Embrace My Rogue Luna

Lycus’ POV Tonight will be fun. The first night of the full moon, nearly the whole pack comes out to run. A few of the mother’s with young pups stay behind as well as a few guards remain patrolling the boarder but aside from that, it’s everyone. This is an exciting time every month. Often young mates will find each other during this run. They’ll be fully mated and marked by dawn. Unfortunately, I have never been so fortunate. I am 25. 25 with no mate. “Pop, I don’t understand your refusal to officially make me the Alpha. You know I’m ready. I am basically doing the job already.” I knew I was ready. “Lycus,” he sighed. “Son, you need a Luna by your side. There’s a ton of ways a strong Luna adds to your ability to lead. Maybe...” He rubbed the back of his neck. “Maybe it’s time to start thinking about taking a chosen mate.” I was shaking my head before he even finished speaking. “Pop, that is not going to happen. I am not choosing a mate.” My hands were moving gesturing as I spoke. “I mean look at you and mom. Who would have guessed your perfect mate was a human! An Alpha and a human, but it was right. If you would have given up on the Moon Goddess’ plan and instead chosen a mate, do you think you would be as happy in your life as you are?” “No. I could not imagine my life without your mother. That’s fine Lycus. You don’t have to choose a mate that is completely your choice, but you are not ready to be Alpha yet.” “But pop!” “That’s the last I will say on it right now. We’ll revisit this subject some other time.” “Fine!” I walked out of his office angry but also feeling slightly childish for snapping like that. “Hey Lycus!” I turned to wait for the oldest of my three brothers to catch up with me. “Hey Ken, what’s up?” He rolled his eyes at me. “Must you keep calling me that?” “Yes. Yes, I must.” I smirked at him. “Uh huh. So, are we going to be planning an Alpha ceremony soon?” “Nope.” I shook my head, trying my best not to go on a rant that Ken had heard enough times now anyway. We began walking together, heading out of the pack house. “Damn, I’m sorry Bro. Just be patient. She's coming. I really believe that.” “Yeah. Whatever. How are things going in the hospital with Dr. Haymen?” “Great! I mean, granted it’s mostly training accidents and my biggest issue is getting bones in the correct place before they heal, but I love it. I am learning a lot. Medical school was fine but it’s great being back home and getting to actually practice here in my pack.” “I’m glad to hear that. We’re really happy to have you home. See. You didn’t find a mate while you were away from home and yet no one thinks you should wait to start your career until one shows up.” I was on a role with this mate argument. “Lycus, you know a mate isn’t in the cards for me.” “I don’t believe that.” I shook my head denying what he said. I truly believed in the mate bond. “You never know. Maybe you’ll find your perfect mate during the pack run tonight.” “Yeah. Sure.” He rolled his eyes walking ahead of me into the yard. “Come on, Mom! Why not?!” Rica was clearly not happy and she was never shy about letting everyone know exactly what she was feeling. “Because Rica…” “Uh! What would you know, Mom, you weren’t in a pack when you were my age. You have no idea what it’s like!” “Hey!” I interrupted, not being the biggest fan of the way she was talking to our mother. “What’s going on here?” “Mom won’t let me go watch the pack run tonight!” She turned to me her face flushed with anger. “She says we’re staying home. She’s not even going! I just want to go to the top of the ridge and watch just like I did last month.” “If Mom says no, I’m sure she has a good reason.” I wasn’t entirely sure what that reason was, but in the face of Rica’s wrath I figured Mom could use the assist. “Oh yeah!? What could it possibly be?” “I don’t know, but I’m sure she has a reason.” “UGH! Why can’t you just be on my side.” The young teen stomped her foot, which had me fighting to keep from smiling as it reminded me of when she was three, and stormed off for the training fields. Probably on her way to complain with her friends. “Be back in your room in thirty minutes!” She waved behind her back, acknowledging she had heard our mom. Smiling at her retreating back, I addressed my mom. “So, what’s going on?” “Lycus, we have had six pack members get their wolves in the past month as well as several members come home after having been travelling for different reasons.” “Uh huh…” I was trying to follow but clearly, I was missing something. “There is no way we won’t have some find their mate tonight. I don’t want my thirteen-year-old watching while wolves find their mate for the first time. You know how it can get.” I felt like an i***t. I had never thought about that kind of thing before, but she was right. And the thought of my baby sister seeing a mating, I shivered in disgust at the thought. “Yeah, okay, that makes sense.” An hour later, the sun had set, and I gave control over to Baron, shifting for the full moon run. It was a perfect night. Mom was right, there were several newly discovered mates, but all of that came to a screeching halt around five in the morning when the whole pack received the same panicked voice in their head from our Luna, my mom. Rica is missing! Mom, are you sure? Of course, I’m sure! Her bed hasn’t been slept in, and she’s nowhere in the pack house. Okay. I heard my father speaking to the pack. I’m sure she just went to watch the pack run. Nobody panic. Scouts and members of leadership, please begin searching. Check in with each other. Everyone else, continue with your day. We will let you know if we need more help. YES ALPHA! Fae's POV I inwardly smiled as Adeline, my wolf, barked a farewell to the couple of wolves she had been running with. The full moon had been beautiful. But dawn was starting to break. Adeline slipped behind the bush I had hidden my things under. I quickly shifted back into my human form and slipped on my shorts, tank top and tennis shoes. The tip of the left shoe flopped open, exposing my toes to the cool morning air. “Great”. I rolled my eyes at the offensive shoe. Opening my backpack, I pulled out my roll of duct tape and quickly taped the dang shoe back together. The life of a rogue wasn’t exactly easy, but then again, it was way better than the horrible pack I had once called home. I shrugged my backpack over my shoulders and refused to think about the horrible things that were expected of me back then. I began walking through the forest. It’s not like I have a particular place to go, but really, since leaving the pack, I feel safer when I’m moving. Sitting in one place just didn’t seem like a good idea. I left when I was sixteen, so I doubt anyone is looking for me anymore, but still. Life had been really hard at first, but once Adeline joined me it was so much more comfortable. Those first couple of years had been hard and scary. I remembered sleeping on the freezing cold ground and the gnawing hunger from never having enough to eat. We have plenty now. Adeline’s voice rang through my head. Yes. Because you’re a great hunter. Yeah I am! I couldn’t help but smile at her confidence. When I woke up right around my eighteenth birthday and realized I wasn’t alone anymore, it was probably the happiest moment of my life. I had immediately apologized for her being stuck with a rogue as her human counterpart, but she never once seemed to be disappointed in me. I’m not. I’m really happy with you. What if my being a rogue is why you never find your mate? I believe we will find him. But even if we don’t, I’m happy being partnered with you. Thank you for that, Adeline. We’d been together for at least two years and in that time I have gotten very comfortable in my rogue lifestyle. Pack wolves always looked down on rogues, but at least I’m free. That’s more than I would have gotten in the pack. We’ve met some great rogues over the years. And some really bad ones. Well, yeah that’s true. But come on, there were bad pack members. I don’t think it’s being rogue that makes a wolf bad. I agree. I occasionally missed the comfort of cooked food, but I haven’t been hungry in a very long time and Adeline’s snow-white coat was thick and warm, so I’m no longer cold at night. I was very quickly pulled from my thoughts when I heard a girl screaming. That sounded close. It was! I snuck through the trees approaching the source of the scream, not wanting to reveal myself until I knew exactly what was going on. I crouched down in some brush, ignoring the branches scratching me, and I saw a small clearing covered in the early spring flowers. In the clearing was a young girl crouched with her arms over her head as two men stalked toward her laughing. “Oh and what is a sweet young thing like you doing way out here?” the bigger guy asked. He had dark hair with thick arms and was wearing an orange vest. His buddy had a beer gut and an orange hat. They were clearly hunters. “Leave me alone!” The girl tried sounding tough but there was a clear catch in her throat as she tried not to cry. “Leave me alone!” The buddy repeated and both men started laughing. I think we’ve seen enough. I quickly sat down my bag and slipped out of my clothes. You up for this Adeline? Are you kidding? Let me at them?! Cool. I would prefer if you didn’t kill them, please. Yeah yeah. Party pooper. You know they have guns, right? Just do your best. I smiled as I allowed Adeline to take over shifting into her wolf self. She quickly ran through the underbrush growling. All eyes were on her, and the men jumped, rushing to grab their weapons on the other side of the clearing. Adeline had no trouble over taking them, biting the beer-belly guy in the leg. He fell to the ground holding his injured leg, crying, while Adeline jumped onto the bigger guy's back. He quickly went down under the weight of the wolf. She bit his arm before landing between him and the hunting gear. She growled, her hackles raised. The men scrambled away holding their injuries and rushing through the trees, leaving their things behind. Adeline immediately stopped growling and took on a more approachable look as she turned toward the young girl. She didn’t want to scare her. “Thank you! Thank you!” The girl ran toward me and threw her arms around my neck. Wth! Why isn’t she scared of a wolf? I don’t know! Should we turn back? I don’t know. Let’s wait a minute. “I don’t recognize you. Are you from the New Moon pack?” Adeline turned her head in curiosity. “Are your clothes nearby? I would like to thank your human form.” She knows wolves! Do you think she is one? Adeline started sniffing the girl to see. She laughed loudly, patting Adeline on the head. “I’m only 13. I don’t have my wolf yet.” That explains it. Let’s change. Adeline ran off to where I had stripped. “Hey wait!” I quickly changed back “I’ll be right there!” I called as I rushed to pull my clothes on. I was actually really looking forward to talking to another person. “Oh, okay great! Thank you so much for helping me!” The girl started talking. “I don’t know what I would have done. I couldn’t exactly say ‘hey random hunters leave me alone or the wolf pack you don’t know about that lives on the other side of these woods will come eat you.’ ya know?” I found myself grinning at her chattering as I stepped out into the clearing carrying my bag. “Yeah. That might not have gone over well. What are you doing out here anyway?” “Oh my gosh you wouldn’t believe the night I had!” the girl started waving her hands as she talked “I wanted to watch the wolves run. I have done it a bunch of times, but this time I got a late start because my mom told me I wasn’t allowed to go but I really wanted to watch the wolves, ya know?” She continued without actually waiting for an answer. “So, I had to wait till my mom finally went to bed, she doesn’t always run with the full moon since I’m home and she doesn’t want to leave me home alone. Humans, right? So, anyway, I finally slipped out of my window and realize they were already gone. Can you believe that! All those wolves just gone.” I just stood there staring in shock. Wow this girl could talk. “But then I heard a howl and thought yay! I can catch up. So, I started that way but then I heard a howl from another direction and didn’t know which way was which and next thing I know it’s morning and I’m not even on the pack grounds anymore and it’s great that those hunters didn’t kill me, but I tell you what my mom definitely will” She must have finally needed to breath. I chocked back a laugh. “So, you are lost.” The girl rolled her eyes. “I just said that.” “You're right you did. I’m Fae. What’s your name?” “Oh my gosh I just sat here telling you my whole life story and you don’t even know my name. I’m sorry. It’s so nice to meet you, Fae. That is a great name. I’m Rica. For some reason, my parents thought it was cute to give their children names that mean wolf. What is with that?! I guess it’s the kind of thing that makes sense when your mom was born human.” I giggled at the energetic girls' shrug. “She didn’t get turned till she was in her twenties and met my dad in some bar. Quite a shock to her when she discovered that not only were werewolves real, but she was mated to one. Must have been a strange relationship back then. So, are you a member of a pack nearby?” Rica tilted her head, asking. “Oh!” It took me a second to realize I had been asked a question at the end of that monologue: “No. I’m actually a rogue.” “What?!” Rica immediately took a small step back. “I’ve never met a rogue in real life. I was told you were all wild criminals. But you just saved my life. Were you banished or were you always a rogue? Did you commit a horrible crime? What is it like not having anyone to mind link? Doesn’t it get lonely in your head?” I couldn’t help laughing. It should hurt hearing so many horrible opinions about rogues, but coming from this bouncing ball of energy it didn’t feel even a little offensive. “No, I wasn’t always a rogue. It was just…the right choice for me.” “Why’s that?” Rica seemed very interested in my answer. It would probably be best not to broach that particular subject with a kid. “Your family must be freaking out. Any clue which direction home is?” I was hoping the change of subject would work and I was not to be disappointed. “I think toward the south. I was hoping if I wandered that way long enough the patrols would find me.” I nodded as she spoke. “That’s a good idea. How about we head that way, and I will hopefully pick up a scent. How many are in your pack?” “Oh, it’s huge! At least four hundred.” My eyes bulged at the number. Most packs I had heard of were only a few dozen. Maybe a couple hundred at most. The one I had come from had under a hundred. “Yeah. I don’t think sniffing them out will be a big problem.” Rica giggled. Over the next hour we made our way south while Rica talked about everything from her favorite food to who she hoped her future mate would be. “Jared would be nice, but I’m really hoping for Garett. He’s only a year older and really cute.” Suddenly, the wind shifted, and I could smell wolves. A LOT of them. “Perfect! That way. We need to head a bit east.” “Oh yay!” Rica clapped. “You smell them.” I smiled at the younger girl as we headed in the direction of the pack. Ten minutes later, a loud howl to the southeast made it clear our scent had been picked up also. “Oh! That must be our scouts!” Rica started jumping up and down. “I’m over here everyone!” The sound of wolves running through the forest could be heard. We continued walking that way to meet them. Three huge wolves leaped from the trees, landing between me and Rica, hackles raised growling, clearly prepared to kill whoever was threatening the pup. Adeline was growling in return, but I mentally kept her back, preventing her from reacting defensively.