Lost Luna

Fall Out

Sunlight crept through the bedroom, past uselessly open curtains, to light up the backs of closed eyes. The mass of red curls sticking out of a comforter moaned in apparent pain, squirming deeper under the blankets and unceremoniously shoving another body out of the bed. A heavy thump and exclamation of surprise from the young man resulted in Zia throwing a pillow off the bed at him while mumbling something along the lines of “Get out.”. 

Rubbing his bare backside he searched for his clothing, yanking it on sloppily as he hastened his exit. Zia sighed from under the pile of blankets, her head throbbing from the alcohol the night before. Ever since Rue had left it seemed that hangovers became more prevalent, she wasn’t sure how the relationship between her wolf and herself prevented them in the past but she was sure that they sucked a big one now. 

A loud vibration on her nightstand caused her to groan and reach an arm out from under the blankets to slap at the phone dancing across the dark wood surface. Missing it several times, she finally surfaced from her cosy retreat and opened her light green eyes to locate the offending device. The screen was lit up with a picture of a familiar handsome face and the name Adam, she grabbed the phone and swiped up the green answer button and pressed it to her ear as she slithered back to the darkness of the blankets. 

“Hello?” She sighed into the phone, rubbing the area at the bridge of her nose where her headache throbbed hardest. 

“Tell me you didn’t.” a low growl at the other end. 

“Didn’t what?” Zia asked barely containing a giggle. 

“Sleep with a goddamn Omega!” The voice could almost be heard in the hallway he had yelled so loudly through the phone. 

“Ok, I didn’t.” 

“You’re lying.” 

“Ugh f*****g bite me, Im a damn adult and can sleep with whoever I want.” Zia whined like a petulant child despite her proclamation of being otherwise. 

“It looks bad and you know it. Just because you haven’t found your mate does not mean you just f**k everything that has two legs…” His voice had softened slightly at the end, and Zia rolled herself out of bed. Her feet touched the hardwood floors which felt cool in the spring morning. 

“Listen, I’m thinking about forfeiting my future claim to Luna.” Zia mumbled as she pulled on a pair of light wash jeans from her dresser, doing a little dance to get the snug waistband over her hips and butt. 

“...” the silence on the other end was deafening, and Zia pulled the phone away from her ear to check that the call hadn’t dropped. 

“Hello?” She said, frowning as she shoved a snug black tshirt over her head and replaced the phone to her ear. 

“Zia...Don’t do that. Your Mom would be devastated.” 

“Really? I think she would understand. I’m a disgrace to our packs name remember?” Zia spat out, feeling her eyes start to burn with unshed tears and throat constrict. I will NOT cry damnit. Bouncing on the balls of her feet she willed herself to gain control over her emotions. She knew her parents were expecting to retire at the end of the next year, that she was supposed to be headed off to Alpha training in a few weeks. She just didn’t know how she was supposed to explain that she had lost her wolf. No one had ever heard of losing a wolf, they were one side of a two part equation that made up who werewolves are. Everyone got one at eighteen, although Zia’s had shown up at sixteen and caused hell with her hormones, and it was like finally becoming a whole. 

“You know you can do better. And no one has said that...everyone just blames it on you being young and unmated still. They think--” 

“Listen Adam, I really don’t care.” She held the phone awkwardly between her ear and shoulder as she pulled on white ankle socks and a pair of black and white adidas. 

A sigh on the other end told her that she was already frustrating him at, she quickly glanced at her bedside clock, 11am in the morning...11am… s**t I am late, again. 

“You are late to the pack run, are you coming?” Adam’s voice repeated her thought sequence, she could hear the rest of the pack in the background now that she was paying more attention. 

“Uh yeah, you guys go off without me… I will catch up at the end point.” Zia opened her bedroom door to the silent and empty pack house. She was obviously going to be the last person again. Looking great as the future prospective Luna again.  

This was the problem, she couldn’t actually run with the pack...often she had some lame excuse about why she couldn’t make it to the runs but this time she hadn’t been able to come up with one in time. She supposed the waking up late was helpful in the end but she wasn’t sure how much longer she could continue hiding the fact that her wolf was gone. Grabbing a light black windbreaker from a peg at the door she slipped into it, pulling the hood up over her curls as she grabbed a backpack as well. 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Zia stopped just out of scent range from where her pack would be assembling, everyone would be laughing and joking as they changed back into their human forms and pulled clothing out of their backpacks to redress. Zia stripped off her clothing quickly, the air was still cool although the weak spring sun at the top of its height was desperately trying to warm it up, goosebumps spread across her pale skin as she shoved the clothing into her backpack. Moving at a light jog she felt the underbrush pull at her thinner human skin, but the small scratches healed almost as soon as they formed. A flush was just forming across her chest and cheeks, sweat starting to bead up around her hairline and breasts as she entered the clearing where her pack was nearly finished dressing. She slowed to a stop and stretched as if she had run the whole way in wolf form and was working out the sore muscles of a long run and change. As she pulled her clothing out of her backpack and started re-dressing she felt an angry stare from across the clearing burn into her. 

“Zia...where were you?” a strong female voice boomed across, as a tall redhead walked across, the hair was graying at the edges and the face an older weathered version of Zia’s. 

“Mom. Luna Bronwyn…” Zia bowed her head in respect, before raising her green eyes to meet her mother’s intelligent hazel one’s. “I overslept, did my best to catch up though.” Zia attempted an apologetic smile. 

“Every run meet for the past 2 years you have either missed or been late. Do you know how that looks?” her mother growled, and Zia could almost see her mothers wolf pacing in agitation in her eyes. Geesh everyone keeps asking me that today, do I know how my actions look...of course I am f*****g aware. 

“I’m sorry. Time just gets away from me sometimes…” Zia mumbled as she pulled her red curls into a ponytail and straightened it. She could feel the rest of the pack staring at them, some of them amused, some of them annoyed but mostly disappointed. This was supposed to be the future of the Evergreen Mountain pack, and it was looking pretty dismal to them. A blush burned across her cheeks as she averted her gaze to the ground where here shoes were sinking into the dark forest moss. 

“I’m tired of your apologies. You are turning twenty this year, as my only child its time for you to start picking up the responsibilities to this pack. You need to grow up!” her mother’s arms shot up into the air and back down slapping the sides of her legs in emphasis and exasperation. Zia looked up at the sound to see her mother now pinching the bridge of her nose with her eyes closed and taking a deep breath to calm her temper. The Evergreen Mountain pack was known for being a matriarchal pack, the Alpha line having had nothing but females for the past 15 generations, all tall strong women with flaming red hair and a hell of a temper to match. But under these women the pack’s territory had grown and the members flourished, Luna Bronwyn had successfully taken and added the territories and packs of four smaller neighbouring groups. They were fighters, protectors and as strong of leaders as any male. It was disheartening to see the next in line be so absentminded and party driven. 

Zia bit her bottom lip slightly, unsure how to respond. 

“I’m sending you to Alpha training early...you obviously need extra discipline and work, I’ve already arranged for this years top instructor to meet you there. Go home and pack your shit.” Luna Bronwyn finally said, waving her daughter off as she turned back to the rest of the pack to discuss their plans for the week. Zia felt her chest tighten and fear start to coil in her belly. How was she going to explain when she showed up and had no wolf? Her mouth dropped open as she went to address her mother’s stiff retreating back. 

“Mom I don’t want to--” 

“GO PACK YOUR s**t ZIA!” Her mother roared over her shoulder, face dark with a rising storm and her hazel eyes having changed to the brilliant yellow of her wolf Taz. 

Zia’s breath caught in her throat and she quickly turned tail to leave. Years of conditioning of following the Luna’s commands made it impossible for her to stand and argue. Tears were welling up in her eyes again as she made her way back through the forest, and she was so preoccupied with her thoughts that she hadn’t heard the footsteps following from behind.