The Alpha's Mate

Chapter 31

"Luna? Luna!" Distant voices echo through the thick branches of the tall trees.

I lie still, feeling the earth, not fully realising that my pack is searching for me.

'Beth? Beth please where are you? Are you hurt? Please tell me where you are,' Xavier's worried voice clatters around in my mind. I try to focus on the sound of his voice but all I seem to be able to do is look at the stars.

"Oh my goddess, Luna!" A young teenage voice shouts, "Alpha! Get the Alpha! The Luna is here!"

The pounding of footsteps give me back my focus and I gently sit up, not bothering to wipe the dirt from my arms or my back.

My bones ache, they hurt even more than they did when I went through my first shift, but the pain is at least bearable now. Being so dazed and out of focus I didn't realise all my bones slowly twisted back into place.

A light but unpleasant breeze brushed past my arms, wrapping itself around my body like a snake.

I shift my gaze over to the worried teenager, who is biting her lip and staring at me like I might collapse at any second.

I brush a stand of matted hair away from my face, "don't worry Mina, I'm alright."

All those days and nights learning almost everyone's name came in handy.

Soon enough I feel the pain evaporate as I sense my mate sprinting towards me like his life depended on it, followed by almost every member of our pack who could shift.

I stand up and finally brush away the dirt just before I'm firmly grabbed by Xavier and crushed against his chest, his arms tightly wrapped around me, as if I might float away.

"I'm fine Xavier." My voice coming out sharper than I intended, the words causing me to wince as they fall from my mouth.

"You- you disappeared, and the scream, that was the most pained scream I've ever heard in my entire life, I almost fainted out of fear. You scared me so much. I thought you were dying," Xavier splutters out, hugging me tighter and biting his lip harshly, trying not to cry.

So did I.

"Xavier I'm fine." I turn around in his arms to face the pack, "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry for causing you all so much worry."

A guard, who I recognise as Jeremiah, steps out from the crowd, keeping his eyes trained on the ground, "Luna, what happened? Were you attacked?"

I blink in surprise especially since he was one of the guards who wants me overthrown. Not wanting them to think even less of me for being unable to shift I simply say, "no I wasn't attacked."

He steps forward as I step back thinking he was going to come up to me but he walks right past and kneels down to the spot where I was lying in moments ago.

He brushes his hand across the messy ground, a look of concentration painted on his face.

He stands up abruptly, coming to a realisation.

Xavier's expression turns completely serious, "Jeremiah, what is it?"

He turns to look at us, his face so pale that it's almost as white as a sheet of paper, "she experienced the subcinctus hominum." (Translation- human shift)

Half of the pack members gasp, all being high ranking members, leaving the rest, including me, extremely confused.

"The what now?" I ask, stressed out about the fact Xavier was staring at me as if I'd been hit by a train...multiple times and still survived.