The Unbroken Luna

8

 Emily's pov

I woke up in the softest bed I'd ever slept into: it felt like a cloud, hugging my sore muscles, and the sheets were of the softest fabric I could think of, warm and cozy, gentle like a granny's kiss. 

There was a small lamp over the wooden bedside table on my left, casting a soft yellow light around the room. Everything felt like it was immersed in a buttery, dreamy glow. 

"Well, hello, Emily". 

I turned my head toward that voice and came face to face with Rick, who was standing in front of the open door with a gentle smile on his face. 

I opened and closed my mouth a few times before I managed to let out the question that was tormenting me since I'd fainted. 

"My baby?" 

Panic filled my chest and guts as soon as I said it out loud, and I unconsciously placed a hand on my belly, hoping that everything was fine, that my child was still there with me… 

"You're both fine," Rick confirmed, and I exhaled a breath of relief, cuddling my belly a little more. "Apart from that wound on your eyebrow. Since you're pregnant, your wolf healing powers are weak, so I had to stitch you up". 

Only then I acknowledged the plaster on my forehead. I could feel it on my skin, and the stitches pulling underneath. 

Other than that - and the feeling of being just so heavy that I'd learned to associate with exhaustion - I felt fine. 

Hungry, even. 

"Is there something to eat?" I asked. 

Rick smiled warmly. "Of course - I'll go ask the kitchen to get something ready for you. Any preferences?" 

"Something warm, maybe". 

Outside it was literally pouring rain... A climate that I liked. It made me feel peaceful and safe, and it was best complemented with warm, nice food. 

Moments later I was alone, with the sole company of the child inside me and of a little black kitten that was strolling around. 

Well, that's strange, I thought as the kitten jumped on my bed and bumped his head on my hand, asking for cuddles. A cat in a house full of wolves. Our smell should repulse it… 

Still, it didn't look repulsed or disgusted at all. 

I gave in and slowly, timidly stroked its black fur, and it purred so loudly I thought it could even explode from happiness. A smile curved my lips: I'd always liked cats, even though I'd never owned one. 

The kitten climbed over me and finally settled on my lap, curled up in a small ball, closed its blue eyes, and enjoyed its fair share of cuddles, always purring. That sound, the vibrations coming from its body - they somehow soothed me. I felt like I couldn't even think about bad things as long as I received those purrs. And so, for a while, I just sat there in that amazing bed, cuddling the kitten.

I noticed that there was a remote on the bedside table, probably for the enormous tv on the wall in front of me. A smile broke onto my face when I noticed the Netflix logo; it had been so long since I’d seen a series or something like that. Clayton, of course, wouldn’t let me do something I enjoyed, and the rest of my days at the Red Blood pack house were scheduled and filled to the brim, so I had little to no free time left.

I couldn’t even remember the last series I’d been watching; as soon as my hell began and I understood I wasn’t escaping it in the next few days, I’d tried to forget as much of my old life as possible, apart from what was strictly necessary for my monthly visits to my family. I didn’t want to remember anything that I could miss or yearn for, because I didn’t want to get any more hurt. Still, zapping through the main page, I found not only the series, but also the episode; Bones, the first episode of the first season. I’d just started it, and then… then I’d been forced to leave it.

I pressed play, and as soon as the main theme started, someone knocked at the door.

I froze for a moment before remembering that I was safe here. This was the pack that had offered me protection and a place to stay. They were good people. 

Plus, Clayton never knocked. I had no reason to be scared ... still, automatic responses were hard to shut off.  

“The door’s open,” I said. “Come in”.

The first thing I noticed was the smell, so delicious it made my mouth water; then the tray, filled with so much food it was enough to feed an entire army; and eventually, the guy who was pushing it.

He almost blew my breath away.

The man looked just like a Greek hero, or a Roman gladiator, or a mixture of both; it was like he just came out of an ancient history romance novel. He was tall, well-built, and fit, and his hands were probably bigger than my face. And his eyes… for the Goddess, those eyes were incredibly piercing, of a deep blue, and shining like stars, crowned by long, thick, black eyelashes.

I’ve already seen this face, I realized, shocked. This was the man who’d rescued me in the forest, taking me into his arms when I'd fallen down from Franz’s back. Back then, though, that handsome face had been scrunched up in panic and worry.

He emanated something… I couldn’t exactly pinpoint what, but as soon as I saw him, I instinctively knew that I would always be safe around him. As soon as I noticed that, I also realized I never felt that way around my husband.

“You must be Emily,” the man smiled. It was a gentle, kind smile, but there was something in the way his eyes were shining… I could almost say that there was a certain fondness in them. Affection, even; which was an incredibly stupid thought, because that guy and I were total strangers.

However, I found it impossible not to return that smile.

“It’s me” I nodded. “You… you must be the Alpha,” I added then, recognizing his voice. It was the same man I’d briefly talked to on the phone, while Franz drove us to the pack lands. He also had his same German accent, just a little less strong. 

He smiled again. “Just call me Xavier” he shrugged, and as soon as he approached me, I was hit by his scent. It was… I couldn’t exactly describe it. It made me think of warm, cozy things, like a blanket, or a tea mug, or even a fireplace at Christmas; it made me think of a home.

“Do you mind if I sit?” he asked then, pointing at the side of my bed. The one that was the most far away from me.

I shook my head, and Xavier smiled again. “Good,” he chuckled. “It would have been rather uncomfortable to eat while standing”.

He sat down and, in no time, set up a bed table for two.

“Rick told me you wanted something warm,” Xavier said, reaching out to the tray to grab a pot. “So, since I didn’t know your preferences, I got some stuff ready. I hope you like Eintopf”.

 Xavier filled our plates with a warm soup… no, a stew.

“It’s a stew, right?” I asked him, just to be one-hundred percent sure. When he nodded, I grabbed my spoon. “Then, I love it”.

My mother and my former Luna used to make stew all the time during winter; both of our families had bought a cabin up in the mountains to spend winter holidays there, and I had fond memories of eating their stew with my brothers and the Alpha’s kids on the kitchen’s table just before running out to play in the snow.

Xavier’s stew differed pretty much from my mom’s, but it was great anyway. It was warm, and the meat was tender, and the spices’ blend made everything perfect.

“It’s amazing,” I told him, finishing it up. “Like, really, really good”.

“It’s good to hear that,” he smiled, finishing his own. “It’s a family recipe, kept secret for generations, but since you like it so much I might even hand it over to you”.

“I would never steal a secret family recipe,” I replied, holding back a laugh and surprised that I was actually enjoying the company of a man… that I was feeling at ease around a man, an Alpha.

My marriage's first months had been awful, under that side; Clayton’s abuse and trauma had made me terrified of men and especially Alphas, with the result that I couldn’t even stay around my brothers – my brothers, who’d always protected and cherished me even though they were younger than me – for over five minutes before getting the visceral need to run away from them and hide somewhere safe. With time, I had somehow learned to control those instincts, mainly because I knew that if anyone found out the truth, I could consider myself dead and six feet under, but the fear had always been there, lurking beneath my skin, beneath my perfect, fake smile.

With him, though, I thought, taking a sip of beer from my glass. It feels different.

Even though I knew him since, probably, just half an hour. There was something in his warm smile, the way he moved, the way he talked, that made me feel at ease and safe.

“… and that’s how my grandma found out that cinnamon was just the perfect addition to the stew,” he told me, smiling fondly at the memory. “But that’s enough talking about food. Why don’t you tell me something about yourself, Em?”

And that was when the ease went away.

I didn’t know what to do with my hands, with my arms; I looked down at my fingers and then opted to cross my arms over my belly, trying not to look too closed or unfriendly.

“There’s not much to be said about me,” I quickly mumbled, stiff. “I’m sure Rick already told you everything you need to know”.

For a moment, Xavier stayed silent, his mouth set in a thin line. “He told me what you’ve been through, that he did,” he then replied, talking slowly. “But I hope you know you’re not just that. Did my question made you uncomfortable?”

I wanted to say “no” with all my heart. Even if I’d met him mere minutes ago, I didn’t want to make him sad, to disappoint him… but yes, his question made me uncomfortable.

And I felt safe enough around him, even though I still couldn’t tell why, to nod.

Xavier nodded in return, with a look of understanding in his eyes, and gave me another encouraging smile. “Let's talk about something else, then. Is there anything you want to know about the pack?”

I took a breath, trying to calm down. This, at least, was a subject I was more than ready to talk about; I had about a trillion questions about the pack.

“Yes, actually” I confirmed. “Rick didn’t have time to tell me much about it… I don’t even know where we are right now, so I’d like to start with that”.

“Sure thing,” Xavier smiled. “This is the Blauer Mond castle, in the Black Forest, or Schwartzwald as we call it …”

I froze upon hearing this information.

The Blauer Mond castle… holy s**t, the Blauer Mond castle was the Royal Family’s seat.

And that means …

I looked up at Xavier, suddenly realizing why his name had sounded so familiar since I’d heard it.

He wasn’t just an Alpha.

He was the Prince, future King of the Werewolves.