Her Fated Family

MEEP MEEP MEEP. MEEP MEEP MEEP. I groaned from my nest and shoved my arm out from underneath my fuzzy blanket, smacking around for my alarm clock with no luck. MEEP MEEP MEEP. MEEP MEEP MEEP. I could feel the corner of my nightstand and slowly inched my hand toward where my little black alarm clock sat. Nothing. What the eff… I sat upright, the sunlight blinding me and the cold air shocking me awake and again reached for the clock. It wasn’t there. MEEP MEEP MEEP. MEEP MEEP MEEP. My eyes scanned the room and found the annoying little demon had been moved during the night over to the top of my dresser beside my bedroom door. Someone was going to pay for that. My head was throbbing as a result of last nights bar hopping excursion into the nearby human town. I untangled myself from the mess of blankets and sheets and plodded over to shut off the racket that had so rudely woken me. 8:03. I had less than 30 minutes to get dressed and report to the packhouse. Crap. I walked into my closet searching for something comfy yet presentable. If I had my way I’d be in my old sweats and a tank top, but tutoring Alpha Dominic’s son meant that I actually had to look like the teacher that I was. I grabbed a knee length denim skirt and a pale pink polo shirt. Paired with my brown strappy sandals, this would have to do. Walking out of my closet I caught sight of something in my bed. A foot. What the eff. I had no memory of bringing someone home with me. ‘Trust me… that human wasn’t worth remembering,’ my wolf Echo stated dully. ‘Can’t you at least find someone fun since we can’t find our mate?’ ‘Not now, Echo. I’m late.’ She was constantly on this finding our fated mate kick and quite frankly, I didn’t care. I liked my freedom. Even if it meant finding strangers in my bed the next day. I tiptoed closer and pulled at the blanket, revealing a decent looking guy with blonde hair, still passed out. I crept out of my bedroom and quietly closed the door behind me, praying that I could talk Rayna into handling that situation for me. “Morning sunshine!” Rayna’s giggling voice greeted me as I entered the kitchen. Her blonde hair was piled on top of her head in a messy bun and her green eyes sparkled. I had no idea how she was such a morning person. Rayna and I were the same age - both 23 - and even shared a birthday. Aside from that we had nothing in common but had managed to be instant friends. “There’s nothing sunshiny about today Ray,” I replied, grabbing a chocolate chip cookie and a can of pop for my breakfast. “There’s some human in my bed that I have no memory of and I need to get to the packhouse for DJ’s lesson.” I gave Rayna my best begging look, batting my eyes at her for good measure. “That’s Todd,” she laughed. “Let me guess… get him out?” I nodded furiously while taking a bite of my cookie. “You got it sweets… now get moving!” I raced out the door shouting back to Ray how much I loved her. I walked in the direction of the packhouse bracing myself for the morning ahead. As a teacher at Shadow Moon Elementary, Alpha Dominic had asked me to tutor his son DJ in order to help him ‘stay ahead’ of the rest of his classmates. The problem, however wasn’t DJ’s brains, it was his behavior. DJ was quite the entitled pup, and clearly thought he deserved special treatment since he was the Alpha’s son. He was an absolute terror. And from what I could tell, DJ’s little sister, Lilliana, was going to follow in his bratty paw prints. I checked my watch and raced up the walk to the packhouse doors, smiling at Grant and Slade, the two warriors that were on duty at the entrance. “Hey guys… are Alpha and Luna back from their trip yet?” Alpha Dominic and Luna Lara had gone to a small nearby pack to help with a rogue situation. They had taken a handful of warriors and it was expected that they would easily fight or scare off the rogues. They had been gone a couple of days and were due back any time. The warriors exchanged a glance but said nothing. “Did nobody link you Ms. Maggie?” Slade asked me. A knot formed in my stomach. “No… what’s going on??” “DJ and Lilliana haven’t been told yet, but the rogue situation was much worse than expected. Luna Lara was badly hurt. They’re not sure she will make it.” A few hours later, my tutoring session with DJ mercifully over, I walked home from the packhouse praying to the Moon Goddess that Luna Lara might survive. Though I had never found mine, all wolves knew what the pain of losing your fated mate could do. ‘Alpha Dominic is a strong wolf.’ Echo piped up. ‘He will survive the loss and find another mate.’ ‘Jeez Echo. Luna Lara is still fighting. Let’s not marry him off to another she-wolf just yet,’ I reprimanded her. I could feel Echo smirking in my head. ‘Luna Lara was never strong enough to be the Alpha’s wife. Just look at how undisciplined those pups are.’ Well, Echo wasn’t wrong there. ‘He needs someone with some sass, some fire in their spirit. Someone more like you…’ ‘Goddess Echo, what the eff is wrong with you?’ I pushed her back, annoyed. The Alpha family wasn’t my favorite group of people but I could only imagine if someone had been able to hear that conversation. The Luna still fighting for her life and my wolf saying Alpha Dominic should be married to someone like me. I rolled my eyes as I walked through my front door. Rayna wasn’t home from work yet so I headed straight for my room. My bed was stripped bare with a single sheet of paper laying in the center of the mattress. I could easily make out Ray’s flowery handwriting. Your bedding is in the dryer. Todd has been washed away. You’re welcome! Drinks & dancing tonight? XOXO ~R~ That was my bestie. Always looking out for me. I popped a CD in, grabbed up some fresh clothes, and hopped in the shower, singing along loudly with the music. After giving myself a final rinse, I exited the shower and wrapped up in my fluffy teal towel. I wiped the steam off the mirror and examined myself in the mirror, debating what to do with this wild mop on my head. I had to have the most annoying head of hair in our entire pack. It hung just past my shoulders and was thick and curly. The coppery color matched the splash of freckles that danced across my nose. Rayna once compared my hair to Princess Merida’s from the movie Brave. I scrunched up my nose and decided to just leave my copper curls wild. I got dressed and headed for the kitchen. Rayna had made it home from her job at the pack library and was already raiding the fridge. Her head popped up when she heard me come in. “Grilled cheese?” She asked. I nodded and reached past her for a soda while she rattled on about her day and began cooking. “So I heard some gossip from the MacCarthy twins,” she said, “What the hell is going on with this whole Luna Lara being attacked thing? Is it true?” Before I could fill her in on what I knew, a sharp pain pierced my temples and my heart. I grabbed my head and saw that Rayna was clutching hers as well. “The Luna!” I gasped, realizing the pain we were feeling was the pain of the breaking bond of losing a pack member. Rayna grabbed my hand and we rushed outside, noticing that nearby pack members were doing the same. A mournful howl filled the evening air, and our heads instantly bowed in response to our Alpha’s cry. Luna Lara was gone.