Filed to story: Rylee the Orphan Luna Novel
“No, let her. That’s her sister, and she has the right to have answers. I want to know as well,” I responded. “Who is she?” I asked Chad directly.
“She’s no one, Luna. It’s as Alpha Richard says, she’s infatuated with me. Has been since we were young. Luna, she’s the same age as you. She’s only 20 and I’m 22. When Lorelai turned 18, she was hoping I would be her mate. She’s always had this one-sided crush on me. I never returned those feelings because, well, quite frankly, I never saw her that way. I barely even knew her until she turned 18. I saw her around, and she followed me like a lost puppy in her early teens. When she turned 18, she came running up to me one day and she just stared at me. And I mean, really stared. Then she panicked and ran from me. I didn’t know what her issue was at first, but then I found out from some rumors that she had hoped I would be her mate,” Chad explained.
“Oh my goddess, she sounds like Layla,” was the first thing out of my mouth when I heard that.
“You can imagine the uproar bringing Killian home created. I had a son, and not an illegitimate one either. My son with my first mate. It was then Lorelai figured out why she wasn’t my mate. It was because I had already had one and was rejected, but not before fathering a child.”
“I’m assuming that the pack found out it was a Blue Lake female that broke your heart. Which is why she believes that Lanie is unworthy and why she insulted me and all the she-wolves of my pack?” I asked, just for confirmation.
“Luna, you have my deepest apologies for her actions,” Chad answered and bowed his head.
“That’s not needed, Chad. I don’t care. My pack has bad apples, that I will never deny. But the fact that Lorelai challenged Lanie for her mate was out of line. Richard, I really hope you don’t plan on going easy on her, do you? Lanie is the future Luna of this pack. Wyatt and I made that mistake with Layla, the one who almost destroyed our bond, and look what happened to us. I won’t stand by and watch as someone tries to pull that kind of bullshit with Lanie, or Lexie for that matter.”
“You need not worry, young Luna. Lorelai will be punished but after we make the announcement on Monday about Chad, Brent, and Maverick,” he replied. I nodded my head but was not happy with his answer. This was his pack though, that is until he gave his rights over to Chad. Then it would be Chad’s pack. But with Richard becoming the future Elder of Golden Moon, Chad would be on a tight leash, that was for sure.
I wasn’t bluffing when I threatened the pack members of Golden Moon. If anyone tried to come between the mate bond of the girls, they would answer directly to me. I made a vow to protect them, and it would be at all costs. Although, I was still trying to figure out why I was so drawn to them. So drawn that I would threaten another pack in front of their Alpha. They weren’t Primordials, that was a fact, but I felt connected to them. Why though? .
***Rylee’s P.O.V.***
“I don’t understand, why am I so drawn to them?” I voiced my concern to William and Olivia after I explained all of the drama that occurred. I tagged along while they roamed Golden Moon’s territory so Olivia could place a magical barrier surrounding it. Her magic would alert her of anyone or anything coming through the territory that wasn’t from Golden Moon or Blue Lake. A precaution, if you will, should Xavier happen to tell Marvin our whereabouts.
“Rylee, I don’t know what to tell you. I know the reason as to why I am connected to them, but I can’t explain why you are,” he answered. “I was a former guardian of the kingdom. Their mother is the goddess of the wolves; I can feel their power, the moon’s power, but for you, I don’t know.”
“It doesn’t make any sense. I’ve never felt this close to anyone other than you two, Wyatt, and Sam. Of course my parents too, but two complete strangers? I mean, they’re not strangers anymore obviously, but when I first met them, they just gave off this familiar aura that I can’t place. It must be why I am so drawn to them. The aura they emit when they’re both emotional is one I’ve felt before, but my mind keeps drawing a blank.” “How long ago do you think you felt this aura? Not from the girls, but when you felt it for the first time?” Olivia asked.
“I don’t remember, that’s the problem. If I did, I wouldn’t be here trying to figure it out,” I snapped. “Why can’t you use magic to help me remember?” I argued.
“Because, Rylee, that’s not how it works. In order for me to use that kind of magic, it would need to be a memory. But our senses aren’t necessarily memories of the heart or brain; it’s a memory of the body, and those memories can’t be dug up with magic,” she replied.
“Your protective instinct over them is natural for a Luna, especially one as powerful as yourself. Pack member or not, you have a bond with these girls that even I cannot decipher. But don’t fret, Rylee. There will be a day that we figure it out. Our main concern, however, is keeping any harm from coming to them,” William consoled me as he held my shoulders. I nodded my head and let it go, for now. It wasn’t just sheer coincidence they landed at Blue Lake.
I returned to my guest room and, thankfully, Sam was still fast asleep. This kid could sleep through just about anything. I smiled as I looked at my son and thought about how I would do anything to keep him safe. Knowing that someone like Marvin was out there taking rare and special children away from their families made my heart stop. The fact that I could have been one, the fact that even Sam could be one wasn’t something I took lightly. I’ll never understand how someone could hurt something so innocent. As I was lost in thought, Sam started to fuss in his sleep and I quickly went over to tend to him.
I laid down next to him and hummed his lullaby that Grace taught me. I tapped his back gently and soothed him back to dreamland. “Samson, Mommy loves you more than you will ever know. I will do whatever it takes to keep you protected, even if that means having to sacrifice myself in the process. Our kind will not end with me, it will flourish with you. I will make sure of it. Primordials will no longer have to wait eons to be born. I know in my heart that you will find a perfect mate one day, a pure Alpha female, and you two will continue our bloodline. You will make William proud,” I whispered to him as he slept.
Once I knew that he was out, I changed into a different pair of pajamas and got under the covers with him. I thought being without Wyatt would make it hard to sleep but with Sam here, it’s definitely easier. I turned off the lamp and was about to close my eyes when my phone dinged. I looked and saw a notification from Wyatt. I opened the text and saw a video. I hit play and immediately growled in annoyance, Wyatt and his perverted ways. I was even more agitated because he got to finish, and I didn’t. I threw the phone back onto the nightstand and went to sleep. ***Chad’s P.O.V.***
My alarm went off as it always did for morning training. I rolled over, shut it off and sat up in my bed. I was so exhausted from the night before. I barely got any sleep, but today was going to be a life-changing day. Tonight would be the night that Richard announced me as the next Alpha of Golden Moon. Me, the next Alpha.
I scoffed at the thought. This was actually happening. I was going to be Alpha. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would become an Alpha, let alone Alpha of a pack as great as this. I allowed myself to feel happy for a brief moment and thought about Killian. There were still some mixed emotions, knowing everything that Terrine plotted to get our son to be a ranked wolf, only for it to end like this. Instead of a fake Beta, Killian was going to inherit an Alpha title when he came of age. It will be hard for him when that time comes. Because he wasn’t born an Alpha, people will challenge him for his title, that I can’t stop. It’s the way of the wolf. But, I can help him prepare himself for when those times do come one day. *KNOCK* *KNOCK* *KNOCK*
I jumped out of bed to open the door and was surprised to see Lanie. “Lanie, what are you doing up so early? And what brings you here?”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t wake you did I?” she shyly asked.
“No, I was already up; I have morning training. Is everything okay?” I asked. I was a little worried because she had never visited my room since we returned home.
“Umm… Do you have a minute to talk?” she asked softly while fidgeting with her fingers. I glanced at the clock and noticed there was a five minute window before I needed to report to the training grounds.
“Five minutes, actually,” I replied and let her in. She walked to the center of the room and was breathing hard. “Lanie, what’s wrong?” I gently placed my hand on her shoulders when she didn’t respond and she turned to face me. I was flabbergasted to see tears rolling down her cheeks. “Lanie, what happened? Why are you crying?” Seeing her emotions stirred up feelings I couldn’t identify and I grabbed hold of her to bring her closer.
“It’s what Lorelai said about me; she basically called me an inferior street wolf that’s not worthy of being your mate. Is that true? Do you feel that way about me?” I was baffled by her accusation.
“What? No! Lanie, why would you even ask me that?”
“She’s not the only one, Chad. Last night while the door to our guest room was cracked, we heard pack members saying that both Lexie and I don’t deserve mates because we’re street wolves and come from Rylee’s pack. People are saying that Lexie and I should leave and go back to living on the streets, and when you realize that I’m no good for you that you’re going to reject me.” My blood was boiling hearing this. f*****g Lorelai made me sick, and so did the others that were talking this nonsense.
“Lanie, that’s not true. Yes, Terrine came from Rylee’s pack at Blue Lake, but her messed-up worldview doesn’t reflect the entire pack. Rylee made mistakes; Wyatt made them too. They’ve atoned for their bad choices, and now they’re stronger than ever. Fate brought you to their pack and, in return, that outcome brought us together. Lanie, I’ve been through hell and back because I thought the moon goddess made a mistake in giving me the wrong mate. Maybe she did, or maybe everything was supposed to happen that way. Terrine not only lied about our son, she killed Keaton’s mother. A secret I’m sure she planned to take to her grave. But all of that came to light along with the fact that Killian was my son, not Keaton’s. Terrine is my past; you are my present and future. That’s if you want to be,” I told her sincerely. She looked at me as tears welled up in her eyes.
“I don’t know if I can be a good mate. I still don’t understand any of this. I don’t know how to be a Luna,” she sobbed. I cuddled her into a hug and kissed the top of her head.
“Shh, don’t cry baby. Everything is going to be okay. I don’t know much about being an Alpha, but that’s what Richard is for. And I know for a fact that Rylee will help you. You showed a lot of potential when you shifted to protect what we have together.” “What we have?” she echoed and lifted her head to look me in the eyes.
“Yes, our bond. I know you’re still skeptical of all this, and I can’t promise that our relationship will be perfect because it won’t. But what I can promise is that I will do everything in my power to ensure that you and Lexie are protected, and I will spend the rest of my life loving you the way you should have been from the start.” “Love?”
“Yes, Lanie. Love. I love you. I want you to be my mate and my future Luna. If I didn’t, I would have rejected you. If I believed any of the bullshit that Lorelai or the other pack members say about Blue Lake, I wouldn’t even bother being cordial with them, and neither would Richard. He is a prideful Alpha, but he recognizes a good leader when he sees one, and he sees that in Wyatt and Rylee. Besides, I can’t hate Blue Lake. After all, they saved my son and got him back to me.” “Speaking of Killian, how does our bond affect him?”
“It doesn’t. If anything, Killian likes you already, and I know you like him. You don’t have to be his mother. I won’t expect that from you. But I do ask that you be his friend. Can you do that? For me?” She bit the inside of her cheek while she considered my words. After another minute or so, she smiled and nodded her head.
“Yes, I can do that,” she answered, and I couldn’t suppress the butterflies that inevitably followed. I smiled and hugged her tight. Something told me to show her how much I appreciated her kindness and open heart. I pulled away and kissed her without warning. I felt her freeze, but she didn’t pull away. After a few seconds, her hand slowly made its way to my hips and then around to my back as she relaxed. I deepened the kiss a little, and I could feel the sparks of our bond all over my body. I felt myself getting aroused and I knew I had to stop, but I couldn’t.
Only after I ran out of breath did I reluctantly pull away from her. I smiled and my eyes panned towards the clock to see how I was doing on time, only to realize I was already five minutes late for training.
“f**k, I got to go, baby!” I ran into my closet to change into my workout clothes and stopped to give Lanie one more kiss before I headed off to train. I couldn’t shake the feeling that this was already shaping up to be the best day of my life. ***Lanie’s P.O.V.***
The sound of the door slamming shut jolted me back and the reality of everything that just happened finally sank in. I was in Chad’s room, and he just kissed me. My first kiss. Well, technically, my first and second kiss. I touched my lips, and Atlanta was a symphony of purrs from how wonderful it felt. His lips were as soft as pillows. And he tasted so sweet, almost as sweet as he smells. I bit my bottom lip and smiled. I left his room and went back to the room I was sharing with Lexie. When I got there, however, I saw a few unfamiliar faces sneaking around.
“Are you sure it’s this one?” I heard one of them ask.
“Yeah, positive. I saw them go in here last night,” the other one responded.
“Can you f*****g believe it? Brent, that good for nothing newborn, has a f*****g mate, and she’s a hot blonde,” the first guy said.
