Chapter 9 #2
“Where are the rest of the children?” I asked over my shoulder, watching the two tiny children practise their handwriting.
They hunched over their desks, concentrating.
As I looked closer, I realised how pale they were.
They were small, sickly children, their limbs looking as breakable as a bird’s wing.
I caught Dinah’s eye. She was watching me closely.
“We don’t have any others that age,” Kat informed me, her eyes telling me she was holding back a whole lot of information there. Mercifully, the tour was over and we stepped back out into the bright spring sunshine. As they said their goodbyes, I noticed a smaller building next to the school.
“What’s that for?”
“Oh, that’s our nursery,” Kat answered, “I can show it to you if you’d like but it’s empty right now.” She looked between Dinah and I.
“We haven’t had a pup born here in almost five years.
We have one pregnant female right now but none of the others have gone into heat for a long time.
” Dinah focused on me as she spoke, working her words into me.
I folded my arms over my chest. They wanted to use me as a breeding machine and she was waving these children in my face to try to make me feel bad for not wanting it.
She made me sick. I tried to squash down my anger but it bubbled up, erupting out of me.
“The guilt trip won’t work. You kidnapped me, threw me in a jail cell and forced me to eat from your creepy son’s hand like a fucking dog. Did you really think I would give a shit about your kids?” I heard Kat gasp but Dinah didn’t flinch.
“I know that you care. You were chosen as a Luna. Whatever else you feel, you are still a Luna. Those children are?—”
“—not my problem,” I finished for her. I might have known her little tour would have an ulterior motive. Still, I willed myself to shut up. Shut up and play nice like I was supposed to but my anger raged on.
“We are all your problem. Do I need to explain what’s happening here?”
“I’m guessing female fertility is somehow linked to the Alpha having a mate or not?” It wasn’t hard to figure out but she looked surprised anyway.
“Yes. A pack will eventually die out without a Luna. The females stop going into heat and the pups grow weaker. Those two you saw would likely have never made it to adulthood. Now that you’ve been found, things should improve, but until the mating is complete?—”
“You’ll be waiting a while, then,” I cut her off again. I didn’t want to think about those children. They weren’t my responsibility.
“Two weeks,” Kat said. “It’s set for two weeks, right?” Her smile faltered as she took in my glower. I guess when Kara said the females weren’t happy about the ceremony she hadn’t meant they would actually try to stop it. I curled my lip at her.
“Yes, it’s in two weeks. Tell me, will you watch when your Alpha rapes me? Or will you turn your backs and pretend it isn’t happening?” The receptionist flinched. I wish I could say I was soft-hearted enough to feel guilty, but I wasn’t.
“Thank you for the tour, Kat.” Dinah had clearly had enough.
They said their goodbyes, but I was already walking away. Thankfully Konnor allowed it, following behind me, my constant shadow. The chain on my wrists was a tangible link binding me to this place, these people. I couldn’t breathe being trapped like this. It wasn’t natural. I needed freedom.
Talking like that in front of Dinah was far from smart but it had felt good to tell them what I really thought of them. I’d regret it later but for now, I’d ride the high of giving them back a little of the hell they were putting me through.
I stopped at the crossroads, unsure where to go next. Dinah caught up to me easily.
“That display back there was beneath you, Iona. Forgive Kat, she’s young. She doesn’t understand why you aren’t happy. Most of the pack don’t.”
“And you do?” I snapped, but as always, she was unmoved.
“Some of us are old enough to have learned that lesson. I’m sorry this upset you.
I wanted you to understand why we can’t let you go.
That this isn’t just about my son. We all need you.
You’re our rainfall after years of drought.
You ensure our survival.” Her deep eyes implored me to understand.
I snorted, turning away from her. Konnor remained silent.
“Come, let's walk for a while.” She turned down a lane, leading us away from the town.
She left me in my thoughts as we walked and I was grateful. I hated so much, was angry so much. I needed to keep a clear head but that was proving far more difficult than I’d thought. I didn’t understand any of this.
Five days ago, I’d been free, independent, a wanderer.
This new world was alien to me and not just because it was full of mythical creatures.
I didn’t understand the family dynamics around me.
The attempts at connection, at bonding, came at me from all sides and I didn’t know how to process them.
Their words warred with their actions. They spoke kindly, as if they cared, but their actions had me jailed, chained, muzzled, and soon…
I couldn’t think about what was going to happen to me soon.
I would be long gone before then. I had to be.
We walked for a while, through a smattering of houses and out into sparse woodland. It had been too long since I’d felt this free. If I imagined hard enough I could pretend the chains weren’t there at all.
“Why me?” I asked, breaking the silence.
“The moon has her reasons. Believe it or not, you do display the correct traits for a Luna. Determination, bravery, an aptitude for violence…” She gave me a toothy grin that had me wondering how violent this picket-fence blond had been in her lifetime.
“No, I mean, why a human? Wouldn’t it make more sense for it to be one of your own, someone who would actually understand and welcome this?” This was one of my biggest questions.
“It would be easier in some ways but a human Luna is a treasured thing.”
“Why?”
“Fresh genes for one. We need that, same as any other species, and we can only get it from human females.” The sun, dappled by trees, flickered over her skin as we walked.
“Human men can’t be mates?” I asked and she shook her head.
“Not that I’ve ever heard of. It’s impossible for a human male to get a were female pregnant.
Though, a male were can impregnate a human female outside of a mate bond which has happened before.
The child might be stronger, faster, have sharper instincts than the average human, but they wouldn’t have the ability to shift. ”
“I see.” I thought about human athletes, like the ones that competed at the Olympics. I wondered how many of them had some wolf blood in their lineage.
Humans could carry wolf blood and have no idea. I wasn’t sure why this information was relevant yet but collecting every piece of knowledge I could about these people seemed the smart thing to do.
“So, why else is a human Luna such a blessing?”
“Well, your fertility is much stronger than ours. In times of difficulty, when our numbers dwindle as ours have, the pattern seems to be that the moon sends the pack a human Luna. Shortly afterward, the females go into heat and there is a birth boom. We think it’s to do with your having a monthly cycle. ”
I cringed at that. This was all so…invasive. I felt violated just being here, having these creatures feeding off my presence like leeches. “This has got to be the weirdest conversation I’ve ever had.”
Konnor chuckled behind me but I didn’t laugh. Neither did Dinah. “I know this is hard. But it’s a good life.”
“Just not one I want.”
“What did you want?”
Suddenly, the woods opened up and I found myself looking out at a breathtaking view. The wide expanse of landscape called to me, my skin hummed to get lost in it.
What did I want?
“Freedom.
The word hung in the air, heavy over my captors and I as we stared out at the glorious landscape. It was so close, yet trapped as I was, it felt a million miles away. I closed my eyes for a moment, trying to find some peace but a strange sound bothered my ears.
“What’s that noise?” At first I thought I was imagining things, but then I heard it again. Shouts and the sound of muscle hitting muscle carried on the wind.
“You can hear that?” Konnor asked. “You have good hearing for a human.”
“I thought you might like to visit the training grounds.” Dinah said as she led us across the clearing.
“Why do I get the feeling you have an ulterior motive for this visit too?”
“She read you, Mom.”
“Of course she did.” She paused, turning to face me. “Tell me, what can you smell?”
“Smell? Am I looking for anything in particular?”
“No, just tell me if you can smell anything.” She tilted her head at me, curious. Deciding to humour her, I inhaled.
“Damp earth, pine trees, the coffee you had with breakfast. The salt and metal of blood and sweat.” I turned back to her. “Why?”
“I just wondered if your sense of smell was as good as your hearing.” She led the way then and I followed her in silence, enjoying being out in the open after days of imprisonment.
The sounds from the training grounds were truly exhilarating. I gasped as they finally came into view. The grounds, a vast open space, seemed to be split into various training groups. I looked from group to group, trying to take it all in.
“You guys fight with weapons?”
“If we have to. Mainly we learn to fight in wolf and skin. Guns are generally frowned upon, they attract too much attention. With our pack under threat, we have to stay prepared.” I could see old worry behind her eyes.
Worry that had been there for so long it had ingrained into her soul.
She’d told me in that jail cell that they had troubles with a rival pack.
The Gulfs who owned the land that the bears lived on.
This rival pack could be the best thing for me or the worst. I would have to play that angle very carefully.