Luna’s Soul

Indifferent and Uncaring

As Lily laid curled into a fetal position on the king sized bed, she thought about her life.

She wasn’t sure what was making her dredge up old things. But suddenly, after her conversation with the strange man who kidn*pped her, everything she’d ever done was flirting back into her thoughts.

What have I ever done to deserve this?

Lily had always tried to be kind. She’d helped the elderly, always took her grocery cart to the cart return, she’d given money back when a cashier gave her too much change.

She’d loved and taken care of her foster siblings when asked, and a lot of times, she did it when she wasn’t asked, too. She should have expected this. She should have expected that something would happen that would pull her away from the little life she’d built and was so proud of— even though it had just gotten going.

A small sob broke out of Lily’s throat, and she pulled the blankets up tighter over her chin. I’m laying in the bed of a man who isn’t human, and thinks I’m his soul mate.

Lily couldn’t decide if she was in shock, or if she was just so used to horrible things happening to her that she wasn’t feeling any emotion for her current situation.

His eyes. The yellow, animalistic eyes. There was no denying what she saw, as much as her stomach turned and churned. Hoping he was crazy didn’t disprove what she saw with her own two eyes.

And as much as she wanted to say he was a liar, she couldn’t. His touch did calm her, and no one’s ever had, not even her foster parents. Lily rarely liked to be touched. She hated it. She wanted to feel as if her skin was in battery acid when he touched her; but she couldn’t. All she felt was an instant breath of ease.

It was then that Lily heard footsteps coming up the stairs, and she sat up abruptly, wrapping the sheet around her shoulders as she strained desperately to hear.

Tip, tap. Tip, tap.

Whoever was coming upstairs, it wasn’t Gabriel— this person had to be small and light.

Lily was cringing when the bedroom door gently freaked open.

A small face peaked through the doorway.

The woman looking at Lily was very pretty. And she looked very warm. From her beautiful brown hair and olive skin to her almond shaped honey brown eyes, she just reminded Lily of the earth. Beautiful and natural.

Lily looked at her in confusion as the woman’s mouth fell wide open while she examined Lily’s face.

“Oh, Goddess— your eyes,” she mused. “You’ve been blessed by the moon.”

Lily’s mouth fell open. “By the what? Who are you?”

The woman’s mouth snapped shut, and she closed her eyes briefly while shaking her head. “Oh, I’m so sorry. I’m being rude. My name is Fawn.” When her eyes reopened, she had a gentle smile plastered on her face.

Fawn, Lily thought. How fitting. She kind of looks like a doe.

“You must be terribly frightened, but I assure you I’m just here to make sure you have everything you need. Gabriel asked me to look after you while he tends to pack business.”

Lily frowned, anger bubbling up in her stomach. “What I need is to go home. And for all of this to be a bad dream.”

Fawn pursed her lips, coming inside the room now and shutting the door quietly behind her. She came and sat on the foot of the bed, all of her movements very slow and deliberate, as if she didn’t want to spook Lily.

“I know this must be very confusing for you,” she murmured. “I told him this was not the right way to go about things. But he can be very.. determined.. when he believes he’s right about something.”

Lily’s nostrils flared. “Confusing? That’s the understatement of the century.”

Fawn looked down at her small hands. “If there’s anything I can answer to help you understand things, please don’t hesitate to ask me.”

Lily stilled briefly. She had a million questions she wanted to ask— and she wasn’t quite sure where to begin.

“Well, who are you? Are you a werewolf too?”

Fawn smiled. “Gabriel has been a friend of mine for a very long time. I also train young she-wolves in the pack in combat, and teach a few classes for them as well. Yes, I am also a shifter,” she looked up to meet Lily’s eyes. “You’re the only human on pack land. Everyone you will meet around here is one of our kind.”

Lily stared at her intently. “And where is ‘here’ exactly? How are you all just living here without anyone knowing?”

Fawn snorted, her eyes rolling slightly. “He didn’t tell you anything, did he?”

Lily scowled. “Not much. Just.. he showed me his eyes, and told me what he was. And he told me that we’re mates, and sort of explained what that means. But I think he has me confused with someone else.”

Fawn looked amused, as if she understood something Lily didn’t. “I can promise you, we don’t mistake our mates,” she explained. “It’s hard wired in our bodies to be able to identify them. Meeting them is like getting smacked by a brick wall. He can smell you out, and every bone in our body screams to let us know when we’ve found our mate.”

“And that’s just.. that? You have no choice in who you get to be with?” Lily’s mouth was hanging half open in shock.

Fawn looked hurt, and she couldn’t understand why. “Fated mates are a gift from the Moon Goddess. Two halves of one soul. It’s not a burden to bear. It’s something to be celebrated. It’s a great honor for the Goddess to gift you with something so life changing. About half of our population never finds their true mate.”

Lily wanted to gag. “How can I be his mate? I’m not even a wolf. I’m just a human.”

Fawn reached over to tap Lily on the top of her foot. Lily wanted to flinch away, but something about the woman was just warm, and she found herself thankful for the comfort.

“Having a human mate is extremely rare, but it’s possible. The Goddess just decided that you were something he needed. Gabriel is an Alpha. Do you know what that means?”

“I’m assuming that he’s in charge and all that,” Lily shrugged. “Like dogs have a pack mentality.”

Fawn threw her head back and laughed. “We are far from dogs, Lily. Alpha means something quite different to us. He’s our leader, our guidance. If he gives an order, our bodies will not physically allow us to ignore it. He’s larger and stronger than the other wolves in the pack by a great margin, and he’s straddled with the burden of leading us and keeping us safe from harm. Our pack is larger and stronger than any pack in the United States, which means that Gabriel is a very powerful man.”

“As for you,” she continued. “Being mated to an alpha is far different. The female mate to an Alpha wolf is given a prestigious title— Luna. Pack Luna’s are cherished and protected at all costs— they serve as a friend, a mentor, a maternal figure, and they give the pack wisdom, kindness, and love. Where Gabriel fights as a warrior to protect and serve, Luna’s serve in other ways— they nurture and love.”

Lily’s head swam as she tried to soak in all of the information that Fawn was giving her. She didn’t want this. She didn’t want to be a Luna, she didn’t want a mate— she’d fought for herself her entire life, scraping her way up from the bottom in foster care. She didn’t want her life to be completely tied to anyone else— now or ever.

“I know this is a lot for you,” Fawn soothed. “And I know it seems like it’s horrible now. But Gabe has his reasons for what he’s done, even if you can’t see them yet. You wouldn’t have been hard to identify once he smelled you. Any wolf from any rival pack could have tried to harm you to hurt Gabriel and take him down to gain his territory. Gabriel would not have been able to stay away from you, even if he hadn’t brought you here. His wolf wouldn’t allow him to be away from his mate for long. And once his scent is on you, it’s open season from other Alphas.. and he couldn’t risk anyone hurting you. You’re safe here, within the pack borders.”

Lily’s head fell into her hands. She didn’t know why, but she believed this woman. And knowing that even if she went home, she could be killed— it changed things.

“What if I don’t want this? What if I don’t want to be a Luna, or be mated to him, or have any part of this?” Lily’s voice broke.

“He would never force you,” Fawn assured her. “He’s not that kind of man. But he won’t allow you to be killed or harmed. You may not feel the mate bond with the fire and intensity he does, but it’s there. I promise it is.”

Lily was quiet for several minutes after that, thoughts tumbling around in her head. Fawn was quiet and let her have her moment to gather herself, even politely looking away when Lily’s eyes started to swell full of tears. She filtered through about a dozen emotions before she settled upon one— defeat.

When Fawn finally spoke again, her voice was as quiet and gentle as ever.

“How about we get you cleaned up and changed, and get you something to eat? You’ve got to be hungry.”

Lily looked down at herself, at her tattered tank top and sweatpants. A shower would be amazing and her stomach was definitely rumbling. “I don’t have any other clothes with me.”

Fawn giggled. “Don’t worry. Gabriel had one of the she-wolves stock a closet for you. I can help you find everything you need.”

Lily let Fawn take her hand and lead her to the bathroom, thankful for the tiny woman and her calm voice.