Our Beloved Luna

Vina and Her Protector

Back to Present Day

As Riot and I trotted up to the cottage now, I smiled, thinking about how much we had done to improve our little home. When we first arrived, it was hanging on by a thread. Busted windows, hanging doors, broken furniture, no appliances. Weeds and overgrowth had completely overrun the entire property. While a young Thatcher did all the work on the house to make it livable, I spent my time weeding and planting both flowers around the house and crops in the field. All of which has flourished now. The white picket fence around the cottage was wound with roses. A barn off in the distance housed Riot and some livestock like pigs, chickens, and cows. We were almost completely self sufficient out here. Thatch only needed to run into town for the groceries we couldn’t supply ourselves... and booze.

I hopped off Riot’s back and went into the barn to make sure he had enough water and hay, attaching a new salt lick to the edge of his gigantic stall that took up half the barn. Chickens hopped around my feet as I checked for eggs before heading back to the cottage. As I walked through the door, I turned the stereo on full blast, selecting some Britney Spears to jam out to while I had the house to myself.

This was my haven. A cozy little home with mismatched furniture and very little décor, but it was ours. Thatch had become quite the woodworker and had practically built everything on his own. The appliances in our home were hand-me-downs, but they were sturdy and reliable. After we found the cottage, Thatch approached the Alpha the next day to be granted permission to stay on his land. Looking older than he actually was, the alpha at the time, Alpha Apollo, didn’t question a young werebear wanting to live on his perimeter. It granted him more protection on that edge of the territory, as werebears were vicious protectors and unmatched warriors.

It was several weeks before Thatcher felt comfortable discussing my existence with Alpha Apollo and explaining that we wanted to be members of the pack, but we had to live on the outskirts of pack life. Alpha Apollo met me that one time, understanding our need to lay low.

As I slapped ingredients to make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches on the counter, I was swaying my hips to the music and using the butter knife as a microphone. My secret ingredient was my own mixed berry preserves, made from all things grown here at our farm- and d.amn if it didn’t make all the difference in the world. I was pulling thermoses out of the cabinet when giant hands jabbed into my sides.

"GOT CHA!"

Flashback

I was twelve. Knowing Thatcher was in the field, I was heading back to the house after gathering eggs and feeding our livestock. I remember looking across our land with a sense of pride, knowing that even as young as we were, we did this… together. I suddenly felt a presence and tapped my powers (still pretty undeveloped at that time). I felt anger- just raw and unorganized. It immediately sparked my fear and I could tell Thatch picked up on it.

Gen? What’s wrong? Echoed in my head.

Immediately followed by a new young female voice: Run. Now!

I dropped everything I had and tried to will my legs to move faster when I saw him. A ratted, mange-ridden muck brown wolf was barreling toward me from the treeline near the river. Without a wolf, I simply couldn’t keep up and felt my heart enter my throat as I felt him closing in. He was feral. A rogue wolf. There was no rhyme or reason to him. As he closed the gap, I tried to prepare myself for what was about to happen.

His paws left the ground and his snout wrapped around my left shoulder. There was a moment of stillness where I saw his teeth practically levitating over my flesh.

But that moment quickly ended as I felt his fangs sink savagely into my left shoulder, his momentum toppling us both to the ground- teeth grinding deep into my flesh, which was now flowing freely of blood.

The young, female voice was in my head again. FIGHT GENEVIEVE!

I didn't wait for the pain to hit before shoving my left hand into his snout and my right fist into his eye socket. I used my nails to dig into the tender parts of his face until I could feel his blood running down my arms. He lessened his grip ever so slightly on my shoulder and in that instant I felt the air rock as Thatcher's bear, Theodore – or as I call him, Teddie-- slammed into the feral wolf, immediately beginning to rip him to shreds. The pain in my shoulder hit me full force, mixing with Thatcher's own emotions of unchecked rage, adrenaline fed protectiveness, and failure. I tried to send him something to reassure him I was fine, but then my eyes rolled back in my head and I blacked out before crumpling to the ground.

I had barely lost consciousness when I felt something warm and wet dragging across the pain in my shoulder, lessening the sting to a tolerable ache. It was healing me. I sat slowly, seeing the most beautifully stunning wolf I had ever laid eyes on, retreating back to an equally effervescent woman. She stood tall and thin, with black hair pooling around her shoulders and dropping to her waist in soft waves. Her blue eyes were so light they barely held color at all, but they shone brilliantly and matched the shimmering dress that seemed to be floating on top of her skin, moving magically around her in dancing ripples. She smiled gently at me and helped me to stand.

"Do not be afraid, Daughter. I know you have had quite a shock, but you are safe now."

"Goddess?" I asked, realizing we were in another realm. We were standing in the middle of nothing. But we stood firmly on top of water that stretched forever around us, only to meet the horizon of the most gorgeous sky I had ever seen. The water under us was black and unmoving, other than the rippling of our movements- otherwise it was reflecting the dark sky filled with purples and blues and dipped in twinkling stars and planets.

The Goddess smiled at my recognition and drew me close to her chest, laying her head on top of mine. "Yes, my child. I've been waiting a very long time to see you again." I furrowed my brows in confusion when the wolf's head popped out from around the goddess. Even though young, my head barely reached her shoulders.

I took a closer look at the wolf when the Goddess stepped aside and gestured me toward her. In this darkness, she glowed. No- she sparkled. Her fur was the lightest color of molten gold, but the silver hairs throughout her coat caught any light presence and reflected it back like little diamonds. She c****d her head to the side, looking me over. Her fluffy fur standing out at attention all around her face. We locked eyes and I couldn't believe it. Her eyes were golden too. With flecks of sparkle making them shine in the starlight. My eyes.

"Are you my...?" I whispered. That couldn't be. I was only twelve.

"Genevieve, this is Vina. Your wolf." She sat on her haunches and I swear she smiled before her tongue flopped out the side of her mouth. The same voice popped in my head, Hi. I smiled incredulously and waved back like an i***t.

SLAM.

Thatcher had entered this realm somehow and was completely oblivious to our company and surroundings, checking me over, inch by inch for injury, talking a mile a minute, apologizing- cursing- lectures starting, all as I tried to shush him and open his eyes to the situation we were in. Finally, I couldn't be patient with him anymore. "THATCHER." Nodding my head toward a snickering wolf and goddess.

"SH!T." Thatch dropped to his knee. "I mean! Apologies, Goddess Selene. My emotions have blinded me."

"That they have, young Thatcher Rome. But for good reason. I did well pairing you two together. I know she is in safe hands, Or might I say, paws." The Moon Goddess brought him to his feet like she had done with me. The water rippling under her steps. His face was confused, looking from me back to her.

"Goddess, is Genevieve my mate?" Hope, I could feel hope in him. I was still confused. My brows bunched further together trying to remember if I had heard anything about mates from my schooling.

But Vina spoke in my head, Mates are the other half of a werewolf’s soul. They are predestined to be together by the Moon Goddess herself. You will be drawn together, and once we have mated and marked each other- we can never be separated. Or we die.

My brows stayed scrunched as I watched Selene's reaction. She had her hand reached up to Thatcher's cheek and was searching his eyes for something. Where she was tall, he was almost seven feet, and towered over the three of us. But her presence was the one thing filling this vast space.

"No, Thatcher. Genevieve is not your mate. But you are connected. During the attack at the orphanage, you searched for her. You found her. You saved her. You did that on your own without any involvement from me. I was seconds away from coming to retrieve her myself, but you intervened. The way you have cared for her and connected to her, regardless of the lack of a mate bond- I would like to make you her Protector."

Thatcher dropped to his knee again, then looked back to me- reaching out for my hand. I was barely four and a half feet tall at this point, a shrimp next to his towering height and bear-like size. I took his hand but held his gaze, waiting for him to explain this to me. He grabbed my shoulders in his massive hands and attempted to explain without scaring me.

"You're too young for me to ever consider you being my mate, Gen. But I knew we were connected somehow. Being blessed as your Protector, or Guardian, as some call them, would give us a greater connection. Right now, I can barely feel your emotions and we must be close to mindlink. This would amplify them both. I would be tied to you for life."

The Moon Goddess continued, "Only werebears are granted the gift of becoming Protectors. But not all werebears are given the gift. They are a rare species, but we haven't had a Protector in over a century."

"This would make us immortal, Genevieve." His eyes were searching mine for any hint of an answer. "Do you want this, Sunshine?"

"No." His entire head fell heavy to his chest. "NO! I mean, not no. I mean, it isn't about me Thatcher. You are tying yourself to me. For what? To keep me safe? You already do that. I won't have you throwing your life away to be stuck with me all just to make me immortal." I was only twelve and feeling the weight of this decision. It was hard enough for me to formulate words to describe how I was feeling, but my priority was Thatcher.

"You are already immortal, Genevieve." The Goddess smiled.

My eyes widened, but I went back to the conversation at hand. "I didn't mean ‘No,’ Thatch. I meant, I want what you want. What do YOU want?" The Goddess smiled and nodded approvingly toward me, looking back to my bear.

"I want to be tied to her. Forever. Mate or not. I knew when that building was burning to the ground six years ago, my life was destined to intertwine with hers. Even if I barely knew her."

"Wait!" I intercepted. "Can Thatcher still find his mate? Even after being blessed?" I didn't want him throwing away his future happiness because he felt obligated to look after me. Selene smiled again and nodded.

"Yes, I have destined a mate for you both, for when the time is right."

Thatcher reached his hands out for mine. I was nervous with butterflies going bazerk in my gut, but I trusted him with everything in myself. I took his hands and he nodded to Selene. Her eyes turned completely white and she held her hands to the heavens. The stars followed her command as they swirled and danced above our heads.

Thatcher was about to rub a hole in the top of my hands in his attempt to comfort me by rubbing circles with his thumbs. But I was too distracted by the beauty of the cosmos following Selene's hands as she descended her blessing down on top of us. I felt a shocking warmth spread over my injured shoulder, as the stars and cosmo dust enveloped us. Thatcher smiled his signature lopsided grin, but lost it at Selene's next words.

"Oh, and Thatcher. This is Vina, Genevieve's wolf. She will be returning with you. As a shifter yourself, I expect you to guide Genevieve through this, since she is very young to be granted this blessing. Do not fail her." I chuckled at Thatcher's reaction at finally noticing the giant shimmering beauty behind Selene. He was ghostly pale. Next, Selene only spoke to me. "She has powers as well, Daughter. But she will grow into them when they are needed. Stay safe. Stay hidden. It is of the utmost importance. I will be watching you Love, always. Until we meet again."

Black out.