Not Your Luna Anymore

Chapter 5 Silvermoon Pack

Moronia

I didn't know where I was going. I had no plan, no destination in mind. All I knew was that I had to get as far away from Heartstone territory as possible.

"It's just you and me now, little one," I whispered, one hand resting on my stomach as I drove into the unknown. "But we're going to be okay. I promise."

The road stretched endlessly before me, a ribbon of asphalt cutting through the darkness. I'd been driving for hours. My hands gripped the steering wheel so tightly my knuckles had long since gone white, and my eyes burned with exhaustion.

Where could I go? No pack would willingly take in an abandoned Luna, especially not one carrying the child of another Alpha. Our world was bound by strict codes of honor and territory, and I was now a dangerous liability.

My wolf paced restlessly in the back of my mind. She was as lost as I was, but her protective instincts were in overdrive. I felt her nudge my consciousness, urging me to find safety for our unborn pup.

"I know, girl," I murmured, one hand leaving the steering wheel to rest on my still-flat stomach. "We'll figure this out."

As the first hints of dawn began to lighten the eastern sky, I pulled into a rest stop. My body ached from hours of sitting, and my stomach growled insistently. I needed food, rest, and a plan – not necessarily in that order.

Slumping in the driver's seat, I pulled out my phone. The screen lit up with a flood of missed calls and messages, all from pack members wondering where I was, what was going on. There were none from Maximilian. Of course not. He had made his choice clear.

My thumb hovered over my father's contact information. Alpha Johnathan Stone, leader of the small but respected Stone Creek pack. We had never been close, not since my mother died when I was three. The loss had broken something in my father, and he had remarried almost immediately, as if trying to paper over the wound my mother's death had left.

I could still remember the day Vanessa and her mother had arrived, how quickly they had seemed to form a perfect little family unit while I was left on the outside looking in. It was part of why I had been so eager to accept Maximilian's proposal, to find a place where I truly belonged.

Fat lot of good that had done me.

With a sigh, I closed my father's contact. Even if he would take me in – and that was a big if – I couldn't bear the thought of crawling back to the pack I'd left behind, admitting my failure to the stepsister who had always overshadowed me.

On second thought, I removed the calling card from my cell phone and dropped it into the lawn on the side of the road. Funny how such a long list of contacts is not one that can be relied upon at the moment. And I have to be wary of Maximilian finding out I'm pregnant. I had no doubt he'd force me to have an abortion.

The good thing is that our partner bond is no longer very effective since he f****d Vanessa yesterday. But I can't just reject him right now. I don't have a lot of medical knowledge, but I do know that rejecting can lead to an abortion, especially in the first few months.

No, I needed somewhere else.

One thing came up in my mind. My grandfather, my mother's father, who had been Beta of the Silvermoon pack. I had visited them a handful of times as a child, before my father had decided it was best to cut ties with my mother's family. And I remembered the Alpha, a tall man with a gentle smile who had always had a kind word for the shy pup visiting from another pack.

What was his name? I wracked my brain, trying to pull the information from the depths of my memory. Rowan. Alpha Rowan.

It was a long shot, but it was the only shot I had. Taking a deep breath, I started the car and pulled back onto the highway. I had a vague idea of where the Silvermoon pack territories were located, and my wolf's instincts would guide me once we got close.

The next several hours passed in a blur of gas station coffee and hastily scarfed protein bars. I drove until my eyes burned and my muscles screamed, only stopping when absolutely necessary. By the time I saw the first signs indicating I was nearing Silvermoon territory, the sun had set once more.

As I approached the pack borders, my wolf grew more alert. She recognized this place on some primal level, even if my human mind only had the vaguest memories. The air here smelled different – crisp and clean, with undertones of pine and something wild and ancient.

A sign by the roadside caught my eye: "Welcome to Silvercrest – Home of the Silvermoon Pack." My heart leapt. This was it. For better or worse, I had arrived.

I slowed as I entered the town proper, my eyes wide as I took in my surroundings. It was larger than I remembered, and far more modern than Heartstone had been. Sleek buildings of glass and steel stood alongside more traditional structures, and I could see werewolves and humans alike going about their business.

At the edge of town, I came to a checkpoint. A burly man in a security uniform approached my car, his nostrils flaring as he caught my scent.

"State your business," he said gruffly, eyeing me with suspicion.

I swallowed hard, suddenly realizing how unprepared I was for this moment. "I... I'm here to see Alpha Rowan," I managed, my voice hoarse from disuse. "I'm an old friend of the family."

The guard's eyebrows shot up. "Alpha Rowan? I'm afraid that's not possible, miss. Alpha Rowan passed away five years ago."

The words hit me like a physical blow. Rowan was dead? My one tenuous connection to this place lost. I felt the beginnings of panic clawing at my chest.

"I... I didn't know," I stammered. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have come. I'll just-"

"Wait," the guard said, his expression softening slightly. "Let me call this in. Alpha Liam will want to know about this."

Alpha Liam? Before I could protest, he was speaking into a radio clipped to his shoulder. I caught snatches of the conversation – "unexpected visitor," "claims to know Alpha Rowan," "seems distressed."

Seem distressed. Okay.

Minutes ticked by, each one feeling like an eternity. My wolf was on high alert now, sensing my anxiety and the potential threat of unknown territory. I was just about to throw the car into reverse and flee when I saw him approaching.

He was tall. Actually he is impossibly tall, with broad shoulders and the easy grace of a predator. Dark hair fell in waves to his shoulders, and even from a distance, I could see the piercing blue of his eyes. He radiated power and authority, every inch the Alpha werewolf.

As he drew closer, I caught his scent. He smelled like pine and woodsmoke and something wild and masculine that made my wolf sit up and take notice. There was something maddeningly familiar about it, like a half-remembered dream.

He stopped beside my car, those intense blue eyes studying me with a mixture of curiosity and wariness. "I'm told you're here to see Alpha Rowan," he said, his voice a deep rumble that sent an involuntary shiver down my spine.

I nodded, not trusting my voice. Up close, he was even more striking. All chiseled features and raw magnetism. I felt a traitorous flutter in my stomach and ruthlessly quashed it. I was here for sanctuary, not to moon over another Alpha like some lovesick teenager.

"I'm afraid my father passed away some years ago," he continued, and I blinked in surprise. This was Rowan's son? "I'm Alpha Liam of Silvermoon. And you are...?"

"Moronia," I said softly. "Moronia-" I caught myself. I couldn't use Maximilian's name, not anymore. "Moronia Stone. My grandfather was Beta here, years ago. I... I visited as a child."

Recognition flared in Liam's eyes. "Moronia? Little Roni?" A small smile curved his lips, softening his stern features. "I remember you. You were that tiny slip of a thing that used to follow my father around like a shadow."

The childhood nickname hit me like a punch to the gut. "That was me," I managed, blinking back tears. "I'm sorry, I know it's been years. I shouldn't have just shown up like this. I can go-"

"Nonsense," Liam said, his tone brooking no argument. "You're pack, even if you've been away. Come on, let's get you settled."

I hesitated, torn between overwhelming gratitude and ingrained caution. "I don't want to impose-"

Liam's expression softened further, but he got a Alpha tone. "I don't like to repeat myself, Roni. Now, follow me."