Luna Awakening

Chapter Two

Sometime later, Aubrey slowly returned to consciousness. She first became aware of laying on a firm yet soft bedlike structure. She slowly began to open her eyes. Things appeared blurry at first, but as she blinked, her surroundings became clearer. She realized that she was laying on a pallet made of animal skins. In front of her, wooden logs were burning in a stone fireplace. She lifted her head slightly taking in her surroundings. She was in what appeared to be a one room cabin. What was she doing here? How did she get here? Suddenly, memories of her car accident flooded her mind, and she began to silently freak out, her heart pounding and panic setting in.

“You’re safe here. Try not to panic,” a deep male voice said causing Aubrey to gasp quickly turning her head in the direction of the voice. In the corner of the cabin, a large dark figure sat in the shadows.

“Who are you? Where are we?” Aubrey asked with a trembling voice.

The figure sat quietly, and Aubrey began to think that he wasn’t going to answer.

“My name is Broderick. You are in my home, and you are safe” he finally answered.

“How did I get here? How long have a I been here?”

“I carried you here from your car, and you have been here for a few hours now,” he answered with no further elaboration.

“I was on my way to meet my friends. They must be worried about me and wondering where I am. I should get going.” Aubrey stated as she started to lift herself up. She swung her legs over and tried to stand but quickly became overwhelmed with dizziness. She started to fall forward and in what seemed like supernatural speed, Broderick was by her side catching her in his arms before she crashed to the floor.

“Woah, holy smokes… Maybe I’m not going anywhere at the moment,” Aubrey murmured.

The first thing she noticed as she reacclimated was the feeling of Broderick’s intense stare. She was still cradled in his strong warm arms, and she felt a sense of power radiating from his eyes. She slowly turned her head and raised her chin to meet his gaze, and what she saw caused her to inhale sharply. He was the most terrifyingly handsome man she had ever seen, and she either was losing it or his eyes were glowing. No, it had to be the reflection of the fire. He had dark hair cut short to his scalp and a short dark colored beard that framed his chiseled chin. On either side of his broad nose, his hooded eyes appeared to have a golden-brown glow. The moment her eyes met his, she felt her entire body come alive; like a jolt of electricity coursing through her body trying to find a way out. She couldn’t bring herself to look away and risk breaking the connection. It was as if the world stood still around them. Aubrey slowly pulled her gaze down to his full lips and back up to his eyes. Just as fast as he had moved to catch her, he quickly placed her down on the pallet of animal pelts and returned to the corner of the room. Aubrey let out her breath she hadn’t even realized she was holding.

“Th- Th- Uh- Thank you for catching me.”  

“It was nothing,” he said.

After another long bout of silence, he spoke again.

“I can understand your need to alert your friends of your whereabouts and your status, but we’re well into the middle of the night. It’s not particularly safe to be walking around the woods in your condition. You don’t have any broken bones, but I am fairly certain you have a concussion. I think it is best if you rest here, and I can get you to the closest town in the morning.”

“I appreciate you’re help and your concern, but I won’t be able to rest well until I send them or someone a text to let them know I am okay. Did you by chance grab my purse from my car?”

“You’re worry is noted and no, I did not bring any of your belongings with us. Now that you are awake and appear to be stable, I feel comfortable leaving you while I return to your vehicle for your personal items.”

“Thank you so much. I would really appreciate that.”

“It’s no problem. I will lock up the cabin while I’m gone. It should take me no more than thirty minutes. Do you need anything before I go?”

“No, thank you. I’m okay for now.”

With that, Broderick got up and left the cabin locking the door behind him. Aubrey laid her head back down and gazed into the fire. This was certainly not how she pictured her weekend starting, but she was grateful to be alive and grateful for Broderick’s help. As she laid and waited for his return, she couldn’t help but wonder at her current predicament. Maybe it was the adrenaline from the accident combined with the concussion, but she felt as though she should be feeling more unsafe than she did. Here she was at the mercy of a complete stranger in the middle of the night in the middle of nowhere. All signs pointed to be afraid and on high alert. Although, having gone through the last year of her life and the chaos that had gone along with it, this felt like a break. She continued to watch the fire and check in with her five senses to help keep her grounded. She could hear the crackling of the fire eating away at the wood, and she could see the orange glow of the fire dancing around the cabin. She avoided checking in with the taste in her mouth and instead thought about what her first smore was going to taste like when she finally made it to the campsite. She focused in on her sense of smell next and noted the woodsy smokey smell of the fire, and she noticed there was the hint of another smell mixed in. She couldn’t quite place the smell. Perhaps it was the scent of the soap that Broderick used or cologne that he wore. Whatever it was, she found herself trying to search out more of it. Lastly, she checked in with her sense of touch. She could feel the softness of the fur against her skin, and realized that she could smell more of that delightful scent in the pillow and blanket. She inhaled deeply taking in as much of the scent as she possible could. It was as if she couldn’t get enough, and she felt all of the anxiety and tension dissipating from her mind and body. As she continued to sink into the pallet and breath in the heavenly scent, she slowly drifted off to sleep.

Broderick returned to the cabin with the woman's belongings but couldn’t bring himself to enter the cabin. Something about the woman laying in his bed made him feel uneasy, and he couldn’t quite place it. When he saw her car careening down the roadside, he felt an immense sense of panic. He ran as fast as he could to the crash site, and when he opened her door and her scent hit him, time stood still. His breath caught in his lungs, and his eyes immediately began evaluating the scene around him. The sight and smell of her blood caused him to panic. He hadn’t dared use his powers in years, but they spilled to the surface outside of his control. He had to make sure she was okay. He quickly used his advanced senses to evaluate her physical condition. He sensed no broken bones and no internal bleeding. She had some bruising developing on her face from the impact of the air bag. As if he was acting on autopilot, he immediately placed his hands on her head and face and began to heal the bruising. He sensed she had a concussion and made sure to spend some time tending to the areas of her brain that were affected. Once he felt that he had healed all of the damaged brain cells, he scooped her up into his arms and carried her back to his cabin. He laid her down on the pallets and quickly made a fire in the fireplace. Once the wood had taken and the fire could sustain itself, he settled into a chair in the corner of the room and studied her. In the firelight, he could make out that she had long wavy blonde hair. Her long eye lashes cast shadows onto her rosy cheeks. He could see and smell that she had been crying, possibly even before the accident occurred. “Did her state of upset cause her accident?” he wondered. Her skin was a bit paler than his olive-colored skin, and as he had carried her to the cabin, he could have sworn it had an iridescence to it when the moonlight snuck between the trees illuminated it. Her nose was small and slightly pointed at the tip, and she had small yet pronounced lips. As he focused on her lips, he wondered what it would be like to kiss them. She had felt so fragile and light in his arms, but he had sensed a power within her that had yet to come to the surface. Who was this woman?

His wonder didn’t stop there. After she had awoken and he heard her speak for the first time, it was like he was hearing the moon goddess herself. Was she an enchantress sent here to finish off the job his horrible father had started? He didn’t trust her that was for sure. Things only became more frightening when he caught her in his arms. The feel of her breasts pressed into his chest was staggering, and her scent. Oh, her scent was going to be his undoing. She smelled like a beautiful blend of roses and jasmine combined with a hint of tangerines. If her scent didn’t ruin him, her breathtakingly blue eyes would. As she peered back at him wonderingly, it felt like he could drown in those raging blue eyes, and he would die a happy man. What power did she hold over him? He wanted to kiss her so desperately. He craved her lips upon his like it was the one anecdote that would save his life. He saw her gaze travel to his lips and back up to his eyes, and his powers once again started boiling to the surface.

“Mine,” a single word spoken by a deep snarling voice within him. No, this can’t be. He hadn’t heard that voice in years. All of the work he had done over the last several years to compress his powers and inner wolf was melting away like ice on sunny day. He quickly separated himself from her, and when she spoke of her need for her personal items, he was relieved to have a reason to put some distance between them.