Moon Blessed Luna

Chapter 17 - Brianna

A wave of sadness washed over me when Lena stepped away from me. I shook my head to clear it, surprised at my own attachment to her already. If someone had told me a week ago I would grow attached to my mate I would have laughed at them, but here I was, not even 48 hours after finding her and I could feel the bond taking a stronger hold with every second that passed.

"Lena? What's wrong?" I ask, when I hear a small sob as she stares at the pictures she took off the board. I get up and wrap my arms around her from behind, looking over her shoulder at the photograph of one of the first abducted girls, a 14 year old girl named Caitlynn. Her happy smile, glittering green eyes and bouncy, red curls seem to have shaken my mate to her core.

"Lena? Please talk to me? Do you know this girl?" I turn her around and lift her chin gently so I can look in her eyes. She meets mine and nods, tears forming in the corners of her eyes as she glances back at the picture in her hands.

"Her name is Cait. She's my best friend." the words are barely a whisper but they raise the hair in my neck. I had assumed Lena was one of the missing girls who somehow escaped, but I hadn't let myself hope she would know the other girls! I was actually starting to believe they would all be dead by the time we figured out this mystery! And now I had the solution right here in my arms!

"You mean she's still alive? Do you know any of the others? Are they still alive too?" Lena frowns at me, obviously puzzled by my sudden urgency. I needed to know though, this was the first real clue we had since I started my investigations! She looks back at the picture in her hands before scanning the board. I'm happy I hung them all up there earlier, making this easier for her then having to flip through pages of missing person reports.

"That's Hannah, this one's Riley and this one Kaylee, she was the last girl that joined us." she point at three of the more recently missing girls. She studies the other pictures and looks back at me with a sad smile.

"I know all of them except this one." she says, pointing at the sketch of Eloise. Her parents didn't have any pictures but they described her to a pack member who was really good at drawing. My eyes widen as I stare from Lena to the board and back at Ethan who had come closer as we studied the pictures.

"You were right, Bree. She must be another abducted girl. She could help us find them and bring them home!"

"We can't let anyone know yet. We need to figure out exactly what Lena knows and make a game plan before we give hope to their families." Ethan nods and sits down again, grabbing a notepad to write down any information Lena gives us.

"Lena, I know it must be incredibly difficult to think about it, but can you tell us anything about them? How do you know them? Do you know where they are? Were they all alive when you last saw them?" she closes her eyes and shudders, and I can only imagine the memories flowing through her mind. I squeeze her shoulders, letting her know I'm right here.

"Why do you have all their pictures?" she finally asks, and as she looks at me I can tell she's trying to puzzle some things together for herself. I look at Ethan and he nods in support, we all need to be open and honest about this if we want to solve these cases.

"All of these girls were taken from their families. No one knows where they went, they dissapeared without a trail. For many years the packs who weren't effected ignored it, and others refused to work together. When I became Alpha I started to fix that, I knew we would all need to work together to find them." I guide Lena to the coach so she would be a little mor comfortable telling her side of the story. She is quiet for a while before starting her story.

"I had just turned 13 I think. I don't remember much from the day they found me, they told me the Alpha saved me from an attack by rogue Wolves that killed my parents. I was raised by the matron, together with the other girls who were there at that time. When they turned 18 they didn't get their wolves and were taken away. Cait and I didn't know what had happened to them. After us the girls who arrived were older, and all were taken away when they didn't get their Wolves. I turned 18 before Cait and didn't get a wolf, they told me I was weak and had to serve them for not being able to make the pack stronger. The Alpha took me to a special bedroom and said he loved me, he wanted me to be his even though I was weak. He marked me and made me feel amazing." Lena closes her eyes again, tears flowing freely as she clutches my hand. Keena had started to growl, but I kept her back. We needed to hear this and couldn't scare Lena with our possessiveness.

I get that, but I will rip his head off when I get the chance.

And I will let you, after I'm done with him for hurting her. Keena growls in agreement and settles to listen.

"I didn't even mind when he marked Cait as well. We were closer then sisters and now we shared this special bond with someone who loved us. But eventually he forced us to amuse his men, he wanted us to do whatever they wanted and we did. We didn't listen to the other girls who said they were taken against their will, even when our marks started to hurt and turned black we didn't assume it was because of him. We thought we were simply too weak, that's what they told us. One by one girls came and dissapeared. Some came back, like Cait a few times, but she would never tell me what had happened. I just knew she was sad. The other girls never came back and when I confronted the Alpha about it he, he... " she stops talking and starts sobbing hysterically.

I pull her against me and hold her tight, trying to soothe both her and myself. I can feel her pain even though our bond isn't full formed yet. I glance at Ethan and motion towards the door, he obeys my silent order with a sad smile before slipping out of my office. After a few minutes, Lena's sobs start to slow and she starts to take deep breaths, letting my scent calm her. I hadn't noticed the purr like growl starting, but the soft vibrations did their job and calmed her mind.

"I'm sorry." she mumbles against my shoulder.

"It's really hard to think about it. I never thought I'd be able to escape him, even after he let me outside to hide for the hunt. He had injured me like he never had before and I couldn't see how I could survive running. That's when Luna took over and brought me to you." she leans back and smiles at me. Gently I rub my thumbs over her cheeks to wipe away the tears, smiling back at her.

"I understand. You never have to apologize for your emotions. It's good to get the pain and anger and sadness out, it's what allows us to heal." I smile to myself at these words, Sue would be proud. Or at least I hope she would ever be proud of me again, I really need to apologize to her. Soon, I think while focusing on the beautifull woman in my arms, I'll apologize to Sue soon. Now I have to be here for my mate, and I know Sue will understand that.

"I really want to kiss you." Lena blurts out suddenly and I look at her, her silver eyes trying to avoid my gaze. For a second I'm dumbfounded by her statement, but as I look over her face, and linger on her lips, my usual smoothness returns and I smile teasingly at her.

"I'm not stopping you." I tell her, not moving closer. She need to decide the speed at which we move forward. She's been through so much and I don't want to force her to do anything she isn't ready for. My gaze remains on her as heat builds in my core, and I see the surprise in her eyes as she glances from my eyes to my lips and back.

She moves quickly, as if she's afraid her courage will leave her, and I feel her soft lips press against mine. Sparks course through our bodies and she presses her lips firmer into mine, as the mate bond takes over and burns away the last bit of her fear. Automatically I open my mouth to taste her and she responds willingly, shifting in my arms to give me easier access. Without breaking the kiss I lift her up and place her on my lap so she straddles me. I keep my hands quiet on her hips as I feel her hands wrap around my neck and head, pulling me closer.

She tastes even better then I could have imagined and I feel myself getting wet between my legs as I imagine tasting every inch of her body. She moans when I softly bite her bottom lip and I wrap my arms around her to pull her closer, being careful not to hurt her skinny body. When she finally pulls away to catch her breath, she rests her forehead against mine.

"I want you to mark me." she says, still breathing heavily. In surprise I push her slightly away from me so I can look at her. Her silver eyes seem to glow and she meets my gaze with a confidence I didn't know she had.

"You want me to... Are you sure? I don't know what happens when I mark over your existing mark. What if I only hurt you more?" she shakes her head.

"I don't want to be his. I want to be yours. Luna says I need to mark you and you need to mark me. That's the only way she can truly heal me."

"You only want me to mark you so you can heal?" I ask, insecurity taking over. She shakes her head again.

"No! I want you to mark me because I am yours. And I want to mark you because you are mine. I don't want to be his for a moment longer. Please?" she adds that last word in a much softer voice and my heart breaks.

What are you waiting for?! Mark her!

I don't want to hurt her!

You won't! She wants this! She needs it!

"Are you sure?" I ask her, brushing her hair aside and looking at the black scar. That spot is supposed to be mine! But I have to be careful not to hurt her.

"Please." she says again, almost begging.

"I want you to mark me."

"Not here." I say, as she tilts her head to give me more room. I stand up with her still in my arms and I kiss her softly before carrying her up the stairs.