The Hexed Luna (Book 4 of Forest Wolf Series)

Stella’s POV    It was finally the day I had been looking forward to for three long years. It was the day I would pack up and leave the pack I grew up with to fulfill the deep seeded need I had to pursue something better. Sure I longed to find my mate and I was sure I would find him one day but he wasn’t my priority at the moment. My priority was to better myself and help others. If I found him along the way then he would have to come along for the ride of life with me.     I was born to the Hunter’s Moon Pack as the only daughter of the former Alpha couple. My parents weren’t perfect but we loved them all the same. I loved my dad more than anything in the world. I was his little girl.     Growing up with Cameron as a brother was easy. He always stuck up for me when anyone picked on me. He put up with me picking on him and he picked right back. We never really fought, but we did beat up on each other like siblings do. We always had fun together. He’s still the best big brother I could ask for.     My best friend Sage and I would spend all of our time together. She had always been my friend, from birth until now. She was always there when I needed her the most and I was there for her in turn. As kids, we would play for hours after school in my room in the packhouse. She didn’t live far from the packhouse with her parents in the village. I remember sleepovers with her at her house as we grew up were always my favorite. Sometimes I wished that my father wasn’t the Alpha and was just a business owner in the pack. He would have been able to spend so much more time with us then.     When Cameron turned eighteen everyone saw the playboy Alpha’s son that didn’t take duty very seriously, but he turned into the respected Alpha we have now. In high school, I heard about all of his running around with she-wolves but paid no attention to it. I’m so glad he grew out of that before he found his mate. After high school, he took over the pack and became a great leader. Mostly because he became a workaholic.     He didn’t have a Beta when he took over, so our father’s Beta stayed on until he could find one. He was an Alpha with no Luna and no proper Beta. Things were a bit of a mess for him at first.     A year after Cameron took over the pack our parents were found dead not far from the home they had built in the woods. I was only fifteen at the time and had been at Sage’s house after school. I was the one that found them and called Cameron screaming and crying about what I had seen. I still see them like that in my dreams sometimes.     After that happened and the investigation started I moved back into the packhouse to be close to Cameron. He was now the one that had to look out for me and I had to look out for him. I think that’s part of why I was so awful towards poor Jamie when I first met her, but I could tell she was hiding something back then so trusting her was hard. I learned though.     When the investigation into our parents' deaths hit a dead end, Cameron couldn’t take it anymore. He burned the house they had built to the ground. I was horrified at what he had done but I understood that he was upset and needed to do something.     When I turned eighteen, I wanted nothing more than to find my mate and start a happy life. Like my brother, I didn’t find my mate immediately.. So I shut down my fantasy of a happily ever after. I wanted to go to college to become a doctor, but I felt like I couldn't leave Cameron on his own. He still hadn’t found his own mate and the pack needed a Luna. So I stayed and helped him even though he told me to go. I was there as the stand-in Luna for three years until Cameron found his mate.     When Cameron finally found his Beta, I was happy for him. He let our dad’s Beta retire, who was happy as hell to finally be his own person and take care of himself. He had never found his mate and had no pups. I always thought it was odd. Didn’t everyone find their mate?     I was slightly irritated that the new Beta, Rambo, ended up being Sage’s mate. She had found her mate before Cameron and me. They were so irritating with how loving they were at first. Then to hear them mating in his office? Gross. Though I did enjoy details, I didn’t want to hear them in the act.      Six months after that our crops died out and the agriculture department of the pack had no idea why. We were in a bind now and needed help. After six more months of trying to find answers on our own, Cameron finally asked another pack for help. Thank the Moon Goddess he found his mate along the way. Though I was an ass at first because I didn’t trust her, she grew on me and now I love the woman to death.      My life in a nutshell has been a roller coaster ride. I hope that at college I find something worthwhile. Not just fulfillment to be a doctor, but possibly my mate.  I’m currently in my room in the packhouse getting all of my things loaded in suitcases and bags. I was excited to start this new journey of mine, but also a little scared.        I had most of my clothes packed away already and was getting my stuff for my college classes in my backpack when Sage walked into my room. I stopped and looked up at her with a smile.     “Hey Sage,” I said as she had a seat on my bed.     “Hey. How’s packing going?”     “Almost done. I’ll have someone load everything in my car while I say my goodbyes,” I tell her as I take a seat next to her on the bed.     “I’m going to miss the hell out of you,” she says, taking my hand.     “I’m going to miss you too, but I will be back for visits and I will text you everyday,” I reassured her.      “You better come visit me,” she says playfully.     “No worries,” I told her.     I give her a side hug and rub her pregnant belly before I stand back up and finish packing my things while Sage talks about the past, reminiscing of fun times we had as kids. Life with her was always fun.     When I’m all packed, she mind-links Rambo to get my things from my room into my car. She helps him so she can tell me goodbye as I’m leaving. I knew this was going to be hard on her.    I walk down from the second floor of the packhouse to say my goodbyes to Cameron and Jamie. I walked past Jamie’s office which was empty at the moment. I’m sure I would find them both in Cameron’s office. I came up to the doorway of his office to see him seated in his chair with Jamie wrapped up in his arms as they shared a simple kiss. The air in the room felt heavy and sad. I walked into the room with concern on my face.     “Everything ok?” I asked them.     “Calvin issues,” Cameron answered hoarsely.    I nodded my head knowing that they were still battling with problems caused by Jamie’s oldest brother. It didn’t make sense why he wouldn’t just die and leave them in peace.      “Well, I wanted to come and say goodbye to the both of you. I start classes at WMU in two days and I want to get settled,” I told them softly.     WMU stands for Wolf Medical University. It’s where we took basic classes and learned everything medical we needed to know. Doctors, Dentists, surgeons, specialists and nurses went to college there. It wasn’t just for werewolves though. Humans went to college there in order to keep it open. We passed it off that Wolf was the last name of the founder.    Jamie and Cameron stood up from his desk chair. Jamie wiped her face as she walked over to me. I held my arms out to hug her and she wrapped me up in a tight hug, slightly squishing the pup up against me. I know I gave her problems at first but she has grown on me a lot. I love her immensely.     “When will you be back for your first visit?” Jamie asked.     “I should be back in two months. Close to your halfway point of this pregnancy,” I tell her.     I didn’t want to miss much of her pregnancy since this was my nephew growing inside her. I was excited for them to have a family for me to spoil. Aunt Stella would be the best.     “I hope you're back to help me deliver,” Jamie says with a smile.     “I’m hoping so too. I can’t wait to meet my nephew,” I tell her.     I put my hand over Jamie’s small belly and tell the pup, “make sure to behave while I’m gone and then start kicking like crazy when I come back.”     Jamie laughs at me as we let go of one another. Cameron quickly wraps his large arms around me and hugs me tight.     “If you need anything let me know. We might come to visit you before you come back here.”    “That would be great,” I told him.     When we finally let go of one another, I walk out of the packhouse to my car that is waiting out front. Rambo and Sage are standing there waiting for me. I hug Rambo first.     “Thank you for loading my car,” I told him.     “No problem, Stella. Make sure you take care of yourself and keep in contact with Cameron and Sage.”    “I will,” I said as I released him from our hug.    I move on to my last hug goodbye and it’s an emotional one. Sage is pregnant and I’m leaving her. As I wrap my arms around her she starts to cry and so do I.     “I’ll text you everyday and I’ll come back to visit as often as I can. I promise,” I tell her.      “You better,” Sage says as she calms down.     After several minutes of us standing there hugging we let go and wipe the tears away. I climb into my car and start the engine. I roll down the window and wave as I start to drive away. I drove towards the pack territory gates ready to get to my dorm and start this grand adventure.  “Are you ready for this, Honey?” I asked my wolf.  “You bet, girlfriend!”