Star-crossed Luna

Chapter 3

AMORA

The early morning sun shone through the trees, casting a kaleidoscope of shadows on the driveway. The long drive ahead felt daunting and suddenly felt uncertain of my decision to leave my home to visit a strange pack’s territory. It was too late to back out now though, Paul called them and they were expecting me. I looked down at my bag in the passenger seat, quickly going over a mental checklist to confirm one last time I hadn’t forgotten anything. Once satisfied that I had everything, I turned the keys, bringing the car to life and started down the long dirt road.

It was going to be a beautiful day, 75 degrees and not a cloud in sight. Seemed like a waste to have to spend it driving. It was a 5 hour drive south east to get to Equinox territory and it felt like forever away. This will be the furthest south I’ve ever gone, and the closest to the ocean I’d ever been. I’d always wanted to see the ocean and swim in the cold salty water, I really hope I get a chance to. All I ever knew was the cold northern forests.

My GPS took me off the turnpike and into the heart of a small town. The sidewalks of the busy downtown area were populated with humans bustling around. I slowed down my speed to watch for pedestrians and take time to admire this quaint little area. I stopped a few times to let people cross the street, forcing a smile and waving back at them as they passed. I was glad I’d put on my sunglasses so they couldn’t see the emptiness in my eyes. As I was approaching the end of the downtown area I saw a woman putting out a street sign. Once I was close enough I was able to read the sign and distinguish what the business was, ‘Walk-ins Welcome!’ It was a hair salon. I quickly glanced down at the clock, I was less than an hour away from my destination, then up to my messy hair in the rear view mirror. Before I knew what I was doing, I was pulling in the parking lot.

I stepped out of my car and into the warm mid morning sun, still uncertain of what I was doing. I walked through the front entrance that was being propped open by a large flower pot, its scent welcoming and delightful as I passed it. Inside was cute, not too upscale but also not outdated or rundown.

“Hi! How can I help you?”A young human woman cheerfully greets me.

“Uh yeah, hi, I saw your sign outside, I was hoping for a trim or a cut or. . .I don’t really know what I want,” I say awkwardly.

“Of course! Come on over” she motions me to a chair, and I sit down, “So tell me what you’re looking for, or tell me about what you hate about your current hair.” I looked at myself in the mirror, I was wearing my usual high ponytail, I reached up and pulled out the hair tie.

“Well, it doesn’t do much when it’s down, it’s flat so I just wear it up all the time. I don’t know if it needs texture or if I should just cut it, I honestly don’t really care. I hate my hair,” I admit, “Surprise me.”

“I have an idea, do you trust me?” She asks me with a grin.

“Go nuts,” I tell her, and take a deep breath as she turns my chair around so I can’t see what she is doing in the mirror.

“Your hair is so thick!” she gushes as she starts sectioning my hair and cutting away.

“Thanks” I tried my best to have emotion in my voice, to sound sincere and gave a small smile. She continued with small talk as she snipped away at my hair, though I couldn’t see what she was doing, I could tell she was taking several inches. Once she felt satisfied with her work she took the blow dryer to my neck and shoulders, blowing away fallen cut hair.

“Are you ready?” She asked, beaming with excitement.

“As I’ll ever be,” She turned my chair around and I was quite surprised. My hair that was once several inches past my shoulders was now resting gently just above my shoulders. It wasn’t too short, I was still able to pull it back into a small ponytail, and with the extra weight now gone, my hair bounced up into soft wavy curls. It was perfect.

“Wow, it’s great,” I say, still admiring her handy work.

“I’m so glad you like it,” She smiled.

“What do I owe you?”

I paid her and climbed back into my car. I was about 45 minutes away from the Equinox territory. Glancing at the clock, I was running a bit behind now, but should still arrive before 11am.

The closer I got, the saltier the air became. It was dizzying at first but I was slowly getting used to it. The trees began to thicken and the distinctive scent of shifters was becoming more and more prominent. I was certain I was already in Equinox territory by now, but I was heading to the main town, where the Alpha and his inner circle reside. Eventually I entered the town of Cape Madden, nestled right by the ocean. A familiar symbol I recognized as the Equinox insignia was carved onto the welcome sign, I was here. Now I just had to figure out where I was supposed to go.

I had driven all through the seaside cape, now heading towards the outskirts of town and discovered a long dirt drive blocked by a gate with a giant Equinox symbol on it. I slowed down, turned into the driveway and parked. The gate suddenly began to open, revealing a tall and dark figure behind it. Once fully open the man began to make his way toward my car with a long graceful stride to my passenger side window. I desperately tried to keep my heart rate in check as I reluctantly rolled down my window. He bent down and I was suddenly looking into beautiful brown eyes accompanied by a dark, handsome, smiling face.

“You must be from the Aurora Borealis Pack, Amora?” His voice came across friendly but I still felt on edge.

“Yes, I am Amora, I’m here representing my pack” I say as evenly as I could manage.

“Welcome,” He beamed, “My name is Azriel, it’s my duty to show you where you will be staying and give a tour, if you want one that is.”

“That would be great,” I smile as genuinely as I could. He suddenly opens the passenger side door, tosses my bag into the back seat, and climbs in.

“Oh!” I say surprised.

“Let’s go!” His smile was big and warm, and I felt myself starting to relax a little. I put the car in drive and started down the driveway.

“How was the drive here?” I could feel his gaze burning into me as I kept my eyes on the dirt road ahead.

“Fine, long, but fine,” I tried to put on a smile, “I feel like my legs are about to go numb.” He chuckled, “You’ll be able to stretch your legs soon, the pack house is up ahead.”

Up a head the trees opened up revealing a huge craftsman style house, garage and one other outbuilding. A porch spanned the front of the house, curved around a rotunda at the corner, and down the other side. It looked like it had three levels, with a balcony on the second floor and huge windows everywhere. As we got closer we passed under a large archway leading into a circle driveway, I pulled up to the house and parked at the porch steps that had a smaller matching archway.

“It’s gorgeous,” I said awestruck, “and huge.”

“Thank you, though I can't take credit for it, I only live in it,” Azriel chuckled as he got out of the car and opened the back door, grabbing my duffel bag. I climbed out of the car to follow, still gazing up at the massive and beautiful structure. Rather than head up the main stairs, he began walking towards the garage and second smaller building. I suddenly felt embarrassed for thinking I’d be staying IN the pack house, of course they would put me in a small garage loft or something like that. We ended up at the door to the small little cabin nestled between the garage and the mansion. With a big small Azriel turned to me, “this is where you will be staying,” and he opened the door.

Inside was an adorable little cabin with a kitchenette, a small sitting area, a large bed, and a door in the corner of the room I had to assume was a private bathroom. It was decorated well with paintings and drawings, a bookshelf completely filled with books, and the walls and ceiling were natural wood giving a rustic feel. It oddly reminded me of home.

“This is too much,” I say, still taking everything in.

“This is the guest house, and you are a guest,” He smiled at me and set my bag down on the plush loveseat, “Would you like some time to settle in or would you like a tour?”

I walked around the little cabin, looking at the walls, the art, the curtains, and the bed, where I decided to take a seat, “a minute to settle in would be nice.”

“Of course,” and he took a seat in the chair nearest the bed, “So, Amora, did you volunteer to come here or were you told to?”

I was surprised by his question, “Does it matter?”

“No, just curious.”

“I volunteered,” I say, not moving my gaze toward him.

“And why would you do that?” His voice was even, he sounded genuinely curious but I got the impression he wouldn’t push me to answer anything I didn’t want to.

“I don’t know,” I replied honestly, “I guess I just wanted a break from my life and this seemed like a good way to do it.”

“A break from your life, huh? I think we all need those sometimes,” He paused for a moment, “How does your mate feel about you coming here alone?”

I suddenly felt embarrassed. I was 24 and still unmated, most shifters found their destined mate around 18 to 20 years of age. I assumed my mate died before we could meet, which does happen.

“He doesn’t mind,” I lie, “He knows I can take care of myself.”

“Oh yeah? That’s good of him,” His gaze was burning into me, “so why hasn’t he marked you yet?” s**t. He saw right through me. I hesitated, unsure what to say.

“I never found him,” I sighed.

“Ah, it’s ok, nothing to be ashamed of. I haven't found mine yet either,” His voice sounded sincere.

“I stopped looking,” I admitted.

“Well, you’ll never find him with that attitude!” He teased, trying to lighten the mood, and I forced a small smile.

“So, what is it you do here Azriel?” I asked.

“Oh, I'm the Alpha’s Gamma.” He said it as though I should know what that meant.

“I’m sorry, a Gamma?”

“Yeah, the Gamma, I’m in charge of all warrior training and personal guard to the Luna. Do you not have a Gamma in your pack?”

“No, we don’t,” I said plainly, “The Luna in our pack traditionally gets the highest level of training possible so that she can defend herself when necessary, and go to battle with her pack when needed.”

“Really?” He sounded intrigued.

“Yeah, what does your Luna do here?” I asked.

“Well, she helps the Alpha run the pack, normally diplomatically, it’s uncommon for a Luna to have much more than basic self defense,” he explained, “That is if we had a Luna, we do not have one currently.”

“Oh, so is it normal for a shifter not to have warrior training?”

“Yeah, battle training is optional,” He seemed confused by my question, “Is it different for you and your pack?” I was hesitant to reveal any sensitive information, my pack was known for having the most highly skilled fighters in the country and there was a reason for it. All shifters physically able were mandated to receive training, but joining the pack defense or offense units was optional. After decades of constantly being under attack, this ensured that everyone, even civilians, could defend themselves.

“Yeah, it’s handled a bit differently in my pack, and our Luna is always able to defend herself. I guess that’s why we don’t have a Gamma?” He considered that for a moment.

“I guess I assumed all packs had an Alpha, Beta, and a Gamma. That’s pretty cool though,” He smiled at me, his rich brown eyes felt so warm and friendly, “So, you ready for the tour?”

“Yeah, that would be great.” somehow this complete stranger had me feeling comfortable around him, like we’d been friends for years.