Chapter 4 The Global's Land

The woods closed in as they moved deeper into them, the moon continuously spreading silvery rays across their pathway. She did her best to stay tight to Alec, trying to block out the trembling that ran through her body with each step. Whether the trembling caused by the cold or the remnants of the adrenaline that ran through her body from the fight, she could not tell. It smelled rich of pine and earth, but buried beneath it was something dark—something deadly. 

After what she thought was hours, Alec finally slowed. In front of them, the trees began parting. On the other side of the trees was an opening, with a large stone structure in the middle, with other smaller structures that blended in with the woods. The cabin was grand, rustic, and reminded her of some sort of imagination, and it felt as if it was ancient,sunk within the earth. 

"This is it," Alec said quietly, breaking the silence. "Welcome to our land." 

Luna's eyes widened as she took her surroundings in. The structure was not what she had expected and was definitely far more elegant than what she had envisioned, and not just a home, but a fortress.

Jax chuckled at the effect this place had on Luna's visage. "Surprised? We don't all live on caves."

Luna shot him a look, but her lips twitched with a spillover smile, "I guess I really have  made a few lofty assumptions about werewolves!"

“Oh, you will see wild,” Jax winked. “Just wait.”

“Enough,” Alec interjected, his voice taking on a more serious edge as he surveyed the clearing for eavesdroppers. “We need to get inside. Ronan’s scouts won’t be the only ones looking for us.”

With that, Kade opened the heavy wooden door leading into the house, ushering Luna to step inside. She hesitated for a moment and, catching Kade’s eyes, saw something in them—something quiet and intense—that made her feel safer. She stepped over the threshold.

The inside of the house was as lovely as the outside. The room had high ceilings, exposed wooden beams and a huge stone fireplace, which warmed things up, felt rather inviting even, particularly in light of the tension generated by the knowledge that they were hunted.

“Sit,” Kade said softly, gesturing towards a large, soft couch close to the fire.

Luna dropped her bag by the door and sat down, her legs still shaky after the night. Jax relaxed in a much-too-relaxed way in a chair nearby, considering that he now just fought a rogue wolf.

Alec stood with his arms crossed over his chest, pacing in front of the fire. “We’re safe here, for now.” He broke the silence. “But we need to talk about what’s going to happen next.”

Luna swallowed hard; she braced herself for gotgetting into the throat—“Next? You mean… how do we stop Ronan?”

Alec’s green eyes found hers again before he answered, his expression serious, “Yes. But more importantly, how do we prepare you to stop Ronan.”

“Prepare me?” Luna blinked her eyes, surprised. “But I told you—right before— I don’t know how to use this power. Until tonight, I didn’t even know I possessed it."

“You may not know now, but you will learn,” Alec determinedly responded. “Your power resides in your blood. It is born from within you and it is the only thing strong enough to stop Ronan.” 

Luna felt a lump in her throat. “I... I don’t even know where to begin.”

“You won’t have to figure it out alone.” Kade said, his voice was quiet but firm, eyes focused from his post by the window. “We will help you.”

“We’ve got your back,” Jax added with a grin, while his hazel eyes were serious. "No one's going to let only you prepare for this."

Luna's heart raced. It was so much to process as all of these things were flooding her mind. The weight of the responsibility she had not asked for was climbing on to her, and if she did not succeed, what would happen? She rubbed her temples, trying to digest the overwhelming email.

Alec took a step forward, kneeling in front of her now, gaze steady, reassuring. “You’re stronger than you think Luna,” he said. "You made it through tonight, and that's just the start of it. We're going to teach you how to control your power and fight back. First, you need to trust yourself.” 

Luna gazed into Alec’s expressive eyes. It was hard to believe any of this was happening, but she could feel that they were not lying to her. They believed in her even if she didn't believe in herself. 

“How?” Luna finally said, her voice barely a whisper. “How do I start?”

“With your connection to the moon,” responded Alec, whose gaze softened.

“My connection?” she frowned. 

Kade interjected, “You’re a moon-bearer.” His tone was smooth and steady as usual, “Your power is connected to the moon’s cycle. The closer we are to the full moon, the stronger you will become.” 

Jax leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "You felt it tonight. That rogue wolf came after us?"

Luna hesitated, trying to remember. She had been so frightened, she hadn't felt anything other than her senses being overwhelmed; though there was something... a strange pull, like the night itself was watching her. 

"I... I don't know." She admitted. "It happened so fast."

"That is normal." Alec said, standing again. "Right now, it is instinctual, but when you learn how to control it, you will sense danger long before it gets close to you. You will be able to boss wolves - like us."

The thought of bossing them, maybe even protecting them, seemed so foreign. Alec's way of talking about it made it seem like there was no choice. It wasn't about her survival, but theirs too.

"I don't want to hurt anyone." She said, feeling the fear in her voice.

"You won't." Alec said softly. "This isn't about hurting others. This is about protecting yourself and protecting your pack. We are part of that now."

Luna swallowed. It's not that she was sure when she became part of a pack. But in some organic way, Alec made it seem impossible to refuse. 

Kade stepped away from the window, moving toward the fire. "We don't have much time. Ronan will make his move soon and when he does, he will be coming for you first."

Luna could feel her heart rate elevate. "How much time do we have?" 

Jax's face became grim. "A few days at the most. The full moon is almost here and it will be when Ronan is at his strongest."

Luna could feel her stomach twist with dread. A few days was nowhere close to long enough to learn how to wield power she didn't even understand. How could they expect her to stop Ronan when she could barely wrap her head around the world she had been thrust into?

"I'm not ready," she managed, her voice shaking. "I don't know how to do this."

Alec's hand rested on her shoulder, a firm but comforting pressure. "We'll make sure you are," he said, "We'll train you starting tomorrow. You won't be doing this on your own, Luna. We'll be there every step of the way."

Taking a deep breath, Luna shifted her eyes among the three of them. There was something fierce in their gazes—something protective. As the fear inched deeper into her core, she knew one thing for certain: they had faith. They had faith that she could stop Ronan.

But could she have faith, too?

She nodded slowly, even with her thoughts twisting in her gut. "Okay," she murmured. "I'll do what it takes."

Alec's lips curled shyly into a smile, the tension in his body lessening just a little. "That's all we need to hear," he murmured.

Jax tilted back against the bench and grinned down at her. "And hey, worst comes to worst, we can always just bite him, right?"

Kade shot Jax a look of warning, and though it reverberated somewhere deep in her gut, Luna allowed a small laugh to escape. The whole idea was absurd; it felt like too much to bear—but just like that, surrounded by the fierce, protective walls of the wolves, a flicker of hope burst to life in her chest.  Tomorrow, her training began. And she would be ready—she had to be.