Chapter 7 - You're My Luna

"You can hear me when I talk to Axel?"  Zoe asked, still holding onto Ryder and rubbing her hands over him.  She knew he had forgotten he was naked, but she wasn't complaining.  She was never one to find a man's body beautiful, but Ryders was a work of art.  

 

"He's part of me.  Axel can see and hear everything when we're human.  I can see and hear everything when we're a wolf.  How about we get out of here, and I can tell you everything about being a werewolf?"  Ryder asked, realizing he still didn't have any clothes on.  Although it didn't seem to bother Zoe.  

 

"Would you be okay going to my apartment?  We can talk there, and I promise no one will interrupt us."  Zoe gave him a sly smile.  For what she had planned, they would need a lot of privacy.  Ryder may be a virgin, but she hoped he wouldn't be for long.  

 

"That would be great.  Are you really okay with me being a werewolf?  I didn't expect you to take it so well."  Ryder took her hands in his.

 

"If I hadn't seen you change into a massive wolf right in front of my eyes, I wouldn't have believed you.  I knew there was something special about you, but this was the furthest thing from my mind.  Even though I'm still trying to wrap my head around it, I'm fine because all that matters is that I'm with you.  I meant what I said to Axel, I'm falling in love with you."  Zoe answered honestly.  She was a realist, and seeing was believing.  She wasn't going to fight whatever force was bringing them together. 

 

"You're incredible,"  Ryder said before getting dressed.  He picked Zoe up to carry her back to the trail when Chase mindlinked him.

 

*"Hey man, I'm sorry to bother you when you're trying to wine and dine your mate, but we have an issue here."*   Ryder stopped when they reached the trail, putting Zoe down as he mindlinked his beta back.  

 

*"What's going on, Chase?  I've told her I'm a werewolf, and she's met Axel; now I'm getting ready to tell her everything else."*  Zoe watched Ryder's face change but didn't say anything.  She wondered what he was doing when he got that far-away look.   

 

*"This morning, after your confrontation with Crystal, she said the pack planned to overthrow you.  So I did some sniffing around, and she was right.  Some of the elders and warriors, who don't like that you're alpha, are planning to take over since you haven't found your luna.  They said without your other half, you're weak.  Is there any chance you can convince her to come to the pack with you and introduce her as your luna?"*  

 

Ryder looked at Zoe as they stopped next to the truck.  He hadn't told her about being a luna; there was no way he could introduce her to the pack yet.  

 

*"Let me talk to her, and I'll let you know.  Let me know if they try to make a move today while I'm not there.  I'm not leaving my post; I promised my parents I would be the leader they raised me to be."*  Ryder could see the confusion on Zoe's face.

 

"What were you doing just then?"  She asked.  

 

"Let's get in the truck, and I'll tell you while we ride."  Ryder was troubled about his pack's plans, but he wouldn't put that burden on Zoe.  Once they were on the road, Zoe took his hand.

 

"What's got you so nervous?"  She asked.

 

"Let me tell you about what being a werewolf entails, and it will explain what I was doing back there."  Ryder glanced toward Zoe as she turned to face him.

 

"Okay, I'm all ears."  She answered.

 

"Werewolves live in packs.  The leader of the pack is the alpha, and his mate is the luna.  We all live together on our pack lands.  There are many houses, and the main house is called the pack house."  Ryder paused when they stopped at a stoplight to see how she was doing.

 

"So you're part of a pack and live on pack lands.  What's the name of your pack?"  Zoe asked, finding everything he'd said so far fascinating.  

 

"We're The Dark Moon Guardians."  He answered.  

 

"That sounds like a prestigious name.  Where do packs get their names from?"  Zoe questioned.  She liked the name of his pack; it made them seem important.  

 

"Most are named by the first alpha of the pack.  Others are named by the king.  That's how our pack got its name.  Over two hundred years ago, the Lycan King put together a pack to guard over the humans of the area.   There were a lot of rogues here at that time, and they were killing humans for sport.  The king named the pack The Dark Moon Guardians."  Zoe stared at him in silence.  How he talked about the pack made her feel like she had taken a step back in time.  

 

"Wow.  What's a lycan?"  She asked, pointing out the directions to her apartment as they passed the diner.  

 

"It's basically a giant werewolf.  They look different than us when they shift.  A lycan stands on two legs and looks more like the werewolves of horror stories.  They're the most powerful of all shifters."  Ryder pulled into the parking garage Zoe pointed to and parked in one of the guest spots.  

 

"That's amazing.  So who did the king appoint as the alpha back then?"  Zoe asked.  Whoever the person was had to be strong to have such an important job.

 

"My dad.  He was named alpha, and my mom was his luna.  They have been the only ones in power until their death two years ago."  Zoe's eyes opened as big as saucers.  

 

"Hold on a minute.  Your dad has been the only alpha and was named alpha over two hundred years ago, but he just died two years ago?  How is that even possible?"  Ryder smiled slightly, knowing he would blow her mind.

 

"We shifters live longer than humans.  We can live for several hundred years.  Our bodies have super healing capabilities, so we don't get sick, and if we're injured, we heal in hours rather than days or weeks."  Zoe had never heard such a thing.  As a doctor, she wanted to argue that it wasn't possible.  However, a couple hours ago, she didn't believe in werewolves.  So maybe her grasp on reality wasn't as solid as she thought.

 

"Could you imagine if we could bottle up what you do naturally?  It would cure cancer, HIV, and every other kind of illness."  She noticed Ryder's face got dark.  "What's wrong?"  

 

"Humans find out about us from time to time, and when they do, they want to experiment.  Many shifters are killed because humans want to cut us up and see what we're made of."  Zoe gasped and shook her head.  That's not what she meant.  

 

"Ryder, I didn't mean anything like that.  I would never even suggest that.  I'm so sorry,"  Ryder's face softened when he saw how upset she was.

 

"It's not your fault.  I'm sorry I blew up, but we've lost many pack members due to humans."  Nothing infuriated him more than when humans treated them like they weren't living beings.  

 

"So, who's alpha now that your dad is gone?"  She asked, trying to get the conversation back on track.  Ryder looked at her with a smirk.

 

"I am,"  He thought it would make her happy, but her face fell.  "Why are you upset?"

 

"If you're the alpha of your pack, does that mean you already have your luna?"  Zoe felt the tears running down her cheeks before she could stop them.  Her heart was shattering thinking of him with another woman.  Ryder removed her seatbelt, pulled her onto his lap, and held her tight.

 

"I have found my luna."  Zoe started sobbing.  "It's you."  

 

She jerked her head up and looked at his face.  How could she be a luna?  She wasn't a werewolf.  From the look on his face, Zoe could tell he was serious.

 

"How is that possible?  I'm not like you.  Wouldn't I need to be a werewolf to be a luna?"  Her heart was slowly being put back together as he softly kissed her.

 

"We can mate with anyone.  Humans, witches, vampires, other shifters."  Zoe shook her head.

 

"Okay, stop.  So not only are there werewolves, there are witches, vampires, and other shifters?"  When Ryder nodded, Zoe raised her hand and slapped her face as hard as possible.  She was sure she was dreaming, and none of this was real.  However, the sting on her face was very real.  He chuckled and took her hand.

 

"I know it's a lot, but it's all true.  When you asked what I was doing at the trail, I was mindlinking Chase.  When we need to communicate, we can speak to each other with our minds.  It also allows us to keep others from hearing us."  Ryder saw Zoe's eyes narrow before dropping her head against his chest.

 

"So what did Chase have to say?"  She didn't even know what to think anymore.  Zoe's head was starting to hurt.  Ryder is a werewolf, and she's his Luna.  There are all kinds of supernatural beings who can talk to each other with their minds.  That pretty much-summarized everything she'd learned in the last few hours.  

 

"You remember I told you about my birth parents and how I was adopted?"  Zoe nodded against him.  "I wasn't born into Dark Moon, so some pack members don't think I deserve to be their alpha.  Chase told me that he found out that they are going to try to remove me as alpha and have someone else take over."

 

"That's horrible.  Why does it matter if you were born there or not?  If your dad trained you to take over, that's all that matters."  Zoe didn't like anyone threatening Ryder.  It reminded her of how she was treated when she was made chief of her department.  

 

"What can you do to stop them?"  She asked.  When he hesitated, Zoe looked up and could tell he was debating whether to tell her or not.  She reached up and put her hand on his cheek, letting him know it was okay.  He kissed her palm and then her lips.

 

"Chase thinks it would help if I announce I've found my luna.  Alpha's are strongest when they have marked their fated mates.  They consider me weak because I wasn't born to be an alpha, and I hadn't found my mate."  Ryder watched her face to see how she would take this information.  He could see the questions in her eyes. 

 

"What do you mean by marked their fated mates?"  Zoe asked.  Her heart started racing, but she didn't know why.  Ryder leaned over and kissed her just above her collarbone.  

 

"We mark our mates by biting into them with our canines.  If I were to mark you, I'd bite right here.  Once I do that, you'd become a werewolf too."  Ryder ran his finger over the area he had kissed while Zoe stared at him in disbelief.

 

"I would be a werewolf?"  She spoke softly while her eyes stayed on his.

 

"Yes.  You don't need to think about this now.  I know this is all new to you.  There's more to discuss, but that's enough for now.  I am going to have to get back to the pack, though.  I wanted to spend the whole day with you.   However, I need to show them they can't force me out."  Ryder didn't want to leave her but couldn't disappoint the pack members who supported him.  Zoe shook her head when he tried to move her off his lap.

 

"Take me with you,"  He looked at her in surprise.  That wasn't what he expected her to say.  

 

"What?  Zoe, you don't have to do that.  Take your time and process all of this."  Ryder wanted her to go, but he didn't want her to think she had to.

 

"I want you to introduce me to your pack.  I want to be your luna."