#3 By the Light of the Silver Moon

Marigold

I was pacing back and forth in the bedroom, waiting for Finn to come to bed and attempting to work up the courage to tell him what I needed to tell him. My hands were red from being twisted together with nerves, a path rubbed into the carbet from my bare feet.

I had already gotten a shower and changed into my pajamas; plaid, cotton shorts and a plain, navy blue top. My hair was wet and stringy, hanging loose down my back. I was too anxious to bother with the hair dryer. After what seemed like an eternity of waiting, the bedroom door finally creaked open and revealed my handsome mate.

“Finn.” I sighed in relief at his warm eyes and comforting form.

“Hello love.” He smiled, walking up to me and planting a kiss on my lips.

I didn’t respond, but he didn’t seem to notice. Finn walked through the bathroom to the closest and came back a few minutes later in his night clothes. When I was still pacing the room, he finally seemed to realize something was wrong,

“What’s wrong, baby?” He asked, giving me a strange look. I shook my head, biting my lip,

“I need to tell you something.” I said.

“What is it?” His face was full of concern now.

“Can you sit?” I asked, motioning towards the bed. Finn walked backwards towards the corner of the bed and hesitantly sat down, never taking his eyes off of me.

“Talk to me, baby.” He pleaded, reaching out for my hands. I avoided his touch, too ashamed to even look him in the eyes. I grabbed a chair from the sitting area and pulled it over towards the bed so I was sitting face to face with Finn.

“I need to tell you something,” I repeated,

“And I need to do it from over here.” I eyed his outstretched hands, unable to touch him. He retracted his arms with a frown, saying nothing. I took a deep breath and began my story,

“When I was sixteen I was traded to a pack in rural France and was with them for almost four years. The pack in France had a young Alpha by the name of Julian Pierre. He was only sixteen himself when he became Alpha after the death of his father. My father saw a young boy who he could easily manipulate and control. I was living with a pack in Switzerland at the time, claimed by an older Alpha who didn’t really care about having me around or a deal with my father,

“My father saw a better opportunity with the young Alpha so he brokered his deal with Switzerland and sent me to Alpha Julian. He was eighteen by the time I ended up in his company and mated, but the guy didn’t give a damn about the mate bond or his Luna. She was a prize horse whose job was to look good and make heirs. Alpha Julian was known for taking many mistresses,

“It took about six months before he started looking at me as more than just a servant. It started off as uncomfortable glances and unwanted attention, turning quickly to inappropriate contact,” My voice was trembling, my hands shaking uncontrollably in my lap. I couldn’t look my mate in the eyes, instead I was burning a hole in the floor below my chair,

“On my seventeenth birthday he called me to his office, he said he had a gift for me. Inside a nicely wrapped box was, what he called, my new maid outfit. He forced me to wear it, told me that I owed him and his ranked member for their hospitality and the least I could do was show off what the Moon Goddess gave me. The outfit barely covered anything I had developed since hitting puberty that year.” I could tell that Finn was struggling to keep his reactions under control from the sound of his breathing and the creaking of the bed as he fidgeted,

“It wasn’t long before his Beta, Gamma, and the rest of the Alpha’s slimy friends started noticing me as well. Late one night I was cleaning the Alpha’s office when he came in, black out drunk, with his Beta and Gamma. He cornered me, locking the door and blocking my way out,” I was crying now, the tears splashing off my face and hitting the floor, I felt my stomach turning in knots,

“The three of them took turns. He said I was his favorite and that I should be honored to officially be named the Alpha’s mistress. He had a room prepared for me next to his and that became my job. I serviced him and, on occasion, his Beta, Gamma, and friends. The Luna once said that she was thankful for me because it kept her from having to sleep with the Alpha. She would make sure that my closet was always filled with his favorite outfits to keep him interested,

“I must’ve said no a million times, but it didn’t matter. Eventually I stopped because it only earned me a fresh bruise or broken bone. It was Alpha Julian’s idea for my father to create the bangle, he specified that it should also halt my healing abilities. He designed it as my own personal cage,” I rubbed my wrist where the scare from the golden bangle still burned my skin,

“It went on for three years. Then, one weekend, Alpha Julian had to go out of the country for a meeting and needed to take his Gamma and Beta with him. He left me behind and the Luna in charge. I took the opportunity to throw myself out of a fifth story window, hoping I would die and finally be with my mother. I was so close to death that the guards thought I was dead. They dropped me in the forest near the territory line so it looked like I was killed by an animal trying to run away,

“Luckily, a human found me and took me to the hospital. A couple of days later my father figured out what was going on and sent my brothers to fetch me. He brought me home to use fae magic to heal me, it was the last time I was in the Fae Kingdom. After a few months, I was healed enough to leave. He sent me to Ireland, to Alpha Torrin’s pack, and, well, you know the rest.” I hardly had a voice by the time I finished my tale.

My face was stained with tears and I was so embarrassed it felt like my entire body was on fire. I heard a crack of thunder outside and a flash of lightning, and realized that my mood was causing a dangerous storm. Green glitter shimmered within the raindrops, catching the moonlight. I struggled to calm my emotions, to soothe the storm inside me, but I failed. The rain continued its assault on the bedroom windows.

Suddenly I felt a different set of emotions ravishing me. I recognized it as white hot rage. I broke out into a sweat as the new feelings overwhelmed me. I realized quickly that they weren’t mine. These new emotions belonged to my mate. I finally gathered up enough nerve to look up at Finn.

He was bright red, his hands balled into fists so tight that his knuckles had turned white. His body was shaking as much as mine, but for a different reason. He was glaring at something behind my head, likely trying to focus on something other than his rage. I was so wrapped up in my own emotions, I had no idea how to calm his.

“Finn.” I whispered. The only reaction I got was a small blink of hi pitch black eyes. I knew Hunter was fighting for control.

I twitched in my chair, my desire to heal his pain beginning to override my own. My arm jerked as I thought about reaching out to him. This motion caught his attention and Finn sprang to life. He jumped from the bed and bolted to the balcony.

“Finn!” I cried out, but it was too late. Finn had already jumped the railing and shifted.

I stared at his wolf, wide eyed. It was the first time I had seen Hunter. He was all black and several feet taller than any of the other wolves I had seen. His head rolled back towards the balcony and I saw his gold eyes for a brief moment before he took off towards the woods.

I hit the ground with my knees and buried my head in my hands, sobbing uncontrollably.