Suddenly His Luna

Vested By The Moon Goddess

Vivien

My head is reeling. There’s too many things to process at once. My wolf’s sudden presence kick-starts a tornado of emotions within me.

I’m grateful, God am I grateful.

After everything that happened, everything we’d been through, I never thought she would ever resurface. But now I feel her, thumping like a steady heartbeat inside me.

It’s so familiar and so foreign at the same time.

And then my eyes drop, to the ground. To the unmoving wolf, dying at my feet.

To my mate.

No part of me wants to believe all this is real. I came here for my potions goddammit!

Yet he’s there, here, right next to me. Minutes away from death. Unconsciously, I take a small step back, one foot already retreating from this mess before my brain has fully processed it.

Then heat sears my back, through my clothing, like the door of a large oven was kicked open behind me.

I turn sharply, choking back a startled gasp.

I’m dreaming.

The figure, translucent, wispy and intricate, materializes from thin air. Long, delicate strands of light golden hair tumble down the woman's frame, swaying by her hips. The white material of her dress pools around her, flows over her form like she’s submerged in a body of water.

I can see her, but I also can’t.

She’s like a hologram, visible, but almost transparent. She hovers in the air before me, but my eyes see through her form.

“Dear child.”

This time, I can’t bite back the shocked gasp that tumbles from my mouth. Although the woman's form is immaterial, her voice resounds through me, strong, firm, and feminine. It’s so clear and concise, a striking difference from how she looks.

She’s like a ghost. Eerie and intense. But for some reason, I’m not frightened. I don’t feel the urge to run and not look back. A sense of calm fills me, quieting my raging wolf, calming my mind.

Her presence wraps around me like silk.

“You thought to run away?” She asks, tilting her head in a delicate motion, like she’s disappointed, “To leave him here to die?”

My mouth opens and closes. No words forming.

I’m so… transfixed. She’s beautiful.

No, that’s not it. She’s absolutely divine.

I’ve never seen a woman, err, spirit person, like her. Thin, sharp eyebrows slant over large, pale blue eyes. It feels like staring into two icicles. Her nose is straight, small, sharp. Her milky white skin is a stark contrast to her deep red mouth. Full rosy lips pursed together, patiently, like she’s waiting for something. And then I remember she asked me a question.

“I… I- I don’t know him,” It’s difficult to get the words out.

She shakes her head, the slight motion flows through her whole form, the mesh, satin looking material covering her body moving along with her.

“But that is not true.”

“It is.” I tell the woman, my voice growing more confident, “He was running, and then someone shot him. It wasn’t me, I’ve never seen this wolf before-”

“I am aware.”

“-I had nothing to do with…Wait, you know all this?”

“Yes child, but you are yet to respond to my question.”

My brows furrow. “I don’t know him.” My voice comes out sharper than I intend, but she pays it no mind.

Her form moves closer, the edges of herself blurring away. And then I notice, I can’t see her hands or feet. The sleeves of her satin robe drape past the tips of her clasped hands, but her feet? They’re just not there, blurred into the air.

“Who are you?” I whisper.

Her laugh is smooth and rich. Echoing around me like it came from within the confines of my skull.

“You’re not real, are you?” Suddenly, I think I’ve been spending too much time inhaling all the weird herbs I use to make my potions.

“But I am of course.”

“You’re a ghost,” I refute.

“I am a goddess.”

A goddess?

And then it hits me. My body’s reaction, my wolf’s reaction to her. My mouth hangs open, “You’re the moon goddess?”

Her smile is sultry and approving, “Correct.”

I shake my head, baffled, “How.. how is this possible? How are you here right now?”

Her expression grow serious. “I’m here to save you from making a grave mistake.”

“What do you-” My eyes dart to the black wolf, then back to her. She meets my gaze patiently, calmly.

I swallow, “He’s my mate.”

“Correct, again.”

“But.. but how is any of this possible? My wolf…” I trail off, not sure how to finish the sentence. Her eyes soften, deepening with sorrow. I press my lips together. It’s not pity I see in her gaze, or curiosity. But a deep, deep compassion. And somehow, I know I don’t need to explain further.

Somehow, she knows.

A lump forms in the back of my throat.

“I’m well aware of her absence within you. I’m well aware of why.” And then her eyes hold me hostage, “But have you cared to ask yourself why she has returned? Why now of all times, she calls to you?”

I shake my head, confused, suddenly scared. I don’t know what any of this means. I don’t understand how after all this time, my wolf has suddenly come back to me, claiming a dying wolf to be ours.

After what happened, after everything with…

No. I shut off that part of my brain, refusing to remember. Refusing to acknowledge the pain and hurt.

“You must not let him die.” Her voice interrupts my thoughts. “You must save him.”

I look back at him laying on the ground, barely breathing at this point.

Part of me is embarrassed to admit it out loud, but I don’t want this. I don’t want a mate. I don’t want a man in my life. Another man in my life.

“I understand,” she says, “I understand why you would hesitate. Why you would distance yourself from this fate. But it is fate nonetheless, and it is in your hands.”

I lift my chin. I want to speak, but I have no words. Everything is happening too fast, it’s all too much to handle.

“Dear child, you must make the right choice.”

Before I can think of a response, she starts to fade away. My arm itches to reach out, to ask her to stay. I’d never felt so calm, so right, in the presence of anything else. And her departure creates the smallest fissure in my heart.

She’s gone just as easily as she came, emerging into nothingness. I stare blankly into the air, wondering how the events of today spiraled completely off its axis.

I drag my eyes back to the dying wolf. My dying mate.

Inhaling a long, deep breath, I move closer to him, crouching down on my knees to survey the damage.

The arrow seems to be lodged deep, but it didn’t pierce his heart, maybe his lung, given the amount of blood. He’s still alive, still breathing, but barely. I trace my fingers delicately over the point of injury. The arrow looks easy enough to pull out, but it’s made of silver, so I can’t touch it with my bare hands. And if I pull it out, he would loose blood that much quicker. The blood seeping into his fur has a slightly darker pigment than normal, which means the weapon used was poisoned.

He should be dead.

The attacker mustn’t have considered the fact that he’s no regular wolf breed. He’s an Alpha male, taking one down involved a higher level of difficulty and precision.

He’s lucky, his attacker was an amateur.

I think. Think hard.

There’s no way I can take him back to my workshop with me, he’s too large and it’d be a futile effort trying to move all that weight on my own. A waste of time.

I consider going back for the proper materials to handle this without a hitch, but toss it aside almost immediately. That’s also a bad idea. He could be dead by the time I return.

Reaching into my satchel for a loincloth, I drop down to my knees, wrapping the material around the metal base, and then pressing down on his side with my other hand to hold him steady, I pull.

He jerks, exhales roughly through his nose, but doesn’t show any other sign of life. Once the arrow’s out, I toss it away, pressing down on the open wound with the loincloth. The white material colors a dark shade of red in seconds.

Okay, I don’t have much time. Digging around my bag, I pull out the ingredients I need to make a quick tincture to clot the wound.

I don’t have the right tools, so I make a pistol and mortar out of my hands, crushing the herbs in my palm before exposing the wound again. I lather his fur with a generous amount, pressing down on the injury. His hind legs pull up, pressing closer into his underbelly.

He’s in pain, and for some reason, I feel an urgency to get him out of this state as quick as I can. Once the wound is covered, I press an open palm to either side of the injury, closing my eyes.

The energy surges within me, spreading from my chest, through my entire body, flowing out from my palm and into his body.

I clear my mind, concentrating on healing him with my powers. It only takes a few minutes, I brush away the herbs caked on his skin, noticing the sealed hole.

I sigh out a relieved breath, slumping back on my haunches.

He’s breathing more evenly now, the length of his body looses its tension. I study him, more intently than I did before.

I’ve actually never seen such a beautiful wolf. My hand reaches out, stroking the spot behind his ear gently. It twitches, once, twice, and then his eyes flutter.

I jerk back instantly, getting to my feet. His tail flaps on the ground, a deep breath expands his lungs. Golden eyes peek through his slightly parted lids, and my flight or fight instincts take over.

I bolt.

Picking up my satchel and running from his line of sight.

Behind me, I hear the sounds of bone cracking, and I know he’s now coherent enough to shift back to his skin.

But I don’t wait to look, I’m already far away, hoping he doesn’t get shot again.