The Human Luna

Chapter Seventeen - Breakfast with Wolves

When I say this is the comfiest bed I’ve ever slept in, I mean it. It was like sleeping on air, the blanket heavy enough to cocoon us both in warmth. For the first time in what felt like forever, sleep hadn’t been full of nightmares. Instead, it was… peaceful. Safe.

I blinked awake to sunlight leaking through the curtains, painting thin golden stripes across the room. My gaze fell on the man lying beside me, his features softened in sleep. His hair was a wild, tangled mess, strands fanned across the pillow like ink strokes. His lips were pursed, as though he was caught in a dream he didn’t like. Instinctively, I cupped his cheek. Almost instantly, his expression smoothed, tension ebbing away under my touch.

Was that… the mate bond? Could he feel me even in his sleep?

I hadn’t realized until that moment how tightly his arms were wrapped around me. My body was pressed flush against his, and instead of feeling trapped, it felt right. As if we’d been made to fit together. He buried his face into the crook of my neck and inhaled deeply, sparks racing across my skin, streaking down to my very core. Goddess, why did he make me feel like this?

“Good morning, my angel.” Thomas’s voice was low and husky, the sound vibrating against my skin. He pulled back just enough to meet my eyes. “I’ve dreamt of this for six years. Waking up with you beside me… it’s better than I ever imagined. How did you sleep?”

“Amazing. You have the comfiest bed ever.”

His lips curved into a smile. “We do, Shannon. What’s mine is yours — for now and forever.”

The word forever hit me like a stone tossed into water, ripples spreading through me. I managed a small smile. “And you?”

“Better than I’ve ever slept. Having you in my arms felt like a dream I didn’t want to wake from. Let’s stay here forever.”

I laughed softly, then frowned. “When did you put your arms around me?”

“They’ve been there all night,” he admitted. “You were having a nightmare not long after you drifted off. I tried to calm you by holding you close, and it worked. I guess… I just couldn’t let go.” His lips twitched, almost shy. “I was comforted by your scent.”

“My scent?”

He nodded. “A werewolf’s mate has an intoxicating scent that only their mate can sense. It soothes us, anchors us. Yours…” He leaned in, breathing me in again, his eyes briefly fluttering closed. “It’s sweet — cherries and fresh lavender. The best smell in the world.”

Heat crept up my cheeks. I lay there for a moment, thinking about how much had changed. I wouldn’t be going back to my family, to Josh and Meygan. I wouldn’t sit in the cafeteria at school, worrying about exams or whispering about prom dresses. That life felt like a dream I had woken from.

But then panic slammed into me. School.

I sat up, startling him. “Thomas — how will I get to school now?”

He groaned and pulled himself upright, his arms sliding from my waist. “Shannon… you honestly don’t think you can continue school, do you?”

“Excuse me?”

“You’re to be my Luna. I need you safe, here, on pack grounds. Humans can’t protect themselves the way we can. I can’t risk you being so exposed.”

My mouth dropped open. “Thomas, you can’t expect me to just give up school. I’ve already given up so much to be here — to be your Luna. I want to see my friends, I want to finish what I started. You can’t keep me locked away.”

His expression twisted, pained. “Two weeks ago you were attacked because of me. If I failed to protect you again… Shannon, I don’t know what I’d do.” His voice cracked at the memory. The fear in his eyes silenced me.

I swallowed, realizing this was a battle I couldn’t win today. Instead, I slid from the bed. “Then at least let me start Luna duties. Introduce me to your pack. If I’m going to be here, I need to belong.”

He hesitated at my choice of words — stuck here hung between us — but finally nodded, relief breaking through his tension. “Of course. I can’t wait to show you off.”

Hand in hand, we walked out. Down a long corridor, then left into a vast hall that took my breath away.

The ballroom was vast—vaulted ceilings arched high above, the beams lined with silver lanterns that spilled warm light across polished marble floors. Long tables stretched out across the hall, already bustling with pack members sharing breakfast. At the far end, a buffet glistened with platters of golden sausages, fluffy scrambled eggs, fruit bowls piled high, and baskets of warm bread. The air was thick with the comforting scents of food and chatter, though beneath it all was the faint, unmistakable tang of wolf.

I clutched a plate, reminding myself to breathe. If I could just act normal—just act like I belonged—maybe the gnawing nerves in my stomach would settle. My hunger only grew as I edged closer to the buffet, the aroma of sizzling bacon making my stomach growl in betrayal. Using the tongs, I carefully placed two sausages onto my plate, then reached for the spoon to scoop some scrambled egg.

That was when she appeared.

Tall. Immaculate. Intimidating. She moved with the kind of self-assurance that made the whole room bend toward her presence. Her makeup was flawless, her perfume sharp and suffocating, clinging to every breath I took. Before I could touch the spoon, she slid it from the tray, cutting in front of me like I wasn’t even there.

“Erm—excuse me,” I said, surprising myself with the edge in my voice. “I was about to grab that.”

For the smallest heartbeat, I was proud. I never stood up for myself. But the pride cracked instantly when her eyes locked onto mine—cold, slate-grey, and glinting with something cruel. She tilted her head, looking me over like I was an insect under glass.

Then her lips curved into a venomous smile.

“Who even are you? Which poor lump got saddled with you?” Her voice carried, cutting through the chatter. She leaned in closer, and I realized with a sinking stomach how tall she was—towering, predatory, undeniably wolf. “A human.”

The word rang out like a curse.

My heart stopped. Around us, heads turned. Forks paused mid-air. Whispers rippled through the room, carrying that single word with them—human, human, human.

“I— I—” My throat dried. The spoon trembled in my hands.

She laughed, a sharp, cruel sound that echoed against the stone walls. “Oh, can’t talk? Are you stupid as well?” She glanced at the watching crowd, milking their attention. “Tell your mate I’ll show him what a real woman looks like when he’s bored with you.”

Then slam. She shoved the serving spoon into my chest with such force that it knocked me back a step, the metal biting into my ribs. I coughed, breath catching, cheeks burning with shame.

“Come on then,” she sneered, lifting her voice so the entire hall could hear. “Who got saddled with this dim-witted little human as a mate? Don’t be shy—we all want to know.”

The crowd’s reaction was instant. Low chuckles, smirks, whispers sharp enough to cut. Pathetic. Weak. Joke. Each word carved deeper into me until nausea twisted through my gut. I wanted the marble floor to c***k open and swallow me whole. I shouldn’t have come here. I didn’t belong here.

And then—

“Silence!”

The word thundered across the hall.

Every sound died at once. All eyes snapped toward the entrance, where Thomas stood framed in the doorway, fury rolling off him in waves. His voice, low and dangerous, seemed to vibrate in my bones.

“Verity.” He stalked forward, his steps deliberate, predatory. The crowd parted in silence, all traces of amusement gone. “How dare you speak of your future Luna in such a way?”

The woman—Verity—stiffened, but then had the audacity to laugh again. “A human? For Luna?” She smirked at me, her voice dripping with disdain. “That’s hilarious. She is not my Luna.”

She didn’t even finish the last word before Thomas was on her.

In a blur, he had her pinned against the wall, his hand wrapped tight around her throat. Gasps filled the hall, a collective intake of breath as Verity clawed at his grip, her earlier arrogance shattering into panic. The room vibrated with tension, every wolf frozen, eyes wide with fear.

“She will be your Luna,” Thomas growled, his voice like steel, “or you will leave this pack and never return. You have no importance here. You will not be missed.”

His words dripped with lethal certainty. He yanked her from the wall and threw her to the floor as if she weighed nothing. She scrambled to her feet, humiliation written across her face, before bolting for the exit.

Silence held the room for a moment longer. Every eye lingered on Thomas, and then—on me. The whispers had vanished. Respect—or fear—hung thick in the air. The mockery that had cut me moments ago was gone, replaced by something heavier, sharper.

Thomas turned back to me, his expression softening instantly as he slid an arm around my waist. He held me close, his warmth a shield against the cold humiliation that still clung to me.

I rose on tiptoe and kissed his cheek, my voice barely above a whisper. “Thank you.”

His eyes softened further, his anger dissolving in that moment. “For what, my angel?”

“For defending me.”

And as we turned toward Stefan and Jade’s table, I realized something—the pack might not have accepted me, but Thomas had. And in this world of wolves, that made all the difference.