Her Unexpected Luna

Chapter 10

Thalia

The last thing Thalia remembered was running as fast as her paws would let her. The searing pain that seemed to grow and radiate throughout her body was making it hard for her to stay in her wolf form. She begged her wolf to hold on for just a little bit longer.

Thalia knew it was the wolfsbane at work, trying to force her back into her human body. She didn't even know where she was going, she just ran. Before Thalia knew it, she was being wrapped up and cradled by Luna Lauren who was whispering comforting words in her ear.

This exact moment made her think of the time her mother and father took her for a hike in the icy mountains of the north. Thalia wandered off and ended up slipping on some ice causing her to fall down a hill and onto a pond. The ice broke underneath her and she fell into the water. Her father and mother got to her as fast as they could. She wasn't much of a swimmer considering they lived where everything was always cold and frozen. Werewolves typically have high body temperatures allowing them to adapt to extremely cold climates, adolescent pups however don't have as much as full-grown wolves. Without the presence of their wolf they are typically more fragile but grow stronger the closer they get to their first shift.

When Thalia's father dragged her limp body out of the water her mother cradled Thalia into her body and whispered sweet motherly nothings as warm tears from her mother fell onto her face. Thalia remembers how cold and numb she felt that day. They took her back home and the three of them made a nest of blankets in front of the fireplace to cuddle up and sip on some hot chai tea. Her mother always said that day was the scariest day of her life.

All of a sudden the smell of honey and lemongrass flooded Thalia's nose bringing her almost to her full senses, now realizing she was at Acacia moon and surrounded by dozens of Alphas and high ranked members of different packs. What was going on?

The strong yet sweet scent that haunted her, started to make her feel a little hazy causing her head to fall back as Lauren continued to hold her, trying to talk to her. Thalia was unable to recognize anything Lauren was saying to her.

She turned her head slowly to look behind Lauren, letting her nose follow the scent until she found herself gazing into a pair of deep soulful brown eyes. Those eyes belonged to a curvy and captivating taupe-skinned woman with legs for days. Thalia has never found herself more attracted to anyone she has ever laid eyes on until today. It wasn't until she could feel her wolf howling and jumping for joy, trying to nudge her to get up even in her weakened state, that she realized only one thing would make her feel this way.

"Mmm....aa...tt" Thalia attempted but no sound came out before everything started to feel like it was spinning and she was out cold.

When Thalia finally came to once more, she could hear several voices around her. They weren't very clear as everything sounded as if she was in the next room even though she could feel them closer than that. One person in particular. She couldn't understand what they were talking about, the only thing she could focus on was that wonderful scent and the fact that her fated mate was just an arm's length away.

Thalia had wondered if maybe she was dreaming, and none of this was true. She never believed she would find her mate considering she had just accepted it would be her and Jasper on the run for the rest of their lives. The thought of Jasper made her wolf stir enough to force her eyes open slowly. The first thing she saw was a blurred feminine figure she knew without hesitation belonged to her mate.

Thalia's body moved on its own to reach out to the side of her to slide her shaky hand into the woman's palm. She wasn't exactly sure what she was doing but she felt almost compelled to touch her. She immediately felt the intense warmth and tingles that shot through her arm, bringing her body a feeling of relaxation she hadn't felt in years.

"It's true" she unintentionally spoke out loud as she glanced up at the woman before letting her gaze fall to their connected hands. She was surprised that the woman hadn't pulled away. "I feel them. I feel the sparks" she said again but quieter this time. Thalia felt a soft hand on her shoulder as another hand went up to feel her forehead. Lauren. Thalia turned her head to look on the other side of her to see Lauren and Ryan standing nearby with worried smiles on their face.

"Thalia, I'm so glad you're okay! I was so worried about you!" Lauren said as if she was on the brink of tears. Thalia was getting ready to speak until she heard a terrifyingly familiar voice that now made her aware of the horrible presence that was in this room.

"Where is he, Thalia?" Alpha Trevor said in an annoyed but angered tone.

Thalia's skin paled as her blood ran cold when she turned to look at the man whose voice those words belonged to. The same man who had been the reason she has been on the run all these years. The same man who always terrified her even as a child when he was just the beta of the pack. The same man who abused his only son and used him as a punching bag to let out his frustrations. The only man who is responsible for tearing apart her family.

"Where is he, Thalia! I can smell him on you!" Trevor demanded in a louder tone as he stepped closer to Thalia's bed, anger growing in his eyes as Thalia instinctively jerked back with a panicked scream as she pulled her hand away trying to get as far away from him as possible.

A loud thunderous roar ripped through the chest of the woman before her. Within a blink of an eye, Trevor was thrown into the nearest wall as the woman prepared herself to fight the warriors who were prepared to attack her with a protective stance in front of Thalia. "Anyone who thinks about laying a finger on her or even thinks about talking to her in a volume above normal will answer to me!" She snarled.

Trevor was about to attack the woman until alpha Ryan roared so loud the room shook, making everyone stop in their tracks.

"Everybody who is not directly involved with this wolf is to leave this room right now. Council members included" Ryan added as he looked at them. The shock was evident on their face as Ryan just demanded them to leave. Given their equal ranks, no one besides the warriors would have been compelled to leave. They must have just done it out of respect for the pack Alphas whose land they are currently residing in.

"This will be dealt with after your little powwow," one of the elder Alphas said directly towards her mate. Thalia could feel Trevor's anger rising and radiating towards her as he stared her down until he was out of the room.

"This will be addressed once Thalia is healed and these two had a proper introduction!" Lauren spat as she tightened her grip around Thalia. Lauren had practically climbed in the bed with her to keep her from falling out earlier when she was trying to put as much distance between herself and Trevor as possible. The elder Alpha went to speak but what silenced by one of the other elder Alphas as they all left the room.

They were finally alone. Thalia felt like she could breathe again once all the tension left the room with everyone else. The bed suddenly felt empty as Lauren removed herself from Thalia to help her readjust in the bed comfortably.

"I'm sorry you had to wake up to that" Lauren said as she started fixing and smoothing down Thalia's hair.

"As much as I want to know what happened and what that was all about, I think it's best we leave you two alone," Ryan said as he reached over to Lauren to tug on her in his direction. By Lauren's reaction, she wanted to object but allowed him to pull her out of the room.

"Let us know if you need anything," Lauren said before disappearing through the doorway with the sound of the door shutting behind her.

Thalia couldn't help but feel a little bit awkward now that it was just the two of them. She had a feeling her mate felt the same as she seemed to hesitate before turning around to face her.

"I'm sorry" The woman spoke before she slowly turned around to look at Thalia. Thalia gazed into the woman's eyes finally being able to get a better look at her fated mate. She could not put into words what feelings were coursing through her mind and body at this moment.

"Why are you apologizing?" Thalia asked as she moved her legs over and motioned for the woman to sit down. She had hesitated for a second before taking her offer as she sat down next to Thalia but did not make complete eye contact with her. This began to strike fear into her as she automatically assumed she was about to be rejected, considering her body language and sudden apology. Thalia could feel tears burning in her eyes that she refused to let fall. The woman jerked her head to look at Thalia as if she could tell what she was feeling and immediately grasped Thalia's hand in her own, intertwining their fingers together in a firm grip. This sensation seemed to calm Thalia quickly as she met her gaze.

"Please don't think that, that is not what's happening here," She said urgently as she gave Thalia a reassuring squeeze. "I do admit that I am....confused," she said carefully. "And I'm not sure how to process this"

Thalia nodded her head as she listened to her. She understood where she was coming from. Now that she thought about it, she hadn't had much time to think about the fact that she was mated to a woman. Not something she had expected.

"Can I ask your name?" Thalia asked.

"Anastasia, but I go by Tasia," she said as she broke their gaze but let her eyes trail over Thalia's body.

"You are by far the most stunning woman I have ever seen" Tasia spoke.

Thalia's cheeks began to turn red as she looked down at the baggy gown that was thrown over her. She could feel that her hair was a mess and she had dried blood and dirt all over her body. Thalia couldn't help but let out a laugh and feel embarrassed at the realization that she was an absolute train wreck at the moment. Tasia's eyes seemed to have lit up at the sound of Thalia's laughter.

"You have a very beautiful name," Thalia said once she came down from her laughter. "And compared to you, I am a dumpster fire" she added making Tasia laugh as she shook her head.

The room went quiet again as the both of them looked away from each other, not sure what to say next. Thalia looked down at her hands for a moment before she looked back to Tasia to speak up until she noticed Tasia staring at her with her wide but confused brown eyes. It seemed like she was holding back something.

"What's on your mind?" Thalia asked nervously.

Tasia hesitated before she cleared her throat to speak.

"What was Alpha Trevor talking about?" She asked. "I guess it's more of who, who was he asking about?" She asked.

Thalia turned her head to look away as she brought up Trevor. She couldn't bring herself to speak. How would she explain her relationship to Jasper? Would she get Jealous and hot-headed like other mates? Or would she be understanding? The thought about being rejected arose in her thoughts again. She could feel her wolf trying to reassure her that would never happen.

"Hey.. I told you..I'm not.." she began but stopped mid-sentence causing Thalia to look at her, realizing she was staring at her neck. It finally dawned on her as she immediately reached up to feel the two small little holes in her neck. Tasia pulled away and stood up, facing away from Thalia.

"Wait! Tasia, please don't!" Thalia began to panic, not liking the feeling of being pulled away from.

"How can we still feel the mate bond if you're already marked?" Tasia said in a flat but calm tone refusing to make eye contact.