HIS WANTED LUNA

The Scars She Hid From The World

REGINA MCBRIDE

The heavy iron gates of the Wilderness Correction Camp groaned as they released me after three years of state-sponsored hell. I stood on the dirt road, clutching a plastic bag that held my entire life, waiting for the family that claimed they sent me there for "rehab." My brother, Brady, picked me up in a luxury SUV only to throw me out onto a deserted highway in the middle of a brewing storm. He told me I was a "public relations nightmare" and that the rain might finally wash the "stink" of the camp off me. He drove away, leaving me to limp miles through the mud on a snapped ankle. When I finally dragged myself to our family estate, my mother didn't offer a hug; she gasped in horror because my muddy clothes were ruining her Italian marble. They didn't give me my old room back. Instead, they banished me to a moldy gardener’s shack and hired a "babysitter" to make sure I didn't embarrass them further. My sister, Kaleigh, stood there in white cashmere, pretending to cry while clinging to her fiancé, Ambrose—the man who had once been mine. They all treated me like a volatile junkie, refusing to acknowledge that Kaleigh was the one who planted the drugs in my bag three years ago. They wanted to believe I was broken so they wouldn't have to feel guilty about the "wellness retreat" that was actually a torture chamber. I sat in the dark of that shed, feeling the cooling gel on the cigarette burns that covered my arms, and realized they had made a fatal mistake. They thought they had erased me, but I had returned with a roadmap of scars and a hidden satellite phone. At dinner, I didn't beg for their love. I simply rolled up my sleeves and showed them the price of their silence. As the wine spilled and the lies crumbled, I sent a single text to the only person I trusted: "I'm in. Let them simmer." The hunt was finally on.

Modern Revenge Scheming

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Valerie's POV

I once read somewhere that it took a special kind of bravery to stay sober in a room full of drunk people.

I was sitting before the makeshift bar in Adam's party, watching my friends take shot after shots of burning liquid from nameless bottles.

I stared at their swaying, bleary-eyed form, wondering why anyone would want to subject themselves to that for an entire night and end up wasted in some random place, and wake up with severe hangovers. Stupid nineteen-year olds. I stared at the golden-colored liquid in my own glass. Apple juice was all the refreshment I needed.

Maybe it wasn't bravery though. Maybe I was just being plain stupid and I should have enjoyed the night with my friends. Alcohol would have definitely helped me to survive the events of that night.

"Bar!" Rendall, the one who was closest to me yelled and slammed an empty glass on the table, his eyes unfocused.

"I mean...drink..."

"Don't get too drunk, Rendall. You're the one driving us home." Cheryl slurred and poured another drink down her throat, then giggled almost maniacally.

Analisse, my other best friend, was the only other sober person among us. She was sitting on the other end of Rendall and Cheryl, the bluish light of her phone illuminating her face as she stared into it.

Besides Adam, Analisse was the only other person I trusted with my life. Probably the only person whom I could talk to about what had been bothering me for years now.

"Don't fall off the bar stools," I muttered to Rendall and Cheryl, then stood from my own stool and walked towards Analisse.

"Hey," I said. "We need to talk."

"What-" she started, but I had grabbed her hand and was dragging her through the dimly lit party floor full of swaying people.

Analisse followed me in silence until we reached the foot of the staircase. Once there, she folded her arms and glared at me.

"Rude, much?" She said with a hint of sarcasm.

"What did you want to talk about?"

I closed my eyes and tried to figure out my words and she shook my shoulder worriedly.

"Val, are you okay?" She asked.

"Yeah. Yeah, I am. The whole party is just getting to me." I muttered, then opened my eyes.

"There's this thing I've been carrying around for a long while now."

"What's that?" She prompted.

"I like Adam. Heck, I think I love him. I've loved him since we were thirteen and I still do. I want to tell him tonight, but I don't know how to. Can you help me?" I blurted out in one long breath.

A shadow passed across Analisse's face, or perhaps it was the dim party lights around us. "You love him?"

"Yes, Ana." I nodded.

"What should I do?"

She thought for a moment, then said.

"Val, this is his coronation party. He just got crowned as the alpha. I think this would be the wrong time to break that kind of news to him. Besides, you're his best friend. Friends don't feel that way for each other."

I pondered on her words: Analisse was one of the most level headed, pragmatic people I'd ever met. If anyone could tell me the truth, it was her.

Perhaps she was right.

A footfall made the both of us turn to the staircase, and my heart did a tumble as I watched Adam walk downstairs. Oh, Goddess!

"Valerie," he whispered as his eyes fell on me, and I could read the anguish in his eyes, better than anyone else could. For some reason, he wasn't looking at Analisse.

"Adam!" I called. My voice sounded high and pathetic.

"What were you doing upstairs? It's your coronation party, after all."

"I just...needed to have some rest." He murmured, running a hand across his forehead. "I wasn't feeling too well."

"Are you okay?" I asked.

"No, Val." He whispered again. "Can you come stay with me upstairs? I really need someone around."

My heart jumped again as I heard those words. I turned to Analisse, but she had mysteriously disappeared into the partying crowd.

I turned back to Adam, my mouth tasting like ash.

"Alright. I'll come." ~~~

Adam reached for my hand almost immediately and pulled me upstairs without another word.

We walked through the vast corridors of the pack house in silence until he reached the door of his room.

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