Temptations of a Luna

Shadows of the Past

Alpha Morales trudged his way down to the temple of priestesses, his anger boiling over as clear as the early morning sun. It was obscure from the rest of the pack, large trees surrounding it, adding to the ominous vibes. He pushed through the entrance, and without a word to the priestesses outside, he stormed into the largest chamber.

Meghan sat behind a low table, one leg propped up, so her hand rested on her knee. She raised her head and looked at him, then gave a small sigh.

"Alpha! You can not be here! This is a sanctuary of the priestesses and..."

"Shut up. Or I will have your head first." He turned to the priestess that had spoken, and she flinched, then took two steps back, bowing her head.

Meghan raised a hand and sent her out of the temple with an indignant wave, before bringing her eyes to focus on Alpha Morales.

"Who is the girl?"

She did not reply for a second, and Alpha Morales grabbed the nearest statue and hauled it over to the glass windows, sending it shattering. Meghan flinched, but largely kept her stance, her face twisting in a frown.

"Stand on equal footing when I am talking to you!"

Meghan swallowed, her fists clenching with the disrespect, and she slowly stood up to face Alpha Morales. She gave a small bow of her head, and took a step towards her, his head slightly raised.

"Who is the girl? Tell me everything you know."

Meghan gave a small sigh. "She is another taboo you need to avoid."

"Do not dare say that word in front of me!"

"Have you forgotten? Three years ago, your mate...the stupid priestess who ran away from here..."

"She was my mate. You know she was my mate."

"The temple of priestesses does not acknowledge the mate bond. Once a priestess has a mate, we regard it as an abomination. You know better than anyone how we get rid of abominations."

Alpha Morales's hands clenched into fists, as he felt the splash of blood on his face all over again. With a single swift move, he wrapped his hand around the woman, backing her up against the wall.

She flinched against the pain, as his face came close to hers, his teeth gritted.

"I let you do it years ago. If the moon goddess was generous enough to give me a second chance...I swear, I do not care what or who has to go down. Be it you, or the entire colony of priestesses."

Meghan gave a small laugh. "Then who will anoint mates? You are fighting so hard...but if I don't approve of it, if I do not anoint your mate, you can not even have a mate. And healing? You think the wolves here will prioritize a taboo luna over their wellbeing? What is an alpha who can't protect them?"

His fingers dig into her skin, and she closed her eyes, her fists clenching beside her.

"An alpha who can't protect them...is an alpha nonetheless. And I will show it to you. You won't wreck me twice, I swear."

He pushed her back, releasing her neck. She swallowed, keeping her hands beside her so she wouldn't give him the satisfaction of knowing he hurt her.

He turned away and walked out of the temple, kicking away the large bowl of water to the corner.

Meghan watched him, her eyes thin. The priestess who had tried to stop alpha Morales ran in, her eyes taking in the wreck.

"Grand priestess!"

"Don't worry about me. Pass an announcement. From tonight, until Alpha Archer Morales releases the priestess he took from us, we will not bless any mate bonds."

The woman's eyes widened. "B..but, grand priestess."

"Do it. Immediately."

The woman nodded and scurried away again, leaving a fuming Meghan.

Hailey watched the window, broken from alpha Morales's sudden outburst. She suddenly turned as the door opened, her knees lifting off the large couch.

Alpha Morales closed the door behind him, then started to walk to his room.

"Archer?"

He stopped walking, then turned to her. "What do you want?"

She swallowed. "I want to take a bath."

His brow arched. "And?"

She lowered her head. "I have no clothes to change into."

His eyes thinned a little, but he gave a small sigh. "Come with me."

She immediately nodded and followed him. They walked upstairs, and he passed by their rooms, to a locked room on the far end. He pulled a necklace from under his shirt, then pushed the key in and turned it.

It opened, but he stopped in front, his eyes watching the simple brown door.

"Archer?"

He didn't reply, but pushed the door open and stepped in, Hailey following closely behind.

The room was filled with everything. Clothes, hair pins strewn around and pictures. Pictures of the same person on the walls on the floor. Pictures reflected in the broken glass of the dresser mirror.

Hailey swallowed as she took in the room, her eyes wide. "Who is this?"

"You wanted a dress. Take as many as you can."

She turned to him. "Are these clothes really clothes you would want to see another woman in?"

He raised his eyes to her. His heart started to feel a little light. Could the moon goddess have been kind enough to give her to him? To bind her to him in all the ways a man could ever be bound?

He moved backward, not letting himself indulge too much.

"Take as much as you want."

She nodded, then looked through the dresses. She finally settled on one, and she pulled it out of the pile.

"I will take a bath now."

He didn't reply, and she slowly moved away and out the door. He heard the slowly diminishing foodsteps, then turned to the large frame.

The woman in it was smiling, and had the most beautiful smile he had seen in a while. He let his hand touch the frame, then he pulled away, like the frame had hurt him.

Slowly, he turned away, then closed the door behind him.

Hailey breezed through her shower, finding the new way of bathing quite intriguing. She dried off, then brought the dress in front of her.

It was a dark red, and she swallowed. She mostly wore white.

She wore it, then zipped it in, watching herself in the mirror. She turned around, checking the mirror. Satisfied, she went down, hoping to meet Alpha Morales.