Longing For A Luna

Chapter 13: Hiding In the Dark I of II

“Fred, are you there? What’s going on?” Ben’s voice was still cheerful but there was a hint of urgency in it after I didn’t reply.

My mouth opened to answer, but nothing came out. I was a little out of breath from running in a panic straight from the cab to the apartment and was positive my gasps for air carried over the phone.

“Fred?” Ben’s voice, usually calm and steady, raised slightly with concern, “Danielle, can you hear me?”

“Ben,” I whispered, still trying to stay small and hidden, “Ben, I, I –”

My voice gave out again; the initial shock was wearing off and I could feel my adrenaline crashing.

“I’m changing over to video,” Ben stated firmly. “Stay on the phone.”

I nodded even though he couldn’t see me yet and looked at the screen, switching to video as soon as it came through. Ben’s face, stony and serious, filled the screen in an instant. His eyes narrowed almost immediately.

“Fred –, Danielle, where are you? It’s dark and I can barely see you.”

‘At home. I can’t turn on the light or he’ll find me,’ I defaulted to mind link even though Ben was too far away to hear it. My voice was still failing me.

Seeing Adam after all these years had itself been panic-inducing, but would've been something the new, confident, worked-on-her-healing-through-therapy Dani could have handled. The horrifying realization that the Goddess had paired us as mates had broken through every defense I had built up over time.

Once again, I felt small and powerless.

‘Let me, Dani,’ Ana said with determination. ‘I’ll talk to Ben.’

I watched my silhouette in the corner of the screen as Ana came forward to take control, her golden eyes shining brightly in the darkness of the bedroom.

“Ana,” Ben addressed her, “Is that you? What the hell is going on?”

Ana replied stoically, “My human is in shock. We met our fated mate.”

Ben’s face slipped into a look of confusion.

“What do you mean you met your fated mate?”

“We were getting the cinnamon rolls we like by the park and he showed up,” Ana continued. “I tried to warn Dani because I could smell an alluring scent approaching us, but she was on the phone with the baby doctor.”

“Danielle’s having a baby?” Ben sputtered out, his face draining of color.

“No!” Ana answered with annoyance, “She was only talking on the phone with them about that device they put in. Then our fated mate approached. She recognized him and dropped our cinnamon rolls before running away. I told her to go to the park and get one of the cabs. When we got home, Dani locked us in the bedroom then called you.”

“You recognized your mate, who you met there, in the city?” Ben’s face became stiff like a mask, “Who was it?”

“It was that Alpha boy, Adam,” Ana snarled. “I know of him from Dani’s memories. His wolf was trying to connect with me but I blocked him as soon as I realized who it was. His human is trash so he’s probably trash, too.”

Ben stilled and a flush crept up his neck and jaw until his entire face was red. His nostrils flared and his eyes, which usually twinkled with warmth and humor, grew cold.

“Ana,” he stated in a voice that suddenly dropped an octave, “I need you to be very clear about this. Are you saying that you met Adam DuPont from Crescent Lake in the city, today – and you are mates?”

“Yes,” Ana spat out with disgust.

“The Goddess has lost her mind,” he growled out, “And that son of a b***h shouldn’t have been wandering around in the city. Looks like he still doesn’t give a damn about rules and does whatever he wants.”

He paused for a moment and looked deep in thought, “Ana, how the hell were you able to block his wolf and fight the pull of the mate bond?”

“It was very draining and painful but Dani is my human, and I will put her safety before the Goddess bond,” Ana replied. “I only wish we had not been around humans; my claws wanted to scratch out his eyes.”

Ben shook his head, “That would not have ended well for you and Danielle. Adam is an Alpha.”

“Yes, and I am apparently a Luna wolf. Surely, the Goddess would not have matched us with a mate who we could not defend ourselves against.”

Ben opened his mouth but Ana continued, her voice taking on an edge, “And before you make a comment about our size, let me tell you something, big boy. We may be small but we’re also fast as f**k, Dani has a lot of repressed rage itching to get out, and I’m just mean enough to help her do it. That Alpha boy’s face would have been shredded into ribbons before his two brain cells could figure out what was happening.”

“Ana, listen to me,” Ben countered, “Adam may have acted like a shallow, spoiled jackass in high school but I assure you he’s actually very cunning. Promise me you won’t threaten or attack him when you see him again. If you truly want to keep Danielle safe, do not engage with him.”

“I won’t attack him,” Ana begrudgingly promised, “But I will protect myself and Dani as needed.”

“Understood,” Ben replied. “How is Danielle now? Do you think she’d be able to speak with me?”

“She’s going to have to; I’m fading fast. Fighting the bond was exhausting,” Ana admitted. “Ben, I’m going to have to sleep a short while because of this and I am trusting you to take care of Dani. Don’t make me kick your and Abelard’s collective ass.”

Ben nodded, “I’ll take care of her, Ana. I always do.”

My eyelids closed briefly as Ana and I switched places. She wasn’t exaggerating about the amount of energy it took to fight the pull of the mate bond. It was both physically and emotionally draining, and she was taking on the brunt of it.

“Fred, are you there?” Ben asked gently.

“Yeah, give me a sec. I want to get off the floor.”

I stood and walked over to the armchair between the bed and window to sit. It was next to a lamp on the nightstand that Nick used for reading.

Oh my Goddess. Nick.

I needed to call him as soon as I got off the phone with Ben.

The lamp clicked on when I touched the rim, and added just enough light to make my face visible on the screen. My skin was ashen and my eyes looked darker than usual.

“Hey, Ben.”

“Hey, Fred. How’re you feeling right now?”

My throat tightened and my eyes filled with tears. I blinked rapidly and swallowed to fight them.