The Luna of Lunas

Chapter Three: Sweetpea I

[Imogen’s P.O.V]

I’ve been living at the Olympic Moon Pack nearly two months now. I was released from the hospital just a few days after waking up. Dominic and Gavin – Alpha and Beta Black, the older man and the familiar man who had been with me in the hospital – wanted me to stay longer, but I hate being cooped up inside. I feel trapped.

The conversation that followed my waking was awkward to say the least. No one could seem to spit it out, so I did it for them. The existence of werewolves didn’t come as a shock to me. I always knew there had to be something else out there. I had also been trekking through the forests of Washington State long enough to see things other humans hadn’t. Or maybe they had and just rationalized it. I know I did. At first, I thought the USA just had really big wolves. Dominic and Gavin had a good laugh at that one.

I learned that the reason why the wolves never followed me before was because they were pack wolves with orders not to engage. The burning smell came from rogues, and when they smelt like rotting meat and had red eyes it meant they were feral. Normal rogues are still rational, still human in a sense. I wasn't a threat to them, so they left me alone. The feral rogue that attacked me that night attacked simply because I was there. Feral rogues have lost their humanity and are driven by violent instinct.

-

I’ve been spending a lot of time with Gavin. Turns out he had been looking out for me the whole time I was in the forest. I am grateful, but he is a little too protective for my liking. He hates my cabin because, according to him, it’s too far into the forest for me to be safe. However, I love it and so does Faolchú. He can roam the forest whenever he wants and come home to sleep on the couch, bed, or really wherever I am. He seems to be enjoying pack life. I have adjusted but didn’t enjoy it at first. That was until I found my work. Once I told Gavin that I had been working with children separated from their parents in disaster zones for the last few years, I got assigned to work in the pack orphanage. I was confused at first. I guessed that in a community of wolves, working with children was one of my only transferable skills, then I learned that in the wolf world orphans usually are a result of violence. Then it made sense to me.

I love these kids. I was surprised to see so many children at first, since I was told they hadn’t suffered an attack in a while. It was then explained to me that Olympic Moon takes in children born to rogue parents. If they found the parents and they were non-violent rogues, they would be allowed join the pack and reunite with their children. If not, the children were put up for adoption within the pack. I was told that adoption is not very common as many wolves find their mate and start their families early. I had a feeling that there was something else they weren't telling me, but since I was new to the pack, I didn't want to push the issue. The orphanage is quite full and we don't have much help. Not that I mind. I like chaos.

-

“Miss Gen.” I hear a little voice come from under my hammock.

The pack gifted me a hammock after I had my first nightmare. Well, it wasn’t my first nightmare, but it was the first time the pack experienced it. I woke up that night surrounded by the wolves that had been on patrol. Somehow, they heard me screaming in my sleep and came running. It took me an hour to convince them that I just needed to sleep outside, and I would be fine. It might seem odd that I sleep outside when I’m scared, but I hate feeling trapped inside. My hammock arrived the very next day.

“Miss Gen, Al-paa needs to see you.” I look down to see Maisy playing with Faolchú’s ears. Maisy is a four-year-old girl at the orphanage but, as far as I understood, her parents weren’t dead, just... useless.

“Peas, it was a big wolf mission”. Maisy wants to be a big girl so much I often had to convince her to act her age. She gives me a toothy grin, clearly proud of herself. I had no choice but to respond to her mission.

-

I was just entering the packhouse when I heard screaming.

“SHE IS NOT MY MOM!” Something went crashing into the wall. “SHE CAN’T TELL ME WHAT TO DO!” More crashing.

Dominic comes running with a woman I’ve seen quite often lately. It didn’t take me long to find the source of the commotion. A teenage girl that looks very much like Gavin comes running after them, throwing everything in sight.

“Imogen, I’ll be right down” Dominic calls as he’s now running back across the hallway at the top of the stairs.

More crashing. This is a mess. I do the only thing I can think of. I give a strong, hard, whistle, stopping everyone in their tracks and even calling some of the Omega’s out of the kitchen. The young girl that was the source of the commotion is now sitting on the stairs. Peeking at me from under her hair. Such a childlike action for someone her age. It reminds me of what some of the kids I worked with do when they want to tell me something but don’t know how.

“Imogen, I called you here to see if you could, eh… tutor my daughter. She seems to” I cut Dominic off right there. Disrespectful maybe, but I am not a wolf.

“Need guidance?” I ask.

The Alpha and that woman he is always with nods. I look at that girl again, she's scared. I need this girl’s trust and I can’t get it if she thinks I’m a puppet of her father.

“May I speak with her alone, Alpha?”

-

[Duncan’s P.O.V.]

“Yes, I did what you suggested and contacted someone to help Sarah” my father tells me over the phone.

“Who did you get? The people with the phone numbers I gave you are willing to help and know how to bill me”

“Son, I asked someone else.”

“Who?” I asked, frustrated. I asked my father to do one thing. I have had numerous messages from pack members telling me how much of a handful my sister has become. I had contacted some specialists I know could help her, my father just had to pick one.

“Remember the human we took in about two months ago?”

“Yes… but does this have to do with…”

“Son, I asked her to help. She has a way with… children facing these issues… she can help.”

I was intrigued when my brother Gavin called to ask my permission to take in a human. He seemed quite taken with her. Then again, he wasn’t the first one of us to fall for a human. If my father was asking her for help, she must be something quite special.

“Fine, you’re sure she can help?”

“Yes son. She’s speaking to her right now. She’ll be gentle. It’ll be okay”

-

[Imogen’s P.O.V.]

“Look, I don’t know who you think you are, but someone my father just picked up off the street isn’t going to just…” I cut her off there.

“Look girlie”

“Sarah, my name is Sarah” she interjects.

“Fine, Sarah. Your father asked me to help and given everything he and your brother have done for me, I’m going to try. So why don’t you sit down, shut up, and tell me why the h*** an Alpha’s daughter is acting like a spoilt brat.”

“No one has ever talked to me like that before,” she said, suprised.

“Maybe that’s part of the problem.” I tell her, earning a smirk from her, but I can tell it was not in bad faith.

“My mother died.”

“I’m very sorry to hear that.”

“She died five years ago and since then everything went to s***.” She looks at me as if I’m going to chastise her.

“I don’t care what words you use as long as what you say is the truth and you mean it.”

She continues to tell me her story. How she was only ten and no one really explained what had happened. Her brother coming home from university early to take over as Alpha, since her father had nearly lost his mind with the loss of his mate. Her world was falling apart around her and no one in her family even stopped to check in on her.

-

“I had just gotten used to how things were and then he brings her home and suddenly he is happy again. I want him to be happy, but he just brought this woman into my life and all of a sudden, she is acting like my mom and telling me what to do.”

“I don’t think this is really about…” I start but realize I don't even know that woman's name. Odd considering how much time I've spent with Dominic and Gavin.

“Clara” Sarah fills in the blank for me.

“Thank you. I don’t think this is about Clara.”

“Then why do I hate her!” she exclaims.

“You don’t hate her Sarah, you’re angry. You’re angry at your father and your brothers. You’re in pain and no one is paying attention.”

She just looks at me from under her hair again. So many things poor Sarah did are so childlike.

“Sarah, I need to talk to your father.” Her eyes widen with panic. “Don’t worry sweetpea, I promise I won’t tell him anything you told me. He can’t even Alpha command me remember, I’m human”. I wink at her and she laughs. Alright, I’m getting somewhere. “I just need to ask his permission for a few things. He’s still this pack's leader, you’re still his daughter, and we’re in his house. It’s just a respect thing, I promise.”

“Imogen?” Sarah calls out to be as I turn to leave.

“Yeah sweetpea?”

“No one has called me that since my mom died” she says softly.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t realise. I can stop if you want.” She nodded as I started to walk away again.

“Imogen?”

“Yes Sarah?”

“I don’t mind if you call me sweetpea. I actually kind of like it” she says, looking a little embarrassed. “I just don’t want her to call me that.”

“Don’t worry, sweetpea, that name will just be for us.”

Sarah smiled softly.