The Broken Luna

Aine's Pov.

“It’s your time, Aine,” Dad said when I was about to eat. It was odd seeing him eating with us despite how he hated me and blamed me for my sister’s death.

“Time for what, Dad?” I said, and started to swallow hard. Something was not right here.

“It’s time for you to be engaged to a male wolf.”

That was all it took for me to lose it. I couldn't believe this. How could it be my time? I'm not even giving up yet and they are trying to force me to be with someone. What's the rush?

"Why?!" I panicked.

"You’re still mateless despite passing the right age. The Alpha thinks you should have a mate already. He offered us to find you one. You must thank him. At least you’re not a failure. If Anne was still alive, she would have pulled us out of poverty, " Dad said, bored. “Make us proud for once.”

“Daniel…!” Mom said.

I know he hates me so much even if he’s not showing it. But Anne was dead and it’s not my fault! But manipulating my life? No.

"That's not fair! I haven't even had the chance to find my true mate yet!"

"You will do as we say, Aine. You know the consequences of going against the Alpha," Dad said, looking at me intensely. "We will all be thrown from the pack and possibly killed by rogues."

"But-"

"If you don't do this, then you won't be able to be part of this pack and you know we can't make it on our own." Mom interrupted.

"But it's not like I can never shift if I don't do this now," I said. "He just wants everyone to change into werewolves, so we can be the strongest pack in the country. It's a selfish reason."

"Well, whatever he is doing, it is keeping us safe. Has there ever been a rogue attack that our pack couldn't handle?" Mom questioned.

I inwardly groaned, raging.

"No," I admitted.

"Exactly, now eat. Your future mate will be calling you tonight and I don’t want you to disrespect him,” father said.

"Fine." I grumbled, throwing down my fork and stalking up to my room. I lost my appetite and went straight to my bed and started to cry.

I know she was right in everything she said, but it still bothered me. They have no right! It should be up to the people to decide if they want to mate or not. Maybe some of us actually want to meet our real mate, sometime in life.

What they are doing is wrong, but what can I do to change it? I have no pull and we are too low in the pack to even be heard.

Once you are mated to someone else then that's it. There is no un-mating, unless they die or you are released. So if your real mate happens to come along, you can't mate with them until you are free.

If only this were the only problem...

Another problem is your feelings for your true mate never go away. They will still be slightly stronger than the ones for the person you are mated to. It is nearly impossible to fight them off, which is different from your forced or fake mate. At least you can resist them to some degree.

See, a forged bond makes the wolves grow feelings for one another, but in the end, the feelings you have for your true mate trump whatever you are feeling with your forced mate. The only way to avoid this is if your real mate stays away from you.

So far, I had never seen someone's real mate turn up once they were mated to someone else and I was glad for that. There was no telling what would happen if that occurred. It would be painful for everyone.

I was quietly crying about my fate when suddenly my phone rang. My heart beat so fast to the point that it almost made me deaf.

I swallowed hard before picking it up and saw an unregistered number. I tapped the accept button and brought the phone to my right ear.

“Mom, could I talk to Aine alone, please?" A strong voice, that I didn’t recognize from the other line spoke, obviously he was talking with his mom.

“Sure, sweetie. Make sure to impress your future mate,” a sweet voice said and eventually I heard a closing door sound.

“Sorry about that, Aine,” the man said. “By the way, I’m Tygah Holly, your paired mate.”

I was quiet. I don’t know what to say since this bomb dropped before me minutes ago. I’m having a hard time processing everything right now.

"I'm sorry for the sudden news of you having a paired mate."

"It's okay." I smiled even though I had no idea if this would work.

"Uhm, so I’m picking you around on Friday. My pack has already been anticipating your arrival since I told them I had chosen a mate” he stated. "They wanted to know who would be their future Luna."

His words immediately caught my attention and if I wasn't sitting down I'm sure I would have fallen over.

D-did he just say Luna? Future Luna? No way. He couldn't have because that would mean my fate would be sealed. Why? Why did he go to the lengths of choosing me as his Luna when he could choose in his own pack?

"Y-you chose me?" I stuttered.

"Yeah," he admitted proudly.

"But...but why?"

It made no sense for him to choose me. I was nobody and certainly not Luna material. Had he gone mad?

"Because I like you,” he answered. "I've liked you for a long time."

"You have? But I never met you."

“I saw you when I was still a kid and used to come there to play with your future Alpha. Don’t you remember?”

"Sorry. I..uhm I never really know you."

This was definitely new to me. Since when did men ever show interest in me? I'll admit I was surprised. I'm just a nobody and no men have ever tried to look at me in a romantic way. But a man whom I never met or saw? It's too good to be true. would have thought that someone had feelings for me. I thought I was just a wallflower.

"But, don't you want to wait for your true mate?" I asked.

"Aine you know true mates are very rare. But in my case, I was deemed to be mateless. Besides, I'm glad I got to choose my mate,” he stated.

I swallowed the lump in my throat, while trying to think of a way to respond to that. Who didn't want to find their mate?

"I'm flattered you chose me and all but..." I paused, not sure if I should finish that sentence.

"But what?" he asked.

Maybe I shouldn't. What if it angers him? He probably wouldn't like the fact that I was holding out for my true mate. Call me a hopeless romantic but it's true. I was counting on that whole love-at-first-sight feeling.

"You don't want to be with me, do you?" he asked.

Now look what I've done. I've obviously hurt him. I'm such an awful person.

"It's not that it's just..."

How do I put this?

"What if our mates came looking for us one day?" I said.

"Then we would give them up because we would already be mated,” he said.

"But what if we don't want to? What if we are unable to fight off our feelings for them?"

He looked like he was taking my words into consideration but didn't reply. Maybe I've said too much. I knew I should have said something. Me and my big mouth.

"Not for me. I don’t have a mate, remember?” he stated. "I'm not worried about it and neither should you. Just trust me."

As sweet as that was, I just wish I could believe it. I mean if I knew that my mate would never show up then I might have considered his offer but right now I just couldn't. We have true mates for a reason.

"Look, just think about it, ok? Just give this a chance. You never know if something will work until you try it,” he insisted.

“Uhm… I’m sor-”

“Friday at ten in the morning, I’m picking you up. Be ready by then.”

Tygah ended the call right before I was about to reject this mate thing.

I don’t want to be with someone that is a stranger! He’s not my mate! The only thing that was in my mind was to run away.

Aine’s POV.

“Aine? What the hell? Do you know what time it is?” A sleepy voice answered my call.

“Thank goodness, Lind, you answered,” I said.

“What is it? You make it important because you disturb my sleep, girl,” Lindsay said.

“Help me. Help me escape. My father and the Alpha arranged a mate for me. I don’t want him. Please help me.” I begged.

“Oh…” she said, seeming not interested or trying to process what I said. “OHHH! Damn! That’s a messed up plan, Aine. Let me help you! Tell me what you want me to do,” she added when she finally got what I was trying to say.

“Can I stay in your pack temporarily? I mean I’ll leave once I figure out what I am going to do with my life.”

“Okay. Just tell me where I am going to pick you up. I already told you to leave your family and your stupid dad before, right? Now look what he did to you,” Lindsay said, scolding me.

After I gave her the right address, she was still rumbling words I didn’t want to hear. She hated my father so much for being manipulative.

I hit ignore for the sixth time on my phone since we left early this morning. Father and the Alpha obviously weren't getting the message that I didn’t want to talk to them right now.

Lindsay fetched me up after I successfully dodged all the warriors patrolling our perimeter. And now we were traveling back to her pack.

Again my phone rang making the seventh time they called me today. God, just give up already! I want to be left alone. I wish I could scream that on my phone.

Lindsay put on her signal and pulled into what looked like a newly built gas station on the side of the road. I don’t know who put a nice gas station like this out here in the middle of nowhere but oh well.

“Just stop for some gas and to stretch our legs, don’t wander off too far though because we are leaving in exactly ten minutes,” she warned.

“I won’t.” I said.

I opened the back door and got out when my phone buzzed again. This time it wasn’t a call, it was a text. I groaned before making the decision to read it.

“Why did you leave? Come back before you regret this, Aine”- Dad.

“Come back. Don’t shame me, Aine. I’ll throw your parents out or send my wolves just to find you,”- Alpha Williams.

“Ugh!” I screamed. “I don’t want to talk to you.”

I looked up from my phone long enough to see an elderly couple looking at me disapprovingly. Well if they had a problem with it then they could leave. I had more important things to focus on than what they thought. Like Alpha Williams coming after me for example. But my decision stood up. I’m leaving the pack. Call me selfish but I’m not going to bow down to their order and let me live in regret with a man I never met and not my mate.

“Let’s go, Aine.”

I nodded my head, threw my phone and walked back over to her and got into the passenger seat. I buckled up and leaned back into the seat as we drove off.

“We’re here,” Lindsay announced, stopping the car.

I stared out the window at the amazing house in my view. It was so huge, three times bigger than my pack. It was a mesmerizing view that screamed wealth with the view of a huge arched doorway and large glass windows on the side. There was a little landscaping done in front of the door which added to the beauty of it all.

I unbuckled myself and grabbed my purse before stepping out of the car. I stared at the house in awe the whole way up to the door until I couldn’t see it anymore.

“I already told Jeremy to arrange a room for you. I also notified my Alpha that a friend will be staying with us. He will decide if he’ll accept you in the pack,” she said. “But I’ll persuade him to accept you, of course,” Lindsay said, winking. She showed me to my room which happened to be on the top floor of the house. I was ok with that though because the top was always the best. It had the best view.

My room was at the very end of the hall with only one other next to it, while Lindsay and her mate’s house was separated from the pack house. I was glad for it though because I’ll have my privacy.

I opened the door to my room to go in, what I saw wasn’t what I was expecting. There on my bed was a guy and a girl almost having sex. I’m sure if I hadn’t walked in when I did that is exactly what would’ve happened.

“Oh my god.” I screeched, causing the girl to jump off of the guy.

I quickly covered my eyes and began to speak. “I’m so sorry I thought this was my room.”

“Pick this up later?” The girl asked before lightly bumping into me as she left.

“Jeremy? What are you doing?” I was shocked when I saw who the guy was. It’s Jeremy, Lindsay’s brother.

“A-Aine?” He was shocked too.

“Seriously, Jeremy? You’re doing this even during your Mom’s burial?” I heard a voice behind me.

I turned around. What happened then was not anything I was expecting. This was the last thing I thought would happen.

As soon as our eyes locked we both whispered the same word.

“Mate.”

And suddenly, everything falls down to its rightful place.

“Hi, beautiful, what’s your name?” The man snaked his arms around my waist and pulled me closer to him.

“I’m Aine. A-and you are?”

“Oishin. I am your mate and the Alpha here,” he replied, flashing me a smile before capturing my lips with his.

Explosions of tingles met my body. Whispers of sweet nothing echoed all over my body as if it assured me that I was safe with Oishin, my mate. My wolf howled with joy because finally she’s reunited with her pair.

Running away was the best choice I made because if I didn’t, I wouldn’t have met my Oishin, my true mate.