Luna
The idiot just stared at me, blinking.“What?” he asked, a weird smile overtaking that ridiculously handsome face I’d dreamed about every damn night since he’d “died.”To my abject horror, tears of frustration burned behind my eyelids.Oh, no. No way. I’m not shedding one more goddamn tear over this. No.But the throb of the golden arch over his heart was impossible to ignore in Leo’s presence, our mate bond unmistakable, even after all this time. He wasn’t dead, and I was elated—and simultaneously horrified.“What. Are. You. Doing. Here?” I asked again, this time through clenched teeth, enunciating every word deliberately.“Am I in your way?” he drawled cockily without a hint of shame.Dumbfounded, I gaped at him for a second. He looked so different than the last time I’d seen him and yet the same. Like me, he hadn’t aged a day in two centuries, his light sepia skin smooth but for the scruff that indicated a few days of travel.The green of his eyes pierced into my soul, bringing me back to a thousand memories I had no interest in reliving in that backwoods bar—or anywhere else. But there was a certain emptiness in his gaze that I didn’t recognize as if the Leo I had once known was no longer in there.“A-are you playing coy with me?” I sputtered.His grin faded, a slight perplexity overcoming him.“Do you want me to?”I suddenly became aware of all the eyes on us, and I grabbed his arm and moved him toward a nearby table.“I would have arranged for a more romantic first date,” he told me slyly, and I again stared at him, wondering what the hell was wrong with him.“Is this funny to you?” I rasped, sliding into a chair.He leaned forward, unperturbed by my mounting agitation, which only infuriated me more.“Not particularly,” he replied slowly. “But the way your lower lip drops into a pout is extremely sexy.”Drawing in a breath, I sat back in my chair, shaking slightly.“What’s your name?” Leo asked.I gasped aloud, the question stabbing me directly in the lungs. Of all the things he could have said, I couldn’t have imagined a more hurtful query.“What?” I choked in disbelief.“Your name. You have one, don’t you?” he pressed, leaning forward to extend his long hands toward me. I found myself transfixed on his fingers, ageless and fine, exactly as they’d always been.A mishmash of conflicting emotions warbled through me as I tried to make sense of what was happening.“Stop it!” I growled, eying the neighboring tables. Did they recognize him? No, of course, they couldn’t—could they? Leo hadn’t been in Nampa City for generations, but some of them might be old enough to remember.“Stop what?” he laughed. “You’re the one who brought me to the table.”Is he joking? Is he acting?But when I stared at him, I could see that he was genuinely looking at me like we had never met before. Humiliation burned at my cheeks, and my tears burned up as my hands closed into tight fists.“Are you drunk?”“Not yet,” Leo replied. “But now that I have such beautiful company, I could go for another beer.” He winked. “But only if you tell me your name.”I shook my head—hard like I was trying to shake sense into myself. No, this had to be some kind of act. He was trying to pretend like nothing happened as he could just walk back into my life after having me believe that he was dead and yet, as he stared at me, I saw no recognition.“Hello?” Leo pressed. “Is that a yes to the drink?”I jumped to my feet, shaking angrily. I wasn’t going to let him break my heart again. He had rejected me once and left me to fend for myself.I wasn’t about to let him do it again, especially not when Leo was pretending he didn’t even know who I was.“Where are you going?”“If you know what’s good for you, you’ll go back to wherever you’ve been hiding and stay there,” I hissed, glowering at him.Oh, but it was hard, so hard to glare at him when all I wanted to do was throw my arms around him and sob into his shoulder.“Hey!” he protested as I spun around.I still had to make my last drop of stow at the back of the restaurant, but all I wanted to do was run as far and fast as I could. I didn’t respond to his call, but he yelled out louder, forcing me to acknowledge him before he caused too much of a scene.“What?” I barked.“Why is everyone so hostile around here?” he demanded, losing the flirtatious act, a deep expression of annoyance overtaking him. “What is this place?”I didn’t even know how to respond.He’s determined to keep up with this babe in the woods routine, huh?Scoffing, I whirled around again and headed into the back, fighting to regain my composure. Why now? What could he possibly want after all this time?Two hundred years was a long time to keep a low profile, and what if Orson finds out that my mate had returned from the dead… He is definitely going to feel threatened as he will not like to relinquish Leo's estate to him.I shuddered and swallowed, trying my best to forget what I’d just seen. Maybe he had just come back for me, and he’d take a hint now and go home.But I didn’t believe that for a second.Trouble was brewing in Nampa City, and I had a terrible feeling that I was going to be caught up in the middle of it.LeoBefore the redhead had appeared, I’d had my foot halfway out the door, determined to return to Seven Rock where I belonged… at least in part. Despite her icy cold reception, the pull I had toward her told me that I was in the right place, at least for the moment.Does she know me?She certainly acted like she did, but gauging by the way she talked and acted, she didn’t like me very much.I watched her disappear into the back of the diner, tempted to chase after her, but after what had happened at the last place, I didn’t want to push my luck. I could handle myself, but without having a proper handle on this city and the underlying animus surrounding me, I decided to leave her.I had the distinct sense that I would see her again, however. I wasn’t going anywhere yet.I paid my tab to the waitress who was considerably less flirty now, her gaze averted as she took my money, even with the handsome tip. I noticed she went out of her way to avoid touching me.“What did you mean earlier
LunaThe shock of seeing Leo affected the rest of my afternoon. I paced through the little house I’d lived in for over a hundred years, unable to clear my mind of the way my soulmate had looked at me.The attraction was just as deep and pulsating for me as it had ever been, the pull on the golden arch over my heart painful, yearning and screaming at me to go back to him. I hated that it still existed, the shock of the soulmate symbol still in existence even though I had been rejected, and he was supposed to be dead!Who had I been fooling by thinking I’d ever really been over him?Sweat broke out over my forehead, panic seizing my lungs.Leo—my mate—had come back from the dead, or at least pretending to be dead. But he sure as hell couldn’t stay in Nampa City. Orson would lose his mind.Or was that Leo’s plan? Was he back to take back his empire from Orson?None of it made sense. If Leo hadn’t disappeared in the first place, Orson never would have taken over his businesses. And to wai
LeoIt was as good a place as any to drink since I had no other plans. There were rooms upstairs, according to the sign attached to the clapboard outside, and the inside had only a sprinkling of patrons, none of whom paid me any mind. So far, it was the most promising place I’d been since arriving in Nampa City.“How much Wi-Fi are you gonna use?” the bartender asked when I requested a room.“How much what?”“Wi-Fi. Internet. You're gonna stream or play games or what?”I stared at him blankly.“Oh, good lords, you one of them dweller types, ain’t you?” he sniffed. “You from Forny?”My expression must have once more displayed my complete lack of understanding because he slapped a single key on the counter, the plastic attachment displaying the number three upon it.“Seventy-five for the night. If you rent porno, you pay in advance. That means, you come down here and pay at the counter, in advance. You hear?”I snorted. “I’m not renting porn.”“Uh-huh. That’s what they all say until the
LunaI can’t get involved with this. He made his choice—his choices! I can’t mix myself up in this mess.But it was too late. I was already involved. Leo was at my side, stealing through the elongated night shadows, creeping through the back streets of Nampa City that I knew so well, following my way toward the only place I could take him.My house.This is so stupid, so dangerous. If Orson finds out—“Where are you taking me?” Leo’s question wasn’t even contained in a whisper, forcing an end to my mental debate.I whirled around to glower at him, sticking my index finger to my lips.“Would you keep your voice down?” I hissed. “Don’t call attention to yourself.”He smirked, but he didn’t speak again for another few blocks. He’d been lucky I’d found him first, but that had been from my earlier recon. I’d put out the word to some of the sketchier users in town to keep an eye out for Leo, and Rabbit had come through, mentioning that someone had checked into Wade’s shitty inn fitting my
"Alpha Burst's Regret"The moon hung high in the sky, casting a silvery glow over the Nampa forest. Alpha Burst, the once-proud leader of the pack, now found himself alone, wandering through the dense woods. The weight of his decision on the night of the Moon Celebration had been crushing him ever since.Alpha Burst had chosen Sierra over Luna as his mate that fateful evening. It was a choice that had left Luna heartbroken and humiliated, and it had shaken the very foundation of the pack. Luna had been the one he was destined to be with, yet he had allowed cultural assumptions and insecurities to cloud his judgment.As Alpha Burst walked through the silent woods, he couldn't escape the memories of Luna's disappointed eyes and the pain he had caused her. He had underestimated her strength, resilience, and the power of her healing abilities. Luna had been an asset he had taken for granted, and he had let her slip away.Deep within the heart of the forest, Alpha Burst finally stopped, h
"Uniting Against Darkness"The Nampa forest had fallen into a state of turmoil. The once harmonious ecosystem was now under the relentless assault of dark magic, which continued to creep deeper into its heart. Luna, Orson, Alpha Burst, and Sierra had come together, united by a common goal: to confront the ominous threat that loomed over their enchanted home.In Luna's secluded den, the group gathered, each with their motivations and reservations. Luna had agreed to work with Alpha Burst and Sierra, but her trust remained fragile, like a fragile bud that could either bloom or wither."We must act quickly,"Luna declared, her healing aura pulsating around her. "The dark magic is spreading, infecting the very life force of the forest. It must be stopped."Alpha Burst, humbled by his earlier mistakes, nodded in agreement. "Luna's right. We need to harness her powers to protect the woods. It's the only way."Sierra, a champion from an adjoining pack and Alpha Burst's chosen mate remained si
"Luna's Awakening"The days that followed the successful ritual at the ancient ruins brought a newfound sense of purpose and unity to Luna, Alpha Burst, Sierra, and Orson. They were now a tightly-knit group, committed to protecting the enchanted Nampa forest from the insidious threat of dark magic.Luna, in particular, had undergone a profound transformation. She had come to terms with her unique gift, embracing it as a strength rather than a weakness. The doubts and insecurities that had plagued her for so long began to dissipate like morning mist under the warmth of the rising sun.One morning, as Luna stood in the heart of the forest, the very place she had connected with during the ritual, she felt a surge of energy coursing through her. It was as if the enchanted Nampa itself was whispering to her, urging her to fully embrace her destiny.With newfound clarity, Luna understood that her purpose was not only to heal but to protect. She was the guardian of the forest, and her powers
"Redemption and Recognition"The victory over the dark magic marked a turning point in the enchanted Nampa forest. Luna, Alpha Burst, Sierra, and Orson stood together, gazing at the once-again vibrant and thriving woods. The malevolent shadows had been banished, and the creatures of the forest rejoiced.As Luna's healing and protective powers had reached their zenith during the climactic battle, the forest had been reborn. Flowers blossomed with vibrant colors, streams flowed crystal clear, and the wildlife returned with songs of joy.But the most significant transformation was within the hearts of those who had once doubted Luna's abilities and her worthiness as the guardian of the forest.Alpha Burst, who had initially rejected Luna as his mate, had undergone a genuine transformation. His remorse for his past actions had not waned; instead, it had deepened. He had realized the true depth of Luna's strength, resilience, and the importance of her role.In the days following their vict