Chapter 2
"My gracious Luna, I never hoped you see you like this."
Claire put down the book she was reading, a small frown on her face from being interrupted. Her expression brightened when she saw the doctor. His name was Mane, and he was likely the only human they had in the pack. Claire's father had met him on one of his missions. He had been injured and close to death when Mane stumbled upon him and helped patch him up, unafraid that he was a literal Werewolf. And now, Mane was the packs' Doctor.
"Good evening Mane, how are you today?"
"I'm doing wonderful. My lady send her greetings too."
"Ah, tell her to bring the kids sometime."
Mane chuckled, "I shall relay your message, Luna." He pulled a chair close to her bed and sat down. His eyes behind his glasses were soft and kind, like that of a father. "Now, what seems to be the problem?"
Claire sat up in bed, pushing her hair out of her eyes. "Okay, so, I'm actually fine."
"I'm sorry Luna, but if you were then I wouldn't be here. What exactly happened?"
Claire sighed. "Logan got to you didn't he? Well, I feel a pain in my chest and I'm getting tired easily."
Mane nodded, humming to himself. "Well, for your kind, your immunity is quite high and you don't fall sick easily. So this has got to be very serious, Luna."
"Okay... But like, can you fix me quickly because we have a ball to attend and I cannot miss it for anything."
Mane laughed. "Luna, I cannot simply 'fix you' but, I will run some tests and give you some herbs. The best I can do, I will do for you."
Claire smiled. "That's wonderful."
"Let's get started then."
An hour later, Mane left the pack house. Claire drew herself a hot bath to help relax her body. She chose lemon and mint scented bath bombs, filling the large bathroom with the fresh scent of citrus. She continued her book from where she left it off. It was a children's storybook, and she had no particular idea why she chose it in the first place.
As she read, she couldn't help but notice that her mind was far from the wonderful pictures the words painted in her mind. She was a Luna, and a powerful one at that. It was absolutely unlike her to fall sick. She felt annoyed with herself. There was so much more she could be doing, rather than laying in a bathtub and reading. But as the days went by, her strength reduced and reduced. Mane had said she could possibly be pregnant, but he wouldn't know till the test results showed up.
Claire hoped she wasn't.
It wasn't that she didn't want little Logan's and little Claire's running around, she didn't feel ready for the added responsibility. It had been barely a year since she became Luna, and she felt she had a lot of things to get right first.
And also, there was the nagging feeling of doubt and an impending sense of doom each time she and Logan talked about it. So she avoided all together.
Was it something she ate? Werewolves didn't get sick that easily. What could it possibly be?
She was drawn out of her thoughts but strong hands on her shoulder. She jumped a bit but relaxed when a voice whispered in here ear to just calm down.
"You and Sasha want to kill me with jump scares." She said, leaning deeper into the water that was quickly becoming cool.
"I'm sorry my Sundrop, it wasn't my intention to scare you." Logan said cooly, his hands begining to work the tense muscles of her shoulders. She sighed softly and relaxed into his touch. "What did the doctor say?"
"The tests will be ready before the ball." She replied, closing the book as she'd long lost interest in it, and dropped it on the floor. She turned to Logan, her upper body rising above the water. She didn't miss how his eyes flashed with lust. A sultry smile played on her lips. "Why don't you join me?"
His eyes regarded her warily, at the same time burning with lust. "You're not feeling very strong right now, I would hate to break you."
"Who said anything about breaking?" She said with a smirk.
Logan paused, then realized he'd walked straight into her trap. He laughed and flicked her forehead. "You sly girl."
"You dirty minded pervert." She said, smiling with triumph. "Now, join me before this water becomes freezing. Shame on me if I have a 6 foot portable heater that I don't use."
Logan gripped his heart and doubled over in mock pain. "Ouch, and here I was thinking that I was the love of your life, but all I am to you is a heater." As he spoke he took of his clothes.
Claire flicked bubbles at him. "Sorry you had to find out like this." He joined her in the bathtub and pulled her naked body close to him, her back to his chest.
"I love you, Claire." He whispered softly, tracing patterns on her lower belly under the water. "You know that, right?"
"I do," She replied, toying with the soap bubbles on the water surface.
"Ever since your father made me Alpha, I vowed to protect you. To make this pack your home. I will destroy anything seeking to hurt you, my Sundrop."
Any other day, Claire would have jumped with glee at his words. But in that very moment, for some reason she couldn't place, every bone in her body screamed at her to run. A cold hand of fear and dread gripped her insides and twisted. Goosebumps broke out over her skin and she felt nauseous. Logan's hand around her chest suddenly felt too tight, too threatening.
She didn't like the feeling. Not one bit.
"Hey," Logan cooed, nudging her a bit. "Don't zone out on me okay, "
Claire blinked, and the feeling was gone. She craned her neck to him and met his eyes. "I love you too." She said softly. She tried to smile but failed. If he noticed, he didn't show it. Instead he kissed her lips softly.
"Claire..."
She turned around, straddling his thighs. Her hands came up and wrapped around his neck. He gripped her waist with a bruising force, making her gasp softly into his mouth. She took the lead, tilting her head to side and deepening the kiss. He licked her bottom lip, asking permission. She gently nibbled on his tongue. He pulled away and laughed.
"Heyyy" she whined, low and breathy.
"Not today, Sundrop. I thought you only needed me to join you?" There was a mischievous sparkle in his eyes that she didn't miss.
She pouted and smacked his chest. "You big meanie six foot portable heater."
"Wow, that's a mouthful."
"Wanna give me something to with with my mouth?"
Logan groaned and Claire felt the effect of her words pulsing against her inner thigh. She bit her lip as she stared at him. "You like that huh?"
Logan kissed her lips softly, with emotion and care. Claire felt butterflies in her stomach. Butterflies of dread. She pulled away and turned her back to his chest. She felt him kissing her nape and shoulders. It felt nice.
"I've picked out your dress for the ball, you will be more than beautiful."
"Logan, you and I know you have zero fashion sense. In fact, you'll dress me in a drab gown if you could"
"That's not true! I am a true fashionista. And besides, Sasha helped me choose the gown."
That feeling was back again, full force. Claire suddenly felt very uncomfortable.
"Thank you. I'll try it on later."
"Perfect. Now, let's enjoy our bath."
Claire nodded and leaned into him. She tried to ignore the feeling in her gut, but it was growing by the minute.
Later that evening, Mane returned with her test results. Claire noticed the air of apprehension about him, and he was shaking ever so slightly.
"Mane what is the problem? You look like you've seen a ghost!"
Mane took off his glasses and set them carefully on the table. "Luna, I...I suspected that this was the case, but I didn't want to insinuate anything."
Claire nodded, "you're not saying anything, Mane. What happened?"
"Luna, you're not pregnant,"
Claire felt relief wash over like a wave. "Okay, then is it an infection or something?"
Mane shook his head gravely. "I'm afraid now, Luna. It's not an infection."
Claire felt that feeling of dread wash over her, 10x more intense than at the bathtub. She had a sickening idea where this was going, and she didn't like it at all. She began to shake her head, tears rushed to her eyes.
"No, no, please tell me it's not what I think it is."
"I'm sorry, Luna. But it's the case. You're being poisoned."