Becoming Luna

Chapter 3

"Where the hell have you been?" Alpha Damien's voice thundered in my ears, a storm of anger swirling around us. His hands, a vise around my neck, squeezed the air from my lungs, a relentless grip that tightened with every futile attempt to break free. Lexie's desperate cries echoed, a haunting melody of fear.

"Alpha, please stop!" Lexie's voice trembled, a fragile note in the discord of the room.

I struggled to free myself, my feeble attempts met with an ironclad resistance. "Please, stop," I managed to slur out, the words stumbling over the oppressive weight on my chest. Fuzzy vision and a numb body signaled the encroaching darkness.

Just before consciousness slipped away, he released me. The impact of my head hitting the ground reverberated, a painful groan escaping my lips. Exhaustion claimed me, pulling me into its depths.

When awareness clawed back, numbness enveloped me. A faint beeping resonated from my right, and a tug on my arm restrained any movement. Crusty eyes peeled open to a blinding white light, prompting an immediate retreat.

"Amara, I see that you're awake. How do you feel?" A deep voice reverberated, a distant echo in the stark room.

"Lights. Too bright." My head threatened to explode. The flick of a switch mercifully plunged the room into darkness.

"What happened? Where am I?" Memories resurfaced—Lexie, a pond, the pack house. Alpha Damien's hands tightening around my neck.

"You're at the pack hospital. Your friend brought you in last night."

"When can I leave?"

"Today if you want. You have a mild concussion, so I'm going to prescribe you some medicine to ease the pain."Lights flicked back on, momentarily blinding me. My vision adjusted to reveal an older man with pepper hair, a sincere apology in his smile. 

"Sorry," he said.

The IV was soon removed, and relief washed over me. "I just informed Alpha Damien that you are ready to leave, and he said that he will send someone to bring you back to the pack house." I sighed in relief, glad I the alpha himself wasn't coming.

"Your mate, isn't he?" I nodded, and the man frowned.

"You will be good for him," he said, hopeful but uncertain.

I didn't have to reply because Beta Blake entered the room. "I'm here to take her back."

"Thank you...."

 
"Mark. And you are very welcome, Luna." 

Ew. I hate when people are so formal, especially to me. "Please, don't say that."

He shrugged and rolled a wheelchair over to my bed. I swung my feet over the side of the bed, and he helped me into it. He rolled me out the door and down a long hallway. When we go to the lobby, Blake took the wheelchair from Mark. "Goodbye Luna." He nodded at Blake before walking away.

Blake wheeled me out the door, and I could already see the pack house down the road.  "I'm sorry about what happened. He gets really angry sometimes."

"Please don't talk to me," I replied, shutting him out. His sigh lingered. 

"Look, I get that you don't like it here, but please know that I was only following my Alpha's orders. I'm not the bad guy."

"I know," I conceded, bitterness coloring my words. "It's not your fault your Alpha is a dick."

At that, he let out a loud laugh. "I like you, Mara," he admitted and I found myself relaxing slightly, his actions breaking through my defenses.

After a couple minutes we reached the pack house. Blake rolled me in, moving us smoothly through the hallway before stopping besides the large couch in the main room. "I would bring you upstairs, but I doubt you want to go sit in his room right now."

"Hell no." I got out of the wheelchair and sat on the soft couch, grabbing the remote.

"We'll, I'll leave you to it then. Have fun." Black said as he turned and began to leave. 

"Wait! Where are you going? You can't just leave me here!" He opened the door a little before turning to me and waved. 

"Bye Mara." He shut the door, leaving me all alone.

TV seemed too much so I tossed the remote back onto the cushions beside me. I could feel a headache starting behind my eyes and my body felt weak with exhaustion. The thought of Alpha Damien's room crossed my mind briefly before being discarded. A spare room would suffice.

Ditching the couch, I navigated the stairs, searching for an open room. Every room seemed to be occupied, and after reaching the end of the first hallway, fatigue settled in. Seems the only option is going to have to be a reluctant visit to my mate's room.

Using my memory, I walked back down the hall and climbed a couple flights of stairs to reach the top floor where his room is. I noticed that his scent lingered faintly when I reached his door, a beautiful sign of his absence. I slowly slipped into his room, sparing no time to sink into his bed, the blankets cocooning me as sleep began to pull me under.