Chapter 2. Mate

Abigail’s POV

The memories of that fateful day were still all too clear in my mind.

But I had kept my silent promise to my mom. I had never let the darkness take me, and I had grown even closer to Galaxy as time went on. We would go on daily runs together, practice our magic, and do our daily chores. Every day, I became stronger, and I noticed Galaxy was definitely bigger and stronger than any other wolf I’d ever seen. She is an old soul, but it suits me very well. We kept to ourselves and were content with our own company.

Every day, we went to the wildflower field where my Mom and I would meet, and where we had that fateful lunch together. In the middle, I had built a memorial for her; just a small token to remember her by—but something the pack would never recognize. It was really important for me to not forget her and make sure she was always near. Even though it has been three years since she was killed, I still miss her every day.

So this is me; the shunned half-witch/half-she-wolf.

The abomination and big secret of the Black Moon pack; the girl who will never fit in.

Tomorrow is Daemon’s Alpha ceremony, and I am sure he is going to be looking for a reason to kill me on sight or banish me. Neither are options I will take, so I have packed all my belongings into two suitcases, a backpack, and a duffel bag. It’s not much, but it’s everything I have.

‘Are you ready, Galaxy? I only need to say goodbye to my mom on the field.’

She hummed, ‘Yeah, as ready as I’ll ever be. I don’t like how we are practically being forced to turn rogue, but I also know we can’t stay here.’

I knew what she meant and not for the first time; I felt sorry for her to be stuck with a human such as me.

‘Don’t you dare doll! I am honored to be your counterpart, and I love you very much. This is not your fault, and I will not have you take it on your shoulders again.’ She huffed.

I couldn’t help but chuckle at my sometimes stubborn-ass wolf. She was magnificent and my biggest supporter. I don’t know where we will go, but anywhere away from here would be a pleasant change. Maybe in the human realm; where, maybe, I could hide what I am?

I dismissed the thought instantly. I am not willing to put either my magic or Galaxy away. Neither deserves that!

As I draw nearer to the field, I could hear talk and laughter. This is weird; no one from the pack ever came here because of the possibility of running into me. But never the less, I can hear people. I sniff the air but don’t recognize their scent. There are children, but they could be from anywhere. I would not know before I saw them because of their lack of wolves. So they were not from my pack. This explains a lot. Galaxy started growling in my mind, and I immediately get a whiff of a rich stench.

Rouges!

I stop dead in my tracks and keep to the tree lines for now. The rouges crossed our border with no care in the world, and there are about fifteen of them. Their leader strode towards an older woman, who stood protecting a younger version of herself and a bunch of children.

Some of them were from my pack. I can tell because they looked just like their parents…

“Well, well. What do we have here, boys?” The leader yells to his mates. They grin in response. “If it isn’t Luna Ornata in the flesh. What is the Luna of the Silver Mist pack doing here? And unprotected at that.” He licks his lips and takes a step toward the group. Luna of Silver Mist? They are the absolute strongest pack in our realm, and that is saying something.

“Selwyn. What are you and your mutts doing here?” The Luna asked. Did she know him? Maybe he was an enemy and had followed them here.

“Luna Ornata, I would not let a chance of killing you and taking your daughter for my own go amiss.” He smiled evilly at her. She narrows her eyes.

“You are not taking my daughter today, or any other day!” He raises an eyebrow at her.

Just when he was about to answer, I stepped out from the trees.

“You are not welcome here, rouge. Leave, and I will spare your lives.” The men spun around and then burst into laughter.

“Go away, little girl. I am not after you.” He simply stated.

But I was not going to let anything happen to our guests. I created a protective barrier around the women and children, now that I had created some space between the leader and Luna, by getting his attention.

“Yeah, you are not touching any of them,” I said with a shrug. He looked confused, and then turned to grab the Luna, but was met with my barrier.

“WHAT DID YOU DO?” He roared. I smiled.

“Made sure you and your comrades here don’t do something you’ll regret. Leave and live, or stay and die. I don’t care either way.” Then I mind-link the pack and warn them of the threat before I shift into Galaxy. To say they were stunned was an understatement.

***

‘Galaxy, we need to get to the leader. He is the key to stopping this nonsense, and I am not sure our pack is coming to help us.’ Galaxy hummed in response and tore the two rouges apart in one swift motion, as they charged at us.

She keeps sprinting towards the leader, but the other rouges shifted as well, and Galaxy is surrounded. I can hear the leader trying to break through the barrier, but no one with ill will towards the persons inside could ever enter.

‘We need to get this over with Galaxy.’ She sneers at the rouges and keeps up the pace; death is all around us.

Suddenly I can hear wolves coming near, and by the scent of them, they are allies. They smell like packs, not only my pack but others as well. The sound of growling and paws on the ground distracts the rouges enough for Galaxy to get an opening. She leaps over the surrounding rouges and goes straight for the leader. He shifted into a small brownish wolf but didn’t have time to react before Galaxy pounded into him and ripped his throat out. The field was now swimming with pack warriors and various leaders. They were here at Black Moon because of the Alpha ceremony tonight, but they came to help me and rescue the women and children.

Galaxy howls in the sky, and the fight is over.

I let the barrier fall and go to the women. I stay in wolf form because I know the punishment will fall as soon as I shift back. The Luna from Silver Mist comes over to me and Galaxy lays down to get into eyesight.

“Thank you for saving us and fighting for us.” She says and then reaches out to Galaxy and pets her head.

The Luna smells so good; it is a masculine and yet refreshing scent. Galaxy kept smelling her, and she laughs at her antics.

“You are an eager one, aren’t you?” She asks. But she doesn’t move one inch.

Then I see an understanding in her eyes, but she doesn’t elaborate on it before Alpha Fenrir walks over only in shorts.

“Abigail, what are you doing? You know, you may not show yourself near any pure werewolves. You will taint them!” He sneers at me.

“SHIFT!” He uses his Alpha voice on me, and I choose to obey; seeing as I hadn’t rejected the pack and their Alpha yet, this would make me submit, but I am different and can choose whether I want to do as he says or not, which has given me many problems in the past.

I shift back and stand there in my birthday suit. I summon a blanket and put it around my shoulders.

Alpha Fenrir scowls, and the look in his eyes promises nothing good. He then slaps me across the face.

“I have told you time and time again to NOT do that in public!”

The second slap sends me to the ground, but I don’t even flinch.

“And I have told you, time and time again, that if you don’t want to share cloth with me, I’ll have to summon at least a blanket to cover my body after a surprise shift,” I state as I stand back up, not even phased by the slaps. Luna Ornata stands in between me and the Alpha.

“What do you think you are doing? She saved our lives, and you treat her like that?” She all but yells at Alpha Fenrir. He doesn’t look pleased to be talked to like that, but he says nothing back. Luna Ornata turns around.

“Sweet girl, please come with me to the pack house and we will get you some clothes and some attention to those wounds.” She says kindly and offers me a hand. I stare at her, not knowing what to do.

This wakes up Alpha Fenrir.

“You are not going anywhere, girl! Go back to where you came from and stay there. I will take care of you later.” He sneers. Luna Ornata looks livid. She was not used to people talking like that, either.

“Alpha Fenrir, with all due respect, this girl saved your children, me, my daughter, and two of my pack’s children. And you say that she is not welcome to the pack house? What kind of pack is this?” She asks, her eyes blazing with anger.

“I have mind-linked my husband and son. They have been scouring the forest for more rouges and are on their way back here. It will do you right to not disobey me on this! This girl, Abigail, is coming with me and getting those wounds attended to. I will not tolerate you treating her like this.” She then crosses her arms and sends Alpha Fenrir a look that said to not get in her way.

We wait for about 10 minutes before the sound of feet can be heard coming toward us. Everyone else had kept their distance from the fuming Alpha and Luna. Their auras fill the air with tension, but neither would budge from the other.

Galaxy, who until now had been quietly observing in the back of my head, paces around in circles.

‘Galaxy, what is it?’ She keeps pacing until a young man comes into sight.

He is easily 6 feet tall, with muscles everywhere. He is only in shorts, so his eight pack is clearly visible. Galaxy is practically drooling in my mind and jumps around like a little pup.

‘Mate, mate, mate.’ She squeals.

‘What are you talking about? Our mate rejected us, remember?’ But Galaxy keeps howling in delight. There is no way this hunk of a wolf is my mate. Do I really get to have a second chance? Or is the moon goddess playing some cruel prank on me?

It can’t be?

I keep telling myself that as he walks closer.