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The blue dress hugged every part of my body that I wanted to hide. I had no problem dressing up and going out but this thin material clung to every imperfection. Although my body was much more muscular and toned than before, I would always pick apart my smallest insecurities. I don't know a girl who hasn't. It was unlike the dresses I wore clubbing, and the occasion was in an entirely different realm. I would much rather be in modest fashion but Klayton explained to me that this was not how these meetings ran.

I was getting prom flashbacks when I stepped out of the room. I imagined Ken Hudgens, the skinny freckled redhead who had been my senior date. I had just broken up with my boyfriend at the time, and Ken had always been there for me. A true gentleman.

He had given me a crooked smile and a sly wink, causing a blush to rise to my cheek. Despite his child-like demeanour, he had an air of confidence that surrounded him.

I was surprised to find no one outside the room —not Klayton or even Issac. I wiped my hands nervously against the dress attempting to make the fabric lay flat. It was a feeble attempt that only made my breath come out shakier.

In the back of my head, I was still thinking about Embry and the book, and how on earth I was going to get him out. I had thought about going back to see the witch but I wasn't sure if she was going to be able to help. This magic seemed old and different than the natural magic she had seemed to practice. However, my nerves from this evening seemed to outweigh any of that.

There was no denying that I was anxious. It was not only the first time that I would be presented formally as Klayton's Luna, but it was the first time I would see him truly fulfilling his duty as an Alpha.

It was a side of him that he had kept hidden, he would always hide in his office and have meetings about only the Goddess knows what.

He didn't even let me watch him or anyone else train. I wasn't even aware of the magnitude of Klayton's job until I was brought here. I thought his pack didn't extend beyond Myersdale.

Boy was I wrong.

We had driven hours but he had told me we were still on his property lines.

I looked around the hallway to find it deserted, and I wasn't going to stand around like a damsel waiting for her guard. I walked down the hall, my heels quickly making my ankles sore. I tore them off my feet and let my feet hit the carpeted floor instead. I let out a sigh, feeling a relief finally.

Rounding the corner, I hit what at first I thought was a brick wall. Except it was breathing; I was looking up into the black eyes of a stranger. It was obvious he was a werewolf —his height and build gave him away swiftly. At closer inspection, you could see the sharp features he adorned, another dead giveaway of his true identity. He was attractive —this was undeniable, but not as attractive as Klayton in my eyes.

I find myself paralyzed, a tight grip wraps around my arm and I am pulled against the wall.

"Girls like you shouldn't be around here alone."

It is like there is a frog caught in my throat suddenly. I open my mouth to speak, to only let my jaw hang silently.

And then he sniffed me.

I leaned backwards as his lips came closer to my mark; inhaling my scent.

"Interesting, by the looks of you I would have thought you were human."

I finally got the confidence to push him off me. I stepped back into the middle of the hallway, but I wasn't done with him. My eyes narrow accusingly at the man.

"What do you mean? I am human," I spit out.

A smirk lifted the corners of his mouth. A chuckle echoed off the walls of the halls, the only thing filling them was the painting on the walls. Where the fuck was Klayton?

"You are partially human. I can tell by the way your heart beats... However, much more of you is filled by magic. I felt it when I touched you. I have felt it before, but there is no way..."

I did the thing I least expected, I stepped forward.

"What does it feel like? Tell me?" I quiz.

"Not a what, a who, and if I am right you already know who I am talking about." And then he looked sideways, glancing down the still empty hallway and quickly paced away without another word.

Of course, he had heard Issac coming. Only seconds later had he made an appearance. I expected him to look like his classic goofy self but instead, he looked polished. A navy suit, combed hair — I was no longer looking at a stereotypical frat boy on steroids. I was now looking at a man.

I forget sometimes that he is the Beta of one of the biggest packs in the world. I wonder how old he is?

He finally cracked a smile and I saw my friend once again.

"Addy, it looks like you've just seen a ghost. Perk up, you are going to be fine! Come on, Klayton is waiting!"

I am pulled down the hallway, and I feel like the eyes of the paintings follow me. I shake, my nerves growing as the sounds of voices increase. I am thankful when the voices don't stop as we enter. I didn't need that moment —not now.

Klayton's eyes immediately found mine. He was talking to a tiny woman, who looked so delicate I could break her with one finger. Yet, her beauty was incomparable. I had never seen such elf-like features. Pointed ears, a sharp nose that seemed to hook upwards at the end.

It doesn't take long for him to be standing in front of me.

"Who was that?" I asked and you could almost hear the jealousy dripping through my tone.

"That is what happens when someone is a full witch. The magic changes a person over time, especially when the magic isn't natural. Berry is no one you need to worry about," Klayton reassures me quietly.

I scoff at the name. Berry. I am no longer worried; I couldn't be threatened by that.

I take a good look at my mate. He took looked put together. He always did, but this was different. He radiated power. It was like he could turn it off and on around me, or maybe I was just able to look past it most of the time.

I glanced around and noticed a few pairs of eyes on us. My heart fluttered in my chest when I saw their gaze lower as it reached mine. It hadn't fully hit me yet that I was a Luna. I felt his hand on my back —it was like I could feel every nerve from every fingertip connecting with my skin.

I am led into a dining hall with the biggest chandelier. It was the first thing that had caught my attention. After sitting in my room all day as Klayton went to meetings, this was my first time to truly take in the beautiful mansion we were in. Mansion wasn't even the right word, this was a palace.

There was one table in the center, one that could easily fit 100 people. Nerves hit my stomach. How many people were here? I relied on Klayton's hand to keep me upright. I had put my shoes back on before entering the hall and had been unsteady ever since.

Our seats were marked with small little cards, reminding me of Christmas dinners that I used to have with my family. My fake family. When I was little I always made a seating chart during get-togethers to make sure everyone got to sit beside who they wanted, and the thought made me sad. I could feel the corners of my mouth fall as I took my seat.

I hadn't noticed until that second that we were at the end of the table, with Klayton at the head. My expression instantly changed to one of shock, my jaw kind of hanging open. This reaffirms me of how significant Klayton was in the werewolf world; he was literally the first werewolf ever created.

It made me feel even more out of my element.

I felt his hand squeeze mine under the table but his expression remains stone-like. I thought that it was probably due the fact he couldn't have any of his direct subordinates see him being soft, so he was gentle when they weren't throughout examining the both of us from the head of the table.

The table became more crowded by the minute. I was soon standing, constantly shaking too many hands and being introduced, although I would never remember everyone's name. I started sweating a couple of minutes in; the stress probably evident on my face. People are congratulating me and Klayton, and I let him do most of the talking. The thing that made me the most uncomfortable was the bowing. It seemed like everyone would dip their head in our presence. I wasn't sure how to respond to that.

At first, I tried to curtsey back but Klayton pulled me back up by my back and gave me a soft look that clearly said no.

He hadn't told me how to act and it made me frustrated silently. I made myself a fool in front of all these people because Klayton had clear communication problems. I finally got to sit again after what felt like an hour, and I could hear my stomach rumbling. I clamped my hand over it to stop the noises. As if that will do anything Adira, I chastise myself through my thoughts.

I give Klayton the side-eye but he is having a conversation with someone to his left. I tried to remember their name but I couldn't. I decided to just tune out and when I heard the sounds of the doors opening I let out a sigh of relief. Food, finally.

However, it was not the food.

It was wolves. They busted through the door. It seemed like there were dozens, and they took no moment to stop before attacking. Klayton's hand gripped mine again.

"Wolves, Adira! Not werewolves, real wolves. She must be here... She is the only one who can control them like this," Klayton's voice trails off as he takes a step forward, releasing my hand. A growl shook the room and even I shook with fear, until I realized that it had come from Klayton. I knew he wouldn't hurt me.

An arrow flew through the air, its tip gleaming in the lights. However, the werewolves quick reaction time proved useful when Issac jumped in front of me. The arrow hit him square in the chest —the height of my head— where the arrow was truly aimed. He let out a hiss in pain before plucking it out as if it was an annoying feather.

I looked up to find the source of the shot, and there she was. The Moon Goddess, Artemis, on top of the chandelier with her bow and arrow aimed at me. However it was the blood that caught my attention.

It was on the walls, on the table, dripping off the chandelier. The sight made me shudder. Yet, when I looked back up she was gone; hidden. It made me swell with hope. She was scared, it was the only reason she had come for me. She knew that if it was the other way around, she would be dead.

Howls filled the air but another arrow did not attempt to shoot me down. Artemis must have known this was a losing battle and fled. Still, Issac practically laid on top of me, so that none of my body was exposed to harm. It made me sad, all the other mates and Luna's were fighting because they were all wolves. It was not the first time in the night that I realized that I was the odd one out.

I peeked out from behind Issac's shoulder, trying to find my mate.

I couldn't fully gather the scene around me but it wasn't the real wolves who were scaring me.

It was Klayton.

His eyes shone as he transitioned between human and wolf —almost too fast to be caught by the human eye. His claws raked through the beasts like jello and it made the remainder of contents in my stomach come rushing back up; spilling on the carpet beside me and Isaac, even though the carpet that was already soaked in blood. The wolves weren't even getting to touch him before they were dead. The other Alphas and Beta's fought alongside, mostly in human form, but did not release an aura quite like Klayton's —his strength was immeasurable.

I was dry heaving, hands and knees on the ground when I noticed the silence. It filled the air to expect the sounds of heavy breathing. I could smell blood, anyone wouldn't need supernatural powers for that. It created a layer of rusty salt that seemed to hang in the room.

I expect Klayton to come over and wrap himself around me, never letting me go. Even surrounded by the bodies of 100 wolves that was all I needed. Instead, he pushed Issac to the side, grabbed my shoulders and yanked me up, staring me dead in the eyes. His hands lay resting on my shoulders as he looked me square in the eyes.

"I can't do this anymore. If you are seriously going to kill the Moon Goddess, we have to come up with a better plan... because we will not win like that again," He gestured to the room around him. "We got lucky, that was just a warning from her. I can't believe this happening," He was pacing in front of me as he continues. "You could die Adira, which means I will die —I cannot live in a world without you." The thought seemed to cause him pain as his face drew together in a small grimace, his eyes beginning to water. I wanted to shoot out my arms and grab him but I refrained.

Tears also welled up in my eyes at his pain, and my own. I felt useless, fragile and human. But I'm not human, which somehow made it worse. I had power and no ability to use it. No words escape my lips as I blubber in front of the only man I have ever truly loved. My bottom lip quivering.

"I'm taking you to train," was his curt response to my silence as he held me.

I found my voice but my words just made me seem stupid. I didn't want to be the confused human anymore.

"Train how? Klayton you aren't making any sense." I whispered with tears in my eyes.

He stepped close to me, his arms encircling my body. I felt his front press into mine. It made me want to melt, but it also made me want to rip off every piece of fabric in between our skin.

"To train with magic; so you can learn to be what the Moon Goddess truly is —a hunter."