Alpha’s Betrayal
Chapter 13

Luna

Claw Mansion

Woodward County, Oklahoma

My consciousness hovered near the surface for a moment, as if I was just beneath a lake's waterline. I'm floating. The thought didn't make any sense, but I couldn't explain the feeling otherwise. I couldn't even convince my eyelids to open, much less get my limbs to move - but I was moving. Just not under my own power. Floating was the only way I could explain it.

A tiny sigh escaped me, exhaustion creeping back in like tiny black tendrils. Unable to figure out what was going on, I gave in to the warm, rushing feeling, and let myself sink back down into the quiet of my unconscious.

I stood in front of the mirror, running my fingers up and down the straps of my brand-new overalls. It probably wasn't what most twelve-year-old girls requested for their birthday, but I loved them. In truth, I really wanted to look like Rosie the Riveter, but Mom had said that one-piece coveralls were harder to come by, and maybe not so hard-wearing. She'd promised if I showed I could take care of work clothing, maybe I could have an outfit like Rosie's when I turned thirteen.

It sounded a fair deal to me. I knew Mom didn't expect me to keep my clothing spotless; we were working in a garage, after all. Most of her work clothes were marked with oil stains and stitches in several different colors...but that was the point. She didn't throw something out just because it looked less than new. Even if something couldn't serve its original function anymore, she found a way to give an item a second life. Maybe even a third.

She felt that way about everything. I glanced over at my nightstand, grinning at the old-school alarm clock and the custom light. It was a bizarre-looking thing, made of gears and rods rescued from vehicles that hadn't had any more life left in them. I loved it. She'd given it to me for Christmas when I was ten, and I was dying to learn how to make one to give her in return.

Glancing back in the mirror, I straightened my overalls again, beaming at my reflection. I didn't look like a kid today - I didn't feel like a kid. And that was important, because Mom had gotten an abandoned Beetle, and she had promised she was going to show me how to fix each and every inch of that thing. When it was done, it was going to be mine. Today, we started with the engine. I couldn't remember the last time I had been this excited.

"Luna!" my mother called from down the hall of our little ranch-style home. "Come out here and eat your breakfast!"

"Coming!" I yelled back, still lingering in front of my reflection. I grinned and the girl - no, the young woman, that's what my mom would say - grinned right back. Rolling back one of my tee-shirt sleeves, I reenacted the Rosie pose. "Your Eggos are getting cold!"

I turned on my heel, immediately forgetting my flexing in the name of blueberry waffles. "I said I'm coming!" I squealed, socks sliding as I darted down the narrow hallway.

Mom left me to finish my waffles and wash my dish in the sink while she got herself together. I barely tasted my breakfast as I wolfed it down, barely making sure I had remembered to put soap on the sponge and rinse all the suds off before I grabbed my gloves on the table and went tearing out the front door.

My mother was out front, lifting the door to the garage. Her light brown hair shone in the sun, tied up in a wavy ponytail. She was wearing denim overalls today, too, and the thought made me giggle, almost tripping over my own feet as I dashed across our gravel driveway. I wrapped my arms around her middle, squeezing her close. Mom laughed gently, bringing her arms down to embrace me once she'd finished putting up the door. "Good morning, Lunaloo," she cooed, leaning down to press a kiss to my hair. "Are you ready for our big day?"

I bobbed my head eagerly, still smooshing my face against my mother's shirt. "Yeah," I said, inhaling deeply. Every wolf smelled a little different, but I had always thought my mother smelled the best of all. She smelled like lilacs on a warm spring morning, the smell of the blossom and the sunshine itself. There was a little underline of motor oil there, too. I wasn't sure if that was her or if it was because she was always working, but it was part of her now. Maybe other wolves thought it was strange, but I loved it. It was so uniquely her.

Mom pulled back, cupping my cheeks in her slender hands. Her eyes sparkled as she stroked her thumbs over my cheekbones. "Oh, Luna. You look wonderful. Do you like your overalls?"

I nodded again and she let me go, still smiling brightly. "Good! I'm glad." She turned and motioned for me to follow her into the small garage. On Mondays during the summer, Mom closed the shop to hang out with me - and run errands or whatever during the school year. The rest of the week, she fixed up cars for local families. It wasn't a terribly big business, but there almost always seemed to be a car on the lift.

Today, though, it was that little blue Beetle, so rusty and faded I almost couldn't tell what color it was supposed to be. I grinned at the sad little machine, unable to keep my excitement off my face. "That's it?" I asked, bouncing on the balls of my feet. "Yep! That's it," Mom said, nodding slightly. The Bug hadn't been lifted up yet, so I scurried over, tracing my fingers over its sides. "Be careful, Luna. It's rusty." I huffed, but I withdrew my hand, circling around to the back. "Can we pop the lid?" I asked.

"Sure thing, hon," my mother replied, opening the front door and leaning inside. A moment later, the deck lid groaned and gave a little jump. She walked back around to slide her gloved fingers underneath, carefully lifting the deck lid and propping it up gently. I leaned over, peering down at the car's innards. Honestly, I had no idea what I was looking at, but that didn't frighten me. As far as I could tell, my mother knew everything that was worth knowing about cars - and if she didn't know, it wasn't worth knowing. "Ready?" I asked eagerly, still bouncing up and down. "What do we need? I can go grab it!" I stepped away to look around her workshop.

"Slow down, eager beaver," my mother laughed, shaking her head. "There's one thing you can never forget, okay? Come here."

I did exactly as I was told, stepping over with wide eyes. "What's that, Mom?" I prompted.

She grinned, her gray eyes sparkling with mischief. Moments later, she grabbed my face again, smearing grease across my cheeks. "Don't forget to have fun!" She laughed.

I shrieked in mock horror, wiping some grease off my cheek to try to smear back on my mother. She knew exactly what I was going to do and was already halfway across the garage. By the time she hit the gravel driveway, there was a beautiful brown wolf in her place. When the neighbors asked why we had such high fences, Mom always said it was to protect her clients' vehicles. It was a good neighborhood, but leaving cars out in the open made people anxious, and she wanted her customers to feel safe. It was a good enough reason for them, and they were happy enough not having to look at whatever they imagined our yard to look like.

It wasn't littered with cars - it was only Mom's truck and now my Beetle. The real reason she had the fence was for this - so we could shift, and no one asked where these big brown dogs were hiding most of the day. I shrieked with joy and shifted to try to keep up. I was nowhere near as graceful as she was, stumbling over my awkward legs and too-big paws; if it was possible, my wolf was somehow even more gangly than I was as a preteen. My mother promised every wolf went through that phase and every wolf grew out of it, but I couldn't wait to be as lithe and beautiful as she was.

We had done several laps around the house when something made my hackles rise. I slowed to a stop, ears tilting forward to try to listen. My mother also halted, tail falling between her legs as she tipped her head. Something didn't feel right.

My suspicion was confirmed when my mom shifted a moment later, waving a hand. "Go back in the house, Lunaloo," she said, eyes glued to the driveway.

I did as I was told - mostly. Shifting back, I ran back up to the house, darting into the open garage. I hung around the door, cringing as I realized I recognized the voices.

Dad and Lynn. I hated when I had to go visit him and his other family, but I wasn't due for a visit any time soon. Why are they here? It sounded like an argument.

"I'm tired of asking, Josephine. Luna should come live with me. She should have a proper, stable family in a proper, stable home."

I could almost hear the scowl in my mother's voice. "There's nothing unstable here, except for the fact that you keep trying to jerk this poor girl around!" she snapped. "If you wanted partial custody, you should have thought of that when you f****d off for the first eight years of her life."

I knew my mother was trying to protect me, but it still made me shiver. I leaned a little closer to the wall, the shadow blanketing me as I try to lean in. I didn't want to go live with my father...and that was the first time I had heard anything about him wanting to spend more than a few nights a year with me. Sometimes when I visited, it felt like his wife didn't even notice I existed.

My father growled. "I want my children under the same roof. How can I protect her when she's out here, in the middle of bumfuck nowhere, and in a rundown mechanic shop, no less? She's being raised like a wild animal. This is not how I want my children to be raised."

"Besides," Lynn said, always inserting her opinion. "She has two younger sisters she could play with. They would love to have an older sister!" I peered around the garage again. Lynn was rubbing her extended stomach. She was so round, I was amazed she could even walk around. The last time I had visited, they'd told me they were expecting another pup, but it seemed like Lynn had expanded like a balloon. "And soon, she'll have younger brothers, too."

Brothers? My brain stalled out for a moment as I tried to figure out what she meant.

"She'll never be lonely! It's only right that all the Highborn wolves be together."

What? I wasn't lonely now! Something cold started to pool in my belly. I curled my hands up, my fingernails digging into the meat of my palms.

This time, my mother really did growl. The sound made my hair stand up on end. "When I want your opinion on how to raise my daughter, Lynn, I'll ask for it."

"Don't speak to my mate like that!"

"Then don't bring your mate to my home trying to tell me how to raise my daughter," my mother snapped. I felt like cheering. She was amazing. I couldn't see her face from where I was standing, but I could imagine the fierce look. I would never mess with a woman like her. "Luna is as much Ulfric as she is Highborn - more than, likely. I am her legal and only - guardian, so stop asking me. Now, get the hell off my property before I call the police."

I heard the crunch of gravel as the adults moved. Lynn spoke next, the false cheer dropped from her tone. "You should hold your tongue, Josephine. Who are you, really? If you don't watch it, we could get you banished from this pack, and you won't have a choice." My mother turned, facing my father. "Is this really what it's come to, Arden? You come here with threats to take my daughter away? You're the reason I'm even here! I moved from the pack that I loved for you. I left my friends and my family for us. For you. You and your promises. And then when I needed you? When she needed you? You abandoned us."

The sound of flesh hitting flesh made me jump. I hadn't realized I'd been creeping forward, out of the garage and only a few feet away. The sight of Lynn striking my mother across the face made me gasp; all three adults turned to look at me.

Caught, I raced forward to wrap my arms around my mother. I could feel the anger rolling off her in waves, even as her features were starting to soften. Tears were already welling up in my eyes, making them sting and prickle. I sniffed, afraid to look up at my father. "I don't want to leave," I said softly. "I want to stay here. I like it here."

Tears started to roll down my cheeks and my mother's expression morphed again. She scowled at my father. "Look what you've done. Get the hell off my property, Arden, and don't come back unless you're invited. Luna is not going to live with you, and there is nothing on this good green earth that will change my mind as long as I'm living."

My father sneered and started to turn away, heading back to his shiny black car.

"Thank you," I whispered to my mother.

"Luna," she said.

"Yeah?"

Luna. Luna. Luna.

I blinked slowly, my eyelids feeling leaden. Where am I? I opened my mouth to try to ask, but my throat was so thick, I couldn't make a noise. My tongue felt useless. A redhead was staring down at me, lips moving.

"Luna?"

Who is she?

I had no idea who she was or where I was. It didn't seem that pressing, though. My eyelids fluttered, and I exhaled; why fight the urge to close my eyes? It didn't seem worth it...so I didn't. I let them close, and let the darkness overtake me once more. "Luna!"