The Rise of Luna Inara (The Luna Queen Book 1) Read online

  The Rise of Luna Inara

  “Inara!” came the voice up the stairs, shattering her from the warm comfort of her dreamland.

  “Shit!” Inara said as she bolted upright in bed. It was her last semester of junior year, and she couldn’t afford to be late again. “I’m up, mom! Thanks!” she called back. She slid out of bed and let her feet touch the icy floor. She immediately recoiled back into the safety of her blanket. With a groan, she rolled to the other side of the bed, the closest side to the bathroom. She quickly raced across the floor, only stopping when she reached her fuzzy bath mat. Turning the shower on, she glanced at herself in the mirror while she waited for the water to heat up.

  By any standards, she was average when it came to looks. She ran her fingers through her wavy blonde hair and sighed. Why don’t the guys at school ever ask me out? I’m a junior and haven't even been on a date. Pathetic. I’m not a wallflower; I’m an athlete. I run cross country in the fall and hold several school records in track. I have a few good friends, and almost everyone is nice to me, but nobody seems to think of me as “girlfriend material.” All of my friends have been in several relationships by now. What’s wrong with me?

  Pulling herself out of her thoughts, she hopped into the shower. She made it a quick one, as she knew she was running late. She turned off the water and grabbed her fluffy blue towel to dry off. Wrapping the towel around her, she walked briskly over to her dresser and pulled out her clothes for the day. As she was just about to drop the towel and start getting dressed, the hairs on the back of her neck started prickling up, and a shiver ran down her spine. She had felt this feeling several times before but could never find the source. It was as if she was being watched.

  Swinging her head around toward the window, she peered out over her parents’ acreage. She briefly scanned the treeline in the distance, knowing it was too far away to see anything. Who would be out there anyway? Shaking her head, Inara turned and got dressed while her body returned to normal. “I must be going crazy,” she muttered before grabbing her purse and bag and running downstairs.

  “I’ve got a muffin for you, and there’s a glass of orange juice on the counter, honey,” her mother Elizabeth said as she rummaged through her purse for her keys.

  “Thanks, mom. Hey, I’ve got track after school, so I won’t be home until about 6:00,” Inara said, taking a bite out of her muffin. Blueberry! My favorite! She took another large bite.

  Her mom muttered an acknowledgment before finally finding her keys and heading for the door. “See you later, hon. Have a good day, and please don’t be late again.” Without waiting for a reply, she shut the door and headed off to work.

  Inara quickly devoured the last of the muffin and slammed the orange juice. Tossing the cup into the sink, she headed out front to her old chevy truck. It was army green, with a few rust spots in the back, but it always fired right up. The drive into town took her 20 minutes. By now, most of her classmates were already inside. She found a spot in the last row, parked her truck, and walked in with the stragglers.

  It was a typical school day for her. She had homeroom first, which she used to finish her math assignment. She only had a few problems left, so she finished them just before the bell rang for her first class. She entered her Spanish class, taking a seat next to her friend Renee. “Hey. Did you study for the quiz?” Renee asked as Inara sat down.

  “Of course,” Inara replied. “I always study. Did you?”

  “No,” Renee said. “I was out late with Nathan last night. Do you think it’ll be hard?”

  Inara smiled, “I don’t think so, but who knows.” She looked over and caught a glimpse of James looking at her. She smiled, and he turned away from her. This wasn’t the first time she’s caught him staring at her, but he was never brave enough to say anything. He was on the football team and seemed pretty outgoing. Why won’t he just talk to me? He obviously has something to say.

  Renee caught Inara looking at James. “Do you like him?” Renee asked, nodding her head towards James.

  Inara shrugged, “He’s really cute and seems pretty smart. I had a crush on him last year, but he didn’t seem interested. I’ve caught him watching me a few times, though, so maybe he’s changed his mind. I don’t know. If he’s not brave enough to ask me out, he must not like me that much,” Inara replied, opening her Spanish book and flipping today’s lesson.

  Renee grinned at her, “Want me to ask him if he likes you? I could set you up? You’re due for a date Inara. James is hot! I’ll text him.” She took out her phone and began typing in his name.

  “Don’t you dare,” Inara said, making a swipe for Renee’s phone. “If he can’t tell me himself, he’s not worth it.”

  “Suit yourself,” Renee said, reluctantly putting away her phone.

  The rest of the day flew by quickly, and soon she was hearing the final class bell. The shrill noise pierced her ears, startling her from her thoughts. She grabbed her books and headed for the locker room. She was always the first one there. She slid by during her school days just waiting for track practice. She loved being a long-distance runner. The repetitive motion, the constant pace, having plenty of time with her thoughts: She loved it all.

  As she laced up her shoes, she wondered where they would be running today. Coach liked to take them to different areas in town to practice. He said it was so they wouldn’t get used to just running on the track. He thought if they were used to running hills and across fields, running on the track would seem like a cakewalk. Suddenly, a pair of hands covered her eyes, and she smiled, knowing exactly who they belonged to.

  “Hey, Jenna!” Inara chuckled as the hands were removed, revealing a short, pouty-faced brunette.

  “How did you know it was me?” Jenna asked, feigning disappointment.

  “You’re the only one that does that to me,” Inara replied, shrugging her shoulders.

  Jenna laughed, “Well I guess I’m predictable now, huh?”

  “Guess so!” Inara smirked.

  The girls finished getting ready for practice and headed out to the track. Jenna was a high jumper, so after warm-up, the girls headed their separate ways. The small group of long-distance runners met at the north entrance to see where they would be practicing today. They were going to Arrowtip Prairie Reserve. It was only about a 5-minute drive from school, so they practiced there quite often. They piled into the school van and headed off. Once they arrived, they gathered at the entrance as the coach parked the van and joined them.

  “Alright, guys. Today I want you to head north toward the pond. You’ll loop around the pond and head east into the wooded area. Follow the path through the woods, and it will bring you to the prairie on the far side. You’ll run through the prairie and finish at the visitor’s center. That’s roughly 5 miles. Does everyone understand?”

  Everyone nodded their understanding. They had run this area so often, they knew this land by heart.

  “Alright, the last one back has to do the chicken dance for everyone before we leave!” Chuckles were heard, and they all started their run.

  Inara’s P.O.V.

  I started to run, sliding into pace behind my friend Jeremy. I could feel the sun on my face and the warm Spring breeze dance across my cheeks. This was my element, what I yearned for when I was stuck inside that brick building solving problems or writing essays. I listened to the footsteps around me as everyone made their way toward the pond. It was nice running with everyone, being part of a team. I was grinning from ear to ear by now, feeling truly happy and free. I quickened my pace a tad, feeling the muscles in my legs waking up as I ran.

  We finished the mile to the pond and s
tarted our journey around it. I glanced behind me and noticed we were pretty spread out already. I knew I was the fastest runner, even out of the guys, but they usually kept pace with me pretty well. Wanting to beat my fastest time, I pushed myself harder as I headed towards the path that led through the woods. As I passed the first few trees, a familiar feeling had me second-guessing the distance I had put between my teammates and I. The hairs on my neck stood on end as I searched the woods around me. I shivered and slid my hand along the goosebumps on my arm. Something was definitely out there. I could feel it. I glanced behind me and realized the others were still a ways off. I felt a strange pull as if a rope was tied in my chest and someone was gently pulling on it from deeper in the woods. With one last glance at my teammates, I stepped off the path and followed my instincts. I crept carefully deeper into the trees, watching my feet so I wouldn’t snap a twig or crunch leaves under my sneakers. My heart was beating like crazy as my nerves were getting the best of me. I stopped for a minute to slow my breathing and talk some sense into myself when I heard a twig snap somewhere ahead of me.

  Without thinking I rushed forward, desperate to know what was making me feel like prey. “Usually the prey runs away from the predator,” I mused to myself while swiftly making my way to the thicket where the noise had come from.

  The thicket held no animals, but as I looked down I noticed many animal tracks. My uncle had given me a small lesson in tracking when I was younger, so I tried to decipher what animals these tracks belonged to. There were many rabbit prints, a few deer, and one set of prints that looked to be from a large dog. Nothing out of the ordinary, I thought to myself, realizing the strange feeling and the pull were now very faint. I snaked my way back through the woods towards the trail when suddenly a long howl reverberated through the air, sending my heart racing, and stopping me in my tracks. It sounded so sad and lonely. My heart ached for the poor creature.

  The howl ended as abruptly as it started. I made it to the path to find that everyone had passed me while I was off galavanting in the woods. I needed to make up time. Swearing at myself, I set a quick pace through the woods hoping I still had enough time to pass the next runner. I groaned thinking of me having to perform the chicken dance in front of everyone. I rounded the next bend in the trail and spotted Ginger, one of the slowest runners on the team. She was a good distance ahead of me, but I knew I could catch her. I had found my target and I quickened my pace closing the gap.

  By the time we made it out of the woods, I was within a few strides of her. I rushed past her in the prairie, setting my sights on the visitor’s center. There were a few teammates still running ahead of me, and I grinned setting a new goal for myself. This freedom and challenge is what I lived for! I was full-on sprinting now, hoping to pass them all by the end. I overtook the closest two, which happened to be a new couple. They ran together giggling as they playfully bumped into each other. I rolled my eyes as I passed them, but deep inside I felt a twinge of jealousy. What made her so special? Why was this guy giggling and acting silly just to make her smile?

  My pace had slowed a bit as I thought about my dismal love life. I had lost all interest in the race, but at least I wouldn’t finish last. As I reached the visitor’s center I could tell everyone was excited about something. There were conversations everywhere I turned, but they all had one word in common: Wolf.

  I joined Jeremy's conversation. We had been friends since grade school, and our parents were friends. They had poker nights a couple of times a month, so we’ve always hung out together. He was tall, tan and well-built with a full head of thick, black hair. He lifted weights on his off period every day and it showed. We were too close to ever have feelings for each other, but I've often caught other girls staring at him. “Whatcha guys talking about?” I asked, curious about all the excitement.

  He looked at me grinning. “Did you hear the howl?” he asked, already knowing the answer.

  How could I not hear it? “Yes,” I replied, clearly not understanding why a howl was exciting. “It was probably just a coyote or a stray dog,” I stated casually.

  He looked at me as though I had grown a second head. “Um, have you ever heard coyotes howl? They are much higher pitched and not near as loud! Stray dogs don’t howl like that either. That was definitely a wolf! We haven’t had wolves around here since before we were born. The conservation efforts must be working!”

  I smiled at his enthusiasm. I still didn’t get the excitement. “Aren’t they dangerous? Maybe we should find somewhere else to run or run together from now on.”

  He shrugged, “Yeah maybe. I don’t know a lot about them, just that they are supposedly good for the ecosystem. It was thrown off balance when they weren’t around. The farmer’s don’t really like them, but there are ways to keep the livestock safe. We’ll probably be fine. I think they stay away from people for the most part. Just don’t go wandering the woods alone anymore,” he said, winking at me as he said that last part.

  I blushed and lightly punched his arm. “If you knew I was out there, you could’ve backed me up. Obviously, you weren’t worried. I could’ve been eaten by a wolf you know!” I teased, smiling slyly.

  He just laughed, “Well I didn’t know the wolves were back, and I saw an opportunity to finally beat you! A classic Tortoise and the Hair tactic served me well today. Don’t you think?”

  “Haha. Well, enjoy your victory, because next time--next time, you’re mine!” I glared at him with a smirk.

  “I was about to come find you after I heard the howl, but then I saw you bolting out of the woods smiling like a cat chasing a mouse,” he said, laughing.

  We always had a flirty banter, but we grew up so close, that we were almost like brother and sister. He was always fiercely protective of me and came to my defense on the rare occasions that someone tried to pick on me at school. I could definitely hold my own, but it was nice having him there too.

  The last runners had joined our group, and Coach cleared his throat to get our attention. Every head swung in his direction to see if he would address the howl we had heard. “Now I’m sure you all heard the noise earlier,” he began. “It sounded to me like a wolf, but I’ll talk with the conservationists here at the reserve and see what they think. If it was a wolf, we’ll probably have to change our running routine a bit to ensure everyone’s safety. Stay here as a group as I go in and talk with them for a bit.” With that, he turned on his heels and walked into the nature center.

  As soon as the door shut behind him, the chattering started again, this time with more fervor. It wasn’t exactly a confirmation, but the fact that he was thinking the same thing was enough to fuel the excitement.

  “How many wolves do you think are out there?” one of the other girls asked the group.

  I gave her a puzzled look and asked, “Didn’t he sound lonely to you?”

  Jeremy chimed in, “Well if there were others, they most likely would’ve joined in the howl too. They usually howl as a pack right?”

  We were all asking questions, but nobody had any answers. It was all just speculation. The more I thought about it, the more uneasy I began to feel.

  I sucked in a breath as a flood of realization swept over me. “Jeremy? How close do you think that wolf was to us? It sounded pretty close right?”

  He eyed me suspiciously. “Well, it did sound pretty close. It was awfully loud, and I could feel the vibrations of power in the air. I would guess it was in the woods about a mile from the trail we were on. I don’t have much experience with wolf howls, though,” he smiled.

  “So how long do you think it would take a wolf to travel a mile if it was running?” I pressed on, nervous to discover the answer.

  “About 2 minutes, give or take. They run about 35 miles per hour. Why?” he eyed me suspiciously now.

  “So it could’ve been close to the trail when we were running and took off shortly before howling? I only ask because I felt like I was being watched when I entered the woods. I started walking
off the path to see if I could find out why I felt that way. I heard a twig snap and when I investigated the area I found large dog prints. It’s probably a coincidence right?”

  I added the last part trying to nudge him into the same viewpoint as me. He looked me square in the eye for a moment, probably deciding if I was pulling his chain. I looked right back, hoping my nervousness didn’t show.