The Runaway Luna (Book One)
Prologue

There is a future that every person envisions: where they live, who they love, how many, if any, little ones, and what career they want to pursue. I was no different, every single moment planned and broken down to the letter. I did everything I could to make my hopes a reality. Life was progressing exactly as I wanted and all those desires were within my grasp.

Well, so I thought.

Without warning and in a blink of an eye, those dreams became meaningless. My entire world shattered, leaving me with no sense of direction. My life became dictated by others and heading down a path that I wasn’t prepared for nor wanted. I desperately grasped for control but quickly learned that there wasn’t much I could do. Larger forces than myself were in play, forces that would never bend to my wants. Knowing this, I could feel myself start to spiral. Those around me tried their best to keep me steady but to no avail. My body and soul rejected this fate, completely and wholeheartedly. It became so overwhelming that I couldn’t breath, couldn’t think. The need to take back my life consumed me, so I did the only thing that came to mind.

I ran.

I know it is foolish, thinking that distance would make everything disappear. As if my family would just forget me. All I knew was that I had to get away and fast. No matter how much time passes or how much I fight it, the twisting and turning of fate will pull me back onto my destined path. I can scream and cry and cuss with everything in me, but I had a feeling that it didn’t matter. The path for me was set, and the forces of the world would drag me there, willingly or not.

My grip tightens on the steering wheel as I try to shake the thoughts from my mind, focusing hard on the road in front of me. The trees and buildings zoom past almost in one giant blur as I continue making my way down the empty highway. Glancing in my rearview mirror, devastation and defeat stare back at me. I can’t help but sigh at myself. I look an absolute mess, my blue eyes red and swollen and my wavy brown hair all over the place. My fingers run through it trying to fix it, failing miserably. I groan in frustration, wanting to have control over something right now, even something as simple as my hair.

The clock on the dash tells me that I’ve been on the road for several hours, hundreds of miles away from the only home I’ve ever known. I think about the loved ones I left behind in the Lunar Eclipse Pack and what they must be feeling right now. Anxiety starts to creep up on me, pointing out the pain I am causing them while selfishly trying to run from my own.

Knowing my family, they probably have tried to track my phone, but luckily, I thought to disable the GPS before I left. It hasn’t stopped them from blowing the device up with calls and texts ever since I sped out of the territory. Every once in a while, I feel someone try to mind-link me, but I decide to ignore it, too. I feel guilty but can’t bring myself to answer either. The thought of turning around crosses my mind every once in a while, but my foot presses down further on the gas in response each time I do.

This is not how I wanted to spend my nineteenth birthday. I wanted it to be a happy day, to be laughing and celebrating with those I love. Instead, I’m running away from my pack. Surely, there has to be some mistake. The Moon Goddess must be playing some sort of sick joke, right? Maybe She confused me with another? If not, have I angered Her? Have I not been selfless and loving to all those who have crossed my path? Why is this my fate? Is it too late to change it?

The whimpering from my wolf pulls me from my thoughts. She lies in the far reaches of my mind, quietly crying to herself. She is hurting just like I am, but I can feel her confliction over the whole situation.

“I’m sorry,” I whisper.

“Why?” Leah sniffles in my head.

“You’re hurting, and me leaving didn’t help,” I mumble, slightly ashamed.

“You are hurting too, Annie. You felt we needed to leave, so we did. You will always have my love and support,” she says softly.

“Thank you, Leah. I just…I don’t understand. How can it be? Out of everyone I could have been bonded to, why HIM?” I say angrily.

“The Moon Goddess put you and I together for a reason, so it would make sense she would put us with him for a purpose, too,” she says, trying to comfort the both of us, but I wasn’t buying it.

“That doesn’t mean I want him! I barely know anything about him, and he sure as hell doesn’t know me, neither does his wolf about you. I’ve known him my entire life, and he never bothered to get to know me before so why should I allow him to now? It’s my life, our life. We should choose how it goes and who is in it. Not some stupid bond,” I argue, ignoring the ache in my chest.

“Annie? Is this really about having total control over your life or are you scared of what this bond and choosing him means?” Leah pokes hesitantly.

My heart sinks. “All I want is to be a pack doctor and live a quiet, simple life. I have no intention of…THAT,” I spit out, ending the conversation.

Leah says nothing more as the reality of my situation sinks in. Can I really reject him and the future The Moon Goddess has laid out for me? I’m not so sure, but I can’t bring myself to think about it anymore. My focus stays on the moonlit highway as my tires continue down the paved road. I know where we are headed, but I can only hope I am right in thinking he won’t turn us away.

“And if he does?” Leah questions.

“I have no idea,” I sigh honestly.