The Long Lost Luna

Chapter 3 - Dreams and Nightmares

ZAIYREE

I didn’t dream. Normally, I had horrible dreams that left me tossing and turning, but last night I didn’t dream. My body ached, and everything felt stiff. That wasn’t unusual, although my body ached more than normal. The strange part was I was lying on something soft. It was different from the cold, damp floor I was used to. Was I dead?

It took me a moment to remember what had happened, and images of running through the forest flashed into my head. Had I successfully escaped? I cracked my eyes open, but I didn’t recognize the room I was in. It was clean and smelled fresh, and there was no way this was in the human camp. However, I had no memory of how I got here.

Then his face flashed in my head, and my cheeks instantly felt heated. He was so tall and strong. His dark brown eyes matched his hair, and there was something soft about them that didn’t match the rest of his aura. I remembered him carrying me but nothing else. He must have taken me here.

I sat up, but a voice instantly filled the air, making me jump.

“Hey, take it easy there.” A woman with long, dark brown hair touched my shoulder, and I instantly flinched at the touch. She helped me sit up, and I just stared at her, trying to figure out what was going on.

I knew she was a werewolf. She smelled like one at least, but that didn’t make sense. She looked too clean and too healthy, and as far as I knew, there were no werewolf packs out there anymore.

She handed me a small glass of water, but she kept her hand on the bottom of the cup. “Drink slowly,” she cautioned, helping me lift the cup.

I didn’t even realize how weak I felt until the cup felt heavier than it should have. I was grateful for the help, and I was even more grateful for the water. It was clean and fresh, and my mouth was dry. It was hard not to chug the water, but the woman helping me made sure I kept drinking slowly.

When I finished the water, she took the cup from me. “Good. I’m glad to see you are doing well enough to drink.”

She walked away from me and set the cup on the counter. I looked around the room, and the more I looked, the more I realized that this seemed like it was some kind of hospital or medical room. There were various machines set up, and bottles of medicines filled a glass cabinet. It looked like a simplistic medical room, but it was more than I had seen in years.

The woman turned back to me and started taking off her white coat. “Sorry. I hope you don’t mind. I just feel really hot suddenly.” With her jacket off, it revealed her round belly. She placed her hand on it and looked at me with a smile, clearly seeing what I was looking at. “I’m four months pregnant, hence the random heat waves.” Werewolves gave birth at six months, so she was close to her third trimester already.

She was glowing, and she looked beyond happy. I didn’t even think it was possible anymore.

“Where am I?” I asked. Part of me wondered if this was some kind of weird after life.

“Silly me,” she laughed, taking a seat next to me. “My name is Amara, and we are in the Blackfang Pack.”

I blinked a few times, still not fully understanding. I had thought all wolf packs had been hunted down and killed. That was what Faxton had always told us, making sure there was nothing to run to if we ever escaped.

“How?” This didn’t feel real, and it was starting to become overwhelming.

Amara smiled and reached for my hand. I instantly pulled my hand back. I wasn’t used to the affectionate touch, and I wasn’t sure how to respond.

“We have stayed hidden from the humans thanks to Alpha Ezra,” Amara explained. “It hasn’t been easy, but he has kept us all safe and healthy. It’s allowed us to live somewhat normal lives.”

I listened to her, and I was skeptical of everything she was saying. After spending years in a prison cell, it was hard to believe there was actually a safe place for werewolves to live a life where they could smile naturally.

When I didn’t respond, Amara continued talking. “It’s not always an easy life, but it’s a good one. I’m sure you’ll be able to find a place here. You’ll have to do your share of work, of course, but there won’t be a rush for that. We need you healthy first.”

I still didn’t respond to her, because I didn’t know what to say. Amara paused and looked at me. She pulled her lips tight, and I just continued to blink at her. She moved over to me and started checking my vitals.

“It’ll get easier. I know it’s a lot right now.” She took a seat next to me again and smiled. She seemed genuine and caring, and it gave me a little hope. If the other people in this pack were as nice as Amara, maybe there was a chance I could actually build a life here.

The door slammed open, making me jump. The man from before burst through the door, and his chest was heaving. He was even taller than I remembered, and he was covered in sweat. His eyes were dark, and they instantly narrowed on me. Goosebumps covered my skin, and I felt completely exposed in front of him. Suddenly, I was extremely aware of how little clothes I was actually wearing. I was just in a small gown that didn’t cover much.

He looked me up and down, and something stirred deep inside my core. I had never felt this way towards someone, and there was something pulling me towards him. I swallowed hard, but it was Amara who broke the tension.

“This is Alpha Ezra, the one I was telling you about. He’s the one who runs the pack, and he was the one who found you,” she introduced. “What’s your name?”

I looked over at Alpha Ezra, and his eyes seemed darker than before. His body was tense as he stared at me, and there was an intensity in his gaze that I didn’t understand. I squirmed under his gaze, trying to understand why this man was looking at me like that. Did he hate me for some reason?

Suddenly, a memory from my escape fluttered into my head. “Mate,” Alpha Ezra had growled the moment his eyes fell onto me. This memory stirred something deep inside of me. It was something that was raw and animalistic. It had to be Talia, my wolf. I hadn’t heard from her in years. I hadn’t been allowed to transform into my wolf form, and the longer Talia had been suppressed and the weaker my body grew, the less she talked to me, until one day she stopped completely.

Without her voice, she wouldn’t tell me that Alpha was my mate, but I felt the inexplicable pull towards him. The mate bond would explain the feeling stirring inside of me.

Amara looked between Alpha Ezra and myself and tucked her hair behind her ear. “Ezra, you don’t have to look at the girl like that. You’re clearly making her uncomfortable.”

It was strange that Amara didn’t call Ezra “Alpha Ezra.” From what I remembered, that was the protocol in a pack, unless a werewolf was especially close to the alpha. Amara must have had some sort of personal relationship with the alpha.

“Are you two dating?” I asked. Before I confirmed that Alpha Ezra was my mate, I wanted to understand the relationship between Amara and him. The last thing I wanted to do was get in the middle of a relationship.

Amara instantly started choking in response. She looked at Alpha Ezra with wide eyes and then back to me. “No way! He’s my brother.” She started gagging at the thought, and the faintest smile brushed my lips. “What would make you think that?”

Alpha Ezra didn’t seem phased by my question. He was still staring me down, and it made my heart beat like crazy. I liked his attention on me, even though I didn’t know if it was good attention or not.

“You called him ‘Ezra’ instead of ‘Alpha Ezra,’” I explained without breaking away from the alpha’s gaze.

“You're very perceptible,” Alpha Ezra said. They were the first words out of his mouth, and his voice was just as gruff as it was when he had saved me in the forest. “But you also missed the fact that we look alike.”

I looked between Alpha Ezra and Amara, and sure enough he was right. They shared the same eyes and the same hair. Even their ears were the same, but their noses came from different parents. They could have almost been twins, which I should have noticed.

Amara hit Alpha Ezra in the arm. “Can’t you give the girl a break? She’s been through enough. You don’t have to criticize her already.”

“No, it’s okay,” I quickly said. I didn’t want to be treated like a broken doll, even though inside I felt like one. This all still felt like a dream, and I didn’t feel like I belonged. My life had been part of a nightmare for too long, so I didn’t feel like I belonged in a world like this. Part of me was wondering when I would wake up and all of this would disappear.

But Jasiah believed there was a world like this out there. He never gave up, and he didn’t want me to either. Part of me had given up a long time ago.

“What’s your name,” Alpha Ezra demanded suddenly. His voice made me wince.

I hadn’t told them my name yet, and I wasn’t sure why. Maybe once I said my name out loud, it would make everything feel more real.

“Zaiyree,” I finally said, knowing there was no reason to keep my name a secret, especially because the people in this room had saved my life.

“It’s nice to officially meet you, Zaiyree,” Amara said. “When you are feeling up for it, we can give you a tour of our little village and introduce you to some of the members.” Amara grabbed Alpha Ezra’s arm and started pulling him out of the door. “Come on. We should let her rest for a bit. I’m sure she’s feeling pretty overwhelmed right now.”

Alpha Ezra looked at me a moment longer, and he seemed hesitant to leave me alone. His facial expression hadn’t changed since he had entered the room, and there was something about his eyes that I couldn’t quite understand. He looked beyond angry, but that didn’t make sense. If I was his mate like I suspected, shouldn’t he be happy to have finally met me? Meeting one’s mate was supposed to be a magical moment, one werewolves raved about to each other.

I had given up on the idea of ever finding my mate, and I had been okay with that. Jasiah had been enough for me, but now, I wasn’t sure how I felt. There was a suppressed feeling in my core that was trying to break free. It wanted Alpha Ezra to be my mate more than anything, but that also scared me. I didn’t want finding my mate to tarnish Jasiah’s memory–but maybe it wouldn’t. Maybe it would honor him in a way.

But Alpha Ezra didn’t look happy when he looked at me, which made me question if I had heard him correctly in the forest.

Finally, he broke away from my eye contact and started following Amara out the door.

“Are you my mate?” I asked, my voice softer than I had anticipated, but it was enough to make Alpha Ezra stop cold in his tracks and completely freeze.