The Runaway Luna (Book One)

Once it’s confirmed that whoever was watching from the woods has disappeared into thin air, I am immediately placed on lockdown by Alpha Xavier.

“Wait a second. I can-” I start to argue, but the pleading look in Ben’s eyes stops me.

The sheer panic and anxiety he is feeling hits me like a train. He reaches out for me, silently asking me to come with him.

Sighing, I grab his hand as he guides me back to my house, where we both are guarded by several fighters. Ben paces nervously between the front and back doors, occasionally walking outside to check the property or to get a report.

This leaves me in a room full of on edge werewolves. Eventually I get tired of the suffocating atmosphere and the dozens of eyes on me at all times. I excuse myself and head up to my room.

I lay in the center of my bed with a huff and stare at the ceiling. Wrapping my arms around my midsection, I try to will away the nausea.

Leah tilts her head at me, “Are you okay?”

“No. I’m uneasy. Whoever this was got too close. What happens the next time we get caught alone?” I ask.

She sighs, “I know, but we will be ready. We can defend ourselves.”

“Leah, these people won’t make the same mistake twice. They know how we fight. They will come with new plans and tactics, and they will try to take us again,” I groan, closing my eyes as my stomach rolls.

I feel her move closer to the surface in an attempt to comfort me, “We are going to be okay. They are going to find this bastard before it comes to that.”

“I hope you’re right,” I whisper.

My senses heighten, and I smell him before I hear his knock.

“Come in,” I call out.

The door slowly creaks open and shuts. I listen to Ben quietly approach before he sits next to me on the bed. His hand lightly rests on top of my arm as he speaks, “Not feeling well, sweetheart?”

I sigh, “No. My stomach is in knots.”

His thumb rubs against my skin trying to soothe me, “That’s what I thought. I could feel your anxiety as if it was my own. I’m sure mine isn’t helping.”

“This stupid mate bond,” I say jokingly.

He chuckles, “Always a pain in the ass.”

I crack a smile and slowly open my eyes to meet his emerald ones, “Sounds like someone I know.”

“Hey. Don’t talk about my sister like that,” he scoffs with a grin on his face. I let out a laugh, the nausea releasing a little.

His eyes brighten at the sound, “I could listen to you laugh all day.”

My face flushes as I look away. Damn this man and his honeyed words.

“Are you always going to be this shy?” He teases as he grabs one of my hands and intertwines our fingers.

“Shush,” I grumble with a slight pout.

He brings my hand to his mouth and starts covering it with kisses, “I’m going to keep you safe, Annie. I will always be here, by your side.”

I sigh, “You can’t stand on guard with me all day every day. You have your duties.”

“Duties be damned,” he growls.

“Ben-“ I start to fuss.

“I don’t want to hear it, Annabeth. Dad’s already told me he and the Betas will pick up the slack so I can stay with you,” he interrupts with a huff.

We stare at each other for a moment before I relent, “I’m not going to win this one, am I?”

He smirks, “Not this time, darling.”

I roll my eyes and shift over, making extra room on the bed. He looks at me in confusion.

I sigh, “You’re staying, right? Might as well get comfortable.”

After a minute of him looking at me blankly, I lightly tug on his arm with a chuckle, “Are you going to lay with me or just stare like I have two heads?”

My words seem to snap him out of his daze. Ben doesn’t say anything as he lays beside me, keeping our hands together.

We stay there for a little while, just appreciating each other’s company. Every once in a while, I’ll feel his thumb lightly rub against my skin or he’ll lift my hand to place more kisses.

The way he looks at me melts my insides, communicating his feelings without saying a word. I can tell he wants to say something, but I don’t point it out, knowing he’ll say when he’s ready.

He eventually breaks the silence, “You know the waterfall to the east?”

“Mhmm. I used to go there with Alyssa and Jonathan all the time. I hadn’t been in a while until recently. Leah ran there the night of my birthday,” I reply, thinking back to that night.

“Right. I suppose you may have a negative feeling towards it now,” he sighs.

I shake my head, “No, not at all. In all honesty, I had forgotten how comforting it was. It actually helped a lot.”

“Oh. Well, in that case, would you want to go have a picnic there?” he asks nervously.

The question startles me, but I quickly recover, “Are…are you asking me out?”

He rolls to his side and looks down at me, “I am.”

“You know we are mates, right? I kind of assumed every adventure was a date,” I tease, trying to hide my own nervousness.

His grip tightens as his eyes plead with me, “I have done so much wrong when it comes to you. I want to do this right, to treat you the way I should have all along, the way a Luna deserves. Please, Annie? Will you allow me to take you on a date?”

My heart swells as I look up at him and pull my hand away to cup his cheek. He unconsciously closes his eyes and leans into the touch.

“Yes,” I whisper.

His eyes snap open and the largest smile I have ever seen spreads across his face. His arms wrap around me tight, pulling me close. I instinctively wrap my arms around his neck and giggle as he buries his face into my neck.

“Thank you,” he mumbles against my skin.

I hold him for a few minutes before I start pulling away, “Oh, wait. I probably reek.”

His arms tighten, “You smell wonderful to me.”

“After all that training we did, I highly doubt that,” I chuckle. “By the way, what does my scent smell like to you?”

“Lavender. It’s very heavenly. What do I smell like?” He asks, pulling away slightly to look at me.

“Vanilla and citrus,” I answer with a smile.

He scoffs, “Well that’s not fair! Why do you get to smell two scents?”

I laugh, “I don’t know! It’s just what I smell.”

“I’m going to have to have a word with the Moon Goddess over this transgression,” he jokes.

I shake my head, “You are something else, Mr. Blake.”

“What? I’m the best Alpha in the world and that should earn me more scents, Miss Solomon,” he playfully boasts.

I smirk, “There is the Benjamin I know. I was wondering where he went with his ego the size of Lunar Eclipse.”

He grabs his chest, “Ouch. You wound me. Do you see me bleeding all over the place?”

I let out a laugh and pry myself out of his hold, “So dramatic. Alright, I’m kicking you out now.”

“Wait, why? Where are you going?” he whines.

I stand and turn around with my hands on my hips, “Didn’t I just say I reek? I need a shower.”

His gaze darkens as he sits up, “Oh? Would you like some help?”

My face flushes, “Uh n-no. I can handle it.”

He slowly rises from the bed and approaches me with an unbridled hunger in his eyes, “Are you sure? I can wash every inch of your skin, making sure you are VERY clean.”

“Benjamin!” I fuss, my face turning completely red.

His arms wrap around me, pulling me to his chest as he whispers in my ear, “What? I’m just offering to help take care of my precious mate.”

My body is trembling in his arms as sparks run down my back, “You…are not funny.”

“What’s wrong? Am I getting you all flustered, Annabeth?” he asks, fingers running up and down my spine as he kisses my neck. “You know I would do a REALLY good job. Get all those hard to reach places.”

By the Goddess, I think he is trying to kill me.

Wait. This is payback from the training field, isn’t it?

This little…

I force myself out of his arms and start pushing him towards my door, “You jerk! No, I’m not flustered. Get out.”

He smirks down at me, allowing me to guide him out even though he could easily overpower me, “Oh, I think you are. Your face says it all, darling.”

“Nope. Not even close. More like annoyed,” I lie, pushing him past the threshold.

“You are no fun, sweetheart. But, that’s okay. You’ll be begging for it eventually,” he says, eyes trailing up and down my body.

“Goodbye, Benjamin!” I fuss, slamming the door in his face and locking it.

I listen to him cackle as he makes his way down the stairs, “Your face was priceless, sweetheart. You are too easy to tease. I’ll be waiting for you in the living room.”

“Asshole,” I mutter under my breath as I walk to my bathroom.

“You should have let him help,” Leah practically purrs in my head.

“Absolutely not! I’ve literally been home one day. I’m not caving in to him that easily,” I fuss.

She snickers but doesn’t say any more. I quickly shower and make my way back downstairs.

Ben smirks as soon as he sees me. I ignore him at first, making conversation and handing out coffees to everyone. He doesn’t say anything, but I can tell he’s getting agitated as time passes.

Good.

Meanwhile, the Alpha rushes to bolster boundary defenses. The remaining forces search the territory inch by inch, but nothing is found.

I’m finally told I am allowed to leave the house as long as I have someone with me, which nine times out of ten will be Ben.

“Alright, everyone. Things have settled for now. Please return to your posts,” Ben orders after a brief mind-link from his father.

The fighters file out, so I make my way to the kitchen to start tidying up. Standing at the sink, I begin washing the dozens of coffee cups lining the counter. I don’t want Mom to have to come back to a mess.

After a few minutes, I realize there’s eyes on me. I look over my shoulder to see Ben leaned up against the doorframe, arms crossed, and staring at me. It brings me back to that night I stayed at his house.

I give him a small smile, “I thought I told you to quit staring at me like a stalker.”

He smiles with a shrug, “I can’t help it.”

“And why is that?” I question.

He holds my gaze and doesn’t say anything. When I raise an eyebrow in question, he silently moves and walks towards me.

My heart races faster the closer he gets. He stops directly behind me, gently removing the cup out of my hands and placing it in the sink.

Before I can fuss, his hands grab my hips and turn me around. Grabbing behind my thighs, he effortlessly lifts me up and sets me on the counter, causing me to squeak in surprise.

My face blushes as he steps in between my legs, brushing some of my hair out of my face. I want to ask him what he was doing, but my brain is fuzzy and no sentence will form.

His eyes scan over my face as if he is memorizing every detail, before they eventually land and linger on my lips. When his eyes meet mine again, I can see the emotion behind them, and I know we are both thinking the same thing.

We are thinking about that night on the roof.

“I have been wanting to since the moment you returned. If you don’t want me to, I need you to tell me,” he says, searching for permission.

The bond flares in my chest, and I want nothing more than for my mate’s lips on mine.

When I don’t pull away, he begins to lean in and my body reacts in kind.

We get within inches of each other when the front door bursts open, causing me to jump back and Ben to swear under his breath.

“How the hell does someone just disappear?” I hear Michael exclaim from the threshold.

“I don’t know, but we will find them. They can’t hide forever,” Dad responds, shutting the door.

I lightly push Ben back and hop off the counter, walking back to the sink. I begin willing the blush on my face to go away.

“Hey, little sis. I wanted to make sure…” Michael says as they enter the kitchen but stops when he sees my red ears and Ben’s annoyed face. I know he and Dad have the biggest smirks on their faces right now.

“Did we interrupt something?” Dad teases, already knowing the answer.

I clear my throat, “Oh, n-no. What’s up?”

Michael snickers, “I just wanted to make sure you were alright, but uh, I can see that you are perfectly okay.”

Reaching over, I grab a nearby sponge and throw it at him, causing Dad and him to laugh. Ben even cracks a smile, even though I know he isn’t impressed right now. I give him an apologetic look and quickly change the subject.

The days following are uneventful. Every morning, I get up and go to training with either Michael or Dad. After I clean up back at home, Ben walks with me to the hospital so I can continue my medical training. Mom pops in around lunch, and we spend our breaks together. Ben retrieves me after my shift is over, escorting me to the pack house for dinner with our families. We say goodnight, and I walk back home with my family, just to start all over again the next day.

This doesn’t leave Ben and I much time to talk. Despite his desire to be with me, like I expected, Alpha duties begin taking over. As much as Alpha Xavier tries to handle it all, he still needs Ben there to make the transfer of the position easier. I completely understand, but it doesn’t mean it doesn’t make me a little sad.

After almost a week of this routine, it becomes second nature. Ben stands at the bottom of the stairs with a smile and a loving expression on his face.

“Hi, baby,” I greet as I approach.

“Hey, sweetheart,” he replies before placing a kiss on my forehead. “Are you ready to go?”

I nod as he intertwines our fingers and leads me out of my house.

We make small talk on the short walk to the hospital. The look in his eyes says he’s been missing me just as much as I have been missing him. Even though I’m too stubborn to admit it, I make sure to walk leisurely.

Dr. Vega won’t mind if I’m a few minutes late. After Dr. Andrews’ last jab at me that caused Dr. Vega to fly off the handle, along with the look of horror on his face when she yelled at him for insulting the future Luna, I know he won’t say a single word.

We arrive at the hospital far quicker than I'd like. I let out a small sigh, causing him to look at me with concern, “What’s wrong, Annie?”

“Nothing. Just…wanted more time, I guess,” I admit, looking away shyly.

He presses a gentle kiss to my temple, “I know. I’m sorry I haven’t been around much. Things have been even more chaotic than I expected.”

“I tried to tell you,” I tease.

He sighs, pulling me into a hug. His face buries into my neck, inhaling in my scent. We stay like that for a minute before I reluctantly pull away.

“Come on,” he says, letting me go to grab my hand again, “I’ll walk you in.”

Both Dr. Vega and Dr. Andrews greet us before continuing on to their patients. Dr. Vega reminds me to do my rounds, then to meet her in her office to shadow her for a few hours.

I expect Ben to say his goodbye and leave, but he doesn’t.

“What room do you typically start at?” He asks, following me to my locker in the staff room.

I grab my coat, the words “Dr. Solomon” embroidered on it, “Uh, I normally start at 201 then make the loop. Why?”

He helps me put the jacket on as he asks, “Would you mind if I come with you?”

I smile at him, “You…you want to watch me work?”

“Of course, darling. I would love to see my Luna doing what she loves. If it won’t cause any trouble, of course,” he responds, tucking a piece of hair behind my ear.

Desperately wanting more time, I quickly say yes and lead him to my first stop. He stays with me, silently watching as I attend to patient after patient. Most members are shocked to see him but are eager to talk. It’s not often you get personal attention from the future Alpha, so I quietly check vitals and administer medicine as they talk. The compassion and attentiveness he gives every single one is heartwarming, a side I never thought I would see.

The day quickly passes and is almost over when I realize that he has, in fact, been with me all day.

I gasp, turning on my heels to face him just outside a patient’s room, “Ben!”

“What?” he questions, a little startled by my outburst.

“Your duties!” I say worriedly.

He smiles at me, “It’s taken care of, sweetheart. When I saw the sad look on your face, I hugged you so you wouldn’t see me mind-link Dad. He told me he could handle today and to spend the day with you.”

I sigh, “I didn’t mean to guilt you into staying.”

“You didn’t, Annie. I wanted to stay. I’ve been missing you,” he reassures me, reaching for my hand.

Just then, Dr. Vega approaches, “Why don’t you go ahead and call it a day, Annie?”

“Are you sure? I still have a couple of patients in pediatrics that I need to check on,” I ask, unsure.

She smiles brightly at us, “I’m certain. I will finish your rounds.”

“Thank you,” I say, pulling Ben with me to the locker room. I quickly grab my things and hang my jacket back before we exit the hospital.

“Well, looks like we have a couple of hours until dinner. Do you want to go watch a movie or something?” I offer, looking up at him.

He has a twinkle in his eyes when he says, “Actually, we aren’t attending dinner at the pack house tonight.”

Confused, I ask, “What do you mean?”

He kisses my temple, “You’ll see. Come on. We need to make a stop at your house.”

I decide to not press for information and play along. Once we arrive, we head to my bedroom so I can set my stuff down. When I open the door, there sits a present in the center of the bed.

“What is this?” I ask, mostly to myself as I let his hand go and approach the bed.

He doesn’t say anything as I reach into the bag and pull out a beautiful, yellow sundress and matching sandals. I am in awe of the soft material and sunflower design.

Looking back at him, I ask, “Is this from you?”

He rubs the back of his head and swallows nervously, “Uh, yeah. Do…do you like it?”

I gently lay it on my bed, “Ben, I love it. It’s beautiful.”

“A beautiful dress for a beautiful woman,” he says so sweetly.

Walking right up to him, I give him a big hug, “Thank you so much.”

He buries his face into my hair, “You’re welcome, sweetheart.”

After a few minutes, he pulls away, “Okay. I’m going to head home and change. You get ready and put that dress on. I’ll be back in an hour.”

I look between him and the dress, “Wait, you want me to wear it now?”

“Yes,” he smiles, rubbing his nose against mine, “I did ask you out on a date, remember?”

My eyes light up, “Right! Our picnic!”

“I’m glad you’re excited,” he chuckles.

I smack his arm, “Of course I am! I get to spend more time with you.”

He stares at me for a moment before his expression turns serious. Before I can ask, his hands move up to cup my cheeks, “Have I ever told you how amazing you are?”

My face flushes as I tease back, “Only, like, every day.”

His eyes dart to my lips then back to my eyes. I can see him wrestling with himself, trying to decide if he should. Guilt and anxiety start radiating through my body as his emotions bombard me.

Before I can say anything, he drops his hand to mine and brings it to his lips, “I should go get ready. I’ll be back soon.”

“Ben…” I start to question him, but he interrupts with a smile and kiss to my forehead.

“Get ready, darling,” he simply says before walking out.

“What was that about?” I ask Leah.

She takes a second before responding, “There’s something bothering him, something stopping him.”

“He wasn’t going to stop the day I got back, and he put me on the counter,” I remind her.

She sighs, “I think that was a moment of bravery. There’s something that he’s not telling us.”

“You think…?” I question.

She nods, “I do. Whatever he was going to tell you on the roof is still bothering him.”

My eyebrows furrow, “What on Earth could it be all these years later?”

“I don’t know,” she admits. “He’s the only one that can answer that.”

I stand there, staring at where he was moments ago. My mind races as it tries to think of anything that it could be. I suppose I can only wait and hope Ben will tell me when he’s ready.

Dragging myself to the bathroom, I start getting ready. I step into the shower and let it go for now, trying to ignore Ben’s emotions that are running rampant.

What is going on with you, Benjamin?