The Human In The Wolf Pack
Chapter 20

I couldn’t help it. I started laughing. My mind instantly rejected what he was saying. It sounded insane. I was The Human, Vera. I couldn’t even lead a pack as a Luna as I was, and know he said I would be a queen? It was all too ridiculous and terrifying to accept.

“You’re crazy. You really are insane,” I said, but even to myself, I wasn’t sure if I was talking to myself or him.

It’s ok, Vera. He’ll take care of us. You have much to learn. Terran said soothingly, the voice in my head that I was beginning to think was the beginning of my fast track to insanity.

I ran my fingers through my hair, and for the first time noticed that my shoulder-lengthed locks were now well past my chest. How had it grown so long so fast in just a month when I had always struggled for it to grow even an inch before? My breath quickened as I stared at the brown strands between my fingers, fear engulfing me. What had I gotten myself into?

“Vera, listen to Terran. I’m not here to bring you down a wrong path,” he said.

I eyed him, shocked.

“How do you know about Terran?” I asked, my voice rising an octave.

“She talks to my guide, Gannon.” He replied.

“There’s a lot you need to know still before you’ll be strong enough. Come on, we’ve got to go before your wolves start picking up my smell,” He continued, stepping forward to grasp my arm.

I moved it out of his reach, refusing his touch. I looked at him with suspicion, but I couldn’t reject him fully. He was the only person that could confirm my sanity, and tell me what was going on. At the moment, he was the person who held all the answers I desperately needed.

“What? Go where?”

“We have to leave here. I can’t train you out in the open like this, it’s dangerous. You’re not safe here. Dark beings already lurk in the shadows,” he said, voice stiffening at the end, as his eyes seemed to roam the room for a moment before refocusing on my form.

I looked at him, a bit stunned. Recently, I had been feeling uneasy whenever I was alone. Could he be confirming what I had been feeling as of late?

“Who are you?” I asked, feeling overwhelmed and confused by the stranger in front of me.

He smiled at me, a comforting expression that eased the tension in my heart just a bit. He lifted up his sleeve, showing me a twin mark, of a tiny, white star. I gasped as I looked at him, grabbing his arm as I compared it to my own wrist, to confirm what I was seeing.

“I’m Tristan. I was chosen to be your Guard, and second in command. I’m here to protect and teach you,” he told me.

“I-I can’t go! This is my home now. Rider wouldn’t ever let me leave. I’m a Luna, I have responsibilities to this pack,” I told him, letting go as if his skin burned me.

“Vera,” he said, his tone turning sharp.

I paused, my eyes meeting his reluctantly.

“This is much bigger than one wolf pack. This involves humans, the Gifted, werewolves, everything. If you don’t come with me, millions of people are going to die,” he told me, his voice solemn as this harsh true seemed to echo throughout the room.

I was too stunned to speak for a moment, before his earlier words came back to me.

“The war?” I asked quietly.

He nodded.

“Where will we go?”

“Somewhere no one will find us. We have to hide you.”

Panic struck me heavily. I felt paralyzed. Millions of thought ran through my mind. How could I leave Rider? How could I leave this pack, that had accepted me without question and cared for me as if I was their family? I had finally found a place where I felt I belonged. Imagining having to say goodbye to Rider sent a pain so severe throughout my being, it almost sent me to my knees.

It’s ok, Vera. We have to do this. If we don’t, everything you love will be gone. You have to do what’s best for the others. Your mom, dad, Ripley, Rose, this pack and it’s Alpha. Don’t worry, you will see Rider again. Terran claimed, her voice reassuring. Her words brought me back to the present, and helped me focus on the situation. In all truth, it didn’t seem that I had much of a choice.

I let out a crushed sigh. Tears flooded my eyes so I looked up, blinking. Don’t cry don’t cry don’t cry. I have to be strong. I have to do this.

“How much time can you give me?” I asked Tristan, a new resolve filling me.

Trenton seemed to think for a moment, and his expression seemed to say we didn’t have much time to waste.

“I can give you until tomorrow. We’ll have to leave around 2:00 am.”

I nodded hesitantly, biting my l*p. That left me with less than twelve hours to say goodbye and prepare to leave.

“Ok. Until then.” I agreed, tentatively.

He smiled and placed a hand on my shoulder.

“Thank you, Vera.”

I nodded in response, unenthusiastically.

Then we heard something that made us both tense. Footsteps coming up the front porch.

“Go! There’s a door in the kitchen that leads to the back porch,” I hissed, pushing him in it’s direction.

Tristan took off, moving so fast it was like he was there one minute and gone the next. The front door opened and closed. I wiped underneath my eyes, checking for tears and hurried to fix my ragged appearance.

Rider came around the corner, giving me a tense look. I gave him a small smile and he instantly relaxed, approaching me more confidently. I wrapped my arms around his waist, hugging him firmly to me.

He automatically returned my embrace, his much taller frame curving around mine, making a protective wall that encompassed me. My tense form instantly relaxed into him, a feeling of comfort I could never find anywhere else sank into me.

“I’m sorry. For earlier,” he murmured, his chin resting on the top of my head.

I looked at him confused, then remembered why I had stormed off in the first place. I laughed gently at the craziness that has occurred in the last twenty minutes. Our little disagreement seemed so childish now.

“It’s fine, but you should trust my instincts as well as your’s. A Luna can tell right from wrong,” I told him with a gentle smile.

He nodded slowly, agreeing.

“I will wait to make any sort of treaty with their pack. We’ll investigate them more first, ok?” He asked, his head tilting slightly to see if that agreement worked for me.

I nodded, grinning. Just the thought of leaving him made my heart break. My eyes burned with tears I couldn’t let him see. He had to think that nothing was wrong. This sadness could never be known to my mate. There were so many things I wanted to do with him. We haven’t gone on a date yet, and we still had to finish Supernatural together. All these little things seemed so important now. I wasn’t even sure when I would be able to see him again, but there was one thing that I had to do before I left.

I wrapped my arms around his neck and brought his lips to mine. He seemed stunned for a minute before he relaxed, his arms wrapping around my waist to pull me closer. His lips were soft, and warm, and moved against my own like magic. The sparks I felt every time his skin brushed against mine were going off all over my body, making my knees weak. He felt perfect. Right. And as we pressed together, it felt like we were always meant to be.

Well, I guess we were. We broke apart after a minute and my closed eyes fluttered open to look at him. He wore a gentle expression, before a soft smile curved his lips. I was in awe of the beauty of that moment before he smirked, breaking me from the dreamy state.

“You liked it,” he said confidently, his grey eyes sparkling brightly as he still held me in his arms.

I huffed, avoiding his gaze as I blushed.

“It was ok,” I lied.

“You m****d,” he pointed out, sounding a bit too proud in himself.

I could feel my face turn even more red as I turned to glare at him.

“Shush.”

He laughed before picking me, carrying me in his arms and smiling largely. I could feel my own face light up with him. He looked so… Happy. It was an awe inspiring expression, one that I had never seen before. I plopped my head against his chest.

“You’re a turd,” I whispered.

He laughed again and played with my hair. For the rest of the day, we stayed together. As he worked in his office, I helped alongside him. Then I made cookies, which he adored. And as the sun started to sink, my mood seemed to go with it, but I refused to show that to Rider. Today would be perfect, not one full of tears and sorrow.

I sat in his lap on the couch now, and we were just talking. About life after he returned to his pack when we were kids, how we got here. He twirled strands of my hair around his fingers thoughtfully.

“I’m going to go take a shower,” he finally said, placing me on a different cushion as he stood.

“Wanna join?” He teased playfully with a big grin.

I scoffed but smiled, pushing him towards the bathroom.

“Go wash yourself, stinky,” I joked.

He raised his eyebrow at me but chuckled and walked off. As soon as the water turned on I grabbed a paper and a pencil.

….

I had packed a bag and had hid it under the front porch. Now, Rider and I were cuddling in the bed. I can’t sleep. I know this is the last night I’ll be with him for awhile, but he seemed relaxed, I guess ignorance really was bliss. His breathing had become heavy and slow, and I knew he had fallen into a deep sleep.

The clock on his bedside table flashed bright red numbers that made my b***d turn cold and my heart ache. It was time for me to go. I gently detached myself from his hold and gave him one last sad look. I kissed his cheek gently so as to not wake him and put the note I had prepared on my now vacant pillow.

I slid on my tennis shoes and walked down the stairs, and shut the door softly behind me. When I turned, I quickly spotted Tristan, waiting in the shadows.

“You ready?” He asked gently, his form hidden amongst the darkness of the night.

I nodded and grabbed my bag from under the porch.

“As ready as I’ll ever be,” I answered, my misery already beginning to rear its ugly head as I shouldered the bag.

Then, I followed Trenton into the shadows in hopes to disappear from the rest of the world.