Luna Maya's New Home

Maya's POV

Tears burned my eyes. I blinked them back furiously.

"I don't know how to be a Luna," I whispered. "I only know how to be a slave."

His expression softened. "Then I'll teach you. We'll figure it out together."

The car hit a bump and I winced as pain shot through my twisted ankle.

Lucien's eyes immediately went to my leg. "You're hurt."

"It's nothing. I just twisted it when I…" I stopped.

"When you what?"

I bit my lip. "When I jumped out the window to escape Kaiser's room."

His eyes widened. "You jumped out a window?"

"It was only three floors up. And I aimed for the bushes."

"Three floors?" He looked horrified. "You could have died!"

"But I didn't. I had to get to the party. I had to find..." I trailed off.

"Your mate," he finished softly.

I nodded.

Something shifted in his expression. Respect, maybe. Or admiration.

"You're braver than you think," he said. "Stronger too."

Before I could respond, his phone rang. He pulled it out and frowned at the screen.

"It's my Beta," he said, answering. "What is it, Grayson?"

I couldn't hear the other side of the conversation, but I watched Lucien's face grow darker with each passing second.

"When?" he asked sharply. "How many?"

Pause.

"Double the border patrol. Nobody gets in or out without my approval." Another pause. "No, we're still two hours away. Handle it until I get there."

He hung up and rubbed his face with his hand.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"Rogue attacks on our southern border," he said. "Three in the last week."

"Is that unusual?"

"Very. Rogues usually avoid Blood Moon territory. They know better." He looked at me. "Someone's organizing them. Sending them."

A chill ran down my spine. "Who would do that?"

"I don't know yet. But I'm going to find out."

The rest of the drive passed in silence. I stared out the window, watching the dark forest blur past. My mind was racing.

Everything had changed in one night. I'd gone from Kaiser's prisoner to an Alpha's mate. From nothing to a Luna.

It should have felt like a fairy tale.

So why did I feel like something was very, very wrong?

We arrived at Blood Moon territory just after midnight. Even in the dark, I could tell it was massive. The packhouse itself looked more like a mansion, all stone and tall windows with lights glowing warm inside.

Guards stood at the gate. They saluted as we drove through.

"Welcome home, Alpha," one of them greeted.

Home. I'd never had a real home before.

The car stopped in front of the main entrance. Lucien got out first, then offered me his hand. When I stepped out, my ankle gave out. I would have fallen if he hadn't caught me.

"That's it," he said, scooping me up into his arms. "You're going straight to the healer."

"I can walk," I said weakly.

"You jumped out a three-story window. You're not walking anywhere."

He carried me up the steps and through the front door. Inside was even more grandeur. High ceilings, a grand staircase, and pack members everywhere, all of them stopping to stare at us.

"Is that her?" someone whispered.

"The Alpha's mate?"

"She looks so young."

"And fragile."

Lucien ignored them all, carrying me down a hallway to a door marked with a medical cross.

He kicked it open. "Rachel! I need you!"

A woman with gray-streaked hair looked up from a desk. Her eyes went wide when she saw me in Lucien's arms.

"What happened?" she asked, rushing over.

"Twisted ankle. Possible concussion. Various bruises and cuts." He set me gently on an examination table. "She's been abused."

Rachel's expression went hard. "Who did this?"

"Her former Alpha. It's handled." Lucien stepped back. "Take care of her. I need to deal with the rogue situation, but I'll be back soon."

He looked at me, and something vulnerable flashed in his eyes. "Will you be okay?"

I nodded, not trusting my voice.

He hesitated, like he wanted to say something else. Then he turned and left, the door closing behind him.

Rachel started examining my ankle, her touch gentle. "So you're the Luna everyone's been talking about."

"I guess so," I said quietly.

She looked up at me, her brown eyes kind. "How long were you with that monster?"

"Fourteen years."

Her hands stilled. "Fourteen years? Since you were a child?"

I nodded.

"And your family? Where were they?"

"They gave me to him. As part of a treaty."

Rachel's face flushed with anger. "What kind of father…" She stopped, took a breath. "I'm sorry. That was unprofessional."

"It's okay. You're right to be angry. I was angry too, once. Now I'm just tired."

She finished wrapping my ankle in silence, then started cleaning the cut on my forehead.

"The Alpha seems very protective of you," she said carefully.

"We only met an hour ago."

"Doesn't matter. The mate bond works fast." She smiled. "I've known Lucien since he was a boy. I've never seen him look at anyone the way he looked at you tonight."

Something fluttered in my chest. "What way?"

"Like you were precious. Like he'd burn the world down to keep you safe." She finished with my forehead and stepped back. "The ankle needs rest. The other injuries will heal on their own. You're lucky you're a werewolf. A human would have broken bones from a fall like that."

"Thank you, Rachel."

She patted my hand. "Get some rest, dear. You're safe now."

But as I lay back on the examination table, staring at the ceiling, I couldn't shake the feeling that had been growing since we left Crescent territory.

I was missing something. Something important.

The hooded man in the shadows. Marcus meeting with him in secret. The sudden rogue attacks on Blood Moon borders.

And Kaiser, letting me go too easily.

None of it made sense.

The silence around me felt strange. Too gentle. Too calm. It made me uneasy, like something wasn’t right.

I didn’t know how to live in a place like this.

Rachel had put a warm blanket over me, but I kept pulling at it, unable to sit still. The room smelled clean like herbs and fresh sheets. Nothing like the dirty floors, bad breath, and cold metal smell of Kaiser’s dungeons. Everything here was neat and soft.

It felt like I didn’t fit in at all.

My eyes moved around the room. The shelves were filled with perfectly arranged jars and tools. Nothing was messy. No one was yelling at me. No heavy footsteps came toward me with anger. No voice ordered me to kneel, look down, or disappear.

This room wasn’t made for someone like me.

It was made for people who mattered.

I gripped the blanket, trying to calm myself, but my heart kept racing. My thoughts, my memories, my guilt. Everything felt too loud inside me. Being here felt like walking into a life meant for someone else. Someone brave. Someone whole.

Luna.

The word echoed in my head, strange and heavy.

Lucien said it with confidence. Rachel said it kindly. The pack whispered it like it meant something important.

But when I thought of myself as Luna, it felt wrong, like putting on a crown that only hurt me.

Luna meant being a leader. Being sure of yourself. Being strong.

I didn’t know how to be any of those things.

Most days, I didn’t even know how to look someone in the eye.