Lunar Shadows: Awaken

Selene

“When I first met you, in the store, I had no idea. It wasn’t until the second day at the park that I felt it, when I pressed my hand to yours,” he says on a breath as he pulls his eyebrows together.

Remembering that moment, my breath leaves me in a huff. “That wasn’t a dream,” I whisper, looking past Kyran as I recall my memory. “Ugh, Ria,” I mutter, shaking my head.

“Definitely not a dream,” he smiles crookedly before his mouth falls into a frown. “Selene, I don’t want you to get the wrong impression. Before I was even aware of this bond, I, uh, was drawn to you. I wanted to see you again, I couldn’t get you out of my head. You captivated me that day I saw you in the store. Once I felt your touch in the park, I was extremely confused because I had my mark and couldn’t make sense of anything I was feeling. Still, I wanted to keep seeing you, to get to know you. I’m glad we’ve connected, I truly enjoyed spending an entire day and night texting like a fucking teenager,” he smiles boyishly at me and I can’t help but smile back.

“I want to get to know you more. I had fun talking about each other that day, I haven’t spoken with someone like that in, well, forever,” he murmurs as he blushes with a smirk. “My point is, Selene, regardless of the bond magic, I like you, for who you are. And I’d like to know more of you, all of you, if you’ll have me,” he says quietly, running his hand through his hair.

My entire body is blanketed in a heavy, comforting warmth as I stare into his amber eyes. No butterflies, no nerves or giddiness, just a simple, sure feeling enveloping me. I feel safe. I feel his truth and I believe him. Nodding my head gently, I smile warmly at him and take his hand. “I feel the same way,” I murmur in response.

He smiles in disbelief at me, giving my hand a gentle squeeze and running his thumb over my knuckles. “There’s more to understand, Selene, about mates. We—werewolves that is—hold women with high regard. They bring us our life, they hold the choice whether to accept us or not when the mate bond is presented. It isn’t just an immediate binding that happens, when a mate-pair meets. The woman has the option to accept the man or deny him, severing the bond magic permanently. This differs from a death, however. Both man and woman then have another opportunity with a new mate bond, but the chances of that happening are beyond slim. Possible, but unlikely.” He shakes his head and clears his throat as he sits up straighter.

“Upon meeting, some wolves will offer their spirit to be assessed by the woman, her wolf can glean who they are that way without the potential lies and deceits that words can bring. It is a raw, vulnerable thing to offer oneself that way, though it shows the sincerity the wolf holds. Once a mate bond is formed, the only way it breaks is through death,” Kyran sighs, holding my gaze intently.

I exhale slowly, amazed. “Wow, this is so fascinating. Humans are so boring,” I say with a laugh. “How is the bond recognized?”

He smiles with a nod and replies, “Through touch, in either human or wolf form. It’s what makes it so rare to happen. Someone could walk past their mate and not even realize it unless they accidentally brush past one another, or something like that,” Kyran murmurs, looking down at our entwined hands.

“How many werewolves are there, do you know?” I ask, eager to learn as much as I can.

He twists his mouth, thinking for a moment. “I’m not sure, exactly. In my pack, I have just over three thousand wolves ranging from infant pups to elders, and mine is the largest pack in North America. With the other packs, there’s roughly around, oh I don’t know, maybe ten thousand or so, in our country? This does not include the rogues, the werewolves who either refuse to swear allegiance with a pack or had been exiled from one. I’m not sure how many there are of them, somewhere in the thousands, though. As for the entire world, your guess is as good as mine,” he laughs lightly, his eyes crinkling in the corners.

“I can see why the mate bond is considered a rare happenstance, then,” I mumble, trying to wrap my head around it all.

“Yeah,” he nods his head, raising his eyebrows. “That’s why we hold the Convocation each year, to help encourage unmated wolves with an opportunity to potentially meet their mates.”

“What happens there, at the Convocation?” I ask curiously, propping up my chin with my free hand, happy to watch him as he talks and enjoying spending our time together.

“The six packs of our country meet in an enormous, week-long gathering filled with celebrations, dancing, hunts, and, ah, well…lots of willing, unmated wolves,” he smirks. “Their alpha’s are present as well in case newly mated pairs are from different packs and want to join the other’s. Each alpha hosts the Convocation respectably, to divvy up the responsibilities and the traveling required every year. This is actually my year to host the Convocation and it’s held on the week of the summer solstice, which is a few weeks away from now. I would—what, what’s wrong?” he abruptly asks, looking concerned as his gaze drifts back to my astonished face.

Stunned, I lean backward and my hand falls from his as I stare at him. “You’re an alpha? Like, a leader? Top-dog, I—I mean top-wolf?” I stammer as understanding dawns on me.

Laughing, he nods his head. “Yeah, I guess I forgot to mention that. I don’t really know how I would have told that to you though, you know?” he clears his throat, sitting up straight and holds his hand out. “Hi, nice to meet you. My name is Kyran and I’m the Alpha werewolf of the Rocky Mountain Region pack,” he says mockingly with a toothy grin.

Giggling, I agree, “Yeah, I guess you’re right. I would’ve turned and ran faster than The Flash,” I grin back.

In the pause after our laughter fades, my stomach rumbles loudly and Kyran rises from my bed, smiling broadly. He holds out his hand and I place mine in his, asking, “So, what’s your favorite thing to eat for breakfast?” as I scooch out of bed.

“Hmm, do you have any more of those muffins?” he jests, and we laugh together as we make our way downstairs.

As I make us a breakfast of eggs, bacon, toast, and some fresh juice, Kyran tells me about his brother and sister, a few of the people he is close with in his pack and describes what his daily life is normally like. It is really interesting to learn how besides the magical ability to transform into wolves, he and his people are very similar to regular humans. Everyone has a job, skill, or purpose in his community and most people get along well with one another. He says fighting does happen but it’s part of their nature to settle matters that way rather than through talking, which makes sense when I listen to his reasons. He let me know that rarely do these skirmishes result in serious injuries and if they do, werewolves have the ability to heal most wounds immediately. When necessary, he reminds me of his healer, Eir, who had taken care of me after being poisoned with venom at his bar and how she wields special healing magic. Apparently, there hasn’t been anything other than the berserk wolves that she cannot heal.

As I finish the last bite of my breakfast, Kyran stands from the table and takes my plate to the sink, beginning to wash our dishes. I hurry over to him and try to pull him away.

“Oh, no you don’t need to—”

“Of course I do, you made me food. Which was delicious, by the way. I won’t let you cook and clean for me, what am I, some kind of animal?” he flashes a wolfish grin at me over his shoulder.

My mouth twists up into a smile and I lean against the counter beside him, watching as he methodically scrubs and rinses our plates. I can’t resist trailing my eyes up his arm, curious about his tattoos. I peer closer, my eyes following the intricate designs and shading, wondering how old they are. My gaze drifts, sweeping across his broad chest pulling his gray t-shirt taut and I admire his strength. I peek up at his face and find him staring at me, giving me a smirk when our eyes meet. I blush furiously, but I hold his gaze and smile cheekily back at him, making him laugh.

Pushing off the counter, I make my way toward the porch door, sighing dramatically, “Like I said last night, you’re very distracting,” and give him a wink.

“You have no idea, sweetheart,” he murmurs, drying his hands on a towel and stepping toward me.

I grin at him, my cheeks flushing warmly and head outside into the late morning sunshine with a question tugging at me. Crossing through the lush grass, I meander toward the willow tree and take a seat on the bench beneath the sweeping branches. Kyran sits next to me a moment later, admiring the tree. When he glances over at me, I chew on my lip, unsure how to ask him what I want.

“What is it, Selene?” he asks easily, throwing his arm across the back of the bench.

“Um, I was wondering…if you’d show me your wolf again?” I ask shyly, tucking some hair behind my ear.

A slow, wide smile grows on his face and I notice the way his eyes flash brightly, my mind giving a dull throb in response. “He’s eager to meet you again,” Kyran says huskily, his voice rougher than before.

Unsure what to say, I swallow thickly as I gesture vaguely to the grass in front of us and watch nervously as he stands. Taking a few steps backward, Kyran removes his shirt and holds it out for me to grab and I blush as my eyes follow his hands moving toward his sweatpants. He gives me a devilish grin and his entire body shimmers, blurring for a moment as he shifts into his wolf, his long back legs stepping out of the pants pooled on the ground.

Astonished, I press a hand to my mouth and gasp as the enormous wolf shakes his black fur, looking toward me. His head is higher than mine while I sit, and carefully rising to my feet, I find I’m not much taller than him. He’s massive, this is amazing. He looks so soft, I wonder as my eyes flit over his body. His paws are huge, seeming to be the same width as my outspread hand and tipped with sharp claws. Slowly walking around him, I find that it takes a few steps for me to reach his tail, realizing exactly how big he is. As I make my way up toward his head again, I reach my hand out, tentatively pushing my fingers into his heated midnight fur. A light vibration rumbles through his body, similar to a cat’s purr, making me smile. Stepping in front of him, I scratch my fingers along his neck and he lifts his head, clearly enjoying it. Raising my other hand, I reach up to rub his ears and laugh as his rumbling intensifies. He drops his head while opening his mouth and I stare wide-eyed at his menacing teeth. Swallowing thickly, I glance into his amber eyes and murmur, “Well, I can see why they call it a wolfish grin,” and smirk at him, scratching his chin lightly.

A tingling sensation trickles down my neck, drifting throughout my body as I hold his gaze. Leaning forward, I slowly press my forehead to his. Our eyes close upon contact and the tingling is accompanied by a comforting warmth as I remain connected with this wolf.

What is your name? I ask in my mind, pushing my thoughts toward him intentionally.

Valdr, a gravelly, rough voice responds, giving me goosebumps.

Dikos mou, that ethereal voice resonates deep within me once more, this time louder than before.

Gasping, my eyes fly open as a soft growl emanates from Valdr and he responds immediately, drottning min, pushing gently against me and nuzzling my neck with his nose.

Stumbling backward, I fall onto the bench and rub my forehead absently. “What was that? What did she say? What did you say?” I whisper, shocked as I stare into bright pools of honey.

She said ‘mine’, in Greek, and he said ‘my queen’, in Old Norse, their respective origin languages. Valdr’s soul is connected to his ancestors of the first werewolves, and yours is…well, the original soul, Kyran’s familiar deep voice caresses my mind, helping me understand.

Nodding my head, I close my eyes and focus inwardly, asking, What is your name? I cannot remember anything of my—our—past. If you’re unaware, it’s been a very, very long time.

I am only met with silence for a moment, then a slight pressure begins to build in my head, similar to a headache but without the pain. Scrunching my brow, I open my eyes and glance at Valdr murmuring, “I can’t hear her, but I think I can feel her energy?”

He steps forward and pushes his head beneath my hands, resting his chin on my lap. The moment we touch, her voice bursts into my mind in a rush.

I can hear you, Selene, but when I try to communicate with you, it is as if I’m speaking underwater. It feels like flying in sunlight when we touch him, though. Luna, my name is Luna. The last thing I remember was agreeing to let Hekate place us under stasis, to protect us from the vampires. It feels as if I’ve been deep asleep, only to wake suddenly to a warm, enticing pull toward sunshine and cedar trees, to what feels like where I belong, my home. Him. Don’t ever let go, I don’t want to go back into the darkness. I don’t know how to get out, I feel stuck, immobile. Selene, get me out! I can’t stay like this—

Reeling from her tumultuous emotions, I lift Valdr’s head from my lap and hurry away from the bench with hot tears pouring down my face. Feeling overwhelmed, I keep walking and take a few deep breaths, trying to process everything as best I can. My head feels like a balloon has inflated inside me, threatening to burst.

“Hey, hey, it’s alright,” Kyran’s voice hushes from behind me and his warm hands gently grasp my shoulders, turning me as he pulls me into his chest. “This is a lot, I know. I heard her too, she sounds scared beneath her excitement. We will do whatever we can to help you, both of you, okay? Just take all the time you need though, Selene, the past few days have been tremendous,” he comforts me, stroking my hair and holding me close.

Sniffling, I nod and tightly wrap my arms around his thick torso. The pressure in my head eases but Luna’s voice does not reappear and she seems comforted as well, thankfully. We stay like this for a few minutes, Kyran never wavering and giving me time to collect myself. Pulling back, I wipe my face on the backs of my hands and look up at him with a small smile.

“Thank you, for not being upset,” I say quietly.

His brow pinches and he asks, “About what? I understand her distress, and yours, for that matter. I honestly don’t think I’d be handling any of this remotely close to okay if I were you.”

“N-no, I mean, for giving me space to feel all of this. I’ve never…had that,” I admit, looking away embarrassed.

“Selene,” he says lowly, reaching out to brush his fingertips over my chin and gently turns my face towards his, “you can say, do, or show me anything and I will not judge you or berate you for a single part of it. I know from personal experience just how awful it can be to shove shit down inside, to let it fester and rot. To have someone hurt you with your own feelings is a terrible thing to experience, and I am sorry for that, truly. Trust me, I will never be that person to you, I promise,” he says seriously, holding my gaze intently.

Stunned, my eyebrows pull upward and I smile genuinely, taking his hand in mine and squeeze it. “Thank you, Kyran. As will I, for you, if you ever need me,” I whisper, watching him smile warmly.

Tugging his hand, I begin walking back toward the cottage with Kyran. “I want to get Luna free, whatever it takes,” I say softly after a few moments.

“We will,” he assures me, gently rubbing his thumb over my knuckles. “I’m not entirely sure how, but we will.”

Thinking back on what she had said, an idea forms as I come to a stop and offer, “I might have an idea of something we could try, if you’re up for it?” I grin mischievously up at Kyran, and he nods right away without hesitation, giving me a bright smile.