Finding the Orphaned Luna

A Proposal

"Avery? Everything okay?"

He waited anxiously for her response, reigning in the instinct to just break the door down, as he sensed this would make things worse for her. 

“Yeah, just give me a minute,” came the tiny, terrified voice behind the door. His heart broke instantly, knowing that she was not doing well, and she didn’t trust him enough yet for him to help. He couldn’t blame her; he’d spent his entire life entrenched in werewolf culture, learning about mates and the mate bond, and as a result he knew that when you found your mate, you could trust them entirely, because if they hurt you they would feel it too. Plus, why would you ever want to hurt someone that could also make you so ridiculously happy? Especially when they were the only person in the world that could? 

Conley sighed. This was going to be a harder adjustment than he’d previously thought, especially when she’d given herself to him already. She must have a seriously strong wolf for it to have overridden her panic instincts so effectively and for so long. He’d expected a more intense reaction hours ago, and thought that they were through the woods when she hadn’t freaked out about the info he’d given her earlier. He closed his eyes and made his decision.

"Avery, I can tell you're panicking. I can smell it on you. I can feel it in my own chest. Can we talk about it? Maybe you could let me in? I promise I'll try not to overwhelm you. I just don't like that you're hurting and I can't help," Conley said, helpless coating his words like paint. He hated the way desperation felt, and he hated the fact that she already had his soul laid bare. He wasn't used to vulnerability. After his mom was killed, while he watched, he'd spent his whole life working, training, and watching so he never felt so powerless again. Yet, in the span of hours, Avery's presence had knocked every wall, every hesitation, every second thought out of him. He barely knew her and yet the thought of her in pain made his heavy heavy and his knees weak. 

After a long moment of no response, he heard, he felt, the tiny sobs that racked her frame, and he looked desperately for something that could help. 

How would he feel right now, if he’d gone through everything she just had? Years of abandonment, and then more recently a couple of months of fear, uncertainty, and changes she couldn’t explain. He knew she’d shifted for the first time just before he’d arrived; it was the only reason he’d been able to find her. Her smell finally heightened, and while he’d been close already, the shift made it easier to finally narrow it down. He recognized it from when they were children, and while he’d thought he’d just been drawn to her scent — fresh rain and a hint of something he couldn’t place — because he had been looking for her so long, it was instead because she was his mate. He straightened, focusing back on Avery. She had to be completely terrified, questioning her sanity. He slid his hand through his hand. He shouldn’t have slept with yet, he should have waited until she was settled. Apparently she wasn’t the only one whose wolf could override good sense. Conley decided to try something, rather than just sitting here, waiting for her to either open the door or say something. He just started talking, hoping he’d stumble upon whatever it was that she needed to hear, and he let his heart speak. 

“Look, Avery, I know this is a lot. Like way too much for any one person to process at once. I mean, it's one thing to learn that everything you’ve ever been told is a lie and that your parents were murdered, not killed in a car accident. It's a whole other thing to learn about the existence of something you were convinced was a fairytale, not to mention that you are one. I can’t even imagine what it’s like to deal with both of those things, at the same time, on top of having to adjust to the weird, mythical changes in your own body. I know you probably feel like you don’t have anything that’s yours anymore, that there’s nowhere, not even your own body that you can feel safe and protected and most importantly yourself. 

“And I can only begin to fathom how utterly heart-stopping that fear must be. And I know I’m just some strange, handsome, creepy stranger who waltzed in here and claimed you were his, and gave you all sorts of answers you might have been looking for but didn’t really want, but I need you to know that you aren’t alone. And I’m not just talking about me, though I am certainly here for you. There’s an aunt, and an uncle, and there’s my dad who has shed as many tears over your loss as anyone. And we might not have been able to prevent what happened to you when your parents died, and we might not have been able to stop you getting taken by CPS, but that wasn’t because we didn't want to. There are people where we’re going who were there when you were born, and who have been loving you since, regardless of where you were.

And that might be scary too; coming to find a family after having no one for so long. So, if it helps, I’m going to offer you one thing, and make a proposal. 1, anytime you just need a break, just say ‘lemons”, and I’ll know we just need to pretend we’re 100% normal people until you’re ready to face the world again. And my proposal is this. Spend a week with us, starting tomorrow. Meet everyone, learn what you need to. But as of right now, nothing in your life is changing. A week from now, I will take you back here, and you can choose how much contact you want with us,.. With me. You don’t have to quit your job, or move to the packlands. You don’t have to be with me, or talk to any of us ever again. Just, take the week. See what it could be like. Then make your decision, clear headed, with all the information. “ Conley stopped, embarrassed but hopeful he had helped. He couldn’t hear anymore sobbing, and her heartbeat had slowed a fraction. He heard her get up, and the door creeped open. 

“A week? And then i can come back if i want to?”

“A week. Then you can come back. “

Avery took a deep breath. He could almost see the weight coming off her shoulders, and he could see her unfolding. 

“Okay pretty boy, you get one week. No promises on what happens after.” She gave him a small smile, clearly trying to distract herself and lighten the mood. 

“And now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a lot of packing to do if I’m going to be with you for a full week.”