Dear Moon Goddess

Charlotte

I could always tell when a lecture was about to end by the tone of Professor Thompson's voice, so I made myself get out of my daydream and concentrate long enough to finish the homework. Again, I would find the piece we had to create to be far too easy. Even though classes hadn't started for a little over a month, I was still bored. The only one of the four classes I was enrolled in that I thought was at all interesting was Intro to Criminology. I told myself again as I was leaving the room, "I hope this gets more exciting soon."

"Hey Charlotte, I see you were spacing out again," a man's voice called out to me from behind.

"Yes, Astro, is it really that hard for you to stay grounded for even one class?" Someone else answered.

We four moved to the side of the hallway so as not to block anyone walking by. Willow sighed and slapped both of their arms. "Charlotte, ignore them," said Willow. In my entire life, I had never been able to make friends like them.

Sharp angles, light ash blonde hair, and piercing green eyes were characteristics shared by Willow and her twin brother Rowan. At well over six feet, Rowan was still at least half a foot taller than his sister, even though they were both quite tall. The other man was her partner, Kyran. His hair was jet black and his eyes were hazel; he was taller than Willow but not quite as short as Rowan. They were members of the pack too, being werewolves. But they were so lowly in the eyes of the public that they pretended not to care. They would evaluate me based on their own conclusions.

I had met them on a day that had been both joyful and terrifying. It felt like one of my biggest life victories when they finally accepted me, even though I had no idea how they would react. The fact that I had only known them for a little over a month didn't seem to bother them. The fact that they treated me as though I were one of them, just like my cousins had, delighted me.

"Please, Kyran, could you call me Astro? My name has no bearing on it."

As soon as he told his own joke, he guffawed, "No? For an astronaut who spends the entire class floating through space, I think it's very appropriate."

Willow gave him another slap and said, "Honestly," laughing. "Why do I bother to deal with you again?" she exclaimed.

"Because the Moon Goddess said that we were destined to be together forever and therefore you're head over heels in love with me and find me irresistible," he repeated in response to her irritated question. most likely as a result of her persistent questions.

With a giggle, she reached up on her toes to pull him in close for a quick kiss. "Yes, that's right. That has to be the case."

"Blech, can you wait until I am not around to do that?" Rowan said. All four of us laughed at the things we did on a daily basis.

"Hey Charlotte, is your cousin here, or would you like us to give you a ride home today?"

I thought, "No, Robert is probably already waiting for me, so I should hurry up," as I began to run toward the door. See you all the following week."

"What?"

After me, I heard Rowan and Kyran yell, "Don't you mean tomorrow?" which caused me to swerve to a stop and turn to face them once more.

"What are you discussing?"

"The Gathering of the Harvest Moon." Willow spoke in an uninteresting tone and with a soft, childlike voice.

I smacked my forehead and exclaimed, "Oh My Goddess! It's unbelievable that I overlooked that."

"Good thing you have such good friends who will remind you, that way you can be prepared at least a little in advance," I said, startled, to Kyran's laughter.

I said to him, sarcastically, "Har-har very funny."

I growled at him, half-joking, half-seriously, "Ouch, rein it in, Astro."

I bounded toward the parking lot, avoiding the throngs of people. I could see Robert standing next to his Jeep X, waiting for me. He was as close to a doting brother as I was going to get, and most of the time it made me very happy, though I would never admit it to him.

You're late, he growled as soon as I was close enough for him to growl at me.

I apologised, saying, "I was talking with a couple people after class. I was mostly filled with displeasure, but I was responding to his impatience as well. Fortunately, too, since they brought up a memory for me."

"Oh yeah?" he said, laughing. Regarding what did they remind you of? It was obvious that he thought it was irrelevant.

"I had completely forgotten about tomorrow night's Harvest Moon Gathering."

How on earth could you possibly forget about that, Charlotte?

We normally only get together for the hunter's moon, not the harvest moon, so this is the first time we are getting together for both. It's not my fault that I overlooked a tradition break, particularly since I'm not usually involved in these things anyway."

To be honest, could he really blame me? Ever since I turned eighteen, most of the pack has acted as if I never existed. If it weren't for the tuition and monthly stipend, I would assume that Grandfather had also forgotten about me. However, it's possible that he is merely letting his secretary handle things and is not aware of what is going on.

He said to me, grinning and laughing, "Come on, Charlotte, let's go," as he climbed into the Jeep. Whatever kind of brother I could ask for, he would always be there for me, he promised.

I asked him, "Why is there a gathering tomorrow, anyway?" as he was leaving the city and entering the property. Now, I call it a "compound" because that's what the pack refers to, but actually, it was a gated community that housed a large number of pack families.

The compound was encircled by a forest on the north and west and mountains on three of the sides. A river meanders along the south side of the compound and around the base of the mountain. We had literally constructed a fortress to live in, thanks to the assistance of the Elements all around us. Everyone who lived at the compound was a resident except for the exiles, who were mainly newly arrived adult males who left voluntarily or just wanted a little more freedom. It was the safest way for us to keep people away from us and protect ourselves.

"The Alpha needs to host as many get-togethers as he can before the year is out in order to find a partner. He must begin travelling to other packs in order to search for a mate if he is unable to locate his Luna within our pack. But each unmated pack member must leave because there's a chance that other pairs will also establish mate bonds during the events. Mates are welcome to attend, as it is a social event and it would be inappropriate to bar anyone from attending."

"Well, since Willow and Kyran are already mated, that explains why they are leaving." I pondered. But really, why must I leave? Everyone is aware that I will not be his mate. I am unable to form a mate bond because I do not own a wolf." I exhaled.

He told me right away, "Charlotte, you don't know that." He used to always tell me this when I would get depressed when I was younger. I remember getting really angry at myself or my mother for not having a wolf. But for now, all I can do is enjoy my somewhat better existence, since there's nothing else I can do.

I lost my temper, letting out a little more rage than I had planned to. "I am not a wolf, nor am I human. I have no place here. Ask Grandfather, please."

Robert snapped, which made me laugh. Yes, occasionally I would like to tell old gramps where to put his pride—which is holier than thou—into his mouth. The thing that Grandfather hated most was how he treated me. He was only two years older than his brother, who was six years older than me, which put him closer to my age—possibly because I have two cousins. They still loved me even after Evander grew up and moved on with his life. He had even recently found a partner and gotten married, moving into his own home on the property.

"Nevertheless, Robert, we both understand that nobody will mate with me and that, even in the event that they did, they would still reject me."

When I told him, "Charlotte, you can't reject a mate bond," he looked surprised. You are aware of that.

Yes, I understand, but that doesn't mean they wouldn't attempt to turn me down. They would probably prefer to remain single forever. They would initiate the first Buddhist monk wolf order." I laughed at myself.

"That's not funny," he growled.

"You already know that it is, in fact. None of the men in this pack would consider me a mate." I made this very clear.