The Unclaimed Human Luna
Chapter 10

Conner POV

The day was very long and dragged on, every damned class Milton smiled right at him, and then talked about meeting a really cute girl in town to his friends, how he intended to bed her. It was ticking Atlas off to no end. He’d had to get up and leave the class at one point, before Atlas ripped out of him and tore that man’s head clean off, in front of a room full of humans. Outing their kind, to everyone in the room.

His wolf was completely out of control where Eliza was concerned. She was not their Mate, they did not scent her. But just a few damned hours with her and it seemed his wolf wanted her to be his Mate. Again, Conner had to remind him he was never claiming a human for his Mate and Luna. Only angered his wolf even more.

He got snarled at himself, ‘a Mate is a Mate.’

‘Not our Mate, do you scent her?’ he’d roared right back at his wolf, he was completely out of control and needed to calm the hell down. Or they were going to be at odds. Hell, were already at odds over the human that was his stepsister.

Then he was informed by his father that she’d not returned as expected and had to close his eyes and take a deep breath, told him to send someone to look for her. He was at uni. Busy getting his degree. He was not going to keep track of her. She was not his bloody job. Hell, for all he knew, she could have driven off and headed back to California. Told Atlas to ‘shut the hell up’ when he growled at him because he hoped she had done so.

Took the boys out for dinner and a few drinks after classes finished at seven, didn’t want to go back to the bloody pack, knew they had to test the borders tonight, but that was a random check that could be done at his leisure. Atlas had finally stalked off to the back of his mind and left him alone. Finally got some peace and quiet. They all sat and chatted after dinner, were all sipping a nice bourbon, only to have their drinks interrupted when all their phones rang at near the same time. Sighed heavily, they all did.

That only happened when s**t hit the fan. They should have been home an hour ago and now they were an hour away. If there was trouble brewing, they weren’t likely to make it on time. He answered his phone, as did all of them. Knew each one was being called by their fathers, standard protocol when s**t was hitting the fan.

“Yes father.”

“Eliza is missing.”

Closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose, though he did note, it was not the tone his father would normally use. No annoyance at all, he almost sounded regretful.

“Likely drove herself back to California.” He murmured.

“No Conner, she came back here and…we argued. I lost my temper and Hale and I roared at her disrespect. She bolted off into the woods, terrified of me.”

That snapped open his eyes and he shook his head “Where an hour away at least.”

“Get home and help with the search.” His father snapped and clicked the line closed.

“Just f*****g great. Got a whole pack of wolves and they can’t replace one bloody human in the territory.” He muttered. Stood up as did the others, they were all off the phone as well. Liked having this restaurant here in Logan, meant he could say whatever he wanted, only wolves ate here or worked here.

He could feel Atlas coming forward and nearly swore out loud, kept it to himself lest his unit replace out what the hell was going on. He didn’t want nor need that. With any luck, he could deal with her if it was the case and no one in the pack would be any the wiser as to what she was if she was that.

He didn’t trust himself to drive, told Adam to, the man didn’t seem to care and hopped on in behind the wheel and they were off.

“So,” Cameron sighed, “Just where in the pack can one human girl hide?”

“Who the hell knows, father stated he and Hale lost it at her attitude and terrified her. She could bloody be anywhere. The north side of the pack is huge, as is the western.”

“Do you think she got past the border?” Adam mused “we were supposed to be checking that tonight?”

“Anything is possible.” Conner muttered.

“Not going to be able to track her the normal way.” Brayden murmured “her scent is barely detectable at the best of times.”

Conner turned and looked right at him in the backseat.

“What?” Brayden asked.

“You smelled her?” Conner asked.

“Yeah, she’s walked passed me a few times. I noticed how delicate she smells. Why, haven’t you?”

“Is human! Why would I care what she smells like.” He stated and turned back to look out the window. He knew exactly what she smelled like, and it was light and delicate, the damned morning breeze rid her scent from the air easily.

“I think it’s pretty.” Adam told him.

Turned and looked right at him “You’ve smelled her as well? Did everyone smell her?” he grated out, he didn’t like that they were all smelling her. ‘She wasn’t theirs to smell’. Shook that thought off, ‘is human what do I care’, he reminded himself.

“I don’t mind humans,” Adam chuckled. “you’re the only one with an aversion. If she asked me out, I’d say yes.”

Closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose as he felt Atlas snarl inside his mind at the thought of Adam touching her. He wanted to tell him to go ahead but had the distinct feeling Atlas’s behaviour would out him to them.

They drove into the pack around 10pm, and sighed, knowing they had yet to replace her, and his father was waiting on the packhouse steps for them. He looked right at him “Why aren’t you out looking for her?” he asked.

“She was terrified of me, I’m not the one she wants to come across.”

“Probably not.” Conner nodded “where was she and which way did she run off.” He asked though he could already feel Atlas pushing forward to try and scent her. He had enjoyed tracking her the other day.

“She was out here, and ran off around the building on the western side, up into the northern woods.”

Shook his head, “So to the biggest part of the pack, that is unmonitored until the border. How long before you set the search party in motion?”

“I waited for a few hours, hoping she would calm down and come back, even if it was to get her car and leave.”

“I take it she didn’t.” he could see the old Toyota Camry parked in a parking space.

“No, and no one has seen her, that was about 4.”

Stared right at him now “She’s been missing 6 hours?” the man was insane to leave her out there for that long.

“Yes, we can only presume lost out there, and we can’t very well search in wolf form, now can we? It would be quicker but…”

“But she’s human.” Conner snarled at him “This is why we don’t bring humans here.” He snapped at his father and stalked off in the direction she had run off too. He’d seen her run before, thought about how far she could have gotten running like that. Was doing the math inside his mind. She’d still be inside the pack’s territory if she stayed going north. Though that was all mountainous and she could well be out there injured somewhere, fallen into a ravine in the dark, for all he bloody knew. Pulled his shirt off and was kicking his shoes off a moment later.

“Conner?”

“Shift it’ll be quicker if we search with our wolves. I’ve seen her run. It’s not that fast, she will still be in the territory.” He muttered as he took his pants off, “keep your clothes with you, and if you smell her or replace her, don’t go approaching in wolf form. Likely just make her run off again.”

“What are you thinking distance wise?” Adam asked him as he started stripping his clothes off.

“I think the average human walks about 4 to 5 kilometres an hour. Been missing for 6 hours, ran for what ten maybe fifteen minutes with full flight or fight response activated. So is definitely still inside the pack somewhere. If not, she found a gap in the border and slipped through it, though the only border that close that is not monitored is the lake.”

Brayden sighed “You wanna, bet she’s by the lake, no one has seen her, watched his eyes glaze over and waited, though Atlas was itching to get out and go and replace her, he was putting him off shifting, to do this the logical way.

“No border patrols have seen anything.”

“So, the only place not fully watched is the centre of the packs lake border.” He nodded “Take my car down there. Atlas will get there quicker.” Finally, he let his wolf rip out of him, made sure he stopped and picked up his clothes, knew she was not going to be happy to see him if he found her.

Atlas was gone at a full run towards the lake, there was a good breeze blowing, he knew Adam and Cameron’s wolves were off spread out away from him but also heading for the lake. They were all linked to him.

Picked up her scent though it was faint and not always there, asked everyone to stand still and let Atlas howl. Both his beta and delta wolves howled a moment later, and then they all just stood still and listened.

Atlas’s head was tilted. He was listening for her to move at the sound of his howl. Most would get up and move at the thought of wolves getting close to their position, and faced with more than one when on their own, was not something anyone would want.

Mind linked to his father “have Brittney call her, I think she’s close.”

‘You found her already?”

‘No, Brayden figured six hours missing there was only one place in the pack not monitored, the lake zone,”

“That’s not where she was headed, Conner.”

“Well, Atlas gets a whiff of her scent every now and then down here. Call her, the phone will ring, and we’ll all be able to pinpoint her.’

There was nothing at all and there was no movement, no ringing phone or even a chime or vibration of one.

‘Anything?’ His father asked a minute later.

‘No, has she picked up even once?’

‘No.’

‘Turned it off then is my guess.’ He muttered. Was out here hiding somewhere.

Atlas moved on trying to catch her scent in the breeze, finally picked it up properly ten minutes later and felt relief wash through his wolf. Got everyone to shift back, in case they found her first. Heard Atlas tell them all to go back he’d get her and wanted to kill him for it. As he shifted himself and dressed. Headed on down through the woods to the edge of the lake. Looking both ways, he knew Brayden was coming. He could see the cars’ headlights in the distance coming down the trail.

Looked the other way and scanned the edge of the lake, it might be pitch dark out here, but the moon was three quarters full, and it glistened off the lake, and there she was standing by the water’s edge, just staring out into the lake about 300 meters north of him. Atlas was happy inside his mind to have found her. ‘You need to stop this s**t Atlas, she’s human and not our Mate.’ His wolf just ignored him.

Conner walked down the path to where she stood and stopped a metre shy of her, “Do you know half the people living here are currently looking for you?” he muttered, allowing his annoyance at having to come and replace her to show in his tone.

“Are they?” she stated in a bored tone, didn’t sound like she cared at all.

“Yes, your mother and my father are worried sick.”

“I doubt that very much. What do you want, Conner?” she asked without so much as even looking at him.

“I’m here to take you back.”

“And if I don’t want to go back?”

“I will have to make you. Do you really want that?” he asked.

Found those silver-grey eyes of hers turned on him and saw them practically glow as they caught the moonlight, saw his wolf really look at her. He had to admit even to himself, they were beautiful to look at, almost shone like the moon itself when she was full, in this light. Shook that off, his bloody wolf’s feelings were starting to push onto him.

“No,” she stated, “I don’t want you touching me. Not ever.” She stated coldly.

Stared right at her, his jaw tightened. Again, words that a human could utter to rid herself of their Mate if they didn’t know what they were. He could feel Atlas’s concern about her word usage. Twice today she’d stated things that could be seen as a rejection. Not that she even knew what it was or what she was saying.

He didn’t much like hearing it himself, for that matter, and wondered if that was his wolf’s feelings once again flowing to him. But he did understand her reason for not wanting him around her. He had been a real jerk to her in order to make her stay away from him. “Then I suggest that you walk down the trail to my car that is waiting, or I’ll be picking you up and tossing your a*s over my shoulder. They’re your options. Pick one.”

Saw her just walk around him and say nothing, had that resting b***h face, that he was so used to seeing back in place. ‘What do you expect after what you did.’ Atlas snarled at him.

‘I did it for a reason.’ He shot right back. He should never have touched her, let alone all the other bloody things he’d done to her.

Followed her back down the path, linked to his father that he had her. That she was just at the lake’s edge the whole time. Actually, got a thank you from his father for replaceing her. He sounded relieved, he could inform his Mate that her daughter was okay and on her way back.

Conner also told him she didn’t want to go back. It was pretty clear. And heard that man sigh heavily.

Yes, he’d royally f****d up with his stepdaughter, so much so it might not be fixable at all. Seeing a wolf on the surface all aggressive for a human, could really screw them up. Could well imbed a fear into them that lasted a lifetime. His father knew this. If that happened, Brittney was not going to be happy at all.

Though listening to her, the way she had talked to him, even. A bored, emotionless tone, doubted she would be one of those. But didn’t doubt she wasn’t looking for a way out right now. Stated it point blankly ‘and if I don’t want to’, stated that because she didn’t want to. Was curious about what made his father lose his temper. Could have been anything, but he knew the man was trying to keep himself and his wolf in check. She’d been here all of a week and a half and locked herself away for a week of that.

Saw Brayden smile at her and say “Good to see you’re okay El.”

She didn’t say anything at all, though Atlas didn’t like the way he called her El, instead of Eliza, it was too friendly. She just got in the truck when Brayden opened the door for her. Conner watched him tilt his head as she got in the truck and was trying to sense out her feelings. He frowned at the man, yes he was the future Gamma.

Hit that man before he picked up on anything else he shouldn’t. He got a raised eyebrow at him. ‘Human’ he shot down the mind-link ‘also not a pack member. So not your job.’

‘She was terrified. I heard, I’m just..’

‘Well, don’t, it’s none of your business. If father wants her sussed out, your dad can do it. Get in the bloody car.’

‘You really need to let this human-hating thing go. You know that right. It’s unhealthy.’

Glared at him and then just got in the truck himself. Left her in the back, though tilt the mirror so he could see her, she just sat and stared out the window, didn’t say a damned thing. Wondered if this was always what she did when upset or angry. She just closed her mouth and ignored everyone. If he recalled correctly, his father had stated she said pretty much nothing coming here. Had been unhappy about it.

It was likely this was her when she was unhappy. Really looked at her in that mirror, in all likelihood he’d never seen her happy here in the pack. That smile this morning at his father, had been designed for him to make him think she didn’t care. Could feel Atlas was annoyed by the thought she was unhappy.

Though he had seen her chuckle in town, she had been texting someone, likely one of her friends back in California. A place she would rather be, a place that was much more suited to her than here. Needed to send her home, he thought and turned to look out the window himself, watched the darkened forest pass by as they headed back.