Chapter 4 "Beasts"

Luna.

I first heard that word when I was talking with my co-worker in the coffee shop.

“An alpha's mate is called a Luna and is the female equal to the alpha,” Madelline said while we were cleaning inside the empty shop early in the morning.

She’s been talking about werewolves since long minutes since I told her that I don’t know anything about werewolves which only lives in fictional world and myths. As a result, Madelline insisted to explain all things about werewolves including their rankings and so on. Truthfully, I could not remember the exact details except the words Alphas, Beta and Delta.

Madelline loves reading a fictional werewolves stories and so, she believes they actually exist, which made me laugh.

“So they are like this some kind of mafia where there is a leader in the pack, right?” I asked while mopping the floor.

Madelline burst out of laughing. “What mafia are you talking about? You should not compare werewolves to human.”

“But you said that werewolves are half humans,” I defended.

“That’s the deal!” she said, pointing me. “They are half humans and therefore, they are stronger than us. A ferocious beast.”

I stopped mopping the floor and leaned my chin on the handle as I pouted my lips. “So, why do you like them so much? It came from you that they are ferocious beast.”

“Well,” she uttered. “Although they are beast, werewolves don’t seem to hurt humans as they eat raw meat during their hunts in forest. And besides, they are hot and handsome.”

I shook my head while chuckling at her nonsensical rebuke. “Reason why you think they are hot and handsome is because of those fictional characters in the stories you are reading.”

“E-Even so!” she refuted, hiding her phone where she reads the stories. “Werewolves are cool. They can transform into human form and who knows, they might be some werewolves living with us.”

Madelline suddenly looked around with her narrowed eyes as if she’s a keen detective.

Her reaction was so cute, I couldn’t help but to laugh. I turned around from her and continued mopping the floor.

“Don’t dream. Werewolves aren’t real,” I suggested.

“Huh,” she snorted. “Once I saw someone whose eyes changes their color during moonlight, then I’ll believe he’s a beast.”

At her words, I ceased and got rooted in my spot.

‘Changing eyes.’

Gradually, I turned to face her. Even thought I succeeded on keeping a cool and collected expression in my face, major of my hotter blood could not suppress my fidgety nervousness.

I coughed and cleared my throat, before asking.

“Werewolves’ eyes’ colors change?” I asked in slow pace, as if

“Yeah. I read that their eyes do change colors.”

I dropped the mop I was holding as I felt my blood rushing backward.

Seeing me acted indifferently, Madell came to me and asked, “Hey, are you okay? You suddenly turned pale.”

“N-No. I think I need to go to the toilet.”

With loud beating of heart, I dashed inside the toilet and composed myself. Then I looked at my reflection to the mirror.

“What? Werewolf?”

My hanged loose lips pursed tightly as I gritted my teeth.

My eyes do changes colors. But I never shifted into a beast.

I was certain that my indifference from other people isn’t because I am some kind of beast who’s in thirst of meat.

I was so sure of this since I lived years without changing my appearance. Only my eyes changed every full moon. And I did not crave for raw meat just like what they said about that ferocious creature.

But what did I hear just now?

Luna?

I am an Alpha’s mate called Luna?

“This human is what? Luna?” the blonde haired guy, A.K.A, one of my kidnappers along with Chandler Wayne who called me ‘My Luna.’

From the blonde haired guy, my eyes shifted to the man walking towards my side.

Chandler gaze cut into me as he walked forward, and I could feel the terror clawed in my gut. I stepped back, but he caught my wrist, his grim impenetrable and his eyes stone-serious.

I was caught again.

My heart beats as it pumps my blood through my veins. Blood rushed to the tips of my fingers, the pulse coming in hot waves that cause everything else to pulse. However, when I looked at his hand around my wrist, it is as if it was made of ice.

The place he touched immediately became cold, and that chill from his fingertips slithered straight  to my heart like snakes.

Goosebumps ran up to my spine.

I packed my quivering gaze and my last courage to look back into his eyes. And then, our gazes met.

An exquisite blue eyes peered into me and they had a certain intensity to them. As if he were a beast looking at his prey.

My eyes shook.

Without realizing it, my mouth went dry and I swallowed repeatedly.

“Yes. She is my Luna,” Chandler spoke in husky voice.

For a moment, I thought the whole world stop its axis.

If he’s telling me that I am Luna, then…

“You guys,” I uttered, breathing heavily. “Are you werewolves?”

An nerving ghostly slice of silence all over the place. It filled the spaces around and continued as if there’s a calm after tornado surrounded me with full blast of destruction.

‘I asked the question because this is the only idea that came in my mind.’

Werewolves.

Eyes’ colors changing.

Growl.

And Luna.

Those were my clue to believe this unbelievable situation I am in. Yet, I had no regrets when I asked this.

“That’s weird,” the black-haired guy with red eyes murmured. He crossed his arms and ogled at me. “She can’t even detect us. So how comes she’s a Luna?”

He did not give me a definite answer but it’s clear.

It is a yes.

Knowing that I am living… No, actually standing  beside werewolves, I imagined how terrifying it would be. In fact, my knees were kept on wobbling. If it not for Chandler’s touch, I might have fell on the floor. However, there is this unusual feeling inside of my body.

Even if my mind says that I had to be scared, there’s reassurance and attraction deep within.

Isn’t this the same feeling when Chandler kissed me last night?

Emotions crossed between fear and excitement.

“I am also hesitant at first,” Chandler answered, still his eyes watching mine. “But I saw her eyes changed their colors.”

Yes. Last night, he accidentally saw my eyes changing. Which are the same case as them.

If all of my conclusions are true, then does it mean that…

“Am I a werewolf?” I asked them the question.

For a long time, I seek for my identity in fear.

Why am I so different from other people?

Why do my eyes change?

And why do I feel my blood rushing backward every full moon?

“A Luna who doesn’t even know her identity. It is hard to believe this, Chandler,” the black-haired guy.

I had a hard time believing too since I haven’t shifted to any beast of what.

“You are right,” Chandler agreed. “There’s a long way to know if I am right. But, we have time to confirm. And during that time…”

Before I knew it, Chandler stood right in front of me, and then, he combed his fingers through my hair.

Shivers.

I held my breath as I stared at the good-looking man with  grin at the corner of his lips.

“You can’t go, lady. You have to stay with us,” he added.

My hands clenched into cannonballs.

It is simply saying that I will be held captive.

Basically, this is a crime. In the human world at least.

“Are you saying that I cannot leave without your permission? This is basically kidnapping,” I said.

Chandler withdrew his hand from me and gave me a captivating smile that serves as his mask to hide his true intent.

“A kidnapping with permission,” he said.

“I couldn’t remember permitting you to kidnap me.”

“We will do it right now,” he defended the cleared his throat. “Hello, miss Maxine. Is it okay to kidnap you?”

Before answering, I looked at the two men standing behind him.

I bit my lower lip.

The question isn’t about asking for my  real thoughts but a threat. My life would be in danger once I declined.

Swiftly, I looked for a way to escape from this maddening forceful kidnapping.

My quick brain worked and fast words slipped from my lips. “What about my job? I have to work!”

Stupid.

I praised my brain for working hastily but I couldn’t believe that this is all the best that I could think of.

Keeping my mouth shut right after, I watched their reactions.

The three men, or should I say Beasts, looked at each other.

“What is your work?” Chandler asked me when he beheld a gaze.

My pursed mouth detached and I answered, “I am working in a coffee shop.”

Seconds after, I heard a laugh coming from the blond-haired guy. It is a laugh of mockery.

‘What’s funny?’ I wondered.

The blonde-haired guy held his tummy while laughing so hard.

“You’re funny,” he said to me, wiping his eyes.

Am I an idiot or what? I really cannot comprehend why he’s laughing.

‘Or maybe, using my job as an excuse so I can escape must be really can act of idiocy?’

Ahhh.

I don’t know anymore.

“We can give you a whole cafe if you want,” the black-haired guy said with stern expression.

Give me a whole cafe?

Is he serious?!

Yes. He does look serious.

Does it mean that they are so rich that they can do that?

I wonder how much their wealth are.

‘Wait a minute. Why am I trusting their words and even considering it?!’

“You don’t need to worry about working, dear,” Chandler said as he unclasped his hand away from my wrist. Next, he leaned closer and placed his nose near to my neck.

As his breath brushed on my skin, all hairs in my body marched up. I stepped backward but was held closer by his hand wrapping around my waist.

He pulled me closer.

“Oh,” I gasped.

This weird guy sniffed my scent and I twitched. My legs trembled and  I felt tingling sensation at my toes.

“First,” Chandler whispered before he moved away and stared at my eyes. “I think you need to take a bath. You really need it.”

A bath? Suddenly?

Well, I could also smell distinct urine smell in my dress which I wore to attend my friend’s engagement. I am certain I did not pee on my dress.

Looking back, I fell down on the toilet’s ground last night.

“Brett,” Chandler called.

The blond-haired guy responded.

“Yup?”

“Can you bring her and get her wash up?”

“Sure~ At your service,” the guy named Brett answered and he stepped closer to me, one step at a time. “Before washing, I had to see what I had to see,” he said, ceasing his pace before me.

What to see?

What else to see in me?

Is he talking about seeing something in my body? 

Promptly, Brett held my hand and pulled me closer to him. And I looked at him as if I finished swallowing a whole apple.

“Let me properly introduce myself first. My name is Brett Holmes. You don’t need to feel shy at me since I almost memorized all parts of women’s body.”

When I looked up at his face he had that smirk, that's when I knew he was fixing to do something crazy.

Yes. This beast looks definitely crazier than the other men in this room.