A Luna's Awakening

S1 E4

River's POV:

One of the scouts ran up to me as I paced the territory line. The light brown wolf nodded to me before he spoke.

"Alpha one of the scents is a wolf. What shall we do?" A wolf? How was that possible? Packless? A loner? I swished my tail in annoyance.

"Nothing. Not unless they cause an issue. They are among the humans. Leave them be." Normally, we would punish a wolf for stepping on our turf uninvited, but this was a rare case. No need to start a fight right now. "Show me this scent though," I said, and he turned and took off.

I followed right on his paws as we headed near the grove. I could smell the humans just on the other side of the river where they were all staying. As we neared, I smelled a faint scent. Suddenly, I picked up speed. Something was telling me to hurry. My instincts were on high alert. As I got a good whiff of it, I growled loudly and the scout froze.

"Mate," I growled out as the scent filled every bit of my senses. There was no denying it. This was the scent of my mate. I rushed to follow it without thought. I had to get to her. If she was with the humans I would separate her. Once she smelled me she would know as well. I had found my mate. The scout followed me as I rushed towards the grove. I smelled blood and I felt fear rise in me like a tide. No! NO!

I burst through the treeline to see Zeke's teeth digging into my mate's arm. I let out a thunderous growl that made him let go instantly. I rushed forward and pushed him off of her. I stood over her and tried to check if she was alright while guarding her. Zeke growled at me softly.

"Alpha this one was-" I snapped my jaws at him, and he went silent.

"She is my mate!" I barked at him and I watched his ears droop in shock. I looked at the young ones. "Go home. Now!" I snapped at them and they rushed off. Zeke sat back, and I relaxed and checked on the girl trembling in fear below me. Seeing her injuries made me furious. She was bleeding a lot. Why wasn't her healing kicking in yet? I whimpered softly and she flinched. "It's alright mate," I assured her, but her eyes didn't have understanding. I felt confusion fill me.

She reached for her neck and grabbed at a whistle. I felt panic fill me and I snapped it from her neck and hurled it away. Was she going to call for help? From me? Her mate? I felt as confusion and betrayal filled me. Why?

"Mate. Please." She groaned in pain as she gripped her bleeding sides. Why wasn't her healing doing anything to stop it? I leaned forward, and she screamed as my mouth neared her. Something was wrong here. I looked at Zeke, and he still had her blood on his mouth. "Go home," I growled, and he scampered off. I looked at the scout. "Bring me some clothes and tell Maddie to expect us. I am carrying her back to the pack house to be treated." He nodded and rushed off.

When I looked back down, she was trying to slide away from me as her eyes filled with fear once more. I whimpered softly and that seemed to give her pause. I sat down next to her and nuzzled my nose into her uninjured arm. I don't know what was going on, but I couldn't watch her be afraid of me. It tore me apart inside. She was my mate. The one chosen for me by the moon goddess. There was no need for her to fear me.

Her eyes drooped heavily and when the scout returned in human form with my clothes, I took them and darted behind a large tree to shift and change. Once I was dressed, I returned to her side. Her eyes were barely open as I lifted her up into my arms. Her body felt weak and cold.

"It's alright mate. I've got you. I'm taking you to safety to get treated." I assured her as I moved quickly but not too quickly. I didn't want to shake her body too much with her injuries. When we made it to the pack house, I checked to make sure we weren't seen before darting to the back door and inside. I rushed to the clinic and Maddie was there waiting for us. I put my mate down on the bed and Maddie gasped softly.

"Who did this? Why isn't she healing?"

"Zeke did. She's my mate. Please help her." I watched her eyes widen and briefly fill with disappointment. I didn't have time for her stupid crush right now, and I growled harshly at her. She flinched and got to work right after. She pulled up her shirt and I saw red at the deep claw marks on her side. I turned and rushed from the room. Zeke was sitting in the common area with some other wolves. "ZEKE!" I yelled and everyone in the room flinched harshly. I rushed over and picked him up by the collar of his shirt.

"Woah woah! I didn't know who she was! I was protecting the pack!" He said frantic. I growled loudly in his face and he went silent.

"The rules say nothing about attacking a fellow wolf. Trespassing or not. She has multiple claw marks and teeth marks. You went too far." I turned and threw him against the wall. He groaned loudly but otherwise, he could take it. "You and I will talk about this later. You have hurt my mate and I will not let it slide." As everyone heard me call her my mate, the room erupted in murmurs and whispers. I growled loudly and they fell silent. "NO ONE is going to see her for now. Understood?" My eyes swept the room of nodding heads.

"Alpha! Maddie is calling for you!" I heard Gray's voice and I looked towards Zeke as he glared slightly at me. It wasn't like me to have such a public freak out on anybody, but this was my mate that he had hurt. Not only that, but he had gone way too far. I turned and stormed back to the clinic.

"Go find the young ones and ask them what happened to my mate. I have a feeling I won't get the full truth from Zeke." I said as I passed Grayson. "And have someone search the grove for anything she left behind. I don't need the humans to find it." He nodded and left to take care of that. I knew the young ones would not lie to their beta. Maddie was frowning heavily as I returned.

"Alpha!" She rushed over to me and stood between me and my mate. I growled and she held her hands up. "Wait! Wait! Are you sure this girl is your mate?" I was stunned for a moment. How could she question me? It was such a basic instinct to know your mate by smell.

"I've smelled her. She is my mate." I growled out, and she glanced back at the girl lying in the bed behind her.

"Alpha she's human."

"Excuse me?" I took a step forward, and she straightened her arms to show she would stop me if she had to.

"Despite her scent, she is human. She has no wolf or healing ability." I felt like my world turned upside down in an instant.

"That's not possible. She's my fated. I know it." There was no way my fated would be a human right? It was such a rarity that I hadn't heard of any wolf having a human mate in a long time. Just a couple of elders. Her scent was that of a wolf though. Not as strong as the rest of my pack but clearly a wolf. "Why would she have a wolf's scent?"

"Alpha, I don't know what's going on, but you can't make a human your luna." I growled harshly at her. How dare she. My mate was to be my bride and my luna. It was a given. She finally threw her hands up in defeat and stepped out of my way. "The pack will not accept it." She warned me as she let me pass. That gave me pause and I looked at my mate. Was she really human? What did that mean?