Reclaiming the Luna's Throne

[Natalie] Another bad date. I sighed to myself as I leaned against the balcony rail and looked up at the sky. The old rust-red paint was peeling off the steel and flakes of it scratched my arms, but I didn't mind. The summer night feels cool against my skin, and the sound of cars rushing past on the highway are muted in the distance. Occasionally, one would drive by closer in the neighbourhood, and I'd hear the creak of the rubber tires and the soft crunch of pieces of gravel and leaves being crushed beneath them. The moon always made me feel so peaceful. I didn't often get the chance to see the moon and stars so clearly here in the city. They were always dulled by the lights from thousands of windows, streetlights, and billboards. But tonight it was late, many lights were already off and the moon was full and round, brighter than I'd ever seen it actually. It's beauty was almost hypnotizing. As I stare up at the moon, a feeling rises within me and I feel suddenly compelled to go for a walk. Sure, as a single woman living in the city, walking alone late at night is not really top of the list of desired behaviors, and I know the risks, but somehow, I'd never been able to resist going for a walk under the full moon. As a teenager, wanting to believe in the paranormal, I'd joked that I might be a witch! I would have said werewolf, but the lack of any kind of transformation under the full moon kind of burst that bubble. I swifly lock my balcony door and quickly cross the small apartment. It's a studio, very much a single persons home, a cramped kitchen with just enough bench space for a kettle, a frustratingly tiny half fridge. A small table, one chair and a very hipster crate for guests, not that I tended to have guests very often. My bedsheets were still rumpled from the earlier activities with my date. Ok, it wasn’t so much a BAD date, just… disappointing. As they always were. He'd seemed nice, he really had, and I'd hoped for... more. Some kind of spark, maybe one of those deep connections that I'd heard skin to skin contact could foster. I'm 29 years old now and it's not like I'm a virgin, but I'm starting to give up hope of ever finding a meaningful relationship. I just can't seem to connect. s*x was ok at best, but mostly stale and uninspiring. He'd been out of my apartment a few hours and already I barely even remembered him, even though it had been a pleasant enough evening. What I DID remember was staring boredly up at the ceiling as he moved above me, suddenly regretting my decision to have s*x with him because it was going to be so socially awkward. I knew I'd have to put on an act and pretend it was good for me too, when in reality I spent most of the time wondering where I'd stashed that little piece of paper with my favorite pancake recipe scribbled down on it. I did a pretty bad job of faking my enthusiasm in the end, and he was morally offended that I didn't find him some kind of s*x god (why were the ones who constantly spoke about how good they were always the worst??) so he hadn't stayed the night. At least that was a relief, and I could look forward to a blissful morning sleeping in, alone, without having to worry about morning breath and coffee and feeding someone else breakfast. Now I grabbed a light coat and headed out, determined to make the most of this beautiful night before finally sleeping - though somehow I feel strangely awake and energized. I know it's dangerous to go to the park late at night alone. I mean, everyone hears the stories, right? But somehow I felt reckless. Boring job, boring s*x life, boring little apartment. Would it even be so bad if something happened to me? I push those darker thoughts out of my mind and turn into the park, my breath catching at the beautiful sight of grass and trees, the flowers folded up to sleep, and everything painted midnight blue and silver under the bright moonlight. Just like a scene from a fairytale. I walk slowly along the path, breathing deeply, when suddenly I am sure I hear a light rustling coming from the blackness under the trees. I stop, every muscle in my body tight, suddenly regretting my decision. "You just had to be the stupid one, didn't you?" I thought to myself. "Sure, walk alone through the park at midnight. Idiot." I tilt my head to the side slightly, listening, but I don't hear anything else. Maybe it was a rabbit? A rabbit with insomnia? I pick up the pace a little bit, keen to get out from between the trees, when suddenly from the shadows a tall, dark figure emerges. I feel the hairs all along the back of my neck lift on their ends. You're going to get murdered you f*n i***t. Well, I told you so I thought to myself. I could imagine my face plastered all over the news the next day as the latest grisly murder victim. The man stepped forward into the light then, and I find myself frozen on the spot. He had long, dark hair and broad shoulders. Muscular, and very attractive, though I was generally not into men with long hair. A strong, but somewhat large nose gave him a statuesque look and deeply coloured eyes - I am surprised how clearly I can see they were green they were despite the dim light - framed by long lashes . His body seemed tense beneath his shirt, coiled, ready to spring forward in a second. There isn't a shadow of a doubt in my mind that this is the most dangerous man I have ever seen. And yet somehow... also the most beautiful? I wonder briefly why he hasn't tried to grab me yet, but oddly enough, he seemed frozen to the spot too, staring at me like he'd seen a ghost. Eventually, his finely shaped lips parted and one single word emerged. "Mate."