Moon God Mates 2

Ellie's POV: I look around. I’m in a dark room. Something hot and sticky drips down my forehead. The liquid slides into my swollen mouth—blood. My head is heavy; it takes a moment before I can lift it. I’m shackled at the wrists. I hiss at the burn. Wolfsbane. My head drops again. I’m slipping. My wolf isn’t with me. The torture is too much. I can’t hold on much longer—but I know no one is coming for me. I’m alone. No one knows I’m alive. The heavy metal door slides open. The scraping noise makes me grind my teeth. I hear the whip hit the ground in front of me. “Are you ready to submit to your rightful pack?” a deep voice taunts. “Never!” I snarl. No one will ever break me. I’d rather die than go back to that life. “Son, it all goes away. Just accept the pack. Become the Alpha, and this could all be over. We’ve killed our whole lives—what’s the difference if we do it for a pack now?” another man says, his voice laced with worry. Something tells me I know him. My head is too heavy to lift. I’m losing too much blood, and my body isn’t healing with all the Wolfsbane I’ve been injected with. But worse than the pain is the betrayal—from the man standing before me. “No!” I shout again. My blood boils. “Very well, then.” The whip cracks against my back. Red blood paints the walls. ☾☾☾ I wake up with a start, sweat soaking through the sheets. My heart pounds as I realize I’m safe, back in my bed. The nightmare felt so real—so vivid. But it’s not just any nightmare. It’s someone else’s reality. I can’t shake the feeling it’s a warning. Someone out there is suffering, and I have to find them before it’s too late. My alarm blares in my dorm room, making me jump. I haven’t had a good night’s rest since I left the Moon packhouse. For the past month, these dreams have haunted me, getting worse each night. I feel alone in the dreams, but loneliness is nothing new. They’re too real—I feel the pain, the raw agony. I wake up weak and sore, though there are no bruises. I feel my body slipping, my wolf gone… but I’m a hybrid. I don’t even have a wolf. All these feelings pull me deeper into the darkness, but I know they aren’t mine. I’m seeing through someone else’s eyes. Feeling someone else’s pain. But whose? And why? “Hey, Ellie. Bad dream again?” The bed dips as my roommate Mila sits beside me. Mila is always super nice. She’s the closest friend I have outside the packhouse. She’s also the prettiest girl at Moon University. Her long blond hair hangs halfway down her back, and her green eyes are as bright as her personality. But the most beautiful thing about her is that she’s a pureblood werewolf—something I’ll always envy. She’s not from around here; I think she’s from Germany, judging by her accent and the packages she gets from home. But she never likes to talk about it. “Uh, no. I’m fine.” I sit up, swinging my feet off the bed. Sweat still clings to my forehead. “Are you sure? Maybe you should talk to someone, Ellie.” Her hand rests reassuringly on my back. “Mila, I’ll be fine. Thank you, though, okay?” I shrug her off. I don’t want her to push it. I don’t even know what these dreams mean—if they’re real or if I’m just going crazy. “Okay. Well, I’m here if you change your mind.” She pats my crossed arms. “Anyway, I gotta run or I’ll be late for class. See you later.” Mila hops off the bed and grabs her books on her way out. “Yeah, see you.” And then I’m alone again. I walk into our attached bathroom—a privilege we only have because Mason pulled some strings. Who am I kidding? He owns the hospital that sponsors the university. He even offered me my own room, but I declined. People already treat me differently because I’m a hybrid. Part witch, part werewolf—but my witch side is stronger. My bright red hair is a dead giveaway, and my scent reveals the rest. I even tried cutting my hair so it wouldn’t draw so much attention. Now it just brushes my shoulders. Anyway, I don’t mind having a roommate, and I lucked out with Mila. She’s sweet and rarely here. She overloads her schedule with classes, even though I don’t think she has a set major. Honestly, I think she’s hiding from something, avoiding home. But she never talks about it, so I don’t push. We also have one of the nicest dorm rooms on campus, so she must come from a wealthy pack. And I won’t even start on the hot bodyguards that follow her around. — I shower and get ready for the day. Classes don’t start until ten for me—this is my last semester, and I’m pretty much caught up. In a few months, I’ll graduate as a resident surgeon. Sure, I’m a witch with magic and all that, but I just want a normal life where I can help people—werewolf, witch, human, or vampire. Doesn’t matter. My phone vibrates. It’s Cole. After everything with my brothers and the Blue Blood pack, they check in even more than before. I offered to come home—I hate being away when my pack needs me—but they’d only worry more if I were close to the danger. And honestly, I’m not ready to face what happened to… him. “Hey, Cole,” I answer just before the last ring. “El! What’s up? How’s college life?” I roll my eyes. “It’s fine. Same as it was when Mason called yesterday.” I know they’re just worried, but it still annoys me. I’m not a kid. Well, almost not—I’ll be eighteen soon. “Speaking of Mason, he’s still pretty pissed about his car…” I laugh. If he’s that mad, he can come get it himself. “Anyway, the two lovebirds finally picked a date for the Luna ceremony and wedding. You’re still coming, right?” “Of course. I’ll be there.” I set the phone on speaker so I can apply my red lipstick—the same shade my mother used to wear. I’m not great at makeup; I grew up around pack warriors, not salons. But I never skip my red lipstick. “Okay, little sis. I’ll see you soon, then.” “Hey, Cole?” I blurt out before he can hang up. “Um, anything new? From the pack, or…?” I smack my forehead. Stupid, Ellie. Just ask. Cole sighs. “No, Ellie. Nothing from Luke. Mason’s planning a pack burial after the wedding. I didn’t know you two were close. I don’t get why you keep asking about him.” His voice tightens, then he sighs again. “He’s gone, Ellie. I’m sorry.” “No, it’s fine. We weren’t close. I was just thinking about James, is all.” And we weren’t close. But I’m lying—the concern isn’t only for James. My heart burns every time I hear Luke’s name. It doesn’t feel real that he’s dead. I don’t even know why it hurts so much. The only real conversation we had, he was kind of a d**k. But still, something inside me tears apart just thinking about him. Maybe it’s because we all judged him so quickly. Maybe he was someone we could have saved. And we failed him. “Ellie, just come home. Be with your family, okay?” I know they try. But they aren’t really my family. “I’ll be there for the wedding, okay?” “All right, sis. Be safe. Oh—and El?” “Yeah?” “Bring some hot chicks with you.” I hang up. Cole will never change. ☾☾☾ I only get through half my classes. I’m exhausted. Lately, I have no energy or motivation. I feel depressed, like I want to cry for no reason, and I just want to be alone. I guess that’s nothing new. I’ve always been alone, in a way. I’ve never met another hybrid like me—well, except little James. But he’s just a boy, and at least he has his mother, Iris. She’s wonderful. I slump on my bed, thinking about Iris. I’m happy Mason found her. They bring each other so much joy, but I can’t help being jealous. Stories are told to pups about finding their one true mate—someone chosen just for them. A love so strong it drives you mad with desire, so no one else matters. Imagine that kind of love. I don’t have that. I don’t have a destined mate because I’m not a full werewolf. It kills me a little every time I see mates together. The Moon God screwed me. I lie back and stare at the ceiling. I don’t want to fall asleep. I know the night terrors will come back. It’s killing me that I can’t help the person in them. Maybe I am going crazy. There’s no way I can see someone else’s fate. I shake my head and turn on my side. Maybe I just need to go home. Maybe I’ll feel better there. I close my eyes, even though I don’t want to. I don’t want to fall asleep. I know the dreams will haunt me again. Don’t fall asleep… don’t fall asleep…