Chapter Seven

Luna didn’t realize she had slept most of the day away until she heard the sounds of her pack members chatting away in the living room like they always did every evening. She remembered having fallen asleep on Raul’s shoulder after they spent some time talking as they sat on the couch. He must have carried her back to her room.

She frowned as she sat up in the bed and looked out the window. The sun was just about to fall past the horizon. She hated sleeping for almost the whole day; she’d never enjoyed wasting time.

Throwing her legs over the side of the bed, she walked into the bathroom angled off her bedroom and took a quick shower. As she stood underneath the spray of the shower and let the water run down her head, she felt a pair of eyes on her. She whipped around quickly, but found herself alone in the bathroom.

Sighing heavily, she resumed washing her body, the feeling of paranoia settling hard in her chest. When she was finished cleaning, she turned off the spray with shaky hands that didn’t calm even as she dried herself off.

She got herself dressed and put her wet hair up into a pony tail. What she really needed right now was to be with her family, the members of her pack, because when she was with them, she felt like her dad was with them again.

Slipping her arms around herself, she moved to the living room and as soon as she passed the door, she was greeted by them all.

“Hey, hey, look who’s finally up!” Maddie walked over to her and took her hand to lead her to the couch. “How are you feeling?”

Luna offered her a smile and looked at them all. “I’m not feeling so tired anymore.”

“I can imagine; you slept for almost the whole day.” Jaclyn stood from her seat. 

“I’ll get you something to drink,” she said as she disappeared into the kitchen.

“So, how are you really feeling?” Rafe’s hushed voice travelled over to her from the other side of the living room and she looked over at him.

She didn’t want to lie to her pack members, but then she also didn’t want to seem weak. Something her father said to her when she was younger ran through her head. “You’re only as strong as your pack, Luna, and secrets only weaken a pack. Remember that, okay?”

She took a steadying breath as she looked at each one of them. “I…I keep feeling eyes on me, like someone’s watching me. I slept soundly this time, but I don’t think that will last. I was just too exhausted before but now that I’ve rested, I just know I’ll have nightmares…”

“Here, Luna.” Jaclyn came back and handed her a glass of water from which she took a large sip, sighing with satisfaction as it eased her dry throat.

Maddie squeezed her hand. “We’ll be here to help you through the nightmares, Luna.”

“Of course, we will.” Raul moved from the recliner in front of the TV and sat down next to his young mate; Luna found herself staring at them for a minute. They really were perfect together.

The wolf inside her rejoiced. Her pack members were finding their mates; ties were being made. What more could an alpha ask for?

The sound of a growl reverberated through the room and she knew just where it had come from. Rafe walked out of the room with a huff and headed out to the backyard. Maddie watched as her brother left the room with a frown, but Raul’s hands closed around hers and he whispered to her. “He’ll get used to it eventually.”

“Is he…really upset about this?” On one hand, Luna couldn’t believe the idea �" Rafe being upset about his sister’s future mating, but on the other…of course she could.

“It’s just that he raised me, you know?” Maddie’s voice was a hushed whisper, as if she was worried that her brother could hear her. “He doesn’t want to lose me. I’ve tried to tell him so many times that I’m always going to be his little sister, and in some ways, his little girl. But for some reason, he just can’t get it through his thick skull. I mean, it’s not like we’re moving away. We’re still going to be in the same dang house.” She shook her head, frustration crossing her face, but Luna couldn’t help but giggle a little bit. Maddie was just so cute.

“That might be another one of his problems, Maddie…hearing you and Raul in your room,” Jaclyn didn’t care who heard her speak, so she made the statement very loud.

Maddie’s eyes opened and were as large as saucers; her jaw fell to the floor and her cheeks burned crimson red. Raul just and looked down at his fingers intertwined with Maddie’s.  

Luna bit the inside of her mouth. She agreed with Jaclyn, but she didn’t want to make the young mates any more embarrassed than they already were.

Raul cleared his throat and kept his eyes down as he spoke. “I’ve tried talking to him, too. He just kind of pushes it off, like he doesn’t want to talk about it.”

“Well, I guess it seems like I’m the only one that is going to be able to talk some sense into him then.” Luna sat her glass down on the table by the couch and stood up.

“Batten down the hatches,” Jaclyn joked as she left to go to her bedroom but Luna just rolled her eyes before walking out onto the porch.

She looked out into the backyard and found her beta, her best friend, and brother standing out in the middle of the yard and looking up at the moon.

Tonight was the eve of the full moon. This month’s moon was appropriately called the Wolf Moon. As she stared up into its beauty, the wolf inside her began to stir in a way she’d never experienced before. Her body heated from the top of her head to the tip of her toes and she shivered at the contrast of temperatures that the cool winter air brought.

Wrapping her arms around herself again, she stepped out into the yard and walked out to Rafe’s side. She leaned over and rested her head against his shoulder just as he slipped his arm around her. She stood there in his arm for a few moments and realized the warmth had not left her body.

It was almost as if her wolf was preparing her for something. Every time she looked at the moon, the heat inside would just grow warmer, and for reasons she didn’t understand, she felt like she was betraying someone…or the idea of something, by standing in Rafe’s arm.

So she took a step back and looked up at him. Reaching out, she broke the ice by flicking her finger across the tip of his nose. “You’re so stubborn, you know that?”

He chuckled low and crossed his arms over his chest, tilting his head back to look at the moon. The smile that had spread on his lips for just a moment flattened back into a straight line and he became serious once more. “I just…I don’t want to lose her. I know I’m really just her brother, but I raised her, Luna. She’s been my world since the day she was born.”

She mockingly punched him the shoulder and put on a fake look of pain. “And here I thought I would get the same stubbornness. I’m broken by jealousy!” She clutched at her chest, feigning tears.

He just shook his head. “You’re my sister, too, but with her it’s obviously different.”

She wrapped her arms around him this time in a hug. “She’s not going to leave you, Rafe. She loves you just as if you really were her daddy. I used to be like her…with my daddy, so believe me when I say this; she’s not going to go anywhere. I promise. You’ll just have to share her now, that’s all, and uh-…one more thing. She’s a grown woman now, so…”

“Ah, s**t.” Rafe cut her off by waving a hand, officially ending that topic. “I know that s**t, ugh, please don’t go any further.”

Luna held up her hands in surrender. “Okay, just so long as you know, beta!”

She turned and faced the moon again. That warmth just kept getting hotter and hotter. She took a breath and rubbed her forehead, wondering why she was feeling this way. She had never experienced this sensation of the eve of the full moon before. What was so special about the one tomorrow?

“We’re still going for the full moon run tomorrow, right?” Rafe’s voice interrupted her thoughts, but she nodded.

"So far that I know, yes.”

“So you won’t mind if I stay out a little longer after the run is over? You know, since Maddie and…”

Luna let out a quiet laugh and nodded her head again. The two young mates would have to come back to the pack house and complete their mating just as humans consummated their marriage. “No, I don’t mind. Just don’t get lost, or hurt. Take care of yourself.”

“Always do.”