Unique, Different, Found

by Violet Samuels

  I giggle, "Of course!" I reply cheerfully. They all laugh as I stand and start skipping towards them. I laugh with them as they tell me that I'm 'it' for tag. I race after them but I’m actually only jogging to keep up with their pace.

  "You can't catch me!" Rose, the same little girl who asked me to play with them, laughs over her shoulder at me. I increase my speed a bit more and pick her up in my arms, spinning her around. She squeals and the rest of the children, Lily, Jack, Rachel, and George, run towards me, clinging to me in some way. I end up falling to the grass with all of them on top of me. I laugh and they join in.

  I spend the rest of the afternoon just playing around with them, not even remembering Axel, Comrade, or Callum who are still sitting in the veranda. They're just talking quietly amongst themselves, with all of them sneaking glances at me from time to time.

  "Miss Luna, can we play again tomorrow?" Rachel asks and I pick her up.

  "Maybe, we'll see what the alpha wants," I whisper the last part to her and grin evilly. "Hey!" I exclaim and all the children look at me. I motion them over and we all huddle together. "Ok, you see alpha Axel over there?" I ask them and they nod. "Well, we're going to go jump on him."

  I giggle when all the children cheer. I shush them and watch as Axel makes his way over to us from the veranda.

  "Ready?" I ask mischievously. They all nod. This is extra payback for this morning. I love my payback methods. "Go!" I scream when Axel's a few meters away from us. We all launch ourselves at him, tackling Axel to the ground in a big heap. I laugh at his shocked face, stupid alpha.

  "Sorry, alpha Axel, but Miss Luna told us to jump at you." Jack giggles and Axel growls playfully at all of them, earning a few squeals.

  "Ok, guys. Let's get off the alpha. You should probably go inside," I say, making them pout at me.

  "You're it!" Rachael suddenly yells, poking Jack on the shoulder. They all squeal as they run away from Jack and into the house.

  I laugh silently at them as I offer Axel a hand. He gladly takes it and hauls himself up, brushing the dirt off himself.

  "Well, that was fun," Axel mutters sarcastically. I roll my eyes at him and make my way back to Callum and Comrade. They both have soft smiles on their faces, causing me to stare at them questioningly.

  "You'll make a great mother one day," Comrade says and I blush and shake my head.

  "He's right. And a fine Luna too," Callum joins the conversation and I blush even harder. An arm wraps around my waist and I look up to see Axel staring at me admiringly. I look down and shrug off his arm, stepping towards the back door.

  "I don't know. I haven't really thought about having children. I never thought I would get the chance," I whisper and race back inside and up to our room. I can hear the heavy footsteps of Axel as he follows close behind.

  Knowing it's useless to shut or lock the door, I just head towards the window and stare out over the forest.

  "We never got to go for a run," I mumble as Axel enters the room.

  He comes up and wraps an arm around my waist, resting his chin on my shoulder. The gesture is nice. It brings warmth to my body.

  "Would you still like to?" he asks, placing a soft kiss on my neck. Images of this morning flash through my head and I blush furiously. Axel chuckles when he sees my change in color. "Thinking about this morning, are we, sweetheart?" he whispers in my ear, nibbling on my ear lobe.

  I turn my head to the side and capture his lips with mine in a soft kiss. The sparks still course through my body, but this kiss is soft and gentle, not filled with lust. I pull away with my eyes close and lips still slightly apart.

  "I'd like that very much," I whisper, deciding to ignore his last question, and within no time, we're back down in the backyard. I wonder where Comrade and Callum go, but I don't ponder on it for long though, just focusing on the forest in front of me that's waiting for me to run into it.

  I strip behind a tree and shift into my pure white wolf while Axel shifts into his midnight black one. I marvel at his beautiful color and slowly trot up to him and nuzzle his neck. He returns the gesture and we just stay like that for a while. It's comforting in a way.

  His size is slightly bigger than mine, and he’s more muscular while I'm sort of skin and bones. I have some muscles, just not a lot.

  I turn my head towards the forest and Axel gets the point. Since I'm not part of the pack yet and Axel hasn't marked me, we can't communicate through the pack link. We'll just have to use head gestures.

  We start off at a small trot, but soon progress into a full sprint. I don't know how long we run, but we soon stop in a clearing that's a bit away from the pack house.

  Axel goes and shifts behind a tree and walks out with just a pair of boxers. He throws a shirt at me on the ground and I scoop it up with my teeth. I go and shift behind a tree as well and pull the overly large shirt on. It reaches just to my knees, which I'm thankful for.

  I’ve always wondered where my old pack got random clothes in the forest, and now, Axel's pack is doing it too. Where do all these clothes come from?

  I step back out and make my way to where Axel is sitting, in the middle of the clearing. He motions me to sit on his lap and I comply. I rest my head on his chest and think over how we've improved our relationship. A few days ago, I would've been hesitant to even come close to him, but now? Well now, I'm willingly sitting on his lap.

  "Are you gonna tell me what you were talking about back there?" Axel softly questions and I sigh. I knew this would come up eventually.

  "Axel, I really don't think-"

  He cuts me off with a small kiss on the lips, original.

  He looks me straight in the eye as he says, "I want to know your background, Celina. I want to know where you came from. I want to know what kind of life you’ve had before here because, frankly, it doesn't seem like a good one. All I want to do is help."

  My breath hitches in my throat. Am I ready to tell him?

  12

  AXEL

  Celina looks at me doubtfully and I smile to encourage her. She seems to be having an internal battle with herself, deciding whether to tell me or not. She eventually sighs and looks me in the eye.

  "You really want to know?" she asks in a strange tone. I nod. At that, she gets off my lap and sits about a meter away from me. My body feels cold without her, but I shake it off.

  "I want to understand what you've been through. You hadn't been a rogue for long when we found you, so, to put it bluntly, I'm curious," I admit and stare at her intently. She gulps and seems to be having another internal battle with herself. Then she comes to a conclusion, straightening herself and begins to speak...

  "When I turned seven, my parents died. I was never told how or why. I was just told by my alpha that they were dead. Well, I guess they were my fake parents, but they still cared for me and loved me. After that day, I cried and cried not believing it. By the time I found myself out of my room, the pack had shown me no sympathy," Celina says as her eyes start to look glassy. I make a move to go to her, but she shakes her head at me, so I stay put.

  "What happened?" I ask softly. I hate seeing her like this, like when we first found her.

  "The pack has never liked me, probably still to this day. When I came out of my room, I expected gazes of sympathy, but that's not what I got. The first bad thing that happened to me was that night. I was making myself dinner, since everyone else already had theirs, when suddenly I was slapped across the face," she continues, fear lurking in her eyes. My body goes rigid at her words and a protective growl escapes my chest. No one, and I mean no one, touches my mate.

  "Who slapped you?" I growl out. I'll kill the bastard who's done this to her.

  "My Alpha," she whispers and my wolf howls in pain inside me while I stare at her in shock, her Alpha? “He told me that nobody wanted me and that I was to become the pack slave and do as everyone says. Of course, he was a lot older and bigger than me at the time, so I had no choice but to obey. It also didn't help that he us
ed his alpha voice."

  Another growl escapes me and my breathing becomes labored. I'll kill him.

  "Since then, I cooked, sew, cleaned, and pretty much did everything a mother would do for her children, but 30 times worse. On top of that, I was repeatedly beaten, thrown down stairs, slapped, and hit. I was rewarded with light beatings when I did a good job, but was almost beaten to death when I didn't do something I was told to do or I did something wrong. That happened to me three times in my life. It seemed that no matter what I did, I would be beaten," she whispers again. I don't think she can speak any louder.

  She stops to take a breath and regain her control. Tears fall from her eyes and she gently wipes them away. I hate seeing her so broken and vulnerable.

  "On top of that, I wasn't allowed to leave the pack house. Meaning, I couldn't shift or even go to school. I haven't been to school since I was seven, Axel," she explains, as tears continuously escape from her eyes.

  "You don't have to keep going if you don't want to," I tell her gently as I subtly move closer to her.

  "No, no, you have to hear this," she mutters and her eyes suddenly become distant. I stare at her in alarm, thinking she's gonna faint or something, but she continues on.

  "Back then, I hadn't shifted since I hadn't turned 16 yet. Before my parents died, they told me not to show anyone else my wolf because I was special and unique... Different, that's what I thought of myself. The pack constantly teased me about how I couldn't shift when I turned 16. Little did they know that my alpha, who has then taken over his Dad, had told me I'm worthless, waste of space and that I should go kill myself. I did try a few times, but I never had the guts to do it. I always thought that out of everything that's happened to me, something good must come out of it eventually, and look where I am now. I have you, Comrade, Callum, and a pack who loves me, even those who haven’t met me yet. What more could I ask for?"

  Silent tears fall down her cheeks and I wrap her in my arms. "Shh, sweetheart, shh. It's ok now. I have you and nothing's gonna take you away," I coo in her ear and she just breaks down in my arms.

  She burst out crying, shaking uncontrollably, and keeps whispering about the things they did to her. I don't believe my little mate, my innocent little mate, had to go through all those things alone. She didn't have anyone there for her, not even her alpha supported her.

  A growl erupts from my throat once again when I think of the horrible people that did this to her. I'll kill them, especially that alpha. I'll kill him slowly and make him pay for what he did to Celina. He doesn't deserve to live.

  "Celina?" I whisper when she settles down a bit. She lifts her head from my chest and looks at me through wet eyelashes and glassy eyes. It breaks my heart to see her like this. She shouldn't even be thinking about half the things she just said.

  "Who did that to you? Can you tell me the pack name?" I ask softly and Celina shakes her head, choking on another sob.

  "I can't tell you," she chokes out. I look at her with pleading eyes, but she doesn't break. This is their fault. That pack has made my mate broken and vulnerable.

  "You'll hunt them down and kill them. I can't handle that, knowing that you might not come back and the people who I haven't met yet may never return. Think about those who will lose their mates and children. I can't handle that," she whispers and breaks down crying again.

  "Shh, sweetheart, it's ok. I understand," I tell her as I rub her back soothingly. She's showing such consideration and love for our pack, I just know she's gonna be a wonderful Luna.

  "If it helps, you can meet the pack soon," I offer and she seems to brighten up a bit at that. She lifts her head up and stares at me with hopeful eyes, a few more tears escaping.

  "Really?" she asks quietly and I nod. Whatever makes her happy, makes me happy. I'll do anything for this girl, no matter what it takes.

  "Thank you," she whispers then soon falls asleep in my arms. All of that crying must've worn her out.

  I gently pick her up, bridal style, and she instinctively cuddles closer to me, even in her sleep. She buries her head in my chest and sniffles quietly. I smile down at her peaceful, tear-stained face and sigh. She didn't deserve to go through that.

  I wonder what pack it is... It seems like the pack depended on Celina a lot and won't survive without her. A thought strikes me. Maybe it's alpha Damon's pack. I mean, when he lost the pack 'slave,' I gained a Luna. He didn't let out anything though. He only said that the abilities of a Luna should be shared by the pack women.

  I set Celina on the bed in our room and tuck her under the covers. I push some hair off her face and kiss her cheek.

  "Sweet dreams, sweetheart," I mumble and close the door silently.

  I head to the kitchen to get coffee. All this new information about Celina is making my brain work to the extreme. Walking into the kitchen, I see Comrade sitting on a bar stool near the bench.

  "Alpha," he says respectfully, while I roll my eyes. Celina will probably go off on him for calling me that, and go off on me for letting him call me that.

  "Call me Axel, for both our sakes." I chuckle as the image of Celina going on a rampage runs through my head. She probably won't, but I’ll rather choose a rampage instead of a silent treatment. That is pure torture and probably my punishment for earlier this morning.

  "Ok, then, Axel," Comrade says, testing my name on his tongue. I make myself coffee and sit on one of the bar stools that face the kitchen counters.

  "Where's Celina?" he asks and I growl.

  "Why do you want to know?" I retort menacingly. Comrade just shrugs. "If you must know, she's asleep in our room."

  I emphasize the word 'our' to him so he doesn't get any ideas.

  I've always thought that Comrade had a thing for Celina. I mean, he's the one that got her to change back and actually came and talked to me.

  "Those little kiddies tire her out, huh?" Comrade laughs and I crack a smile. Ever since Comrade joined the pack, I thought of him as someone I’d babysit, but he will not touch my mate or else...

  "Yeah, they sure know how to play," I mutter, remembering when they all tackled me. We both share a chuckle before Comrade gets a soft smile on his face.

  "What are you smiling about, pup?" I tease and he growls lowly. I smirk. He can't do anything to me. It always riles people up when I call them pups. It's like an insult to any males of our kind.

  He shakes his head and answers my question. "I was just thinking about how Celina will really be a great mother. She has a way with kids," he says honestly and I stare at him. I can just imagine little Celinas running around. I will make sure boys won't even look at my little angels, though.

  "Yeah, I guess she will be," I say distractingly. I've never really thought about it until today. When they mentioned it in the backyard, I thought that Celina wouldn't want kids for a long time. "I don't think we'll be having pups for a while though," I admit to him and he nods his head understandably. Celina's still young. I don't think she wants to deal with a newborn.

  Our little heart-to-heart talk is interrupted by Callum sauntering in.

  "Hey, man. What's up?" he asks in a horrible gangster impression. I roll my eyes at him while Comrade chuckles.

  "The sky, dumbass," I tell him and he puts his hand to his chest faking hurt. Sometimes I forget that we're twenty and no longer in our teens.

  "That hurt, man," he says and his bottom lip trembles. I roll my eyes again and finish my coffee.

  "Whatever you say, Callum, whatever you say," I chuckle and slap his back. He doubles over laughing and Comrade soon joins in. After their little laughing fit, we all head to sit on the couch.

  "So, what are you going to do about that pack in 'distress'?" Callum asks, putting air quotes on the word distress. I shrug and Comrade looks confused.

  "What pack in distress?" he asks and I motion for Callum to explain. I can't be bothered.

  "A pack called in a few days ago asking if we could help them get back on track and before you ask, no. Not fin
ancially. They seem to have lost a pack member that did all the 'chores' for them and now their pack house is a mess and most of them are starving because none of them can cook," Callum wraps up in a neat package and I nod my head in agreement.

  Comrade seems shocked for a moment before a grin breaks out on his face.

  "Lazy bastards," he says and we all have a laugh about it. Sometimes I forget that Comrade is only 16.

  Callum suddenly grips a hand to his chest.

  "Hey, you all right?" I ask as he goes into a coughing fit. "Callum, hey!" I push, trying to get his attention. Before I can register, Comrade clutches his wrist in pain and cries out. "What the hell!" I yell at them. Both their eyes widen as they look at each other.

  They bolt up, ignoring their coughing and pain, and go upstairs to my room. I race after them into my room to find them trying to wake a stirring Celina.

  "Celina! Wake up, woman!" Callum yells at her as he groans in pain, now also gripping his wrist. What the...

  Celina tosses and turns in her sleep. She's trying to wake up, but can't.

  "Celina!" Callum screams and she wakes up with an ear-piercing scream. I block my ears to keep my eardrums from bursting. Comrade and Callum relax as their pain ceased and they drop to the floor next to the bed, resting their heads on the side of it. I race over to them, taking a shaking Celina in my arms.

  "What the hell was that?" I boom at them. Celina pulls back but stays cuddled in my arms.

  "I-I had a dream about my old p-pack," she stutters and I growl, telling her not to explain anymore.

  "What were those pains though?" I ask Callum and Comrade. They both shrug and rest against the bed, looking like their energy was drained out of them.

  "What pains?" Celina asks with worry. I smile at her. I can't believe she could still worry about others when she just had a nightmare about her old pack that did unimaginable things to her.

  "Huh? Oh, we just went into coughing fits and our wrists suddenly felt broken. No biggy," Comrade shrugs and lays his head back on the side of the bed, acting like everything is cool.