Filed to story: Rylee the Orphan Luna Novel
“Wait, you said that you’ve had everything taken from you. How?” I asked curiously.
“When I was three months pregnant with my first pup, she was murdered by a bomb. And that bomb was built by a pack member we all trusted.” A very awkward silence took over because none of us could respond to that. I don’t think I could even imagine how painful that must have been. “That was the most excruciating pain I had ever felt in my life.”
“I… I can’t imagine,” I said sympathetically.
“It’s actually why I’m so engrossed in my pack member’s pregnancies, no matter who they are. I never want anyone I know to ever feel that kind of pain. Losing my baby that way really changed my perspective on life. Being a Luna, I feel like the mother of my pack. A den mother if you will. I care about all of my pack members even if that doesn’t seem like it. I can’t cater to everyone one by one, because that’s impossible with almost 500 pack members. But, I do what I can to make them feel important and appreciated. During a battle a couple of years ago, we lost a lot of good pack members. I was relieved it wasn’t anyone close to me, but I did what I could to make up for the loss of their lives. Dorian and I paid for all of the funeral costs. Caskets, memorials, floral arrangements, what have you. I also invested in a small pond and had koi fish put in to honor each pack member. The fish are named after them.”
“Fish?” Lanie asked.
“I know it sounds strange, but Koi live to be about 20 or 25 years old, so I like to see it as giving their spirits a second life. Family members of the fallen go feed the fish on the regular, and some have gotten really big over the last few years. I even had one put in that was a pinkish purple hue to honor the daughter I lost.” We sat in silence a little longer, but Allie broke it. “I know what I went through is different from what you all went through. I’m also not saying that either one of us went through something more traumatic than the other, because it’s not a contest who had it worse. Our lives are all different, and we all were dealt shitty cards. But, I believe that it’s how we bounce back from that trauma that makes us who we are as individuals.” I nodded my head.
“I agree with you. I admit that I didn’t handle things all that well when it came to Wyatt. But I had to protect my pup who I was pregnant with at the time. I would do it all again if I had to. I can’t do what you do, Allie, I can’t insert myself into other’s lives the way you do and try to give advice all the time. I’ve never been that way, and I don’t think I ever could be. But, I do think that doing something for the pack to let them know that I appreciate them is something I can do,” I said to her. “Personally, I don’t think screaming at people is the best way to get people to do what you want either,” I chided her. She looked at me and lifted a brow.
“Who told you?” she asked and smirked.
“I read Kendrick’s mind.”
“Pfft, you’re just like Sin. That skank can never turn off her powers.”
“Yeah, but, what I’m trying to say is that maybe being so authoritative isn’t the best solution. At least, not all of the time. I mean, a Luna is supposed to be loving and level-headed. You don’t want your pack members to be afraid of you. You want respect, yes, but you can’t demand it by putting fear into the hearts of the ones you’re supposed to look at after.” Allie blinked a few times and just stared at me. She didn’t say anything, so I figured she wanted me to continue. “I know that you’ve been hurt in the past by a pack member, and maybe that’s why you have this hard exterior about you, but that’s not how you should always be. I mean, I think it’s great that you did things for your pack members who died, but saying stuff like, they weren’t close to you is kind of harsh, and well, makes you sound like a bitch.” She lifted a brow and gave me this look like she wanted to slap me. But she didn’t.
“Humph, you got balls, Rylee. You got some big a*s brass balls. No one has ever said that to my face,” she said to me. I swear I thought I had pissed off and that she was going to tear into me as well. Given what Wyatt said about the moon goddess giving her power, I was slightly intimidated by her. But instead of yelling at me, she just smiled. “Luna Rylee, you’ve earned my respect, and my friendship.” She put her hand out and smiled big. I smiled back and shook her hand. “Also, I think you’re more than qualified to teach Lanie how to be a Luna. I’ll take what you said to heart and try to emulate it.” Lanie and Lexie smiled as well. We all basked in our newfound camaraderie before the doctor came into the waiting room.
“Ah, Lunas and Beta, forgive me for the delay,” he said to us.
“No problem at all,” I responded.
“Please, if you will follow me, I have the results in my office,” he motioned to us. We got up and followed him. Once we were situated in his office, he turned on his computer. Lanie, Lexie, and I sat in the three chairs directly in front of him, while Allie said in a guest chair by the sidewall. “I have to say, the results are shocking, to say the least, but exciting at the same time. I’m ecstatic to know that I am the one who is able to announce this,” he said while grinning ear to ear. “What are the results, doctor?” I asked him.
“Luna Rylee, it appears that you and our Luna and Beta female have a 25% DNA match,” he said excitedly. The three of us looked at him confused. I didn’t know what that meant, and neither did Lexie and Lanie. “Half-sisters?” Allie said.
“Yes, Luna Shaw, that’s correct. They are half-sisters!” the doctor gleamed.
“What does that mean?” Lexie asked.
“Oh, right, you guys grew up differently. Ummm… You guys are half-sisters. Meaning that you either share a mom or a dad,” Allie explained. My eyes widened.
“W… Wh… What!?” I exclaimed. “Are you saying one of my parents had an affair!?”
“Yeah… It seems that way. Based on your ages, it obviously happened after you were born, but when you were only a toddler.”
“But my parents were still together. They died together!” I shouted.
“I don’t know what to tell you, Rylee. The results are right there. 25% DNA match,” she said and pointed to the computer.
“No! There is a mistake! Neither one of my parents would do that to each other! They loved each other too much! They wouldn’t destroy the mate bond that way!” I cried out, standing to my feet. “That’s wrong! Your technician made a mistake! Take our blood again and run it again! Bring him in here!” I demanded. It couldn’t be true. My parents always told me how sacred the bond was. Even if I broke mine with Wyatt, it wasn’t from infidelity. I didn’t even realize I was crying. “Rylee, are you ashamed of us?” I looked at Lexie and Lanie.
“No, of course not, but this is wrong. I know it is. This can’t be why I’m drawn to you two. There has to be a different reason.” A few minutes later, the technician walked in, but before I could even get one word out to him, Allie stood to her feet. “LUTHER!?!” .
***Wyatt’s P.O.V.***
Things got underway as we prepared to head out this evening. It was a tight schedule, but Dorian, Amber, and I were able to get our pack jets ready for takeoff. Our first rendezvous was Manitoulin East Municipal Airport in Canada. It was a stretch trying to get permission for three private jets to land with nearly two dozen people on board; however, Richard was able to pull some strings. I wasn’t sure if he enlisted help or did something on his own, all that mattered was we were going to land as close to Fitzwilliam Island as possible.
After doing some recon, we discovered that Manitoulin Island has a small population, and we would be landing in the dead of night. Our plan was to take as many SUVS as possible, then once we arrived at the border of Manitoulin island, Dani and Olivia would work together to teleport us to the island. At first, we had opted for swimming across, but we quickly reconsidered after realizing the distance may tire us; there wouldn’t be any time to rest to regain our strength. Olivia, being a powerful witch, wouldn’t need much time to recuperate, and Dani said she would use her bloodlust to kill the human traffickers.
Once we were all packed up and ready to go, all of the men that were going said their goodbyes to their respective mates. I approached Rylee and, although our bond was still weak, knowing it would be fixed soon gave me hope. “Dearest, I’ll be back.”
“You better, Wyatt. We have a lot to fix and make up for.” I smirked and nodded my head. I pulled her into a kiss, and I could have sworn I felt small sparks against my lips. That also gave me hope that it wasn’t too late to fix everything. I bent down to Sam’s level as he hid behind Rylee’s right leg.
“Samson, I need you to take care of Mommy while I’m away. You’re the man of the house while I’m gone,” I told him while ruffling his hair. “Be brave and strong for Daddy, okay?”
“Okay, Dada,” he replied as he lunged towards me and wrapped his tiny arms around my neck. I picked him up and hugged him as tight as I could. “Dad, too mush.”
“I’m sorry, buddy.” I quickly released my grip and rubbed his back. I looked at Rylee and gave her one more kiss before returning Sam to her. I glanced around and noticed everyone was embracing their mates/wives. Wife. I needed to hurry and make Rylee my wife. Only having her as a mate and Luna wasn’t enough. It never was, but I was so preoccupied with trivial bullshit that I missed out on plenty of opportunities to propose to her. When this was over, Rylee was going to be my wife. I wanted what Dorian and the Desert Moon men had.
“All of you better come back in one piece, or I swear to God I will find a way to revive you and murder you all over again,” Allie threatened the men of her pack. Dorian and Mikey got down on their knees and kissed their wives’ stomachs. I couldn’t help but feel envious; I wanted more pups with Rylee. I guess I was going to have to try a lot harder when I got back.
“Boys, you have to leave now if you want to make it on time. Get going,” Richard instructed us. We all nodded and headed out towards the six SUVs. I got into the first car with Kendrick, Chad, Brent, and Maverick, and everyone else dispersed into the cars behind us. Kendrick would lead the way to the airstrip where all of the jets were waiting. It was go-time.
The flight took about two hours, and the drive to the border of Manitoulin Island would take another hour. Our goal was to make it to Fitzwilliam just before dawn while everyone was still asleep. When we finally landed, I was shocked to see even more people waiting for us.
“Alpha!” they all bowed their heads to Dorian. There had to be at least six dozen men and women. How did Dorian pull this off so fast?
“Dorian,” a big African American guy came up to us and shook Dorian’s hand. I didn’t think it was possible to be bigger than Dorian, but this guy was a f*****g giant.
“Bryce, glad you could make it.” So, this was the werebear. “How are Siobhan and Aliyah doing?”
“They’re good. Siobhan is expecting again.”
“That’s great! Allie and Sin are too!”
“I heard. I’m here to help any way I can.” Dorian introduced Bryce and his other team leads. Dorian wasn’t playing around when it came to the safety of Allie and his ranked females. I definitely needed to step up my game.
