Chapter 5 : My Luna

Maximus

"Alpha, we're ready," one of my warrior said, and I nodded.

After we had breakfast, I saw the young wolves sitting in groups around the camp. More than half of them were training for the first time after their first shift. The youngest was only 16 years old, and I was relieved to see how their spirits were still high.

We had stayed up all night, running under the full moon, followed by hunting wild animals and practising martial arts until morning. After breakfast, the plan was to head back to pack land.

It's been days since I last went from home to camp. When I'm on training duty, I always make sure my people only bother me with packing business if it's urgent.

We packed everything before breakfast, and the vehicles arrived a few minutes later. 27 of us set off and arrived in the morning, unloading our stuff with my beta supervision. At the same time, I went to the office to check if anything was missing while I was away. But no, my people were quite capable, and I breathed a sigh of relief.

I was planning to go home, clean up and change before coming back here to do boring alpha duty when one of my soldiers walked in.

"Alpha," he said and bowed.

I replied with a mumble, and he lifted his face.

"We took a criminal into custody this morning. She's unconscious-"

"Her?" I cut in. It had been several years since we'd caught a female intruder.

"Yes-"

"I'll check it out myself," I replied, again cutting him off.

For some reason, my heart moved to do it right away, putting aside all the plans I had made to spend the first day after returning from camp. I went home just to shower and change before heading to the prison, replying with a nod of my head to every member I met who bowed.

I saw two of my warriors at the prison door, one of whom had told me about the female prisoners. They bowed, and I walked into the cold, stuffy room and up the steep, slippery stairs to the basement.

The closer I got, the more I smelled an odd aroma. From afar, the scent became more prominent, though I knew it was different from a pull. A few steps later, I saw a girl in a mess.

"Let her go!" I ordered as I sensed the presence of my guard soldiers not far behind me.

"But, Alpha. She could be dangerous," Andrew argued.

I didn't answer as I was busy watching the girl who was sitting semi-conscious on a shabby makeshift bed in a damp cell. Her appearance was pathetic. Her blonde hair was dishevelled like a lion's mane, and some parts of her clothes were torn. There were cuts and bruises on her skin. Had she really fallen off a cliff?

"Andrew might be right, Alpha. He might just be an intruder-"

A low growl escaped my throat, cutting Dean off.

"Dean's right, Alpha. He could have been-"

They were my loyal and capable men, but they were just annoying at times, especially when they disobeyed my orders. Andrew fell silent as I turned to face them.

"How dare you hold your future Luna captive!" I snapped, making them bow in resignation and turn to face them.

The shock was evident on both of their faces, leaving them stunned in place and looking at me in disbelief. They no longer argued, and after Dean nudged his shoulder, Andrew, who was holding the key in his pocket, immediately opened the rusted padlock and pushed the iron bars.

The girl looked confused, probably because she was suddenly recognized as a couple by a stranger. I feel a strange attraction towards this girl, even though this is not a mate pull. Even though she was not my mate, my heart felt the urge to stay by my side. Perhaps she was sent by the Moon Goddess as an answer to my prayers.

I quickly stepped inside and up close realized that this girl was quite beautiful, though too skinny for my liking. She looked much younger than her age, which was probably enough for her first shift. In this condition, I wasn't sure her body would be able to handle the shifting. When we locked eyes, I saw that her eyes were beautiful, her nose was sharp, and her chin was pointed. Her current condition could not mask her beauty.

I immediately lifted her thin body into my arms. She was so light; it made me wonder what she had been through all this time if her life was so hard. She just gave in and didn't say anything on the way until a few minutes after I carefully placed her body in my room.

"I'm sorry if my presence disturbed your peace, Alpha. I... really didn't mean to," she whispered. "I'd be very grateful if you'd let me go. I won't come back here, I promise."

She did not reply, and I still felt her gaze penetrating my head. I'm not used to being watched like this. It was like being an object being observed with a microscope, and this made me feel even more uncomfortable.

"I'm not a spy, let alone an intruder. I really don't have such skills and accidentally found myself in your territory by falling off a cliff. Please, let me go," I added.

I realized that he wouldn't harm my comrade; he was helpless. I ignored her question and touched her cheek with my knuckle. My touch was gentle enough, and she jerked back. Her reaction let me know that she was not used to being treated gently. She is a poor, beautiful girl who should be loved by everyone, but instead, she lowers her face.

I cupped her face and lifted it until our eyes met. I let her stare at my face before I said, "I will make you my Luna, and you will bear my children."

Instead of the rejection I received, her jaw dropped open in shock.

"B-but I don't know you, and we've never met before," she stammered.

"Is that a problem?" I asked, keeping my hand on her face to keep her from looking away. "Do you have a better plan?"

She paused for a moment to think, and I could see how clear her eyes were, and then she shook her head.

"What brings you here?" I asked.

"I was kicked out by my foster family," she moaned, seemingly hesitant to continue. I sensed a trust issue with me.

"...I wanted to go to the city, but after I left the residence, someone came after me," she continued. I could see that she was now uncomfortable meeting my gaze, but I just wanted to judge her honesty.

"I heard that she wanted to kill me, and I fell into a ravine. When I woke up, I was already in a detention cell," she added.

I removed my hand from her face. "Isn't it better for you to be here rather than being hunted?" I asked again. "Be my Luna, and I will protect you."

She looked down again and replied, "But I'm not your soul mate. I don't feel anything for you, and we've never met."

"I can guarantee a good life for you," I retorted.

For a second, her gaze returned to my eyes, searching for the truth, before looking down again.

"But I'm not your luna, and I don't know if I'm capable of being your luna," she whispered. I didn't know her, but I was sure she was a good candidate. I don't know what's making her insecure like this.

"Are you hesitating because of the creepy image of me or this pack that's out there?" I asked after realizing that this might be the reason.

She shook her head, then fell silent for a moment, considering my offer. A few seconds later, he swallowed and nodded his head.

"Okay. But... are you really going to protect me?" she asked.

I raised an eyebrow. A little surprised to be underestimated by a girl who didn't even know me.

"Honey, are you underestimating me?" I asked, trying to hold back my laughter.

She didn't react when an Omega knocked on the door. I had sent orders to him on the way here from the prison to prepare warm water for her. The Omega quickly did his job and came out once the bath was ready.

"You need to clean yourself up," I said.

I didn't ask her permission, so I lifted her up, carried her into the bathroom, and sat her on the cabinet. She didn't complain when I brushed her hair, and I tried to do it as gently as possible. After that, I returned to her.

"Do you want to take your own clothes off, or do I?" I asked without a teasing tone, but it was funny to see her blush. So cute.

"I-I can do it myself," she stammered. Her hands automatically flew to her chest, crossing it, covering it from me.

Seeing her like this made me even bolder. "Oh, come on. We'll do more later; you're my Luna."

She probably thinks I'm a pervert because now her eyes look like they want to pop out of their sockets. I could see her shudder when I placed my hands on her fragile shoulders.

Unfortunately, the Omega returned early and went into the bathroom. "It's ready, Alpha. You can leave us."