the couch. Munching on the sweet thing, tears formed in my eyes.

“Don’t cry again.” I willed myself but I could not help the silent tears. I knew that when this was all done, I would die. My wolf could not be healed and so I could not survive.