Embracing my Luna

Chapter 7: Alpha Mason Van Ryan

-Amelie-

I was hypnotized by the guy in front of me.

No, he was not just a guy. He was a man. The most handsome man I have ever seen... A soft breeze messed his dark black hair, making him look even better.

However, his eyes were fixed on me. I blinked several times trying to recover from his spell, but there was so much tenderness in his eyes while looking at me... Under his gaze, I felt like something was flapping on the pit of my stomach.

“Meli! Meli!” It was Lolo. She rushed to me, and the handsome man withdraw from me when she was closer.

I was comfortable in his arms, but who is he? Why am I feeling so weird emotions? Maybe I know him from before I lost my memories.

“Meli!” She pulled and hugged me tightly. Lolo was truly worried. I lowered my gaze, ashamed. I should have known better.

“I saw everything! Meli! Why did you do it?” Lolo scolded me.

I blushed a deep red. My ears burned. However, when I looked at her, Lolo was not mad at me. She was so worried, almost in tears. Why? It was not so bad… I thought she would be mad at me for breaking the rules.

She was squeezing me in a bone-crushing hug. My right side hurts.

“Be careful! You are hurting her!” The man with aqua blue eyes said to Lolo.

"I am sorry, Meli," There was remorse in her voice. "I did not mean to."

“I am fine, Lolo,” I told my sister and when I looked at the man, he seemed irritated.

Why?

There are a lot of questions in my head.

Oh no! This is not just a man; he is a werewolf. He had an aura I did not sense before. Why?

“Alpha Mason.” Lolo greeted him and bowed lightly to him, but kept her arms around me looking at him directly. Also, kind of pissed off at the man.

Alpha? Did Lolo call him Alpha? And she did not bow at him? Was I looking straight into the eyes of an Alpha? How? She is an omega!

I blinked several times confused, how? I mean…. he was not angry at any of us? Alphas consider disrespectful low-rank wolves looking at their eyes. I am not even a werewolf!

“I am glad to see you, Lorraine. Amelie…” Alpha Mason said to my sister with a long face but then smiled briefly at me after saying my name. It was a kind smile.

His eyes were amazing, it was not just the color. It was something else… I was not sure of what it was.

I do not know what took over me, but I freed one hand from the hold of Lorraine, and I offered it to Alpha Mason for a handshake.

Dear Moon Goddess, what am I doing?

“Nice to meet you, Alpha Mason,” I must be out of my mind, but it only seems appropriate to say that after offering him my hand.

When did I become so bold? Even more with an Alpha? You do not do that to an Alpha!

However, the crooked smile on his face told me he was pleased by my boldness.

Alpha Mason took my hand in his.

I stared at my hands in his. I liked the difference between his big hand and my small hand and the contrast of the color of his skin against mine. I almost giggle but looked down, embarrassed.

“Nice to meet you, Amelie… Again.” It was his voice and still not his voice… Not entirely.

I looked up, and his eyes were black. His wolf! I was greeting his wolf.

Lorraine shook a little. The aura of Alphas scares humans and omegas, but for some unknown reason, I was not afraid of him. How odd! Alpha Monzon was very scary to me at the packhouse, and above all... Bruno even though he did not have his wolf yet.

I looked at Alpha Mason, confused, and then to my sister, who was still holding me. I looked at her, and she released me, but the Alpha did not.

“We know each other, Amelie.”

My hand in his felt… right. It was warm and pleasant.

“We… do?” I asked him still without blinking, almost choking with nothing.

“We are friends.” He answered me, and once again his beautiful smile blinded me.

I was astonished by those words. Friends... Was I friends with an Alpha?

“We… are?” I asked.

The grin on his face grew bigger like he was about to laugh. It would be great to hear him laughing. I liked his voice.

"We…" Lolo started to talk, "Amelie and I should head back to Moon House." Lorraine eyed our hands.

I did not realize he was holding it for long.  Alpha Mason let go of my hand then.

It is a perfect sunny day, how do I felt cold now? My hand without his... It did not feel right.

“My guards will escort you both to Moon House.” He told us and then looked around irritated. “Silver Rain is not doing a good job. Something bad could have happened to Amelie if I did not intervene.”

"Thank you, Alpha. You should not have bothered," Lorraine replied.

Was she angry at the Alpha? Lolo did not look at me.

“Call me Mason, Lorraine.” The Alpha said what? They do not like such a thing! My sister is an omega.

Even if Lolo is not a member of Blood Moon, Ava is supposed to behave differently in front of the Alpha. She is not scared like she used to.

“You too, Amelie.” And he gave me an electrifying crooked smile. I did not even blink, even less answered him. I just blushed deeper.

I nodded at him. And he chuckled, this time.

“My guards will be twenty for seven since now in the perimeter." Why does he sound angry?

“Do not worry, Silver Rain and Blue Ribbon help us just fine...” Is my sister talking back to an Alpha? I looked at her stunned.

“It is my final word, Lorraine. New Moonlight and Blood Moon are allies. My guards. Period.”

My sister frowned at him but bowed her head. Alpha Mason looked even more annoyed but contained whatever he was going to say. In the end, they frowned at each other.

I looked at one and then to the other, why are they acting like this?

“Do you know each other?” I asked Lolo. They both changed their demeanor in front of me.

“Briefly, Meli. I will tell you later.” My sister’s expression softened. Alpha Mason narrowed his eyes at her but stayed silent.

“Let’s go home, Meli.” Lolo only focused on me.

 "Bye, Alpha Mason."

"Thank you, Alpha Mason," I said and waved goodbye like a dumb while Lolo dragged me away.

Oh! I realize now! He is Alpha Mason… the famous Alpha Mason Van Ryan from Blood Moon. I knew Blood Moon was the ally of our pack, but he saved me personally!

Bruno hates him. He used to call him names. He called him the “Rejected Alpha” because his fiancé left him at the altar in front of thousands of werewolves.

How can someone reject him? He is so kind, a gentleman… And so humble. He even protected me from getting injured, and I am just a human.

Ah! I remember this! The Alpha's daughter who left him met her fated mate in the ceremony just before it started. She was… I do remember this. Marissa. Her name is Marissa.

No one would blame her, a fated mate is sacred, no wonder why she left him, but I am sad for him. It should have been so bad when it happened. Did that experience change him?

Alpha Mason is not what Bruno used to say... Another beast like his father.

Sole Alpha! Bruno mocked Alpha Mason because he was named Sole Alpha. He did not have a Luna!

I turned my back on my way to the car of Veronica, Alpha Mason was still standing where Lolo and I left him, and he was still looking at me. I could not help myself. I crimsoned again, and his grin appeared again.

The flapping wings were no longer in my stomach... it was on my chest. Does it mean that he...?

“He is the Sole Alpha of Blood Moon, am I right?” I asked Lolo.

"Yes, he is," Lolo answered me.

"Does he… Is he…?" I did not dare to ask her if Alpha Mason has a Luna. I cannot tell between mated and unmated werewolves. The human eye does not see the mark.

Lolo looked at me because I could not formulate my question, but she dismissed it and just kept walking.

I was taken to the car; Veronica had the door open, but I could not jump in. The guys gathered around us before I could do it, and they asked if I was alright after the incident. It was so embarrassing; I do not like to call attention from anyone, I do not like to stand out… I did not want to talk.

I avoided eye contact with them,  lowering my head, and murmured I was fine...

Veronica and Lolo took me home while the rest of the pack stayed on the beach to play and enjoy the day. No one spoke on the way to Moon House. The environment was odd, and Veronica eyed Lolo once in a while during the short drive.

Once on our floor at Moon House, Lolo made me go to bed. I was tired. It was a long day with too many emotions and an almost accident because I was stupid.

However, I had all these answered questions inside of me.

“Now is later, Lolo.” She knows what I mean.

Lorraine took a deep breath, giving up.

“Finish your soup while I talk.” Lolo brought me a bowl of soup and bread as dinner. I agreed and went to my desk to eat the meal. I thanked Moon Goddess in my heart for everything I have now.

“We have met Alpha Mason long ago, Meli. Life was different then…” Lolo started to chew her fingernails. "And..."

“Why are you like this? What happened…?" I took the hand she was about to make bleed, saving what was left of her fingernails.

"You can tell me," I whispered. Lorraine was so tense. Tears started to run down her cheeks, her eyes filled with water.

"We jumped off that cliff, Meli… We managed to survive... We... We followed the river and got lost... I did not have my wolf then... And..."

It broke my heart to see her like this. And a horrible thought appeared in my mind.

“Did he hurt you? Alphas can be… Lolo, did Alpha Mason do something to you?” I was at the border of my own tears.

My Lolo! And I was thinking that he was a good person. But he is an Alpha... maybe he is like Bruno!

“No. Meli." She cleaned her own tears before I did. "He is not like Bruno... nothing like Bruno," She always knows what I think before I say anything.

I was so relieved and even mad at myself for thinking like that about Mason. I mean... Alpha Mason.

“It is just a long story, and I cannot… speak…not... yet..."

Why is it so hard for her to talk? Is it so bad?

“You can tell me later, Lolo. I will wait.”

“Thank you!” Lolo said, before hugging me again. I just patted her back. "You are all I have, Meli."

“And you are all I have, too, Lolo,” I hugged her back, trying to comfort her.

That night, I had this nightmare I have had since I stopped being sedated in the Clinic.

It started as always. It was dark, and I was lying on a polished wooden floor. I felt cold on the side I was lying on... I was naked on that floor, and my right side was hurting even more than my face. But my whole body was aching, I was curved in a ball.

I tried to rise and saw myself in a pool of my own blood. The shadow of someone I despised was above me and ready to strike, when I heard a horrible noise, like a roar and more howls.

Every time, my nightmare ended after I was engulfed in the darkness and carried away. The anxiety and fear grew inside of me every time again. But this night the darkness stepped back as I opened my eyes, and I saw a face.

The nightmare was less scary because I saw his face; Alpha Mason appeared in my dreams. He was anxious, afraid, mad. However, none of those expressions on him scared me. I felt… safe.

In the morning, all I wanted to do was to see Alpha Mason again. The memory of my hand in his, his scent, and the way he embraced me filled my mind while I cleaned the tables of Moon House. Again the flapping of wings in my chest, why? Oh, why... Moon Goddess?

Stupid, stupid Amelie, I thought to myself. He is an Alpha, and I am just a human… Bruno said Alpha Mason deserved to be rejected because Marissa was a mate chosen for power. What am I even thinking?

I have no right to feel this way and nothing to offer him... I am not even a werewolf!

As if my thoughts summoned him, Alpha Mason walked in Moon House, making me giddy inside. I was going to approach him when I saw he was holding the hand of a little boy with the same eye color he has. They are so alike... And behind them, another woman.