The Luna's Revenge

Lexi’s POV The only noise echoing through the night air was the sound of my stiletto heels clicking as I paced around the atrium of the packhouse. I glanced out the window for what felt like the millionth time in the last hour. Tyler was late, again. I had tried to mindlink him, but he had told me earlier he would be blocking mindlinks during his mission. “Lexi,” I heard my sister’s voice behind me. “Come on in to the party. Standing in the hallway is not going to make him get here any sooner.” Ellie was a little over a year younger than me, and her lithe, toned 5’10 frame was nearly identical to mine, except I was two inches shorter. We both had long, chestnut-brown hair, though I usually wore mine down or pulled back in a high ponytail for training, while hers was almost always braided. The only other difference between us was our eyes: I had big blue eyes, while hers were a vibrant green color. I offered her a small smile and wrapped my arm around her shoulders. “You’ll understand one day when you’re older, Ell. The mate bond makes you crazy.” Ellie frowned slightly in return. She wasn’t old enough to have her wolf yet, but she was already one of the fiercest warriors in our pack. Love was not exactly on her agenda. “I hope I never miss a good meal to wait around on my mate!” “You’re just jealous because Tyler got to go out on a mission and you didn’t, baby sis,” I teased. “Don’t worry, your time will come. He’s going to be the Beta soon, and I’m sure he’ll slot you into the best assignments - although I’d much rather you be here and safe….” “Not a chance; I’m training too hard for that.” She narrowed her eyes at me. “Oh look, speak of the beast himself. I’m out of here.” With that, she was gone. Sniffing deeply, I inhaled his scent: a rich butterscotch that I could identify anywhere. I heaved a huge sigh of relief, releasing all the tension I hadn’t even realized I’d been holding in. My handsome mate walked over to me, his wavy brown hair even more disheveled than usual. Tyler was 6’3, and made entirely of muscle. I frowned slightly when I saw he was still wearing basketball shorts and a black tee shirt instead of a nicer outfit for tonight’s pack barbecue party, but the moment he smiled at me, I couldn’t think about anything but kissing those lips. “Hi, baby, how was the rescue mission? Everyone safe and sound?” I reached out to grab his hands, expecting him to lean in for a kiss, but something flickered in his beautiful hazel-colored eyes. Suddenly, he dropped to a knee in front of me. “Not quite, baby. I’m so sorry. I- I- I just had t-to say g-goodbye, Lex.” He collapsed to the ground, holding his chest with one hand and refusing to let go of my hand with the other. I gasped as wounds began to appear all over Tyler’s body: claw marks on his gorgeous face; scratches on his strong, muscular arms, a bite on his neck. His clothes looked ripped and tattered, exposing even more injuries underneath. “No, Tyler, Ty, baby, stay with me, I’m mind linking Connor to bring help.” I frantically yelled, as blood seeped through his destroyed clothes, getting all over my shimmery silver dress. “Goddess, help us!” I cried out. “Ty! Please, I love you!” “Lexi, stay strong, baby,” he choked out. “I love you. I’m so sorry, baby, I wanted a life with you, a family. You’re my everything. This wasn’t my fault. I love you so much.” “Ty, please. Please don’t go.” I laid my head on his chest, sobbing. “I love you.” I interlaced my fingers with his, and that’s when it happened. My Goddess-given mate, the love of my life, my best friend - closed his eyes and took his last breath. A tortured scream escaped my throat as I grasped him tighter. It felt like my heart was being ripped out of my chest. The pain grew worse and worse, and my entire body started to shake as my cries grew louder. I could hear someone yelling my name, but I didn’t dare leave Tyler. Suddenly, everything started to fade away into darkness. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * “LEXI,” I felt Ellie gripping my shoulder and nudging me gently as she said my name loudly. “Lex, wake up, you’re having your nightmare again.” Groggily, I reached for her hand. I grasped her fingers and squeezed them. Ellie pulled me into her arms and patted my head gently, as I sobbed openly, snuggling closer to her. Ellie had been a life-saver since the day I lost Tyler. It had been almost two years since he left me, and for the last six months, I’ve been having the same dream every night. To be honest, the dream didn’t even make sense. Tyler didn’t die on a mission. He wasn’t killed in battle. And I wasn’t waiting for him at a packhouse party like a lovesick teenager. No, the truth is something so simple, so stupid, it’s infuriating. He crashed his car on the way to pick up his best friend, Connor, from the airport after Connor’s most recent business trip. It was a horrific accident; three humans in another car were killed as well. All because Tyler ran a red light. I was at home, reading a book, when I suddenly felt like someone was stabbing me in the chest; like my heart might explode. My head felt as though it was caving in, and I swear fire was surging through my limbs. The pain was so bad that I passed out and woke up the next day in the pack hospital, surrounded by Ellie, Connor, and my parents. Later, I learned that pain was the mate bond breaking when Tyler died. Ellie and my dad both went with me to say goodbye to Tyler before the official pack funeral the next morning. We didn’t stay long. My sister and I are both pack warriors, just like Tyler was, so it wasn’t as though we’d never seen injuries or death before. But it’s different when you’re looking at the completely destroyed body of the man who should still be the sweet, handsome, perfect other half of your soul. I could barely see through my tears, and Ellie and my dad cried, too. Tyler wasn’t the equivalent of a human boyfriend or partner; he had been my fated mate. As werewolf pups, we grow up hearing the mate bond described as a blessing from the Goddess. The Moon Goddess pairs you with your mate from the very beginning, and after you turn 18, you are able to recognize your fated mate. Once you find each other, the mate bond draws you to each other instantly. Their scent will entice you; their touch will ignite sparks on your skin. It’s as though your world shifts and centers around this person, whether they’re someone you’ve known your whole life, or someone you’ve just encountered by chance. Yes, some people choose to reject their mates, but most don’t. Mates are made for each other, perfect halves of a whole soul, selected by the Goddess just for you. Who turns down such a gift? Of course, the part no one ever wants to talk about is the immense pain you feel when your mate dies, and the struggle you go through when you are left to pick up the pieces of your life. Some mates never recover, suffering for the rest of their lives. Others die from the pain. And me? Well, I was determined to be strong for my friends, my family, and my pack. But more than that, I was lucky to be a young, strong wolf with a good support system. Not everyone is so fortunate. “Ell?” I whispered. My tears had finally stopped. “Sorry to wake you up again.” “Hey, hey, it’s okay, big sis,” she said reassuringly. “Your bed is comfier than mine anyway. I’m always looking for a reason to sneak in here.” Ellie hadn’t met her mate yet, but whoever it was would be a lucky man, if he could convince my stubborn sister to give him a chance. Ell was gorgeous, with the softest, smoothest chestnut brown hair that she typically kept braided. On the rare occasion she left it loose, it flowed down to her hips. She had stunning green eyes and was tall, gorgeous with lean, toned muscles, making her a force to be reckoned with on the training grounds and the battlefield. To top it off, she had curves in all the right places. My sister truly lucked out with her goddess-like looks, but it was the sweet, caring persona hidden behind her tough warrior exterior that really made her special. Ellie had always loved Tyler and looked up to him as a warrior and a big brother, but she’d never understood the appeal of the mate bond itself. Her dismissive feelings about mates didn’t stop her from being there for me in my darkest moments after his death, when I couldn’t even feel my wolf and didn’t know if I wanted to go on. She’s truly the best sister. I sat up and hugged my knees to my chest, laying my head on Ellie’s shoulder. “Ell, I think I’m going to try to visit the Blue River Pack’s witch. If she can help me, it’s worth it.” “Really, Lex? I mean, I think anything is worth a try, but do you think she’ll help a stranger?” The Blue River Pack was a neighboring pack, one that was rumored to have a witch healer and even a few vampires on their packlands. Our pack was strictly wolves, and our wolf healers had already been unable to help me, so traveling to meet with this witch was the only hope I really had left. I was crossing all my fingers and toes that she had a spell that could cure me of this curse of a dream I keep having. I couldn’t continue to see Tyler’s mangled body every night in my dreams. Not if I wanted to stay sane. I poked Ellie in her side. “Well, if it turns out to not work, I guess I’ll come back and keep waking you up with my nightmares until you find your own mate.” Ellie groaned. “Lexi, there is zero chance I’m going to accept my mate and you know that. I actually hope he’s an asshole so that I can feel even better about my decision.” Ellie had never wanted a mate, and she’d only gotten firmer in her stance since seeing the pain I’d gone through after Tyler. No amount of telling her about the beautiful parts of our relationship would change her mind. She was a few weeks shy of her twentieth birthday, and so far, she’d been lucky. Whoever her mate was, they didn’t seem to be in this pack. I was determined, though, that I’d convince her to accept him once she found him. My pain was no reason for her to deny herself the pleasure of the mate bond. Once she felt it, she’d understand.