His Possessive Luna

Chapter 1 — Jane's POV (edited) "Sweetheart, you're going to be late for school. It's already seven, get up!" my mother calls from downstairs. I hate nothing more than Monday mornings. Everyone does — back to school, seeing again the faces you don't really like but life demands you endure (gosh). After getting up, washing, and changing, I sit at the table, ready for breakfast. My little brothers talk nonstop. Why are all younger siblings like that? I'm not a morning person — I hate everything for at least an hour after I wake up. Maybe nothing's actually wrong with my brothers; maybe it's just me. But I really don't want to hear about how one of them scored well on some unimportant test, with everyone marveling at his "genius," while the other one nags and throws tantrums like a spoiled brat. I wish I could escape to some faraway land. Breakfast finally ends and we're on our way to school. After dropping off my brothers, my mother turns left toward mine. We live in a beautiful green valley, ringed by sky-high mountains and lush, fertile fields, with pleasant weather and breathtaking scenery. Our valley is one of the most famous tourist destinations in the world. The weather today is good. After a light rain last night, the mountains look clean and settled — especially the tallest one, which stays half-covered in snow through summer and turns fully white in winter. Everything here looks otherworldly beautiful — even the people. We belong to the Green Valley Pack, named for our valley. We're one of the oldest and most respected packs in the world — once very powerful, though poor leadership and bad decisions by our ancestors cost us much of that power. Our wolves are considered the most attractive of all the werewolf population. Inside info: some of them are also mean and vicious, especially the ones at my school. We reach the school. "Try to be open to people, make some new friends," Mom says. The most ancient, repetitive line of my life. I'm an ambivert with exactly three friends, and most kids my age seem to collect them by the dozen, which makes my parents wonder if I have some kind of social anxiety. I'm just uncomfortable in social situations and prefer being left alone. "There you are — I've been looking everywhere for you!" I turn after closing my locker. My friend Ray stands there with an armful of books. She's brilliant, one of my toughest academic rivals — and my best friend. I can't imagine my life without her. She's also seventeen, a few months older than me. Petite, five feet tall, long black hair, no single striking feature but attractive overall, and straightforward to a fault. "Did you hear about the new Lit teacher?" Of course I didn't. "Nope, tell me." "He's younger than the last one, and he seems hostile. In his first class he scolded and insulted some of the juniors terribly. Everyone's saying he's vicious." As if our juniors are angels, I answer. Everyone hates their class — no wonder they get scolded so much. "He's from the Great Falls Pack," Ray adds, "but he carries himself like he owns the place." Nothing great about that pack. They're famous for being two-faced. We walk into the classroom, and there's Mance — my family friend and my personal nightmare. I really can't stand him, especially the way he acts possessive over me. Sometimes I wonder why my parents ever befriended his. "Hey Angel, why didn't you come to dinner?" I hate that name. Or maybe I just hate him calling me anything at all. "I was working on the Geography project," I answer, hoping he'll take the hint and leave. He doesn't. He launches into a full recap of dinner and boasts about his barbecue skills. Someone, please make him stop. The door opens. The teacher walks in and everyone takes their seats. The class is unbearably boring, and I sleep through it with my eyes open. At the café, Ray and I are joined shortly by Jo and Amelia — both 5'1". Jo is brown-skinned with gorgeous, envy-worthy skin and short curly hair; Amelia is light-skinned with silky black hair, cute, and easily the kindest, most caring person I know. Ray and Amelia are already marked and engaged. I don't think their fiancés are good enough for them — if it weren't for our tradition of marking and engagement right after your first shift, they'd have found someone better. Fated mates, meanwhile, are actively discouraged in our pack — the strangest thing you'll ever hear about werewolves. School lets out and we get a group assignment. Thankfully my friends are my project partners. "Let's work on it tomorrow," Ray says. I hate working weekends, but fine. "Okay, see you then," I say, and head home. My parents are already deep in some discussion when I arrive. I greet them and go straight to my room to change. "Dinner is served, sis! Come down!" Cole shouts at full volume. Some days I wonder if I live in a house or a zoo. Mom's made lasagna — my favorite. We do our usual dinner-table chat, and Cole and Will start bickering again, right on schedule. Dad looks exhausted but still makes time for us — talks with us, kisses us goodnight, then disappears into his office for more work. Dad is the Beta of our pack, responsible for everything and everyone in it, and it shows in how little he sleeps. He's a powerful wolf — 6'2", muscular, dark-skinned — with an aura stronger than any Alpha we've met, including Uncle James, our pack's actual Alpha, who only holds the title because he's older than Dad. Everyone in our family is stronger than the average pack member. Something in the bloodline, maybe. After dinner I help Mom with the dishes. I inherited her looks — my figure, my hair — but my eyes are Dad's, and I'm proud of that. Mom is originally from the Diamond Falls Pack, married into ours through a pack alliance. She's adapted so completely that she's loved and admired like she was born here. When we finish the dishes, Mom brings me a cup of hot chocolate, and I head up to work on my assignment. I doze off before I get far. I'm exhausted.