What Makes a Luna
I’d been biting my nails for hours, sitting on the edge of a plush chair, waiting for Rush to walk through the door. Jonah and Jahida had been tasked with keeping me company, which was only a cover to make sure I didn’t follow Rush to the human town. I admit that had been a thought that crossed my mind, I remained in the packhouse despite it.
Jonah had put on a movie for him and Jahida since I hadn’t been paying attention to anything other than the status of the front door. Jonah had lifted Jahida out of her wheelchair and placed her on the sofa, covering her legs with a blanket and settling in next to her.
I glanced back at the television for a moment, curious about what they were watching, and the door creaked open as I did. My head snapped back. Rush’s head poked through the small opening of the door, a weary smile on his face. I jumped from the chair as he entered the house.
I launched myself at him, legs latching onto his waist, arms curling around his neck, holding him close to me. He chuckled, and one arm held my back to him while the other supported my bottom like an infant. I kissed his neck three times before I let go of the breath I was holding.
“I’m so glad you’re okay,” I gushed. He squeezed me a little tighter and kissed the side of my head. “I was so worried.”
“I’m fine,” he told me. “I told you not to worry, I came back to you.”
“Yeah, with a gash on your arm, too,” Jonah called, snickering as I pulled my head back to look at the cut on his forearm.
“What the hell is this from?”
“Beckett.” He frowned. “I called him a pansy.” I shook my head but continued holding him to me. He tried to persuade me to let go multiple times, but I stayed in my position around him until he brought me up to bed. I had fallen asleep on his shoulder before Jonah and Jahida left.
“Rush?” I asked sleepily.
“Shh,” he shushed, laying my body down on the bed. “Get some sleep.”
“No, don’t leave me,” I begged.
“I’m not, I’m just going to change.” He left, and I took the opportunity to crawl under the warm satin covers. He slid under the duvet moments later, pulling me closer to him. “I’m sorry if I worried you.”
“I can’t help it,” I mumbled, eyes closed, cheek pressed against his bare chest.
“You know you’re the most important thing to me, right?” he asked. My eyes fluttered open at the seriousness in his voice.
“Yeah,” I breathed. “You’re the most important thing to me, too.” He remained quiet until we both fell asleep, but the uneasiness in his voice kept me awake for several more minutes.
In the morning, we met the Border Guards, Beckett, and Jonah at the training field. There was an assortment of ropes, metal traps, and sharp metal objects. Casey sat on a tree stump, tying a handful of rope into different patterns and knots. Beckett was mindlessly strolling back and forth between the items, head tilted towards the sky.
“Aw, were you bored without me?” I teased, smiling annoyingly large.
He groaned, but I saw the hint of a smile fight its way to his lips. “Yeah, my entire livelihood revolves around your presence,” he sneered sarcastically. I grinned and skipped next to him, regardless.
“I know,” I twiddled on. “So, what are we making?”
“Prototypes,” Casey explained, holding a looped piece of rope high above his head. “We need a few different options to work with. I know these seem old-fashioned and simple, but that’s the point. Packs in the city are using more technological methods, but we’re set so far in the woods we have to think differently. These humans are going to come at us with machine guns, and they’re not going to realize how difficult it is to shoot at a moving wolf in a densely-packed forest without killing their own people.”
“Shouldn’t we have guns, too, though, you know, just in case?” I asked quietly. Rush put his hand on my shoulder and rubbed his thumb over my skin.
“We do,” he told me.
“Where? Why did I not know about this?” My voice rose an octave as I turned to look at him.
“Because we rarely need to use them. Humans stopped fighting wars with each other years ago, they mostly kept their guns for protection and for hunting.”
“So, what are we doing with all of this stuff if we have guns?” I pondered.
“Didn’t you just hear me? We’ll be in the middle of the woods. Unless you’re prepared to become a sharp-shooter in the next week, we need to use what we have and what we know,” Casey mocked jokingly.
“Okay,” I sighed, grabbing a piece of rope in my hand. “Teach me how to do this then.”
Rush beamed proudly and shared a glance with Beckett, and then both looked to Casey, eyebrows raised in expectation. Casey tried to stop smiling and set the rope down on the ground again.
“Sloane, battle isn’t something that Lunas take part in,” Casey confessed, his crooked grin seeming apologetic.
“Are you saying that I can’t help?” My eyes flashed from Casey to Beckett, Jonah, Hollis, and finally Rush. No one spoke out to give me peace of mind or understanding. “Why? Is it because I’m a girl or because of my title?”
Rush stepped forward and placed his hands on the sides of my arms. “Well, sort of both, sweetheart. Lunas are usually placed in a safety vault with the children, women, and the elderly not capable of fighting.”
“And by that, you mean that I’m
