My Luna

               Loriann's POV

               "Lori, I have a date with Alpha Romero."

A wide smiling Meg dribbles onto the chair opposite me. Her blue eyes are bright and her long black hair moves with the shake of her head as she looks at me. It is clear that she is thrilled with this opportunity that many long for but were too fearful of the consequences.

               Right now, I am sitting in the school cafeteria at our regular place. I had been concentrating on reading a science website on my iPad while waiting for Meg to finish with the teacher. Her exclamation is like a sword slicing through my body.

               'Goddess, not my only friend. Not Meg,' I pray to myself. I would hate myself if I had to get rid of her too. Like Louise, I would have to kill her, since her parents would most definitely not move out of Eclipse Howl. They are high ranking, maybe not of the highest level but still important enough for the pack. With widened eyes, I stare at her while frantically trying to contain myself.

               "Aren't you happy for me? Ah, never mind, I won't hear from you anyway". She continues to waggle enthusiastically on her chair. But then she suddenly grabs my hand and gets in my face. "It's a scheme. The Beta has asked me to help investigate the matter surrounding the Alpha's disappearing girlfriends".

               Relieved, I smile now and stare back into her eyes. Saved. I don't have to eliminate my friend. And then she tells me about Romero and his Beta's plan. So the Alpha suspects someone is behind his failed love life and wants to trap him. He thinks someone wants to make his life miserable. The painful part is that he doesn't get the idea that maybe he owes someone or has something to make up for.

               My thoughts go back to that one day, fifteen years ago when Romero and I were in the playground of the preschool. Little Alpha had climbed up the steps of the slide without permission, out of sight of the teachers. And when he wanted to sit down to start his slide, one of his hands holding a bar got loose and he came down at high speed, unbalanced.  At one point he was sliding down diagonally his head aimed at the bottom bars of the slide.

               Without thinking, I ran towards him and dropped myself at the bottom of the slide breaking his fall. To his luck, he landed in the sand without injury. His scream had attracted the attention of the teachers, who rooted to the ground before rushing to his aid. 

               But a few had also looked after me, helping me stand up and wipe the sand off my dress. Of course, the Alpha and Luna had run to the school in wolf form to check on their only son.

               "Thank Lori for saving your life, dear. You don't have a wolf yet, if you were seriously injured you would have to heal all by yourself," the Luna had gently persuaded him. "And might even have been left with injuries". Without hesitation, the future Alpha had run to me, wrapped his arms firmly around my neck and kissed me on the cheek.

               "Thank you, Lori. You saved my life. That's why you will be my Luna. Once I grow up and my wolf is ready, I will make you my Luna and I will love you so much. Just like my Dad loves my Mom," he had childishly promised. All the adults around us burst into laughter. The Principal had even taken a picture of us at that moment which is still in the yearbook today.

               From that day on, he had always been considerate of me at school. Every day he would bring extra pieces of meat and salad to share with me in the lunchroom. Like a true gentleman, he would put my portion on a napkin before starting his own meal. This went on until we were 10.

               Then my parents, both pack doctors, were called by the Alpha to meet him in his office. Smiling broadly, they returned home to tell me the news. Alpha Thoseo asked them to assist Crescent Moon because their pack doctor had unexpectedly died. They had some members at the medical university but they were not yet fully qualified to run a hospital.

               My parents had agreed because two other doctors were working in our pack hospital and they wanted a change of scenery. None of them had noticed how this news had affected me; I cried silently all those nights until we left. Saying goodbye to the future Alpha was hard, it took me months to come to terms with the loss of his closeness.

               As Meg narrates the plan she has drawn up with the Beta, I take my wallet out of my handbag. Opening it, I see the withered rose there. It no longer has the fresh red color, the fresh scent is also mostly gone. But to me, it is more valuable than the most expensive precious metal.

               I sniff it a few times like a junky on the purest of drugs.

"And of course, you're coming with me, Lori. Beta Jace is looking forward to getting to know you better," Meg suddenly remarks. And with that, she immediately demands my undivided attention. Why would the Beta want to meet me? We are from the same pack so he knows who I am, he even knows my parents very well.

               "I warned him it will be a monologue. You barely utter a word. The Moon Goddess alone knows how the Beta can single-handedly keep the conversation going". At that, she bursts into uncontrollable laughter and pats me on the shoulders amicably.

               I chuckle sheepishly, Meg is the only one in the pack, apart from my parents of course, who can put up with me. She loves her own voice so much, and has so much to say, that my silence is to her advantage. She can rattle on for hours, without expecting an answer. So our friendship is satisfactory for both of us.

               I don't know how this will all play out, but I am curious to see how this day will continue. Finally, I get a chance to approach Romero very closely and test again whether he recognizes me....