The Blue Moon Luna

Chapter Four: Noah

[Christian’s P.O.V.] – Blue Ridge Pack

Leah is handling this all extraordinarily well. She hasn’t run away yet or thrown a fit telling us we’re liars. She just sat there, taking it all in. I’ve noticed that she is almost too quiet when she thinks she goes quiet. Every now and then, I think I catch a glimpse of her nuzzling into my hoodie. It seems to happen most often when she’s overwhelmed by what we are telling her. It was my father’s call to get her to wear something of mine. Even though she isn’t aware of the mate bond, my scent will still soothe her.

I could have sworn I saw a flash of excitement or hope when the concept of mates was explained to her. Sometimes I catch a faint smell of her arousal, particularly when I meet her eye. I keep telling myself not to get my hopes up, that she could still go running for the hills. She may be doing well, but I notice that she shuts down a lot, and when she feels exposed, she grips whatever she’s wearing tightly around her like a shield. It doesn’t take an expert to know that something terrible has happened to her. I mean, I found her on the side of the road in nothing but a nightgown.

However, I also know that the mate bond is working its magic. She’s become more open to me and even seems comfortable with my father. It’s as if she knows this is her home, her family, but she isn’t quite ready to trust that something so good could be real. That it could last.

-

“I’m going to shift now.” I grasp her shoulders so she looks right into my eyes. I need to impart the seriousness of not running. Noah has been going wild in my head. He has promised to be on his best behavior and not scare her off with his enthusiasm, but I also know that if she runs, the chase will prove irresistible to him. “Leah, please do not run.”

“I won’t.” She says with odd but comforting confidence. I know I have to trust her, just as she trusts me. This is the real test. Everything we told her could be rationalized. She may very well still think we’re lying, but this is the proof she needs.

“Noah, I swear to the goddess if you scare her, I will not let you out for months,” I warn my wolf in my head. “Let me meet mate!” he insists, painfully tearing at me to get out. “Noah, I am serious. She’s human. She won’t be used to seeing a wolf. Let her come to you.” “It’s mate. Mate will know me. She’ll know what to do.” “If you don’t promise, I will ask my father to shift. Do you want Noel to meet your mate before you do?” The threat of my father’s wolf, Noel, meeting Leah first seems to have done the trick. With a grumble, Noah agrees to my conditions and settles down.

‘Are you sure we should be doing this now? Should we give her more time to adjust?’ I mindlink my father—confidence fading with every second that Leah is looking at me suspiciously.

‘She needs to see her son. I have a feeling people have been lying to her for her entire life. She needs the full truth from you, not just now but always.' My father shuts off the link and then gives me a nod. He stands behind Leah, ready to catch her or react to whatever response she has.

I walk a few more paces away, wanting to give her as much space as possible. I see my father whisper something to her. A spike of jealousy passes through me. It’s only my father, but still, we wolves are possessive of our mates.

In an instant, I shift into Noah. My clothes are torn to shreds, but I don’t care. I don’t think undressing in front of Leah would have been the best move. Noah shakes off his fur, happy to finally be unleashed. I warn him once more about going slow, and to my surprise, he takes a few steps and then lies down on the ground, trying incredibly hard to contain his tail.

“Mate is beautiful,” Noah whispers in a tone dripping with admiration. Seeing her through his eyes, she is even more beautiful than before. Wolves are simpler than us humans. They only see what is right in front of them and do not allow doubt or insecurity to get in their way.

“Noah...” Leah’s beautiful voice seems like it’s dancing on the breeze. I realize it must have been a whisper as she’s still so far away. Noah’s tail starts to wag furiously. He is so elated hearing our mate say his name. I try to tell him to cool it, but then I stop. A giggle. I heard her giggle.

-

[Leah’s P.O.V.] – Blue Ridge Pack

Christian seems uncertain. He keeps looking at me and then moving further back. I can’t explain why, but I need to comfort him, to tell him that he has nothing to be concerned about. I can hear how ridiculous it all sounds in my head, but some voice is telling me to stay put, that my destiny is staring me right in the face and if I want the life I’ve always dreamed about, all I have to do is stay.

“His wolf may be pretty excited to meet you,” Samuel comes to stand beside me. “You do not have a wolf, so in a way, you are both the wolf and the human’s mate. Though, if I know Christian, he is probably giving Noah a stern warning.” Samuel chuckles to himself.

“Noah?” I ask, confused.

“His wolf. Our wolves all have names.”

“So, you name them? Like a dog?”

Samuel lets out a deep, hearty laugh. “Not quite. He will shift soon. You might hear some noises that make you uncomfortable, but trust me, he is not in any pain.”

I go to ask him what he means, but then a sickening sound of bones cracking and crunching reaches my ears. Instinctively, I touch my right arm. I’ve heard that sound once before when my own arm was broken. How could anyone expect me to believe this sound does not accompany pain?

Involuntarily, my eyes drop to the ground, then I hear something. That ugly sound is replaced by… whimpering? Is that whimpering? I look up to where Christian formerly stood to see a light-grey humongous beast in his place. Perfect blue eyes that I recognize greet me from the middle of his massive face. They’re a little darker, but I would know those eyes anywhere.

I want to call for Christian, but for some unknown reason, the name to cross my lips was Noah's. It came out as a whisper of disbelief, but I know he can hear me. The wolf’s ears perk up, and his nose twitches. Suddenly, I am aware of just how big he is. S***, what if I made him angry? Then, the wolf’s tail starts to beat into the ground, it’s… wagging.

A giggle escapes me before I can stop it. I should be scared. I should be terrified. This wolf was unnaturally big. He could eat me in one bite if he wanted to. Yet, I feel strangely calm.

“You can go up to him if you want,” Samuel tells me kindly. “I will tell you what he’s saying.” I hesitate for a moment, then, almost as if against my will, I start walking toward the wolf, Noah. His deep blue eyes watch every step I take.

Just as I reach him, Noah lets out a loud huff, causing me to stumble back a bit. My confidence is fading as I take in just how big he is. I reach out and touch his snout using my last shred of courage. Whining, Noah nuzzles gently into my hand. I reach out my other hand and stroke the thick fur behind his ear. It’s surprisingly soft, almost like velvet. I wasn’t sure what I was expecting, but it wasn’t this gentle giant.

“Noah wants to know if he can sniff you,” Samuel’s voice breaks me out of my trance. I c**k a questioning eyebrow at him, and he laughs. “Wolves are very sensory. Every person has a scent, but our mates’ scent is the most attractive, the sweetest.”

“So, I smell sweet to Christian and Noah?” I try to take a discrete sniff of myself. I haven’t showered in days. I smell anything but sweet. “What do I smell like to you?”

“To me, you smell pine needles.” I scrunch my nose up at Samuel’s confession. I smell like a tree, really, a tree. This day couldn’t get more embarrassing. “To Christian, however, you smell like the forest here in the first dews of the morning and sweet violet blossom.”

It takes a moment for Samuel’s words, well Christian's, I guess, to sink in. It sounds so poetic, so romantic. I look at the giant wolf giving me puppy dog eyes. My fear evaporates, and it’s replaced with kind affection. I am filled with a rush of overwhelming emotions that I can’t contain. Tears fall from my eyes. Noah whines again, pushing himself further into the ground. His expressive eyes are so full of pain.

“It’s not you, Noah,” I coo, embracing his head and running my hands through his fur. That one gesture was enough for him. He slowly stands and gingerly starts licking the tears from my face, immediately making me laugh. He really is just a puppy dog. “Hey Noah, I do want to spend more time with you, but do you think I could have Christian back? I want to talk to him about some things.”

Slightly disappointed, Noah acquiesces. He disappears behind the treeline, and Christian emerges wearing nothing but a pair of shorts. I can’t tear my eyes away from his torso. It’s as if someone chiseled him out of marble, every muscle perfectly defined. Everything I wanted to say drops out of my head, leaving me as nothing but an empty vessel of dirty thoughts.

“I think I will give you both some privacy,” Samuel gracefully excuses himself. I barely notice his leaving. That familiar heat pooling between my legs is taking over everything. Christian gives me a cocky grin, and then it hits me. He can smell me. He can smell…

“You’re going to have to stop doing that if you want to just talk.” Christian smirks.

“Can you… do you…” I stutter, needing confirmation of my shameful theory.

“Yes, I can. Werewolves have heightened senses, especially our sense of smell, we…”

I cut him off right there. “Werewolves?! As in all of you? So, if I’m… all of you know?”

Christian lets out a melodious laugh, and I blush bright red. “Oh, Leah, I’m sorry. I forget all of this is so new for you,” he apologizes as my embarrassment turns to anger at his reaction. “Another shifter might be able to smell it if they’re close enough and you’re aroused enough, but because I am your mate, I am more in tune with your… needs.”

That last word causes blood to rush to my face again. This is the worst day. I turn away from him. I can’t take anymore. All of a sudden, I feel his warm arms around me, pulling my back into his naked chest, his hot breath on the back of my neck. My blood rushes to a whole different part of my body this time. A low growl rumbles through Christian’s chest as he gently nips my ear. He’s so tall that I feel a noticeable bulge pressing into my lower back.

“Leah, my resolve is hanging on by a thread. I really need you to control yourself. You have no idea what you’re doing to me.” His voice is throaty and deep. Another flash hits me, and he groans, a mix of pain and desire.

“I think…” I struggle to find the right words. My brain is starved of oxygen as I forget to breathe having him so close. “I think I need some time to myself to get… this… under control.”

Christian manages to tear himself away from me. I finally can turn to look at him. He’s sweaty and perfect, but a look of hurt flashes across his face. “I’m not rejecting you,” I reassure him. “I just need time to understand all of this.”

“So, you’ll stay?” hope lights up his eyes.

“Yes. I’ll stay.”