47. She is everything, I am not.

**Eve**

"Of course, it's me. Who did you expect to see here? The Pope? Silly human, you should stop zoning around and put more awareness in your surroundings. Now, let me ask you again- what on Earth are you doing here?" The woman didn't look as intimidating as she usually did on a daily basis. Now, she looked as if she had cried for hours and had no more strength left in her.

"None of your business!" Eve snarled, turning away from her, letting out a deep breath. She wanted to leave, but she was unsure where she would go. Eve understood how dangerous a situation she had gotten herself in. Luna kept staring at her intensively, trying to notice any emotions given out by the human. To her displeasure, Eve didn't bother to show off her true feelings, nor did she want to. For a moment, both women stood side by side in complete silence. Eve knew that staying around Luna would get her deeper into trouble, so she decided to walk away. After just a few steps, Luna grabbed onto her elbow and yanked her back.

"Where do you think you are going?" Luna snarled, angered.

"Away from you?" In Eve's mind, the words sounded like a rough statement but came out sounding like a question. Mentally, she scolded herself for seeming weak; this was not the occasion for her to show off fear.

"Okay, listen... I know I've made a lot of mistakes; I know what I did was wrong, but I won't put you under any danger now. I promise." Eve couldn't believe what she heard. The whole situation was messed up enough already, and Luna was making it worse. Not only had the words shocked her, but the look on the woman's face was also dreadful. Red, teary eyes, messed up makeup, not to mention her hair was tangled in a messy bun, clothing half-ripped, and a few bruises were easily noticeable on her body and face.

"What happened to you?" Eve asked, letting her eyes roam over Luna's figure again.

"Why the sudden change of heart? I don't know; sometimes, people understand that they made a mistake and try to take responsibility for their actions. I'm not sure," Luna shrugged, still holding Eve in a tight grip.

"No, I meant it literally- what happened to you?" Eve repeated herself, gesturing to the woman's bruised body. Luna let go of Eve and sat down, tapping the spot next to her, implying that the human should join her. Eve didn't think twice, she sat next to her and looked away, in the distance. The silence between them stretched on, yet oddly, it wasn't the uncomfortable type of quiet.

"I guess I had to learn this the hard way. Having a mate isn't all fairy tales and bliss. It's hard work and sometimes- a punishment. Not sure how much you know about mates, but sometimes life becomes difficult with one. The majority of humans think that we don't argue and don't fight. That's a very wrong assumption. We do—a lot. And a lot more aggressively than any other creature. What happened to me is just an example of how bad it can get. This isn't that tough, my mate went easy on me tonight, I've been worse," the Luna reached in her purse, taking out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter. She took one cigarette out and lit it gracefully, reminding Eve of a high-class woman from retro movies. Then, she took another cigarette out of the pack and offered it to Eve. It's not that she hadn't tried smoking before, she had- hating every second of it.

"No, thank you, I don't smoke," Eve politely declined Luna's offer.

"So, what brought you out there? I know you don't trust me, and you have no reason to put any trust in me. For this, one time, I'm trying to be more human than I've ever been, to understand you. Also, don't be angry at me for pulling you back. I'm egoistical here- I need company, and you need a little reassurance that you're safe." She smiled as she spoke. The cigarette didn't touch her lips anymore, looking more like an unnecessary accessory in her hand.

"Not to disrespect, but I don't think that there's a universe out there where I would feel safe around you. I do have a certain amount of respect for you since you're our leader, yet the little stunt trying to kill me didn't make me feel safe. Just saying," Eve looked up, admiring the last few stars she would see tonight. With each passing minute, she grew more distressed- not because of Luna. The reason for her rising panic was none other than her destined mate- Eros. It might have been a couple of hours already since she left their home, but he hasn't appeared. Was she so unfortunate to end up with a man who wanted her for nothing but sexual pleasure?

"My mistake- admitted that already. I don't want my son to go through everything I had to see and do. I was mated to a human once and let me tell you something- witnessing the death of your mate, and letting him go, is the worst experience possible. You're a human, unfortunately weaker than my son, meaning that he will live after you die- sooner or later, it doesn't matter." They both stared at the stars, each woman trying to win over an imaginary battle with themselves.

"And why are you here? It's late and as far as I'm concerned- the only reason for you to be here might be one of two, taking in the circumstances. So, Is it because you're on patrol, or is it because of your abusing mate?" Eve didn't want to think anymore; she wanted to find answers and run away.

"I don't do patrols, for that we have warriors and trackers. As a Luna, I spend most of my days indoors, dealing with huge piles of documents. Tonight, I needed some me time, but I'm delighted to see you around here. It gets lonely walking around empty streets. The reason why I'm here is my mate. This time he went overboard, crazy- after hearing just a few words coming from my mouth," Luna took a look at the cigarette in her hand and threw it away, reaching for the next one- this time, actually smoking it.
Eve couldn't find any courage within herself to face Luna anymore. The whole situation felt way too suspicious for her to trust anything coming from the woman's mouth.

"Evangeline, I know it's hard to believe in me, especially now. I'm tired of pointing out your human nature, using it as an excuse for everything you don't understand. Sometimes, we all are fighting our demons, yet it happens, that the people you trust the most... They take the side of your demons and pull them to freedom- right at the moment when you think that you've almost defeated those. You keep their secrets and blindly hope that they will do the same. Life is not a fairy-tale, and people do betray you. It happens to everyone.”
Luna sucked on her cigarette and blew out the smoke.
“Aside from me being a werewolf and you a human, we both are women. And women must stand together against all wrongdoings. Men will use and manipulate us because they can, sometimes without reason or particular intention. I am not talking as your mate's mother now, I am not being Luna or leader, nor friend or enemy- I am just a woman, having a heart-to-heart conversation with another woman." She spoke with such confidence; it was hard to find anything suspicious in her words. Did she acknowledge the mistakes she had made and tried to redeem herself?
Eve couldn't believe that the woman who sat next to her was broken in so many ways. Usually, she stood proud, head held high, not a hit of self-doubt in her stance. Now, she gave out her insecurities and weaknesses without second-guessing the decision.

"Why are you telling me all this? Honestly, I don't think that you should be worried about your son anymore, since I was just a game for him to play," tears filled Eve's eyes, she didn't understand why. Wasn't Eve the one who wanted to get rid of Eros? Wasn't she the one who always kept defying him and any affection he showed her? She should be happy for the opportunity to break free, yet instead, she was feeling as miserable as never.

"What do you mean?"

"All this time, Eros had another woman he planned to claim. She's a werewolf, just like him and you. She's beautiful, smart, and her body looks like it's built by God. She is everything I am not," a pang of pain hitting right into Eve's heart. The words, she had thought about so much, hurt her more when spoken out loud. The thoughts never hurt as much as acknowledging the truth in those ideas.

"Nonsense, that can't be true. I know I'm a bitch, but even I know that what's inside is what matters, not the looks. I'm sure; whoever she is, she can't be better than you are. Don't you ever put yourself down, just because a woman appears to be more beautiful! Evangeline, you are beautiful. I would say too beautiful to be human. A true beauty's description," Luna tried to calm Eve down, doubting that she would ever succeed, yet taking the risk was better than staying quiet.

"Why are you so nice now? You hate me, and I'm supposed to hate you, this makes no sense," Eve grabbed the sides of her face, nearly trying to rip herself in half. Nothing made sense anymore.

"Not sure, but now I'm stating the facts- that's all. She's not better than you, and I'm sure Eros knows that." Luna placed her hand on Eve's shoulder and squeezed it gently.

"Yeah? Why am I here, out alone for hours, and he still hasn't tried to find me? It was never a problem for him to appear out of nowhere, yet now it's nothing. And don't try to tell me that he needs more time, because then- the only time he needs is spent in bedsheets with his lover," just imagining the scenario made Eve feel sick. Would he do something like that to her? Would he betray the little trust Eve put in him?

"Both of us need some time away from this. From our mates, men in general, and women. It's uncommon for werewolf males to cheat, but my mate has been doing that for years now. I know a place, a hidden one, if you want to join me. I was heading there before noticing you. I'm not asking for forgiveness or trust; now I'm offering you shelter from pain, if you're willing to join me," Luna placed the pack of cigarettes and lighter back into her purse.

"I'm not sure; it's that I want and don't want to follow you again. What if you lead me back to those creatures, and this is just another trick to get rid of me?"

"Good thinking, but unfortunately you won't find that out until we get there, it's up to you now. Come with me, if you want to, stay, if you're too afraid to take this risk. I'll understand, no matter which choice you make," she got up on her feet, brushed the dust off from her clothing, and extended her hand to Eve.

"Let's go," Eve jumped to her feet and placed her hand in Luna's. No matter where they were going and what she has to face- this was a risk; Eve is more than glad to take. To get away from everything- to get away from Eros.