His Broken Luna

Chapter4

I stepped away from Amara, fear taking control of my body as I slowly backed away from this man and his pack. “Do not be afraid of him, he is our mate, we have finally found our mate! He will protect us!” Nova rejoiced in my head. I shook my head, tears I had tried so hard to hold back finally streaming down my face. Turning quickly, I darted to the woods, desperate to escape. Before I could make it a few feet from the group, a strong grip wrapped around my arm, yanking me into a solid wall, I felt a wave of heat in the place that he gripped. I whipped my head around, only to meet those piercing emerald eyes into mine, filled with confusion and anger. Instantly, my body shrank beneath his touch, fear curling in my chest.

“Mine,” he growled, scanning every inch of my face in disbelief. “You are mine,” he repeated, his voice low and husky, the words vibrating through the air, sending a shiver down my spine.

“No…” I whispered, not meeting his eyes, trying to take a step back. “Yes,” Nova stated firmly. “Nova, please, we can’t. I can’t.” More tears threaten to surface.

“No?” he narrowed his eyes at me. “You are mine.” He pulled me into his chest closer, nestling his head into the crook of my neck, inhaling my scent. A low growl rumbled from him, followed by a hum that vibrated through his chest. My knees began to weaken at the sound.

“Jaxon! Enough, can’t you see she's terrified.” I heard Amara shout in the distance.

“She is mine!” He growled.

“We understand, but look at her, son, she is shaking, give her a chance to catch her breath.” He stiffened.

I took slow, steady breaths and glanced up at him, and my heart broke at the sight. His eyes held nothing but worry. He took a step back, but he didn’t let me go; his grip softened a bit. He lifted my chin with his finger, gazing into my eyes, trying to read me, giving me a small but reassuring smile, exposing a hint of a dimple. I release the breath I didn’t realize I was holding. “I’m sorry, I scared you,” he whispered, using his thumb to wipe away tears sliding down my cheek.

I just stared at him, mouth slightly open. “What’s your name, little wolf?”

“S-Samaria,” I managed to get out.

“Hmmm…Samaria,” he purred. I felt a heat rise in my core, causing my cheeks to flush. The way my name rolled off his tongue did something to me, something I wasn’t familiar with. His scent filled my nostrils; he smelled of sandalwood with a hint of cinnamon. I closed my eyes to breathe him in. In some strange way, his scent is relaxing and calming me, unlike him. “He is ours, Samaria; he is our mate. No need to be afraid of him. No need to run from him, pup.” Nova cooed in my head.

He released me, then slowly slid his hand down my arm and put his hand in my own. I opened my eyes to see everyone staring at me with troubled expressions. Typically, when a mate is found, celebrations follow–but running away was unusual.

Jeremiah cleared his throat. “Congrats, Alpha, you have found your mate.”

“Alpha?!?” I yanked my hands from Jaxon’s as the color drained from my face. “You're the alpha.” I took a step away from him.

Hurt flashed in his eyes briefly before it was replaced with something I couldn't quite read. He studied my face. “Yes,” he said, straightening to his full height, “I am Jaxon Stone, Alpha of the Blackwood pack.” He stepped closer to me, as if the small distance I created was too much space between us. Looking down at me, towering over my small frame. I hadn’t realized earlier just how tall he was. I had to crane my neck to look up at him; he had at least a full foot on me, and he had to be at least six-foot-five.

“This is wrong, I can’t be your mate. I’m bro-” I snapped my mouth shut. I looked from him to back to Amara, who stared at me with concern etched in her face. “You don’t want me.” I lowered my head, looking at my worn shoes, fidgeting with the hem of my shirt.

“You are everything I can ask for. I have waited for you for eight long years,” he lifted my head again, making me meet his eyes. I saw no lies, no deceit in them. “You are perfect.”

My cheeks heated at his words, a smirk formed on his face, and there goes that dimple again. I’m in trouble. That dimple, that smile is going to cause trouble. I stared at him in awe and confusion. Why would he want someone like me, someone who’s broken? “You are not broken, don’t let your past run you from your future, pup, the Moon Goddess has not only blessed you with a mate, but an alpha. You are stronger than you know,” Nova spoke up. “You’ve been a lot more talkative, Nova.”

“Well, I have been secretly waiting for our mate. I know this is what we need to become stronger. Samaira, we need him just as much as he needs us. I know you are scared, but running from this will not help, and I don’t know if we can survive any longer jumping from pack to pack. We barely survived getting here.”

“Nova, I’m scared. What if he rejects us when he finds out? That will kill us.” She stayed quiet for a long moment.

“We won’t know if we keep running,” she finally said. “It's time to stay and fight for our happiness.” Happiness….what even is that? I can’t remember the last time I even felt it–if I ever truly had.

I was snapped out of my thoughts when I felt a gentle squeeze of my hand.

“Mira, sweetie, look at me.” The warmth in his eyes seeped deep into my core, steadying something deep inside me. “I don’t know what's got you so shaken up or why. But I promise you this: I will never hurt or betray you. The Moon Goddess would not have blessed me with you if it was not meant to be. Trust in her decision— and trust me.”

“Ummm…” I glanced at the crowd that was starting to form, then to the woods, then back at Jaxon. “Okay,” I said in a small voice. There is no running, but that doesn’t mean that I’m giving in; I’m just out of options at the moment. “Sure, little pup, you know you want to stay as much as he wants you here.” Nova snickered. I’m not sure I’m liking this new side of her. I mentally roll my eyes at her and put up my mental block.

“But can we take it slow? I need time, this…” I gesture behind him to his pack, “It's all new to me, and I will need time to adjust. I want you to be sure about this as well.”

His brows furrowed. “I am sure you are exactly what I want and will always want. Nothing will change that.” He said sternly, looking me in my eyes. He is going to have to stop doing that, that deep, intense look, it's making me waver every time.

“How about we let her get settled, James, take her stuff to Jaxon’s room.” Amara motioned for him to come as she approached us. “Everyone! We will be celebrating tonight! Spread the word, our alpha has found his mate!” She clapped, and everyone immediately started hustling, murmuring to themselves, stealing glances at their new Luna. New Luna? I must have lost my mind, claiming a title that is not mine. “You are the new Luna, he is an Alpha, and he is yours.” I ignored her as James made his way over to us.

“Umm…I would like to keep my bag with me. If that is okay?” I said, looking between Jaxon and James. Up close, I noticed they shared similar features, I wondered if they are related.

My curiosity got the best of me: “Are you all related?” I turned my attention to Amara. I still couldn’t bring myself to interact with Jaxon directly, avoiding his gaze altogether.

“Of course you can keep it, honey, and yes, these giant beasts of men are my sons,” said, smiling proudly at them, “Jax, of course, is the oldest. James and Jere are twins—both of them are his Betas. And my youngest, Jacob, is running around here somewhere. My mate, John, our former Alpha, is in town running errands. I’ll introduce you to him later.”

There was something about Amara that reminded me of my own mother. She had a nurturing, soothing presence about her—traits of a past Luna, the heart of the pack. They would expect that from me. How could I ever be such a thing when I couldn’t even remember what it felt like?

“I’ll show you inside.” I jumped when Jaxon's hand fell on the small of my back. I looked at him. “Sorry, I’m not used to being touched.” I chuckled, trying to ease the tension in his eyes.

“Well, my little wolf, get used to it because I don’t think I’ll be able to stop myself from touching you anytime soon.” Heat flashed in his eyes, and my cheeks flushed, and I lowered my head quickly, averting my gaze. We started back towards the house.

I heard a stifled laugh followed by a cough come from behind me. “Your face shows everything you're thinking, Luna; you wouldn’t survive during poker night.” I heard James say. Hearing him call me a Luna felt unreal. I ignored the comment and kept my pace towards the house.

“Now, don’t tease the girl, cause I can remember someone who used to cry at the drop of a hat if he lost a game.” Amara elbowed him in his side.

Hands up in the air in a surrender stance. “Chill ma, don’t be telling my business like that, especially to our new Luna. I don’t want her thinking I’m a chump.”

“You are a chump.” Jaxon cut in, his hands on my back as he opened the large doors to the manor.

“Don’t get pissy with me cause you damn near scared the s**t out of her; she almost ran out of her shoes.” He chuckled. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Jaxon send James a warning look, then he smacked his lips, focusing back on me.

Amara smacked his arm. “Hush now, what I tell y'all about all that cussing, go do something with yourself, find where your brother has run off to. Jere, can you go find your father in town, take the pick-up. And while you are there, see if Sean is having one of his late nights at the shop and get my dry cleaner.” She wagged her finger in his direction.

As they passed, Jaxon mushed James's head, pushing him towards the door, smiling after his younger brother. His smile was just as beautiful as his eyes, as I stared at them interacting. His attention focused back on me and swiftly looked away, hoping he didn’t catch me staring. I felt his presence on my back. “No harm in looking at what’s already yours,” He said in a low husky tone, as just lips brushed past my ear. I could feel the heat rise to my ears.

“I-I wasn’t staring.” I lied. “I just never saw a pack like yours before. It's….different.”