Chapter 1
Dr. Luna
“Thanks, Doctor.” A young woman muttered as she hurriedly left, carrying her small child, who still had wet tears from the shot.
“You’re welcome!” Lilly called back with a soft smile. Both responses were a mere formality for both ladies. She was used to it though; it was how her pack treated her. Lilly sighed as she looked outside at the shining sun. She was finished with her work and ready to enjoy a run. She packed her bag with a long men’s t-shirt and prepared what she would need for her run.
Lilly walked outside and noticed the few awkward stares that she received, as some of her pack quickly avoided eye contact with her. It has been this way for as long as she could remember. She reached up and held onto her long necklace that she always wore and let out a breath. This was nothing new to her. Lilly had always been the outcast of her pack, which was weird since her father was the Alpha of the Silver Moon pack and her brother, the future Alpha of the pack. There was something more to her. Most of the pack liked to keep their distance unless they had to see her.
Lilly Strummer was twenty-one and was one of the few pack doctors. She remained very secluded from others during school and at the age of fourteen, she went ahead and enrolled into college. She was very bright, and with no other distractions, she was dedicated to her studies. Everyone else her age was interested in finding their mate, but Lilly never had much interest. In fact, she hoped she never found her mate. She knew he would end up rejecting her anyways. There were only a few people who accepted her for the way she was. Her father Ethan, her brother Aaron, and his Beta Matteus, or Mattie, as she liked to call him.
She was also close with two other wolves from the Ashen pack. They were twin brothers, James and Tristan. They were not identical twins. In fact, they didn’t even look like brothers. They were completely different from each other. One of them was going to become the future Alpha and the last she had heard, Tristan had chosen to bow out and give the position to his brother. Tristan had always had a bad temper, while James was a natural leader. She was sent there to spend the summer when she was sixteen and they had become close. They knew about her secret because of their connection to her mother. Her mother had come from their pack and her father had sent her there so that she could connect with that side of her, though she really did not connect with anyone related to her mother since they had all left. Instead, she spent her time playing referee between Tristan and James, who were always fighting about something. She was their bridge to help the two of them connect. Sadly, she had not spoken with them in the last couple of years.
She lost her mother when she was around eight years old and the tragedy still bothered her to this day. Because of what happened that day she remained terrified of thunderstorms. Her mother was not Aaron’s mother. Her father had suffered the misfortune of losing two mates in his lifetime, a pain that was bad enough to go through once, let alone twice. Some people never come back from the pain of losing a mate. They say the pain is like losing a part of your soul. Her father was a strong man and was able to be grateful for the time he had shared with them, instead of bitter for the time that was taken from him.
Since she had led a life of seclusion, she had become accustomed to it being that way. Do not even get her started on her wolf, Kira. Kira was abnormally large for a female wolf, and unlike most wolves, she was not very social. In fact, she often jested about going rogue. She was rough and liked a challenge. Honestly, she was even larger than most Alpha males and her presence was very dominant. She was an enormous all black wolf with emerald eyes that pierced into the soul. Lilly was constantly having power struggles with her.
Despite Lilly being excluded from her pack, she was a strong-willed young lady and would readily oppose anyone if the need ever arose. She was self-confident in her appearance and in herself. She never considered herself stunningly beautiful, but she had heard the guys from school always complain about how the hottest girl had to be so scary. She was only 5’4. She was so tiny, while her wolf was huge. She had bright, shiny blonde hair, green eyes, a round bubble butt, a tiny waist, and well-developed breasts. She could not complain about how she was put together.
She sighed as she walked out into the woods. Ready to go for a run, Kira? Lilly asked her wolf. Kira was part of her, and they could communicate mentally to each other, the same way members of the same pack could mind link with one another. Always Kira responded. Lilly liked to run outside of the Silver Moon pack territory. It was neutral ground there and she was less likely to run into any pack members who were terrified of her wolf. When she first shifted, during the coming-of-age ceremony, her pack was horrified. Her brother and father swiftly chastised them, but it was evident in their eyes that they were afraid of her.
Lilly made her way to the neutral territory and hopped out of her clothes. She quickly shifted into Kira and carried her bag in her mouth. Kira was happy to stretch her legs and ran with incredible speed far from the Silver Moon pack territory. We really should just go rogue. Don’t you think it’d be nice Lilly? We would never have to worry about being accepted. Kira sounded a bit sad over the last part. Deep down Lilly knew that the reason Kira was antisocial was because she was soured by the rejection of her pack. It made her more guarded. Your pack is supposed to always have your back and support you. It was hurtful the way they reacted to them. You always have me, Kira, Lilly said to her wolf.
The smell of blood sifted in the air, and Kira stopped running to get a better whiff. The sound of a child crying was heard in the distance, and she ran up to the edge of the neutral area. The cries were coming from within the Diamond pack territory. It would seem like a challenge to go in there with Kira, but as a doctor, Lilly could not ignore the child’s cries. Lilly shifted back into herself and grabbed her bag. She only had her necklace on and needed her shirt to quickly get covered up. She found her extra-large men's shirt and swiftly pulled it on, before running towards the sound. She didn’t have shoes on, and her tender feet were getting cut up with scrapes from the ground.
She saw a child in the distance, crying in pain, and could see the blood around his ankle. This child was too young for his wolf to heal him, so she needed to quickly go over and assess the situation.
“Hey, sweetie, don’t be afraid of me, okay? I just want to help you.” Lilly said in a soothing tone. The little boy nodded up to her with his big, blue, teary eyes. Lilly looked at his leg and was relieved to see it was not anything serious.
“Okay sweetie, let’s see if we can get you patched up.” Lilly investigated the contents of her bag and grabbed out some of the first aid items she always carried with her. She couldn’t help herself, being a doctor.
“Can you be very brave? This may sting just a bit.” The little boy nodded, and Lilly began to wash the wound out.
Lilly, there are others here. Kira warned. Shhh, I know. Let me concentrate. Lilly barked, shushing Kira. Kira was pacing in her head, incredibly anxious. She seemed to know something, and she wanted out of there.
Lilly took a thick bandage out and slowly wrapped it around the young kid’s leg. “There now, how does that feel, sweetie?”
The little kid smiled and reached out to hug Lilly. “Thank you!”
Lilly’s hand reached out and gently hugged the child. She wanted to cry. This reaction was very new to her since the children in her pack were afraid of her. A tall man walked up, and the boy turned and jumped into his arms.
“Daddy, did you see, she helped me.” The boy squealed. His father nodded in appreciation and then walked away with his son departing from her.
Lilly felt the presence of others swarm near her. Packs were very territorial, and she wasn’t sure how she would be treated in another territory. Lilly slowly stood up and turned to face the men that were gathered behind her. The men were clearly eyeing her appearance. The white t-shirt barely covered her butt, and there were lots of lust filled eyes staring at her.
Lilly was comfortable with nudity; it was a thing of life with werewolves, so she thought their reactions were a bit over the top. A bunch of love-starved wolves, she thought with an eye roll.
Suddenly, a low growl came from behind the pack of men. They quickly lowered their eyes and left the area. Two tall muscular men stepped forward. She assumed they were the Alpha and Beta of the Diamond pack.
She heard girls swoon about Tyler Locke and how attractive he was, but she never partook in those conversations. It really didn’t matter to her at the time, but it did now. She looked up at this six-foot-two, amazingly sculpted specimen in front of her. He only had shorts on, and his bare chest and muscles were sculpted and bulging. He looked to be about the same age as her; his hair was black as night and his eyes were a beautiful gray color. Simply put, he was mouth-wateringly attractive. It was as if his body was blessed by the gods. Her eyes met with his, and she heard the word she never wanted to hear. MATE.
Kira was howling in Lilly’s head and was pacing about wildly. Lilly stood there quietly, not knowing what she should say or do. She never expected to find her mate, since most people found theirs around the age of 18. Her brother found his mate, and future luna the day he turned 18. She was happy for him, but his mate, Cadence, only tolerated her for her brother’s sake. At least she loved her brother so she could be happy for him. Besides she was used to not many people liking her.
“What are you doing in our territory?” Tyler growled out, causing Lilly to jump a bit.
She didn’t know what reaction she was expecting, but not this.
“Seriously? Don’t tell me you’re all brawn and no brains. Was the situation not obvious? I was helping an injured child, but I suppose the answer you are looking for is that this lone wolf is here to invade.” Lilly said with an eye roll as she crossed her arms over her chest, ever so slightly raising her shirt up even higher.
Tyler greedily stared at her exposed thigh. From the look at how his eyes were changing colors, he was having a power struggle with his wolf.
“I’m Kade, his Beta.” The other man beside Tyler spoke up. “And this is our Alpha, Tyler. Thanks for helping out one of our kids. Who are you? You seem pretty experienced at cleaning wounds.” Kade was a bit taller than Tyler, and his arms were monstrous in size. He had brown hair and brown eyes and a sculpted body. His demeanor was more open and friendly, and it helped Lilly relax.
"I'm Dr. Lilly Strummer, daughter of Ethan Strummer, Alpha of the Silver Moon Pack. Yes, I know I appear young for a doctor, but I started college at 14 and just recently graduated from medical school." Lilly stood there confidently in front of the Alpha and Beta. Her heart rate was definitely giving her away though. She could not help it, but when she looked at him, she could feel herself being drawn towards him. She felt excited and there was a strong pull towards him, where she just wanted to throw herself into his arms. She couldn’t do that though. If he knew about her, he would definitely reject her. She knew this. No one would ever want her for a mate. Her pack had shown her that this was true, so why would he be any different.
“You’re Ethan’s daughter? Aaron’s sister?” Kade asked curiously.
“You’ve met them?” Lilly asked curiously.
“Yes, we have several times. You never came along when we had multi-pack meetings and parties.” Kade said with a frown. He would have remembered seeing a gorgeous girl like her.
“I’ve been too busy for parties. I finally have free time now, since I am done with medical school.” Lilly was telling the truth. She spent all of her time studying and keeping busy. What else did she have to do?
“It’s very impressive, Lilly. You must be a genius.” Kade stated excitedly.
Lilly giggled at him. “Hardly, but I am a studious student.” Lilly stole another glance towards Tyler, who had remained quietly standing there.
“Anyways, if I am free to leave, I was in the middle of a run and wouldn’t mind getting back home before it gets dark.” Lilly looked up at each of them seeing if there was any objection. She may have just found her mate, but she was going to do them both a favor and ignore it.
“Don’t you think we should talk?” Tyler chuckled out in amusement towards her. No girl had ever given him the brush off, and she was his mate.
Lilly raised an eye at him and watched as he took a step towards her. He reached out and touched her cheek, making light sparks ignite over her body. She took a small step away from his touch and stared up into his gray eyes.
“Don’t you want to talk with your...mate?” Tyler’s voice was soft, and he stared at her longingly.
“I-I-I... ummm…. Look, you don’t want me for a mate. And I do not want a mate, so I’m just going to go.” Lilly said, all but sprinting away. The electricity she felt from him startled her, the strong desire to be with him was overwhelming her, and she needed to get away from the danger, quick!
Tyler and Kade watched the girl disappear through the wood line.
“Uh oh. You scared her off, now what?” Kade said with a smirk, seeing his Alpha looking after her with a conflicted look.
“She’s mine. I’ll be going to get what’s mine.” Tyler said with a smile. The girl was beautiful, and her green eyes were mesmerizing. Her scent was intoxicating, and he wanted to take her and mark her as his own. He had finally found his mate, his luna. He was not about to lose her. Though there were a few plans that would need to be altered.