His Reluctant Luna

The loud beeping of my phone roused me from my sleep. I shut the alarm and snuggled under the covers for a few more minutes.

I usually take time to wake up, so I had set an early alarm. I finally dragged myself out of the bed and quickly got into my daily routine. I am an architect. At 24, I am one of the youngest employees of Barton & Tom, one of the leading construction firms in London.

Grabbing my coffee, I walked onto the train. I always keep my headphones on because I can hear everything. I mean everything. I have extraordinary senses because I am not normal. I have extraordinary speed, agility, and strength.

No, I am not some superhero. I am a werewolf, however, unlike most werewolves, I do not live in a pack. I am not a rogue wolf either.

I belong to one of the most powerful packs of North America, the Jade Moon Pack. I am very much in touch with my older brother, the Alpha of the pack, Rick Anderson; the pack Beta, Thomas Scott; and his lovely wife, Martha. I even visit my pack every year during Christmas.

However, I prefer living independently on my own. Rather, I have gotten used to this lifestyle. There is a reason why I live away.

When I was 9, I accompanied my parents to New York City for some inter-werewolf conference. I was overly excited about the trip as we were staying right in front of Central Park. But things did not turn out as expected. I do not remember much, but my father died trying to protect me from rogues and other packs. Werewolves are violent and territorial. They fight over the littlest of things. My father died in a were-war.

My mother died soon after due to a broken heart. They were mates. That is one of the reasons I do not want to find my mate. Mated wolves are like two halves of a soul. If one dies, the other turns mad with grief or dies—sometimes both. Very few wolves manage to survive the ordeal of losing their mates.

I do not want to be one of them even though my wolf has been searching for her mate ever since I hit puberty and shifted for the first time.

After my mother's death, I was sent off to Australia to live with my aunt. Aunt Flora is a keeper. A keeper is a human who is aware of werewolves and other supernatural beings. You see, werewolves are very secretive and stay hidden from humans.

There might be a werewolf living right next to you, and you would never know it. However, living among humans requires some amount of human interaction for things like tax filing, property dealings, and various legal things.

Keepers are humans who know about us and help us. My mother was also a keeper until she met my father, and they discovered they were mates.

I did not live in Australia for long. As soon I shifted for the first time, my aunt moved to Europe. There are no wolves in Australia, hence no werewolf packs. If I were accidentally spotted by someone while out for a run, it would be hard to explain the presence of a wolf in the country.

The UK does not have any wild wolves. They were all hunted down by the end of the 17th century.

Most of the werewolf packs migrated to the New World to avoid prosecution back in Europe. Hence, very few packs remained in Europe and none in the UK. They thrived in North America, soon adapting to the vast tracks of land and wildernesses.

I have gotten control of my wolf now. I rarely shift unless I am in total isolation. I kind of like being human.

"Alice! How was your weekend?" Elsa, my pretty redhead colleague, asked me as soon as I had reached my cubicle.

"Nothing much. I visited Aunt Flora; how about you?" I asked while shoving my bag in the drawer.

"Well, just the usual clubbing. I missed you! You should join me next week with Mark, of course."

Elsa grinned at me. I just laughed it off. Mark Barton, the heir to Barton & Tom, is my boyfriend.

"When is he coming back from his business trip?"

"Middle of this week, hopefully," I replied.

Mark and I have been together for the last two years. He hit on me right after I joined his company. I am used to getting male attention. I am not tall—an average 5'4”—but I have a slim body, dark hair, and hazel eyes. Everyone says I look like my mother. She was very pretty, and perhaps I did inherit some of her good looks.

Initially, I avoided Mark because dating the heir of the company I worked for would have been unprofessional.

But Mark was very persuasive, not to mention sweet and kind, unlike wolves who are very protective and possessive. I cannot stand obsessive partners. Another reason why I do not want a mate.

Mark is a human, and like everyone else in the office and my friend circle, he has no idea that I am a werewolf. I have successfully kept my wolf concealed all these years, and I plan to keep it that way. However, someday, I will have to reveal my true nature to him. I do not know how he will react. I have been avoiding that situation so far.

The day went on uneventfully, boring to be precise. I like boring because my life back in the US was extraordinary.

I had just entered my one-bedroom flat when my phone rang. It was Emma, Beta Thomas's daughter and one of my best friends.

I turned on the video call and smiled at her. Like most werewolves our age, she had found her mate. Bobby, her mate, was another Beta in our pack.

"Hi, Emma, what's up?" I asked.

Emma, with her golden locks, smiled.

"I can't wait to see you. You are coming for Christmas vacation, right?"

"Only if you promise not to force me to meet other alphas," I replied.

Emma, and everyone else who was close to me, did not approve of my human boyfriend. Not because he was a human, but because he was not my mate. For werewolves, finding their mate is the most crucial aspect of their life. They were baffled why I was so disinterested in finding my mate.

It is hard to explain. I just do not want to end up like my mother or that mad wolf in my pack who killed himself after losing his mate.

She sighed, "I know you don't want to find your mate, but you can't fight fate. If something must happen, it will happen. Okay?"

"Yeah, whatever," I rolled my eyes.

"So, how are things back home?" I asked while collapsing on the sofa.

"Your brother is being an ass as usual. He has increased the training routine for all the young wolves. So, they are all crabby these days."

"Sounds like Rick," I chuckled.

My brother had to take over the pack at the age of 17 after my father's death. Rick was eight years older than me. He was lucky to find his mate Linda at the age of 20. She is the sweetest person ever and helped him find balance and peace in his life.

I finished my conversation with Emma and took off my clothes to prepare for the night.

I shifted into my brown wolf, Lana. I cannot go out in the city for a run, but my wolf understands. I let her run around and have fun at Aunt Flora's estate. Curling in my bed, I slept in my wolf form.

"Mark!" I cried out as I ran towards him. He was finally back from Germany, and I could not wait to get into his arms. He told me not to meet him at the airport, but I could not help it.

His blue eyes sparkled as he engulfed me in his muscular arms. At 6’1”, he towers over me.

"I missed you," I gushed as he kissed me on my cheeks.

"Me too.”

“So, how was your trip?" I asked, as he picked up his bag and we started to leave the airport.

"Boring and hectic. I wish Dad stopped sending me on these trips," he grumbled.

Mark is the heir of one of the biggest architecture firms; hence, he was groomed to inherit it by his Lord-of-something father.

He comes from an old family of barons. With his blue eyes, dark hair, and well-toned body, he is one of the most eligible bachelors of London. I have no idea why he fell for me. When I asked him, he said he liked my gentleness and delicate features, which was quite ironic. I could rip him apart in minutes if I wanted to. Of course, he does not know that, and I have no plans of revealing it to him…not yet.

"Did you drive?" he asked.

I nodded mischievously. That is another of our private jokes. I am an extremely fast driver. Thanks to my wolf instincts, I am used to driving rashly. I never make any mistakes, but it freaks out most of my friends, including Mark. So, I am forced to drive slow just to keep them comfortable.

"Don't worry. I won't kill you," I grinned at him.

He shook his head and loaded his bag in the trunk.

"So, what are you doing this Saturday?" he asked as he settled down on the passenger side.

"Nothing as of now," I replied as I drove out of the parking lot.

"Cool! I am taking you somewhere," he said.

"Where?"

"It's a surprise." He gave me his boyish grin.

I laughed.

On Saturday morning, as planned, Mark picked me up from my flat. It was a sunny day, one of the last ones before the advent of winter. We drove to this park with no other person in sight. It felt like we were the only people there.

I could see crystal clear water beyond the horizon and the trees swaying in the cool ocean breeze. Mark held my hand, and we turned to the right where we walked through an archway of roses.

Upon crossing the archway, I came upon the most beautiful sight I had ever seen.

A white gazebo!

It was surrounded by my favorite flowers. I smiled because this scene was so beautiful.

"What is all this Mark?" I asked.

"Come on," he took my hand, and we walked inside the gazebo.

"Do you like it?" he asked.

"Who wouldn't, but why?" I asked puzzled.

"Oh! Look over there!" he suddenly blurted out.

I turned but did not see anything. "I don't see anything."

"Then turn around and you will see something shiny."

Confused, I turned back to Mark. He was now on one knee and holding the most gorgeous ring I had ever seen.

That I was shocked was an understatement. My wolf shook her head in disapproval. Mark was just a distraction and a bed warmer for her. She only wanted her mate. Ignoring my wolf, I covered my mouth in surprise. He took my shaking hand and looked deep into my hazel eyes that were filled with confusion rather than joyful tears.

"Alice, from the first moment I saw you, I thought you were the most beautiful girl I've ever seen. I thought to myself, ‘I must get to know her more.’ I am so glad I did. You complete me in so many ways. You inspire me more than you will ever know. I love you so much. I am incomplete without you. You are my queen. And so, here I am on one knee asking for my girl's hand in marriage. Honey, will you do me the honor of being my wife? Let me be your husband."

"Damm!" I thought.

I loved Mark, but there was so much to tell him. He had no idea who or what I was.

"Mark…I…this is so sudden…" I stammered, looking for the right words.

His face fell, and I could not continue.

"You don't love me?"

"I do…I love you, Mark, but there is so much you don't know about me. I…" I was suddenly tongue-tied. "Don't you think we should wait?" I was panicking now.

"I want you just the way you are, Alice. We can spend our whole lives getting to know each other."

Mark stood up, and the way he looked at me, I felt my heart-melting. He looked miserable. His words touched my heart in more ways than one. I was not looking for a mate anyway, and Mark was simply perfect.

"Yes, I will marry you, Mark,” I said.

Mark smiled with joy. He slipped the sparkling ring on my finger. He then cupped my face and kissed me so passionately that I forgot my worries. I wrapped my arms around his masculine body. He pulled me down on the blanket where we made out underneath the gazebo for a long time.

*******

"You got engaged!" Emma shouted loud enough to force me to mute the laptop.

"Does he know what you are?" she asked.

"I was about to tell him, but..." I bit my lips nervously; I was so screwed.

"Alice, you know there is a wolf or someone out there who is your mate."

"There she goes again," I thought.

"Emma, I am 24 years old. If I had a mate, I would have found him by now. I love Mark. He is the kind of person I want to be with. I do not want to be forced into loving someone just because fate decided it. Besides, I hate those possessive Alphas. I don't think I could live like that!"

"I was not forced into loving Bobby. I do love him with all my heart," Emma grumbled.

"I am sure you do. I am not talking about you, Emma. I know what I want. I think I will be happy with Mark," I said stubbornly.

"What if you come across your mate?" Emma was still persistent.

"Then I will reject him."

"It's not that simple, Alice. Your wolf will force you to accept him. And the sex…well, you have no idea what sex with your mate feels like.” She grinned.

I smirked. "How would you know? You’ve only slept with Bobby since you turned 18!"

I was not that experienced myself. Apart from Mark, I had just one boyfriend in high school. I found out he was cheating on me the day after we did it for the first time. He would never cheat on anyone again. I made sure of that. Being a werewolf has its perks.

"I know how the mate bond works; you don't," Emma snapped back at me.

I rolled my eyes. "Fine, you win, but can we end this conversation now?"

I knew better than to argue with a mated wolf. They were fanatically protective of their mates. I prayed that I never found my mate.