Midnight Moon's new Luna

Devin “I don’t want to sleep yet, daddy,” my daughter, Vera, said. “I’m not even tired.” Her words were defied by a huge yawn. I smiled, stroking her cheek and kissing her forehead. “Children need their sleep,” I said, “but you know what? It’s not just for your sake. Moms and dads need alone time. How should your mate treat you?” I knew she knew the answer. I’d told her many times. The last thing I wanted was for my daughter to end up with a mate that didn’t deserve her. “Uhm,” she said, “a mate should always respect you, and your time. They should not only tell you they love you, but show you. And they should be supportive of your goals and ende… endea… endeavors. And they must always prioritize making you feel safe and loved.” “Yes, very good,” I smiled. “And how am I supposed to do that for your mother, if I’m busy chasing you around? So can you do me this favor, and sleep? So that I can show your mother that I love her, and prioritize her this evening?” “Fine,” she said, rubbing an eye with her tiny fist. She was only three years old, but already very well-spoken and goal-oriented. She was going to do great things in her life. “Good night daddy.” She yawned again. “Good night, little wolf.” I looked at her for a minute, making sure her eyes stayed close. She looked so much like her beautiful mother. Except for her hair. The dark red waves were all from me. I’d never really seen anyone with my hair color before, and I loved to share the trait with my daughter. It was something physical we shared, just the two of us. I carefully closed the door to her room, and went into the kitchen. Pouring two glasses of wine, I smiled as I thought about how lucky I was. I’d left my birth pack and judgmental family behind, for a mate. She was the most beautiful woman in the world in my eyes. Her soul made my world brighter. And then she gave me the most wonderful child. I would spend the rest of my life trying to pay her back for all that she had given me. It was a futile task. I took both glasses and walked into the living room. Rowena was curled up on the couch, reading a book. It was a warm summer night, and the widow behind her stood open. A breeze drifted through the window, and brought her wonderful smell to me. It was intoxicating. She looked up from her book at the sound of my footsteps. She folded down the corner on the page she was on, and put the book aside. “Is she asleep?” “She’s on her way to dreamland.” She accepted the profited wine glass as I sat down next to her. She took a sip of the wine, and smiled in delight. I’d taken Vera to see a waterfall on my day off. But when doing so, I had also taken the long way back, to pass through a human town, where I knew I could buy Rowena's favorite wine. No store in Crescent Moon carried it. “Why are you looking at me like that?” she asked, and I realized I'd been staring at her. “I’m just wondering,” I said softly, “what in the Goddess’s name I did to deserve you.” We spent a perfect evening together, just talking. We shared our experiences of the day with each other, we discussed books we’d both read, and we talked about our daughter, and our hopes for her future. After talking, we had some “fun” on the couch. When we finally went to bed, we did so together, kissing each other good night. It took me only minutes to drift off, into a peaceful sleep. When I woke up, it was still rather dark outside. I didn’t know what had woken me up, but something felt… off. Storm, my wolf, was uneasy. Something was wrong with this night, and Storm was growling at me to get up and check it out before I’d even opened my eyes. We have to protect our mate and pup! He snarled. I couldn't argue with that. Deciding that there was no need to wake my family over an odd feeling, I carefully slipped out of bed and searched the house. Nothing seemed out of order. No weird smells, no movement, no noise. I went outside. I stepped out into the summer night. The air was cool, but not cold, and the morning dew made my bare feet wet as I walked through our yard. I was only wearing a t-shirt and boxers, but it was enough. The weather had been unbelievably good lately, with warmth, sunlight and the occasional soft breeze. Just as I reached the edge of our yard, one of those breezes reached me and I froze. The smell… It wasn’t the unbearable stench of rogues, but it was similar. As if someone was almost rouge? I’d never smelled anything like it before. I looked around, and thought I saw movement to my right. Yes, there, behind those bushed by the tree line. I started walking over to investigate. “You’re supposed to be asleep.” I stopped dead in my tracks when I heard the voice from behind. It was a woman speaking. “If you’re awake, this suddenly becomes more difficult.” “Who are you?” I asked, looking over my shoulder. I didn’t want to turn my back to whatever I’d seen moving, but I needed to know how close she was. She stood up in the meadow next to our home, maybe 15 meters away. She must have been lying among the longer grass and flowers. She seemed tired. I couldn’t see her very well in the night, but my eyes were still sharper than an ordinary human's, and I could make out the dark shadows under her eyes, and the hollowness of her cheeks. “What are you doing here?” “We're here because we have a debt to repay,” she said. A noise from ahead made me snap my head around, just in time to see a black wolf leaping towards me.