Star-crossed Luna

Chapter 5

Amora

The pack house was just as big on the inside as it looked on the outside. It shared the same modern rustic aesthetic as the guest house. It was beautiful with its tall ceilings and natural wood. The entryway greets you with a large ornate staircase decorated with hand carved banisters. To the right of the stairs appeared to lead down to a living room and kitchen, to the left was a small sitting area that filtered into a formal dining area. Above the stairs hanging from the cathedral ceiling was a gorgeous chandelier that mimicked the appearance of tree branches. The house felt elegant yet still homey, and a faint, delightful scent was tickling my nose. I couldn’t quite place what the smell was but I found myself resisting the urge to find the source.

“Welcome to the Equinox pack house,” Azriel said enthusiastically.

“It’s beautiful,” my eyes were still scanning the huge area before me.

“Thank you, I will give the Alpha your compliment as well,” He smiled at me, though the mention of the infamous alpha made my muscles tense.

“That would be great,” I managed to say, hoping he wouldn’t notice my body stiffening.

“I’ll show you around,” If he had noticed he didn’t show it. I followed him down the right side of the stairs, the enticing scent becoming stronger as I passed the railings. We entered a giant area designated for the living room with a huge sectional and large flat screen tv. On the side of the room was the kitchen and breakfast bar island that served as a dividing line between the two areas.

“I think that’s the biggest couch I’ve ever seen,” I wasn’t trying to be funny, though the comment made Azriel laugh.

“Yeah? You think so? Wait till you see the dining table,” he says, still laughing. I turned my gaze to the kitchen area where I noticed a woman wiping down the counters. A housekeeper, I figured.

“Florence!” Azriel calls for her attention, “Meet our guest Amora,” The smile the woman had when she heard Azriel’s voice quickly dropped to a scowl when her eyes landed on me. I held my gaze on hers, not breaking eye contact. I could feel the hairs on the back of my neck start to prickle from her hostility. Azriel must have mind linked her or made a face because her scowl turned back into a large fake smile.

“Sorry Amora, nice to meet you,” and quickly left the area.

“I do sincerely apologize for her behavior,” Azriel says earnestly, “Unfortunately, some of our pack members are not keen on the idea of having an outsider here. But it’s attitudes like that that we hope to fix by having you here.”

“It’s fine,” I shrug.

“It really isn’t, though I must admit I’m impressed. There aren’t many people who would dare to stare down Florence,” He eyed me and I felt a hint of suspicion in his gaze. I need to be more careful and keep my Alpha aura in check, they don’t need to know my status.

“I don’t get intimidated easily.”

“Clearly,” he smiles, “Well that’s the main floor. The second floor is where I and the beta live. Plus our immediate family of course. And the top floor is the alpha’s quarters. I’d show you, but I have to go to a training session. You’re welcome to come and watch if you’d like.”

“Sure, you are the only person I know around here, it’ll be better than sitting around in the guest house.” I said jokingly.

“Great,” he smiled as he led the way out of the pack house.

Azriel’s group he was training was quite large, and oddly all men. Back home we trained men and women together so that the men got experience with smaller, more agile opponents and the women got experience with larger and stronger opponents. It seemed like today’s focus was on basic offense and defense pairing off, then switching stances. Everyone was doing well, and everyone seemed to have very good sportsmanship, no gloating or taunting, just the occasional teasing.

After a while, I had decided to take my tank top off and sunbathe in my sports bra and shorts. The warmth of the sun felt amazing, warming my core and settling my nerves. A cool salty breeze blows every so often to bring the scent of the nearby ocean to my nose. It really was quite beautiful here, though my relaxation was short-lived. A sudden bit of commotion had me propping up on my elbows to see what was going on. A new shifter had shown up and Azriel looked pissed.

“You’re late,” Azriel growled.

“This training crap is too easy, I don’t need to be here,” the newcomer rolled his eyes.

“Fall into line, and pair up. Now,” Azriel snapped. It was strange seeing Azriel, who seemed so friendly and kind, be so stern. The smaller and younger shifter grumbled something and fell back into line though it appeared everyone was already paired up.

“Uh, Gamma? There is no one to pair with, so can I just go?”

“I’ll pair up with him,” I volunteered as I stood up and brushed the grass off of myself. Azriel raised an eyebrow at me.

“He’s twice your size. You sure?”

“Yup, I’m sure. I’m feeling a bit rusty anyway,” I started stretching my arms and legs as I sized up my opponent. He was scoffing at me to his buddies, telling them how easy I would be to beat. He looked to be about 6 feet and had a pretty muscular build, maybe 190 pounds. I’ve taken down bigger guys than him despite being 5’8 and 140 pounds with a muscular but curvy build. I made my way over to him and assumed a defensive stance.

“You’re just going to embarrass yourself,” he sneered.

“We’ll see,” was all I said and shrugged.

With that he lurched forward, using his weight and brute strength to try and capture me in a bear hug. I quickly ducked at the last second, braced myself into a crouch and let him trip over me. He fell with a loud thud and let out an irate growl. Before he had a chance to get up I caught him into a headlock and tightened my hold. Thrashing and frantic movements ensued. I felt him trying to get his footing and stand up, and quickly wrapped my legs around one of his and yanked, forcing him back to the ground. I felt his claws start digging into my arms, though his strength was slowly fading, my grip was holding strong. If he didn’t tap out soon, he was going to pass out.

Finally, I felt a frantic tapping on my forearm and let go. The brute immediately started gasping for air and cursing at me between each breath. I brush off my legs and fix my hair. Looking around, I realized everyone had stopped and was watching us. Some looked impressed and shocked, others looked mad.

“Good match,” I said as I held out my hand to my defeated opponent.

“Go to hell,” He spat and swatted my hand away, then took a swing at me. I managed to grab his fist with both of my hands, taking all my strength to stop the punch.

“I’m already there,” I growled at him, my eyes looking directly into his.

“Enough!” Came a roar from Azriel, “Garrett, we do not allow fowl play here. You know that.”

“The b***h was asking for it,” he grumbled. Azriel growled again, his eyes turned dark with anger.

“Enough, watch duty. Tonight. That’s your punishment.” Garret yanked his hand back from my grip and stalked off.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to cause any problems,” I say, now feeling a bit embarrassed.

“You didn’t, Amora,” he assured me, “Garrett is a meathead, thinks he can win just with brute strength, and you proved him wrong.”

“I still feel bad.”

“Don’t, please, don’t,” he pleads, “here, you know how you can make it up to me? Spar with me next, I think these guys could use a demonstration.” The small crowd that had gathered around were now cheering Azriel, telling him to kick my ass. My competitive side was not getting the best of me.

“Bring it on.”

He smirked at me playfully and we took several steps away from each other. Azriel was similar in build to Garret, perhaps more slender, though I could tell he would be much more of a challenge. We both took a defensive position, and I waited for him to make the first move. Unlike my last opponent who I could anticipate his strategy, Azriel was much harder to read, and he appeared to be trying to gauge my next move as well. Finally, he takes a swing, fast but not much power behind it and I block it, he was feeling out my fighting style. I brought my knee up and nailed him in the gut. He grunted but recovered quickly, landing a punch to my ribs. He was fast but strong and it was hard to read what his next move would be. My arms hurt from blocking his punches and kicks, and my legs and stomach ache from taking several hits. His eyes watched my every move and left little to no openings for a hit. I decided to change up my strategy and began throwing punch after punch at him, faster and faster. He put up his arms in defense and blocked everything. I was getting exhausted, my muscles were screaming at me to stop. Blocking his attacks were taking a lot out of me.

Finally, only for a split second, I saw an opening and tackled Azriel to the ground. I straddle him and go in for what would be the winning blow but he catches my fist. Exhausted, I throw a second punch with my other hand but he catches it too. Now we’re stuck in a stalemate, my strength slowly fading as I’m staring down into deep rich brown eyes. He really was quite handsome, and I suddenly found myself incredibly aware of my position, sitting on top of him. My heart rate started to increase and a blush threatened to show on my cheeks.

“Good match,” I said quickly, standing up and looking away to hide my face.

“You too, you’re quite the fighter.”

Once I was certain my cheeks were not bright red, I turned to face Azriel and shook his hand, but I was stricken by his eyes. They had turned dark, lustful, and my heart rate escalated again. Hesitantly, I reach my hand out and he takes it. His shake is firm and strong, his eyes never left mine. Seeing the lust in his eyes was sending electricity straight to my groin, and a heat to my cheeks.

“Thanks,” I said as calmly as I could and averted my gaze. I hoped he couldn’t tell I was flustered until I realized I could feel how crazy his heart rate was too through the pulse in his hand. I quickly took my hand back and went to sit back down, “I’ll let you get back to work.”