Rejected Luna

Chapter 4: Developing a friendship

- Clara-

Joshua Duncan is a different kind of Alpha. It is not like I have met a lot of Alphas, I have only observed from distance when gatherings or meetings are held at our pack house, while assisting Rose and Luna Michelle with preparations and serving food. But I have seen enough to know that he is not like them.

I have met Mason since I was born and I remembered him as good pup, kind to me and everyone, but as time has passed, he changed. Over the years, he began to be colder to me, to avoid me until one day he began to plainly ignore me. I think everything started after the attack from the Vampires. We were just pups, so I do not remember all.

Despite all, I believed in him and his dream to be a legendary Alpha and protect this pack, including me.

However, once he left for the Alpha’s Academy, I was told by others how Mason used to talk about me behind my back and say I was after him for the position of Luna.

Apparently, he started with the name calling of “Luna’s pet”. I did not want to believe it at the beginning, but then I noticed that they knew things that only Mason would have known.

I was just trying to support him and make things comfortable for him, like baking for him banana bread and leave it with some milk for him at his desk. Or leave an extra blanket in case he felt asleep over his desk after studying.

He loved banana bread since we were pups, so I learned how to bake it for him and leave it at his reach, or made tea, and snack or something to eat for him after his trainings.

Luna Michelle used to encourage me to do it because she could not do it for him until one day she asked me to stop; I understand now, why she told me to stop and forget about all. She knew about it but did not want to me to get hurt.

I just wanted to support him and his dream, I never claimed to be the one behind those gestures, I never asked him anything or approached him. I was silent but he made fun of me. It was painful to know he mocked me.  

At high school after he left, others began to bully me calling me “the rejected Luna”, “the stalker luna”, “omega flirt” and others. I felt humiliated. Fortunately, I had Angel by my side, my best friend. Her mother was nurse at the school, Ms. Simmons would have both of us at the infirmary for lunch, or I would not have been able to eat peacefully.

I did not mention any of this to Luna Michelle, and I asked the other omegas not to ever mention anything to Rose neither our Luna. She was sad enough about her son being away from her, and her mate being always distant. She had enough with that to be dealing with my problems.

I never mentioned to anyone that Mason stole my first kiss, not even to Angel.

I knew more about Mason’s doings behind his parents back. I was wrong about him waiting for his fated mate, I was disappointed. That kiss was a humiliating secret, I should have push him away and slap his face. I rather not think about him or the kiss, ever!

Joshua or Josh as he asked me to call him, is something else. I felt his aura as a young Alpha and a very strong one, but he contained and controlled his wolf, despite of just having received him a couple of weeks ago. I should write down when is his birthday to greet him next year.

The aura of your wolf defines your rank, it reflects your physical strength, stamina, and aggressiveness. It shows to others who the bigger predator is. Omegas like me are not predators; we are at the bottom of the food chain. We are stronger than humans, but any werewolf is stronger than them.

Omegas cannot look in the eye to Alphas, as a matter of respect but also due to fear. High rank wolves have strong auras that scare us. We can get along with Deltas if they are not hostile towards us.

We are emphatic, which is a blessing and curse at the same time. We sense the mood of the environment created by others, but we cannot influence them with our auras.

I do not feel intimidated by anyone’s aura until now, I am never get scared, startled maybe. My feelings get hurt by all the bullying from other wolves at high school, but not scared. Somehow, I think I understand them. I am close to Luna Michelle, and I live in the pack house living a privileged life under her wing, that is reason enough to raise envy on others.

Regarding Josh, Angel tries to stay with Josh and me during our tour sessions at the pack, but she told me that sometimes she feels uncomfortable with the power radiating from him, his wolf comes out sometimes flickering on his eyes and scares her without intention. I guess I become immune due to the constant exposure living in the pack house and close to Luna Michelle.

Besides, Josh does not want to intimidate anyone, he is trying to be better in control of his aura. He is approachable for everyone; I feel that his aura is different. I have introduced him to our pack members when he asked. Angel thinks he is good looking, well a lot omegas think he is attractive.

We have had a good laugh talking about video games and TV shows, some books and life. It is easy to get along with him. It feels natural, I can freely talk with him and be myself.

Mason is unreachable for almost everyone that is not beta or gamma ranked, he smiles and looks nice to everyone, but it is hard to approach him for real. Besides, he ignores me along with his friends.

Josh is blond with warm grey silver eyes. The only thing I do not like about Josh it his hair, it is long up to his shoulders but looks good on a ponytail. Some hair strands sometimes get out and cover his face. It seems kind of foreign to me. At our pack, all males use short and very short haircuts. Josh is different even in that.

He is not as muscular as Mason but still looks strong and fit, he is the lean type. Although he might be a little taller than Mason tough. Thin lips, high cheeks, straight nose and strong jaw, and masculine. I think Angel is right, Joshua is good looking on his own way.

I also noticed that he hates training at the gym, he never does more than what is necessary. And I think it is part of his attitude of not competing with others, I noticed that too. He is polite with everyone but avoids Carter and Liam, and some females too. Even I heard them trashing Josh behind his back, while those females want to hook up with him. Spiteful wolves.

I despise the gossips and comments from Carter with the other guys about Josh. I think he is very smart and nice. However, it is unfair to compare him with Mason. Each one is amazing in their own way. I am disappointed of Mason, but I am not bitter enough to not acknowledge his hard work for this pack.

I wish I could shield Josh from all those mean comments, Josh has a strong hearing due to his Alpha genetics and is aware of the gossips but brushes them off as nothing. My way to protect him is being around him and be his tour guide during this visit so he can excuse himself from the others to hang up with me and Angel.

Angel was curious about him and since we are in our summer break from high school, we took our chance for espionage. We are not looking for trouble, just practicing our new skill of masking our own scent! And we used the chance to watch him while training at the gym, he did not even sweat.

Karima and Dorothy experimented with the skill of masking their scent when they approached Josh’s guards the day he arrived with Luna Margaret, and almost caused an incident. I think Josh suspects something but overlook it along with his guards. We are safe, for now at least.

I cannot tell him my secret because it is not just mine. If we get caught, even my Luna reputation would be at stake and I have no idea of the consequences. Alpha James might get furious and withdraw even more from her, hurting her. I might be sent to the dungeon, or vanished from the pack, sentenced to be become rouge! I will just shut my mouth.

While heading back to the pack house with Angel, giggling and joking with each other, after our stalking time on Josh, Sky Williams walked straight to me and pushed me to the floor for no reason. It caught me by surprise!

“What is wrong with you?” I yelled from the floor. I fall on my butt and it hurts, we are in the garden and there is dirt besides of little pebbles and rocks on the path we were in.

“It is you! It is all your fault!” she yells at the bottom of her lungs totally red in anger.

Angel was about to help me get up when I saw that Sky tried to launch at me again while I was still on the floor. I leaned on my back to gain some distance from her and closed my eyes nervous, trying to concentrate about how to fight her without raising suspicious about my training.

I think I will have to take the punch. I do not want to create problems for Luna Michelle!

“Stop this Sky! Luna Michelle would send you back without blinking an eyelash if you hurt someone!” Her cousin, Carter Williams -our future gamma- grabs her by the waist pulling her away before she gets to me. Just on time!

“She is just an omega! She is nothing! A waste of air in this pack!”

“Why are you attacking me? What have I done to you?” I am standing up now with help from Angel. I not bowing to her. I must look strong or she might think it is correct to hurt me or push me around.

“Shut up omega! My cousin is just not well.” Carter growls at me and I am more confused now. All this high rank wolves used to follow Mason in everything, even ignoring me. I do not understand what is going on.

“I saw you there! My plan was perfect, but you ruined it. I do not how you did it. But it was you! b***h, I hate you! I will always hate you!” Then she begins to cry loudy on his cousin chest.

Two years ago, Sky and two of her friends tricked Carter -her cousin- and added a strong potion on Mason’s drink. The potion was supposed to lure his wolf to mark her so she can be his Luna before the left for the Alpha’s Academy.

Something like this could have been a big scandal in the pack, but the records got sealed. Her family could not afford to lose face, everything was discrete including her punishment.

Mason personally caught the culprits after a quick investigation and summary trial, he confirmed that Carter was not involved. Liam and Carter kept their positions as the following beta and gamma of the pack, once they are ready and Mason takes as the Alpha of the pack.

Fortunately, I was not part of the investigation neither our kiss was mentioned at all.

I was a victim the same as Mason was, but he began to look at me with a strong emotion after that, hate. In his eyes, I was guilty of something I had no idea before I overheard it from Luna talking with Rose.

His glares at my back made me feel very uncomfortable until he left, although he never confronted me neither mentioned the kiss. I glad because it feels wrong to talk about it.

Sky was sentenced to one year at the dungeons, but Luna Michelle ordered to send her to the Royal Pack doctors to receive treatment there since Sky seemed to be very unstable. Our Luna has a compassionate heart. However, something more might have happened since she stayed over there until recently.

I was startled at her attack, but from her words, I think I understand what she means.

Mason kissed me under the influence of a potion on his drink. I imagine it was not a good potion since it broke down so easily, just with a hit on the head.

Mason did not mean to kiss me, so maybe it was supposed to work only with her. Again, not my fault things got that way for her.

“Sky stop this. I will take you home.” Carter carries her like a child and takes her without any other explanation for us.

“What happened? Why did she attack you? Are you hurt somewhere?”, Josh appears next to us startling us. He saw what happened. A lot of werewolves must have seen it too, I imagine more gossips and insults are on my way once school starts.

I am not comfortable about talking about this with Josh, and I am not entirely sure my assumptions are right, furthermore the whole situation is confidential.

“I am fine, but I fall hard on my butt and it hurts!” Then I notice that he is trying to look at it. I hide behind Angel. She is taller than me, she giggles at my attempts leaving me without a shield. Girl, I can count on you to have my back! I glare at her playfully and we all laugh.

“Hey! Do not look! I am just cleaning the dirt.” He grins at me looking ashamed raising both hands in surrender.

I cannot help to blush and chuckle at his red face. It is hard to be mad at him. Alastair appears on his eyes flickering black and then back to grey silver more than once, it is amusing to see it as a smile turns into a smirk.

“My parents are waiting for me guys…I got to go. Clara, see you on Friday for our afternoon tea?” I nod at her while Angel waves good-bye walking away from us. She trains on secret with me and Luna Michelle. She is a delta like her parents, not omega just very shy and feels intimidated sometimes on the presence of Josh, well Alastair.

Josh introduced me to Alastair some days ago, he did not shift into his wolf form, but his silver eyes turn black and his voice was different, deep, and raspy.

“Perhaps you need to change clothes?” I suggest him. He is not sweated, but he is in sport clothes. Wrong dress according to our pack house etiquette.

“Right, it is almost lunch time with our Lunas” He says wiggling his eye browns and making a funny face. Silver warm eyes are back.

Our Lunas are so cute, one call the other Misha and Maggie. I love those nick names they gave to each other when they were pups; I wish I have other relatives.

Luna Michelle told me my mother´s pack was slaughtered during the Species World War, and some of them arrived as refugees in the Royal pack, among them my grandmother. Then my mother married my father, who was a delta warrior of Blood Moon. My mother came with her after mated to Alpha James.

Angel is like a sister to me, in my heart. I should tell her sometime, and her parents are so kind to me always. I think it is because they also used to be from my parents’ former pack, also refugees’ descendants. There are more opportunities for Angel as a delta than just hang out with me, but she always choses to be with me at school. We are best friends. She is the butter of my bread.

“You always get distracted, don’t you little girl?” I am evident when I get lost in my own thoughts. Josh does not seem mad at me when that happens, he just asks what I am thinking. Sometimes he guesses right, and we laugh.

I know it is Josh’s wolf when he calls me “little girl”, his voice is raspy and Josh’s silver eyes flickered back. Alastair comes out sometimes to greet me. The first time scared me a little, his aura was impressive, despite Josh’s control.

“Sorry, yes! I must change my jeans too.” I tripped walking away from him towards the pack house, we laugh together at my goofiness.

Days passed in a blink during the visit of Luna Margaret and Josh, it was great to meet them and spend time with them.  I realize that their pack have other practices and they are more relax around traditions. They have no problem with me joining any meal.

Traditionally, it is an honor to share a meal with the Alpha and Luna, and I did not nothing extraordinary to deserve it according to regular traditions, besides of not being a high rank wolf. It is not like Alpha James hates me, but he just prefers to preserve those traditions and I respect that. I am not bittered.

Since Alpha James works all the time at his office, I can join informal lunches at the garden with Luna Michelle keeping her company, and now with her guests and relatives. Our Alpha joins them only at dinner, so I do not attend it.

I would regularly get to eat at the kitchen with the other omegas. All of us are omegas, and we became friends while working in the pack house. I try to support them although Luna Michelle does not want me to. They are nice and do not bully me or are mean to me. Too bad any of them attend high school with me.

Luna Margaret seems to enjoy making others uncomfortable, especially Alpha James. I am not fully aware of the meaning of her jokes, but some comments make Alpha James cough and turn bright red while Luna Michelle giggles and sometimes laughs out loud. It is not proper to do that, but I am glad she is happy. If she is happy, we can be as informal as it gets.

More than once I have heard from the kitchen all those jokes along with Karima, Dorothy, Alice, Jenna and sometimes Rose, the shift of service for dinner. It is impossible not to hear them when Luna Margaret is so loud. And we get to know our Alpha got red when of the girls comes back from serving a course.

Any shift of service at the Pack’s house is great. A big house requires a lot of omegas to serve the residents on it and maintain, so there are three shifts of service for a twenty-four-seven assistance for residents.

During lunch, Josh and I enjoy the company of our Lunas. I think Luna Michelle has gained some weight and her demeanor is livelier thanks to the visit of her sister, also her mate has joined dinner almost every night.

I am glad for this visit. Josh thought of this visit as a punishment due to the incident back at his pack but now, he seems sad about leaving. They will leave in two days. He became a good friend; I will miss him.

“Kids, please can you get us ice cream. I am craving for chocolate chip ice cream but there is not even one cane in the pack house now.” Says Luna Margaret looking mischievously to his son. He blushes and nods to comply. I noticed he follows her orders taking his time, slowly. Such a rebel indeed!

“Sure Luna! Something else? Anything!” Please, ask for pudding! I am crossing my fingers under the table. I love chocolate pudding. Well, I love chocolate on everything, but chocolate pudding is my all-time love.

“Yes, lots of chocolate and strawberry pudding. You can take your time” Says my Luna. She prefers strawberry and I think Josh too. Luna knows me so well. I will eat one or two desserts at Manolo’s bakery and bring the rest afterwards. They are sending us away to talk without us.

Josh asked me about my birthday on our adventure shopping for ice cream and pudding to give time for our Lunas enjoying time together; I will be eighteen the next weekend. He won´t be here by then.

“How old would you be?” he asks.

“How rude to ask a female about her age!” I laugh dodging the question. At eighteen my wolf will wake up inside of me and besides being able to shift into her wolf form, I will be able to find my mate.

“Just asking. My wolf could not sense your wolf but faintly just recently, so I wanted to know. Cause you know, you never know…” Is he implying what I think he is implying?

“I am seventeen now. Do the math. I think you are good with numbers, right? You love finances and statistics, all those boring things I do not understand at all.” He might get that I want to drop the subject.

“Numbers tells you a story.” He says looking in the distance through the clean window of where we are sitting. It is a nice day, shiny with a clear blue sky that makes his grey silver eyes beautiful. Yes, he looks handsome, I will tell Angel that I agree with her. I forgot to tell her.

“I enjoyed my time here Clara. More precisely with you.” Suddenly he got serious and look right into my eyes. Shining silver yes, they flickered black announcing Alastair is present.

“Ibid” I say without looking at him and taking another spoon of my pudding shoving it into my mouth in a very not lady like.

“What does it mean?” He raises an eye brown and smirks. Silver back, it is just Josh now.

“You can find out; you are a smart guy.” I smile widely.

I think he has been trying to flirt with me, but I am an omega. He is the young Alpha of Silver Rain pack, the number one pack in the kingdom. There is no point. I am happy we are friends.

“You got lost on your thoughts again. Willing to share?” I doubt about answering him.

“Young Alpha of Silver Rain Pack” I got serious as well. “I am an omega. It does not matter where I go, I will always be an omega.” I look right into his eyes; he is in front of me. He had chocolate cake. I wish I can ask a little bit of that, sharing desserts would be acceptable for friends.

“I am Josh like before, and yes I know your rank as you know mine, but that never mattered to me. Besides, you do not get affected by my aura. What is your point?”

Wolves avoid talking about this kind of things because liking or falling for someone is pointless once you meet your soulmate. There are those who do not care and start relationships, despite the pain they can cause to their true mates. I do not want to be like that.

Josh is a good guy, smart, handsome, it is not hard to like him, and he seems so confident talking about this when it is scary for me. I got over Mason after years of suffering a humiliating puppy love, being forced to put up with gossips, rumors and being called horrible names. I do not want that again.

I had no idea that Mason used to make fun of me with his friends at school, and especially his “girlfriends”, I was so blind. Still, I cannot blame him; I am was the i***t that drooled over him hopelessly worried about his wellbeing. Also, he never tried anything. Mason never made me fall for him. I was a fool, I made myself a fool.

“Why are you talking like this?” I decided to ask directly.

“To be honest, I feel some sort of connection. We are compatible and my wolf senses that too.”

My heart is pounding fast now, his face is red, and he seems shy but sure of what he is talking about. Josh giving me attention is flattering and warms my heart, but I just did not expect him to be so forward.

No, I do not want to fall for Josh, Mason’s cousin who will leave in two days to the Alpha’s Academy and most likely will follow the same path as Mason. He will mate and mark an Alpha´s daughter too.

I doubt Josh could be my fated mate, and as the heir of Silver Rain Pack, he would choose an Alpha’s daughter over an omega any day. I have nothing to offer to him. So, I doubt he would ask me to be his chosen mate. Besides, even if I decide to believe that he feels something strong for me now, two years is a lot of time.

Beyond that, I would prefer to wait for my mate, I do not want to be a chosen mate for anyone; I do not care about the Luna position. I just want to be happy with my true mate, whoever he is, and werther I find my mate next week after my birthday, or a few years from now.

Nothing is better than finding your true mate, I thought that from our conversations I made that very clear.

“Yes, we get along very well. We have developed a great friendship.” There, young Alpha you cannot play with me. This is my answer.

I have already compromised my reputation in the pack for being alone with him so long. Fortunately, Luna Michelle knows me very well and supports me, but I know I will have to face horrible rumors about me once he leaves.

He looks at me and I think he understands where this come from, I do not feel brave enough to discuss this topic openly. I can only trust his smart brain would get it, without words.

“Yes, friends. But like I said, you never know. I will be back in two years Clara. I promise.”

I just stand up and grab the desserts for our Lunas. I am embarrassed and flattered. No one has ever talked to me like that, my poor heart needs to be away from this smooth talker.

I was going to drop some as I got very nervous; he helped grabbing others as well. We might have bought more than needed.

On our way back we tried to relax talking nonsense and I noticed he eyed my free hand and brushed it lightly with his own while walking on our way back to the pack house. I did nothing and said nothing, because right now, we know nothing of what the future withholds for any of us.