Word Count: 7669
^Picture of Tiago Rodriguez^
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•Xandria's Point of View•
"Welcome! As many of you have come to figure out, I have found my mate," Hunter announces into the microphone. He looks over at me with a wink and I smile nervously. The pack listens intently and holds smiles on their faces, while I probably look freaked out. "My mate, Xandria Summers, is the most stunning, caring, and strong-willed woman that I have ever met. There is not a day that goes by where I do not think that she is exactly the kind-hearted soul this pack needs. She, though very stubborn when it comes to my order, knows when something needs to be done. I know for a fact that she will always put the lives of others before her own. She is everything this pack will need in order to survive, and so I have called you to this ceremony with intentions of making Xandria, this packs new Luna," Hunter says powerfully. The pack cheer and howl unanimously, which made a new sense of nervousness hit me. Hunter waves for me to come up and I gradually make my way up the steps. My nerves were skyrocketing by now and I begin to take slower steps.
Oh sweet Moon Goddess, don't let me fall down these steps! I don't need the pack to think any less of me. I'm already a human Luna, I don't need another reason for them to think little of me.
I had learned from Gaby while at the mall exactly what this ritual was. Hunter is going to give me a bite that will connect me to pack and I will be able to feel them much like Hunter does. Though, because I am not a werewolf, I will not be able to mind-link with anyone of the pack expect for Hunter. Now, as for the ritual, a future Luna has to go through multiple challenges that will test both mind and body. For she-wolves, the Alpha will normally make the future Luna fight all kinds of people to see how strong she is. Then, if she passes, she is given this liquid that will put her in a sort of coma like state. It is said that in this state, the Luna is faced with difficulties of having to choose between the ones she truly loves and face her worst fear while doing so. Many she-wolves have woken up almost half dead and so they were not fit to run a pack. It is the Moon Goddess that finalizes in the end if the girl is worthy of being a Luna. I'm guessing that if the girl wakes up half dead, then she was not fit for the role.
Instead, since I am human, I will just get the liquid injected into my system and I will go into a coma like state, just like the she-wolves would. I'm not really sure what I'm going to encounter once I'm out like a light, mainly because this pack has never had a human Luna before. Gaby said that she's never heard of a human Luna in our packs history and so she didn't really know what I had in store. She stated that it will most likely be painless and I'm really hoping that it's true.
"Moon Goddess, we ask that you help Xandria on her journey in becoming the SilverMoon pack's Luna," Hunter says up to the heavens. So if I suck as a Luna, it'll be the Moon Goddess fault? I can live with that.
Hunter looks over at me, shaking his head. He most likely heard what I just thought about the whole Luna thing and I only gave him a sheepish smile. What else could I do? I was about to become a freaking Luna!
"Xandria," Hunter calls out. He hid his nerves from the crowds face, but I felt his emotions clearly. He was scared to death and that only made my heart race faster. "Do you accept the position as Luna of the SilverMoon Pack? Do you promise to put your pack before all else and do your best to keep them safe?" he asks, speaking into the microphone loud and clear.
"I-I...," I was freaking out and stuttering. How can I agree to be their Luna when I might just be the worst one?
Hunter offers me an encouraging smile that slightly clears my nerves. Taking a deep breath, I look at Hunter in the eyes with a new found confidence.
"Yes, I agree to be the Luna of the SilverMoon Pack," I say, surprisingly myself at how strong I spoke. Hunter smiles slightly and steps towards me. I can't believe that I just agreed to this! Now, there is no going back and I have to move forward, even though there's a chance I might not make it bad.
"Moon Goddess, help her," Hunter mutters to himself, though, since we were so close to each other, I heard every word. I gulp inaudibly and take a step forward. Hunter lowers the needle I just noticed he had in his left hands. Sucking in a sharp intake of breath, Hunter releases the fluid into my system. I feel a weird power surge through me and just like that, I was consumed into darkness. Wow, that stuff works fast.
~
My eyes slowly, but surely begin to open with the feeling of being in new and unfamiliar surrounding. A small groan escapes my lips as a piercing pain comes from my head. I go to rub my head, but was faced with difficulty as a rattling of chains follow.
"Hello?" I call out. I look around the cell I appear to be inside of. It was grey all over with some sort of marks scratched up on the walls. I look at them closely, seeing as they are the only thing in the cell that strike my attention. They look like claw markings; very rough ones by the crevice they make in the stone. Whatever made these marks, was clearly struggling to stay inside the cell. I wonder what they were afraid of? And was that thing coming for me next?
"Where is she?!" a harsh voice growls. A shiver runs down my spine as his voice; Hunter. Why was he so upset? Where was I?
"She is in the cell at the end, to the right," a person, who I'm assuming is a guard, tells him. I wait in anticipation as I hear is slow footsteps approach my cell. I am anxious to know why I was put in here? I don't remember being scared of dirty old cells. If anything I'm just disgusted by them.
A growl causes me to look up at the person on the other side of the closed bars. I was sitting all the way on the other side so I had to look up at his tall frame that was darkened by the lack of lighting in here.
"Hunter, get me out of here, it's gross," I say, getting up to my feet. The sound of the shackles tied to my arms made it hard to get up completely, but I managed to get myself up enough to face my mate.
He did not look the least bit happy. His face was different; scarier than I had ever seen him. He was glaring at me like I was the scum of the earth. I cant help but cringe away from his fiery gaze.
"That is Alpha to you, whore!" he snaps. The sudden force in his voice makes me jump back and press my back firmly against the wall. I can feel his eyes watching my every movements.
"H-Hunter, I d-don't understand," I ask in a stutter. In return, Hunter growls and rips the bar doors clear off as he struts towards me. I try to push myself further against the wall, highly regretting the decision of even opening my mouth.
"What did I just say bitch?!" he sneers, picking me up by the neck. His grip was firm enough that it had my gasping for air, but not pressed hard enough that he was to kill me.
My eyes widened as his usually soft brown eyes looked at me with hatred. There was though, I sliver of hope as the familiar tingles travelled from his hands to my neck. It was faint, but it was there.
So we were mates...
I could feel the tears escaping as he dropped me to the ground. I look up for a second, hoping this was all a joke and he was going to snap out of whatever this was.
No such thing happened, and instead, Hunter looked down at me and with no emotion to his face, he spat on me. His saliva covered my face and it made my tears even worse. My own mate doesn't want me.
My worst fear was coming to life.
"Hunter, babe, where are you?" a particularly squeaky voiced girl calls from somewhere in the dungeon. My eyes widen as her red hair comes into view as she struts over to my mate and plants her big lips on his.
The worst part; he kissed her back with the same excitement she displayed. He was enjoying it and did not give a damn that I was in the room to see it.
My heart shattered a little bit more.
They parted once realizing they needed oxygen more than each other. I wanted to vomit at the sight.
As Mariah pulls away, she sniffs the air. "Oh my Goddess, Hunter what did you do to her?" she asks, rushing over to my side. She tries to help me up, but I shove her away. Why was she being so nice? Was she rubbing it in my face?
"The bitch was disrespecting me," he sneers, glaring at me when I sneak a glance up at him. I instantly look away and to the dirty floor.
"This is no way to treat a pack member. I think she has had enough, release her," Mariah says, surprisingly both Hunter and I. I was definitely not expecting that.
"But she-," Hunter did not get a chance to finish when he looked at the stern glare on Mariah's face.
"Do as I say Hunter, you know what I'm like when I'm mad," she says, and Hunter knowing to what she was referring to, called over a guard.
The guard came in, looking at the scene before his with caution. I guess the pack members were a lot more wary when Hunter was dealing with his prisoners.
"Release her, and take her home," Hunter commands. The guard nods and walks over to me. I shift my arms slightly so that he can unlock the heavy shackles from my wrists. I can already feel the bruises that were caused from all the movements.
I watch as Hunter walks with an arm around Mariah, not even turning in my direction. Instead, Mariah looks back at me with a sympathetic gaze, which I chose to stare blankly at. I didn't need nor want her sympathy. That should be me walking away with Hunter with his arms around my waist, not her.
I felt those sparks, I know I did. We were mates, but Hunter didn't seem to want to acknowledge it.
What am I supposed to do? My own mate hates my guts and clearly doesn't want to see me. How do I get out of this messed up universe?
The guards pull me until we reach a familiar house. It wasn't my house, thankfully, but instead it was Gaby's house that came into view.
"If I were you, next time I wouldn't get on the Alpha's bad side," the guard says to me. Instead of trying to explain my situation, I just nod my head and watch him walk away. What was I going to say anyways? 'Yeah I was just locked up in that cell because my mate, your Alpha, doesn't love me and would rather be with Mariah Neil; of all people.' Yeah, because that would make a lot of sense; note the sarcasm.
I walk over to the front door of Gaby's house, in hopes that she was home. I really needed a friendly face to help me right now. If anyone has information about the Luna ceremony, Gaby does. I'm sure she has some idea of how to get out of it.
"Gaby? You home?" I call out as I knock. Seconds later I hear the sound of feet pounding towards the door. I smile as Keith opens the door and looks up at me in relief.
"Xandria, thank the Goddess! When I heard the Alpha put you in the dungeons, I thought you were a goner!" Keith says, pulling me into the house. He was grabbing onto me as if to check if I was really there.
"I'm fine Keith, no need to worry," I tell him, rustling his hair in a playful manner. "Where's Gaby?" I ask, realizing I haven't heard her loud shouts yet.
"She went out with Dylan and Kendall to go visit you in the dungeons. They'll probably be here once they realize you're out," he explains. I follow him into the kitchen with a very empty stomach. "You hungry?" he ask, just my stomach decides to growl. Chuckling, I grabs me a bag of chips from one of the cupboards.
I munch on them as I wait for my three friends. Keith had to go do some homework, so I told him I was fine to wait alone. Being alone gave me time to think about what I've gone through so far. My brain was having trouble trying to comprehend the fact that all this was happening so quickly. Hunter was with Mariah, and wanted nothing to do with me. Hunter didn't want me.
Hunter didn't want me.
Hunter didn't want me.
That thought haunted my mind as I hear the front door open. The familiar sound of my three friends voices are heard and I turn with a smile on my face.
"Hey guys!" I say, standing up from the stool I had been sitting on. Dylan was the first to run to me, embracing me in his firm arms.
"Thank the Goddess," he repeats into my ear, sounding pained. Awe, he was worried about me.
"I'm fine, Dylan, really," I say, pulling away from his strong hug. Kendall and Gaby were smiling at me, the same worried looks on their faces. Awe, they all cared about my safety.
At least my friends haven't changed.
"Guys, I'm okay, but I do need your help with something," I say, watching as their expressions change. There were all curious and sat down on the stools around me.
"What's up Dri? Did something happen in the dungeon? Did someone hurt you? Did you hurt someone? Do you need help moving to Mexico and changing your name to Guadalupe?" she questions all in one breath. I couldn't help but shake my head with a laugh at my silly best friend. Some things never change.
"None of that Gaby, I need help with something in this pack," I say, still laughing a little at the running away to Mexico part.
"Just come out and say it Dria, you know we'll do our best to help you." Dylan says, sounding intrigued with what I have to say.
"I need to know how to face my fears. I know you guys don't know this is going on right now, but we are all inside of my worst fear. I am Hunter's mate, and I'm sure you guys know that being an Alpha's mate I am to become Lune. I am in the middle of my ceremony and need your help trying to find out what I need to do to face it so I can wake up," I explain, hoping that didn't sound completely crazy.
A minute passed by...
"Xandria, what kind of drugs did they put you on in the dungeon?" Gaby asks, bursting out into a fit of laughter. Kendall joins in too, finding my truth to be funny. I look over at Dylan for help, seeing as he was the only one who didn't start laughing.
"Guys, I think Dria is telling the truth," he says, causing their laughter to immediately stop.
"Are you serious Dyl?" his mate asks in astonishment.
"Yeah Dylan, do you really think that Xandria can have an Alpha mate? Especially one like Hunter Thatch?" Gaby asks, which makes me frown. It upsets me to see that my best friend had no faith in my chances of having an Alpha mate.
"Yes, I do," he says, which makes me look up at him with a small smile, "and I think that she really needs our help so we should find everything we can about the Luna serum part of the ceremony."
"Thank you Dylan, at least one of my friends doesn't think I'm crazy," I say, looking at Gaby and Kendall with an aggravated face.
"No problem," he says, not noticing how his mate and Gaby are looking at me like I'm insane, "I think the best place to look would be in the pack library. It's in the pack house, and we'll have to avoid the Alpha because if he sees you, he'll probably throw you on the dungeons again."
Nodding, we all head in the direction of the pack house. We would have driven, but Dylan told me that we would most likely have run into Hunter if we did. Which makes me wonder what I did to have myself thrown into the dungeon.
"Hey Dylan?" I question, which makes him turn to look at me. He was waking up ahead with Kendall; hand-in-hand, while Gaby walks beside me. I can't help but feel a pang of something tugging at my heart as I watch Kendall and Dylan bask in their love.
I miss him so much. I miss having him close to me. I miss his lips against mine; his body against mine. I just want this all to be over!
"Well, we went out for your eighteenth birthday to the Howl Zone. Deeper into the night, we all kind of drifted apart. The three of us found each other and then we went searching for you in hopes that you weren't dead. Insides though, we found something scarier," he says, stopping in his tracks as we come closer to the pack house. "We have to take the back entrance," he says, "so we don't get distracted or stopped."
We all nod, following Dylan's lead. As we walk, I can't help but wonder what the rest of the story was. What kind of situation did my fake self get myself into?
"Hey Dylan?" I whisper, tapping his shoulder slightly as he opens the doors that leads into the pack library. I look around at the walls and walls covered in books. There's a reason I never came to this room, I'm not much of a reader when it came to novels. I would much rather be spending time with the people I care about than locked up in this room all day.
"What's up?" Dylan asks. We all stop in the middle of the room, everyone looking over at me.
"What kind of situation did I get myself into at the club?" I ask, certain with my intentions, but not with my words. I am scared to find out. What if Hunter hit me? I know it already happened, but it scares me to know that something so terrible can happen in this messed up universe. I mean, he already choked me in the cell.
"You had caught the Alpha making out with that new girl to the pack, Mariah Neil. He wasn't too happy when he saw you, and was especially not pleased when you tackled Mariah to the ground. I swear, I've never seen you move so fast, you were like a real wolf in that moment. You had her on the ground, clawing at her face, until finally Hunter ripped you away and threw you to the side. You got thrown pretty hard, so it was no surprise that you went unconscious. The Alpha had you sent to the dungeons and said that he'd deal with you there. You don't understand how scared I was for you Dri, you're like my sister, and the Alpha could have killed you," he says, which brings tears to my eyes. Hunter hurt me. I know, I know, it isn't really him, but it still brings a pain to my heart to think that my own mate could do that to me on any universe. This really was my worst nightmare.
Sighing, I didn't say anything as we search the library. I was too caught up in my thoughts to talk, and the others seem to notice that I didn't want to speak. We all search in silence, and it was surely going to be hours before we would find anything.
As the time passed, I found myself becoming more and more annoyed with myself. I'm doing all this to become the Luna of a freaking pack and I somehow cannot wake myself up!
I can't let my fears stop me anymore. I have lived too long throwing them aside and acting like they didn't affect me. My mother made me weak, but this was what would prove to them all, and to myself, that I was not some useless girl.
Why was this so hard?! Why can't I just open my eyes and be back with the Hunter Thatch that I fell in love with!
"You look constipated," I hear Gaby say from behind me. I open my eyes from my former concentration and look at her with a frown. "Why are you so bummed? You should be happy that the Alpha didn't accept you, I've spoken to him once and he wasn't exactly the nicest. You deserve better."
I roll my eyes a her comment, mainly because I'm sure she still thinks that me becoming Luna is a joke.
"Yes, that Alpha outside is a jerk, and he most definitely is not my Hunter, but I have to do something so that I can't get back to the mate that actually loves me," I tell her, annoyed with her attitude. Why can't she be more helpful? Why was this universes Gaby as lazy as my Gaby? I thought everything was the opposite here. Or maybe that just because my fear revolves around Hunter. "Have you found anything?" I ask Dylan, who shakes his head profusely. I frown as I throw away the fifteenth book I had looked through. This was harder than I thought.
"Maybe someone should ask someone if they know where a book about the Luna ceremonies would be. That could narrow down our search," Kendall suggests, and it would be a great idea too, if only someone were in the library. The only person I could think to ask would be Hunter, but of course, he is of no use.
"What if we ask Mariah? She's going to be Luna soon, she probably has all the facts and books on it," Gaby says, which makes me spin on my heels quickly.
"He's making Mariah your Luna!" I find myself shouting angrily. The displeasure of all the events have finally hit its high with me and I cannot contain my rage anymore. I was going to kill that skank, then murder Hunter. Maybe that'll wake me up!
Before anyone can stop me, I am running out of the library with determination in my eyes. I used my heightened sense of smell to follow Hunter's familiar scent. He was in his bedroom, and was most likely with that whore.
Just as my hands were about to grab onto the knob, I was suddenly pulled back by a strong arms. The person had me pressed up against their hard chest and did not leave room to struggle.
"Xandria stop! You're going to get yourself killed!" Dylan hisses, trying to keep his voice down. I thrash in his arms, only wanting to rip Mariah apart bit by bit.
"She stole him Dylan, she stole him!" I shout. The sudden yelling causes Hunter's bedroom door to slam open and out comes Mariah. Hunter was nowhere in sight, so I'm guessing that the smell I followed was just because he had been in the room recently.
"What is going on out here? Xandria, are you alright?" Mariah asks, concern laced in her words. I want to scowl at her, but I can't find it in me with how kind she is. This was not the same Mariah that would spread rumours about me to the pack about Hunter only using me. No, she was sweeter version of her. A girl who had no competition getting to the man she wanted. There was no one for her to fight with, no one for Hunter to run away with. He chose to be with her, and she can't be any happier.
"Sorry Mariah, she's just worked up because Gaby stole her... um... cookie," Dylan says, coming up with a lie easily. I roll my eyes as I push him away when his hold loosen around me.
"Oh, I thought someone had gotten hurt," Mariah says, giggling at the lies Dylan spilled.
"Oh, someone was going to get hurt alright," I mutter, and thankfully she does not hear. Dylan does though, and he elbows me in the side to shut me up.
"We were actually on our way here to ask you for something," he says, walking in front of me so I can't attack her. Frowning, I watch the conversation happen instead of being apart of it.
"Well, what is it? I'd love to help," she says, smiling sweetly at him. I want to puke, this is all too weird.
"It's about the Luna ceremony, we're... uh... doing a school project on it and... uh... we were wondering if you had any books on it since your going to be going through it soon," he says, somewhat smoothly. Mariah doesn't seem to be good at telling when people are fibbing and nods her head. She walks into the bedroom, which would have given me the perfect opportunity to jump her, if it weren't for Dylan being here. Why did he have to ruin all the fun? It's not like this world is real. I should be allowed to hurt her in at least one of these realms.
"Here it is," she says, walking out the room with a giant book in her hands. It had to be at least two hundred pages long!
"Whoa, that quite the read," Dylan says, his eyes wide as she hands it over to him. Mariah chuckles as she nods her head.
"Wait until you have to read it all from front to back. It took me at least three weeks to finish it all. It was so boring," she says. I guess I'm lucky I didn't have to go through this, which I think was only because Hunter didn't have time to prepare me for it since he hadn't planned on marking me. I'm not complaining that he marked me, I'm just saying that he didn't give me much warning to prepare myself for it.
"Does this book say anything about the serum part of the ceremony? Like when the Luna has to face her worst fears?" I ask, speaking for the first time. Mariah looks over at me, a bit shocked that I spoke, and nods her head. Smiling, Dylan thanks her and drags me away with him. I look back at Mariah, waving at her slightly as if saying goodbye forever. I really hope that after we read this book I can go home.
Dylan and I make it back to the library, where Kendall and Gaby had made themselves comfortable on some couches. They both had their phones out, doing whatever it is that they do.
"We got the book," Dylan announces as we walk in. The girls don't even acknowledge us, which makes Dylan and I shrug as we walk over to a table. We both take seats in front of the table and Dylan opens the book to the table of contents. "We are not about to read this whole book, so there had better be a section on it," Dylan mutters, and I can't will but laugh lightly. Dylan really hates reading, so coming to this library wasn't exactly his favourite thing in the world.
"There it is," I say, spotting the title, "it's on page one hundred and thirty."
Nodding, Dylan flips to the chapter and skims through it. It was short and provided examples of the types of fears people have.
"Sharks... darkness... ah here it is, rejection," Dylan mutters, and I pull the book from his hands before he can read anything. I place the large book on my lap, mainly because it was too heavy to hold in my arms for a long time.
I skim through the pages, looking for anything that related out to my situation. Finally, I come along a paragraph that explains it well.
"It says that in order for someone going through something like this, the only way to wake up is if they convince the one that they love of their true feelings," I say, confused as I read aloud. How do I convince Hunter of his true feelings if it's not really him?
"That doesn't seem so hard," Kendall says, which makes me look up at her in perplexity. She notices my confusion and explains, "all you have to do is bring up happy memories to remind him of why he loves you. I'm sure that by the way you speak of loving him so much, you have a lot of good times together. Some part of him, the part that loves you, will come out and you should be back to your world in no time."
"So you're saying you believe me?" I ask, a little confused because she was the one laughing along with Gaby only a few hours ago.
"Dylan seems to have faith in your story, so why not give it a try? I mean, the worst that can happen is you'll end up in a cell again," she says. I frown at the cell part, but nod anyways. I really hope this works because I do not want to be here to see Mariah become Luna.
"Alright, so where is Hunter during this time of day?" I ask, which makes everyone grimace slightly. The frown on my face deepens as I see their wearier expressions. "What is it?" I ask, wanting someone to speak up already.
"The Alpha is privately training right now, and does not like to be disturbed," Gaby states. My lips form into an 'o' shape and I shrug my shoulders.
"Then I'll wait until after," is my response. Kendall speaks up next, not taking that alert look off her face;
"The thing is, that couldn't really be the only time you'll be able to have a private conversation with him. Between his Alpha work and spending time with Mariah, he is barely ever alone."
Oh crap, this is not good. I have to talk to Hunter so I can wake up, but there's also a possibility that he'll knock me out before I can even utter a word.
Sighing, I know what I have to do. "Take me to him," I tell my friends. Their all look at each other, exchanging fearful glances, before nodding their heads.
Dylan was the one who led the way, as he has been doing all day, and pushes me towards the door of a room I've never been in. It was a door I passed many times when I would go to Hunter's office, but did not think of it as any more than another bedroom. I wonder if Hunter ever private trains and I just never noticed or asked.
"Good luck!" Gaby whispers, not wanting to get the attention of the Alpha behind the door. I turn back to thank her, but am faced with my friends running away down the hall. Wow, what great friend; I think sarcastically.
I take a deep breath in, not releasing it until I send a firm knock on the door to get the attention of the Alpha inside.
I really hope this works out.
"I swear to the Goddess, Mariah I have told you countless times not to dis-," Hunter cuts himself off as he swings the door open and looks down to see it was little old me. His eyes hold emotion and it's like the area grows ten times cooler with his dark glare. "What is it you want? Do you have a death wish?" he sneers.
Finding the little bit of courage in me, I shake away my stunned expression, and push him into the room. Being taken off guard, he easily falls back and I close the door as I step in. He didn't fall to the floor, since his reflexes are so good, but he did take a few seconds to recover and realize what was going on.
"You definitely want to die," he snaps. He moves to grab me, but I side-step his advance and shake my head at him as he turns to look at me angrily.
"I want you to hear me out," I say, and once seeing the look on his face not change, I take my chances and add a "please" to sweeten the deal.
His once tense shoulders slightly sag as he lets out a frustrated groan. "How is it that you have so much power over my wolf? I don't even like you," he says, pondering more to himself than to me. I let him fight with his wolf, knowing that he was going to listen to me. His wolf has a clear soft spot for me, which makes me smile softly. At least some part of the my Hunter is there.
"You have five minutes. No more, no less," he says, moving to sit on a bench to the left. I follow his movements and walk so that I am about a metre away from where he sits. I don't want to overstep and make him give me any less time, but being so close to him makes me feel as though the loving and caring Hunter were still here.
"Okay," I say, trying to think of some memory that could convince him that he loves me. We've been through so much, yet when it comes down to it, my mind goes blank.
"Okay?" he says, looking lost. His eyebrows furrow in that adorable way when he gets confused and I can't help but let out a sob. Tears fall from my eyes as I watch my mate rise from his seated position, looking as though he did not know what to do. His eyes held worry; which meant that he was getting more comfortable with the situation. I have learned that Hunter only lets his emotions be seen to those he cares about. He still cares, he just doesn't remember.
I look up at him, but find myself look into the mirror behind him. I see a once broken girl who was put back together by a man she never though would love her. I see a girl who had no hope for the future, but ended up getting everything instead.
I also see a girl who is mated to an Alpha, and has something to show for it.
"I came here to make you realize that you love me," I say, which makes him immediately tense up again. He was avoiding eye contact with me. Is that a good sign?
"What makes you think that?" he asks, his voice deeper than usual.
"I don't think, I know," I say confidently. I take timid steps towards him as if he'll run away like a rabbit running from its predator.
"You don't know anything," he tries to snap, but it comes out as a weak phrase. He was slowly falling into my trap and as I step closer to him, I notice how he can't seem to pull away.
When I am finally standing in front of him, I reach out for his hand. His hand twitches as my hand is only inches away and I stop as I look up at him. He was looking at my face, studying my movements.
"You once told me," I start, grabbing his hand into mine. He doesn't pull away and as I stare at our intertwined fingers, I smile sadly. "I love you, Xandria Summer. Forever and always," I repeat as if I were reading it from a book.
He doesn't say anything, so I take it as my cue to continue.
"I didn't believe you, but you convinced me. I mean, you did come into the barging washroom because you thought it was your fault," I say, laughing at the sweet gesture. I don't look up at him in feats that after I finish speaking he's just going to glare and walk off like this never happened.
I let minutes, that feel more like hours, pass as we stand in silence. I want him to do something... anything! I just want to know what's going on in his head.
I have enough of the silence, and angrily say, "you may be trying to hide from the truth, but you do love me Hunter," I look at him, seeing no reaction and it frustrates me even more, "look at this mark! You made this because you love me! You marked me because we were made for each other! Don't you remember forever and always?!"
I had my shirt pulled down to reveal my mark. I had noticed it in the mirror and can't believe I didn't see it before. I show it to him, hoping to get a reaction out of him.
It gets a reaction, but not the kind that I was hoping for. He pulls his hand out of mine and steps away. I can't help the hurt feeling that I express at the action.
"If you want to hear the truth, then here it is," he says, in a hostile voice. I look up at him, my confident demeanour falling as I wait for the inevitable rejection. He was looking at me with that unemotional expression that I know for sure he is going to reject me.
But it never comes.
Instead he says, "I meant what I said. I love you, Xandria Summer. Forever and always, baby."
And just like before, he kisses me as if it were my first kiss all over again.
~
"Xandria, Xandria, Xandria! Come on, please wake up!"
I groan audibly at the shouting to the left and right of me, and also to the large pain in my neck and head. My throat felt like sandpaper and my eyes feel sewed together.
I let out a whimper as a cool air hit the bare skin of my arms. A shuffling of feet were heard, sounding as if they were stepping towards me.
"Did you hear that?" I hear Gaby ask. Wait, Gaby? What happened? Please don't tell me I'm in a cell again. I thought I convinced him!
Again, I let out a whimper to catch their attention. It was the only sound that I could make and it seemed to make everyone in the room very animated.
"Xandria, baby, can you open your eyes for me?" his familiar, husky voice asks.
I know I was just with him, but his voice sounds even hotter.
"I am glad you still have yet to figure out how to block me from your thoughts," Hunter says, and I can already imagine the smirk he is wearing on his handsome face.
"I'll open my eyes when you stop smirking," I croak. My throat was really try and my voice was very scratchy. I really need some water.
"Alright, I've stopped. Now open those beautiful eyes of yours," he says softly.
Slowly, I open my eyes and welcome the light. I smile as I meet the brown, loving eyes of my mate. He stares down at me, his hair grown out more than I remember it, and it dangles over his forehead.
I grin, opening my arms to welcome my mate into them. He seems confused by the gesture, but nonetheless hugs me, and I eagerly pull him closer to me. As we pull away, I plant my lips onto his, wanting to continue the kiss we shared in my vision.
"Not that I am complaining, but what was that for?" Hunter asks, smiling cheekily at me. Not taking the grin off my face, I shrug my shoulders.
"I love you. Forever and always," I say. He doesn't question me and instead pecks my lips before standing up.
With help from Hunter, I am lifted to a seated position and am given a glass of water by the hands of Gaby. I had forgotten she was in the room, but didn't really mind since I deserved to kiss my mate after what I went through.
I smile as a thanks and chug the water down in four big gulps.
"Thank the Goddess you have woken up," Dr Jay says as he enters the room. He comes over to me with a huge grin on his face. "I am glad that the pack will have you as their Luna," he says. Without thinking, I wrap my arms around him in a hug as he stands next to my bed.
"Thank you," I say, pulling away. I could feel a small bit of jealousy and look over at Hunter with a roll of my eyes.
'Stop being so jealous," I scoff.
'Then stop hugging other males,' he counters with a growl. Well, he does have a point.
Rolling my eyes, I smile at Dr. Jay once again. He did not need to know of his Alpha's jealousy.
"You know you really scared us, you were out longer than any other Luna of this pack," Dr Jay says, sounding worried.
"How long was I out?" I ask shocked. It didn't feel as though I was out for a long time. I didn't even make it through the night, I was there for a day at least.
"Two days," Gaby tells me. My eyes widen and my mouth was hung agape. How was it possible that I had been unconscious for more than a day?
"What? How?" I ask, having trouble grasping to this information.
"We're not sure. What exactly did you have to go through?" Dr. Jay asks, genuinely curious to know. I am a bit nervous to tell them the story. I mean, my own mate didn't want me, and even though I'm ecstatic to have it loving mate back, I really don't want them to know what my worst fear is.
'Then you don't have to,' Hunter mind-links me. Damnit, did he just hear that?
'Yes I did,' he says matter-of-factly. I really need to learn this blocking people out thing. It would work wonders for me and my thoughts.
"Stay out of my thoughts, Hunter," I say with a playful glare. It was annoying when he just suddenly spoke up and happened to hear all the things I didn't want anyone to hear, but another part of me was just happy that I was back with my Hunter.
"Yeah, Xandria, what did you have to go through?" Gaby speaks up, and I look over at her, rubbing a tired hand over my face.
"She would rather not speak of it," Hunter says sternly, not leaving room for anyone to question me anymore. I look over at him with a grateful smile, then back to Dr Jay as he finishes checking my blood pressure.
"I know what will cheer you up," Gaby speaks up as Dr Jay speak privately to Hunter about something.
"What?" I ask, moving to sit at the edge of the bed. Gaby's smile makes me already like her idea without even hearing it.
"We can go visit Kendall. I remember you telling me that you wanted to go see her, so I thought, why don't we just go see her to get your mind off that fear trip," she says, which makes me nod immediately.
"That sounds like a great idea!" I cheer, looking over at Hunter, who was finished talking with Dr Jay and had heard our conversation.
"Alright, we can go, but we have to be back in a few hours for the end of the Luna ceremony," Hunter tells me.
"Okay, then let's go," I say happily. Dr Jay, who was still in the room, took out the I.V's from my arm and I grimace at the sight of the needles being pulled out. Hunter helps me to my feet, but laughs as I cower away from the needle that was once in my arm. I scowl at him, but he only laughs more. Since I was out for so long, Hunter helps me move over to the wheelchair that Gaby rolls over for me.
"I do have to warn you though, that Dylan will most likely start yelling about how you didn't go see him, or his mate. He did the same thing to me and I just let him vent it all out, and then after that we hugged and now it's all good," Gaby says as she wheels me out of the room. Nodding, I make a note of letting Dylan yell all he wants.
+_+_+_+
I have tagged this story for the Wattys2016. Fingers crossed!
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Edited.