The Human Luna

Chapter Twenty-Five - Her Stillness, My Guilt

Thomas POV

Shannon and I collapsed onto the picnic blanket; hot and sweaty, I could still feel the ecstasy from the moment pumping through my veins. It was the most amazing feeling. Now she’s mine. Forever.

I turned my head to look at her. She had drifted to sleep cwtched up against me, breath soft and even, lips parted slightly. She was breathtaking. How is it possible to love someone as much as I love her? My chest ached with it. I brushed her hair back gently, unable to resist lowering my lips to her neck. I licked her mark, sealing it, and she moaned softly in her sleep — feeling the bond even while unconscious. That sound nearly undid me all over again.

Wrapping the picnic blanket tighter around us, I let myself savour the moment — the warmth of her body curled against mine, the mingling of our scents, the bond pulsing faintly where I had claimed her. Then a sharp snap of twigs shattered the peace.

I shot upright, every muscle tensing, Atticus bristling beneath my skin. My instincts roared, and I scrambled into my boxers and trousers, scanning the shadows. And then I saw her.

Verity.

What the hell was she doing here?

She emerged from the trees with that false innocence plastered on her face. All she seemed to do lately was stalk me like a desperate pup, but after the way she had spoken to Shannon… my blood boiled. I had warned her. One more step out of line and she’d be gone from this pack.

“Can I help you, Verity?” My voice came out low, edged with Atticus’s growl.

“I—erm, Thomas. I thought I could keep you company tonight. I went to your office but some of the warriors said you came this way, so I… followed the candlelit path.” She smiled nervously. “I didn’t think Shannon would be here.”

My hands clenched into fists. “Why would my mate not be here, Verity?”

“She’s not your mate, Thomas! She can’t be. She’s weak. She doesn’t deserve you.”

The words cut through me like poison. Atticus surged forward before I could hold him back. My eyes burned gold as my voice dropped into a feral growl.

“Verity. You will leave now. If you speak one more word against my mate — your Luna — I will not hesitate to rip your throat out right here, right now. Do you understand me?”

Atticus’s presence wrapped around my words like a snarl, and Verity flinched, her mask cracking. For a heartbeat, I swore I saw something darker flash in her eyes — a glint of malice, not fear. But then she whimpered and ran, retreating into the trees.

I exhaled hard, forcing Atticus back down. My pulse thundered with the urge to chase her, to finish this once and for all. But then I turned, and my heart steadied. My angel still slept soundly, wrapped in our blanket. Fragile. Precious. Mine.

I scooped Shannon into my arms, feeling her weight settle against me. She was warm but limp, her head lolling against my chest. The mark at her neck pulsed with a soft glow, our bond weaving tighter. She looked so small, yet so powerful. My Luna. My forever.

I carried her back to the pack house, mind-linking a few Omegas to fetch our things. They obeyed gladly, though I rarely asked them for personal tasks — Shannon’s kindness toward them had shown me just how much we’d taken their loyalty for granted.

When I reached our rooms, Jade and Stefan were sprawled across the sofa, eating our food and watching our television. They jumped when I slammed the door shut behind me. I laid Shannon gently in bed — she didn’t stir, just sighed and curled deeper into the blankets. That unsettled me more than I admitted.

In the living area, I turned to my friends. “So, you’ve been here all night then?”

“Well, we thought you wouldn’t mind since you were, uh, busy,” Jade smirked.

“Yeah, well Verity turned up, didn’t she?”

“What?!” Jade’s jaw dropped, disgust plain on her face.

“Yep. I got rid of her, but she’s been talking about Shannon like filth. I don’t get it. Shannon’s done nothing wrong.”

“Then banish her already,” Jade snapped.

“You know I can’t. An Alpha has to be fair. One incident and a few stupid words aren’t enough to exile someone.”

Jade’s eyes narrowed. “Fair or not, if I catch her hurting Shannon, I’ll rip her head clean off.”

“Even Atticus threatened to rip her throat out tonight,” I admitted.

“Good on him,” Stefan said.

They moved toward the door, then stopped. “Wait… what’s that smell?” Jade sniffed the air, then gasped. “Oh my goddess! You mated her, didn’t you? Did you mark her?!”

I couldn’t hide the grin stretching across my face. I nodded, and Jade squealed, bouncing up and down.

“I’m made up for you, bro,” Stefan grinned. “Do you think we could whip up a quick Luna ceremony tomorrow under the full moon?”

I shook my head, sobering. “No. I don’t know how her body will handle being marked. She’s human, it could drain her. I won’t risk her safety.”

“Fair point,” Jade admitted. “At least we’ve still got the first shift ceremony.”

“Yeah. Now get out.” I chuckled as I guided them out the door, locking it behind them before sliding into bed beside my angel.

I woke to the most intoxicating scent imaginable. Her scent. My Luna. I nuzzled into Shannon, breathing her in. She hadn’t moved all night. Her body was still curled in the exact same position I’d placed her. I frowned and checked the time. 11 a.m. She’d been asleep for almost fourteen hours.

“Dude, where are you? You were meant to be here at 9!” Stefan’s mind-link jolted me. I leapt from bed, threw on joggers and a shirt, and raced to the stadium. Today was the full moon. Everyone was busy preparing for the shifting ceremony.

But even as I inspected towels, water, spare clothes, and warrior posts, my thoughts kept circling back to Shannon. Her stillness. Her silence.

By the time I returned that night, dread coiled tight in my gut. The door creaked open to reveal her exactly as I’d left her — same position, same expression, as though time itself had frozen. My heart plummeted.

“Doctor Bane,” I mind-linked urgently. “Please, come to the Alpha room. It’s Shannon. Something’s wrong.”

She arrived minutes later with Nurse Hilary and equipment. “How long has she been asleep?”

I swallowed hard. “Since last night. After I… after we mated. And I marked her.”

Doctor Bane’s eyes flashed with fury. “Why wasn’t I called sooner?”

Shame clawed through me. My angel lay there helpless, and I had been fussing over preparations instead of noticing. “I—I was out all day. The ceremony—”

Bane silenced me with a raised hand, then checked Shannon’s pulse, temperature, and breathing. Relief softened her sternness. “She’s stable. My guess is her human body is adjusting to the bond, to being marked as Luna. It isn’t uncommon for humans to shift slightly toward wolf traits after a mark. She may even gain abilities.”

She packed her things but left me with a warning. “If she hasn’t woken in a few days, we’ll need to move her to the hospital. For now, let her rest.”

As the door closed behind them, guilt swallowed me whole. This was my fault. I had pushed her too hard, too soon. She trusted me, and now she lay trapped in a sleep she couldn’t wake from.

I showered quickly, forcing myself back to the stadium. The pack needed me. But as I stood tall, watching the stadium fill with families, warriors, and young wolves trembling with anticipation, my chest ached with longing.

All I wanted was to run back to my room, to hold her, to beg her to wake up.

But I was Alpha. And duty demanded I stay.

Midnight came quickly. As the moon reached its highest peak, silence fell over the stadium. The shifters began to strip down, their breaths sharp and unsteady, nerves palpable in the air. Then the screams began.

The first c***k of bone splintered through the night, followed by others in quick succession. It was a grotesque symphony—bones grinding, snapping, realigning. Some of the teens cried out, others retched onto the grass, their bodies convulsing under the strain of the transformation. The scent of sweat and blood mingled in the cool night air, making my stomach twist.

Every instinct in me screamed to rush forward, to comfort them, to bear their pain for them. But I couldn’t—not anymore. Years ago, a mother had been mauled by her son during his shift. The memory of her screams, her scarred body, still haunted me. We’d sworn since then to never intervene, no matter how unbearable it was to watch.

A guttural scream tore across the arena before melting into a low growl. My head snapped toward the sound. A young man’s body convulsed one final time before fur rippled across his skin, his form stretching into something magnificent. When he finally lifted his head, I froze.

A light grey wolf. Rare. Striking. His fur shimmered like smoke in the moonlight. Only once or twice in my lifetime had I seen a wolf like that.

Gasps rippled through the crowd, whispers following. I could already imagine David Rye obsessing over the boy, determined to uncover what set his wolf apart.

More wolves followed, shifting quicker than most, relief etched on their faces as they shook out their new forms. Then, at the very back, a girl screamed—a cry sharper, more piercing than the others. Her body twisted, her bones snapping like brittle twigs, until finally…

She stood on trembling legs, a wolf unlike any other. White fur glowed like snow under the moonlight, her eyes blazing with an otherworldly violet.

My breath caught.

A true healer.

The stadium buzzed with disbelief and awe. Gasps, murmurs, even tears. Our pack hadn’t seen a healer in a century. Doctor Bane herself was grinning ear to ear, her usual stern composure broken as she looked upon the girl. For a moment, hope shimmered brighter than the moonlight itself.

The light grey wolf, the boy from earlier, suddenly grew restless. His nose lifted, catching her scent, and before anyone could stop him, he bounded across the field. He nearly bowled her over in his haste, tail wagging furiously, whining like a pup as he pressed his muzzle against her. Laughter rippled through the crowd. Of course. Her mate.

It explained everything—the rare light grey wolf, drawn to the healer as if the goddess herself had written it into the stars. They would do great things together, I could feel it in my bones.

One by one, the other wolves finished their transformations. Some stumbled into their mates’ arms, others walked away with lonely, searching eyes. The ceremony had always been bittersweet—joy for those who found love, quiet despair for those who did not.

When it was over, I helped gather the discarded clothing, folded towels, and leftover supplies. Warriors guided the weakest home, their arms steady around shaking shoulders. I lingered, making sure everything was in order, but my heart wasn’t here. It was elsewhere.

By the time I returned to my room, the stadium had emptied and the packhouse had grown quiet. I slipped inside, the weight of exhaustion pressing heavy on me. But when I reached the bedroom, my chest constricted.

Shannon hadn’t moved. Not once. She lay exactly as I had left her, still, fragile, the steady rise and fall of her chest the only thing reassuring me she was alive.

I crawled into bed, gathering her into my arms, pressing her close as if I could anchor her back to me. Her scent wrapped around me, intoxicating, grounding—but it wasn’t enough. Not tonight.

I buried my face in her hair, eyes squeezed shut, and prayed.

Moon Goddess, please. Let her wake. Don’t take her from me. Not now. Not when I’ve finally found the one thing I can’t live without.

The stadium’s echoes faded into silence, leaving only the thrum of her heartbeat against my chest. I clung to it as though it were the only thing tethering me to this world.

I needed her to wake.