Becoming Luna

7 - Why?

“W-What are you…I don’t know what you’re talking about—”

“Your mate,” he says, a bit impatiently. “You’re showing signs of the fated bond being betrayed. I can tell because…well, I just know. He’s cheating on you. I don’t know who he is, but I know he’s an ass and you deserve better.”

He must be a shifter. How strange, he smells… only human.

She stares back at him in confusion. Wait, even if he’s a shifter, how can he possibly know about Andrew cheating on her again? How can he tell this isn’t the first time her mate had betrayed her? Is it written on her forehead, glowing like a neon sign? A stamp on her skin that marks how many times she’s been cheated on?

A particularly nasty cramp makes her groan and sway as she starts to see black spots. She barely hears him saying something to the receptionist before lifting her in his arms and rushing towards the stairs. Thankfully, she loses consciousness before she embarrasses herself, as the pain escalates further.

The last thing she remembers is his worried eyes as he calls her name.

When she wakes up again, she finds herself in what appears like a hotel room, which is very spacious and elegant, and she seems to be alone. It’s already dark, so she must have slept for a very long time. With a sigh, she sits up, running her fingers through her hair.

She still can’t believe it.

Andrew betrayed her again. After being given a second chance. After promising it will never happen again. And just a few days away from their Alpha and Luna marking ceremony too. Everything has been prepared, and everyone is ready for the upcoming transition.

Is that why he thought he could get away with it? Did he really think that this time she would forgive him?

Something in her breaks but her eyes remain dry. She just feels empty. All her hard work…ruined. The future she has been planning for them forever out of her reach. Her dreams of becoming Luna and making a difference in the pack’s life will stay exactly as they are, dreams. Because fooling her once was bad enough, and despite it all, she gave him another chance. Twice, however, is deeply insulting. If he’s able to do it after swearing to her it would never happen again, then nothing will stop him from repeating the same offense… thus making their future impossible.

She’s still wearing her old clothes so she searches her pockets, but they’re empty so she looks around, hoping to find her phone. All her other stuff is still in the small hotel nearby where she was staying. She can only hope this hotel won’t be asking her to pay for this room because she’s not really sure she can afford it. Especially now, that she will no longer be Luna.

The door opens and her heart jumps a bit as she sees Mr. Wolfenheim come in. He nods when he sees that she’s awake.

“How are you feeling?”

“Much better, thank you. I’m really sorry for the inconvenience, and I will return to my hotel now, so you can have your room again. If I could only find my phone…”

He hands her a small paper bag that he’s holding. “Here. It fell from your pocket when I lifted you and the screen broke so I had to have it repaired first. Sorry.”

“Oh, wow, no, that was…very thoughtful of you. Thank you…again.”

She turns it on, just to see if Andrew has tried to contact her.

Nothing. Of course not. Why would he call? He’ll want to deal with her in person, when she comes back to their territory tomorrow.

She grits her teeth. Just the thought of going back makes her want to throw up. She has never felt so alone, not even when her parents had died. The place that she loves so much…the only home she has ever known…would feel painfully empty and foreign now. No longer safe.

Because Andrew will be there. He cheated on her—while in their territory, perhaps even in their home, in their very own bed…

Her mouth starts to taste funny and she looks around, hoping for something to drink to chase the nausea away. She sees a small fridge and grabs the first drink she finds, a can of beer, and takes a couple of swigs…and then a few more…until not a single drop of it is left and she turns to grab another one.

“Sorry…” she tells Mr. Wolfenheim as she opens the second can. “I-I’ll pay for these at the reception—”

“Don’t be ridiculous. My family owns this hotel, the staff won’t begrudge me for a couple of beers. Sit. And slow down with the alcohol, it’s not good on an empty stomach.” He removes his jacket and places it on a chair. “Speaking of which…you must be hungry, so I ordered room service.”

“W-Wha—No! I mean, no, thank you. I’ll be on my way now, really. No need to bother—”

“It’s no bother. I would appreciate it if you would join me for dinner.”

Siena swallows. It sounds like a request, and yet it feels laced with an alpha command. Which is odd because…she can’t smell his wolf. It’s why she’d realize too late that he’s actually another shifter.

“I—”

“You can tell me more about your project while we eat, since you weren’t actually able to finish your presentation.”

“Actually, I have…”

He shrugs. “Are you sure? It didn’t feel… finished.”

She frowns. “What do you mean?”

He seems to consider the question but room service arrives right before he can answer. They roll in several trays of food, preparing the table for two, even though she hasn’t exactly accepted.

“I didn’t know what you usually eat, so I asked them for several things on the menu. If you have a specific diet, just let them know and they’ll bring it up right away.”

Everything on the table looks and smells mouthwatering. With all the things she’s going through, she should’ve lost her appetite, but she hasn’t eaten much in a long time, worrying about the presentation and wary about fitting into her Luna ceremony gown, and now her stomach is grumbling like a mutinous pirate.

“N-No, these are fine. I’m not picky. Thank you.”

As the staff leaves, he pulls out a chair for her and she murmurs her thanks, her mind dwelling on the fact that he said her presentation feels incomplete. She thought she’d given it all, to be honest. What else is there to say?

They begin to eat in companionable silence until, halfway through, she can’t stand it anymore and she asks him “What do you mean my presentation was lacking? Does that mean—”

“I didn’t say it was lacking…I said it didn’t feel finished, since you had to leave early.”

“That’s practically the same thing. I was done, I’ve said all I could, anything else would have been an overkill. I was just answering questions, and doing pretty well, if it wasn’t for—” she bites her tongue, refusing to admit the truth to a complete stranger.

Mr. Wolfenheim says nothing, but he is observing her, watching every emotion play on her face, maybe even reading every thought with those uncanny icy blue eyes, so she blinks away the tears that are stinging the corners of her eyes.

“Why are you here, Miss Merrick?” he asks quietly after a while.

“What do you mean? I’m here for the presentation, of course.”

“Yes, but why? And forget about that practiced speech on changing the world. If I wanted to hear that rubbish, I would be watching the Miss Universe pageant. Why are you really here?”

She stares at him blankly. What does he want from her?

“Not many people know this, but I’m actually the one who has final say in approving the grant, not the board,” he mentions casually. “I’m curious, Miss Merrick, do you think you deserve to win the grant? Why should I consider your project, when so many have applied, with the same dream of making a difference and leaving a mark in this world, most of them even more experienced than you?”

“I…”

“Tell me, why should I choose you?”