Luna’s Second Chance

Chapter 00001

Chapter One: The Sour Taste of Rejection

“In my head, I want us to be together, Phil. I love the man that you are. I do. The leader that you have turned out to be. How you put yourself out there for other members of the pack...”

“Then be my mate, Lucy. I glow brighter with you by my side. I bloom better with you in my corner,” Phil said, his eyes caving in, hoping to look through her soul and find the very spot that held his acceptance.

All she had to do was accept to be his mate, and every other thing would fall into place. But Lucy wasn’t that type of wolf. She loved freedom and the wild. As long as there was a large world out there to explore, she felt obligated to explore it. To smell the Summers of Nebraska and dance in the snowy mountains of Poland. To make a home out of an Igloo, be chased down the hill by Grizzly bears, and let out her howl high up in the Mountains of Africa.

“I can’t, Phil. There’s just too much on the line for me. I’ll be crushed by the weight of the responsibility.” Lucy paused for a bit, letting her fingers run through his face gently. “Phil, you know me, and you know that we can only ever be this…”

“Only ever be this…”

The words echoed and fizzled away silently, like the simple waves formed on little rivers when hands touched them, reverberating through his entire wolf form as he shifted back to his human self.

It had been two years since Phil took a glassful of rejection but he still had the bitter aftertaste of that night. Every night since that night, the words seemed to re-echo as he shifted. The last time he heard of Lucy was a year ago when news reached him that she was caught in the middle of a Pack war far out in the East. She must have been doing some adventurous espionage and landed herself in trouble. “She can handle herself. She’s strong enough to keep her head,” he said, a lazy reply to the overzealous pack member who had come bearing the news hoping to make some kind of good impression.

But Lucy’s words weren’t the only words that ached his physique every time he shifted. There were also the words of the Grand Pack Committee, an ultimatum to find a Luna for himself or risk forfeiting the title of Alpha to someone more capable.

“But, Ray, he is only a growing child,” his mum had spoken in his defense at the meeting. Like every mother, she had a soft spot for her son; And as a statutory member of the GPC, she was keen on arbitrating for her son until he was ready to find love again.

“Oh, woman. This growing child would have to become a man soon or this pack would be left with no choice but to find a better man,” Ray countered her.

In the GPC, family ties came second to the greater good of the Pack.

Ray Hammerstock, Phil’s Dad, Previous Alpha, and leader of the Grand Pack committee, was the definition of discipline and responsibility. The lore had it that a few years before becoming Alpha, Ray had to battle a strong sect of dark wolves and got four hundred claw marks as the receipt for his bravery. These claw marks made his wolf even fiercer every time he shifted, and while he reigned as Alpha, no one dared cross the Black Diamond Pack.

“What qualifies him more than all the feats of victory and expansion he has brought to this pack since he became Alpha?” Phil’s mum fired back.

“What qualifies him more is a Luna,” Alexander interjected. Alexander was the oldest member of the GPC and had seen three generations of Alphas. He was, by experience, the wisest wolf in the pack.

“Alpha Phil needs a Luna. He needs an heir as soon as possible. He needs to understand what fatherhood means, raise another wolf to maturity, and teach him to hunt,” Alexander said.

“And he cannot do this without a Luna,” He said, ending his short wisdom-filled interjection with an air of authority.

Phil was now left with no choice.

****************

“I do” Her lips parted beautifully, revealing a dentition almost too perfect.

For a wolf who did not have the privilege of getting the kind of care needed for a perfect shifter, her dentition was flawless. Well, fate must have worked a number on this one, preserving every feature that kept her as feminine as should be. Her height made her stand out, giving off an elegance that seemed effortlessly British. Her glistening long dark hair gave her an artistic look, making the other features of her face seem like peripherals. Her nose, with its simple, refined point, added a touch of royal elegance to her features, giving her an intriguing, almost enigmatic air.

Who knew a bride could be this captivating to look upon?

But it was her eyes, large, expressive, with a greenish glow, that truly captivated Phil. They sparkled with quiet wit and warmth, drawing you in as if she held an endless amount of stories behind that beautiful gaze. And yes, those eyes held an endless number of stories. Stories about survival and wolfing out. About tears and the hot sears of hate speeches. For a moment, Phil was lost in those eyes. He had made the right choice after all, and even though this was all something to keep the GPC off his tail, it wouldn’t hurt to relish the moment.

A wild thought glazed through his mind, drawing him back to reality and away from the eyes of the woman who was beginning to become his world. He was lucky to hear Alexander say “Till your eyes are grey and your wolf can no longer prey,” the last part of the black diamond conjugal vow.

“I do”