One Week Luna

***Major Trigger Warnings for: abuse, s****l assault, talk of suicide. If any of these topics make you uncomfortable, then you need to skip this book!*** Alli finished straightening her wavy hair as Leeland called up to her, “We leave in five minutes!” Shit, Alli thought as she swept her dark auburn hair behind her ears and studied herself in the mirror. Hair was straight and in place, no makeup, because he didn’t like her looking like a w***e in front of other guys, although she lightly applied a tiny bit of concealer to hide the dark, tired circles under her eyes. She cursed herself for getting lost in her thoughts while she got ready to head out for the evening. Daydreaming had become somewhat of a bad habit, but she treasured the moments when she got to live inside of her head instead of her reality. Leeland had come home from the repair shop in a sour mood and told her that they were going out for the night and to be ready to leave in half an hour. He needed a drink. Alli knew that she was in for a rough night. They went down to Rusty’s Tavern when he felt like getting drunk. She was expected to come along and hang off his arm like his buddies' girlfriends did. He didn’t allow Alli to drink because drunk girls were asking for it, Leeland always liked to say. So Alli would spend the night drinking soda and pretend to laugh at his jokes while he got plastered. Then they would come home from the bar later tonight and he would accuse her of flirting with the other guys despite the fact that she knows better than to even speak to another guy. It was the flimsy excuse he used to get violent on nights like these. She almost wished he would just get it over with now. If she was going to take a beating, she’d rather be able to just stay home for the night and nurse her wounds in peace. She let out a heavy sigh, fixed a small smile on her face and headed down the stairs to Leeland. Leeland smiled as he saw Allison coming down the stairs to him. Her small frame was clothed in a simple, fitted black long sleeve shirt and blue jeans. She looked good but not slutty. She knew what he expected. Good girl. “Let’s go, Allison,” he said as he held the door open for her to pass. He saw himself as an old-fashioned gentleman. At 28 years old, he needed a woman who knew her place and what was expected of her. He had spent almost the last five years molding Allison into the perfect companion. He made his corrections to her clothing, appearance, and demeanor until she had become this perfect arm candy that walked next to him today. He rounded the truck and opened her door, helping her step up into the cab. He was a gentleman after all. Jason sat in the dingy red leather booth and downed the rest of his beer in three large gulps. He liked coming to these human dive bars. The lights stayed low, the beer stayed cheap, and the women were easy. As the Alpha of the Juniper Hills Pack in Arizona, he never had a problem filling his bed each night, but he enjoyed the one-offs he could have with human women. They were always so impressed with his size and stamina, he enjoyed the ego boost that came along with the easy screw. His Beta, Paul, sat next to him in the booth staring at the half full glass of beer sitting on the table in front of him. Jason knew he hated these places and was only here out of duty. They weren’t in any danger of getting drunk off a few beers due to their high metabolism, still Paul only liked to have a couple of drinks tops to keep his wits about him. “Cheer up Paul! The night is young!” Jason said with a hefty laugh. He liked to pick at Paul for his serious attitude. “We could have been home by now. We’re only a little over two hours away. If we just continued through the night…” Paul pleaded with Jason. He could be back at the packhouse with his mate Frida in his arms. But no, they just had to stop for the night in this tiny town at this shithole bar so that Jason could get laid. He knew Jason had a different Omega for every day of the week. He didn’t see the point of prolonging what should have been a day trip back from the neighboring Desert Sands Pack. They took a quick weekend trip to discuss some joint business opportunities in the area and now Paul was watching drunk humans in cowboy hats grind against each other on the dance floor. “Quit your bitchin’, Paul.” Jason was quick to respond. “I’m gonna need about five more beers and to find a pretty little thing to take back to the motel tonight.” Jason laughed while watching Paul’s head drop a little at the statement. “Good grief man, live a little! I’m gonna grab another beer.” Jason said, sliding out of the booth. As he headed to the bar he watched the people dancing, looking around for a tall blonde. Those were always his favorite. He passed the last booth right before the bar when his wolf, Seth, started to yip. Seth had been acting more moody than usual tonight for some reason. Seth enjoyed the hunt for his next good time just as much as Jason did, so Jason had no idea why Seth had been pestering him to the point that he practically had to block him. What the hell, Seth? Jason growled in his head as a strong beautiful scent struck him. Mate! Seth yelled back to Jason through their link and started pacing in his mind. Jason continued his short walk until he met the bar top. He was in human territory and needed to act accordingly. He couldn’t just run up to some human woman and claim her as his mate like he would in a Pack setting. He stood next to the bar and searched the nearby crowd for the source of the enchanting scent. He surveyed the booth closest to him. Three guys sat in the middle with two girls at each end of the booth. The guys were laughing like they had just heard the funniest joke ever told, but the girl at the furthest end from him sat silent with a small smile plastered on her face. Her straight dark hair framed her small round face. Her dark brown eyes seemed a million miles away. She’s human! Mate is human... Seth stated almost as a question. Jason turned away, slowly facing the bar before flagging down the bartender. He quickly ordered another beer and waited. Damn, he thought. Jason had never been completely sold on the idea of a mate. He liked his bachelor lifestyle and the freedom that came with it. He had hoped if he ever did find a mate it would be a blonde with big t**s and legs for days. Ones that he could wrap around him while he plowed into her. Jason shook his head a little at the image and grabbed the beer the bartender had placed in front of him. He threw some cash on the bar top and walked back to his booth while he pondered his next move. Alli sat next to Leeland as he told Jim and Daniel a story of some ‘i***t woman’ who came in for a car repair. She only needed a spark plug cleaned but he’d convinced her she needed a new timing belt and a transmission flush. They laughed at the gullibility of the poor woman while Alli sat still trying to look invested in the conversation. The laughing died down as they each took another sip of beer. Jim started talking about a new horse he had been looking at buying for his ranch when Leeland reached over and grabbed Alli by the back of her arm right above her elbow. He dug his fingers into her arm as she tried not to flinch. Leeland leaned over a little and whispered “Could you quit eye f*****g Jim while he’s talking?” in a low, menacing tone. Shit. Here we go, she thought. There was no point in arguing with him when he got like this. The last time she tried to tell him that he was wrong she got a cracked rib for her efforts. She had long since learned that it was easier to just apologize for whatever she was being accused of and she might just walk away with a few bruises instead of broken bones. At 6 feet tall, with short blonde hair, and blue eyes, Alli never understood why Leeland would be so insecure of himself around his friends. Jim was a pushover who always wore a trucker hat to hide the fact he was starting to go bald. He had skin like leather from being outside in the sun all day on the small horse ranch he owned. His friend Daniel looked kinda like a meth head. He was just as tall as Leeland but he was skin and bones with greasy, long brown hair. Alli looked at Leeland and then darted her eyes downward. “I’m sorry, I only want to pay attention to his story.” She said in a quiet voice. Leeland let go of her arm and she let out a small breath, feeling relief from the pain. She took in a long breath and blinked away, the tears pooling in her eyes. She should have just stared at her empty soda glass instead. Except last time she did that he had yelled at her for acting like a b***h with somewhere better. Why can’t I figure out what I need to do to avoid the pain? Why do I always make the wrong move? She cast her eyes down toward the middle of the table and thought of the pain that awaited her when they returned home. Jason sat in his booth with Paul and stared at the back of his mate's head. Human… He took a long sip of his beer. Human… “What’s got you so quiet all the sudden?” Paul asked, eying him suspiciously. “Hmm? Oh nothing. Just enjoying the ambiance!” Jason said quickly, snickering at how much it would annoy Jason. “Yeah, ok. Nothing like the smell of rotting wood, cheap beer, and sweat.” Paul said bitterly as he finished his own beer. These old rundown bars always had the worst smells. As a wolf, it was like an assault on the senses. “Guess I’ll grab another,” Paul said, sliding the empty glass away from him and standing to walk towards the bar. Jason took a break from Paul to chat with his wolf, Seth, about what they should do about his mate situation. Do we really want a weakling human for a mate? Jason asked Seth. It wouldn’t be my first choice, Seth growled out, but he had to admit that even the back of her head was kinda pretty. Damn mate bond. Okay, so do we want to just reject her and get this over with? I can just follow her when she goes to the bathroom or something. Jason proposed. Hmm, let’s watch and think for a little bit longer. Maybe she could come in handy. Seth said slowly. Come in handy? Like how? What use is a human to us? Jason asked, confused. How did I get paired with such a dumb human? Jason scowled internally at Seth’s comment. Ok, Seth. What am I missing? As much as it annoyed Jason when his wolf talked down to him like this, he knew Seth was one of his best assets. Seth was a cunning wolf. Always priding himself on being two steps ahead of everyone else. Jason had his moments but there was no denying that Seth was a majority of the brains of the operation. We were just thinking the other day of how to gain favor with the werewolf King and Queen. We have one of the strongest packs in the state, hell in this part of the country, but it feels like we aren’t getting the recognition we deserve. Seth pointed out. And having a human as a mate and Luna would definitely make us stand out. Jason finished the thought. He thought back to the last conversation he had with the Alpha at the Desert Sands Pack. The werewolf Queen was a wolf-fae hybrid. She apparently had a soft spot for interspecies couples. They had heard about an Alpha up north who had just taken a witch as his Luna. Jason shuddered at the thought. However, the Queen and King apparently visited the pack and actually attended the Luna Ceremony. Jason smiled at the thought of the King and Queen visiting Juniper Hills as Paul returned to the booth with a beer in hand and took his seat. “You finally pick your date for the night, Jason?” Paul asked, noticing the grin on his face. “Actually, I’ll do you one better.” Jason said, gaining a quizzical look from Paul. “I found us a Luna.” “What?!” Paul asked in utter disbelief. He had known Jason since they were kids. He wasn’t what you would call romantic. He was very much into the ‘hit it and quit it’ mindset. Paul had always secretly thought that Jason would reject whatever mate he may be lucky enough to find. Paul had found his mate on his 18th birthday. Frida had just turned 18 the month before. It felt like the moon goddess was rewarding him for putting up with Jason up to that point and given him some joy in life knowing that he would be Jason’s Beta for years to come. As the years went on, Paul thought that maybe Jason wouldn’t find a mate, goddess knows he’d make a lousy partner. Or maybe he had found one and already secretly rejected her. Jason had turned 22 a few months back and showed no signs of changing his playboy ways or attempting to find a Luna. Rumor had it that he would most likely take a chosen mate by age 25 in order to sire an heir. But Paul wasn’t convinced. Jason had always told him that even if he had a child he would want to keep his Alpha title for as long as possible. It was no secret to Paul that Jason loved the power and control that came with the title. “Where is she?” Paul asked, looking around the bar. “The first booth, the dark-haired woman with her back to us,” Jason answered before gulping down his beer. Paul turned in the booth and looked back towards the bar. There was a dark-haired woman sitting with three other guys and another woman with short curly brown hair sitting at the other end of the booth. “I caught her scent when I went for my beer.” Paul looked back at Jason with a questioning look. “We’re in human territory, I couldn’t just run up to her and say mine, now could I.” Jason explained, answering Paul’s silent question. Paul thought back to meeting Frida and the intense wave of love and longing that consumed him the first time he caught her scent. Your mate’s scent was like their own personal perfume that only a mate could scent out, drawing you to them like a magnet. Like grabbing a tee shirt they wore that day and taking a deep breath. The smell of your mate was intoxicating and pulled you towards them. “She’s human.” Paul said, smirking a little at the moon goddess’s sense of humor. Jason was no doubt struggling with that fact. “No s**t, sherlock.” Jason replied, confirming Paul’s suspicions. “What are you going to do?” Paul questioned, apprehensively. He suspected that Jason was going to reject the woman. Either way, as a human, the situation was a tricky one. It was highly unlikely that she knew werewolves actually existed. If he rejected her, she would need to accept the rejection by stating that she, too, rejected him as her mate. That sounds like an awkward conversation. But he supposed it would be just as awkward having to tell a human that not only do werewolves exist, but now you’re mated to one. “Hmm. Still working that part out.” Jason mused, finishing off his beer. “I’ve picked up plenty of women in bars before but I’ve never had to convince one to come back to a werewolf pack.” So he was going to really take her back to the Pack and make her Luna! If it weren’t for his strong werewolf hearing he might have thought he was mistaken in what Jason had just said. As he stared at Jason mulling over how to convince the girl to come home with them, his wolf, Angus, moaned in his head. I don’t like this. This just doesn’t seem like Jason. It’s weird he wouldn’t just reject her. Paul continued the thought. I know and I’m surprised at how little the mate bond seems to be affecting him. Remembering his pull to Frida. “Looks like it’s ‘go time’.” Jason said, pulling Paul from his conversation. He looked back over his shoulder to see the group crawling out of the booth. Paul mind-linked Jason as they slowly stood up to follow the group. What’s the plan? Jason gave a low growl through the link in return and Jason looked from him back where the girl was standing. He saw that she was short, maybe 5’5 and the taller blonde guy standing next to her placed his hands on each of her hips and moved her in front of him while they walked towards the exit. No one should be touching mate! She’s ours! Seth growled in Jason’s mind. I agree. We will be the only male that ever lays a finger on her after tonight. She belonged to him and he was going to take what was his. Let’s keep some distance, but we’re not leaving without her. Jason mind-linked Paul. Paul shook his head quickly in agreement as they slowly followed the group out the front door. We need to be smart about this, Jason. Paul linked back, gaining a sideways glance from Jason. We can’t just take her. Jason was starting to get pissed at Paul. He knew he couldn’t just toss her over his shoulder and walk away with her like he wanted. Paul treating him like an i***t wasn’t helping the situation. They watched the woman walk to a black pickup truck with the blonde guy trailing close behind her. He opened the passenger side while she crawled in and he shut the door. “Next time you’re buying!” The blonde guy called out to one of the guys wearing a trucker hat who was climbing into his own blue pickup truck with the curly-haired girl. “I know, I know!” the guy called back to him. Let’s follow them home. Maybe we can catch her alone tomorrow or something once we know where she lives. We can talk to her then. Jason linked Paul. With that, they headed over to their black SUV and followed the black truck through the small town.