His Scarred Luna

Lyra banged her hands on the steering wheel, cursing her luck. It had to be an omen, a sign that she wasn’t supposed to be here. She was only a quarter mile down the road towards New Dawn when the engine abruptly sputtered and failed. She had been on the road for nearly eight hours without a hiccup but the moment she approached pack lands, the car died. She popped the hood and stared at the engine, as though she was suddenly going to divine basic auto mechanics. When no such knowledge magically appeared, she slammed the hood shut with a groan. She kicked a rock off the road, staring into the trees. If memory served her right, it was fourteen miles down the road into town. It was shorter through the trees, but there was no way she was venturing into the trees. Lyra hadn’t gone into the trees alone since she was a small child. Even after she had gotten her wolf, Juno, she had not gone into the woods more than necessary and never by herself. She absently traced the twisted scar on the left side of her face as she listened to the sounds around her, deciding what to do. She looked back at the car, watching the small twisting plumes of vapor rising from the engine. With a sigh she slammed the hood down, grabbed her backpack from the back seat, and slung her duffel over her shoulder. She gave the tire a solid kick before starting down the road. I could get us there faster, Juno grumbled. We could leave the bags in the car and come back later with your dad to get them. Lyra chose to ignore Juno, as she had been doing for the better part of three years. After Juno almost got caught by a hunter’s trap, Lyra had decided it was too risky to let her out again. Juno had been restless for the first year, but had resigned herself to her fate until Lyra made the decision to return to New Dawn. Now she was constantly jumping in, trying to make demands. Lyra had explained repeatedly that they weren’t staying, that they were only returning long enough to get Donovan and sever ties to the pack before heading to Chicago. But Juno wouldn’t hear it. The idea of being rogues, living among the humans, was more than she could bear. Juno wasn’t dumb and she could see the writing on the wall. If Lyra chose to remain with the humans, especially in a large city like Chicago, there was no chance that Juno was going to be let out to run freely again. The humans posed too many risks for werewolves, which is why they lived in packs away from humans. Most werewolves only interacted with humans when necessary. Lyra was different though. She had been born different, just like Donovan, and reminded of her differences for all her life. The first chance possible, she had left her pack, choosing to study biology as an undergrad at a human university and then attending human medical school. Now she was set to start her residency in Chicago at the end of June. The only thing she needed was to retrieve Donovan as she had promised. Lyra had been walking for about half an hour. It was hot for early May, making her sweat profusely as she tugged on her duffel. She had worked hard to stay in shape over the years of school, but she could tell she was not up to werewolf standards as the strap of her bag continued to dig painfully into her shoulder. A low growl pulled Lyra from her thoughts as she turned sharply towards the trees to her right. She could hear the sound of twigs snapping, but it took a moment for her to register the large tawny wolf moving between the thick trees. Lyra swallowed hard, even though she knew this was just a patrol. “I am Lyra Hart, of the New Dawn pack, daughter of Mary and Lyle Hart.” The growling stopped at her words, the wolf’s hackles lowering as it considered her for a moment. Lyra felt the force of the mindlink as the wolf attempted to communicate, but she hadn’t mindlinked in nearly eight years. She winced as she opened the connection. Lyra?!i boomed a familiar voice in her head. She smiled. How could she not have recognized his wolf, even after all these years? Russ! The wolf before her started to shift, bones snapping and popping loudly as the wolf disappeared and was replaced by Russ Majors, the gamma of New Dawn. His bright red curls fell across his forehead, his blue eyes shining as he smiled. He was taller than she remembered, his whole body covered in freckles. He was thick and more muscular than the last time she saw him, eight years ago when he left for the Werewolf Academy. She had fled to the human university not long after his departure. Russ pulled Lyra tightly against his bare chest. “Russ,” she gasped, “you’re naked!” “Been with humans too long then if you’re letting a bit of nudity bother you.” He released her with a chuckle. Nudity was a part of being a werewolf. Clothes couldn’t be worn when shifting, unless you wanted them shredded. You could try as hard as you wanted, but eventually you were going to see someone naked and someone was going to see you naked. “What are you doing here?” Russ asked, pushing his curly hair out of his eyes. “Lyle and Donovan didn’t mention you were coming. I was just visiting them last night.” Her heart warmed at the thought of Russ still checking in on her father and brother after all this time. “I’ve come to get Donovan. I’ve got a great opportunity waiting for me in Chicago and I want to take him with me, get him away from this pack.” Russ frowned, his forehead wrinkling. “Donovan has always been taken care of here. I’ve made sure of it.” “I know that.” Lyra sighed. “And I appreciate that, Russ. But being taken care of isn’t the same as being accepted. It wears on him, you know. I don’t want him living his whole life as an outcast here.” “Lyra, come on. He’s part of this pack. Just like you.” Lyra looked off into the trees. This wasn’t how she had pictured her reunion with Russ. He would never truly understand that pain she and Donovan had grown up with, always being considered different. But Donovan had it worse. While Lyra could at least pretend her differences weren’t obvious, Donovan could never hide his. “Russ, I don’t want to get into this right now. I’m just trying to get into town.” Russ looked around, as though suddenly remembering they were in the middle of the woods. “Why are you walking out here?” “My car broke down. I had no choice.” He c****d his head to the side. “Why didn’t you shift? Juno can get to town way faster than you.” Exactly! howled Juno. Lyra sighed. “Juno and I aren’t on the best terms.” Russ considered her for a moment, his eyes flicking over her before they glazed over, a clear sign he was mindlinking. After a moment, his eyes refocused. “Megan said she’ll come get you.” He scratched his chin. “What’s going on with your wolf?” Lyra kicked a rock at her feet. “Juno hasn’t done well with the humans. I haven’t been able to shift in a long time.” “How long?” She twisted the strap of her duffel. “About three years.” He let out a low whistle. “That’s not good for a wolf, you know. You could permanently damage her if you don’t let her out.” “I know that.” She shrugged. “But it doesn’t really matter anymore.” Russ tilted his head, concern softening his features. “Doesn’t matter? Lyra, your wolf is a part of you. Juno not shifting for three years… that’s not just dangerous… it’s something that could kill her.” “I haven’t had much choice.” Her voice came out flatter than she meant. “City life doesn’t exactly make room for running through the trees under the moon.” Russ opened his mouth, when Lyra’s eyes landed on his right shoulder, right where the collarbone and neck met. “You have a mate?” she gasped, cutting off whatever he was about to say. Werewolves were lucky in the supernatural world, having been given a fated mate who was said to complete them. When mates bonded, they marked each other on the right shoulder. Russ blinked before running his hand over his mark. “Well, yeah. I met her at the academy.” “Who is she?” He opened his mouth to reply but the faint sound of tires crunching gravel interrupted them. A silver SUV appeared at the bend in the road, slowing as it neared. Megan hopped out the second it stopped, her blond hair pulled back into the same long braid she always wore when they were teenagers. One thing that had changed though… the swell of Megan’s belly. She was clearly pregnant. Obviously she had a mate as well. Megan ran to Lyra, sweeping her into a tight hug. Lyra’s throat tightened, being in the embrace of her best friend. “How could you come back and not tell me?” she squealed. Megan pushed Lyra back, holding onto her shoulders and looking her up and down. “You haven’t changed a bit,” she announced. “I can’t believe you’re really here.” Lyra wanted to tell Megan that she looked the same too, but one thing had clearly changed. Megan’s swollen belly was a dead giveaway to her pregnancy. “It’s good to see you,” Lyra said, hoping her smile reached her eyes. She had not kept in contact with anyone except her dad and Donovan. She had always thought it would make it more difficult to stay away if she kept in touch with anyone else. But she had missed Megan dearly. She and Russ had been the only two people in the pack who had never treated Lyra like she was different. “Why are you out here walking by yourself?” Megan asked. “Car broke down.” Lyra motioned down the road as though the car were just a few feet away. “Why not shift?” Megan wrinkled her nose. “Why walk like a boring human?” Russ snorted. “Well, I am half boring human, am I not?” Megan sighed, rolling her eyes. “Doesn’t mean you have to act like it.” She motioned to the car. “Let’s head into town and let Russ shift back before his d**k gets a sunburn.” Lyra laughed. Goddess, she had missed her best friend.