Chapter 2: Becoming His Luna

Elizabeth's POV

Pain... that was the first thing I felt when I forced my eyes open. Everywhere hurt. I felt every inch of my body ache, every breath I dragged in felt like fire against my broken ribs, and when I tried to move a sting flared across my legs.

I looked around confused. Where... where was I?

My vision a little blurry... the lights from above the ceiling lit the entire room, but I didn’t recognise this place. Where the hell was I? The room was warm, simple but elegant all at once. My pulse picked instantly when I saw someone seated by the side of the bed.

No... this wasn’t home. How the hell did I get here? The last thing I remember was running through the woods.

I tried to push myself up. I needed to get out of here, but my body protested with every move I made. My wolf stirred weakly inside me, wounded but restless, urging me to stay alert.

My gaze moved through the room until it landed back on him.

He sat at the edge of the bed, both hands resting on his knees, his head down. He looked lost in thought and like he’d been in that position for hours. He was broad-shouldered, sharp jawline, and slowly he raised his eyes to meet mine. His stare was too intense to belong to someone ordinary. He couldn’t be human.

He watched me with something between concern and control, like he was forcing himself to stay still.

“You are awake,” he said, voice so calm it could melt steel. “Easy. Okay, you are safe,” he continued as he neared.

Safe? My instincts instantly said otherwise.

I scrambled back the closer he got to me until I hit my ribs against the headboard. A sharp pain ran through my entire body. “Stay away!” I yelled, my hands defensive but my throat was so dry my voice cracked.

I knew he was no human. I was really weak, but I could perceive the smell of his wolf.

He lifted his hands, palms open as if to show he meant no harm. “I’m not going to hurt you, I swear... you’ve been passed out for three days, and I found you in the woods.”

I didn’t say anything. I just watched him. “What’s your name?” he asked.

“Elizabeth,” I said without thinking. Without thinking in a weird way, there was still a feeling I got from him, like I could trust him but my heart still pounded in my chest.

“What... what’s your name?” I asked.

“Nathan,” he said with a small smile. Suddenly the air between us became charged, humming with a kind of energy. I couldn’t deny it. It pulled me in.

Then it hit me like a wave.

The inexplicable pull I felt towards him, like there was an invisible thread tugging us together. My breath caught as my Zoe, my wolf, stirred whispering one undeniable word.

Mate.

No... no no. Maybe I was probably the one who didn’t hear well but she said it again, Mate.

I shook my head violently, clutching the sheeting tightly. “This... isn’t happening. Who are you and what do you want with me?” I asked, trying to keep my voice firm and intimidating but my voice came out weak and shaky.

His eyes softened as he looked at me, unravelling me further.

“Hey... hey Elizabeth, look at me. I’m not going to hurt you, okay? I’m the Alpha of the Nightbane Pack,” he said, his voice quiet now yet heavy, and his gaze drifted from mine. “And what I want... is the last thing I expected.”

The bond between us sparked again, raw and undeniable. My wolf leaned into it, desperate and excited, but I was terrified. What does this mean? I was mated to an Alpha. Does he feel the pull too?

Nathan leaned in closer but not too close that it discomforted me. He was unbelievably handsome and he treated me so kindly. The more I looked into his eyes the more I found myself drawing in him. I still couldn’t believe I was mated to an Alpha.

“What happened to you, Elizabeth?” his voice dropped low and careful. “How did you end up in the woods almost dead? And you would have been if I hadn’t shown up.”

I blinked, looking at my hands, trying to remember how it all started, how I got there that night but there was nothing, and the more I thought about it the more my head hurt, making me wince. My hand shot to my temple with a small cry.

“Hey...” Nathan said quickly, reaching out, his hands brushing mine away and then just like that his palm covered mine, warm and comforting. “Don’t. Don’t force it. You’ll hurt yourself.”

The bond flared stronger this time around. His touch sent a wave of calm through me, easing the pain I felt in my head and God, I wanted to lean into him. My wolf didn’t hesitate. She purred, practically wagging her tail at him.

I swallowed the lump in my throat, torn between pushing him away and clinging to his kindness. “Why are you... why are you kind to me?”

His lips twitched like he almost smiled but it disappeared like it was never there in the first place. “Because I couldn’t be anything less with you, Elizabeth.”

The words rattled inside me, awakening something I wasn’t ready to face. Zoe whispered it again, louder this time. Mate.

I shook my head. “But you don’t even know me.”

“Oh, I do,” he said gently with a smile as his hands held mine tightly but not enough to hurt. “I know you are mine and I know you feel it too.”

My breath caught. “Nathan, what are you saying?”

His gaze never left mine. “I’m the Alpha of my pack and you, Elizabeth...” his thumb brushed the back of my hands, sending sparks through my body. “You are going to be my Luna.”

It felt like for a moment I had forgotten how to breathe the moment those words came out of his mouth. I couldn’t believ

e this was real.

But deep down I knew it was, and I was going to be a Luna.