From Orphan to Luna Novel – Ethan had landed in Omaha about an hour ago and was so glad to be home, finally. His wolf, Errol, was wanting to get out and run but he didn’t dare shift until he was safely back on his own pack lands. He hadn’t been able to let Errol out for over a week and he was getting impatient. Ethan drove through the city streets and grew frustrated with all the construction detours he had to take to be able to get to the small county highway that would take him home. He was driving through a residential neighborhood that he had never been in before when he stopped at a stop sign. Glancing first left then right, he noticed a young girl curled up on the bench at the bus stop to his right. She looked cold. This was a relatively nice neighborhood so he doubted that she was a homeless person. She must have just gotten caught in the rain and had fallen asleep while she waited for it to end.
He argued with himself that her reasons for being there were her own and none of his business but knowing that the bus service had ended hours ago, he couldn’t just drive away unless he at least offered her a ride home or to some place warm and dry. He rolled down his window and the second it started to open Errol jumped alive in his mind and began to whine. The gentle breeze brought the scent of vanilla and cinnamon tainted slightly by oranges to his nose. MATE! Errol howled loudly in his head. “What? If she’s here in the city then she’s a human! And she looks really young! She can’t even be of age yet.” Ethan argued with his wolf but the pull to find out had him putting the car in park and pulling up the collar of his coat as he got out of the car and hurried over to her. Ethan could barely make out what she looked like because she had her hands pulled up to the lower part of her face as if she had been blowing on them to keep them warm when she fell asleep.
Judging by the amount of space she took up on the bench and what he could see, she was very petite, almost tiny. Her dark chocolate hair was tightly braided and lay on the seat behind her almost to her bum. He could barely make out anything about her looks other than she seemed to have a natural tan. Judging by her size alone, he would put her in her early to mid teens but then why was Errol claiming that she was his mate? Ethan needed to see more of her face so he bent down then put out his hand to touch her shoulder and felt a slight shock and then a heat ran up his arm. Kia woke up with a start a couple of hours later to a slight shocking sensation and then someone shaking her shoulder. “Hey! What are you doing sleeping out here?” A young man with bedroom eyes and a deep, honey smooth voice asked. “What? Who are you?” Kia said as she pulled back and pushed his hand away. She may not be fully awake yet but Tia was going crazy in her mind.
“Hey, don’t be afraid. I’m just trying to help. My name is Ethan. I was passing by and saw you asleep on this bench. Did you miss your bus?” He said with a slight smile. “Something like that.” Kia said, eyeing him warily as she began to sit up. “What’s your name?” Ethan asked. “Kia.” She replied. “Very nice to meet you Miss Kia.” Ethan smiled at her and Kia felt her insides flip flop. Tia was panting heavily in her head and Kia got the sensation that she wanted to crawl into his lap and let him wrap those big strong looking arms around her. “Why are you sleeping out here instead of at home in a nice warm bed?” Ethan asked. Kia almost wanted to laugh at that but she really felt more like crying as she admitted “Don’t really have one of those at the moment.” “What do you mean? Where are your parents?” Ethan asked in dismay. Kia looked at him and remembered someone once saying that it’s always easier to tell your troubles to a stranger than it is to tell your closest friend.
She figured “what can it hurt?” as she began talking. “I’ve been in the “foster care system” (using her fingers to emphasize) since I was 7, after my parents were killed in a car accident. This last place was just one of many but they are not nice people and the first time the woman went out of town for the day, the man figured he would help himself to some fun time and was going to ravish me. I kicked him in the privates and hightailed it out of there. I called Ms. Kay but she had already left for the day so I left her a voicemail. I was going to catch the bus back to the group home but the buses stopped running before I got here.” Kia gave him a condensed version of what had happened to her today. Hearing that someone had put their hands on his mate made his wolf want to kill and Ethan glanced down just as his eyes flashed gold and he barely choked down the growl he felt building in his throat. “Calm down Errol or we are going to scare her.” Errol whimpered but sat back and let Ethan control the situation. Ethan sat down on the seat next to her, “Who is Ms. Kay?” “She’s my case worker for the foster care placement agency who finds homes for kids like me to stay in until we come of age to be on our own.”
Kia admitted. “I don’t know what to do. She won’t be back to work until Monday but I can’t go back to that house. I don’t feel safe there.” “Well, how about you come with me and we’ll find you some place warm and dry to sleep?” Ethan asked. “Where?” Kia asked warily, expecting him to suggest his place. She couldn’t decide if the feelings she was getting from this man were because he was so handsome and seemingly nice or if he was someone she should avoid. It didn’t help that Tia became very excited at his suggestion and if Tia had her way, they would jump into this man’s arms and hold on tight. Ethan chuckled. “Smart girl. Don’t worry, no one is going to hurt you. I just want to help.” He said without answering her question. He watched her face, trying to figure out what she was thinking as she sat there shivering as she looked him over like she was trying to decide if she could trust him or not. Ethan had watched her for a few minutes as she seemed to be having a mental battle with herself.
She is so beautiful but she looks really young. Oh but that beautiful dark brown hair surrounding her small, heart shaped face, long dark eyelashes that lay gently on her cheeks, a small button nose and full pink lips that were slightly open, making him want to buss her so badly but he knew he had to take this slow or he was going to scare her half to death. If she was as young as he suspected, he was going to have to exercise every ounce of patience he had to wait for her to come of age. Errol told him that she doesn’t know about her wolf yet, which meant she was not yet 18 and may not even be 16 yet since that was when most werewolves shifted for the first time. He wondered how old she really was but knew it was rude to ask outright, especially of someone he had just met. Just then the wind began to pick up and it was getting colder causing her to shiver more.
Kia knew that to stay out in this weather all night meant she would more than likely end up sick so she finally sighed and said “Can you give me a ride to the YWCA? I can get a room and a bed there for a night or two until the placement agency opens on Monday.” Kia was still unsure if she should get in the very expensive looking car that was parked right in front of the bus stop with someone she didn’t know but the alternative was to stay here and very likely end up sick. “Sure. Come on.” Ethan said, standing up and putting his hand out to her. Kia looked up at him and then down at his hand. She picked up her bag and while she didn’t take his hand, she did let him take her bag and put it on the back seat then got in the front with him when he opened the door for her. Kia’s heart was pounding, her stomach was full of butterflies but her mind seemed to still be fuzzy, probably from being woken up in the middle of the night.
Or maybe it was the fact that Tia was mentally pushing her to go with him, as she tried to justify getting in the car. She couldn’t explain it but there was something pulling her to stay with him that she just couldn’t figure out right now. Tia was telling her it was going to be OK and Tia had never led her wrong yet. Tia had always been her voice of reason when she was uncertain about something. Ethan asked if she knew the address for the YWCA and Kia had to admit that she didn’t so he used the GPS system built into his dashboard to search for it and just as he thought, it was in the opposite direction from where he had been headed but he punched in the address and with a smile at Kia, pulled away from the curb and began driving.
Kia glanced at the clock on the dashboard and realized that it was already after 2 am. The inside of the car smelled like him, like the woods in the fall after a cleansing rain. It was nice and warm and the plush, leather seats were buttersoft and so comfortable after the hardness of the bus stop bench. Ethan’s radio was tuned to an easy listening channel and Ethan seemed to be a good driver as he slowly drove through the wet streets, gliding to an easy stop at each red light and Kia slowly began to feel at ease. So much so that it wasn’t long before her head began to sag and she began to fall asleep again. Ethan drove carefully and had been thankful that she hadn’t talked his ear off the whole ride. He also wasn’t surprised when they finally pulled up in front of the YWCA that it was already closed for the night. Now what? Kia was sound asleep with her head resting gently on his shoulder.
He looked down at her and his heart leaped in his chest. He couldn’t let her go! “She is our mate!” Errol growled at his thought of letting her go. After several minutes of trying to think of a better alternative, he gave her a soft peck on the top of her head, drawing in her scent before he finally put his car in gear and headed for home. An hour and a half later, he finally pulled into the garage of the pack house. No one was up at this hour except the guards and one of them opened the door for him as he carried Kia inside bridal style. “Wow. You go to Japan on business and come back with your mate! Good going Alpha. Is she the one from Seattle that Luna told us about you stopping to meet?” Josh said. Josh was 6’4″, had shoulders about 3 feet wide and hands that could be compared to a grizzly bear’s paw. He is not only a life long friend and a clown, he is one of Ethan’s best warriors.
“No, definitely not. Keep your voice down. Are you the only one up?” Ethan whispered to him as he walked through the pack house and began to climb the stairs. “Everette and Dale are working border patrol and Charlie is out back. It’s been quiet the past few days.” Josh whispered back as he followed Ethan upstairs. “Who is she?” “I found her asleep on a bench at a bus stop in town. Her foster dad tried to ravish her so she ran away.” Ethan whispered as they reached the door to his room and saw Josh’s eyes get big. “Wow! Did you kill him?” Ethan rolled his eyes at him and said “No. I didn’t even meet him and he better pray I never do. Open the door for me.” Josh reached around him and opened his door and stood watching as Ethan carried Kia into the room.
“Can you do me a favor? Her bag is on the back seat of my car and my suitcase is in the trunk. Can you get them and bring them up here for me?” “Sure. I’ll be back in a flash. She sure is pretty.” Josh whispered as he grinned at his Alpha. Ethan growled at him softly but stopped when Kia started to move in his arms. He walked over to the bed and gently lay her down. He gently pulled her beat up old sneakers off and then covered her with the comforter. Her hair had dried in the car on the drive home and her clothes had not felt wet. He hoped she would be comfortable sleeping in her sweats as he felt it would be wrong of him to undress her, no matter how much he wanted to see her undressed. He stood looking down at her as she curled to the side and got comfortable in his bed. A thousand questions were running through his mind but all he could do was stand and stare at her.
He had begun to think that he would never find his mate and now here she is! She is so beautiful! He didn’t know much about her but he knew deep in his heart that he could never let her go now that he had found her. Josh came back and because the door was still open, he came right in and Ethan jumped when Josh dropped Kia’s duffel bag on the floor at the foot of the bed. He sat Ethan’s suitcase down next to it and grinned at Ethan as he stood glaring at him with his hand on his chest. He motioned for Josh to follow him into the hall where they could talk without having to whisper. Ethan knew it was a waste of breath to tell Josh to keep his mouth shut about Kia but did ask him to tell everyone to not come knocking on his door in the morning since it was so late.
“And wipe that stupid grin off your face. I don’t think she even knows she has a wolf because I don’t think she’s of age yet. I am going to have to break it to her slowly so I don’t scare her. Tell my mom and dad I will come talk to them when I get up. Let them know that I didn’t get in until almost sunrise.” Ethan said. “Ok. I’ll tell them.” Josh said. “Night Alpha. Sweet dreams.” he chuckled as he headed back downstairs. Ethan chuckled as he reentered the bedroom and closed the door. He found a pair of work out shorts in his dresser and walked into the bathroom. He wasn’t going to shower right now because it was so late but he did want to use the toilet and brush his teeth before going to bed. The length of the day was fast catching up with him. As soon as he was done in the bathroom, he climbed into bed with Kia and watched her sleep for a few minutes until he fell asleep himself.
He felt so content and dreamed about her that night. Kia smelled something heavenly when she began to wake up. Something familiar that smelled like the woods in the autumn after a cleansing rain. She finally fully woke up because the sun was shining in her face. She was reluctant to open her eyes because it seemed so bright. She was nice and warm and she was laying on something soft but her eyes flew open when she realized that there was something heavy laying across her waist and she remembered where she had smelled that scent before. Afraid to move, she tried to remember what had happened last night. She remembered running away from Doug and hiding under the enclosure of the bus stop and she remembered a very handsome man waking her up and offering her a ride to the YWCA. She became aware that at least she was still dressed but as her eyes quickly scanned the lush bedroom, she knew this wasn’t the YWCA!
She saw a sink through a doorway on the opposite side of the room and the urge to pee became stronger but she wondered where he had brought her and her heart began to pound in her chest. She turned slightly but the arm around her tightened and suddenly a leg, a undressed leg covered hers pinning her down even more. Kia almost screamed when suddenly a deep killing voice said “Good morning. How did you sleep?” “Where am I? How did I get here? Why are you in my bed?” Kia asked in rapid succession. “You are in my house. I brought you here because the YWCA was closed and I didn’t know where else to take you. And this is my bed.” Ethan answered her questions. “Can you let me up, please? I need to use the restroom.” Kia said and Ethan immediately released her. Kia jumped off the bed and made a beeline across the room for the bathroom.
She slammed the door and locked it and stood there shaking. “How did I get myself into this mess? And how do I get out of it?” Kia wondered as she looked at herself in the mirror. She took care of her business and washed her hands then splashed water on her face in an attempt to wake up. She looked around the very well appointed and plush bathroom for a way to escape but the only window was too small for her to fit through and was well over her head, out of her reach. She was just going to have to pray that Ethan would let her go and not take advantage of her. Tia finally put in her two cents and said “If he were going to do that, he could have already done it but you are still fully dressed in the clothes you had on last night and you got the best sleep you’ve had in a long time in that nice soft bed, warm and dry. Besides, I like him.” Kia knew Tia was right and so far she had no reason not to trust Ethan.
He had not been anything but nice to her and she really didn’t think he was lying about the YWCA being closed. It had been after 2 am when she got in his car. If he were going to ravish or hurt her, he could have just done it while she was asleep in his car and left her on the side of the road somewhere. “Kia? Are you going to be in there much longer?” Ethan’s voice came through the door. Kia took a deep breath and opened the door. “Sorry.” She said then gasped when she realized that all he had on was a very small pair of workout shorts that did nothing to hide the fact that he was very well endowed and had only lost half of his morning arousal. His feet were undressed, as well as his muscular legs, six pack stomach, wide well defined chest and his muscular arms causing Kia’s face to get redder and redder as her eyes got wider and wider as they wandered up his body from his feet to his very handsome face to find him grinning at her with a seductive look in his eyes. She ducked her head, threw her hands over her face and ran out of the bathroom with a slight squeal.
Ethan laughed as he turned, letting her pass then entered the bathroom. He took care of business first and then returned to the bedroom. He found Kia looking out the window. “Where are we? What are those men doing down there?” Kia asked, keeping her back to him, hoping he would get dressed soon. Ethan came up behind her and heard her breath catch as he brushed up against her when he went to look out of the window at what she was seeing. “Oh that’s just our guys working out.” Ethan answered. “It looks like they are fighting with each other.” Kia said. “They are battle training.” Ethan answered. “Oh. Are you guys a gang or something?” Kia asked. “Hahaha. No, not a gang. A pack.” Ethan chuckled. “Kia, how old are you?” “I’ll be 18 next week. Why?” Kia replied. But didn’t turn around to see the look of surprise on his face. Errol began jumping around in his head.
They weren’t going to have to wait after all. So long as she was agreeable, they only had to wait until she was 18 to be able to claim her as his mate. “Just wondering.” Ethan said. He pulled some clothes out of his dresser drawers and said “Would you rather go first in the shower?” “Do I get to shower alone?” She asked, fearfully. “If you want. Look, Kia. No one is going to hurt you here or ever again. I won’t allow it. And we will only go as far as you want at the pace you want.” Ethan said. “Does that mean you are not going to take me back to the YWCA or the group home?” Kia asked, trying to keep her voice from quavering. She felt the tears building in her eyes as the fear began to build in her stomach. This is something that Ethan had been debating about all the way home in the car last night.
He should just take her back and try to court her like a normal guy would but he knew that with all of his Alpha duties that he would barely have time to see her if she were so far away. He wanted her close by where he could see her every day. He wanted her in his bed every night. Wanted to wake up with her every morning from now on. To keep her safe. But to hit her with all that right off the bat now was going to scare her. She had not been brought up in the wolf community so she did not know the rules of mates and living in a pack community. He wondered about who her parents were. How is it she had not been taken in by their pack when her parents died. Were they rogues? Why had she not shifted when she turned 16, as most wolves do?