Luna’s Inevitable Mating Quandary

Chapter 2

They were both over six feet tall, with Jeremy being at least half a foot higher than his sibling. John, her boyfriend, was the other guy. He had hazel eyes and jet-black hair and was only slightly shorter than Jeremy but somewhat taller than Sonia.

They were werewolves, too, making them pack members. However, due to their low social standing, they claimed to not give a hoot about what others thought.

They would think what they wanted to think of me.It was a terrible and wonderful day when I first met them. When they embraced me, it felt like one of the greatest achievements of my life because I had no idea how they would react.

Even though I had only known them for a month, that didn't seem to matter to them. Like my cousins can at times, they made me feel like I belonged with them, and that made me happy.

John, please don't refer to me as Astro; that's not even somewhat connected to my name.

He laughed at his own joke as soon as he had said it: "No?

I think it's very fitting for an astronaut to spend the entire class floating through space."Sonia smacked him again and laughed at him, saying, "Honestly." She finally asked, "Why do I even bother to deal with you again?"

He delivered his stock response to her agitated inquiry: "Because the moon goddess said that we were destined to be together forever, and therefore you're head over heels in love with me and find me irresistible." Because she asked that question so frequently.

She squealed with delight as she stood on her tiptoes, drew him in for a brief kiss, and then said, "Oh yeah.

That must be it.""Blech, can you wait until I'm not around to do that?" Jeremy grumbled. We four chuckled at our normal routine.

"Hey Bet, do you want us to give you a ride home today, or is your cousin here?"I said, "No, Sean is probably already waiting for me, so I should hurry up. See you guys next week." Then I started running for the door.

"What?"John and Jeremy yelled after me, "Don't you mean tomorrow?" This caused me to jerk to a halt and spin around to face them.It's like, "What are you talking about?

"Sonia's tone was as if she were speaking to a toddler or a sluggish adult when she introduced the event as "The Harvest Moon Gathering."

I slapped my hand to my head and yelled, "Oh, my goddess! I can't believe I forgot about that."John laughed at my surprise and said, "Good thing you have such good friends who will remind you; that way you can be prepared at least a little in advance."

With a sneer in my voice, I said, "Har-har, very funny."I hissed at him half-jokingly, half-seriously, "Ouch, rein it in, Astro."

I made a break for it and rushed for the parking lot, dodging people along the way. Sean was waiting for me in his Jeep 4x4.

Having him around was like having a doting older brother, and most of the time it made me quite happy, even if I never told him so.

As soon as I got within growling distance, he barked, "You're late."I said with displeasure that was only partly directed at his impatience, "Sorry, I was talking with a couple people after class. Good thing too, because they reminded me of something."He laughed and asked, "Oh yeah?

What did they remind you about?" He must have considered it unimportant.I totally forgot about tomorrow night's Harvest Moon Gathering.

How could you possibly forget about that, Betty?It's not my fault I forgot about a break in tradition, especially since I'm normally kept out of the loop anyway.

"Well, this is the first time that we are gathering for the harvest moon; we usually only gather for the hunter's moon, not both."

Most of the pack stopped treating me like I existed after I turned eighteen. Honestly, if it weren't for my monthly stipend and tuition payments, I'd start to worry that Grandpa had forgotten about me, too.

But then again, he might just be letting his secretary deal with everything and be completely unaware.

With a grin on his face and a chuckle in his voice, he climbed into the Jeep and said, "Come on, Bet, let's go." I knew then that he would be there for me like a brother, no matter what.

I asked him as we were leaving the city and heading for the compound, "Why is there a gathering tomorrow, anyway?" The pack calls it a compound, but in reality it's merely a vast gated community filled with pack members' families.

The compound was surrounded by woods on two sides and backed up against mountains in the distance.

To the south of the compound, winding around the foot of the mountain, was a river. We had built a stronghold for ourselves out of the natural resources available to us.

The only people who didn't reside in the facility were the outcasts, defectors, and those who left voluntarily for more freedom (usually fresh adult males).

It was the most secure method of keeping humans at bay while keeping ourselves hidden.Because of the possibility that other pairs can form their mate bonds at the gatherings, all unmated members of the pack are required to attend.

Mated members are welcome to attend because it is a gathering and it would be unfair to exclude anyone.

I thought to myself, "Well, that explains why Sonia and John are going; they're already mated." I moaned, "But, honestly, why do I have to go?

We all know that I am not going to be his mate. I don't have a wolf, so I can't form a mate bond."Automatically, he informed me, "You don't know that, Bet." When I was younger and feeling down, he would tell me this. There was a time when I was truly upset with myself or my mother for not providing me with a wolf.

Nothing can be done at this point, so I will simply have to make the most of my marginally improved life and hope for the best.Angrier than I meant to, I said, "I am not human, and I am not a wolf.

I don't belong anywhere. Just ask Grandfather."To my amusement, Sean snapped, "Yeah, well, sometimes I would like to tell ol' Gramps where to shove that holier-than-thou pride of his." He'd always felt the worst about the way Grandpa treated me.

Unlike his brother, who was six years older than me, he was only two years older than me, likely because of my two cousins.

Mark matured and moved on with his life, but they both loved me. He'd even settled down with a wife and a new house in the compound.

"Still, Sean, we both know that no one is going to mate with me, and even if they did, they would just reject me anyway."He was taken aback by my statements: "You can't reject a mate bond, Betty.

You know that."I joked, "Oh, I know, but that doesn't mean they wouldn't try to reject me. They'd probably rather go unmated for life.

They'd start the first order of Buddhist monk wolves."He muttered, "That's not funny."I answered him, "Actually, it is, and you know it. There isn't a single man in this pack who would take me as a mate."

Klaus's POV

As my assistant, Mark, gave me his reports, I sat at my desk and listened. He was so good at what he did that the reports were generally much longer than necessary.

He could relay all the data in less time, but the value of the additional information was unclear.He told everyone about the city's restless, free-thinking wolves.

He told me that there was rumbling among the neighboring pack, who had much less area than we did, of an uprising and an attempt to seize control of my people and territory.

There were rumors that a group of witches and warlocks operating independently had set up shop in our neighborhood.

The elderly and the historical records agree that we haven't seen anything like them in nearly twenty years.

Mark was so conscientious and skilled at his work that I almost made him my beta; after all, his grandfather was my dad's beta.

However, his family couldn't escape the cloud of negativity that followed them. They couldn't run away from it since the girl was still there to remind them of what had transpired. I really felt sorry for the guy.

And he was bright as a whip; he was the very best wolf available to serve as my helper. I just wish he wouldn't ramble on for hours at a time. Ugh!I moaned, "I will not need an entire night just for that.

I will know within five seconds if anyone in the group is my mate."When asked about how to best interact with the elders, one respondent said, "The elders seemed to think you should spend some time alone with each one of them if possible, but as much time with the group as a whole if not."

I finally exclaimed, "If they're not my mate, then spending more time with them won't change anything at all.

These glorified speed dating traps they've set up for me won't change anything at all."Mark temporarily abandoned his professional persona and grinned at my annoyance, saying, "Hey, don't snap at me; I'm not the one who set all this up, all right?"

I had to remind myself that he was a friend and that he wasn't to blame for this.I couldn't control my escalating wrath. For weeks, I'd been on edge because I knew things would only get worse.

Put me in a fight with another pack, and the possibility of my death wouldn't stop me from joining in.

If you tell me a rogue is trying to unseat me as Alpha, I will not hesitate to knock him down a few notches. If I am informed that a warlock has abducted a human child and must be eliminated in a stealthy and effective manner, I will immediately go to the spot.

But tell me I have to go out and mingle with a pack of wolves who are all laughing and thinking they could be the next Luna or the next one to warm my bed at night.

They believe they have a shot at me, financially or socially. No matter the cause, the result would be the same. They would remain consistent throughout. Women were shallow, inconsequential beings who would use you for their own benefit and then go without a trace.I don't want a partner because of this.

Self-interest is all that matters to women. Perhaps his mother was one of the few who didn't agree with him. Before that happened, she was, without a doubt, the most powerful woman on the planet.

A mere shadow of her former self, she was now She never moved from her seat, staring into space like a catatonic vegetable.

She drooled all over herself as she sat staring out the window. She had not made a sound or shown any sign of life.

Never again, not after the treachery that killed my dad seven years ago. A woman who cared solely about herself was betrayed.

There was no way I was going to let someone like that destroy my pack again.