Moon Bound Desires

Chapter One:

The full moon's pale rays shone through the stained windows of a local inn, being the main source of light in the lounge that was also used as a bar. It was crowded in the building tonight, a gathering of some sort. Unbeknownst to humans, it was a pack of werewolves that spent a lot of time there. Most nights the inn was alive with chattering drunks and reunions with members of the pack that have strayed a little too far away from home.

Through the bustling sounds in the inn's lounge, a woman sat alone at the bar away from the rest of her pack. After so many years, she has returned here. Being around familiar faces should've been a joyful experience but what lead up to her arrival back to her hometown was nothing of the sort.

She stared down at her reflection in the bronze liquid, swirling it with rotations of her glass. Her bereft, blue eyes looked the same as when she was gazing at her reflection last night in the bathroom mirror.

Her platinum blonde hair, free from its usual braid, hung loosely down the back of her small nightgown with a few stray strands in front of her face. More pressing thoughts lingered on her mind instead of worrying about her appearance. She had half the mind of confronting her mate over her suspicions of him being unfaithful or pretending that nothing was wrong. If she pretended, then everything would stay the same, right? She bit her lip in bitter frustration. She may not be from any dominant bloodline, but even her timid wolf couldn't allow such a thing to stand. She thought she had found her mate, the one she was meant to spend forever with. And yet, her instincts were wrong. She wasn't surprised her instincts failed her, they were unreliable for such a weak wolf.

A wealthy man in humans' eyes. Respected and admired by the pack. But she knew very well that if her suspicions were correct, respect and admiration will be snatched from his hands in a blink of an eye. But did she want that? No... not really. Her feelings were complex but she wished no ill will upon him. Ever since she suspected an affair, she began to ask herself, do I still love him? Unfortunately, she knew the painful answer and that there may be no happy ending for her.

So, she mustered up all the courage she could with a deep inhale, squaring her shoulders and brushing her bangs behind an ear before making her way out of the bathroom. Within their bedroom, her mate sat on his side of the bed. Phone in hand, fingers tapping away at a glowing screen. Who is he texting...? Once again she felt that familiar anxiety leaving a heaviness in her chest. She did her best to keep a straight face, not to let her emotions show. It did not help that she could sense his wolf was unhappy. Lacking satisfaction with a hint of annoyance.

The moment she sat down at his side, he locked his phone but didn't look at her. He was hiding something. The stretch of silence between the two only made her heart pound harder. Waiting for him to speak first wasn't going to happen, so she swallows the nauseous lump in her throat before speaking.

"Dillon..." Her words get caught in her throat even after making up her mind to confront him. There was a hint of a whimper in her voice. How pathetic. Is it too late to turn back? Her tail wasn't even visible and yet it could easily be imagined between her legs. When no more words came to her mind, she instead reached out a hand towards his lap. But to her dismay, he snatched her by the wrist tightly, even startling her. There was another stretch of silence until finally, a sigh escaped his parted lips along with a heavy voice.

"Amelia," the words that followed after he said her name was a blurred memory, but it no doubt left a scar inside.

"Amelia... Amelia!"

The sound of Dillon's voice saying her name blended into a familiar voice that she hasn't heard in a long time. It was the bartender who has been her friend since childhood. He smiled with curiosity and amusement. The playful wolf was always teasing her as older brothers do.

"You've been spaced out for a while. Daydreaming again?" He asks while wiping clean a champagne glass.

Her freckled cheeks burn as her eyes darted back down to her drink that she has yet to take a sip of. Out of all of his teases, this wasn't one she could quip to.

"Don't pester her, Trent! That's the last thing she needs after what that asshole did to her." A sharp growl came from behind Amelia, making her jump as another friend from her childhood takes a seat next to her. She then smiled comfortingly while placing a hand on Amelia's shoulder. The dominant, feisty wolf had been babying the shyer wolf for as long as Amelia can remember. Always running to her rescue when she was in need.

"I wasn't trying to mess with her, Nikki." Trent's playful grin melted into a sour frown faster than expected. He had heard of what happened between his friend and a fellow member of their pack. There was a hint of resentment in his eyes for the wolf that had emotionally wounded his friend.

"No, please, don't... I mean, I'm fine. I'm fine." Amelia clumsily stumbled with her words but she wasn't fooling anybody, not even herself. Repeating "I'm fine" was just a reflex she's had since she was a child where she tries to remain strong so that she doesn't worry others. Being an inconvenience was one of the biggest fears she has.

Nikki and Tent looked at each other with silent concern until Amelia's charismatic friend flashed her a mischievous grin.

"Well since you're single, why not get ready to mingle?" Nikki chirps a little too excitedly.

"That sounds like a bad idea in all kinds of ways..." Trent mumbled as if talking to himself, his eyes focused on the glass he was wiping down.

"Of course, you're the one who thinks they're bad ideas. Jealous much?" Nikki turns the tables and makes Trent the target for humor. He even almost drops the glass because of his sudden flustered state.

"No! I'm just worried about her! Your jokes aren't funny, Nikki." Trent quietly growled while Nikki gave a short laugh.

"No thanks, I'm fine right here." Amelia finally regains a little more assertiveness. As much as she'd rather be beneath the full moon's rays tonight, she'd rather get drunk enough that hopefully she'll get amnesia on last night. Besides, it wasn't just shyness that killed her confidence to "mingle" with other wolves in their pack. After last night, her self-esteem was ruined over her body. Was she not pretty enough? Too short? Were her breasts too small? In her mind, she was convinced that all of her doubts about her self-image were true. And their relationship was short-lived, making it even clearer in Amelia's eyes that any wolf could get bored of her figure. Amelia seemed to shrink in her baggy, white sweater just by her cluster of negative thoughts alone.

Once again, her friends could see right through her. Trent finally set down a very clean champagne glass and leaned over the counter with his crossed arms on the wood.

"Listen, Ame, don't worry about a thing. Nobody in the pack will think poorly of you. Disagreements, fights, and other embarrassing stuff happen all the time in the pack but we all still take care of our own, right? It doesn't matter how long you've been away from home. You're still one of us." Trent reassures her with a gentle smile as he played with the braid she always kept swept over her shoulder. It always came down to what the pack felt as a whole since the carefree werewolves had no alpha.

Amelia smiled back gratefully with a small nod of her head. Trent has always been very kind to her in her times of need. Being back with her pack was refreshing, but being back with her two closest friends was very comforting.

"I'd have second thoughts if I were you." Nikki elbowed Amelia in the ribcage a couple of times before pointing at a man across the room sitting on a couch in a crowd. Even within the cluster of laughter and conversation, the stranger kept his stare on her.

"Who is that...?" Amelia asked confusedly. It was her first time seeing the wolf within her pack. His sleek, black hair and faint goatee complimented his handsome face and taut figure. But what captivated her the most was his amber eyes that looked as if fire reflected in them. His gaze was breathtaking.

"Sebastian Cloy," Tent muttered, his gaze narrowing at the dark wolf in the corner of the crowd. There was a hint of distaste in his voice.

"He recently joined our pack. The guy just popped up out of nowhere! A lone wolf looking for a home and our righteous selves couldn't just turn someone away when they're in need of course. He's a lil shady but damn is he a hottie! Talk about the bad boy type, I tell ya." Nikki seemed to talk about him as if she knew every detail somehow. Either from paying too much close attention or experiencing first hand. Either one would be no surprise.

"He's a fucking scoundrel." Trent corrected her. Nikki just childishly stuck out her tongue at her friend.

The bickering from Amelia's friends slowly seemed to fade when she gazed at Sebastian. He was certainly foreign and gave off a strong presence as if she were looking at an alpha.

But he's just some lone looking for a pack. Why here? In an alphaless pack? His presence may be strong, but it also held something else. Something that could put your fur on end. And that something felt like a magnet pulling at her, wanting to get closer. But what was it that compelled her?

Curiosity? Attraction? Seduction?

She couldn't deny that just looking at him stirred something deep within her.