LITTLE LUNA
1121 Words
They never looked back. Not even when I tripped over my own shoelace and fell face-first into the dirt as the devil dragged me away. Mom might've smiled a little. Dad coughed. Could've been laughter as my siblings all laughed at my departure.
I remember being terrified as his Beta Jeremy Gregory Danvers, placed me into his awaiting sedan across from him. The devil, who, by the way, wasn't some pitchfork-wielding fiend but more of an older, grumpy, widower Alpha werewolf man who looked like he could use a decent night's sleep.
I remember getting up enough courage to ask him if he planned to hurt me as I watched my old pack disappear as we drove farther and farther away. He just shrugged and said, "Not more than living with them."
They had told me since I was an awful child and a burden to my family. I was being sold to the Devil. That he ate kids after he tortured them. He was a vile and evil man. I would soon pray for death to come my way.
He was right.
He took me to get ice cream that afternoon and explained that I was to be his Luna. His mate had died years ago and the Elder Council was forcing him to take a mate to calm him down. He didn’t want any of the trampy women that only wanted him for wealth, power and influence. He wanted someone he could groom. He would wait for my 18th birthday, to mate and mark me.
He was always direct and honest with me. I liked that about him. The lack of pretense. No sugar-coating.
I was eleven years old when my parents sold me to him. He was rumored to be the most ruthless and feared Alpha of their Region. He was notorious for having a bad temper and hating to repeat himself.
Hell had structure. Clean sheets that even came with my own private Luna suite along with a closet full of designer clothes that he purchased for me. Like I was his own personal doll to dress up as he saw fit. Even down to how I wore my hair and make-up. It was always classy and elegant, so I rarely complained.
All the food my heart desired. Wi-Fi that never cut out during a storm. I had a private tutor that helped me complete my education. He and his Beta taught me all the Luna duties. They even taught me how to fight. Weekly dinner dates that included dancing. He was an excellent dancer with a wicked sense of humor.
His pack called me "Little Luna", and they treated me well. Nevertheless, I was never allowed to leave the pack without him or his Beta. I was given my own personal desk in his office.
The fire wasn’t even real, just a metaphor, like the kind of stuff my parents used to throw around when they said they "loved me, but..." Always that damn "but." Hell had no buts. Hell was straightforward. Either you comply willingly or by force. It was honest.
The devil wasn't much of a conversationalist, though. Mostly he sat in his office doing paperwork for the pack or in business meetings. Sometimes he sighed in a way that made me think he wasn’t content with our arrangement, but other times I even caught him smiling at me.
In a world where fate mates are no longer a reality. Werewolves had only chosen mates. Sometimes I became upset that my opportunity and chose to pick my own mate had been stolen from me. Other times I was thankful for him. My life with him was definitely an upgrade from being my family’s personal slave.
He was always a complete gentleman to me. I tried hard to stay on his good side at all times. We didn’t consummate our union till I was eighteen in our official mating ceremony.
I remember one night shortly after I arrived there was a severe thunderstorm. I have always been deathly afraid of thunderstorms. He found me hiding in my walk-in closet with my headphones wrapped up in a blanket hiding from the storm. After that night, whenever there was a storm, he would stay with me in my room and hold me till I fell asleep. He wouldn’t let me be along even if he was out of town. He would arrange to have others sit with me.
Ten years later, while attending the North America Annual Alpha conference with my now mate, Alpha Nicholas Sorrentino and Beta Jeremy Gregory Danvers; I ran into my siblings. They were shocked to see me. They were apart of the catering staff that night. Whereas, I was dressed to the nine looking like a clean fresh million dollars.
All of them. They looked like life had not been kind to them at all. Same faces, different bags under their eyes.
“Wow!" I said, raising an eyebrow, "It’s been a long time!"
My sister Elena was the first to speak, while everyone remained speechless. "We thought you were... dead!"
"Nope! Very much still alive!" I corrected, waving a hand casually to flaunt the huge rock on my finger from my doting mate.
She didn’t laugh. None of them did. Turns out, things back home weren’t exactly picturesque.
Apparently, after I left, it got worse. Dad got angrier. Mom got meaner. They started fighting. A lot. It seemed they needed a new house slave and a punching bag. Eventually, due to our father's drinking problem, he lost his job and all their savings. They lost the house, and they were forced to cram into a crowded two-bedroom apartment in a bad part of town. A family of seven in a two-bedroom apartment.
"We thought you had it bad when they sold you!" my brother Paul muttered, scratching at the scar on his cheek. "Guess you lucked up! They told us he was taking you to make you his breeder, not his Luna!"
“How is this even possible? You are supposed to be dead or somewhere in misery!” shouted my sister Sofia, obviously not happy to see me alive and well.
I smiled. Not the cruel kind, not even the smug kind. Just... the smile you give when you realize you're better off, but it's not really a competition anymore. " Because I saw a hidden gem in what was deemed as trash!" confessed my mate as I felt the unconditional love, he showered upon me daily.
They didn’t respond to that. Just looked at the floor like they were thinking about all the times they should’ve been nicer to me. Should've saved me from our parents.
THE END
- Writer
