Chapter 8: The Luna

As soon as we arrive at Dr. Franklin’s office, the driver kindly pulls up to the front entrance and lets me out.  Right before he opens the door, Alexander wraps his fingers around my wrist and points at the only available spot before stating flatly, “We will be parked right down there when you get out.”

Nodding, I fake a smile and then make my way to the doctor’s office just in time for my appointment.  When I open the door and see several others sitting there waiting as well, I swallow hard and sigh before walking up to the desk and announcing my presence. 

“Hello, how may I help you?” A woman asks with a kind smile on her face as she slides the glass window open and stares at me expectantly. 

Clearing my throat, I answer softly so no one else can hear, “My name is Anastasia Smith and I have a 10 o’clock appointment for my annual.” 

Cocking her head, she glances up at me and asks professionally, “Are there any changes we need to know about that the doctor should address?”

I stand there silently thinking for a moment and then quickly say, “Nope, not that I can think of.” before she hands me a set of papers to sign.

Afterwards, I wait my turn and when the doctor’s appointment is eventually over, I sigh because now I am forced to deal with a whole new problem.  While scratching my neck, I walk back to the car slowly because I need to think about what might happen when I meet everyone.  “What if they don’t like me and decide to kill me off?” I think to myself as I stop just short of the car.

With a furrowed brow, I begin to worry myself to death, especially when Alexander climbs out of the car and demands gruffly, “Get in.  We need to go now!”

Shaking my head, I hurry to the car and get in before asking frantically, “What happened?”

As he glares down at me, his jaw begins to twitch when he says shortly, “A warring clan has just attacked, and we have at least three dead and two wounded.”

Furrowing his brow, he continues with anger in his voice, “I will rip the Alpha of the Red Moon Shadow Walkers from limb to limb as soon as I find him.  How dare he attack when there is a peace treaty?”

Pausing, he glances at me with a glint in his eyes as if he has just thought of something and then adds, “Unless, he has found out about you.”

Grasping his forearm, I stop him from slamming his fist into the window before I ask shakily, “What about me?”

Looking down at me, he stares for a little too long, then finally states quietly so the driver cannot hear our conversation, “If word is already traveling about a human Luna, it would cause all sorts of problems.  Remember, I told you that werewolves and humans are not supposed to mix.  Well, I knew that this day would come, I was just hoping that it would take some time for the news to travel.”

Leaning closer to his body, I feel the heat of him as I suddenly feel scared and whisper, “Am I walking into a death trap?”

“Not if I can help it.” He says quickly before taking my head in both hands and leaning down to kiss my lips.

Staring into his eyes, I see a sadness there and yet I also see the ever-present hunger he has for me.  This scares me because as I look at him, I notice that this is a man who is powerful enough to have any woman or anything he wants, but he wants me.  That says something loud and clear.  Yet, I am torn because one side wants him so bad it hurts, and my stubborn side tells me to run or fight him every step of the way.

What is so weird about all of this is the fact that I can’t get over the strange sense of déjà vu when we met and several times afterwards.  As if we were lovers in another life or somehow are connected.  That when we touch, it feels like we have done this so many times before. 

Now, as I look out the window, I reflect on what has happened in the short time since we met.  Not only has my whole world been turned upside down, but now I may find that I am smack dab in the middle of a werewolf war and I am the sole reason for it.  How can I live with myself if others have been killed just because Alexander has picked me as his Luna?

“Sir, we are here.” The driver announces as the car slows down and it brings our attention to the task at hand.

When the car stops, I swallow hard and then glance up at Alexander who is staring straight ahead at a small village.  It seems like any other, just planted squarely in the middle of the woods.  As I scan the area, I notice what looks like a post office, a butcher shop of course, a small grocery store and a bigger building besides all the houses.  On closer inspection, I realize that the big grey building is a school. 

As I continue to look out the window, I feel Alexander’s hand on my upper thigh as he draws my attention to him while asking thoughtfully, “Are you ready for this?”

Looking up at him now, I nod, before the driver opens the door and Alexander steps out first to make sure it is safe.  After scanning the area for a few minutes, he holds out his hand gently and then he leads the way through the crowd as all the onlookers stare in anticipation of their Luna.  Hearing a round of applause, I turn as a young man with a smirk on his face claps loudly and stands in a challenging stance.

“My, my.  What do we have here?  Is this our new Luna?  She sure does not look worthy of the title.  Instead, she looks like a tasty meal.  Might I have a taste of her?  I am sure that you have brother, or you wouldn’t have brought her here so quickly.” The man asks as his eyes glow a distinct darker gold than Alexander’s does even though the rest of him looks like a younger twin.

Glancing up at Alexander’s handsome face, I watch it turn from serious to angry in less than a second before asking, “How dare you, Peter?  You know better than this.”

Releasing my hand, he looks as if he is getting ready for a fight as his fangs emerge and become much longer.  When I look down at his hands, I notice that he now has very sharp claws where his fingernails once were.

Not knowing what to do, I step back because I can’t defend myself against something like this, let alone even know where to begin if I was forced to. 

“Brother, step down now!” Alexander demands as he growls each word and then takes a few steps closer to Peter quickly.

When Peter lowers his gaze and takes a step back, I begin to realize that this is a pissing contest and that they are merely acting like the animals they are.  What was I thinking?  I had forgotten that they are not human and that werewolves are at least part animal.  “How can I live among them if I can’t understand them and protect myself?” I wonder as I look fearfully between the two of them and then back to Alexander.

Realizing that the fight for the moment has been halted, I start to calm down, especially when Alexander returns to his human form and looks down at me with sadness in his eyes.  Taking me in his arms, he lowers his head and kisses me softly on the lips before he whispers, “I am sorry that this happened.  It will take time for everyone to realize that you will be staying.  Therefore, it is important that they all meet you as soon as possible.”

Looking back up at the crowd forming around us, he raises his voice and says in an authoritative tone, “This is your Luna, Anastasia.”

Taking my hand, he proudly displays me for everyone to see before the onlookers all nod, and then one by one they come forward.  As they take my hand and kiss it, this strange feeling comes over me and that same image of a woman dressed in a long red velvet gown, pops in my head. Smiling, I accept everyone’s well wishes as they all cycle on by.

Finally, when the last of them have said hello, Alexander takes my hand again and leads me to a big building I previously hadn’t noticed before.  The word Hospital is expertly etched in white stone up top of the front entrance.  As we walk in the big glass doors, several doctors and a nurse surround us and then start speaking all at once excitedly, “Alpha Alexander, Lucy, Ken, Damian, and Charlie are dead, Anne is unconscious, but Toby is awake.  Follow us this way.”

As I watch them all scurry along, Alexander and I keep up until we stop right outside one of the rooms.  When they turn to Alexander, the oldest doctor with greying black hair, states quietly, “He has been through a lot, but he needs to speak with you.”

Nodding, we walk inside, and I see a small man in his twenties, lying on a hospital bed, covered in a crisp white cotton sheet with a matching blanket over top of him.  His eyes pop open the moment he hears us enter as he tries to sit up to greet Alexander. 

“Alpha, I’m so sorry I failed you.” He whispers as he still tries to sit up with a pained look on his face.

Holding out his hand to the man, Alexander says quickly, “No, no.  You did just fine.  I am just glad you are still alive.  After you have rested, I will get all the details from you so I can come up with a plan.”

Smiling, the man lies back down as Alexander leads me out of the room quickly.   As soon as we are a safe distance away from everyone else, he stops abruptly and turns to face me before saying flatly, “In a couple of hours, I will take you home because there is something I must do without you present.  I don’t want to have to worry about you as well when I tear the Alpha to shreds.”

Swallowing hard, I imagine him ripping the man apart as he screams bloody murder.  For some reason, this doesn’t seem to bother me at all, because I saw what they did to Toby and that is enough justification for anything he does to their Alpha.  However, it frightens me to realize that I am right in the middle of this.