《Shifting in Love》


 Chapter One

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    The world changed. It had to adapt to the disaster humankind had created. Then humankind had to adapt to the harsh conditions. Depending on the region you lived in, it depended on what powers or abilities you gained. For example, if you lived in one of the cities made in the oceans, you gained the ability to breathe underwater longer. The mountain cities had shapeshifters that shifted into different kinds of birds that would carry people where they needed to be. But not everyone gained abilities or powers.


    There were people like me. Completely depended on those that protected us. Living in the forest region, everything was made around the trees that protected us. The abilities and powers that surrounded us were shapeshifters of deer, wolves, bears, and any other animal you would find in the forest. No one had any special ability to help them live life here. It wasn¡¯t really needed.


    ¡°Luna!¡± my friend called out to me as she came running towards me. A big smile on her face, ¡°Are you ready for today?¡±


    I had completely forgotten what today was. It was the day when girls around my age had to meet at city hall to meet the shifters who protected us. We weren¡¯t lucky to have any female shifters born in the region for a long time, so the shifters were becoming very slim. We have to borrow them from other regions if anything drastic ever happens.


    The mayor of our region tries to find brides for the shifters in hopes that more shifters are born. Sadly, this plan is slowly failing. Most women who marry a shifter never survive the first child''s birth and half of the time the baby doesn¡¯t survive either. But those that do survive are either not shifters or can¡¯t have anymore children after their first born.


    ¡°I hope I get paired with a wolf,¡± my best friend beamed.


    ¡°He has to like you first,¡± I joked with her. She playfully hit me as she let out a heavy sigh.


    We only had one wolf shifter left in our region. He was strong and pretty well known. But with the last disaster, he nearly died. Doctors were able to save him with a small handicap, but he never went around displaying what that handicap is. The wolf shifter still fights and protects us like he used to. Also, the wolf shifter had a wife before.


    She was a beautiful woman that he had known since childhood. They got married when I was a young teen. Everyone in the region was at the wedding and we were sure it was going to last. The only problem is that she wasn¡¯t strong enough to survive the birth. The baby didn¡¯t either. Also, it was during a disaster, which made it worse because the wolf shifter wasn¡¯t even present for the birth. He¡¯s never participated in the selection at city hall because he had found his soulmate, why try to find a new one?


    ¡°Do you think he will be there?¡± my best friend asked.


    I shook my head in response, ¡°I don¡¯t think so. He doesn¡¯t see the point in showing up, Em.¡±


    My friend then got a sly smile on her face, ¡°What if he did show up and chose you? Your name is perfect for a wolf shifter family.¡±


    Rolling my eyes, I stood up, ¡°I¡¯ll probably end up in a family of bear shifters. Those are the most common.¡±


    Em gave me a look of shock, like she couldn¡¯t believe what I was saying, ¡°Luna, are you saying that you are just a common girl?¡±


    That was exactly what I was saying. I looked so different from everyone in the forest region due to the fact that my mother got pregnant while traveling to different regions as a nurse. She helped the wounded from every disaster and that was how she met my father. He was a patient but she never told me from which region. Rumors were that he was from one of the blizzard regions because my hair was a white blonde and my eyes were a bright blue. Even my skin was far too pale to the point I looked like a ghost compared to the other girls in our region.


    Em was the prime example of what the girls mostly looked like in the forest region. They had long thick dark auburn hair, light tan skin, and dark brown eyes. They also looked a little on the chubby side, while I was a little on the skinny side. In this forest region, you looked healthy with the amount of meat you had on your bones.


    ¡°Ember! Luna!¡± called out my mother. Em¡¯s face twisted in displeasure from hearing her full first name. It made me laugh as I ran to my mother. Em ran closely behind me as my mother waited for us to take us to the city hall for the selection process.


    When we arrived at the city hall, it was full of hopeful young women. There were so many that it was obvious that not everyone was going to get picked. We didn¡¯t have that many shifters in our region. Most of the girls were hanging around their mothers, which made me feel bad for Em.


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    Em¡¯s parents died in a disaster when we were little. Thanks to my mother¡¯s kind heart, she took Em in. I had grown up thinking I was the adopted one and not Em because she looked so much like my mother. It¡¯s also why I got picked on a whole lot.


    The sound of the mayor clearing his throat caught everyone¡¯s attention, ¡°Ladies, I know today is an exciting day. But I have some bad news. We need to postpone the selection process due to a thunderstorm coming in.¡±


    Gasps filled the area and some girls even grabbed on to their mothers tightly. Thunderstorms were terrifying in the forest region. They caused fires and trees with homes to be knocked down. Half of the forest burnt down in the last thunderstorm and I¡¯m sure a few families lost some loved ones.


    ¡°But to keep your hopes up, we have some guests coming in from the blizzard regions to trade with us. I¡¯m sure they have a few nice young men that would be more than happy to find a wife among all of you.¡± the mayor announced, being followed by a few squeals of excitement. My mother tensed a little, ¡°Now gather your things and go to the designated caves for your safety.¡±


    My mother quickly directed us towards home. Storms were taken very seriously even if they ended up being just a little rain. We no longer had the technology that told us how bad a storm would be because nature had taken that knowledge out in the first major world disaster. Now we had to be in complete fear of every storm that charged through the forest region. Wondering what homes would be lost and what family members would parish.


    Before we got close to the house, my mother suddenly turned towards me and handed me a piece of paper, ¡°I need you to gather these herbs just in case we need them, okay Luna? I¡¯ll take Ember home to pack our things. Meet us at the cave.¡±


    I nodded in understanding and broke away from our little group. My mother taught me all of her knowledge when it came to medicine. It was her dream that I would take over, but I didn¡¯t have the heart for it. Seeing children hurt made me want to cry along with seeing those on their deathbed. Also, blood made me a little squeamish. I didn¡¯t really have a place in the forest region and it made me wonder if I really belonged to where my father is from.


    Getting lost in my thoughts, I entered auto-pilot mode and started gathering the herbs on my mother¡¯s list. I knew where some of them were found by heart and didn¡¯t really need to think they were. My body just naturally went to it. But there was one herb that wasn¡¯t growing where it was supposed to be. Confused, I looked around the area.


    ¡°Looking for something, Luna?¡± came the very familiar voice of my good friend, Luke. I looked at him to see him waving the herb I needed in the air.


    ¡°How did you know I was going to need it?¡± I asked him.


    He held out the herb towards me, ¡°Your mom always gathers this when there is news about a possible disaster. Also, it¡¯s the farthest from the city. You shouldn¡¯t be getting this by yourself.¡±


    Grabbing the herb from him, I gave him a knowing smile, ¡°Are you suggesting I take an overly friendly bear cub with me from now on?¡±


    Luke was a bear shifter who was lucky to have both his mother and him survive. His line is so lucky that his mother even had a child before and after Luke. But that is as far as their luck went, because she never gave birth to a girl. She only had three boys.


    ¡°Link won¡¯t even leave my mother¡¯s side. What makes you think he would follow you around?¡± Luke complained, making me laugh. Link was Luke¡¯s little brother, as was the prime example of a needy bear cub.


    ¡°Do you think Leon would leave his wife to help me gather herbs?¡± I asked jokingly. Luke looked at me like he couldn¡¯t believe what I was saying. Leon was Luke¡¯s older brother. He recently married last year but was too afraid to touch his wife. Luke and his older brother are big boys. They were three hundred pounds of muscles and Leon¡¯s wife was just a tiny little woman. I wasn¡¯t sure why he picked her, but every man has his reasons.


    ¡°You hurt me, Luna.¡± Luke said with a small pout. Making me laugh more, ¡°I was talking about me. You need me to follow you around to protect you from the dangers of this world.¡±


    Luke had made it no secret that he liked me. He grew up protecting me from bullies and any other harsh comments. There were times when Luke would tell my mother that she didn¡¯t have to worry about me because he was going to marry me and always protect me. My mother would just laugh because she just saw it as a little boy¡¯s fantasy to marry his best friend. But I think the thought really solidified in Luke¡¯s mind when his brother got married.


    ¡°Luke, can I be serious with you for a minute?¡± I suddenly asked him.


    He got an uncomfortable look on his face, ¡°I know what you want to talk about, Luna.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not fair to you, Luke. Find someone who shares the same feelings. You deserve to be happy,¡± I tried to convince him. It was a conversation we always had when he brought up the selection process or wanted to protect me.


    ¡°But being with you makes me happy, Luna!¡± he said angrily as he kicked a nearby tree, making it groan in protest. He then looked at me with sad eyes, ¡°I don¡¯t care if you don¡¯t feel the same about me, I just want to be with you. No one else.¡±


    Letting out a sigh, ¡°Luke, you need to think this through clearly.¡±


    The pain I saw in his eyes caused by my rejection broke my heart. It was a look I hated to see because Luke deserved nothing but the best. But I think this rejection hurt him the most because he was ready to pick me during the selection process. He was ready to make me his wife and I wasn¡¯t going to accept it.


    ¡°Forget it,¡± he said mostly to himself rather than to me as he turned and stormed off. I didn¡¯t bother to call after him. He¡¯d cool off and be back to his normal self in no time. Luke just needed to accept that he didn¡¯t need to protect me anymore. It was someone else¡¯s job to do that now.


    The loud crack of thunder suddenly reminded me of where I was supposed to be. Looking at the sky in fear, I began to run towards the cave where my mother was waiting for me. I had to get these herbs to her just in case, but I guess fate had other plans. A strike of lighting crashed into the bottom of a nearby tree, making it burn as it fell into my path. Trapping me behind a wall of fire.

 Chapter Two

    My mind went blank as I stared at the flames before me. The instincts I depended so much on to protect me, failed to even activate. It was as if I was completely frozen. My brain was even refusing to reboot itself to make any rational decisions. Instead, I stood there as the heat grew closer to me.


    ¡°Luna!¡± Luke¡¯s voice yelled from a far distance. Finally snapping me back into reality.


    Scanning my surroundings, the fire was spreading fast. Thunder roared above me as the sky flashed. Part of me wondered where the rain was, but I knew that this was a dry storm. The one that burns everything in its path and makes us homeless for months.


    A loud crack made me turn around. But the moment I did, a tree fell towards me. Again my body failed me as I froze, staring at my demise. Only it never came, as a force pushed me out of the way just as the tree crashed on the ground. Making me stare at it like I couldn¡¯t believe I was alive.


    It took a while for my mind to register that a strong arm was wrapped around me. There was only one person that had the speed and agility to save me just in time. My eyes followed the arm to the torso it was connected to. Then they traveled to the face of the wolf shifter in our region. Trent had a pained look on his face as he tried to catch his breath. His ember eyes closed as he breathed heavily.


    I tried to move away from him, but he held on tighter. ¡°Just give me a minute,¡± he said in a breathless voice. There was even a hint of pain behind it and it made me think of the disaster that nearly killed him. I¡¯m sure he had injuries that will forever affect him. Tent finally let go as he sat up and looked at me with his ember eyes, ¡°Are you okay? You didn¡¯t get hurt, did you?¡±


    My brain was still malfunctioning as I stared into his eyes. Words couldn¡¯t form, leaving me to shake my head as a response. It still took me by surprise that even though Trent was a good ten years older than me, he didn¡¯t look like it. He still looked the same as when I was a young teenager. The years were completely kind to him, but it usually was with the shifters. Probably due to the genes they developed in order to survive the harsh conditions.


    Trent stood up and held out his hand towards me. Making me grab it as he helped me stand. Having him around made me completely forget that the forest was literally burning around us. It was like I suddenly had blinders on and Trent was the only thing I saw.


    ¡°Luna!¡± Luke¡¯s voice was closer. Snapping my attention away from Trent and looking in the direction his voice was coming from. It was coming from the other side of the wall of fire. I could barely make out his silhouette through the smoke and flames.


    Pulling me to a safer distance away from the fire, Trent shouted at Luke, ¡°I got her. But we won¡¯t be able to make it to the caves.¡±


    Luke stopped on the other side of the wall of fire. I could barely make out his facial features, but I could tell he was worried, ¡°Is there anything you need me to do?¡±


    ¡°Just tell her mother where she is and that she is safe. I have a place I can take her until the rain comes,¡± he told Luke. I was sure that Luke wasn¡¯t going to do what he was told but he eventually nodded in understanding before running in the direction he came from. Leaving me to look after him.


    Trent¡¯s hand then grabbed hold of my wrist as he pulled me through the burning forest. I had no idea where we were going, but I had to trust him. The whole region did. My life depended on his protection. But my thoughts weren¡¯t just on my need to find safety, but also on the fact that I was being reminded of my childhood crush. It surprised me that the man leading me out of danger still made my heart race.


    My throat started to burn suddenly, making me cough. Trent looked at me with concern before he looked around the burning forest. He must have found what he was looking for as he suddenly picked me up in his arms as if I weighed like nothing. I was too busy coughing to pay attention to where he was taking me. But the sudden dark and cool air was a welcoming feeling.


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    I looked around and saw that we were between two large boulders. Trent took off his shirt and ran out into the burning forest. My coughing was getting worse to the point that it was getting hard to breathe. I was sure I was going to pass out, but Trent had returned and placed his now damp shirt over my mouth and nose.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if it will help, but keep your mouth covered until we get to somewhere safe,¡± he told me. I just nodded and held his shirt over my mouth as he pulled me back into the burning woods, ¡°Only breathe through your nose.¡±


    Doing what he had instructed, I had him lead me through the fire once again. This time I was clinging close to him as fear was suddenly taking over. Especially when a tree falls close to us. The loud crash and the flying embers made me grip tightly onto Trent¡¯s bare arm. My actions just made him quicken our steps. I¡¯m sure even though he looked so calm, he was probably just as scared as I was.


    ¡°There is a clearing up ahead with a small pond. We can rest there until it finally rains,¡± Trent informed me. I didn¡¯t say anything as I continued to let him lead me to the clearing. But things got a little more dangerous the closer we got to the forest edge. The fire was so much worse with the constant air flow.


    Trees full of fire fell all around us. They even fell in front of us, making Trent lead us in a different direction. It got to the point that I was starting to think that we weren¡¯t going to get anywhere safe. But with determination and skill, we broke out of the flames and into the clearing. We didn¡¯t stop running until we got to the small pond. Relief had me collapse onto the ground and I even splashed some of the pond water on my warm face. Trent grabbed his shirt and unrolled it. My eyes watched him discreetly but I couldn¡¯t admire his physique when a massive scar was across his chest with something metal flashed where his heart was supposed to be. Instantly I knew that that was the injury that nearly killed him.


    Trent didn¡¯t even care that I was looking at him with shock. He actually looked completely unphased by it. As if he wasn¡¯t walking around with metal in his chest. I knew that not all technology was destroyed during the first major disaster, but it was still odd to me to see. Our region wasn¡¯t known to have any technology left. It made me curious as to where Trent got the technology that is obviously keeping him alive.


    ¡°It¡¯s a mechanical heart,¡± he suddenly said as he threw his shirt back on.


    I looked at him, ¡°What?¡±


    He answered as he pointed to his chest, ¡°This metal thing in my chest is responsible for keeping me alive.¡±


    ¡°How does it work?¡± I heard myself ask.


    Trent smirked at me, ¡°Maybe one day you¡¯ll find out.¡±


    Pursing my lips, I looked away. Feeling the heat spread in my cheeks. My mind isn¡¯t sure how to take what he meant by those words. Was he flirting? Or, was he just saying that he looks forward to us being friends? Or, does he realize that I¡¯m the region¡¯s doctor¡¯s daughter? Questions sped through my mind as I wiped the water off my face with my arm.


    Trent just sat next to me as he stared at the burning flames that consumed our home. We had no choice but to wait for the rain to come to put out the fire. Before the major disaster, there were vehicles that would be able to put the flames out instantly. There were even places where you could get the water hooked up to tubes to shoot water at the flames. But that was one of the many things that didn¡¯t survive.


    I know that there was a region focusing on bringing back the technology that we once lost. I¡¯m sure that was where Trent got his heart from. It was always my dream to go to that region and find out what they have recovered. See what medicine they brought back to save countless lives like Trent¡¯s. But my mother always reminded me that we were always going to be a part of the forest region. She was against me leaving. Especially when it involved trying to find answers to who my father was.


    Suddenly, a large shadow covered the clearing, making both of us look up. The silhouette of a large bird carrying something came into view. We watched it fly over the flames and drop something on the flames. It wasn¡¯t long before another bird showed up to do the same thing. The more they continued the routine, the less the fire grew. In fact, it grew smaller with every time the birds dropped something.


    ¡°Looks like the Blizzard Region showed up at the right time,¡± Trent mentioned as he got up and headed towards the now smoking and charred forest. Making me quickly get up and run after him.


    ¡°How do you know that it''s the Blizzard Region that was supposed to show up?¡± I asked him as I struggled to keep up with him.


    He then turned to look at me, ¡°Because they are here to give me parts for my heart.¡±

 Chapter Three

    As we got closer to the edge of the woods, a large bird landed and shifted into a young man. He untied a small bundle around his leg and pulled out a pair of pants from it. I tried not to look as the young man put on his pants to cover his nakedness. Trent didn¡¯t say anything, being a shifter himself.


    ¡°Your region has some good timing,¡± Trent mentioned to the young man.


    The young man looked at the forest, ¡°I¡¯m just glad that we came up with something to help you guys with the fire disasters.¡±


    The other bird shifters landed and shifted into men ranging from different ages. They then ran off to gather whatever they had used to put out the fires. It made me wonder what they used. Also, how did they expect us to use it if we didn¡¯t have any bird shifters left in our region? The disasters either killed them or pushed them out.


    ¡°We saw the smoke a while back and decided to demonstrate our new idea,¡± the young shifter mentioned, ¡°Just don¡¯t ask us how we came up with the idea or how we got it. It¡¯s too complicated to explain.¡±


    Trent nodded in understanding. It''s probably something that was mentioned to him before about the machine keeping him alive. But there was still the question that was running through my mind and I didn¡¯t hesitate to ask it.


    ¡°So what did you use to put out the fires and how are we supposed to use it?¡± I asked. Making the young shifter look at me with a smile.


    ¡°We made tarps that could gather a large amount of water to be poured on the fires. Sadly, only bird shifters can use it at this time and we heard you guys are a little short of those,¡± the shifter answered, ¡°It¡¯s why some of us are moving out of the snowy lands to live here. Maybe we even find ourselves a wife to have a family with.¡±


    Trent stood between the bird shifter and me in a protective way. It was like he was claiming his property to the shifter. It kind of took me by surprise and brought back the mention of his words earlier. His actions were saying that he was willing to take on a new wife. But part of me was that he was just protecting me from being taken advantage of. Trent never showed interest in any woman since his wife died.


    ¡°Luna!¡± Luke¡¯s voice shouted from somewhere in the forest. The sound of him calling my name made both Trent and me tense. But I¡¯m sure it was for different reasons. What those different reasons would be weren¡¯t something I wanted to further explore quite yet.


    It didn¡¯t take long before Luke came running through the forest towards us. A new bandage wrapped around his left arm, hinting that he was hurt at some point in the fire. Obviously, it didn¡¯t hurt him too much as he ran up to me and wrapped his arms around me.


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    I never realized how big his arms were until he had me in a tight embrace, ¡°Thank goodness you are okay,¡± he said with relief in his voice.


    As much as I was happy to see him, his long embrace was making me feel uncomfortable. I put up my hands and tried to push the bear shifter off of me, but it only made him hold onto me tighter. Trent must have seen my struggle and patted Luke¡¯s shoulder, making him look at him.


    ¡°I told you I was going to get her somewhere safe,¡± Trent told him. He even pulled me away from Luke a little bit. Which didn¡¯t go unnoticed by my best friend¡¯s eyes. I could tell by the look of displeasure in his eyes and a hint of jealousy.


    The two shifters stared each other down, much to the bird shifter¡¯s amusement. He just stood there and smiled at the show playing before him. Something told me that this bird shifter was one of the new additions to our region. Which is also going to stir a lot of commotion towards the peace that we had. I¡¯m sure the Blizzard Regions ran things a little differently than how we did things.


    Eventually, the rest of the Blizzard Region meets up with the bird shifters in the clearing. The moment I saw some of them, I could tell why people thought my father was from them. Even though the bird shifter had light brown hair and light brown eyes, the rest of the group had almost white hair and light blue eyes. Their skin was also as pale as mine.


    We didn¡¯t stay long to talk or introduce ourselves. Instead, we all just headed to see what was left of the region that I had called home. I didn¡¯t expect much. There was also a good chance that the fire didn¡¯t spread as far as it looked, but we wouldn¡¯t know until we got there. But the smell of burnt wood filling my nose wasn¡¯t making any promises.


    With every step towards the city, my heart broke. The trees were barely standing and the ground was just covered in ash. Everything just crumbled under my feet as I walked closer. A group of people had already started migrating towards the city with the same emotions as me. There was most likely nothing left standing. I could already hear whimpers in the distance. Whimpers of those mourning their homes or loved ones that weren¡¯t able to escape in time.


    My mother didn¡¯t even give me time to register that she was here and headed towards me. Instead, she wrapped her arms around me in a tight embrace. She was probably so happy to see that I was alive after being told I was trapped in the fire.


    Holding me at arms length, she checked me over. Once she was satisfied with how I looked, she looked at Trent, ¡°Thank you Trent. I don¡¯t know how I could ever thank you.¡±


    He just nodded his head, ¡°I¡¯m just doing what is expected of me. No need to thank me or repay me.¡±


    I¡¯m pretty sure my mother would have married us if he asked. She was so grateful to the point that she hugged me yet again. But her hug suddenly didn¡¯t feel like a loving embrace. Her body stiffened as her embrace turned into a protective one. I couldn¡¯t understand why she suddenly hung on to me so tightly. Curious, I tried to see what made her this way. My eyes landed on a set of eyes that looked exactly like mine.


    ¡°What is he doing here?¡± I heard my mother ask herself. Something told me that there was going to be some major life changes about to happen. And it started with the man who was staring right at us.

 Chapter Four

    It didn¡¯t take him long before he started walking up to us. My mother turned with me in her arms so that she was positioned in between me and the man. But I could see him a little bit better now that she moved. He was tall and slender with long white hair. His light blue eyes were observant and wise. The man also had the aura of a leader or an alpha.


    ¡°Is that you, Mary? My, it¡¯s been twenty-five years since I last saw you,¡± he suddenly said as a greeting. Then his eyes shifted to me, ¡°I see you have become a mother.¡±


    ¡°Marcus,¡± my mother said coldly to the man, ¡°I¡¯m surprised you remember an old nurse like me.¡±


    ¡°How could I forget the woman I wanted to marry?¡± he said, to my shock. My mother never married and I thought it was because it was my fault. Most men didn¡¯t want to raise another man¡¯s child. There were a rare few, but most just wanted to accept their own children only.


    I fought out of my mother¡¯s arms and left her alone with her former lover. He was probably one of the many she had as a traveling nurse. It wasn¡¯t my business to pry. I only got a few feet away from my mother when the arms of a bear shifter suddenly engulfed me.


    ¡°Seriously?¡± I complained as I tried to push myself out of Luke¡¯s embrace. He let go only to hold me at arm¡¯s length so he could look me over. I felt like I was in my mother¡¯s presence again. I kind of wish they would stop treating me like a delicate flower that needed to be nurtured and protected.


    ¡°He didn¡¯t take advantage of you, did he?¡± Luke suddenly asked. Making me slap him as a response. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°That is your biggest concern? Really?¡± I scolded him.


    ¡°I just don¡¯t need him claiming what is going to be mine,¡± Like defended.


    I rolled my eyes, ¡°We have had this talk many times, Luke. I¡¯m not going to marry you. You deserve someone who loves you back.¡±


    His brown eyes just looked at me in defeat. It broke my heart and if I wasn¡¯t strong on him finding someone who he deserved, I would have given in. It was so hard to explain to Luke that I could never see him more than a brother. I cared for him deeply, but not enough to marry him. It was probably a hard pill for him to swallow, but eventually he would see my reasoning.


    Em suddenly appeared and I was happy to see her. Her presence alone made the awkwardness disappear. Her face had a little soot on it from running through the ashes. Concern shone bright in her eyes as she came and hugged me as well. I was going to be really sick and tired of hugs by the end of the day. I¡¯m probably going to have enough of any kind of affection for the next few years.


    The only thing I was grateful for was that Em didn¡¯t hug me as long as everyone else did. She quickly let go and then held me out at arms length, ¡°Are you hurt?¡±


    I shook my head, ¡°I¡¯m fine, Em.¡±


    Relief washed over her. I¡¯m sure her biggest fear was to lose someone else to the natural disasters. Just seeing me in front of her must have been a huge relief to her, since I was like a sibling to her. I¡¯m just happy that my mere existence was enough to keep her happy as well. Em didn¡¯t have much left after she lost her parents. My mom and I were all she had left.


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    Em¡¯s eyes shifted to my mother in the distance. She noticed the intense talk she was having and got curious, ¡°Who is your mom talking to?¡±


    I shrugged my shoulders, ¡°I have no idea. I guess some guy from back when she was a traveling nurse.¡±


    We watched from a safe distance as my mother continued her conversation with the Blizzard Region citizens. We could only guess what they were talking about, but our conversation was quickly interrupted. Luke had come by us and stood in front of us in a protective manner. Confused, I tried to see why he suddenly acted the way he did. Trent had walked up to us and held an annoyed look on his face.


    ¡°I just want to talk to Luna about something. You don¡¯t need to protect her from me,¡± Trent said, annoyed. Luke didn¡¯t move a muscle or look away from him.


    ¡°Luke, knock it off,¡± I scolded him. But my words might as well have landed on deaf ears. In all honesty, it was kind of getting annoying to see how he was reacting. There really was no reason for his behavior. I ended up pushing him out of the way to give Trent my attention, ¡°What do you need, Trent?¡±


    He gave me a small smile, ¡°Can we talk in private? I¡¯m afraid that what I need to talk to you about will have a bear charge after me.¡±


    Trent glared at Luke and he returned the glance. Em looked between the two shifters, trying to figure out what was all going on. It was obvious to see what was going on, but it was hard to believe. Trent had never shown interest in anyone other than his deceased wife. This was so out of character for him. But then a part of me tried to reason, saying that he was just being nice and trying to see if I was okay. Maybe it was to explain the mechanical heart I saw.


    I let Trent take me somewhere and Em had to make sure Luke kept his distance. It was kind of comical to see a small woman trying to hold back a bear shifter. Especially one that was being as possessive as Luke was being. I owe her for her help today. But I also know that she didn¡¯t mind being left alone with Luke. He was completely blind to the feelings that Em obviously had for him, only because he just wanted to protect me. I hoped me being away from them would make it clear to him that there was a better option than me.


    We walked a good distance away from everyone and the further we got, the more Trent looked nervous. His actions were making me wonder what was going on in his mind. This was so out of character. Trent kept to himself and only showed himself when there was a disaster. Other than that, he stays in the shadows, away from everyone. But my curiosity had me keep following him until he felt we were at a safe distance away from everyone.


    Turning towards me, he gave me a small smile, ¡°That bear shifter has it bad for you, doesn¡¯t he?¡±


    Rolling my eyes, ¡°I don¡¯t know why. I¡¯ve rejected him multiple times but he won¡¯t take ¡®no¡¯ for an answer.¡±


    Trent let out a small chuckle, ¡°That¡¯s a relief.¡±


    I looked at him with curious eyes. What was that supposed to mean? Being in a region where marriage isn¡¯t thought about until you¡¯re twenty-five, I didn¡¯t have much experience with dating. My mother made sure I was trained in the medical field so that I could take over for her if anything happened to her. So to have Trent to act the way he did, confused me.


    Getting serious, he looked at me, ¡°Luna, did you know that I¡¯ve only been attracted to two women in this region? My wife is one. The other was too young for marriage after my wife died. I didn¡¯t want to participate in the marriage selections until the other woman was old enough for marriage.¡±


    Nodding, I let his words sink in. That made sense to me and I¡¯m sure whoever he had eyes on would be thrilled to know that he was picking them to be his wife. But I never thought it would ever be me. Growing up, I learned that I was the least desired woman in our region. I didn¡¯t look like all of the other girls, just the opposite really.


    ¡°The woman I love is a descendant of a strong line of wolf shifters,¡± he continued, ¡°I find that appealing, but I don¡¯t think she is aware of her history.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t realize that there were other wolf shifters in our region,¡± I told him.


    He let out a small chuckle, ¡°I¡¯m talking about you, Luna. Your father is a wolf shifter and he is in the region right now.¡±

 Chapter Five

    His news made me choke on my own spit. Coughing, I tried to catch my breath and process what he had just told me. Trent didn¡¯t say anything as I let the words sink in. My mother never told me anything about my father. To her, he was just a random patient that she cared for. There was no love. A one time thing that created a child. Then a question popped into my head like it was holding up a sign. How did Trent know this?


    But before I could ask him the question, he answered what I was thinking, ¡°Your father is one of the researchers in the Blizzard Region. He is the one that came up with the idea for my mechanical heart. I only learned who he was when I woke up from the surgery and thought he was you.¡±


    ¡°So you pretty much found out by accident?¡± I heard myself ask.


    Trent nodded, ¡°He knows you exist but he also knows that your mother never had the intention of telling you about him. They live in different regions and she didn¡¯t want you torn away from her growing up.¡±


    It took me by surprise that my father knew who I was. Also, it would make sense of my mother not to say anything about who my father is. There have been mothers who have done the same thing in order to keep their children. One of the laws was that if a child whose parents were from different regions, the child had to live with the father. It was due to the fact that the father could protect the child better than the mother. But if my mother never told anyone about my father, including me, she wouldn¡¯t have to send me away.


    ¡°Luna, I understand that I put a lot on your plate by telling you this. But I wanted to ask for your hand in marriage,¡± I looked at him with a blank mind. How do I answer him when I have just learned about my father? ¡°You don¡¯t have to answer me right away. Just think about it, okay?¡±


    I nodded my head because it seemed like the only thing that my mind could process. Trent then grabbed my hand and mentioned that he was going to return me to my mother. Mindlessly, I followed him. My thoughts were trying to process the information that threatened to drown me. But I wasn¡¯t lost in my head long when a flash of white flew past us.


    Both of us looked at what had flown past us and saw a white wolf lying on the ground, struggling to stand up. Shocked, I looked in the direction that it came from. Another white wolf stared down the injured one with a serious look. But the other wolf wasn¡¯t going to back down. It finally got up and ran at the other wolf. Trent held me close to him in a protective embrace as the two white wolves fought it out.


    Luke and Em came running up to us. They looked as shocked as I felt at what was going on. We have never seen shifters fight before. The bear shifters usually went off in the distance to fight so that no one would get hurt. But it appeared that these wolves didn¡¯t care about who was around. Settling whatever it was they were fighting about was more important.


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    ¡°What happened?¡± I asked Em.


    She clung onto Luke in fear, ¡°I don¡¯t know. That man that was talking to your mother suddenly got possessive when another man approached her. Then they started fighting after the other man mentioned something.¡±


    Eventually, a bear appeared between the two wolves and threw them in different directions. The bear then shifted to our mayor, ¡°That is enough. You are in our region and there are children around. If you are going to fight, leave at this instant.¡±


    The wolves shifted back into men. Both of them looked battered and bruised, but one looked a little worse than the other. They still glared at each other as the mayor threw their clothes at them before putting his own back on. It¡¯s amazing how natural it was to see the shifters naked in our region. I never really noticed it until the Blizzard Region came in. Now I am just embarrassed by it.


    My mother then came running up to the more beaten-up wolf with her medical supplies. She started tending to his wounds when the man I saw her talking to her walked up to them. He glared at the wolf shifter as he spoke to my mother, ¡°So that is the reason?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry I didn¡¯t tell you, Marcus,¡± she said as she continued to tend to the wolf shifter. She only glanced at him over her shoulder long enough to tell him, ¡°The heart wants what it wants. Even an alpha like you can¡¯t change that.¡±


    After she told him that, he ended up storming off. The injured wolf gave her a sad smile, ¡°I seemed to have made a mess of things.¡±


    ¡°You should have just kept your mouth shut,¡± she scolded him.


    I walked up to them and stood next to my mother. Staring at the man she was tending to, I noticed the similarities to myself. His light blonde hair and light blue eyes. He looked up at me and smiled, ¡°You raised a beautiful young woman, Mary. It''s a shame she didn¡¯t get the shifter trait though. Probably good if she married a bear shifter though.¡±


    My mother glanced at me with an expressionless look. I knew that look. She was trying not to tell me something or at least tell the man something. But she didn¡¯t even have to say anything because Trent had already told me.


    ¡°So you are my father,¡± I told him. Making him smile more.


    ¡°I see you¡¯ve been told about me. It can¡¯t be through your mother though,¡± he then glanced behind me towards Trent, ¡°Ah. So this is where he is from. Continuing the wolf bloodline. Good choice.¡±


    My mother glared at the man, ¡°She isn¡¯t doing anything. She is going to continue her training to become a nurse like me.¡±


    Even my mother didn¡¯t believe her own lie. I finished my training last year. There wasn¡¯t anymore she could teach me unless I left the region, but she wouldn¡¯t allow that. While the other girls were allowed to leave, my mother held on to me tightly. Envious wasn¡¯t a strong enough word for what I felt for those girls who were able to leave. Instead, I was imprisoned in my mother¡¯s care.


    ¡°Mary,¡± the man said in a soft tone, ¡°She¡¯s old enough to get married now. It¡¯s time to let her go.¡±


    My mother glared at him more, ¡°We couldn¡¯t have the selection process today because of the fire. You know that we can¡¯t have another one until next year.¡± my mother began to cry as she continued in a shaky voice, ¡°Now that you¡¯re here, you¡¯re going to take her away.¡±


    The man pressed his lips together. It was clear that he was trying to find the words to say anything. But he came up blank and I didn¡¯t find it appropriate to inform my mother that I had been asked to marry someone anyway. She needed to approve the marriage anyway for me to marry Trent. But right now her thoughts were on losing me to my father and I could understand her fear. I had no idea who this man was in front of me and the idea of going anywhere with him terrified me.

 Chapter Six

    My father let out a small chuckle as he patted my mother on the shoulder, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m here long enough that if she decides to marry, she won¡¯t have to go anywhere.


    My mother looked at him hopeful, ¡°Don¡¯t tease me, Maverick. We all know the laws.¡±


    ¡°The law only states that the child has to leave with the father if the parents are from different regions. Luna is only considered a child until she is married,¡± my father mentioned, ¡°Why else do you think most children with parents from different regions marry so young?¡±


    It surprised me that my father would know something like that. I didn¡¯t think my father would be the type of person to focus on the laws. But I didn¡¯t know anything about him. My mother made sure of that. It was still a little weird to see him in front of me right now. He was nothing but a stranger to me.


    My father then stood up off the ground. He stumbled a little bit, making my mother grab hold of him to help him stand. She must have touched a bruise or a sore spot because he winced a little bit. But my mother didn¡¯t apologize, instead she used that opportunity to cause him more pain. It was also at this point that Trent decided to take his leave. Making me think he wanted our family to have a moment alone together.


    ¡°Luna, I guess we can use this time to finally get to know each other,¡± my father suddenly said, catching my attention, ¡°I waited until you turned twenty-five to come to this region, hoping that you would be married by now. Or, at least engaged.¡±


    The memory of Trent asking for my hand in marriage flashed through my mind. I haven¡¯t given him an answer yet because my mind still had to process that he had actually asked me. It¡¯s not that I didn¡¯t think I would get married. I was just starting to accept the fact that I was going to be arranged to marry Luke because he was so determined to marry me. I¡¯m pretty sure he has even already asked for my mother¡¯s permission.


    I saw the storm and forest fire as a blessing in disguise. If the selection process did take place, I already knew who was going to pick me. But if Trent was also going to pick me, I wasn¡¯t sure how that would have been settled. Rumors were that they would have to fight it out until one couldn¡¯t fight anymore. Just the thought of that made me shudder.


    Another rumor was that the parents had to accept the most suitable shifter for their daughter. It was more believable since most shifters talked to the parents ahead of time to get blessings. That way, marriage could take place as soon as possible and women could start trying to have children. I also had a feeling that if my father never showed up, my mother would have chosen Luke. Only because he had been chasing me around since I was a kid.


    ¡°Luna,¡± my mother suddenly said, snapping me out of my thoughts, ¡°Let¡¯s head home. That way it is a little more private to get to know your father.¡±


    In other words, my mother didn¡¯t want people to learn that the wolf shifter she was caring for was my father. If no one knew the truth, then just maybe I could stay. But by the looks we were getting from those around us, it was clear that they were putting two and two together. No one needed to tell them who the man in my mother¡¯s care was. Her actions were speaking clearly for themselves.


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    Following my parents, I could feel Em running up next to me. Her arm suddenly wrapped around mine as we walked closely behind my parents. She didn¡¯t say anything to me. Probably decided it was best since my mind still needed to process all that was going on. So much has happened today and I learned many things today. The biggest thing I learned about was being held up by my mother as we headed home.


    My parents were also quite a pair. They looked like complete opposites. My mother''s tanned skin against my father¡¯s fair white skin. My mother''s dark auburn hair contrasted against my father¡¯s bright blond hair. Even their clothes showed the different regions they had come from. It still amazed me that these two complete opposites were able to make anything like me.


    But the closer we got home, the more I didn¡¯t want to be there. You could say that I was starting to get cold feet about meeting my father formally. All my life I had accepted that I would never meet him and now here he was right in front of me. It was like my mind refused to accept the fact that I had a father now. And, he wasn¡¯t just an ordinary person, he was a wolf shifter on top of that.


    ¡°Mom?¡± I suddenly said, getting her attention. She and my father stopped to look at me, ¡°I¡¯m going to see if I can find any herbs that we could use. A few of them got destroyed when I was trapped in the fire.¡±


    Understanding shined in my mother¡¯s eyes. She knew that this was a lot to take in and told Em to stay with me. It was just in case I needed help with anything. Including talking about what I have just learned today.


    As they continued on to the house, I quickly dragged Em to a spot where we always went to talk about serious things. It was a small little cave just outside of the city. Inside this little cave they had some herbs that were hard to find but they always grew in this small cave. My mother never asked where it was, she was just grateful that I could get them for her.


    Em knew enough to not say anything until we got to the cave. But once we were inside, she couldn¡¯t shut up, ¡°You¡¯re dad is a wolf shifter? No wonder why you are an only child.¡±


    I gathered some of the herbs in the cave as I responded, ¡°I¡¯m sure the reason why I¡¯m an only child is because my mother didn¡¯t stay where my father was. She didn¡¯t even marry him.¡±


    ¡°I always wondered why your mother didn¡¯t settle down with a husband,¡± Em said rather to herself than to me, ¡°So what did Trent have to talk to you about?¡±


    The mention of Trent made me freeze. My actions didn¡¯t get past Em and she knew there was something that she knew I wasn¡¯t going to tell her. Not unless she really pushed it. And, if there was one thing about Em, she was persistent.


    She came to sit next to me and literally put her face in mine, ¡°What did you two talk about? Were you so grateful to him for saving you that you begged him to marry you?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not like that, Em. He was just telling me about my father,¡± I told her. It wasn¡¯t a complete lie, but it also wasn¡¯t the complete truth. Also, by how warm my face was, Em was going to know that there was more to the story.


    ¡°But you did talk about marriage,¡± Em stated. My cheeks felt even warmer as I turned my face away from her so she wouldn¡¯t see. But she nearly squealed, ¡°You DID talk about marriage.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a big deal,¡± I said. Trying to brush off the conversation.


    Em looked at me like I had just told her that I wasn¡¯t her best friend anymore, ¡°What do you mean it isn¡¯t a big deal? Trent the lone wolf talked to you about marriage. That is a big deal, Luna.¡±


    I rolled my eyes, ¡°So what if he asked for my hand in marriage. My mother isn¡¯t going to approve because she always had this thought I¡¯d marry Luke.¡±


    ¡°He asked?¡± Em said in shock, ¡°I thought he didn¡¯t find anyone attractive enough for marriage after his wife died.¡±


    ¡°I thought so too,¡± I agreed.

 Chapter Seven

    ¡°So what are you going to do, Luna?¡± Em asked me.


    I let out a sigh as I gave up gathering the herbs in the little cave. Instead I went to a near wall and sat against it, unsure what I was going to do. The solution was completely simple if I wanted to stay with my mother. All I had to do was accept Trent¡¯s proposal. But I wasn¡¯t even sure if I wanted to accept his proposal. Trent was just the shifter that all of the girls admired but knew that they could never have. Now that he¡¯s shown interest in someone, it was hard to believe. Also, I hardly know anything about the guy.


    Pulling my knees up against my chest, wrapped my legs around my legs. Letting out another sigh, I stared at nothing. Em came and sat next to me and rubbed my arm in comfort. She didn¡¯t say anything else as she waited for me to think things through.


    ¡°Em, I don¡¯t know what I¡¯m going to do,¡± I confessed, ¡°Both choices don¡¯t seem appealing to me. I hardly know Trent enough to marry him, but I know that is just how our region works with the selection process. But I also don¡¯t know my father well enough to accept that I have to leave with him when he does.¡±


    ¡°But you have to choose one, Luna,¡± Em reminded me. I didn¡¯t need the reminder. What I needed was someone to help me think through the pros and cons of the two choices. I needed someone to tell me what it was I needed to do. For some reason, I felt like I wasn¡¯t ready to make any life decisions.


    At the moment, the only thing appealing to me was slamming my head against the cave wall. Maybe it would take enough sense out of me to make a decision without thinking. But sadly I couldn¡¯t do such a thing. Also I knew that I had to tell my mother about the proposal. Due to laws, the parents had to accept the marriage. There were so many laws that were set to protect women in this world that it was kind of sickening.


    Looking at Em, I said to her, ¡°Let¡¯s just go home. Maybe we can talk to my mother about this situation.¡±


    Em nodded in agreement. She then helped me up from the ground before grabbing what herbs I had gathered. She didn¡¯t specialize in medical herbs like me. Instead her training was in cooking and tailoring. It was something I envied about her. Em could make a meal out of pretty much anything and make the most beautiful clothes. Even though my skills could possibly save lives, it wasn¡¯t something I wanted to do.


    As we started the walk back to the house, I couldn¡¯t help but take in the damage that took place in the forest fire. Before I was blind to it due to the shock of meeting my father for the first time. Also, having Trent take up my thoughts helped put the blinders up. Now that my head was a little clearer, I could see the full scale of what we needed to rebuild.


    The forest now looked like a scorched up clearing. Blackened trees layed over the ground with embers still threatening to start the fire all over. With every step we took ash would fly in the air. Homes were just burnt shells or piles of ash. People were shifting through debris, trying to find anything they could save. Even the city hall wasn¡¯t spared as it looked ready to collapse with the light breeze blowing against it.


    ¡°This is awful,¡± I said out loud to no one in particular. It just broke my heart.


    ¡°The caves have those that just barely made it out of the fires. Some might not make it because they were hurt so bad,¡± Em informed me. Breaking my heart more.


    Just taking in the sight of something that I had to live with all of my life told me that this was no place to raise a family. But nowhere was with how harsh the environment became once the world decided to fight back. The Desert Regions had sand storms that could bury cities in a matter of seconds. The Ocean Regions has massive hurricanes and tsunamis. The Blizzard Regions had massive snow storms and freezing temperatures. The Mountain Regions had avalanches everyday due to the high winds they experienced along with freezing temperatures. The only region that I feel like would be the safest, would be the Sky Region. But that was a place that was so hard to get to since it was always moving around in the skys.


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    Without thinking, I asked, ¡°How do you think the Sky Region stays floating in the sky?¡±


    ¡°By a magical great wizard who has all of the powers of the sky,¡± Em said sarcastically. Making smack her playfully. When it came to something that she didn¡¯t know, Em would make a joke out of it. In all honesty, it was something that we never questioned. I have no idea why I even thought about it now when I never did before.


    The only explanation I had was that it was some type of technology that wasn¡¯t lost in the major disaster. But it seemed like the more important things we needed to know were the things that got lost in the end. Now different regions were working on getting that back and the one region I had a feeling had the majority of the old technology would be the Sky Region. Sadly, it was a place that no one could touch unless you were a bird shifter.


    Getting lost in my thoughts once again, I let Em lead me home. I wasn¡¯t sure if there was even a home left. From how damaged the city was, my hopes weren¡¯t high. We could be one of the many who had their home turned to ash. Just a blackened pile of debris. I guess the only way to find out if we were one of the lucky ones was to actually see if our home was still standing.


    I couldn¡¯t focus on my surroundings the closer we got. It probably was away from me to metally prepare myself for the worst. I guess I was thinking that if I expected the worst, I wouldn¡¯t be so heartbroken to see my home destroyed. Also, if it wasn¡¯t as destroyed, I¡¯d feel grateful and lucky to still have a place to live. But it would also be good motivation to help those that needed to rebuild due to the fires.


    ¡°Luna,¡± a small boy called out to me, making me turn to see who it was. The familiar face of Luke¡¯s little brother Link came running towards me. His soot covered cheeks had streaks on his face from the tears streaming down his face, ¡°I was so scared.¡±


    Instinctively, I went to his level and wrapped my arms around him in a comforting embrace. My eyes scanned the area as I wondered where his mother could be. It wasn¡¯t like her to let her little cub run around scared.


    Putting him at arm''s length, I looked Link in the eye, ¡°Link, where is your mother?¡±


    He was still crying as he hiccuped his answer, ¡°She went to look for Leon during the fire and hasn¡¯t come back.¡±


    My heart sank. To think that the fire could have taken Link¡¯s and Luke¡¯s mother from this almost made me want to cry. But I had to be strong in case it turned out to be true. Luke¡¯s family already lost his father in a fire a few months back. It would destroy them if they lost their mother as well. Also it made me worried about Leon if he didn¡¯t show up at the safety of the caves as well. I had to find Luke.


    Pawning off Link to Em, I left her to go find my best friend. Part of me hoped that he had found his mother safe and sound. But the other part was fearing the worst. The image of Luke finding his mother not alive floored me. It was something he didn¡¯t deserve. Especially after my harsh words to him earlier.


    ¡°Luke!¡± I called out as I scanned the area. No idea where I was to look first. But I didn¡¯t have to look long when he suddenly popped out of nowhere next to me. His eyes were red and puffy, ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s Leon,¡± was all he said before he grabbed on to me. I held him in a comforting embrace as he began to cry.


    I¡¯ve seen Luke get teary eyes before, but I¡¯ve never really seen him cry. Also, I know that Luke always looked up to his older brother. I guess this also explains why Link¡¯s mother never came to get him. She probably didn¡¯t want him to see the fate of his oldest brother. My heart just broke for this family because they had already lost so much with Luke¡¯s father. Now they had just lost his older brother to the fires. Who knew who was next? It could even be my mother and that thought just made me want to cry more.

 Chapter Eight

    It turned out that Leon and his wife didn¡¯t survive the fire. On their way to safety, a tree that was on fire had fallen right on top of them. My mom only hoped that the tree had killed them and that they didn¡¯t suffer in the flames. I had hoped for the same thing because I couldn¡¯t imagine the suffering they would have gone through if it was the latter.


    Luke had finally stopped crying and was holding on to his little brother. His mother was crying in my mother¡¯s arms as we all sat in my home. Earlier, my mother had gathered all of us to see if anyone was hurt. That is when she learned about Leon and his family. Now I just felt guilty about being an only child along with having a father still living. I also felt guilty that even with all Luke was going through, I still wasn¡¯t going to marry him. Also, it wouldn¡¯t be the right thing to do.


    ¡°Mom?¡± I said to my mother, getting her attention, ¡°Can I talk to you in private for a minute?¡±


    She nodded as she whispered something in Luke¡¯s mother¡¯s ear. I headed for the door and waited for her to join me so we could go outside. Our house was a little scorched, but other than that, it was fine. My mother¡¯s quick thinking had actually saved our house, but she wouldn¡¯t tell me what that thinking was.


    But once she was next to me, she followed me outside. The moment we were outside, I was reminded that my father was also with us. He looked at us with curious eyes as my mother closed the door behind us. Keeping our conversation separate from the other family inside. I¡¯m sure Em was already hanging on Luke¡¯s arm the moment I left.


    ¡°What is it you wanted to talk about, Luna?¡± my mother asked. Capturing my father¡¯s interest.


    ¡°Luna wanted to talk? About what?¡± he asked curiously.


    This was probably going to be the only perfect time to tell my mother what happened before meeting my father for the first time. She didn¡¯t even know that I had gone off alone with Trent right after the fire. She was too busy dealing with the drama my father was causing.


    ¡°Trent asked for my hand in marriage,¡± I suddenly said. My mother instantly tensed up while my father broke out in a huge smile.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be damned,¡± he said with excitement. I figured he would be happy about the news since he was also a wolf shifter. But I¡¯m sure my mother had accepted me marrying Luke and was preparing for that. This probably put a damper on her plans.


    My father turned to my mother. I don¡¯t think I ever could see him more proud of anything, ¡°Look at that. Our little girl is continuing the wolf line after all.¡±


    ¡°She isn¡¯t doing such a thing,¡± my mother said as she glared at him, ¡°She is already promised to someone else.¡±


    Rolling my eyes, she didn¡¯t need to say anymore. But this was news to my father, ¡°And who could that be?¡±


    ¡°Mom, I¡¯m not marrying Luke,¡± I told her matter of fact, ¡°I even told him that. Em deserves to be with him, not me.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t understand why everyone was being so blind to Em¡¯s feelings towards Luke. She hasn¡¯t made it a secret. For some reason I was the only one putting her into consideration. Everyone else just had a thick skull or just didn¡¯t want to hear about it. It¡¯s as if Luke had brainwashed everyone into believing that he and I were meant to be together forever.


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    ¡°Are you saying you want to marry Trent then?¡± my mother asked sternly. I couldn¡¯t respond. That was a question I didn¡¯t have an answer to. It was unfair for my mother to even ask it and she knew it.


    My father let out a sigh as he walked up to my mother. I watched as he laid his hands on her shoulders and talked in a soothing voice, ¡°Now Mary, why don¡¯t we all talk about this? Let¡¯s figure out together who is the right choice for our little girl.¡±


    Swatting his hands away, my mother glared at him more. She didn¡¯t say anything other than turn on her heel and stomp down the path. My father let out a sigh before he looked at me apologetically. Then he ran after my mother. I could hear him try to be the voice of reason that she needed to talk things out with. But I just knew that she wasn¡¯t going to let any of this go easily. For some reason my mother didn¡¯t want me marrying any wolf shifters and I made a mental note to figure out why.


    Deciding that it wasn¡¯t worth wondering what decisions my parents were going to come up with, I turned around to head back inside. But instead I froze as I looked into the eyes that belonged to my best friend Luke. It made me wonder how long he had been standing there. What did he hear? But I didn¡¯t have to wait long before he asked me the one question that would answer my own.


    ¡°He proposed to you?¡± he said in disbelief.


    It took everything in me to not roll my eyes. This was an argument I wasn¡¯t looking forward to. I guess it never crossed Luke¡¯s mind that someone else would be interested in me. Not when he was pretty much marking his territory since we were kids. But I guess things don¡¯t always go as planned.


    ¡°Luke,¡± I started but he put his hand up to silence me right away.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear it, Luna. I¡¯ve heard it more than enough times,¡± he said with a stern look on his face. I knew the look too well. ¡°You can¡¯t marry Trent. That isn¡¯t what we planned.¡±


    ¡°We?¡± Now I was the one in disbelief, ¡°Luke, there is no ¡®we¡¯. There never was a ¡®we¡¯ in the first place.¡±


    Luke ended up rolling his eyes, ¡°Luna, everyone knows that you and I are going to get married.¡±


    ¡°According to you, but has it ever crossed your mind to even consider my feelings for once in your grand plan of marriage?¡± I shouted, ¡°Luke, neither of us would be happy and you know it.¡±


    I¡¯m pretty sure no one had considered my feelings other than Em. My mother was all for me marrying Luke even though I didn¡¯t love him. Even Luke¡¯s family were ready to take me into their family and had already started making plans. I wouldn¡¯t even be surprised if his mother had already started making baby clothes for her potential future grandkids.


    ¡°Are we really going to fight about this? Especially after I just lost my older brother?¡± Luke questioned.


    The forest air was suddenly filled with the sound of my hand slapping Luke¡¯s cheek. Tears welled up in my eyes as I tried to hold in my anger. ¡°How dare you?¡± I said through my clenched teeth, ¡°How dare you use your brother¡¯s death to your advantage.¡±


    He didn¡¯t say anything. His face still turned slightly away from me after I slapped him. His cheek slowly turned red in the shape of a small handprint. I guess he was just shocked that I would do such a thing to him. But I literally had it with him not listening to me. Especially when he decided to try to manipulate me into marrying him.


    ¡°Until you can finally accept that I don¡¯t want to marry you, we can¡¯t be friends anymore.¡± I finally told him and then walked off. Giving into the need that I didn¡¯t want to be around anyone as the tears began to fall. At this moment it felt like living with my father was the best choice.


    To tell the truth, I didn¡¯t know why I was crying in the first place. Maybe it was out of disappointment towards my best friend. I was disappointed that he would stoop so low to even use his brother¡¯s death against me. If only Luke had fallen in love with Em instead of me. Then we wouldn¡¯t be in this mess in the first place.

 Chapter Nine

    I didn¡¯t really have a destination in mind when I walked off. My mind just pretty much went blank the moment I finished crying. But it seemed that when on auto-pilot, I had ended up at the same little pond I was at with Trent during the forest fires. For some reason my body wanted to come here and I wasn¡¯t sure why.


    Sitting down at the edge once again, I stared at myself in the still water. Or, maybe I was just staring at the water. My mind was still refusing to process correctly. Making me just stare at pretty much anything without any meaning to. It¡¯s like all thought processing just decided to take a vacation for the rest of the day. But the sound of footsteps walking closer to me, made me quickly go on alert.


    There were stories we were told as kids about shifters traveling and taking advantage of women. But I grew up realizing it was just a way for us kids to stay in the region until we were old enough to leave. Or, at least I thought it was.


    The moment my eyes landed on who was approaching me, I relaxed a little bit. Marcus, the alpha who spoke to my mother first when the Blizzard Region visitors arrived, was walking towards me. He had an apologetic look on his face as he got closer.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry if I scared you. I just didn¡¯t want you sitting out here alone. Who knows what dangers could be in this forest?¡± he said with an apologetic smile. Then gestured to the ground, ¡°May I sit next to you?¡±


    Nodding my head as a response, I watched as he sat down. It was also interesting that he made sure to keep a comfortable distance between us. Marcus didn¡¯t sit too close and I appreciated it. He even faced towards the sky with his eyes closed, soaking in the final rays of the setting sun.


    ¡°So you are Mary¡¯s daughter,¡± he stated, keeping his eyes closed, ¡°It¡¯s a shame you took so much after your father though. Must have been hard to fit in around this area.¡±


    I wasn¡¯t sure why he was here. It was a little uncomfortable, but I knew it would be rude to ask him to leave. I¡¯m sure Marcus doesn¡¯t get much of the sun where he is from. Especially with how cold it usually is.


    He then opened his eyes and glanced at me, ¡°You seemed troubled. Want to talk about it?¡±


    I shook my head, ¡°It¡¯s a silly thing between childhood friends. One was set to marry while the other one didn''t want to.¡±


    Marcus smiled as he looked out at the little pond, ¡°Sounds like history repeating itself. Your mother had a similar situation when she was younger.¡± he then looked at me once again, ¡°Shame that I¡¯m the one who was rejected.¡±


    ¡°But you at least accepted it, right?¡± I pushed.


    He let out a low chuckle, ¡°If my behavior didn¡¯t speak for itself today, I¡¯d say that I didn¡¯t accept it. Especially when I lost to my twin brother.¡±


    A gasp left my lips far too quickly, making me choke on nothing. ¡°Excuse me?¡±


    Marcus held out his hand to me, ¡°Call me Uncle Marcus from now on. Your father is my brother and also the head researcher of our region.¡±


    My mind pretty much exploded. Talk about having my world turn upside down in one day. It appeared that the latest disaster didn¡¯t just destroy the homes in the forest. It seemed that it had destroyed my life as well. Things were just not going the way I had expected them to.


    Overwhelmed was an understatement to what I was feeling at the moment. I¡¯m pretty sure that there is no word to describe what I was feeling. Even my mind was refusing to process what was happening. Instead it just had me sitting there next to the pond, staring at Marcus. He didn¡¯t say anything as he went back to staring at the sky.


    After a few moments of silence he finally spoke, ¡°For the past twenty-five years, I wondered why my brother looked as if he was being torn apart. His eyes were always so sad and I would catch him staring out the window, watching the blizzards blow through.¡± Then he turned his head to look at me. ¡°Now I can understand why. Your mother never kept you a secret from him and it killed him to not be there to watch you grow up.¡±


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t he leave the region then?¡± I heard myself ask. Not really wanting to know the answer.


    Marcus let out a sigh as he looked out at the pond before us. ¡°That is my fault,¡± he confessed, ¡°I used my alpha stance to keep him in the region. Demanded that he continue doing research to help our region. Your father used that as an excuse to make something to protect you and your mother.¡±


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    ¡°My father mentioned that he waited to come to the Forest Region until I was at least old enough to be married,¡± I told him.


    He nodded his head, ¡°When it came to delivering inventions to certain areas, your father took the roundabout way. Always avoiding the Forest Region. Even when he found an injured wolf that was close to death.¡±


    I was always curious about the disaster that nearly killed Trent. There was nothing in my memory that could tell me anything about it. My mother figured it was due to the fact that it was so traumatic for me that I tuned it out. I just agreed with her because it had to be bad enough to kill the majority of the shifters in our region. Very few survived, making Trent one of them.


    Marcus suddenly stood up and directed that I do the same. Once I stood up, he spoke one last time before leaving me alone once again. ¡°I¡¯m sure you were my brother¡¯s biggest joy and taking you away from your mother would be the last thing he would ever want to do. But the laws are there for a reason or at least until someone does something to make that law completely unnecessary.¡±


    I watched Marcus disappear into the burnt up forest, unsure of where he was sleeping for the night. It wasn¡¯t really my concern but he was family after all. But deciding to not worry about it, I began the dreaded walk home. Luke and his family were going to stay with us for a little bit. My mother figured that his mother wouldn¡¯t be stable enough to care for two children after losing her oldest. Part of me just hoped that Luke was smart enough to keep his distance from me. But the other part of me knew that wasn¡¯t Luke¡¯s personality at all and it annoyed me beyond belief.


    As I walked home, I took the smallest steps possible and took the longest route possible. Trying to kill time in hopes that Luke and his family would be sound asleep by the time I returned home. It would be easier for me to sneak past them and go to my room unnoticed. I didn¡¯t want to talk to anyone at the moment. I just needed to be alone to process all that was going on in my life now.


    But as I got closer to my home, the more I noticed a bear laying outside my home. Knowing that it was Luke waiting for me, he probably shifted to make it harder to sneak past him. Rolling my eyes, I tried to figure out a plan to get into my house without having to deal with Luke. His persistence was starting to get on the ridiculously annoying side.


    As I continued to think out a plan, my father stepped out of my house and shook his head at Luke. He said a few words to Luke, making him growl and turn his back on him. The scene was kind of comical as I watched my father continuously try to talk some sense into the bear shifter. It got so bad that my mother had to come out and yell at both of them to get in the house. A small giggle escaped my lips, which resulted in me instantly covering my mouth in fear that they heard me.


    The only one that seemed to have noticed was my father as he looked in my direction. He even smiled at me before entering the house and closing the door behind him. Knowing fully well that it will be a while before my mother talks enough sense into Luke to make him go to bed, I found a stable enough tree to sit next to and lean my back against it. Not even concerned if doing so would leave a line of soot on the back of my clothes. I was already dirty from being caught in the fire anyways.


    But as I began to relax, someone suddenly sat next to me. It took me by surprise so much that I screamed. Luckily their hand covered my mouth to muffle the scream so that way it didn¡¯t alert those waiting for me that I was nearby. It also gave me a chance to see the faint glow coming from the person covering my mouth. My eyes landed on his chest still curious on what was making that thing run.


    Trent then removed his hand from my mouth and then handed me something. It must have been the reason why he showed up in the first place. In his hand was a small blanket that was clearly holding something. There was a hint of a smell coming from it like freshly baked rolls. I looked at him skeptically as I grabbed the blanket and undid it. There were many things about Trent that were making me more curious about him, including the freshly baked bread he had brought. Slowly I took a small bite.


    ¡°I talked to your parents about my proposal,¡± he suddenly said, making me cough on the piece of bread I was eating. Trent instantly checked to see if I was okay as he handed me a small canteen of water. So that explained the bread.


    As I drank the water to relieve myself from choking, he used this as an opportunity to inform me on some much needed information, ¡°They accepted the proposal.¡±


    Water sprayed from my mouth as I choked on some water. If I didn¡¯t know better, I would think he was trying to kill me. But once I was able to compose myself I looked at him with shock, ¡°My mother approved?¡±


    He nodded, ¡°Surprised me too, but I guess your father talked her into it. Now you just have to accept. If you want.¡±


    Trent didn¡¯t say anything else. Instead he sat next to me quietly as he ate one of the rolls he had brought. Unlike Luke, he was letting me think things through. He wasn¡¯t pressuring me into doing something I didn¡¯t want to do. It was kind of comforting in a way and I liked it. Just being around Trent was comforting in a way and I didn¡¯t know why.


    ¡°I guess you are a better choice than Luke,¡± I said more to myself. It didn¡¯t get past me as he tried to look away as he tried not to smile and laugh. Glaring at him, I continued, ¡°That isn¡¯t me accepting. Just stating a fact.¡±


    Trent couldn¡¯t hold back anymore as he bursted out laughing. He held up his hand as I went to smack him, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. But it¡¯s just funny when you compare me to that bear shifter.¡±


    Rolling my eyes, I shook my head at him. There were still things I needed to know about Trent and I wasn¡¯t sure he was willing to tell me. But the only way to find out if he would answer my questions was to infact ask them, ¡°When did you decide that you wanted to marry me one day?¡± I asked.


    His laughter instantly faded and he let out a heavy sigh. Sadness even settled into his eyes as he answered, ¡°It was the day my wife died. Everyone thought we were this perfect couple but truthfully she and I were like you and that bear. We were only together because everyone else wanted us to be.¡±

 Chapter Ten

    Confusion filled my mind. They looked so happy when I was younger. I remember everyone talking about how Trent and his wife came to be. How they were childhood sweethearts, destined to live a long happy life together. But to learn that it was nothing but a lie was hard to process. It made me wonder how certain things could play out without wanting to be with the person you are with.


    As if he knew what I was thinking, Trent explained, ¡°You don¡¯t have to be in love with someone to go through the process of having a child. Just a mutual agreement.¡±


    ¡°So you never loved her,¡± I heard myself ask.


    Trent didn¡¯t say anything. I¡¯m sure it was an uncomfortable topic for him to talk about. He had lived a lie for so long that it must be hard to confess the truth to someone. There was also the possibility that people would even try to convince him it wasn¡¯t true when he did tell them. Everyone didn¡¯t want to ruin the perfect image of Trent and his wife. No one wanted to think that they didn¡¯t love each other.


    As I got more lost in my thoughts, he just continued to sit next to me quietly as he ate the bread he brought. It still amazed me that my mother was able to make bread in the first place. The forest was too shady to grow any crops. Also getting the ingredients was nearly impossible if not expensive. We would have to get them from a different region and have it shipped to us. It was a secret I¡¯ve been meaning to ask my mother, but never had the nerve to.


    But then realization struck me. I had completely ignored him explaining when he first fell in love with me. It was on the day his wife died. I combed through my memory trying to figure out what had happened that day. It didn¡¯t take me long to remember the disaster that kept Trent away from his wife giving birth. But it wasn¡¯t a disaster in our region, but in a neighboring one.


    The Ocean Region next to us had reported a shift in the waters. They had told us that there was a disaster coming that could affect us, so we sent some shifters out to help prevent any major damages. But the cost was great.


    Most of the shifters we sent weren¡¯t accustomed to the rocky waters of the Ocean Region. Many of them drowned or were in life changing accidents. It¡¯s probably when Trent gained his mechanical heart as well. But how did that day make Trent fall in love with me? No matter how hard I searched my memories, I couldn¡¯t find the answer.


    ¡°What are you thinking about?¡± Trent suddenly asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m just trying to make sense as to why you want to marry me,¡± I answered him honestly.


    He let out a sigh, ¡°It¡¯s okay if you don¡¯t remember. It¡¯s probably for the best anyways.¡±


    ¡°What is that supposed to mean?¡± I asked him.


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    He just smiled at me before standing up off the ground. Showing no signs of answering my latest question. It kind of irritated me. But he could just be wanting me to find the answer myself instead of just telling me. Brushing off his pants, he held out his hand towards me to help me get up off the ground.


    ¡°There is no point freezing while waiting for that bear to fall asleep. He seems to be the determined type,¡± Trent pointed out.


    He couldn¡¯t have been more right. Luke was highly known for his persistence. Even his mother hated him for it. It¡¯s like once Luke had set his mind to something, there was no chance in making him change it. Not until he finished what he set out to do or accomplished something. I guess that is also why Em had fallen in love with him at such a young age.


    I didn¡¯t bother grabbing hold of Trent¡¯s hand as I stood up. Brushing off my jeans as well. The whole time I was trying to figure out what he had in mind. All he mentioned was that we couldn¡¯t wait where we were for Luke to fall asleep. So where were we going to wait instead?


    As if reading my mind, Trent smirked, ¡°You might as well stay at my place.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± I said in more of a squeak than an actual saying. Making him chuckle a little. I was sure my eyes were as big as the full moon.


    ¡°You¡¯re cute, but I don¡¯t plan on taking advantage of you,¡± he reassured me, ¡°Unless you want to accept my proposal.¡±


    My cheeks suddenly felt warm as I looked away from Trent. His words embarrassed me and reminded me of how inexperienced I really was. I think the only thing I¡¯ve really done with someone I was attracted to was a small kiss. I never went farther than that, but it was expected due to the fact that training took most of our attention anyways. The shifters usually waited until they were old enough to start families before they had any sexual interactions with anyone. But there was always that occasional couple that didn¡¯t want to follow what everyone else did.


    Trent just shook his head and chuckled some more before grabbing my hand. ¡°Come on. It¡¯s better than freezing while waiting for your bear shifter to go to sleep. Plus we can use that time to get to know each other.¡±


    Getting to know Trent more did sound nice, but I was still a little hesitant. I had a small flaw where I always worried about what people thought of me. Those thoughts and questions flooded my head as he led the way to his home. My ears heard the imaginary judgmental words being spoken by everyone with every step.


    ¡°Did you see who was with Luna?¡± the voices would say, ¡°Thinking she is good enough to be with that wolf shifter. He¡¯s probably just wanting her to satisfy his needs.¡±


    Trent must have noticed what was flooding my mind as he stopped to look back at me. He didn¡¯t waste time to place his hands over my ears. Making me stare into his ember eyes. ¡°No one is around, Luna. No one is going to say anything either. You are fine.¡±


    For some reason his words were comforting. It was as if he knew about my flaws and knew how to ground me from those thoughts. Luke knew about my flaws as well, but instead of comforting me, he would try to fix me. Trent was different and it was kind of nice. It was as if he went through something like this before and knew exactly what to do.


    I smiled at him, ¡°Thanks Trent.¡±


    ¡°No problem,¡± he stated as he smiled back at me. Then we continued the walk to his home. The voices were still playing in my ears, but they weren¡¯t as loud.

 Chapter Eleven

    It didn¡¯t surprise me that Trent lived pretty much between the edge of the forest and the city. His house was so out of the way that it felt like you were walking to a whole new region. No one else lived nearby and he was pretty much by himself. The whole sight put the whole ¡°lone wolf¡± into full perspective.


    Trent¡¯s home looked like he had found a cave and turned it into a home. The opening of the cave was boarded up with logs to create a wall. He also didn¡¯t bother putting any windows and the door was just a bunch of long sticks tied together. I could only imagine how dark it must be inside his home, making me hesitate the closer we got to the door.


    Letting go of my hand, Trent went inside his home. It wasn¡¯t long before light flooded through the doorway towards my feet. With a little hesitance, I slowly entered his home.


    To say that his home wasn¡¯t what I expected it to be on the inside would have been an understatement. It was hard to believe that we were in a cave at all. Lanterns were placed throughout the home as Trent walked to each one, lighting them up. I also noticed that he had a small fireplace that had a hook hanging from the top of it. It was probably so he could cook his meals.


    Scanning the area more, I noticed that a small hallway was built leading farther into the cave. I assumed that was where his bedroom was along with his bathroom. The place felt like a nice little home. Trent even had furniture that looked like it was carved out of the stone around him. Animal furs were used as cushions to make the seating a little softer.


    Trent eventually finished lighting all of the lanterns in the area and moved to starting a fire in the fireplace. ¡°It gets a little cold here,¡± he explained.


    ¡°How does this place not fill up with smoke,¡± I said out loud without meaning to.


    He just smiled, ¡°There is a hole at the top of the cave, that¡¯s why I made the fireplace here.¡±


    It was pretty smart of him to think of something like that. But it also told me that Trent had built this place. I¡¯m sure he had a few bear shifters help him with the lifting of the logs, but I was still impressed with his hard work. Even though the place was made out of a cave, it didn¡¯t look like it. Trent had tried everything he could to make it look like a house on the inside. To be honest, it was kind of playing with my mind.


    Deciding that it was more awkward to just stand in the middle of the doorway, I fully entered his home. Once I closed the door behind me, I went and sat on one of the chairs he had made out of the cave wall. It was close to the fireplace but not too close where it felt like I was on fire. Trent asked if I wanted anything, but I shook my head making him take a seat nearby.


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    We sat there silently for what felt like hours. Even though this was Trent¡¯s idea, he didn¡¯t bother to say anything. It was just us sitting in complete awkward silence, making me shift in my seat uncomfortably. Someone had to say something soon, or I was going to feel more and more uncomfortable. So uncomfortable that I would want to just go home and face Luke.


    Deciding to end the silence, I opened my mouth to say something. But before the words could get out, Trent stood up suddenly. I was pretty sure I even heard him wince a little.


    ¡°Are you okay?¡± I asked him.


    Trent rubbed his chest just above his mechanical heart, ¡°I will be once I charge this thing in my chest. Will you be okay while I do that?¡±


    Curiosity decided to poke its little head out. It wondered how his heart worked and what powered it enough to keep him alive. Standing up, I asked, ¡°Can I help? If I accept your proposal, I¡¯m going to need to know how anyway.¡±


    He nodded as a response, making me follow him towards his bedroom. My heart raced as I realized where we were going. My imagination began to run wild the closer we got. But nervousness and excitement suddenly switched to confusion as we passed the bedroom. Trent continued to lead me out a small exit in the back of the cave towards a small shelter in the back. I watched as he opened the small shelter and stepped inside. The small building was too small for the both of us, but it was big enough to have a small chair for Trent to sit in.


    I watched as he grabbed two wires from a box and placed them on two different areas of his heart. The moment he did, a light came on on the small box. I stared at it in curiosity.


    With a smile, Trent explained the device, ¡°That box is hooked up to some cables found that connect to a wheel in a nearby stream. Due to the cable''s length determined where my house needed to be.¡±


    ¡°The stream powers your heart?¡± I heard myself ask.


    He nodded, ¡°All of these parts were found in old machinery and your father was able to make something out of it that saved my life. Even if I¡¯m dependent on running water to keep me alive.¡±


    Just hearing him explain something that I didn¡¯t fully understand still fascinated me. I guess that my need for knowledge or to understand things came from my father. It appeared that my parents had skills that I could benefit from later down the road. Just knowing that made me want to leave with my father. But only for the fact that he could teach me new things with him being a scientist.


    Sitting down on the ground, I decided to ask a few more questions about the object keeping Trent alive. ¡°How long can you go without needing to be charged?¡±


    ¡°If I don¡¯t do anything like I did today with the disaster, I can pretty much go all day,¡± he answered, ¡°But days like today is the reason why I disappeared for a little bit.¡±


    Nodding in understanding, I asked my next question, ¡°Have you tried different power sources, or do you only charge with running water.¡±


    He smiled, ¡°There is always running water unless you live in the desert.¡±

 Chapter Twelve

    The rest of the time Trent sat charging his heart, I continued to ask questions about it. In a way, it felt like a bonding moment between us. The only downside to our conversation is that due to my fascination with his mechanical heart, I didn¡¯t learn much about who Trent really was. The only things I knew about him were things I was told and lately that was proving to be mostly false.


    Eventually a yawn escaped me making Trent chuckle a little. He unhooked himself from the machine that charged his heart. I learned that it was made when his heart was made. But he had to secretly carry it back to the region and put it together. Trent even joked about how difficult it was to follow my father¡¯s instructions.


    ¡°What will happen if we have to move away from this area?¡± I suddenly asked as I stared at the machine.


    Pressing his lips together, he also looked at the machine, ¡°Your father is here to test something out with this machine. If I can run on pre-charged batteries, it would make life a little bit easier for me. Especially when I have to travel to a different region.¡±


    My eyes shifted to him, ¡°Do you think you¡¯ll have to move to a different region someday?¡±


    He made eye contact with me as he answered, ¡°If I have to, I will.¡±


    There was a hidden meaning in that answer. It was his way of saying that if I chose to be with my father, he would follow. But a small part of me tried to reason by telling me that I was thinking too much into it. A lot of shifters get moved to different regions when they need help. That is probably what he truly meant.


    ¡°We should go,¡± Trent suddenly said as he stood up. Pulling me to stand up along with him, ¡°I¡¯m sure your parents would want you home before it¡¯s daylight.¡±


    It was so weird to have the word ¡®parent¡¯ in plural. My whole life I had grown up to think it was only my mother. But now that my father has entered the picture, it was a strange feeling. There were still questions in my mind about why my parents didn¡¯t decide to just stay together. They didn¡¯t even bother to get married and that also confused me. My mother only had me, so why not just stay with my father in the first place?


    Trent led me through his home and out of the front door. We didn¡¯t say anything for a while. I was pretty sure our conversation had ended for the night, until Trent asked a random question. ¡°What are my chances against the bear shifter who is obsessed with you?¡±


    Rolling my eyes, I answered, ¡°Luke would have better chances if he was obsessed with Em instead of me. She¡¯s the one who is in love with him.¡±


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    He stopped and looked at me, ¡°Is he blind or dumb then?¡±


    A small giggle escaped my lips, ¡°I would say both, but I know it¡¯s not true. Luke just grew up thinking he had to protect me from anyone that was against me.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± he asked.


    ¡°As you probably guessed, I take after my father a lot. I¡¯m like the female version of him,¡± I answered, ¡°Growing up, I was bullied by kids and adults always told me that no one would marry me because I looked too fragile. Luke was the only one that fought against the bullies and told the adults that he would marry me.¡±


    ¡°What about Em?¡± He continued to ask questions.


    ¡°Em was an orphan from a young age. People pitied her and treated her like a princess. But she was one of the few who were kind to me growing up. But I think it just has to do with the fact that my mother had taken her in,¡± I told him honestly, ¡°Her kindness is just an obligation to my mother¡¯s kindness.¡±


    Even though Em was still my best friend, there were still those thoughts that she didn¡¯t care about me as much as I had hoped. Especially when the guy she loves was obsessed with me. She probably cursed me behind my back for it. Even though I¡¯ve been trying for years to tell Luke about Em¡¯s love for him. It wasn¡¯t my fault that the bear was so stubborn.


    Silence fell over us once again as we continued our walk to my house. I knew we were getting close by the pace of Trent¡¯s footsteps. He was slowing down with every step. I wasn¡¯t sure if it was so he could be with me longer, or if he didn¡¯t want to be seen with me by my parents yet. It felt so rude to ask him about it and we weren¡¯t close enough for me to joke about it.


    I am pretty sure that I was making things more complicated than they have to be. After years of being told that I wasn¡¯t pretty and too different for this region, I wasn¡¯t the outgoing type. The only thing I felt like I really had was my intelligence with medical herbs. My mother even said a family would be lucky to have someone with that knowledge in their family. But I was still curious as to what features I did inherit from her.


    Before I knew it, we were just a few feet from my house. Trent had come to a complete stop and shyly stared at the ground. I could tell that he wanted to say something but was too scared to say it. It made me curious as to what it was. He must have decided to say it because he looked at me with a serious look.


    ¡°I can¡¯t help but feel like the age difference between us would be the reason you¡¯d reject me,¡± he took me by surprise. I dug through my thoughts trying to come up with something to say, but I just couldn¡¯t. He instantly apologized, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I don¡¯t know why I even said that.¡±


    I smiled at him in a comforting way, ¡°I¡¯m glad you did though.¡± I told him honestly, ¡°Ten years isn¡¯t that big, Trent. You don¡¯t have to worry about me rejecting you just because of that. I just don¡¯t know you enough yet. Also I haven¡¯t decided to accept or reject your proposal.¡±


    The sigh of relief he made was so obvious that I let out a small giggle. I then decided to go inside my home and told him that we can talk tomorrow before going in. A smile was plastered on my face as I closed the door behind me, but it quickly disappeared when I turned around. Luke sat at our dining room table with a dark cloud surrounding him. Something told me that I wasn¡¯t going to be meeting Trent tomorrow like I had promised.

 Chapter Thirteen

    The frustrated sigh came out before I could hold it back. Luke¡¯s glaring eyes landed on me as the rest of him stayed still. It was obvious that we were going to have a fight that would probably wake up the whole household. But I was so sick of our friendship just being continuous fighting lately. Ever since the day of the selection process was fast approaching, it was something we always fought about.


    Thinking I could just ignore the whole pending fight, I tried to walk to the hallway that led to my room. My path was instantly blocked by Luke before my mind could fully process that he moved. I keep forgetting that shifters were faster than normal people.


    ¡°Luke, I¡¯m tired. I just want to go to bed,¡± I told him firmly.


    He didn¡¯t say anything. Instead he just stood in front of me with his arms crossed over his chest. His eyes glaring at me, telling me how unhappy he was with me. In all honesty, I didn¡¯t need his approval.


    I let out a deep breath in frustration, ¡°What do you want from me, Luke? I¡¯ve made it clear that I¡¯m not going to marry you.¡±


    ¡°Who do you plan on marrying then?¡± he suddenly asked. I knew why he asked that. He wanted me to tell him that I was either going to marry Trent or leave with my father. But I didn¡¯t give in to his intentions. Instead I just glared back at him.


    ¡°What do you want me to say, Luke? Either way, it still results in me not marrying you,¡± I told him straight out, ¡°How many times do we have to have this conversation to have it get through your thick skull? I¡¯m tired of this and if you want to keep bringing it up, maybe we shouldn¡¯t be friends.¡±


    Luke¡¯s glare was replaced by a look of shock, ¡°You¡¯d cut me off because I love you?¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯d cut you off because you are being a selfish prick,¡± I answered, ¡°There is someone who practically worships the ground you walk on, but instead you rather chase someone who has been clear of what they want. Stop making Ember hurt because you feel like you need to protect me.¡±


    The sound of a door opening made both of us look into the hallway. Em was peeking out of our bedroom. She had a small blanket wrapped around her and she held another one in her arms. It was clear that she was worried about Luke getting cold waiting for me and she had intentions of giving him the blanket.


    None of us said anything as Ember left the room and looked at the ground shyly, ¡°I didn¡¯t want to disturb the conversation, but it¡¯s cold tonight due to the damp wood in the forest.¡±


    I gave her a gentle smile, ¡°It¡¯s fine, Em.¡±


    Em handed the blanket to Luke and he took it with a little hesitation. Just that small gesture he made, made her smile as bright as the morning sun. It broke my heart to know that all of her efforts were wasted. But it didn¡¯t stop her from practically skipping back into our bedroom in complete happiness.


    Once the door is closed, I finally spoke, ¡°Ember is from a family of bear shifters. She¡¯s strong like your mother. You can have lots of little shifters of your own with her.¡±


    He refused to look at me. His voice shook as he spoke, ¡°So this is the end. The end of what could have been.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the end of what never was,¡± I corrected, ¡°We had no future other than being friends, Luke. Everyone, even you, knew who I admired growing up.¡±


    ¡°Lucky bastard,¡± Luke said mostly to himself than to anyone. He then looked me straight in the eyes, ¡°Fine. but if he hurts you in any way, I have the right to rip him apart.¡±


    I rolled my eyes and then walked past him to get to my room. As I opened the door I glanced back at Luke. He walked to the nearest couch and sat down. Using the blanket Em had given him, he buried his face in it. Part of me felt guilty for turning him down as I heard the faint whimpers coming from him. But I also knew it was for the best.


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    The next morning Em had woken me up with complete excitement on her face. She was practically jumping on my bed as she continuously called my name.


    Glaring at her in sleepiness, I asked, ¡°What is it, Em?¡±


    ¡°I just overheard Luke¡¯s mom talking to your mom,¡± she said in almost a squeal, ¡°Luke is considering marriage with me because you already have a suitor.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m glad he finally came to his senses,¡± I groaned as I went to cover myself back up with my blankets. She was probably expecting more of a reaction out of me, but I wasn¡¯t going to give it if I had just woken up.


    ¡°Speaking of suitors, your¡¯s stopped by this morning with gifts,¡± she said as she tried to pull the blankets off.


    It took a few seconds for it to fully sink in. Once it did I sat up instantly, making Em fall on the floor with a loud thud, ¡°Trent was here?!¡±


    Em let out a small groan as she rubbed the area she landed on when she fell on the floor. I gave her an apologetic smile. Which resulted in both of us laughing in the end. My mother must have been wondering what the commotion was all about and had entered the room to see us as laughing messes. I looked at my mom with a smile on my face.


    She gave me a skeptical look in return, ¡°I need both of you girls in the living area. We need to have a talk.¡±


    My mother didn¡¯t have to say anything more, Em was already up and running out of the bedroom door. Pushing my mother out of the way. I wasn¡¯t as eager to head to the living room as I climbed out of bed to make it. My mother stood in the doorway with sad looking eyes.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry you had to make such a big decision so quickly,¡± she apologized, ¡°It¡¯s not something I had planned for you.¡±


    I gave her a reassuring smile, ¡°It¡¯s fine, Mom. Everything happens for a reason.¡±


    ¡°So did you decide?¡± she said in a hesitant tone. I can understand why my mother would be nervous. My father was now a part of my life and I could leave to learn more about him. Or, I could marry someone I didn¡¯t know much about in order to stay with her.


    But this was also my opportunity to ask her why she never stayed with my father to begin with, ¡°I feel like this wouldn¡¯t be such a hard choice or a problem if you stayed with Dad. Why did you come back to the Forest Region instead of staying with him?¡±


    She let out a sigh, ¡°I met your father when I was still in training. I wasn¡¯t at the age to get married yet and by the time I had found out I was pregnant with you, I had already returned home.¡±


    ¡°But Uncle Marcus proposed to you at that age,¡± I pointed out.


    She pressed her lips together as she gathered her answer, ¡°Marcus was born to be an alpha and he thought that would be the thing that would keep me beside him even though I told him I wasn¡¯t interested. I guess his proposal is one of the other reasons why I didn¡¯t stay with your father.¡±


    ¡°How did you meet Dad?¡± I asked her as I sat down on my now made bed.


    She smiled sweetly as she looked back on her memories, ¡°The medical and the science students always worked together. I had gotten too close to one of the devices the students were experimenting on and got hurt. Your father was the first to come up to me to see if I was okay. Even took me to tend to my wound without even asking. He was so caring that it made my heart flutter.


    ¡°We worked together as much as possible after that. Got to know each other a little better,¡± she continued, ¡°He even had to go through the pain of Marcus openly pursuing me. It must have gotten to be too much because he begged me to stop seeing Marcus. That was the night he confessed to me and I decided to give him the part of me that no one else could have. My heart. Sadly the next day I had to leave to come back to the Forest Region, but I still wrote letters to him. Even when I found out I was pregnant.¡±


    I know my mother didn¡¯t tell me the full story, but it was still nice to hear. It also told me why my mother held on to me so tightly. I was the result of her happiest memories. And to resemble my father so much must have been a blessing to her.


    ¡°Do you plan on marrying Dad anytime?¡± I suddenly asked her.


    She shook her head, ¡°Marcus would never allow it. It¡¯s why we kept our relationship a secret for so long. You saw the temper he has as an alpha.¡±


    Part of me wanted to fix that for my mother. She deserved to be just as happy as anyone else. My mother didn¡¯t need to worry about my father¡¯s safety because of another man¡¯s broken heart. So I made a plan to find where Uncle Marcus was staying and have a talk with him. I had a proposal to accept anyways.

 Chapter Fourteen

    Eventually my mother and I finally ended up in the living area where we could talk along with Em. My mother just wanted us all in one room to discuss the fact that marriage was at both of our doors. Even though Luke hadn¡¯t officially asked Em yet, he still asked for permission from her guardian. Which my mother approved after asking him why he suddenly decided to marry Em.


    She kept out some details that I knew were missing, but I knew she was doing it for Em¡¯s sake. My mother explained to Em that Luke¡¯s change of heart was due to the fact that he just wanted to marry me because it was what was expected. He really wanted to be with Em. I just sat quietly while Em jumped up and down in her seat with excitement. I was pretty sure that if Luke was to come in right now to formally propose, she would literally jump in his arms screaming ¡®yes!¡¯


    Then my mother turned towards me. It was now my turn to have a talk. Sadness filled her eyes as she tried not to cry, ¡°I can¡¯t believe my little girl who used to write in a journal about the man of her dreams, is getting married now.¡±


    I felt my jaw drop, ¡°You read my journal?!¡±


    My mother let out a small chuckle, ¡°I may have come across it a few times. To know that you¡¯ve admired Trent for so long made me approve of his proposal to you. I was reading it when your father and I decided to talk about it fully. It¡¯s best to see you happy since it''s something I couldn¡¯t have for myself.¡±


    Em looked at me shocked, ¡°Trent was your childhood crush?! And, you didn¡¯t tell me?¡±


    I gave her an apologetic smile, ¡°It¡¯s not like I expected him to return the feelings. He¡¯s ten years older than us and he probably only saw me as a kid that just had a fantasy of marrying someone like him.¡±


    My mother nodded her head, ¡°He did think that until he risked his life to save you.¡± I looked at my mother confused. She looked back at me, ¡°You probably don¡¯t remember since you took a blow to the head. But we were helping the Ocean Region at the time and one of their land structures collapsed while you were helping escort people out of it. The earthquake was unexpected and we only had so much time before the large waves came crashing in.¡±


    ¡°I remember hearing about that,¡± Em said, ¡°It must have been so scary to know you had a small window before the real danger showed up.¡±


    ¡°It did show up sooner than we wanted. Meaning that the earthquake we experienced was just an after shock,¡± my mother explained, ¡°I remember yelling at Luna to get to high ground the moment I saw the water disappearing. But she was determined to save every last person in that building. By the time she started running for the path leading to where I was, the first wave came crashing in.¡±


    Listening to my mother explain the day I didn¡¯t remember, made me feel guilty. It must have been so hard for her to not be able to help me. Especially when one of the big waves came crashing into the shore.


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    My mother looked at me, still lost in her memories, ¡°Trent had seen my panic and ran to save you. But he only got there in time to block some of the impact of the water pushing you two against the cliff. He thinks that was probably when you hit your head. He was able to hold on to you as he swam to the surface of the rushing water so we could pull you out. Sadly that wasn¡¯t the best option either for him when a tree branch went into his chest.¡±


    Em¡¯s hands covered her mouth in shock, ¡°Oh my gosh, how did he survive that?¡±


    ¡°Some people from the Blizzard region were visiting at the time and Luna¡¯s father was luckily part of the group. When I learned he was there, I had told him to pretend to not know us. It hurt him, but he understood.¡±


    ¡°So Dad saved Trent at that time.¡± I said as if stating a fact.


    My mother nodded, ¡°I was in the same tent as your father tending to your head wound while he struggled to save Trent. At one point you had woken up and told Trent to live so you could properly thank him for saving you. I don¡¯t know if you ever did.¡±


    Silence fell on the room as my mind tried to process all that was going on. Part of me wished that I would remember all of it, but it had to have been something too traumatic for me to cope with. It sounded like it was, especially for my mother.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry that you had to go through that, Mom,¡± I heard myself say.


    She smiled back at me and patted me on the knee, ¡°I¡¯m just glad that you are still here.¡± Then she got serious, ¡°Did you decide? I thought we had more time, but Marcus wants to leave as soon as possible.¡±


    Leave it to Marcus to decide that it was best to keep my parents apart as soon as he could. I know he told me that he wasn¡¯t over my mother¡¯s rejection, but he didn¡¯t have to be such a jerk about it. Weren¡¯t my parents¡¯ happiness more important than some alpha¡¯s ego?


    I nodded my head to answer my mother, ¡°I¡¯ll accept Trent¡¯s proposal. I don¡¯t know him that well but at least I know him better than my own father.¡±


    In all honesty, I didn¡¯t really make a choice but I knew I had to make one. I just went with the option that seemed the least extreme. If there were any other options, I probably would have chosen something else. Instead I had to pick between two different strangers that I would have to live with. At least with Trent I could still be close to my mother.


    ¡°Are you sure, Luna? This isn¡¯t a decision you can take back,¡± my mother mentioned.


    I nodded my head, ¡°I¡¯m sure.¡±


    My mother accepted my answer and stood up to go do something in the kitchen. She was probably going to prepare some food for us to eat. Or, she could have been trying to do something that would keep her busy. My choice wasn¡¯t only going to affect me, it was going to affect her as well. But before I could fully process what my mother must be going through, Em knelt on the floor in front of me.


    She was smiling from ear to ear in excitement and happiness. I¡¯ve never seen her so happy since the day her parents passed away. It was nice to see for once. But I felt bad that she was just the second best option for Luke when she should have been the first choice.


    ¡°We¡¯re both getting married, Luna,¡± she said in almost a happy squeal. I just nodded and smiled back at her. Wishing that I felt just as excited as she did. But for some reason I just couldn¡¯t.