Luna of the Golden Moon

the Den

None of us spoke, running fast along the dark woods. Kyle seemed to know where he was going, having me on his tail. I was still crying silently, not knowing what to do anymore. Caleb had shunned me, and he was speaking to other girls, Betas, my replacement. What did I know? From what I had understood, nothing was beneath my uncle's ambitions.

The gray wolf stopped, going into a slower trot again when I looked up, surprised, seeing the city's lights in the distance; he wanted to come here, to the humans? I gave him a wondering look when he turned around, finally giving me a smile, walking towards a small crate buried underneath some dirt that he was digging out with his paws before changing back to human, starting to dress with me just staring at him, so I guess he was planning to do something in the city, something that required being a human.

"yes, and unfortunately, I don't keep girl's clothes stashed, so you have to wait for me..." He snickered when I huffed, lying down in the grass and watching him walk away, still looking so damn proud. He was.

I gazed at the night sky, lying on my back in the grass. Kyle had been gone for some time, to my annoyance, yawing again; he had better not have ditched me after telling me some wild story. I was his sister just to get high and forget me.

"Hey..." I opened my eyes, realizing I had fallen asleep when Kyle's grinning face was before me. He seemed really happy for the first time, holding clothes for me. What took him so long, anyway?! It wasn't like I didn't know he could undress anyone in a matter of minutes; any girl out there would have wanted him, wolf and human!

"Yeah... sorry for the wait. I just got some business to take care of. Nothing I want to take you along with..." I huffed at that. Why didn't he just say that? I stared accusingly at his smirk, still holding the clothes like I could carry them. He better not think I was shifting before him just because he did.

Kyle snickered, putting the garments down on the trunk behind me before turning around, making me growl when he was still amused. Was he high or what? I got dressed fast, feeling the fabric against my skin. It was so soft, and the dress was a lovely green shade, nothing like the strict black ones I had to wear in the mansion; I liked it.

"Good, because I stole it." Kyle had turned, giving me a smirk to my stare; he did? Why didn't I care about that? I could just as well return it to its owner when we were heading back, and I still didn't know what Kyle had planned.

"here...." I sniffed, seeing the wolfbane he was giving me when I did a frown. No, no drugs; I had promised Caleb to stay away, and even if he was a lying asshole that was having a good time with other girls when I was being excluded from the pack, I still didn't want to betray him.

Kyle huffed like I was stupid, taking my hand and putting the blunt inside my palm. To my surprise, he looked like he wouldn't take no for an answer, his wolf breaking out, showing me he was serious. Why was he pushing me anyway?

"Caleb didn't tell you, did he? They can't track you down; it messes up the scent, not just the mind; that's why... I always have one..." Kyle broke into a smirk when I stared at the thing in my hand and back at the smiling blond guy, already lighting up, taking a long drag, and exhaling into the night air. Was he doing this on purpose and not just for fun?

"Exactly...and if you don't do as much as your mate did last time, it's just enough to keep the dogs at bay..." Kyle snickered again, taking another drag before giving me a genuine smile, making me blink. I believed him; I just didn't know if it was a good choice after what had happened.

"I'm not forcing you, but you can't come along if you don't, and I really don't want to shift back one more time right now..." Kyle looked like he wasn't worried about the blunt when I nodded, looking at him to help me. He was standing casually now, with his hands in his pockets. He looked good, dressed in trainers and a shirt. Nothing was black, like he hated that color, like me.

"There you go... take it easy, small sips, alright... that's enough..." I was about to inhale again when Kyle picked up the burning stick from my lips, shook his head, and gave me another smile. He cared about me, and that made me comfortable around him.

"Hey... Kyle... are you really my brother?" We had been strolling briefly. The silence made me want to ask him, finally, to be brave enough, or the bane was kicking in, probably that last one. Kyle slowed down but didn't stop our pace, coming out into the street, humans being heard in the distance, but I didn't mind. I wasn't a stuck-up pack wolf; I was Emilia Jackson, and this was my birthplace.

"Yeah... I think so... I mean, look at you, Emilia. If my sister had grown up if I imagined she looked like you..." He stopped like he was hurting to my whine, feeling bad for bringing it up, but I needed to know. He, being my brother, changed a lot of things!

"What happened to her?" I was still walking, and the sound of my heels was making me feel better. This wasn't the golden moon's land. I could finally breathe away from my mate, who couldn't even speak to me after I told him I rejected him for being a heartless bastard!

"Dead, or... well, I'm hoping not..." Kyle smiled, his eyes on mine, giving him a sigh. Yeah, I could understand that, but he wasn't the only one struggling with family issues. My parents weren't even allowed on pack land unless it was a special occasion, like a wedding. I wanted to cry again. I missed them so much, more than I thought was possible.

"Kyle, what if I'm not your sister?" I didn't want to give him hope that I was some lost sister and that he wasn't alone in the world anymore.

He wanted me to be her so badly that anyone could see that, even with bane inside your blood.

"I guess... that doesn't change my feeling of something... you know what I mean?" I nodded, almost strolling beside the big Alpha, pretending to be a Beta, making me huff. He looked even taller now, as if he wasn't hunched down back at the pack, the real Kyle.

"Yeah, I feel it..." I said it back, hesitating. My emotions were mixed. There was something about Kyle that made me like and draw to him, but then again, so did every other female. I didn't feel attracted to him, unlike Caleb, the dark, brooding guy still back at the mansion, not even knowing I was on the run.

"Caleb is still the one I love. You understand that, right? Whatever this is..." I stopped talking, seeing him tense up from my rambling. I wanted him to know I loved my mate, no matter what happened.

"I get it, the bond..." Kyle looked up, smirking, when I whimpered towards his mocking blue eyes. Yes, he didn't understand the bond and never would until he met his mate; nobody else existed.

I wanted to say I was sorry, but I wasn't, not when he clearly wanted something more; Caleb was right about that. Kyle was interested; maybe he had been all along from the second I stepped inside the same hall as him, looking to escape the matebond already forming with my mate.

"We're here..." Kyle's serious voice broke the silence between us. I didn't answer but followed him when he was heading towards a convenience store, making me stare at his muscular back.

I didn't protest when he walked inside, not caring about the guy giving him a nod behind the register. To my surprise, he walked towards the dairy section and held up the fridge, showing me a hole with a staircase leading down to my surprise. What was this place?

"If Caleb can have fun, so can we..." I gasped, feeling Kyle take my hand and lead me along the airy stairs. I looked back up once and thought about Caleb before the door closed and darkness consumed us.

The smell was the first thing that made me feel uneasy. It was intense and sweet, pressing Kyle's hand harder when he was still going forth. There was not one light in the small space. Suddenly, Kyle found another door in the darkness, making me gasp from music and lights hitting us hard, entering the underground club before us.

"Welcome to the Den..." Kyle chuckled at my shocked face, and I fluttered my eyes around the room. This place was nothing like the barn—not a human in sight—and I swear that every girl's head turned seeing Kyle entering like he was famous or something!

"No humans, no rules, and most of all... no ranks." My eyes were still wandering around the place, wolves dancing and laughing; the familiar thudding sound made me want to go further, taking the first step, only to be held back by the suddenly serious guy who had brought me here.

"You keep close, do you understand, Emilia? It's not like you can call out for help; this place is free but dangerous..." Kyle was still staring at me with a frown, and for a second, I wished with all my heart that it had been Caleb standing here with me and not the fun-loving guy who maybe was my brother if I even believed him.

"Okay, I understand..." I nodded, eager to stop standing around, making him lose the frown, coming forward, still holding my hand, I realized, and not letting me go when he led me deeper inside the Den; I snorted, so stupid, but I got it; this wasn't a place for anyone but us, wolves, at least nobody would record me shifting.

Kyle stopped us at the bar, putting me on the chair. He talked hushed to the bartender, who had perked up, seeing us coming his way. I stared in awe at the blonde Alpha, who was grinning. His voice was too low for my ears to pick up in the dull surroundings. I didn't care. Whatever Kyle was talking about, right now, I was free.

"Alright... here you go..." I looked back from the dance floor, Kyle handing over the shot glass of a slight blue-purple color, making me smell it and making a face; this wasn't a normal drink, was it? Kyle laughed at my frown, tipping his shot back, not caring if I wanted mine. He held out his arm to a girl coming our way, making me strangely annoyed; couldn't she see that we came here together?

"Oh I remember you..." Kyle was snickering, roping the girl in further, and started to kiss my shocked face, still not sure what to do with the shot he gave me; what was happening!? I turned around, embarrassed when they didn't stop, suffering more. This was a wrong decision, all of it!

Kyle chuckled when I felt the heavy hand on my shoulder, making me spill everything on my stolen dress, almost scaring me to death. Goddess!

"Relax..." Kyle smiled when I was still breathing too heavily, my dress soaked with wolfsbane, and staring at the Alpha before me with baby blue eyes helpless. I wanted Caleb so bad, and he was still back in the wooden mansion, having fun when I was suffering.

Kyle came closer; his hand pulled me against himself, and I didn't stop him. Staring back with big, unhappy eyes, my arms around his neck when he lifted me up, giving me a soft kiss that didn't tingle, breaking my heart even more. I wanted to die.

"Forget about him, just for tonight...." Kyle was whispering inside my ear; the rhythm around me had become duller; leaning my head on his shoulder, staring out into the ocean of wolves, all dancing, looking like waves rising and falling before me.

"... you and me, baby girl..." I couldn't hear what he said, still whispering while watching the waves with golden sparks breaking the waves, smiling. I loved the water; it made me feel free, away from my mother, life, and mate.

"You are so f*****g beautiful...." Kyle's voice was rough, darker than usual, when he still held me; my body pressed against him; he felt just like Caleb, only he wasn't.

"I want to swim..." I looked back at Kyle's face; he was so handsome. My hands stroked around his face, his eyes watching me as I laughed at their seriousness. Didn't he just hear me? I said I wanted to swim!

Kyle's eyes followed mine like he finally understood what I was saying. He suddenly beamed, stepped back, and giggled when he walked away from the bar into the ocean around us, waves crashing and falling to my smile; that was more like it.