LUNAR ETERNITY

CHAPTER 3

Luna awoke with a start, her head throbbing and her vision blurry. As she tried to sit up, she realized that she was tied to a chair in a small, dimly lit room. She looked around, trying to make sense of her surroundings.

The room was sparsely furnished, with bare walls and a single window that was covered by heavy curtains. She could hear the sound of voices outside, but she couldn't make out what they were saying.

She struggled against the ropes, but they were too tight. She felt a surge of panic, wondering how she had ended up here and who had brought her.

And then she heard a voice that made her blood run cold. "Good, you're awake."

She turned to see Ethan standing in the doorway, his expression unreadable. She felt a surge of anger, wondering how he could have betrayed her like this. She had saved his goddamn life!

"What the hell is going on?" she demanded, her voice shaking with rage. "Why am I tied up? What do you want from me?"

Ethan walked over to her, his eyes burning with intensity. "You already know, Luna. You know why you're here."

Luna felt a surge of confusion. She had no idea what he was talking about. "I don't know what you're talking about. Just let me go, for goodness sake."

He shook his head, his expression grim. "I can't do that, Luna. Not until you understand why you're here."

"Then, f*****g explain it to me!"

Luna struggled against the ropes, feeling a sense of desperation creeping in. "I saved your f*****g life! Is this how you treat those who save your ass?!" She had never been so angry before in all her life. Hell, she had never been one for anger.

She didn't know what was going on, but she knew that she had to get out of there and fast.

Ethan was about to snap back at her when he paused. She followed the direction his gaze stuck to and noticed them. The villagers. They were standing outside the window, their eyes fixed on her with a mixture of curiosity and suspicion. They looked different from any people Luna had ever seen. Their skin was flawless, their hair shining like gold in the sunlight. But there was something unwelcoming about them, something that made Luna feel uneasy. Even more so than she already was.

"What is this place?" she asked, her voice shaking. "Where am I?"

Ethan looked at her with a mixture of pity and regret. "This is our village, Luna. The village of the moon wolves."

"Moon wolves? What was he talking about?" She asked, overcome with confusion. " You know what, I don't care. It was this stupid curiousity that got me here in the first place and I really don't care to know anymore." She exhaled a shaky breath as she stared Ethan dead in the eyes. " No one would ever here ofvthis place, ever. I promise." She was gonna swear on her mother's grave but she just couldn't. But it was true what she said though. She was practically an outcast and she was overly introverted. No one would even want to listen to her as much as she wouldn't even want to talk to anyone.

Well, it seemed like apart from Ethan being a kidnapper and probably a magician, he was also good at playing deaf because he stared at her like she hadn't just said a thing and carried on with a tale she tried but failed to comprehend.

The story was something of how his clan was in trouble, how they were being hunted by a rival clan that wanted to exploit their powers for their own gain. How he had been tracking her for months, watching her from afar to see if she was the one they had been waiting for.

Luna listened with growing disbelief. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. It sounded like something out of a fantasy novel.

"Done with your tale yet," she said, her voice shaking with laughter. "This is a joke, right? There are nothing like werewolves." She stated matter-of-factly.

Ethan's expression darkened. "I am dead serious, Luna. And so are the rest of my clan. We need your help. You are the chosen one, the one who can harness the power of the moon goddess. You are the only one who can save us."

Luna felt a surge of anger. "Save you from what? This is insane. You are insane!! I help you and this is how you fuckin repay my kindness??" Her breath was short and rampant " and even if any of this were real_ which it clearly isn't, I'd be mad to believe a word out of my kidnapper!"

And then he transformed. In a blur of motion, he shifted into his wolf form, his black fur gleaming in the dim light.

Luna's eyes widened in shock. Her mouth hung open and her breath seized. Her limps began to shake in utter fear as she stared at the wolf before her. She had never seen anything like it. The power, the majesty of his transformation was breathtaking. For a moment, she feared she had pissed herself.

Ethan looked at her with his wolf eyes, his expression intense. "Believe me now, Luna?" She heard it in her head. It was like her thought but it was his voice and it was extremely clear.

Luna could feel her heart pounding in her chest. She didn't know what to believe anymore. But she knew that she had to find a way out of here, before it was too late. She struggled against the rope, her eyes still fixed on the wolf as she feared for her very existence.

"What do you want from me?" she asked, her voice shaking with fear.

Ethan shifted back into his human form, his eyes burning with intensity as he stood staring down at her in his naked glory. One of the villagers walked in and wrapped him up in rub before rushing back out. "We need you to help us, Luna. We need you to harness your power and use it to defeat our enemies. We need you to become our leader."

Luna felt a surge of confusion. Leader? What was he talking about?

And then she realized what he meant. He wanted her to become the leader of his pack, the one who would guide them to an uncertain victory.

She looked at him, her eyes wide with disbelief and horror. "Me? I can't do that. I'm just a regular person. I have no idea how to lead anyone! Hell, I barely even survive with my own leadership. Talk less of a pack of wolves."

Ethan looked at her with a mixture of disagreement and determination. "You can do it, Luna. You have the power, the strength, and the courage to do what needs to be done.

"I don't have anything!" She cried in frustration. " Please just let me go and I promise I will never tell a soul. Hell, I'll leave Sylvercrest if need be." She was practically begging now.

Maybe it was all a bad bad dream and all she needed to do was shut her eyes as tightly as she could and she would be awake in no time.

So, she did just that and kept it shut until she heard the voice of another man.

" Alpha, how can you be so sure she's the one? I highly doubt it."

She flung her eyes open only to see another man almost the height of Ethan scowling at her.

"That's what I've been trying to say all along. " She said pleadingly to Ethan.

"I'm sure." He replied to the man by his side and glared at her. " You'd better be the one, or you're dead." With that he stormed out and so did the other man. The villagers who had been watching, cleared out too, leaving her alone to her uncoordinated thoughts.