The cursed Moon.

Zion was patrolling his territory for humans again, this time he decided it was safest not to shift. If he happened to chance across Moon, he knew control would be lost, she would not survive him.

He hadn't stopped thinking of her since he spotted her on the grounds. She was unlike any human he had ever seen, not just physically, she was beautiful, of course, but most humans were vicious, cruel.

Moon was different in the way she was with Reign, her smile, there was a softness to her, he wanted to know more about her. He knew that would be impossible, too dangerous for them both. Maybe being mateless had left him drawn to her. Perhaps he had started going mad.

He sniffed the air, he smelt the deer a hundred yards away, a spring in a nearby clearing, but nothing out of the ordinary. Nothing to suggest anyone knew of Moon's whereabouts.

Zion was deep in the thickness of pines when a scent invaded his senses, stopping him in his tracks. Lavender and rain, the way it crept into every inch of him, it was as if it was running through his veins, it was now apart of him. That could only mean one thing, it was the undeniable scent of his mate.

Zion had waited for this moment, for her, for what seemed like an eternity, and now she was close. He needed to find her, to hold her, to bask in the glory of the mate bond.

He picked up his pace, breaking into a sprint, following her aroma. Excitement spurred him on, it was time for him to experience what Atlas had, what his parents once had. His excitement had made him careless, the want was overbearing, until he collided with her. She inturn crashed into him, almost falling back from the impact.

He caught her in his arms effortlessly, the sensation of sparks erupted under his hand that held her upright.

She steadied herself against his chest, her breathing deep, his heart rate increasing under her hands. When she lifted her face to meet his, he knew he was doomed.

It was her, the human, his prisoner, his forbidden fruit, his mate.

Her eyes held his, they were a emerald prison for his own. He longed for this the day before, and now he was completely lost in them. He breathed in slowly, tasting her scent, it was heavenly.

As he studied her features, he realized she was delicate, easy to break, and she was in the thick of the woods alone.

He felt protective instantly, she had been wreckless, she could have been killed, and that thought terrified him.

“What are doing out here alone?” It was a good question. Atlas should know better than to let her roam this far, he was mad at his beta for being so careless.

Moon fumbled over her words, trying to answer him, she was nervous. He made her uneasy, she seemed anxious in his prencense, it was most likely fear.

“You weren't trying to run away, where you?” Another thought that terrified him, losing her terrified him.

“No, I…. I just needed some air.” Her voice was soft, it calmed him, she calmed him. To his suprise his wolf was as content in her presence as he was.

They barely spoke on the journey home. He walked ahead, afraid to be lost in her again. He couldn't, he didn't understand why or what he done to deserve such a cruel fate. The moon goddess had paired him with a human, he couldn't accept the bond, the pack would never accept her as their Luna.

He was conflicted, keeping her close was everything he wanted, to touch her, hold her, but the odds were against that, against him.

Moon been human, mating with a human, it was something as unique as she was. She would never feel it, the bond, he was certain she was afraid of him, and she didn't even know he was the Alpha, he wanted to keep it that way.

Sending her back, to Max, it would break him, Max would break her. She had an innocence to her, she was pure, Max was evil beyond words. Sending her back to that, to him, was like sending a lamb to be slaughtered.

They reached the pack grounds quicker than he would have liked, although they hardly spoke, her aroma was addictive. Zion didn't want to leave her presence.

He was fighting the inevitable, he would live the same fate as his father, a life alone without his mate. Once they were in the saftey of the packgrounds, he braced himself and turned and faced her, it would be the last time he would allow himself to be near her until he could figure her out. He needed to memorize her face.

“Be more careful next time, and just so you know the Alpha isn't all bad.” Zion knew what she thought of him, knew she thought the Alpha to be a beast, and maybe sometimes he was, but she, she calmed that beast.

He wasn't all bad, she needed to know that.

“Thank you.” Her voice was like music to him, after today he was certain he would never hear a song that could compare.

He turned away from her. It was the hardest thing he had to do, forcing his body in the other direction from hers. Zion swallowed a lump and retreated to the pack house, his mind a mess, his heart heavy with grief, grieving at the possibility she would never be his.

••••••

Zion lay on his bed and all he could do was think of her. Was this what the bond was? Your mind constantly consumed by one person for the rest of your days? It was torture. Every fiber of his being wanted to go to her, to be wrapped up in the warmth she radiated, to feel her love. He frowned with the understanding that this is what drove Atlas to never leave Reigns bedside.

He was finally freed from his mind when he heard a loud knocking on the door. He knew the knock well......it was Atlas.

He got up from the bed and walked across the floor, opening the door for him.

Atlas studied Zion with a look of concern. Zion knew he looked terrible, he would never tell why.

Atlas taught him how to put up a wall in his mind so rouges that were gifted couldn't read his thoughts, he had kept it up ever since. To Atlas, he was unreadable.

“Alpha, everything okay?” Atlas knew, even if he could read his mind, he wouldn't need to. It was written all over him, he was conflicted.

“That obvious huh.” Zion was trying to make light of his situation.

“We are like brothers, I don't have to be gifted to know that look. Do you want to talk about it?” Atlas knew he needed to talk about it, whether he would or not, a different story.

The Alpha had never been too open, a mystery too most. Atlas was the only one he confided in, he felt terrible he would have to lie to him.

“I just feel guilt, am I a beast? Yes, but to send that human woman back to Max, I don't know if I can do that. At the sametime, why would any woman marry that man? It speaks to the kind of person she is."

Zion wasnt ready to admit what she was to him, he would have to act indifferent towards his mate, callous even, Any sign of affection and Atlas would know the truth.

Atlas would be kind but the truth was Moon didn't feel the bond, she was human, and once she found out he was the Alpha, she would never give him a chance. He didn't need anyone's pity, he had enough growing up.

“You mean the kind that is forced into it? Traded to Max for more hunters, by her own sister's fiancée no less. I know Max's aura, it's dark, it's sinister. I feel it all the time in Reigns mind. Now tell me, Alpha, would you feel comfortable having a hand in whatever that innocent girl suffers through?” Atlas was on the defense, Zion wasn't mad. He wanted him to protect her, always. If Zion couldn't, then Atlas would.

“She was traded? So, this marriage would be against her will?” The thought of Moon being a currency made him sick.

He couldn't do that to her, he wouldn't do that to that her, she wasn't an item to own or to trade, she was the centre of his universe.

“I have been in the depths of her mind, heard her thoughts. Moon knew it wasn't a choice, he would attack her village if she didn't. She is selfless, protecting those who would not return the favor, and that is the kind of person she is.” Atlas wanted to emphasize that Moon wasn't anything like Max.

Atlas handed Zion the answer to all his questions on a plate. He knew her mind, through him Zion could know her too.

“Well, if she is to stay, it has to be her choice. You will help me come up with a new plan to obtain a peace treaty with the humans, and for the safety of the pack I need to know everything you do about her.” Zion covered his growing curiosity with talk of the saftey of the pack, still hiding his truth.

Atlas spoke for hours, he knew her from the moment he met her. It was like her mind invited him in, wanted him to share her pain. He didn't need to read her, he just knew everything about her in that instant.

Atlas talked about how she was gifted like him, how the village had treated it like it was a curse, how they treated her like she was a curse. They knew she could hear their thoughts, so they directed awful ones at her, taunted her silently. When it came to this subject he knew there were dark spots, things she hid, no matter how much he tried to pry.

He spoke of how she found it ironic that she was drawn to the Moon. How much she yearned to be loved, she was a romantic. Moon was also brave, kind, naïve, she was complex, and the worst of it was she thought very little of herself. The treatment from her people had given her little self esteem, fear and mistrust of others.

All Zion could do was listen, it's all he wanted to do. Every word made him yearn for her even more. He wanted to crush the people who had for so long crushed her. He yearned to give her the love she craved, to tell her what she truly was, his light from the darkest of places, his Moon. Zion cleared his throught, feigning disinterest, in reality he was full of admiration.

“If what you say is true, then she poses no threat to our people. But may I remind you Atlas, she is your responsibility. I need space from her, she does not need to know who I am. If she decides to leave, she could choose to reveal my identity. The humans only know me by name, reputation, not what I look like, I would like to keep it that way.”

It was another diversion from the truth, Zion knew from the small conversation they had that she was afraid of the Alpha. She would never trust him once she knew who he was. He needed her trust, her apporval, just as he needed her.

Atlas was extremely thankful to the Alpha, if only he knew, he had his own selfish reasons for wanting her here. Atlas left briskly, excited to tell the women he cared for the news.

•••••••

The moment Atlas stepped in the door all he wanted to do was hold his mate, inhale her. Being without her was like holding his breath, like she was his oxygen, and he needed her air. He grabbed her swiftly, pulling her tight to him, inhaling deeply.

It was only when his mind relaxed that he felt Moons emotions, too strong to be human, the most powerful feeling of love one could feel.

Atlas couldn't believe it, he knew this feeling all too well.

“Impossible…” He said, staring at Moon, his face one of surprise.

“What is?” Moon asked in fear.

Atlas needed to tell her, she was human she didn't even understand what was happening to her, she thought she imagined it.

Atlas didn't understand it, mate bonds had always been between two wolves. A shifter and a human, it was unheard of.

Every time he tried to reach her mate, see his face from her eyes, all he got was a wall. Walls were built inside the mind, it allowed the being to be undetectable to the gifted. There was no way to see who it was, although Atlas did have an inkling.

“Moon, did you come across anyone on your walk this morning?”

He blanketed her in calm, this made Moon comfortable to speak freely, a tactic he used regularly.

“I did, I am sorry if I got you in trouble. We just ran into each other, literally, he caught me before I fell to the ground.” Moon's answer confirmed what he already knew.

'The collision of sparks' was the orignal name for the mate bond, for this very reason.

“I am not in trouble, Moon, you are not in trouble. Did he give his name?” Atlas hoped to learn something, anything that would lead to his identity.

“No I… didn't get his name. He bought me back from the woods, he didn't want me to get hurt. We didn't really speak much, he seemed mad with me.” Moon was in a daze, another effect of the bond, if separated from your mate in body, then they occupy your mind.

“We will figure it out together, I have just one last question, and its odd. Did you smell anything appealing before this?” He knew by reading her she would tell him the truth. She wanted to know what was happening to her as much as he wanted to know with whom.

“Yes, it was wildflowers, they grow in the meadow outside my village. I thought I may of being homesick.” Moon explained, half out of the room in mind.

“What made you decide you weren't?” Reign chimed in, she realized where this conversation was going, she too intrigued by the impossibility of it.

“Well, I never felt like my village was home. I feel more at home here than I ever did in the village, and besides, the scent was coming from a shifter, the one who I crashed into. It was wonderfully odd.”

“Moon, did you feel anything unusual when he caught you?” Atlas leaned in closer, already knowing her answer. He needed to prepare her for what he had to tell her. If she said it out loud herself first, then it would be easier for her to accept that it was real.

“Like my skin had a storm beneath it in the most pleasing way, complete with a bolt of lightning.” Red flushed to Moons cheeks as she recalled the sensation.

“How......is that even possible Atlas?” Reign asked him in disbelief, the unexplainable happened.

“I have never heard of it before, but yet it has.” Atlas replied to a stunned Reign, while bent over his chair mulling through the realization.

“What happened to me?” Moon asked, she wasn't afraid, she was curious.

“Moon, you mate bonded, the man you met today, he is your mate, and you his.” Atlas needed to explain this clearly.

“Does he know this? Does he know I'm his mate?” Atlas knew why she asked, just like him, she couldn't read whomever it was.

“Yes he does, whatever you feel for him now, he is feeling it too. The higher your ranking is in the pack, the stronger you feel the bond, inturn the stronger your bond is. Atlas been a Beta is why ours is so unbreakable.” Reign knew all about mate bonds, hers had saved her life.

“Moon, if we don't find this person, if he doesn't mark you as his, you will both go insane. It could take years, but if the bond is a strong one, you only have weeks before it will start. Your mind completely consumed, you won't eat, you won't sleep. Can you tell me anything about him, a scar, a mark, anything at all that could lead us to him?” All Atlas needed was one clue.

“We spoke only a little, he did say he had lost his mother, and he tried to reassure me that your Alpha was not all bad.” Moon's answer wasn't much, but it was a start.

More than a few of the shifters had lost their mothers. Their women were targets for hunters when in their wolf forms, their coats thicker, glossy. Many hunters gave the coats to their wives to wear as capes in the winter.

He could not rule anyone out, he had believed Zion wouldn't get close enough to Moon to bond, he was afraid he would kill her; although Atlas knew that Zions behavior had been strange earlier, a issue he wouldnt press him on. If it was infact Zion he would need the time to process, Atlas for the first time ever was uncertain.

“It was the strangest thing, I couldn't read him, it was like walking in the dark.” Moon continued. She didn't seem upset by this, in fact she was fascinated by it.

“I will see what I can do, in the meantime, I have something else to discuss with you. I have been to see the Alpha this morning, we know you are to marry Max. We also know what kind of man he is. You have a choice Moon, you can go back to the village, you can marry Max, or you can stay here. Before you decide let me say this: everyone in your village assumes you ran away. Your sister worries, but even she believes it's for the best, even she knows Max is a monster.” Atlas desperately needed her to stay for her sake. She needed her mate, her mate needed her.

“I want to stay.” Moon answered without hesitation.

Atlas felt the wave of guilt that followed her response. She didn't want to abandon Mena, she loved her, she missed her.

“You are free to leave whenever you want Moon.” Atlas wanted to reassure her if she needed to leave, to see her sister, she could.

“Thank you for everything you have both done for me. I am so grateful, but even if I wanted to go home, I can't. I can't marry Max, after today I belong to someone else, completely. To Max I am lost forever.” Both Reign and Atlas smiled. She was right where she should be. She was home.

“Oh Moon, I am so excited you are staying!” Reign was beyond excited. She overflowed with joy, a joy that wrapped itself around both Atlas and Moon, the house alive with its raptures.

“Well, now that is settled, I have pack duties to attend to. Why don't you lovely ladies go for a walk around the grounds, see what or who you can scent?” Atlas gave them a wink before leaving the house. If her mate was here, on pack territory, she would scent him eventually, they would meet again and Atlas would have the answers he so desperately wanted.