"Damn them!" I scream. I sense my inner wolf and thwart his advances, yet he continually emerges. Jon is just another prick who dared to approach him with that blasted needle. Ophelia has left. I start to crawl into the dirt, letting my wolf come out and my shift take over. I bolt. Behind me, a hundred paws are striking the ground. I experience bursts of fire and anguish, yet everything is consumed by wrath. I awakened to see the light rising over the hills ahead of me. I blearily eye the orange disk. Is it dawning on you? I haven't let my wolf get to me since I was eighteen. "Alpha," croaks Jon's voice. Sticking to his bare, perspiring flesh are the filthy muck and forest debris. His lower face is covered in stubble, with dark circles under his eyes from weariness. He appears just as bad as I do. Ophelia. She's gone from me.
Chapter 1 Luna
Ophelia
The air is simmering with the pungent tang of beer and barbecue. Running around, pups attempt to trap fireflies in jars. The identical game was played not too long ago, as I recall. The teens mix among themselves at the fringes of the crowd, out of sight of the watchful elders crammed into the benches and tables around the grandstand, close to the buffet tables.
Gideon is in the middle, surrounded by adoring pack members who are staring at him with pride in their eyes. They turn toward him, rejoicing in their hero. The TrueBorn Alpha Gideon Black of the Black Fur is the blessing of the Goddess on Earth.
I turn my head to see the puppies, and, as my shoulderblades chafe on the cotton of my dress, I just almost choke back a hiss. I just attempt to stay upright despite the pain I'm in while the rest of the pack celebrates. With my pale complexion and shadows under my eyes, I appear like a corpse wearing a stark white dress as I stand in the grand house's courtyard. I am alone and afraid that everyone is seeing me; I am standing in the middle of everything. Though I know logically that the dress covers up the bruises down my ribcage, I can't help but feel that everyone else is aware of them.
Would anyone be concerned? I take a quick look around. I experience invisibleness. I am by no means invited to join the clique that Gideon is making jokes about with his friends. He does nothing to stop his mistress, Lavinia, from stroking his arm and chest. It's not unfamiliar to feel the searing sensation in my belly with each touch. My heart is hurting too. To him and them, I am nothing more than their silly little Luna.
My wolf has also become tamed, accepting that her partner is an adulterous. Her feelings seeped into mine; the sense of betrayal was almost unbearable. Gideon looks up, undoubtedly looking for me, so I quickly control my emotions. Almost running over the big wolf standing behind me, I spin around to avoid his penetrating look.
"Whoa! "Be careful there," the blonde man says with a smile. "Are you drinking, Luna?" he asks in a lighthearted, playful manner.
I'm grinning broadly. "Hello, Sammy Quinton! You haven't been in my life."
"A minimum of a year! It's nice to see you again, damn. You've been missed.
I have also missed them. My pals are young, inexperienced wolves my age who continue to attend classes. Those wolves, content to live their lives, prowled in the shadows at the fringe of the celebration. Perhaps a few of them are going back to school. I know they would have had prom a month ago. One additional item that I was deprived of.
"I missed you all, too, so much," I respond. I sound so wistful that I almost wince. I hear the warning in my mind, "Ophelia, don't flirt." Avoid inciting him to rage.
"Are you all right, Luna Ophelia?" he asks, his smile fading.
I give a brief nod and try to make a grin. "I'm fine, thank you," I blurt out. With a playful tone, I add, "I'm not drunk, either!" "I'm only eighteen!"
"Old enough!" he smiles back, taunting her. "You were always more mature than us idiots, anyway."
I chuckle in his direction. I lack maturity. Not sufficient. Never quite enough. Insignificant.
He gives me a warm smile. "All right, how about I give you a delicious apple cider? preferred non-alcoholic beverage."
Notwithstanding the alarm bells in my mind, I find myself unwinding at his amiable demeanor. I want to drink. "Yes, I appreciate that. That would be really nice.
He fills one of the blue silo cups as we make our way to the refreshment table.
"Milady," he adds, holding out the cup with pride.
"Thank you, good sir!" I chuckled in return. "Seeing you again has been so pleasant. I appreciate the drink. Thank you." I know I should end this talk now, but this is a valuable moment. I feel nearly normal once more.
"Luna, the pleasure is entirely mine. Enjoy your fantastic evening." His eyes darken as his smile fades.
"Sammy?"
A sheepish look appears on his face as he shrugs. Holding my breath, I hoped he wasn't going to ask me to beg Gideon for a favor. The goddess is aware that I have no power over my partner.
"Oh... It was nice to see you again, Luna. "He stammers a little as he speaks.
"Are you OK?" Worried, I ask him.
"I guess," he shrugs once again. He murmurs, "Have a great night, Luna."
"You too, Sammy."
I wander off, hoping to get away from Gideon before he sees me chatting up another man. I am no longer able to see him. I slip back to the house since Sammy's attitude is making me uncomfortable and my ribs hurt.
With a sigh, I slide onto the bed and gingerly bend slightly to remove my shoes.
"Ophelia." I can feel my blood freeze at his angry voice. My fingers hesitate on the shoe straps. He sounds like he's furious. "You have the whiff of a cheap whore. You smell like that dude all over you," he growls.
I rise unsteadily to my feet and meet his molten gold eyes. "Gideon, I was only talking to..."
"Shut up!" My hair is tangled by a firm hand that pulls at the mass, launching pins throughout the room. He pushes my body onto the floor, sending my head bouncing hard on the wood, and I can't contain my yell of pain. For what seems like an hour but is probably only a few minutes, I see stars and am totally confused. He's already undoing his pants and pulling down my pants when I come.
"A bitch. He growls as he slams into my unprepared body, "You fucking slut." He repeatedly crashes into me, causing me to cry out in agony. His fist hits my aching ribs. "Shut up!"
I press my tongue so firmly that I can taste blood. I'm struggling to breathe after taking another blow to the opposite side of my rib cage. In addition to the existing bruises, the pain is unbearable, to the point where I can feel my head becoming fainter and fainter. With a yell of satisfaction, he climbs off me and finishes, only to turn me over and rip my dress off. I begin pleading as soon as I hear the belt whooshing.
"Please say no! Please, Gideon!" He slaps me across the back while I cry.
Ophelia, you're pathetic. Simply a cheap whore. "My friend," he spits, "the feeble, foolish, awkward Luna from Black Fur. "You are a source of shame! You're a slut; everyone knows that. A foolish, useless whore. Another flick of the belt punctuates each syllable.
The agony intensifies until it finally reaches the wonderful darkness.
The following morning, I was hardly able to move. My back is sticky from the ointment, lying on my stomach in bed. I can feel the delicate cotton underwear's elastic band. He dressed me entirely in it. On the bedside table are two painkillers and a glass of water. Gideon has vanished; he most likely left to sleep with one of his lovers after tidying me up. I am not sure if he is with someone else because I am experiencing pain throughout my body; however, I can feel the occasional twinge in my abdomen.
I hobbled over to the restroom. I take a few pills, hoping they will take effect quickly. I slide into the shower, turn on the water, and let it pound down my injured back and over my head. I can't smell like ointment around all the other wolves, even when it stings like hell. There are too many inquiries.
By the time I finish, I'm whimpering in agony. I try my best to clean my wounds. My back is mostly just bruised, with the exception of one lengthy scratch that is no longer bleeding. I'm almost out of first aid supplies; thank the goddess.
At least I've had time to get dressed and change the bed linens when there's a tap on the door. I yell to whoever is at the door, "I want to be left alone today."
"Luna? If you plan to help clean up after the celebration, Alpha wants to know."
"No."
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