The Reincarnated Luna

Intruder

I felt a small flush roll over my ears and attempted to change the subject. I didn't want Sam to think I was immature and got jealous over a man I just met.

"Who's your mate?" I blurted out without thinking. Sam's face immediately lit up with her eyes going wide. 

"Come come, I'll show you! She's beautiful!" Sam's large hand engulfed mine as she drug me into a giant room that has multiple rows of tables and chairs, with tons of natural lighting cascading from the wall of windows. Across from the wall of glass were four lines that went up to small serving windows. Sam lead me past the lines to a small group of tables that were bunched in the corner and we stopped behind a small plump woman with short dark brown hair and fair skin, she was a complete contrast to the large almond-colored woman pulling me.

"Cora dear, I want you to meet someone." The woman immediately spun around with a beaming smile spread crossed her chubby face and her eyes never leaving Sam's. I don't think I have ever seen someone look at another person with so much love and affection. She didn't even spare me a glance. 

"This is Eli's mate. The one we came back with." Finally, her gaze drifted to me and her eyes grew wide as if she had just broken out of a trance. She jumped up from her seat and wrapped her arms around me.

People here really enjoy hugs, don't they?  I mentally complained to Selene and somehow I could feel she was also uncomfortable with all the touching.

"I'm so glad you finally made your way to us! We've been looking for you for so long!" She didn't take her hands off me, but she took a step back and gave me a once over.

"It's weird I always pictured you taller." She giggled, causing me to also laugh. She had this air around her that made me feel giddy. We all walked into the food line together, and I ended up getting a turkey sandwich with how bad my nerves were. Once we sat back down Cora started eyeing my plate.

"How do you keep those curves by eating so little? You're so lucky!" Sam pushed her shoulder.

"That's not something you say to people you just met!" She was chuckling.

"No, no! It's okay!" I exclaimed. "That really helped me feel better about my self-esteem. Since coming here everyone seems to have such high hopes for me when I don't even know anything about this world." 

The people at the table grew silent until Cora piped up.

"You're already doing really well. I also came here fleeing the Colonies when I was very young, and Sam Here helped me understand everything. I had never met another of my kind before then." She turned her loving gaze toward Sam and squeezed her hand from crossed the table. 

I hope to have such a loving relationship one day. My face started to hurt from smiling. I hope I get the chance to spend more time with them.

"You would have that if  you would give Eli a chance, he would never do anything to hurt you."

Doesn't the mate bond still let you have some form of free will? It's kind of wrong to force someone to love another person, especially one I've only known for a couple of days. 

I felt Selene draw back from me.

I didn't mean it as if you were controlling people. I'm sorry I'm just processing a lot right now. The thought of not knowing what emotions are real and what ones are just the mate bond drawing me to Eli is absolutely terrifying.

"I would never force anyone to feel something against their own will. The mate bond is just amplifying a natural pull that every living being is born with. Humans have soul mates, just as werewolves have mates. Eli is your perfect match who complements and completes you in every way, but that doesn't mean that you won't have negative feelings toward him. Your emotions are your own."

I'm sorry. She was gone. I couldn't feel her there anymore.

"Alora." Sam peered down at me snapping me out of the haze. "Everything okay in there? I know it's still touch and go with your wolf." I cleared my throat and noticed everyone had already left the cafeteria and it was just Sam, Cora, and me left. Cora's brow was furrowed and she was looking at me intently.

"I'm okay. It's just very weird to have another being living in your head that is also somehow you. We weren't taught much about the way Amaruq's work, let alone how to be one." I looked down, ashamed that I use to think of werewolves as bloodthirsty monsters. A tiny hand chubby rested on my shoulder.

"It's okay. Being raised in a biased society is understandable. I also believed every lie the Colonies fed us." Cora met my timid glance with a reassuring smile.

"I understand that, but at some point it becomes my responsibility to go out and learn things for myself. It's up to me to find out the difference between the truth and lies. If you just blindly follow what the government tells you you'll never be anything more than a pawn in their own sick game." My face twisted with disgust realizing how much power the colonies really have. Teaching children from birth that the Amaruq's are all just rabid beasts. How many of them will grow up and hate themselves? Or how many of them will grow up hating a race for no reason? 

A swift poke jabbed me in between my eyebrows.

"You're even cute when you're surprised." Eli chuckled as Lilly plopped in my lap. 

"Let's go." She started to tug on the front of my shirt.

"Where? Okay okay, we're going." I laughed as I acted as if I was being dragged from the chair by little Lilly. Everyone chuckled as she led me to the side door of the cafeteria. 

"Eli showed me this! C'mon!" She continued to tug, and now her little feet were scrambling down the cobblestone path and through the small garden outside the lunchroom. We rounded the corner of the building to see a giant array of trees and plants. At first, it was hard to tell what I was looking at but once my eyes adjusted I realized I was looking at a playground made entirely of vegetation. I let go of Lilly's had as she ran toward the swing set. I was completely awed by the sight. 

"We use genetically modified rapid-growing trees and mold them over the course of a few weeks.  While we obviously had to do some sanding to the trees and add a few things like the chains for the swings. One day we're hoping to be able to comfortably engineer a plant to grow into a home."

 I was in complete shock. Everything in the Colony is strict and cement; industrialized. Never once have they invested their time and resources into things like this, or into a refuge for the affected population. It has always been the strong will survive.

"The goal is to be able to plant seeds and within a couple of months have the proud shells of temporary shelters. Who knows how many more houses will be destroyed as this war continues. With this at least we can provide things for the families even while we aren't there. The third round of prototypes are being planted later this month if you'd like to come with me to the lab." Lilly came running back up to us and pulled Eli's hands out of his pockets, pulling him toward the playground. Then she also grabbed my hand, tugging hard.

"Let's go!" She huffed putting all her strength into trying to get us to move. She started to stomp and dig her feet in the mulch, trying to gain traction. Eli smirked and glanced at me, raising his eyebrows.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" I dug my feet into the dirt, kicking off and sprinting as fast as I could to the swings. I then realized Lilly was human. I had no clue how fast I could actually run until all of my surroundings were blurring and whizzing past me. Trying to play it off, I tripped myself and landed on the ground hard. I heard Lilly's little footsteps stomp past me as she squealed in excitement that she was going to win. 

A hand was thrust toward me followed by a warm chuckle.

"Nice save." Eli's beautiful, smooth, tan skin absorbed the sunrays that were beaming down on him. Of course he hadn't even broke a sweat but here I was on the ground covered in mud. I noticed that I had been starring and hastily took his hand trying to cover the small blush that was creeping up my face. I had forgotten about the mate bond until a jolt of electricity traveled over my skin from his touch. A shiver ran down my spine causing a slight gasp to slip past my lips. I would have assumed Eli didn't feel it if I hadn't noticed his eyes slightly widening.

He's very good at hiding his emotions, isn't he?

"Fin has always had those qualities; I had to learn to read his emotions from the smallest gestures a long time ago."  It seemed as if Selene was smiling but there was a small hint of sadness to it just as Eli dropped my hand. 

"You're really cute you know. Always putting your all in everything you do." He reached toward my face, causing me to freeze.

"You even have grass in your hair." Warm prickles followed the trail of Eli's fingers as they grazed past my cheek. He was struggling to get it untangled as his fingertips brushed against my neck. I couldn't tell if he was doing it on purpose, but just having him this close to me was driving both Selene and I crazy.

"Alpha!" Denver yelled from the corner of the building drawing our attention. Eli immediately moved to block me in a protective stance. Nia was following close behind the very stressed Denver. 

"You need to look at this." Eli's face was unmoving and expressionless as he took the holographic emitter from Nia and made the news article pop up. There bursting out of the tablet-like screen was the bold letters "Minister's Daughter Slaughters Family and Kidnaps Little Sister."

I immediately whipped around checking to make sure Lilly was still in the sandbox. She wasn't.

"Lilly!" I yelled frantically dashing toward the small box. I saw movement out of the corner of my eye in the patch of trees to my right. Footsteps started to close in behind me, but no one could catch me as I dove into the forest focusing all my energy on finding her.An unknown feeling overcame me as Selene tried to breakthrough. I took a quick inhale to steady myself only to catch a weird smell. I could only describe it as Tiger Lillies. I skidded to a halt, inhaling deeper this time and closing my eyes. I drowned out the screams behind me and listened.  

I slowly blocked out every sound that she deemed unimportant. The forest went mute as every small molecule began to quiet down and become deadly still.

 I was a spider on its web, waiting for something to send vibrations it's way. I felt a small ripple erupt from a butterfly's wings then bounce off of the tree it was taking off from while at the same time hearing the echo of a small twig snapping a ways away. 

"That was too heavy, most likely a deer."  Selene whispered.

 I nodded, searching through the newfound sounds and senses in the forest I was connected to. It seemed like I had combed miles until I turned my attention back toward the playground. A tiny whisper of a giggle was carried past as if it was riding on the wind. My eyes snapped open as I tore my shoulder from Eli's grasp and darted back toward the playground. Weirdly I hadn't felt his contact at all. Not a single tingle or flush. Once the playground came into view I seen Lilly round the slide giggling. I hooked my arms under hers, pulling her up to my chest before I had even fully stopped running.

"Al?" Lilly's voice was muffled and I held her tightly and surveyed the surroundings. 

Inhale, exhale. 

Once again the noises of nature slowly faded away as I honed in on what I was looking for. The only larger vibrations I was picking up was Denver and Nia's heavy feet. Eli's movements were quiet and precise. If I didn't see him with my own eyes I would have thought it was just an echo or winds stirring the plants. 

"Lilly where did you go?" I continued to scan the surrounding area.

"One of Alec's friends was here. He said he'd take me to see him if I wanted." She was completely oblivious.

"Let's get inside." Eli commanded emitting a powerful aura. He didn't wait for my response before he scooped me up into a full bridal carry.