Luna’s Choice Paralysis

Chapter 2

"Hello!" The sound of Karla clamping her fingers in her face startled her.

"I'm sorry, but the party is only a few hours away."

"You know your Alpha; he doesn't want you to be there when we're planning anything for you."

"Ughhh!" Valerie despised all the surprises and wanted Axel would simply let her plan her birthday with him once before sending her away, but he wouldn't hear of it.

"So, where will I go if I can't be there when you're shopping for supplies and I can't go home now?"" She'd gone out with Karla today to kill time before the midnight celebration, and now that Karla's services were required, where would she go?

"I'm sorry, bun, but you already know Axel." You may go for a walk or let Erida play."

Her wolf howled within her; she had always wanted to come out and play.

"Fine," I say, "you can drop me off at the next bus stop."

"OK, dear, I'm really sorry about this."

"No, it's fine." She only pAxeled that whatever surprise Axel had planned for her this year wouldn't be as bad as the previous ones.

Karla drove till she arrived at the bus stop, where she parked.

"Are you certain you'll be fine?" I can just phone him and tell him I'm not going to be able to do it."

"No. "Don't worry about me, I'll find something to do with my time," Valerie said.

"What about him?""

When she mentioned "him," Valerie knew she was referring to the one she'd just scampered away from; she shouldn't worry too much about that; the distance Karla had driven them was so far away from the restaurant, he'd be insane if he thought of following them here, and she should be safe from him for the time being; or so she thought.

"I'll be fine Karla, don't worry," she said as she opened the car door. She was about to descend when she remembered something she needed to tell her pal.

"Karla, can you make me a promise before you leave?""

"What exactly is it?"" Karla was afraid of what she was going to say.

"I don't want Axel, Ethan, or anybody else to know what happened today." Can you keep it hidden?"

"Are you certain? This isn't something you should hide, Valerie; if you're uncomfortable rejecting him, why not tell Axel? I'm confident he'll agree to support you when..."

"No! I want to do it on my own, Axel didn't need my help when he rejected his mate, I should be able to do the same, the only thing I need you to do now is promise me you won't tell him what happened."

"If you say so."

"Thank you."

Before Karla drove away, Valerie left her off at the bus station, where she stood until a taxi stopped in front of her.

"Are you going anywhere, miss?"" The driver inquired, rolling down the windows.

She considered going somewhere, but couldn't think of anything, so she shook her head and the driver sped away. She started walking, and then her mind wandered back to what had transpired today. She had no idea how far she had walked or in which direction she had gone until she realised she was still in Bandera; Karla had dropped her off on the outskirts of Chester, one of the moonlight regions, and she had unintentionally walked back to Bandera, which was a neutral ground for all wolves. She was afraid of the town where she met her partner, but she wasn't too concerned because she knew it was still a long way from the restaurant where she'd met him.

She came to a halt in front of a sign board and read what was written on it.

'DRAWL FOREST,' says the title.

She glanced to her left and noticed the tall trees that marked the entrance to the forest; she suddenly remembered something about allowing Erida to come out and play. She couldn't let a wolf run uncontrolled on the streets in the presence of humans, therefore the forest would be much safer for her wolf.

She walked in the direction indicated by the arrow on the sign board. At this point, taking Erida for a run would be an excellent idea; she needed somewhere to process everything that had transpired today, and Erida needed somewhere to play.

She stepped into the dense forest entrance, where the first batch of tall trees were, and stripped off all her clothes till she was naked save for her skin.

'Okay, Erida, time to come out now,' she said as she crouched on all fours and her white wolf fur with a fuzzy tail at her buttocks protruded from her human skin. Her legs and hands gradually transformed into four wolf feet with razor-sharp claws, and her pointed canines grew wider to replace her human teeth. She was fully transformed into a wolf in less than a minute, and Erida bolted towards the woods at breakneck speed. She was nothing near as fast as Erida when it came to running.

Erida's thoughts returned to what she'd been thinking about earlier as she played. Valerie had always heard stories about this peculiar attraction, but she never imagined it would have such an impact on her, that it would make her almost want to condemn herself for ducking out of the situation in such a way, but she had no option. She want it.... No, it was the mate bond that made her want it, and she couldn't take the thought of leaving the tasks she had been preparing to do her entire life; to serve her people and become a Luna to an Alpha she didn't like.

She remembered asking Axel's late mother, Amalda, about the looming question when it was bothering her the most.

"However, Luna Amalda, how will I be joined to someone I don't love? I've seen the other pack members with their true mates and how well they get along; what will happen if I end up with someone who isn't my mate?"

"Nothing, my dear, as you can see, I am very happy with Axel's father, and he is not my true mate. At first, I thought the leaders were punishing me by pairing me with someone I had no feelings for and forcing me to reject the one I was fated to be with, but I later understood when I started feeling an attraction for Axel's father. The attraction for Axel will come soon dear, just like it did with the other Luna's before me, the two of you

She gave her a reassuring grin, as if she was trying to persuade her to trust what she said.

Valerie took her word for it that day and tried to spend more time with Axel, but it didn't work. Amalda's look that day suggested to Valerie that there was more to what her Luna was saying, that there was something she was hiding from her, but she'd brushed the thought aside, deciding it was better not to disturb her if she'd told her everything she needed to know. She still felt the same way she did when she asked her Luna the question a few years later.

Amalda may have given her an explanation, but her heart was still unsatisfied. It craved more answers, and she knew she'd only get them if she met her true mate; the same mate she'd run away from today. She came to a halt when she realised how far Erida had led her; they were now in an open space surrounded by sporadically planted trees.

She hadn't realised how much time had passed since she'd entered this forest, she'd spent hours thinking and Erida had been running the entire time, it'd soon be time for the party, what a good way to pass the time she thought, she'd soon be on her way back home but first she wanted her wolf to rest before continuing the journey.

'Good job, girl,' she said as Erida sank on the chilly woodland ground to rest, her ankles aching from sprinting for such a long time and distance. Minutes passed in peace as the girl and wolf lay there gathering their breaths and admiring the serenity of the cold forest night and gazing at the moon that had just appeared. Her ears twitched as she was about to close her eyes, and Erida noticed that they weren't alone.

'He's here,' she said to Valerie.

's**t, so he followed us here;' she hadn't expected him to. Scents were one of Valerie's pet peeves about being a werewolf. You can never ignore your partner until he or she decides to abandon you...bla bla bla.... She rolled her eyes as she remembered one of the most crucial mate bond regulations.

She knew he'd follow her; he wouldn't have a hard time doing so because he could easily detect her scent even if she ran to the ends of the world, but she still ran, hoping he'd give up on chasing her and just leave her alone at some point.

She'd confess that she was flattered that he went to such pains to find her, and given that he was tenacious in following her all the way here, he deserved an introduction.