Luna Zahra

Chapter 3 - Departure

I quickly looked away. Ryder's heartbroken eyes were too much for me to take in. I tried to remain strong and unaffected, but the mate bond we shared was too much. Especially when he was only standing several feet away from me.

My wolf urged me to go to his side – to apologize for my ignorance and promise him my utmost love and loyalty from here on out.

But I couldn't do that. I'd never love this man, and I certainly couldn't promise him loyalty. Night Fire was the only thing I'd ever truly remain loyal to.

"I'm sorry," I said softly, still refusing to meet his gaze. I figured he at least deserved the apology, although it wasn't all that sincere. "You have to admit though, Ryder. The Moon Goddess clearly made a mistake with us. There's no way we're compatible."

I glanced up quickly to see how he'd react to my words, and it certainly wasn't what I had been expecting. Anger swirled in his eyes.

I hadn't thought Ryder was capable of such an intense emotion.

"Pack your things. We will be leaving first thing in the morning," he replied with fire laced in his words.

Ryder then turned around and stormed out of Zane's office, slamming the door behind him. I flinched a bit at the loud sound as it resonated through the room. Perhaps I'd underestimated this mate of mine.

"Are you happy now, Zahra? You've officially pissed off the Alpha who you're to spend the rest of your life with. You could've made this simple and peaceful, but as usual, you had to stir shit up," Zane said with disgust.

"Don't be such a fucking hypocrite Zane!" I yelled, quick to defend myself. "When or if you ever find your little mate, I highly doubt you'll go throwing yourself into her arms. In fact, I'd be willing to bet that you'll make her life a living hell."

Zane stepped forward and grabbed my chin roughly, his eyes quickly changing to black, "You will not speak ill of my mate, no matter who she is. I guarantee she will be a hell of a lot better of a Luna that you'll ever be."

I flinched slightly at Zane's words. They stung a bit. Being a Luna was all I'd ever wanted. Maybe not the Luna of the Moon Wave pack, but a Luna nonetheless. After all, who's to say I couldn't change things in Ryder's pathetic little pack? If I was going to be forced to be there, I might as well make the situation to my liking.

"We'll have your farewell dinner in two hours. Go pack your things and get ready, like your mate told you. You can be pissed off all you want, little sister, but you will respect and obey your mate," Zane added, lowering his voice slightly this time. He then released my chin from his grasp and went to the door, holding it open and gesturing for me to leave.

~~

It was silent in my room as I packed my clothing into various suitcases. It was sad, leaving the only home I ever knew to go to some foreign pack. The only thing I was thankful for was that the weather there was warm, so I'd be able to keep all of my clothing. I don't know how I would have ever survived if my mate had been from one of the colder packs.

I didn't have many personal belongings other than my clothing, a few extra plush blankets, my cellphone, and a few pictures with my brother and father. I packed them all. Any object that I liked or meant something to me – I packed it. It was during this process that I realized I never really had any hobbies. My entire life had been about learning how to be a strong warrior and helping my brother run the pack.

What was I even going to do in Moon Wave? I knew Ryder wouldn't allow me to tend to Luna duties right away, and there was a great chance I wouldn't even like whatever duties were set aside for a Luna in his pack. I had no hobbies, no friends, no real role until after a mating and ceremonial process was completed...