"Let me go!" Despite my kicking and screaming, the dude wouldn't let me down until we ended up in some house, and the moment he put me down, I immediately tried to get out. With surprising speed however, he managed to yank me away from the door and into the kitchen. But I wasn't ready to give up yet. My leg quickly smacked him in the face, giving me the opening I needed. Fate however wasn't ready for me to win yet though. My hand was on the door knob, and I was blinded with some dream-

"Nubia, you're not going to fight!" Ximena stood proud and tall next Lorcan, emanating power and strength. The whole pack was in chaos, all due to the fire; Belinda and Alexia were already gone, and and a young woman was bugging her sister. She had long black hair wrapped in a braid and warm brown eyes, the only feature she shared with her sister. There was a look of fiery determination in her eyes that hadn't been seen since the child was ten years old.

"Ximena, this is the guy who could have killed me! I want to kill him!" Ximena with her short brown hair groaned loudly and glanced at her mate. Lorcan was in his late twenties, yet his sex appeal was still there. He had been listening to the fight, yet he wasn't at the same time. He had more things to worry about, rather than whether his sister in law can fight. He quickly said,

"Nubia, you will fight, but not Cadmar. He's mine."

"But-"

"LUNA!" I woke up the moment I heard the guy scream, and to my horror, The rapist was in front of me, wearing an hungry face. Not wanting to find out what was going to happen. I jumped back into my ally's arms. Our enemy had a gun in his hand, and i immediately knew that this wasn't good.

"Ah, so you're my sweet brother's Luna, huh?" Brother? In the few seconds I had, I did a cursory inspection of his features, but I couldn't see any resemblance. Lorcan was just so different... "It's a pity; I would have thought that he would have been mated to a she-wolf, not a weak human. I worry for this pack now." Weak? Anger flashed again, and I spat in his face. His eyes grew dark, and he continued. "Humans are only good for pleasure making; that's all you will be-"

"GET AWAY FROM HER!" An animalistic roar alerted me of my mate's presence, and he rammed the guy from the back, making him drop the gun. I dove for it, but I wasn't the only one. One guy literally kicked me in the head, temporarily incapitating me. The blinding pain paralyzed me, and I was reduced to staying on the floor.

"Luna, stay with me! Keep your eyes open!" The werewolf was in my line of vision, staying by my side. I muttered,

"Go fight; he's got a gun..." I tried to close my eyes, but he started to yell at me.

"NO, LUNA! I'm not going to leave you! YOU NEED TO LIVE!" Dumbass. Fearing the inevitable, I pushed my body up, trying to ignore the insistent pounding in my head. I saw the guy who kicked me, and vengenge fiercely pulsated in my veins. Not thinking, I grabbed my knife and threw it, carefully aiming for his Achilles' tendon. He may be a werewolf, but they still should share some of our anatomy. Thankfully, it hit him, and he collapsed to the ground with a yell. Fueled by my triumph, I jumped up and ran for the run. He saw me approaching, but before he could attack me, Nice guy jumped him, and I grabbed it quickly. Feeling the steady grip of a gun calmed me down, and I grinned, looking for my target. I quickly found them outside on the lawn, Lorcan obviously losing the fight. He saw me and the gun, and he nodded.

Steady, Mena; aim for him.

I was surprised that I could link with him, but I shook it off, trying to focus on the the target. I had shot a gun mnay times before, but for the first time, I was terrified. The way these guys moved was unbelievable; it was almost beautiful. Focus, Mena. You have to do this. I took at deep breath and then aimed at Charcoal eyes. Lorcan had managed to position him where I have to hit him. I was about to pull the trigger when I heard a yell,

"Aedan!" Then, immediately, someone grabbed me from behind, messing up my aim. I pulled and what followed haunted my dreams.

Lorcan fell to the ground, pain claiming his features. I immediately felt this pain, and fierce disappointment hit my body. I hadn't ever missed a shot! Even when someone tackled you,all you had to was adjust your aim; why didn't I do that? Tears filled me eyes as the cruel realization hit me: I failed,and I proved them right.

~~~~~

Declan, Faolan, and I were fighting with Kirian, and I felt myself start to get tired. This guy was relentless; I remember when he was nineteen, the ultimate bully. I got beat up a few times by him, as did Declan and Faolan. Fighting him was like fighting our nightmares, super unpredicatable and terrifying. But we reached a point where he was tired as well, and I could sense Declan's body begin to shift. Before he could however, a gun shot was heard, and I was prepared to ignore it untl I heard Mena's scream of agony. Had she gotten shot? I quickly left the fight along with Faolan, and I saw something that made my blood curdle. Aedan was holding a catonic Mena while Cadmar was occupied with Lorcan. The Alpha was on the ground, trying to stop the bleeding-Wait, bleeding? Then, I saw the gun in her hand, the gun filled with silver bullets. Cadmar stopped and yelled,

"Enough!" We all stopped to look at him. "The fight is over; Aedan and Kirian, let's go." We all watched as the men walked away, not looking back at us. Seeing them walk away seemed to wake Mena up, causing her to launch herself at the Alpha. She was sobbing over his body, and Lorcan was holding her hand, obviously trying to calm her down. I could hear him murmur,

"Mena...I'm fine-"

"NO YOU'RE NOT!" That guttural scream shocked me, and I could see Faolan's undying devotion for his Luna grow. "ALEKS AND DECLAN!" The Luna rank rang out in her voice, and I couldn't help but obeyed. Neither could my brother. When I got there, I saw the source of her distress. Lorcan's arm was growing paler and paler by the second; his blood vessels were inflammed and sporting a greenish color. The infection had begun. Mena was still crying, and she asked, "What's going on? A gun shouldn't do this..." Lorcan said,

"It's just a little infection; I'll be fine."

"No you won't, Lorcan. This is my fault!" She turned to Declan and she asked, "How do we fix this?" He answered,

"It's a silver bullet wound; usually, we would use wolfsbane, but we don't have any here! There wouldn't be any time!" My brother was terrrified. He was so close to losing his best friend and almost brother. But Mena didn't stop. She just nodded and wiped the tears from her face. Trying to remain calm, she said clearly,

"Pick him up and take him into the house. I need some clean knives and alcohol." Oh no. Not that. I stopped her and held her arm, ignoring the small growl from the Alpha.

"Mena, you can't do that; this isn't a typical gun wound. This is a silver bullet! You may-" She silenced me with a glare.

"If you have any other suggestions, feel free to tell me. If not, stay out of my way." That cold, emotionless voice; it was what her father sounded like when...her mother was dying. I just nodded softly and tried to ignore the pain inside. What happened to Mena?

~~~~~

As I walked into the house, I felt like I was about to lose everything; i didn't understand why, but I guess it was the bond's fault. Declan and Nice Guy picked up my mate, while Aleks stood back, obviously wounded by my words. I'll apologize later, but right now, I need to be worrying about Lorcan. I knew what I was gonna do, but they didn't know what that I've never done it myself. I've only seen my father do it.

They lay him on the table, and I ignored the fear in my heart. Lorcan the whole time just gazed at me softly, some unknown emotion hiding in his eyes. Some part of me wanted to ask what he was thinking about, but the urgency of the situation claimed my thoughts. The alcohol lay on the table, and I had a clean knife in my hands. I said softly to him,

"Hey, listen. This is gonna hurt a lot; but this is the only way I know how to fix this ok. I'm sorry." He just chuckled softly, and I felt my heart soar as I heard the sound.

"God, I'm so lucky." Lucky? "I'm lucky that mo chroi is such a brave woman like you." Trembling, I whispered,

"What's that mean?" He murmured softly,

"My heart." Oh my God, he loved me already. How?

Trying to battle these emotions, I jabbed the knife in his skin, flinching as he yelled in surprise. I heard Declan start yelling at me, but I was in a trance. As far as I was concerned, Lorcan and  were the only ones in the world; everybody was gone.

---------

"Mena?" I woke up with a start, his voice bringing me back. The ordeal was over, and may I say, it was a terrible ordeal. I nearly stopped midway, tired of hearing the screams, but thinking about what could happen drove me on. I also know that the wolves behind me wanted to kill me, but Aleks managed to calm everyone. Thankfully, my hunch worked, and he wasn't infected anymore. I wanted to leave to wash my hands of the blood, but I didn't to leave the fallen warrior just yet. I murmured,

"Yes?" He smiled at me, and his hands touched my face. Surprisingly, I felt eerily calmer than before and I sighed softly.

"Are you alright? You've been through a lot." My body froze, and I swore that he was about to get smacked. Was I ok? He's the one who got shot by his mate and had to suffer the long task of removing the bullets from his arm. HIM! He frowned for a moment and asked, "What's wrong? I can feel that you're upset-" I interrupted him with a yell.

"UPSET? YOU'RE THE ONE WHO ALMOST DIED, YET I'M BEING ASKED WHETHER I'M OK!?" I never felt so angry in my life; he was pitying me. It's just like what that guy said about me. Just because I'm a human doesn't mean I'm a weakling....wait. I'm the one who shot him, plus didn't I start the fight? Trembling, I asked, "Lorcan, was he here to fight or did I start it?" He grimaced, and I immediately knew the truth. I tried to stand up, but his hand held me there with such strength. I turned to glare at him, but I was cut off. The look of adoration was gone, and I recognized the Alpha in his features.

"Ximena, he was going to attack us; it was a matter of time. You merely sped up the process."  I retorted,

"I'm sure though that we could have avoided me shooting you with voodoo bullets."

"Silver bullets and you got them out. Plus, you couldn't help it; werewolves are hard to attack." Hmmm...

"Teach me to fight them then." His Alpha Wolf face disappeared, and he looked taken aback.

"Excuse me?" Satisfied, I continued.

"Teach me how to defend-"

"No. Not a chance.You don't need to endanger yourself. It's bad enough that you grew up in that environment. Faolan will protect you with Aleks."

"Fao-who?"

"Faolan, the werewolf who saved your life back there." Oh, Nice Guy had a name. Then, it registered in my head what he said, and I was immediately overcome with fury. How dare he? Some sort of power fueled my anger, and I felt different as I stood up and glared at my mate. He still gave me the same "I-AM-ALPHA" look, but I decided to wipe it right from his face.

"Lorcan, I may be your mate and I suppose that...technically...you are my Alpha..." He seemed smug by my admission, but it disappeared at the sultry tone my voice took. I bent down to his level and thumbed his lips softly; a small moan left his body, and it sent flashes of arousal through my body. Fighting against the urge to ride himlike a pony that moment, I whispered, "But I'm your Luna, and I will learn to fight...whether you like it or not." This time, he groaned in annoyance, and I could see that my charm was starting to wear off. In a tight voice, he asked,

"Will you try to love me if I allowed you to learn?" If he was trying to shock me, he succeeded. I was taken aback. Try to love me? I had never had a first crush before; how was I going to learn to love him?

You know that you already have a connection with me, Ximena. Don't fight it.

For some reason, I was terrified. I needed to be focused on staying alive for Rosalina, Belinda, and Nubia. I didn't have time to worry about whether I can fall for him. Then again, I can only feel the bond between us grow more and more. As much as I'd hate to admit it, I frankly couldn't imagine my life without him. Sighing, I nodded softly.

"I'll try." A deep smile came on his face, and he said,

"Alright. I'll have Faolan train you; he's the only one I trust with you." Trust with me? I retorted,

"Wha do you mean by trust? I may have decided to try to make this thing work, but that doesn't mean that I can't train with anyone I want-"

"You obviously don't like Declan, and I may have decided to spare Aleksander, but he won't be up close and personal training with you. Faolan will."

"Why Faolan?" Right on cue, he walked in with another male. I saw them, and I took the opportunity to check the two of them out. They were shirtless, and while I was only attracted to Lorcan, I couldn't help but inwardly praise them. Faolan had the boy next door look down with his sandy brown hair and trusting brown eyes; he was fit, but his built was more lanky than buff. His friend however was a different story; he was a blonde werewolf with a whole eight pack to show for. I knew that if I pissed off this guy, he would definitely pummmel me to the ground with no mercy. He looked at me like this as exact what he was envisioning in his head as he approached me; Faolan however merely grinned at me and waved. Against my better judgment, I was warming up to this guy. Aleks was my best friend, but I felt like this guy was my heart. He reminded me a lot of Rosalina.

"Hello, Luna." I smiled and nodded at him. I realized then that there was something different about him; there was an ugly black and blue bruise on his cheek, obviously my handiwork. Guilt ran through my body, and with a mothering instinct I wasn't aware I had, I acted.

"Faolan, oh my god, I'm so sorry!" I literally yanked his face towards my own and touched the bruise tenderly. An immediate scuffle followed. There was a yell and a roar, and I ended up against the wall with an angry blond wolf choking me with a murderous expression in his eyes. I struggled to breathe, but he kept squeezing my wind pipe, cutting off my oxygen. He growled,

"How dare a bitch like you touch what is mine!" Mine? What the hell!?

"Regan, stop it!" Faolan was jumping on his back from behind, looking fiercely panicked, but it wasn't working. Why wasn't he trying to help me? He was a great fighter; what was going on? To my horror, Lorcan appeared and wrenched him away from me, sending him flying and me falling to the floor, desperately gasping for air. It was moments like this that I was grateful for having him around. He sauntered towards my attacker, and I mind-linked him,

Fucking kill him.

I have morals of right and wrong, but that doesn't necessarily mean I'm a nice person. I live in a world where it's literally "dog-eat-dog", and I'm not giving that up at all. This dipshit attacked me, and he deserved to be punished. Lorcan nodded, but before he could shift and kill the bastard, Faolan jumped in front of him, looking frantic. It was right then and there when it all made sense.

"Please, Lorcan, don't kill him; he's just upset that she kicked me. I'll calm him down...but please!" Still fighting to breathe, I stood up and croaked,

"Lorcan, never mind. I understand. He just got territorial; I didn't know that he and Faolan were mates." Surprisingly, I wasn't too shocked. If homosexuality occurred in the human world, I'm sure it can occur in the werewolf world. It didn't bother me at all...unless the jealous boyfriend kept trying to kill me! "Just let him off with a warning. It's not a big deal-"

"No, Luna. It isn't ok. Yes, you grabbed me, but you are his Luna. He should treat you with respect." Lorcan merely nodded at me, standing with his friend. I shook my head though.

"No, I should have figured it out. I need to ask permission to do it; I get it." And with whatever strength I had left, I stumbled to the fallen Wolf. He was breathing heavily, and while I could see the hatred in his eyes, there was sullen gratitude as well. I said, "I'm sorry." He answered,

"As am I, Luna." There was an unmmistakable tension between the two of us now, and I was ready for him. This time, I will be ready. "Just don't you EVER touch my mate!" Oh that's it! I was about to lunge for him when Lorcan grabbed and held me back while Faolan jumped in between us and growled lowly at his mate.

"LET ME GO, LORCAN!" He chuckled softly and said,

"No, Mena. Despite the fact that you look incredibly hot when you're angry, I know that you might actually kill Regan." Isn't he supposed to be injured? "I heal incredibly quickly, love. You'll get used to it." Yeah, that's a negative. He led me out of the house, but he never let me go. Instead, I was there to look ridiculous, pressed up against the stupid Alpha.

"Could you let me go? I look like a baby." With a sigh, he let me go, but this time, he didn't let go of my hand, forcing me to walk alongside him. Oh well. It seems like I don't have a choice. We walked together through the pack house, and I scanned the area with curiosity. Technically, I ruled all of this. This was my new Mafia.

My phone bleeped, and I jumped. I completely forgot that I hadn't changed, and that my phone was in my boot. I took it out, and to my horror, Michaelangelo was the one calling. Before Lorcan could take it, I put the phone to my ear.

"Mena, run far and hide. Dad's pissed, and he's looking for you." I held back the urge to scoff. How the hell was Eduardo going to find me? I barely made my way out the first time! Plus, how could I trust him? In a cold voice, I hissed,

"You've got a lot of bravery, calling me after the stunt you pulled. I trusted you, Mikey, more than anyone." A sob reached my voice, and I fought to keep the tears from falling. Lorcan looked immediately concerned, and I'm sure my emotions were reaching out to him right now.

"Ximena, they threatened to kill my mother...I couldn't-"

"WHO ARE YOU TALKING TO?" Hearing the cold voice, I quickly hung up.

"Mena, who was that?" His green eyes were boring into mine, but I couldn't focus. I felt the darkness claim me before my eyes were closed. 

~~~~~~~

"You stupid lousy werewolf!" I sat with Franklin and watched Faolan ream his mate for nearly killing Mena. I nearly did it myself, but one sullen glare from the Delta stopped me. Franklin just watched with ill-hidden amusement. Declan was watching as well, looking bored. He only came to watch Regan; other than that, he didn't want to hang out with Lorcan. He still hated Mena, and I guess he didn't want to hear bout her all the time. So our pastimme was to watch Regan get shit from Faolan, a fate worse than death. He had a nortorious reputation of being a possessive jerk and being particularly hateful towards humans. Hell, he wasn't even originally from this pack. He had grown up and was loyal towards Cadmar up until he met Faolan. I remember that day as clear as day. 

"Franklin and Aleksander, hurry it up! If you wanna fight, you've gotta build up your stamina." Declan smirked at us and led the group while Faolan stayed back and kept our spirits up. I was thirteen years old, and I wanted to be one of the pack fighters. Unfortunately, I had spent the whole night before watching movies at Mena's house and had no energy to run. Lorcan had just became Alpha the year before, and his first move of action was raising both his friends' ranks to Beta and Delta. My friend and Faolan were talking about something when the group suddenly stopped. The Delta immediately ran up to the front, with me following. Something told me that something was wrong and I pushed through the crowd. Declan was in a defensive stance, ready to pounce, and the moment he saw me, he hissed, "Get back!" Faolan pushed me back softly, and then we heard a thundering growl echo in the woods around us. A golden wolf lunged for me, and I shifted on instinct, ready to start running. But before I could do so, the wolf literally jumped me, bringing me to the ground and whimpering. His muzzle was right next to my next and a nasty snarl warned me not to move. I felt the canines brush my neck, and I knew that I was dead. Then, I heard a scream.

"NO!" Almost immediately, the wolf stopped and got off of me. Declan ran up to me and brushed my fur softly to calm me down. I mind-linked him,

Am I dead or alive?

A small smile on his face assured me that I was very alive. I turned around to see whether Faolan shared my luck. The Golden Wolf was slowly advancing its way towards him, and when he was about ten feet away from him, it shifted into a buff and menacing teenager. What stood out to me was the tattoo on his bicep, signalling his loyalty to Blood Eclipse Pack. He had light blonde hair and piercing blue eyes. He eyed Faolan with hunger in his eyes ad spoke in a low tone,

"You're mine. My mate." I was shell shocked, but Declan didn't seem to be surprised. Instead, there was visible dread in his eyes.

Faolan calmed down his mate, and with a hell lot of pleading to Lorcan, he was able to get Regan to switch pack loyalties. Regan was a little reluctant to give up his place with Cadmar, but Faolan wouldn't even consider moving with him. We got a lot of attackers after that, but eventually Cadmar got the message: we weren't giving up Faolan or Regan. He actually turned out to be a excellent asset. He was one of our best pack fighters, and frankly, I can't really imagine him without us. I just wished he wouldn't be such a prick. Regan hadn't really caused much trouble, pack-wise, up till he attacked his Luna.

"I can't believe that you had the balls to attack the Luna, unprovoked! You know how bad this looks?" Regan was lying on a bed, looking unapologetic. He definitely had balls, because  if anyone managed to piss off happy-go-lucky Faolan, they practically signed their death warrant. He would literally talk and nag you to death. "And you called her a bitch and threatened her-"

"She's a puny human who needs to keep her hands to herself. She literally caused a battle with Cadmar and his crew. Someone's going to kill her anyway." Faolan and I growled simultaneously at the disrespect; I did it for two reasons: 1) she's my best friend and 2) she's my Luna. His mate snarled,

"You and I both know that's total bullshit. You're not unhappy that we started a fight; hell, you beg for us to piss off other packs so you can fight them. You're just a jealous bastard." Regan quickly shot out,

"You knew how I was when you mated with me-" Then Faolan screamed,

"AND YOU SHOULD KNOW THAT I WOULD NEVER BETRAY YOU!" Declan and I were watching them like a soap opera at this point, and we were waiting for what Regan would say. However we were interrupted by the most terrifying woman in existence.

The door was slammed open, and my mother ran in yelling in Irish:

Cad atá ar siúl? Is é seo mo theach. Gan dteach lóistín! (What's going on? This is my house. Not a boarding house!) We all visibly flinched at the woman's words. Yes, we were at my house. Since they were children, Lorcan and Faolan practically lived here rather than their own houses. Declan grew up with three brothers, while I grew up with strangers. Faolan was the only one who made an effort to get to know me resulting in our semi-close relationship nnow, but Lorcan couldn't give a crap. I was just an annoying nuisance.

Mom glared at Regan and hissed, "Tá tú t-ádh nach raibh tú n-éireoidh i marú Ximena toisc go mbeadh ort an wrath an Alfa agus mé féin titim síos ar ort; an chéad uair eile cinneadh déanta agat a úsáid do neart do olc, ach smaoineamh ar chur orm airgead i do veins. Ar mhaith leat a bás mar sin? (You are lucky that you didn't succeed in killing Ximena because you would have the wrath of the Alpha and myself fall down on you; next time you decided to use your strength for evil, just think about me placing silver in your veins. Would you like to die like that?) She even whacked a spoon on his head for good measure. We all flinched, remembering the way she liked to punish us. Mom wasn't too surprised about Mena being the Luna; she claimed that she had a vision showing her as the strong mate for Lorcan.

Regan bowed his head in shame, achieving what Faolan wanted. The Delta grinned at his adoptive mother and replied,

"Thanks, Aideen." She nodded with a smile, one that disappeared as she glared at Regan. He looked at the two of us for help, but we did nothing. When Mom was in her moods, she was in her moods.

"The only reason I've tolerated your presence is because you managed to bring the happiest smile on our Faolan's face; you don't deserve him at all, but prove me wrong." Right then, another woman entered our room, and we all stood up in respect. Enya, the last Luna, stood in our midst, and we could only see the startling resemblance to Lorcan and Cadmar with her pitch black hair and green eyes, My mom merely hugged her softly, and she reciprocated it. My mother was the Last Beta female, meaning that she and Enya were best friends. "Enya would like to her her successor, so I will be accompanying her. The house will be empty, so please do not cause trouble." Then, the two women left us behind, leaving a thick silence.

Ok, there's this chapter! It took me a while, and I think this is the longest chapter I've done for this story! I hope that you guys like it, so please read and review! I'm so happy that this has received so much attention so enjoy!

~ Bella