Luna took a deep breath and slowly released it. “How are we mates when we’re not mated?”
Hearing her reply, Alex couldn’t help but chuckle. That’s it? That’s why she’s saying they’re not mates? He was once again relieved.
“Where are you going? If you’re tired, we should head to the pack house.” He noticed that she seemed to have a direction. He frowned, seeing ahead the cottages reserved for guests.
“I’m going to rest. You should go back.” Pursing her lips, she was tempted to tell him to get some rest, too. But that would show she cared, so she held herself back.
“You’re going to rest here?” He was at a loss. He was looking forward to holding her in his arms tonight.
“Yes. As I should.”
“What do you mean? As you should?”
“I’m technically a guest, am I not?” She wouldn’t even look at him
“I know you must be angry. You can yell at me. You can hit me. I only hope that you will find it in your heart to forgive me, for every mistake and every wrong that I’ve done. I will make it up to you.”Luna wiped the tears on her face and looked away. She’s here for a reason. She should focus on that. She craved to belong, but that’s no longer her focus.She stood and he awkwardly assisted her. “You should go. I want to be alone with my wolves.”“Do you want me to take you to them?” He’s not keen on leaving her just yet.Luna stared at him and noted how tired he looked. She wondered if he hasn’t slept. Was he outside her cottage the whole night? Pursing her lips, she told him, “I would like to walk on my own. I want to be alone. Please, go.”Alex considered her request and nodded. He has to give her some time to process it all. As much as he didn’t want to leave he
“If you don’t want to interact with them, I’ll have someone bring your meals here.”She still protested, “No. Don’t do that. You’ll just draw attention to me. I don’t want to bother anyone. I’m fine out here with my wolves.”“Fine. If you don’t want me to bother someone else, I’ll do it myself. I’ll bring you meals . . .”Still, she shook her head, “No. I also don’t want to bother you. We’ll manage on our own.”It was then that he finally understood. She’s distancing herself from the rest of them. She considered herself as an outsider. Not a part of the pack. She’s relying on herself, not on him. The realization made him feel suffocated. He wouldn’t have imagined that this was the extent of the damage he had done.“Luna, I don’t mind if you bother me. You can bother me anytime. I’ll get you anything y
She woke up before he did. And as the sun began to set, she began to worry. He has changed his position, but he remained sleeping on the chair. She waited but when their surroundings turned dark, she felt she should wake him already.“Alex . . .” She tapped his face a few times, increasing the pressure every three taps. She’s close to actually slapping him.He groaned as the tapping became insistent. Her scent told him who it was, though. Slowly, he opened his eyes and was glad to see her up close. He couldn’t help the smile appearing on his face.“You’re here.”His statement gave her an odd feeling. She set it aside for the time being.“It’s dark already. You should go home if you need to sleep more.”He looked around in confusion. Shit. They’re still outside? And it’s already evening?“Dinner. Did we miss it?” He would have woken up if any of his par
“Told us what?” Sab was the first to prompt him.There was a moment of silence before their father spoke, “Is this related to what Jared said before?”Tyler helplessly looked at Luna and shook his head. He’s not ready yet.“Jared already informed you?” Luna addressed this to the alpha.“He did. He said he’ll name his pack as Shadow Pack.”Luna took a moment to consider, “That might be a fitting name.”“Why and how is he getting his own pack?” Alex tried not to sound apprehensive. Jared would be a loss to Snow Mountain if he got his own pack.Luna stared at him for a while and when he thought she might not answer, she did.“One of the original twelve packs is now gone. Silver Crescent. Shadow Pack would be its replacement.” She actually explained and they were all astonished.“But Silver Crescent has been gone for years.
“Tell me you won’t disappear a second time.” He wanted assurance that she won’t be leaving again. His tone sounded like he’s pleading and it made her heart ache a little.“I’ll be here when you wake up. I don’t think there will be a second time . . . unless you give me a reason to.”He was relieved, but the last phrase clearly told him it was his fault she disappeared the first time. Well, he’s not going to deny that, but to get a confirmation made him feel like a real jerk.“I’m sorry. I wouldn’t do that again. I promise. I want you with me. I’ll give you reasons to stay.” His eyes pleaded with her and she felt bad because of it.“Hmm. Go and get some rest. I’ll see you tomorrow.”He felt better, then, though he’s not entirely appeased.“Go. I won’t be able to sleep until I see you’re in that cottage.”
She did her routines in front of him and he approved them.“That’s great. You were just conscious of him earlier, weren’t you?” He’d seen through her clearly.She slightly glared at him, making him laugh.As for Alex, he was aware of his actions. As he walked towards his office, he noticed how differently he’s acting around her now compared to before. He wouldn’t have cared if she got hurt, he would say it’s part of training. Everyone got hurt often while practicing.He would have also made up any excuse to leave the training grounds early so he could focus on his other tasks. He thought it was enough to spend the bare minimum amount of time with her. In simple terms, he was just doing what was expected of him. He wasn’t averse to it, but he wasn’t exactly enthusiastic regarding their relationship. He didn’t dislike her. In fact, he liked her, but not . . . he's just not emotionally connected to her.That was then. His perspective did change. She’s someone very important to him now. I
Luna truly thought he was just doing it to earn her forgiveness and agreement, but damn was he quite consistent. The walls she put up are quite easy to break.He would steal hugs and kisses every now and then, making her melt further. Tyler’s observation was spot-on. He’s definitely more attentive of her now, spending more time with her and doing things he’d never done before. He would randomly surprise her almost every day.For weeks, he trained with her and she did improve a lot. Still, her skills were not at par with someone who trained for a few years.“What do you mean?” She was at a loss when he told her she should join the monthly evaluations to be held in a few days.“It will be good to have more experience with it. You’ll get used to facing different opponents. It will allow you to sharpen your analytical skills.”Luna pursed her lips. It’s not the first time, but her previous performances were dismal.“I don’t want to embarrass you.” She muttered while looking elsewhere.His
“Do you not want to continue training? Is there anything else you’re interested in doing?” He spoke slowly and his tone was low.Luna glanced at him, “I mean, it wouldn’t be much but I could at least protect myself, right? And if I train harder, I might also be able to protect others?”Huh. Why did she even . . .?“Even though I don’t think I’m meant to be a fighter, it’s still a good idea for me to train.” She amended her confusing statements.“It’s just that . . . people have expectations and I would feel bad not meeting them.”“You don’t need to care about what they think. Don’t let them affect your progress. You’re really doing well for a beginner.” He reached out, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. He gently tapped her arm, hoping she would feel comforted.She averted her gaze and tried watching the current match. He bega