Mia's POV "It is customary for there to be a Luna ceremony when a new Luna comes into the pack," Thomas says as he chases me into the closet. I rummage through the clothes that I hastily picked up at the local mall. "I don't want a Luna ceremony," I whine as I slip a black dress over my head. "It is tradition," Thomas crosses his arms over his chest and leans against the doorway blocking my only exit. Peeking around Thomas, I make sure that there is no one standing behind him. "I will only be here for a year," I say in a hushed voice. Pinching the bridge of his nose, Thomas lets out a frustrated groan. "The elders don't know that," he hisses back at me. "Remember you promised to put on a good show." "And I have been putting on a good show," I stomp my foot in protest. "I have been the perfect Luna. I have been planning events and going to meetings. I have only been here for a month and I am already the head of several committees. I hang on to your every word when we a
Cora's POV "Daddy," I whine. "It has been a month. You said that he would be sick of her by now." Crossing my arms over my chest, I push my bottom lip out in a full pout that I know my father won't be able to resist. "I don't know what you want me to do about it," my father huffs. "I cannot force him to kick her out of his pack." "Daddy," I pout. "I gave up my mate for Alpha Thomas. Now I am mate-less. I will be an old maid." "You are eighteen years old. Stop being so dramatic." My mother's voice chimes in from behind me. "How dare you?" I spin around and face my mother. "This is all your fault. I could be the Luna of the Light Moon Pack right now." "Well," my mother sighs as she tosses a thick envelope on my father's desk. "It appears that we are going to have to find a new Alpha for you." "What is that?" I screech as I point to the envelope. My father carefully opens the envelope and peeks inside. "The little whore is better than I thought." "What
Mia's POV I am overwhelmed. As soon as I step into the Great Hall there are throngs of pack members throwing themselves at me. All of them with the most pleasant things to say. All of the attention and compliments are not something that I am used to. In the Moonshadow Pack if anyone so much as made eye contact with me they would rush off in the other direction. No one would dare to approach me or compliment me. I scan the crowd, looking for anyone that I might know and my eyes land on Thomas. His hazel eyes are studying me with great curiosity. He looks sharp in his black tuxedo with a green tie that matches my dress. There is no doubt in my mind that Luna Renee had a hand in planning tonight's festivities. I will have to remind her how much I hate surprises. Thomas continues to watch my every move. Even when my back is turned to him, I can feel his eyes on me. My first instinct was to run to him and hide from the people that wish to talk to me but I promised to play the part
Thomas's POV Chaos ensues in the Great Hall. My pack members are running from exit to exit looking for a safe way out of the Hall. My warriors begin to take down the rogues one by one. I move to jump off the stage to join the fray but a tug on the back of my tuxedo jacket reminds me I am leaving my mate alone to fend for herself. "Thomas," she whimpers. Her eyes are large with fear. "What do I do?" Grabbing her by the shoulders, I give her a little shake. "You have to fight," I tell her. I try to make my way off the stage but Mia pulls me back again. "I can't fight," she tells me. "Now is not the time to doubt yourself," I tell her in a hurried voice. "We have got to protect our pack." "I don't have a wolf," Mia says through gritted teeth. "I don't know how to fight." "Fuck," I growl. "I thought that was just a rumor." The snarls around us are growling louder and I need to get into the fight, but Mia is looking at me with her eyes full of tears and I am torn. At this
Mia's POV Hide. I have to hide. While my pack members are out there dying for me, I am hiding underneath the stage like a coward. Technically, they aren't my pack members yet. They were supposed to be after tonight. I was going to merge my blood with Thomas's and officially become a member of the Red Moon Pack. Instead, I am hiding from a horde of rogues that have crashed my Luna Ceremony. I peek through one of the cracks in the stage and all I can see is carnage. Thomas has shifted into his massive black wolf and is surrounded by rogues. One by one they lunge at him. Biting at his legs but Thomas's wolf doesn't seem to notice. Not until a small rogue latches onto his back leg and refuses to let go. As I watch the violence unfold in front of me from my hiding space, I hear someone whisper my name. Glancing to my right I see a hot pink dress crawling under the stage to hide with me. "Shouldn't you be out there protecting your pack?" Cora sneers as she pushes me out of the wa
Thomas's POV I look at the rogue that is kneeling at my feet. His laughter only serves to make my anger grow stronger. My wolf is pacing back and forth in my mind, begging me to let him kill him. I have to push him to the back of my mind. As much as I want to snap this asshole's neck right now I realize that we may need him for information later on down the road. "What do I do with him?" Dylan asks, not even bothering to use the mind link. "Take him to the dungeons with the others," I command Dylan. Dylan cocks an eyebrow at me before he begins to speak. "Are you sure he is useful? He doesn't seem to be all there if you know what I mean." "Maybe a few hours of torture will bring him back to reality," I sneer as I walk away. The lawn of the Great Hall is littered with bodies. Most of them belong to the rogue forces. I am astonished at the number of rogues that were here. This wasn't some random rogue attack. Their forces were too great and it was orchestrated perfectly.
Mia's POV My head bouncing up and down on something rough wakes me from my drug-induced sleep. My eyes flutter open and I am met with nothing but darkness. The sound of tires grinding over gravel lets me know that I am on the move. Metal stings up against my wrist and ankles as I try to move and I know that they have bound me with silver. As I try to wiggle my hands free from the bindings the more the metal bites into my skin. The feeling along with being bounced around in the back of a vehicle makes me feel nauseous. Vomit rises in the back of my throat and I know that I am going to be sick. Suddenly the car jerks to a stop and I am thrown into the side of the trunk of the car. My shoulder cracks loudly as it bangs into the metal hatch of the trunk. Pain radiates down my side and I scream out loudly. The trunk of the vehicle opens up and a bright light blinds me. The sun hangs high in the sky, meaning that we have been on the move all night and far into the next day. There i
Thomas's POV I don't even bother to get in my car. The hospital is only a few blocks away. I know I can run there faster than my car can get me there. Holding the syringe tightly in my hands, I take off running toward the hospital. As I burst through the hospital doors I am shocked to see the waiting room full of injured members of my pack. When I saw the dead bodies of the rogues in and outside of the Great Hall, I was sure that my warriors had been the ones to take them down. I couldn't have been more wrong. Men, women, and children are all waiting to be seen. All with various injuries. Anger pulsates through my veins as I see the children of my pack with bruises and cuts on their bodies. I know that rogues have no honor, but to attack children is despicable. A nurse walks by me and stops in her tracks when she notices that I am standing in front of her. "Alpha," she says as her face blushes with embarrassment. "Are you injured?" I think about the wound on my leg but I do
Mia's POV Five Years Later I am an elephant or a hippo. Whichever you would like to compare a pregnant woman to. My ankles are swollen, and the doctor tells me I could be any day now. I am supposed to be resting to prepare myself for labor, but I really want to scrub this pack house from top to bottom. Nothing feels clean enough. Sitting by the window, I rest my bowl of Fruity Pebbles on my stomach and prop my feet up on the coffee table. Through the window, I can hear loud giggles coming from outside. Painfully I try to sit upright to see what is happening. And what I see gives me both scares me and puts a smile on my face. Thomas is in his wolf form with our son, Jacob, on his back. Our Beta Mark is in wolf form as well. Thomas and Mark's wolves are lined up, pawing at the ground like they are getting ready to race. That's when I hear Jacob's little voice ring out. "On your mark... get set... GO!" Jacob screams loudly, and I watch in terror as my mate takes off, running a
Mia's POV The doctor shuffles some of the papers on her desk as she smiles at me. What is it with everyone smiling at me? "Luna," she says, grinning brightly. "I have good news. You don't have a stomach virus." "Then why am I so sick? There must be a reason why I am so sick," I moan. "Luna, you are pregnant," the doctor tells me. "I'm sorry," I laugh uncomfortably. "I thought you just said that I am pregnant." "That's because I did," the doctor chuckles. My throat begins to feel thick, and I feel like I am going to vomit. "How far along?" I ask. "Without an ultrasound, I can't determine just how far along you are," the doctor says with a smile. "But I can check right now if you would like." "No!" I shout at her. "I want Thomas to be here." As if on cue, Thomas comes bursting in through the office door. His clothes are a mess and covered in teeth marks. He must have run here in his wolf form. He is breathing heavily and resting his hands on his knees, trying to cat
Mia's POV It has been two months since we arrived back at the Red Moon Pack. I have settled into my role as Luna. Without any formal training, it has been a struggle. Luna Renee has been by my side the whole time, teaching me what I need to know. Slowly, I am finding my place within this pack. This morning I am sitting in front of a mound of paperwork I have been putting off for a week. My second Luna ceremony is coming up, and it is up to me to plan this time. Luna Renee is sitting across from me, tapping her fingers impatiently on the desk, waiting for me to make a decision on colors for the upcoming ceremony. "Well," she says, watching me flip through the color swatches. "I already told you," I moan. "I want Red and Silver." "Those are very bold colors for a Luna Ceremony," she reminds me for the thousandth time. "I don't care," I groan. "I want those colors. Red is the official color of the Red Moon Pack, and silver matches my mark." I cross my arms over my chest
Thomas's POV I watch in awe as Mia transforms into her massive lycan form. Her lycan is lean but muscular, with shimmering silver fur that covers her body. I have never seen anything more beautiful in my whole life. As soon as she takes her new form, something changes within me. Mia's lycan stands on two legs, and she holds her hands up in front of her, trying to catch a glimpse of what she looks like. Without warning, her lycan takes off, running in the direction of the nearby stream. My wolf begins acting erratically in my mind, demanding that I chase after her. Stripping my clothes off, I leap into the air, shifting into my massive black wolf. I land on all fours, shaking out my fur. Lifting my nose into the air, I follow the strong scent of cinnamon. I race through the trees until I come upon Mia's lycan staring at herself in the stream. She twists her body from side to side, and I cannot help but think she is more beautiful than any werewolf I have ever seen. Suddenly sh
Mia's POV It is nighttime when I am released from the hospital, and my body is beginning to feel weird. My skin feels itchy, like it is trying to stretch over my body too tightly. As we walk to the car, I scratch at the skin on my arms, trying to alleviate the sensation. "Your body is getting ready to shift," Thomas tells me kindly. "The feeling will pass after you shift for the first time." We get into the car, and Thomas drives us to a secluded location in the Paxton Pack. Ethan and Emma told us this is where the young werewolves come to shift for the first time. Exiting the car, I notice a nip in the cool summer air. Goosebumps rise along my skin, and I feel slightly panicked. What if I am not a lycan? What if I am unable to shift? "You will be able to shift," Thomas says as he places his hand on the small of my back. "Stop reading my mind," I chuckle jokingly. Slowly I walk up the hill to the spot within the trees where the moon's light shines through the canopy.
Thomas's POV About an hour after Dylan left, I felt his tether to the pack break once again. This time it was more painful than the last time. The last time he left, I knew he would be back. This time I am not so sure I will see him ever again. Going rogue can be risky. Dylan runs the chance of losing himself to his wolf. He could become more wolf than man. He can become a danger to himself and others. Mia stirs a little in her sleep, and my eyes dart in her direction. "Mia, Mia, baby, are you awake?" She mumbles something in her sleep, and I watch her eyes move rapidly beneath her eyelids. She must be dreaming. "Mia?" I call her name again, trying to wake her from her slumber. "Mia, can you hear me?" "I can hear you," she mumbles grumpily. "Five more minutes." I cannot help but chuckle as she stretches her arms to the side and yawns. "Mia, my love," I say as I grab her hand. "You have been asleep since the battle." Suddenly, her eyes fly open, and she gasps. "It w
Thomas's POV Stroking the back of Mia's hand with my thumb, I lay my head on the edge of the bed, waiting for her to wake up. It has been hours since she killed Richard, and she is still asleep. The doctor said the stress of an early shift plus the shock of killing Richard is why she is sleeping. Her brain is trying to recover from the excitement of it all. I just hope that she wakes soon. I am tired of sitting beside this woman in a hospital, waiting for her to wake up. Mia is too headstrong for her own good. If she would have let me fight Richard on my own, none of this would have happened. But as stubborn and hardheaded as she is, I still love her and plan to tell her as soon as she wakes up. I have gone long enough keeping her in the dark. Once I profess my love for her, I will let her go just like I did Emma. Having already found my fated mate, I know how special that bond can be. I would never deny Mia the chance to have that with who the Moon Goddess made just for her.
Mia’s POV My heart swells when Thomas calls me his mate, but I am also nervous. See that Alpha Richard is covered in blood. He must have fought his way into the Paxton Pack. The decrepit old man who needed a cane to get around is no longer standing before me. Alpha Richard is standing tall, restraining Cora easily. He has been putting on an act all of these years. "Emma," Ethan's voice sounds desperate as he turns to his mate. "Get the kids out of here," he commands her. Emma runs to his side and kisses Ethan deeply before she runs to the other room to guard her children. "I have no quarrel with you, Ethan," Richard smirks. "I am just here for what is mine." "You brought this battle onto my pack lands," Ethan snarls. "You are making it my business." "Have it your way," Richard shrugs his shoulders. Thomas's chest is rumbling with anger beside me, and I know he is waiting for the right moment to attack. "Let Cora go," Thomas growls, and let's settle this like Alphas.
Richard's POV I show up on the front steps of the Moonshadow pack house in tattered clothes, with cuts and bruises all over my body. I have been in wolf form for days trying to get as far away from the Red Moon Pack as quickly as possible. I have been living off of rabbits and other small prey, and their blood and dirt are splattered over what is left of my clothes. Raising my hand, I weakly knock on the door. Alpha Aiden opens the door and takes one look at me before trying to slam the door in my face. Holding my hand out, I force the door open and make my way inside. Alpha Aiden looks at the trail of mud that I drug into the house with me and wrinkles his nose in disgust. "Do you have any idea how dirty you are?" Alpha Aiden says with an air of arrogance. "Do you have any idea what I have been through?" I snap at him. Alpha Aiden looks over me with disgust, "You are still alive." His voice is cold and heartless. "No thanks to you," I growl at him. "You promised