04 Goodbye

He opened the doors, and I could see Richard and Josh, both being angry and curious at the same time.

“What was that?” Josh murmured to me as they passed, but I didn’t answer.

“May I ask?” Richard asked in a tone that made my blood freeze. He was really angry now.

“You should thank Moira, because she just gave our treaty a new perspective,” Alpha Duncan said ever so calmly.

“And that is?” Richard growled at him.

“I will let you have your way with the lands and we will sign the peace between our packs,” he said in an off-handed manner as he sat down.

“Why?”

“Because she is coming with me,” he said, his voice deepening as he looked at me. We never quite discussed it, but I did promise him I would be his, so it only made sense. For a moment, my heart was heavy at the thought of leaving, but I pushed the feeling away.

“No fucking way!” Richard roared, and as I turned to look at him, I could see that he was at his limits. “Just who do you think you are to request one of my pack members? How dare you…”

“Her mate,” Alpha Duncan cut in, and I saw Richard freeze.

“What?” he muttered.

“You asked who I think I am. This is who I am. Her mate,” he answered calmly. “She is mine, and she is coming with me.”

“Is it true, Moira?” Josh asked, because Richard was dumbfounded.

“Yes,” I breathed, and Richard turned to me. I could see horror in his eyes, then he simply grabbed my arm and dragged me out of the room. I could hear Duncan growl and ready to attack, but I looked him in the eye and signaled him to stop.

Richard dragged me to his office and slammed the door behind us so strongly that it almost fell from its frame. He pulled me close to him, holding my face in his palms.

“Baby, tell me it is not true,” he said, his gentleness actually surprising me. “This jerk can’t be your mate! You can’t leave!”

“It’s true. He is.” I caressed his hand on my face.

“Baby,” he breathed, and pulled me into a hug. I hugged him back and swallowed the sour taste in my mouth.

“It was a surprise for me too, and you know I would never want to leave, but we both know that I have to go with him. It would only make me miserable if I didn’t,” I said, gently patting his back.

“Fuck,” he groaned and let me go.

“Yeah, I know. But look at the bright side.” I smiled at him, but he just frowned. “I will be there on the other side and I can help make this treaty work.”

“But I lose you.”

“You have Jenny now. She is your mate, and she is all you need. I just kept her place warm till you found her,” I said with a sad smile, holding his hand.

“You know it is not true. I really loved you. I still love you. Not being my mate doesn’t mean you are not precious to me,” he caressed my face softly.

“I know. And you will always be dear to me. But I have to go.”

“If anything goes wrong, come home. You will always be welcome in my pack.”

“Thank you,” I murmured as tears clouded my eyes.

“If he ever hurts you…”

“I don’t think he would. Come on, I may be happy with him,” I gently punched his arm.

“I hope so. I really hope so, baby,” he whispered, gently kissing my forehead.

We went back, and the rest of the evening went smoothly. They both agreed on the conditions and sealed the treaty with their blood. I watched as my two most precious men shook hands. One was my life so far, and the other would be my life from now on.

I had half an hour to pack my things, so I put my bag on my bed, threw most of my clothes in it, quickly emptied my bathroom, and put my favorite book on top of it. I would ask Duncan to let me get the rest of my stuff later. It was not much, but it was mine. I stood at the door, looking back at my room, which was mine for the last ten years or so. It hurt to leave everything, but it was time to move on. I took a deep breath and closed the door behind me.

“Are you really leaving?” Jenny asked, as I turned around.

“Yes” I nodded. I couldn’t see my Luna right now, just a frightened little girl. “My mate came for me,” I smiled. We had a little odd relationship, as I was like an older sister to her, and I grew quite fond of her too, but the shadow of my relationship with Richard always hung between us.

She came to me and hugged me so strongly it surprised me. “Thank you for everything. I will be good to Richard, I promise,” she whispered.

“Just be happy, okay? You guys can make it.” I hugged her back.

“You too. Be happy,” she pulled away.

I nodded and went to the entrance, where a lot of pack members were waiting for me. Everyone knew I was leaving, and it was touching to see so many wanted to say goodbye. Some of them hugged me, and all wished me the best. I didn’t even notice when my tears started falling, but I could hardly see when I got to Josh and Richard. I hugged them both, then took a big breath and looked at all the faces for one last time, before looking into Richard’s eyes.

“Alpha, I found my mate, and I am willing to leave the pack.”

“Moira Conners, I sever your bonds with the Blue Moon pack. You are free to leave,” he said, and I immediately felt the pain in my chest. It was said that it is like losing a limb to lose your pack. I didn’t know much about losing limbs, but the pain in my chest was almost unbearable.

I clenched my teeth and went to the Range Rover with my head held high. Caleb took my bag, and Duncan opened the door for me.

Our gazes met, and the pain numbed a little. I couldn’t help but wonder, what was he thinking right now? What would he think of me after watching all of this? He closed the door and went around to sit next to me.

I looked up at the big mansion that was my home since I could remember, as Noah started the car. I looked at the people at the entrance, my family, and a pair of hot new tears fell down my face as we drove away.

When even the lights of the house faded in the distance, Duncan reached out and held my hand. He had big, strong hands that were so warm against my ice-cold fingers. I clenched my fingers between his and turned to look him in the eye. He was still unreadable. His face was calm, but looking from up-close I could see so many emotions in his blue eyes that it was impossible to tell them apart.

“Thank you,” he said as he caressed my cheek with his free hand. I didn’t answer, just laid my head on his shoulder and stared out the window.

As soon as we reached the border, I saw something from the corner of my eye. I leaned closer to the window and saw wolves running in the forest. One big black one caught up to the car, and I immediately knew they were Duncan’s men.

“You weren’t really leaning on good faith alone tonight, were you?” I asked when the wolves disappeared.

“Why should I? It was just enough good faith that I left them at the borders,” he answered, playing with my fingers. “Noah told me it was stupid and careless, but the sour look on your Alpha’s face made it all worth it.”

“You like to annoy people, don’t you?” I asked, and I could feel Noah watching me in the mirror. Did I go too far? Was he afraid? Was he agreeing with me in secret? I looked forward to his reaction, but it actually surprised me. He laughed.

“I just like to show them who they are trying to fuck with.” Duncan smiled at me, and my heart skipped a beat at his look. “It was just a necessary precaution. I don’t really need my men to protect me. I never did,” he said, and the darkness of his eyes made me think I should probably stop here.

I looked out of the window again, this time only seeing the shadows of the forest as we turned on a mountain serpentine.

“Come here,” he called, and his voice was surprisingly warm. I let him pull me closer, and I laid my head on his shoulder again.

It was a long ride, and I just laid there and listened to his heartbeats. There was no burning need now; just his closeness made me content. I could feel my wolf curl up, enjoying our mate’s closeness. He didn’t speak either, just hugged me and caressed my arm again and again.