Moonlit Valor

Discovering and Taking Action

Anna wakes up in surprise to her phone alarm blaring at her. Groaning, she slowly sits up and pulls herself from the bed. She knows she should have taken the day off work, but Anna from two weeks ago wasn’t so kind. She pulls on her uniform of a gray shirt with the red 'Jerry’s Food Mart' logo on it and black slacks before sliding on her tennis shoes and heading to the bathroom. There, she relieves herself, brushes her teeth, fixes her hair, and puts on a light layer of natural-shaded makeup. She heads to the kitchen, grabs a granola bar and banana, refills her water, and then heads out the door with a crossbody bag hanging at her side.

The empty driveway doesn’t surprise her, as Anna’s parents are rarely home when she wakes up. Her father almost always meets Alpha Victor for breakfast and meetings at the packhouse. Her mother has to be up early to assist Luna Clarrisa before heading into town to the pack daycare which she manages. Anna makes easy work of the mild walk to Jerry’s, but with every step, she is very aware that her leg hurts more than normal. Truly, most of her body has aches and pains which she isn’t used to.

It might take some time for your body to adjust to the shifts, Ulrika explains.

Feeling a bit uneasy, Anna responds. But will I ever get used to them? Ulrika floods their mind with memories of the previous night, running and frolicking without pain or worry. This soothes both of them, and Anna continues on, reaching the store soon after. She enters the building through the automatic sliding doors.

“Morning Anna,” her coworker Bryce calls to her.

“Good morning,” Anna responds, making her voice more cheerful than she felt. She quickly walks to the back to start her timecard and put on her apron. Then she grabs the awaiting stocking cart and pushes it back into the aisles, heading towards the first section. Although she is two years older than the minimum age to work as a cashier, her manager, Jerry himself, has never offered to train her on it. And truly, it does not bother Anna enough for her to bring it up herself. Stocking and cleaning the store were just as useful for the business to be successful, and she appreciates not having to interact with many people.

For a few hours, she stocks the shelves in silence. She starts with the bread and baked goods section before moving on to the canned items. She is nearly through stocking up on the baked beans when she smells and almost senses something. Turning in surprise, she looks around, trying to understand what is happening. From where she is, she can just see past the aisle to the front door. Just as the automatic doors whoosh to the side to let a customer in, the word mate pops into her head. Then the Alpha’s son Xavier walks into the store.

A panicky feeling like knives jingling around her chest and stomach attacks Anna. She backtracks and races down the aisle, away from the front door and to the break room where she immediately closes the door behind her. Standing up against the back of the door, hands pressing firmly against it, fingers splayed out, she stands and breathes, trying to regain her composure. It almost seems impossible though as she can’t quite seem to slow her breathing. The image of Xavier walking in, his blue jean pants layering his legs flatteringly and his back shirt hugging his biceps and chest. His black hair is thick and shaggy on the top before transitioning into a close fade along the sides of his head. He carefully calculates his steps as he moves into the store. All the while the word mate jumps around in her head.

What are you doing? Ulrika growls in her mind, bringing her back to the present in the break room. That was our mate. Why aren’t we going to him?

It’s...it’s hard to explain. Anna does her best to negotiate with her new companion soul. Xavier is the Alpha’s son and I’m…well I’m nobody. If he finds out that I’m his mate… Anna pales as she thinks about it. Without a second thought, she dives towards the trashcan which is set up beside the break room countertop. Ulrika remains silent as Anna empties her stomach. Once she is done, she carefully wipes her mouth. Then, without much thought, she goes to the door and opens it just a c***k, to stare out and try to locate Xavier.

The Moon Goddess has decided for the two of you to be together, Ulriak says gently. This is not something you can choose or control.

Anna shakes her head at her wolf. Don’t you understand? If he finds out that I am his mate, I guarantee that he will reject me. I’m weak and not able-bodied. I do not have any of the makings of a Luna, and I would not be what he needs to rule the Moonlight Harbor pack. She catches a glimpse of Xavier leaving the store, a bag of snacks dangling easily from his hand. It is better if he never knows at all.

Although Ulrika stays quiet, Anna is sure that she can feel the disagreement radiating through her mind. She brushes off her wolf though, knowing that she could never live through a rejection. Therefore, she is left with just one other option, other than running away, of course.

Now that Xavier is gone, she heads back out to her cart and finishes stocking all the items that need to be placed. She is steady with her work, doing her best to distract herself. Once she finishes stocking, she gets to work cleaning. Soon enough, her lunch break arrives which is normally something that she would enjoy outside under the neighboring tree. Today is going to be a bit different though. Taking bites of her granola bar as she walks, she heads down the street to where she knows a witch lives and works. After just three blocks, she arrives at the witch's place. Ten years ago, the werewolves of the town had been completely against allowing witches to live among them. However, with time, they came to accept the other paranormal creatures and begrudgingly enjoyed their presence. This witch has a palm reading and fortune-telling service which seems to flourish in their pack, allowing her to stay among them. Anna herself has never been inside and hesitates at the door, losing some of her resolve.

To her surprise, and before she can make a final decision, the door opens and a small woman with purple hair, perhaps in her late twenties, looks out at Anna before smiling kindly and gesturing for her to come inside. “You’re just the werewolf I’ve been expecting,” she says in a soothing voice that has a hint of an English accent. With wide eyes, Anna follows the witch inside the building, hoping that she isn’t making a mistake.