Dead Luna
Chapter 65

Amelia's

POV

As I become aware of myself once more, I replace myself once again lying upon the comfortable dark blue velvet chaise lounge. I sit up and look around the familiar room. Selene's study, filled with shelves upon shelves of books that document our lives for the moon goddess so she can watch over us. I see Ambrosia asleep near my feet.

I'm concerned when she doesn't immediately wake up and greet me with some silly or sassy remark. And I notice she is much larger than when I met her here before. "Ambrosia?" I say as I try shaking her awake. I feel a gentle hand on my shoulder.

"Your lycan is especially sensitive to narcotic substances." Selene tells me. "It'll be quite some time before she awakes. It could easily put you behind schedule to finish all ten packs before the next full moon. But I know you'll replace ways to make up the time." She motions me over to a book at the table when I ask what happened. Then I watch in horror as I see myself grabbed from behind, and a syringe jabbed into my neck and immediately dragged into the woods. Thankfully they don't take me far before Jackson and Glen rescue me. I see that 2 of the wolves are killed by Glen and Jackson, before they grab me and get me back to the car just before 7 more wolves show up.

"Thank you for protecting me!" I tell her. But she shakes her head no.

"It's always a balance." She says. "I allowed them to take you, knowing you could be rescued, rather than another she wolf who would not have been as lucky. And now Alpha Thorn will be made aware of what is happening and shut them down." "And now you've brought me here, because..."

The goddess smiles down at me. "I miss Ambrosia's chatter. It can be lonely sometimes, here in the heavens. Other gods and goddesses can often feel so removed from everything. Selfish, even. I have little patience for my own kind, sometimes. I will miss Ambrosia's presence here once you shift. She will no longer be able to visit me."

I worry about Selene when I hear that. I don't want her to be lonely. I remember how lonely I was during those years that I worked as a waitress, and wish I had a way to help her.

The goddess laughs, and tells me not to worry. She will invite another wolf to keep her company for a while. Then she tells me about Jet, the wolf Ambrosia had been so attracted to. Apparently they had been mates some time ago, and they both still retain some happy memories of that time. But then we switch topics to the reason I am here now.

"I knew we needed to chat before the next full moon." Selene continued. "I sense you are having trouble deciding on which mate to choose."

"I thought I knew what I wanted," I say. "But then I found out who I was. And then I wasn't sure anymore. What if I become Queen Luna, and he doesn't want to leave his pack for me? Or is unable to?"

"The right mate is the one that you will love the most, and who will love you in return." The goddess reminds me. "One who will be willing to do anything to make things work out, whether she is an omega with no father, or a Lycan princess."

I think about that for some time.

"My father wants to add more mates for me to choose from." I say after a while.

"The men he would choose for you are all worthy of your hand. The question is, are they also worthy of your heart?" She cautions me. "Only you have the power to decide."

"Unless I don't decide at all!" I say, almost angry now. "I could decide not to choose any of them, or have you decide for me."

"I already made my choice clear years ago." Selene reminds me. "That will not change."

I go sit down again on the chaise lounge, and stroke Ambrosia behind the ear, wishing she were here to cheer me up.

"He has always loved you. But he was young and prideful when you were first mated. He has realized his error, and he still loves only you. Even after I removed the mate bond, he remains constant. I cannot remove the love from his heart. I can only create a bond to smooth things over for those who were destined to be together. It would be far better for Leonard if you forgave him, and not select a new mate for him. But if you insist, I will create the bond for him and his second chance mate."

I lay down on the chaise lounge, willing myself to wake up and leave this place. I had hoped the goddess would give advice that I would wish to hear. But I had suspected all along that she would prefer I choose Leonard.

"As Shakespeare once said, the course of true love never did run smooth." Selene reminds me with a sad smile, and she strokes my hair in a soothing manner.

"Humph" I snort aloud, just before waking up to the sounds of a hospital room.

I open my eyes. The room is dim, and the sound of my heartbeat monitor is steady. I look to my right to see Jackson asleep in the chair next to me, his head lying on the bed next to my hand. The poor guy looks very uncomfortable. I look towards the window, which has the blinds closed. I could tell that it was dark outside, so it must be night. How many hours have I been unconscious?

Ambrosia was still missing from my head, but Selene had warned me it would take time. I hadn't had her for very long, but I had grown accustomed to her presence and it was a little disconcerting for her to have completely disappeared on me like that.

I needed to pee, but wasn't sure how I would leave the hospital bed without waking Jackson. I also didn't know how to maneuver while attached to all these monitors. But once I think about it for a moment, I realize I probably don't need any of this stuff. Then I notice a sort of remote device with a call button lying on a bedside table, so I press the button to see what happens.

Less than 2 minutes later a nurse walks in, I quietly tell her my needs, and she helps me up to use the restroom. While I'm in there, she goes to let the doctor know I'm awake, and to ask if it's ok to remove the IV and monitors. She comes back into the room and disconnects all the machines, removes the IV, then helps me back into the bed and suggests I continue to sleep here for the remainder of the night, since it was already 4 am anyway.

I awake again after just a few more hours of sleep to what sounds like a wounded animal next to me. I open my eyes, to replace Jackson bawling his eyes out. I'm not sure why though.

"What's wrong?" I ask him, and he immediately stops crying, looks at me in wonder for a moment, then looks confused over at the silent heart monitor.

"Did you die again?" Jackson asks, and now I'm the one confused.

"I don't think so..." I say slowly.

"Then why don't you have a heartbeat?" He accuses me. Laughing, I explained about getting up to use the restroom and the nurse unhooking the heart monitor. I notice we are starting to draw an audience. "Oh my goddess, I am such a fool," Jackson says, but actually sounds relieved. He runs his hands over his face.

The doctor and the nurse enter the room and give me a thorough exam to make sure I don't have any long lasting effects of the drugs that were in my system. Other than Ambrosia being MIA, that is. I'm sure she will have all sorts of punishment she will want to carry out if we ever catch those wolves who did this to her. But she can't until she wakes up, and I have no idea how long that will take.

Then Jackson is bringing in my suitcase so that I can get dressed. As I slip into some yoga pants and an oversized shirt, I apologize to Jackson for making him worry this morning. Then he is wrapping me in his arms, hugging me and kissed my forehead. "Sweetheart, that was my own dumb mistake," he replies, and I can hear a lot of underlying emotion in his words. "You have no reason to be sorry. I'm the one who should apologize for not taking better care of you!"

"But that wasn't your fault at all!" I try to explain. "Moon goddess explained that if it hadn't been me, it would have been some other she wolf who wouldn't have been as well protected as I am. So you and Glen actually saved at least two lives yesterday. I'll bet Alpha Thorn is investigating the matter now, just like Selene said he would. Because I was the one taken, Alpha Thorn will probably be able to shut that operation down, saving countless lives." Jackson looks amazed at that.

"Don't you ever think about yourself?" Jackson asks, completely blown away. "I've never met anyone in my life who is as selfless as you! How could I live with myself if the most perfect being on this planet were to have been hurt or abducted while I'm on watch?" "Do you want to stop being my Gamma?" I ask. "Because I'm not going to change. If I can help someone, I help them. If I see someone in need, I try to get them what they need. If I see somebody sad or hurt, I can't ignore them. And it's quite possible that I may sometimes get hurt as a result."

"I know, and I can't help but want to be there with you, helping them." Jackson replies, and I know it's the truth.

Then doctor comes in at that point and says I'm free to go. Breakfast starts at the pack house in 15 minutes, and I'm starved!