Eclipse

MAYA

I walked out of the house with my bag of clothes. I didn’t own anything else except a small picture of myself with my parents before they died.

Navaar pushed off from his large SUV and walked toward me, taking the bag from my hands. “This can’t be all of your things,” he said, looking down at my bag.

“I don’t have much,” I replied sheepishly.

“What happened to the dress?” he asked, eyeing my holey jeans and loose T-shirt.

“It wasn’t mine, I had to give it back,” I said, suddenly feeling very self-conscious.

He grunted and placed my bag in the trunk before opening the passenger door for me. I climbed in, and he made his way around the car to the driver’s side.

As we drove down the bumpy dirt road away from the pack house, I let out a sigh.

“You’ll find things are different at Eclipse,” he said quietly.

He was the alpha of Eclipse! I began panicking, knowing the things that were said about that pack. I took a deep breath and turned to him with curiosity. “I’ve only heard stories about Eclipse.”

Navaar smirked. “Whatever you heard is probably true.”

I shook my head in disbelief. “You really beat your pups to make them warriors?”

He growled. “Nobody has ever been beaten in my pack”—he paused, smiling to himself—“unless they asked for it.”

I let out a sigh of relief. “Good,” I whispered.

I had heard the rumors about the Eclipse Pack. They were all warriors—hard and cold and violent. Their pack was all metal and leather and fire, whereas Aurora was all peace and growth.

I was broken from my thoughts when he spoke again, keeping his eyes forward. “You aren’t an omega. I can feel that you’re gamma born, so why do you have so little? Who doesn’t have any belongings?”

I scoffed before looking out the window. “Someone with no family.”

“No family?” he asked.

“My parents died in an accident when I was five. I’ve lived in the pack house for as long as I can remember, by myself, unless I needed care. I’m the pack orphan, so I was only given what I needed.”

He scowled. “That’s ridiculous. You should have been cared for.”

I shrugged. “It would have been nice once in a while, but I lived.” I looked out the window, staring at the trees and cars that passed by.

We drove in silence for an hour until we finally reached the Eclipse Pack’s territory.

I looked up in awe, surprised at the dense forest surrounding us as we drove down the paved road, much different from the dusty dirt roads of Aurora.

“We’re here,” he said quietly as we approached a massive stone mansion that I could only assume was the pack house.

He stepped out of the SUV and grabbed my bag. “Welcome to Eclipse.”

I stared up at the massive house. It was nothing like the simple farmhouse I had grown up in.

We walked up the steps, my eyes just about popping out of my head as I looked around the rich house. It was painted in warm colors with rich wood and stone.

“This place is beautiful,” I whispered.

I watched as a small grin crept onto Navaar’s face before quickly disappearing.

We walked through to the common area that boasted a massive industrial kitchen, a dining hall full of long wooden tables, and a recreation room that seemed to have every movie and book imaginable.

I followed him down a hallway lined with doors.

“This is the pack dormitory,” he began. “Some of the single wolves prefer to live here, as well as new arrivals that haven’t been placed yet.”

He walked up the stairs to the next floor. “This floor is ours. My office is here, as well as the beta’s. You’ll meet him tomorrow. He lives with his family on the next floor up.”

I nodded silently, still trying to wrap my head around this massive place. I followed him through a set of double doors and let out a small gasp. “This is all for us?”

He chuckled before walking into the apartment.

It had tall ceilings and rich colors. There was a kitchen and dining area as well as a large living room with floor-to-ceiling windows lining the back wall, letting in the moonlight.

We walked past three other bedrooms until we entered the master suite. In the middle of the room was a massive bed with crisp white bedding. It looked bright against the warm wood of the room.

Navaar walked past me and placed my bag on the table in the small sitting area. “You can put your things in the closet.”

I smiled at him before quietly making my way over to my bag. I opened it and removed my things; my picture frame fell out onto the floor. I picked it up and smiled at it before setting it on the table.

As I put my clothes away and the few toiletries I had, I walked out, my eyes widening at the realization that we would be in the same bed.

“I… um…,” I stuttered, hesitating by the bed.

He looked up from the spot he was in with a smirk. “Don’t worry, little wolf, you’re safe.”

I climbed into the bed, clinging to the edge. “I do have a name, you know…”

His arm was resting behind his head, and he had his eyes closed. “And what is it?” he asked quietly.

“My name is Maya,” I replied with a bit of attitude. “And you are Alpha Navaar, right?”

He nodded, still keeping his eyes closed.

“Okay, well, goodnight,” I said quietly before rolling to my side, my back facing him as I pulled the covers up to my ears.

***

I woke out of habit at five thirty to find myself extremely close to the man sharing my bed.

My eyes widened as I realized our faces were almost touching. I held my breath, slowly backing away before making my way to the bathroom.

I turned on the shower, admiring the beautiful glass tiles as I climbed in. It was the best shower of my life, with the hot water coming down from the waterfall showerhead and the steam calming me.

I stood in there a long time before I climbed out and opened the door to the bathroom slowly, looking to make sure he was still asleep. I crept to the closet and quickly got dressed.

As I stepped out, I heard Navaar grumble. “Why were you up so early?”

“I’m sorry, I hoped I wouldn’t wake you... it’s a habit, I guess,” I replied hastily, suddenly feeling nervous.

He looked at me sideways. “What are you wearing?”

I looked down. “Uh, jeans?”

He shook his head before his eyes glazed over, mind-linking someone in the pack.

I stood there confused until a few minutes later when there was a knock at the door. Navaar walked to the door and took something from someone before making his way over to me.

“Put these on,” he said, handing me a pair of leggings and a sports bra along with some tennis shoes. “You can’t exactly train in jeans.”

I paused for a moment. “What do you mean, ‘train’?”

He rolled his eyes at me. “As a member of Eclipse, you are required to attend daily training.

“It is even more important for you because you are the future luna. Get changed. We need to be down at the field in thirty minutes.”