The Luna Within

Chapter Three

***APOLLO’S POV***

We walked into the pack house at around 1:45am. Still really early for me. I mind linked Elijah because I knew he would be doing patrol tonight, so any of our pack members that were in wolf form roaming around the pack house would hear his link about shifting back. I may not see women as more than an object, but there were things about this mini firecracker I wanted to learn. And I wouldn't be able to do that if she was fainting from seeing wolves ten times as big as normal wolves.

I already had an omega prepare a guest room on my floor. Luckily for myself and my reputation, no one other than the patrols are up at this hour. So bringing her in was the easier thing. Talking to her tomorrow with numerous ears and eyes would be quite a bit harder. But I have to let her rest. I keep stealing looks at her and she is so hot. I just don't know what about her that is drawing me in like this. Her wavy dirty blonde hair falling down her back. Her light green eyes shining as if the moon was glowing in them. Small cute freckles forming a scattered line across her nose onto both cheeks.

Before I show her to her room, I stop her without touching her. She smells so good and I have been dying to try to get a deep whiff of her scent before she goes to her room for the night. Peaches and Cream I think.

The whole walk home I thought about her scent. I thought about how she could not know what she was. How could she only have run away just a week ago? How did she survive a whole week in the Montana forest, especially near so many packs? Why did she run away? And where from? Particularly, who is she running from?

I thought about what if she was my mate? That means I get to teach her everything. 16 is the mature age for consensual s****l agreements in our world. I thought about using her perfect little body for the most mind-blowing pleasure, touching all her sweet spots, hearing her moan and giggle. GODDESS, just the thought made my di.ck stand up full force. I had to keep my hand in my pocket to keep it pushed down.

We are standing just beside the door to her room, which is right across the hall from my room.

"You know, Persephone, we have a lot to discuss in the morning. You aren't the only one with questions." I say huskily, trying to see if I have an affect on her. She shivers the slightest bit, but not nearly as much as other girls do. Most girls would have drenched their panties by now. And she seems almost unfazed. Am I losing my touch? Is there something wrong with me?

"Go ahead and go into this room right here. There have been clothes brought up here for you to sleep in tonight and to change into tomorrow. Undergarments as well. Leave your clothes in the basket and they will be cleaned for you tomorrow. Also, in about 15 minutes I will bring you a snack. You look pale and like you haven't eaten in days and I am wondering if you go to sleep without eating that you may not wake up." I chuckle deeply. She smiles softly.

"It has been a few days of slim pickings in the woods. I really didn't think this “adventure” through. But the woods are much better than where I came from. I appreciate you not killing me like you did that creepy Justin guy." She makes a fake vomit face. And I laugh. Wow, I just keep laughing with her. And over someone's murder no less. Very peculiar, little Persephone.

"Well, he was kicked out for a reason which will be a part of everything we discuss in the morning. I will need to know where you left, why and if you are in any danger. I have to be able to protect my pa-... I mean family. Just in case. Just precautions. But okay. Hurry along and shower while I get you something to snack on and some water. Allergic to anything?" I asked, even though being a werewolf it's almost impossible to be allergic to anything or get sick. But I keep leaning towards the possibility she doesn't know that she is a werewolf. So I am trying to be nice. The nicer I am to her, the quicker she will get into my bed and the quicker I can see if she tastes like the peaches and cream she smells like.

She shakes her head no. "I really do appreciate you giving me a place for the night and the opportunity to shower and have a meal. As soon as my clothes are cleaned tomorrow, I will be out of your hair and on my way." She says almost like she is determined not to stay here. Well, if she is going to leave, I will have to work my magic a lot faster than I thought. I nod to her and turn my heel to head to the kitchen. And of course, here comes Hercules with his bulls**t.

'Well, well, well. The young Alpha who doesn't want to have feelings for anyone and you are already showing her favoritism. The boy who thinks women are weak and only good for breeding and fu***ng. Here you are fantasizing about a girl you just met. And you call me the mutt.' He scoffs.

'Shut it dog. Just because I want to do everything for her to get her into my bed does NOT mean I am favoring her. It just means that this one will be more of a challenge than my other conquests. If she turns out to be our mate. We will fu.ck her until my heart's content, she will give me an heir to take over when I become old. And maybe even use her as bait to lure our enemies that want to try and take me down. Everyone always thinks if they can get someone's Luna they will win over an Alpha. But not me. I am unlike any other Alpha they have met before. Plus, I don't even know if she is my mate. Either way, I will be the winner when she is moaning in my bed.'

'Whatever you say, PIG! So does that mean you are going to share her with Elijah like you do Estelle and the others? And oh goddess *Fake hurt* What is Brittany going to think when she sees you walking around sniffing this little she-wolf?' He snickers.

'First off, shut the fu.ck up. Even if Persephone turns out not to be my mate, she will only be mine. I only shared the others because they were basic and easy. Any woman who doesn't present a challenge is unworthy of anything more than a quick lay. I won't ever force a woman, but the fact that Persephone isn't swooning over me is making me want to take her more. Also, I do not give 2 flying fu.cks what Brittany or Estelle or ANYONE thinks. I am the ALPHA, not them. And if need be, Persephone will just have to deal with things herself.' I tell him truthfully.

'F**king barbarian. And if she doesn't want to get into your bed? Are you going to keep getting disgusting with the pack whores? I swear every time you lay one of those floozies' down in bed I want to gag a million times over. ' He snarks back.

'I am sure I can be very convincing. And I don't know yet. Maybe. And what does it matter what my body does, Herc? Your wolf body hasn't mated anything. All you want is a mate. I am thinking of giving you what you want and you're being a d**k about it. Do you want me to just f**k her and toss her back out into the woods? Cause I can arrange that too, mate or not.'

'Even if she isn't our mate, not only is that disgusting, but also very cruel. Is that the type of Alpha you want to be known for, Apollo? The one who f**ks defenseless she-wolves and tosses them to the woods for rogues to try and rape or even murder. Especially someone like Persephone who is obviously running away from shi.tty circumstances. And you'd just toss her to the side, just like that? Maybe Mother was wrong about pairing me with you...'

Hercules cuts the link with a scoff.

What the hell is his problem?? He has always disapproved of my MANY Alpha escapades. But never to this degree. He never really voiced his opinion this deeply. I have never had my wolf cut the link between us so much in one damn day. WTF? All I want is a new piece of ass. And if she is my mate, then GREAT for him. He gets his mate and I get a good time whenever I want, an heir, and everything else I want as an Alpha.

We are the winners here. But he's chewing my head off over my decisions and thoughts already.

I grab 2 water bottles, a couple of bananas and three pb& j sandwiches. I can't cook a whole lot. This is the only kind of food that I know how to make honestly. But I made three just in case she was really starving. I can't believe arguing with Herc took the whole damn 15 minutes.

I am walking up the stairs to the Alpha floor, which is the 3rd floor. There are 4 housing suites up here and 2 guest Alpha suites for when visiting Alphas and Lunas are in our pack. All the rooms in the pack house are sound-proof too. Not like I use my room. I do not want anyone but my friends to know what the inside of the room looks like, and no, that does not include pack sluts and human one-night stands from the city nearby. It is always in the girls' rooms. Never will it be in mine. Not even if I find my mate. My room is my sacred space. Away from everyone.

I have Persephone in a guest Alpha suite. Gave her her own bathroom and a nice comfy bed. I can only assume she has been sleeping in trees or small caves within the forest.

So it will be nice for her, I am sure. I knock on the cracked door. She says I can come in.

And Holy Fu.cking Moon Goddess. If I didn't have any self-control right now, she'd be mine, fully. I have got to talk to whoever brought her some clothes for the night. Cause this will just not do. She cannot leave this room looking like this. Every damn unmated male is going to be licking their lips at her. And I won't be able to show any possessiveness towards her because I want my reputation to hold up… Dammit…

***PERSEPHONE’S POV***

(25 minutes ago)

Ass-pollo just led me to this huge freaking room. The ceiling is pretty high, but that is probably because of Apollo, (I'll quit calling him ass-pollo for now. But next misstep and the nickname is back.) he is like a giant compared to me. I wonder why he chose not to kill me since it is some weird law that he has the right to kill you on the spot when you enter his land. So weird. That is another thing, his house is huge. He owns land at a young age, and he’s kind of douchey. They must be from a rich family.

The bed looks like a cloud, with soft blankets. It has its own bathroom, which helps ease my nervousness a little. It is just one night. Just one night of luxury and then I am back in the woods on another adventure. Ha! I have got to figure out where to go. I can not stay here with this gorgeous guy. But I also can’t roam the woods for the rest of my life.

Lord, I am losing my mind. I have never found anyone remotely attractive and here I was having thoughts of Apollo, who I had just met in the woods half naked and watched him kill someone and then he brought me back to his mini-castle in the middle of the woods. Nope, all this is very sane.

I better hurry and shower before he comes back. I do not need to be coming out of the shower in my birthday suit for him to see. Or he might turn into his own version of creepy Justin. I hurriedly grabbed the clothes that he was nice enough to have someone leave in here for me. Which is also weird because I didn't see a phone on him the whole time.

He never called anyone now that I think about it. How in the hell?... Maybe I am hallucinating from not eating or sleeping.. Yeah that is prolly it. Sleep deprivation.

I hurry up and jump in the shower. I don't even have time to admire the bathroom. I have already spent too much time thinking about my plans for the future. I wash and conditioned my hair, and wow, it so desperately needed it. It was matted and had so much dirt and even leaves in it that it looked like the forest floor in the bottom of the shower when I got done rinsing the shampoo out of it.

I quickly washed my body top to bottom because who knows when I will get another shower. After tomorrow I am on my own. Apollo didn't seem to care, as long as he gets his answers about where I came from I can be on my way. No one is after me so it won't take long to explain my pathetic past.

I quickly dry my hair and body and throw on the sleep shorts and medium t-shirt. Wow what are these clothes made out of? They are so soft!! Right as I came out of the bathroom I heard Apollo knocking on the door I left it cracked cause I don't want to be locked in a room in a strange place I have never been before. I sit on the bed and let him know he can come in. He has both of his hands full of stuff. Bananas, water, and I think sandwiches. Which sounds like a steak dinner to me right now.

But for whatever reason he is frozen in the doorway. He is kind of gawking at me. Which is making me uncomfortable. The foster fathers in my old 'homes' looked at me the same way before they would try to touch me. As soon as I see that look I get scared.

"Apollo!" I yell. He jumps out of whatever trance he is in. And blushes. Wow a big dude like him blushing? Never seen that before. I actually feel a little relieved now that he was blushing and not looking at me like I was his prey.

He chokes back what sounds like a cough.

"So while we are eating I want to ask you a couple of questions. And tomorrow you can answer the rest I have. Sounds good?" He does have manners to an extent. I nod, ready to eat. He hands me a banana, a sandwich and water and I feel like I inhaled it. He starts with his few questions.

"When is your birthday, Persephone?" I look kind of shocked. I have never had to tell anyone my birthday before because it was always on the paperwork. And honestly, no one really cared. "August 22nd" I say and continue to drink my water. "That's in a week you know that right?" He asks. I lift my head and look directly at him.

"No I didn't. I kind of lost track of time in the woods. I don't have a phone and really nowhere to be, sooooo?" I say with a shrug.

He sits silently for a moment. His eyes darted back and forth not really looking at anything. He is sitting in a chair by the bed facing me.

" I know this is going to sound weird. And I'll be able to explain everything tomorrow in more detail. But I think you should stay here at least for a couple of weeks. I'll help you get on your feet a little bit. And then when you are ready if you want to leave you can. If not then you can stay, but it'll be your choice."

Wow I am kind of shocked but feeling a warmth in my chest all at the same time. Before I even let myself think about the feeling I have I speak up quickly.

"I do not want to depend on you, Apollo. I don't know you and you don't know me. I have had to depend on horrible people my whole life. I am not saying you are horrible but if that is something that I will do I will have to be able to earn my way. Like a job or something. Because if and when I decide to go I do not need anything hanging over my head. I am young but I have lived a pretty shi.tty life thus far. I do not want to let anyone have power over me or my life like that again."

He looks at me pretty surprised I didn't just jump at the free offer of food and shelter for a few weeks. But I am not going to let anyone hold anything over my head if I decide I am ready to dip. I don't need any ties to anyone or any unresolved favors if I am to only depend on myself. Plus if… I mean when I leave I will need money to sustain myself.

"For someone so young Persephone you are pretty brave. Okay, I will see what I can line up for you. This can be your room while you are here." He smiles slightly. Which honestly looks good on him.

"Wait until tomorrow before calling me brave, Apollo. I have dealt with a lot of bullsh.it in my 15 years. And most of the time I just took it. I wouldn't call that brave, I'd call that pathetic if you ask me." I say sheepishly. It's the first time I said it out loud about myself without being insulted first.

"Well I am sure I will be surprised. My room is across the hallway if you need anything. All you gotta do is knock. " He says without adding any of his own insults.

"Okay, just a second before you go." He looks at me like he just hit a jackpot. Oh no, not this again.

"How old are you Apollo? You're a pretty big dude. But I think you're about 17 or 18. But I'm not 100% sure." His smile falters for a minute before grinning again.

"I am 17, Persephone. We can talk more in the morning. Or maybe tomorrow afternoon. I'll knock on the door when I get up in case you are asleep. If you don't answer I'll let you rest. But I will wake you up by noon. Okay?" He smiles and bows his head a little. Which I found weird, and I guess he did too cause when he stopped he looked a little shocked.

I nod. "Thank you, Apollo. Even though you were an asshole at first, I appreciate the hospitality. And by the way those were some bangin pb&js. Tell the chef it was perfect." I giggled and he chuckled. "Good night Apollo."

"Goodnight Persephone" He says huskily and waits another second. I shiver slightly but I am sure he didn't notice. He smirks a little and walks out the room shutting the door behind him. I wait til I hear the door across the hall shut and I quickly open the door just a smidge. I thought about locking it but my anxiety rids me of that thought. It is probably just Apollo and his maids and chefs in this castle anyway.

Here is to a good night's sleep on the fluffiest cloud ever! In a few weeks, I will be on my own again, with enough cash to start out with and I'll finally have my freedom from the world. I mean, I say that but I have this gut wrenching feeling something BIG is going to happen. I can't shake it. I am anxious, and nervous but also really excited. Well, here is to a new day! I lay back on the cloud, wrap myself in the blankets and quickly let sleep take over me.