The Unclaimed Human Luna
Chapter 58

El POV

A month went by and Petal talked quite a bit, it was a weird feeling to have one inside her mind. Some days she wouldn’t say anything at all to her, seemed to just be quiet and sleeping, though like her aunt Juliana had told her, she laughed a lot at the weird things humans did, found El using the bathroom funny, asked why she just didn’t go out in the woods.

Didn’t particularly like the smell of coffee, but got all hopped on sugar when El ate chocolate or cake. It was weird to say the least, it was like she was bouncing around inside her mind and the talking was flat out and hard to understand, sometimes her words all just rolled together, told El to go chase things she saw, was up inside her mind looking at things like birds and butterflies, loved watching wild rabbits and the chickens had her undivided attention all the time.

Got the feeling of being hungry when she looked at those things, her cousins told her that was normal and when Petal did come forth, she would likely run off and hunt everything she’d seen already. That when Petal was out, she became the one inside the mind, and Petal was in charge.

It was explained to her that it was kind of like taking a backseat and you were conscious and got to watch all the things Petal would run off and do, and be able to talk to her, but unlikely she’d be able to stop her from hunting things and eating things.

Rolling in whatever horrid thing Petal felt smelled good to her, Al had chuckled at that, and told her to be prepared to come home covered in all sorts of mud and grass, animal muck, foxes rolled in everything. Though he had to admit his kitsune Akon loved to go swimming out in the lake, so thankfully his beast was clean most of the time. Not all liked swimming, but some did.

Aunt Juliana had asked her what Petal looked like and El frowned at her. “I don’t understand. I haven’t seen her. How would I know?”

“You should be able to see her in your mind’s eyes. Close your eyes, El, and connect with Petal. Look to see what she looks like.”

El tried to do this for a long time but in the end had to shake her head “Nothing, I don’t actually see her, there is nothing there.” She frowned “Is that normal?”

“No, but you are half human. Perhaps that has something to do with it.”

“Being human is hindering Petal, isn’t it?”

“I wouldn’t call it hindering El.” She’d stated “Kitsune’s are not like other shifters, we can be a very mischievous lot, like to hide our true selves even from our own self some times.” saw her shake her head “My little brother never saw his Kitsune until he ripped out of him, his kitsune Peaker thought it was very funny to hide from his own human, thought it was funny that he got so annoyed with him over not showing himself even, got a weird sense of human that one does.” Chuckled a little herself “And an apt name for his beast as well. We’re also not usually open to others knowing about us, always just smell like humans to others. We use a specially made soap created by our ancestors hundreds of years ago. Likely why your stepfather’s son couldn’t smell Sloan when he dropped by her house that day.”

El sighed. She didn’t want to talk about Conner, that ache was mostly gone now, but some days it still reared its head. Mostly on those days, she realised Petal was quiet. Wondered if she did not like the pain it radiated or if she didn’t understand it.

“It still hurts, your chest?” her aunt asked as she looked at her, absently rubbing at her chest.

“Only sometimes.” She admitted. Petal doesn’t like it, is quiet on those days.”

“Petal likely understands more about it than you do. El we do need to really sit and talk about Conner; I understand you don’t want to. But that ache, there is likely a real reason for it. I told you once you weren’t going to like it.”

“Then I don’t want to hear it.”

“Honey, it’s possible Conner is your Mate.”

She stared right at her Aunt, she knew what a Mate was now, someone made just for you. Someone that was supposed to love and cherish you. Would never hurt you, always protect you. He’d done nothing to show her any of that. The complete opposite, in fact, she also knew there was such a thing as rejecting one’s Mate. Was of the opinion that was exactly what he’d been doing.

Pushing her away to let her know he didn’t want her. She’d spent the past month being educated in the ways of their world, knew lots now. Also knew that just because she was a Kitsune didn’t mean her Mate would be a fox, could be anything that had a shifter or even a human. Now that had opened her eyes, all the things she’d been told were real.

Had laughed a few times only to be told “No, they’re real. All those mythical creatures out there she’d ever heard of or read about were likely to be real and just hidden from the human world. Asked if she had to be concerned about them, and her aunt shrugged “not on most days, sometimes yes, but mostly no, or not around here. Most shifters would stay away from a kitsune pack, and know better than to try and attack one. Or take one on.

That it was hard for a shifter to know just what they were up against, unless they actually saw your kitsune, she’d walked her down to the gate and showed her that there was a symbol on the gate. It was a 9-tailed fox. Half white and half black.

She explained to her that she was black but Sloan, her twin, was white. Their colour markings were the complete opposite of of each other, as were most of the Alpha twins that were born to lead the pack.

“Twins.”

“Yes, we often have multiple births, twins, triplets, occasionally quintuplets.” Had smiled right at her “you’re also likely to do that, being that you’re Sloan’s direct descendant. You might want to prepare yourself for that.”

El, had just stood staring at her, not really knowing what to say at all to that comment. Then they had just walked back through the pack. She’d been quiet for a long time then sighed and asked the question she knew she had to ask at some point.

“Will it ever go away?”

“What?”

“The ache in my chest?” El sighed.

“I don’t know El, I guess that depends on your actual relationship with Conner.”

“I told you what it was.”

“Mm, you did. But you slept with him more than once. There is a theory that you were not likely to get your kitsune at all, because your mother was human and your father was only half kitsune, the human side would be more dominant…that it was the fact that you met your Mate and were with him that brought her out in you. So…” her aunt trailed off.

“So?”

“If that is the case, your likely already mated to him, and that is what is causing the ache inside your chest, being away from him. It may never go away, El, not until you confront him and either accept him or reject him. Which I would advise you think extremely carefully about. If Petal was brought out by her Mate, rejecting him, could see you lose her altogether, and become human once more.”

Just bloody great, she thought with a heavy sigh, he’d not come for her, or not to her knowledge anyway. Wondered if he was looking for her now, he’d told her that her body belonged to him, “He knew what I was.” She murmured softly.

“It is possible if he couldn’t stay away from you.” Aunt Juliana nodded, “Which means when I initiated you into this pack your connection to him would have diminished greatly so, or been broken somewhat. Claimed by another pack, I’d be willing to bet he felt something when that happened. If he did know about you being his Mate, he wouldn’t have been able to stop himself where you were concerned. He likely got angry with you for no reason over you hanging out with that Marlo boy, his actions may have been confusing for you. Perhaps he was conflicted about you, being human and all. Wolves tend to want wolves for Mates, they don’t always want humans, and if your mother is now his stepmother. Well, that’s just even more likely to confuse him. I presume you have no idea if your mother shifted and got a wolf?”

She shook her head, and really thought about that. “It wasn’t just Marlo. He was ticked off at my friend Xavier, for saying I was his girlfriend a month before that.”

“You’ve known Conner, what nearly two months now? But never been near him on a full moon, have you?”

“No.” El shook her head. “The first time I ran away I was with Cordi and Collin, and then the last time I was allowed to leave by his father. To visit dad’s grave.”

“Hmm, sounds to me like Conner didn’t tell anyone what you were to him. That will cause trouble inside his pack. His father won’t be happy with him, neither will his unit.”

“Why?”

“Because he is the Heir, Conner is Logan’s son, right?”

“Yes.”

“Does he have any older brothers or sisters?”

“Not that I saw.” She shook her head, “or heard about and in mum’s apartment it was just photos of her and Logan and then Conner.”

“Likely he’s an only child then, so you being Mated to him, would make you the future Luna to his pack, and now you’re out here, unclaimed, and roaming about on your own, unprotected. It is likely that he will hunt you down.”

“Only going to reject me, didn’t really like me, just enjoyed the s*x.”

“I doubt that, likely he was confined in what he could say to you, or tell you, due to the fact that you were human, things work differently with human Mates.”

“Can you explain that to me?”

“I can, let’s sit.” They walked and sat under a pear tree, “Let’s see, humans aren’t just brought in and Marked and Mated right away. Even here the process is slow, some don’t handle it so well. So, to be mated to a human, you would date them for a few weeks a month even, sometimes longer depending on the bond, then bring them inside the pack with your Alpha’s permission, no shifting from the pack is usual for the time frame.

“Then on the full moon after you arrive, the shifter would generally tell you they love you, want to be with you, call you Mine at some point, word it into a phrase for all around to hear. Then, a few days later, they would let you see a shifted member of their pack here or there.

“See how you react to it, get you used to seeing shifted creatures and then sit you down and explain to you what they were, shift for you and let you meet their beast. Then, if the human accepts them and their beast, they would Mark and Mate you the day after the next full moon and you’d either get a shifter yourself or stay human on the following full moon. Quite a long process, but best done slowly, carefully to stop the rejection that is always a possibility.”

El stared at her “Is that why mother was gone so long, with Logan?”

“Yes, what you didn’t see her for?”

“About two months, then they just showed up and took me back, even when I didn’t want to go.”

“Not very nice of them. If you were under 18 I’d understand.”

El sat and stared out at the pear orchid they were in. Everyone here ate pears. It was like their favourite thing. “I think I met his beast.”

“Explain that to me.”

“I got chased by a big dark grey wolf, all over the place, and then when it finally ran away, Conner was like just there a few minutes later.”

“Hmm, it could very well have been. Shifters, like wolves, love to chase their Mates. It could have been his wolf playing with you.”

“It wasn’t very fun, I was terrified the whole bloody time.”

“Hmm, likely if that wolf was Conner’s beast, Conner wouldn’t have had a say in it. Any other contact with the same wolf?”

“Yes, two other interactions after that.”

“What were they?”

“Um, the one after that it was just walking past me and then stopped and smelled me, then it was gone.”

“Conner?”

“Yes, right there a few minutes later.” She nodded and sighed that wolf was going to be his beast. “Though Conner got weird after that, he chased me himself, all over the woods, till I couldn’t run anymore. Then offered to sleep with me. But then seemed to just change his mind.” Shook her head.

“The human part of him would also like to chase you, fun for him.”

“He did say it was just fun for him.”

“Seems he was playing with you as much as his wolf was.” Her aunt nodded “The other interaction with his beast?”

“That was weird, it just stared at me and then, I don’t know, got all puppy like, bowed and crawled towards me, rolled around on the ground and then, I don’t know, I think he tried to make me pat it. Licked my hand and nudged it with his head, whined a little. It was weird.”

“To you, his beast was trying to show you he’s not scary, to interact with you. His beast likes you, a lot, El. Likely they’d already made the decision to claim you, just needed to wait for the full moon, and you left before it.”

“He wasn’t there either, off on some company retreat. He wasn’t going to claim me.”

“Company retreat? El, that is human terms for going to another pack to help with a fight or battle between an allied pack and an enemy pack. He likely didn’t want to go. Had to go. Likely would have come home for the full moon to claim you, if he was close enough to do so. Or he’d have to wait another month to do that.”

“I don’t think so. Had that other girl all over him.”

“Hmm, that is curious, perhaps he didn’t yet know what you were to him. Just thought you were human, and well, his new Luna’s daughter, didn’t want to get a hell of a beating, over, sleeping with you.”

“Who knows?” She shrugged. It was over. That was all she knew.

“Answer me one more thing, El. Be honest and don’t be embarrassed about the answer.”

El looked right at her aunt and sighed, just knew what she was going to ask, nodded her head slowly.

“The s*x, I’m willing to bet it was better than good. But was there ever a time it was raw, and you just couldn’t or he just couldn’t control himself, go at it like crazy, rough as guts I guess you could say.”

“Yes, more than once actually.” She nodded.

“Was it just him, or did you respond in kind?”

“Is it important?”

“Oh yes, I’m trying to figure out if you and he mated to each other. He’d have known what it was, but you wouldn’t, but still could have done so. Unwittingly, but it’s possible.”

“Great.”

“When and how many times, El?”

“Um, definitely out in the woods, I was yelling at him about leaving and then all of a sudden he was, he…”

“I get it, took you in a furious manner, but you enjoyed it didn’t you?”

“Yes.” She sighed “I’m in trouble, aren’t I?”

“I would think so. Likely that pain in your chest, you’re mated to him.”

“So, what now?” she had no idea what to do about it.

“You can stay here and hope that being apart from him will eventually break your tie to him, though Petal may never come forth, she’ll likely be able to talk to you as she does now, but she might need him there for her to actually appear. I don’t know about that. You can go back, and try and sort things out with him, accept him. Or you can go back and reject him officially, which I’ve told you could be bad for Petal. So, you have a few options open to you.”

“But for Petal?”

“You need to wait on the full moon, see if she’ll come on her own. If she does and you shift, that is good, but we have long lives. There is plenty of time to think it through. You could stay here, get your degree and then go back. A few years is nothing in the grand scheme of things. Though do not sleep with anyone else.”

“Why not? Not that I want to,” she reassured her aunt, wasn’t that type of girl. “Just curious is all.”

“It’s possible he’ll feel it, as will you if he does.”

“What?” her eyes were wide now.

“It won’t be pleasant for either of you. It will hurt the other. On his end, he may feel severed from you, but you still have that ache, so is possible if he’s with another you’ll feel it. It will actually cause you and Petal pain.”

“Just freaking great.” She muttered “He didn’t want me, and now he can go hurting me anytime he likes, right?”

“Hmm, if he is cruel, yes. Is he cruel El?”

“I don’t know.” She shrugged and she didn’t, just that one girl. “He did try to tell me he didn’t have a girlfriend, that there wouldn’t be any other girls once, but I just got mad at him, to me that just meant that girl he was with was nothing to him, used her to make sure I knew I was nothing to him.”

“Hmm, likely before he knew what you were to him. Then he knew and was not interested in others, from all I’ve heard today, El. I think he and his wolf were likely going to claim you. Wanted you but you just didn’t understand it. So headstrong and determined to get out of that place, that was all that mattered to you. Not the boy, or man, your need to gain your freedom, over rid everything else.”

“I don’t know what to do about it?”

“I would do nothing, it is likely he and his beast are hunting you, they know what you smell like, if they figure out what Sloan is, could well track her and he’ll show up here at some point looking for you. I would just wait and see. If he does love you, his wolf loves you, they will never give you up. Not if they think you’re alive out here somewhere. The hunt is already on to get you back to them.”

“So, he’s going to make me go back, yet again my degree here in Italy will be stopped?”

“I guess that depends on how quickly he tracks you down. Could take a while. When he does come El, you’ll have to make a decision, a life-altering one, he is the heir to a pack, and you’ll have to go and live there. Learn how to run things and adjust to a life there.”

“Great to a place where I had no real friends.”

“That will all change the moment they know what you are to them.”

“Doesn’t mean they’ll like me deep down.”

Heard her aunt sigh, “It will not be easy. Don’t rush your decision is all I can say. It won’t just affect you, but Petal, as well as Conner and his wolf, his entire pack. He could remain Mate-less, as could you for the rest of your lives if you reject him officially.”

“Yay.” She muttered.

“I’ll leave you to think about it. The full moon is tomorrow. We’ll see about Petal then, let’s just wait and see what happens.” Her aunt told her, patting her on the leg “I’ll leave you to think on your own.”

El nodded and watched her walk away, leaned back on the tree they’d been sitting under and sighed heavily. She had no idea what she was going to do. Didn’t even know if Conner was looking for her, though a part of her deep down believed Atlas was going to be.

Even now she understood it had been Atlas who had mated her out in the woods that day, she’d seen foxes and kitsune’s on the surface, heard the gravel in their voices to indicate it was their beast talking, not the human part. It had been his beast who had claimed her that day in the woods, and recalled Conner apologising for it. Had told her he normally had better self-control. Sighed he’d been apologising for his beasts’ actions, not his own.