She’s human

It was already sundown when I came back home. I strolled into the pack house, dirty and tired. Rage was still on high alert for his mate. At this point, all I wanted was to sleep.

“Son, how are you? Are you alright? You scared us,” Mom said, her voice laced with concern.

“I’m alright, Mom. I’ll be in my room,” I replied quickly, not stopping to explain.

As I walked away, I heard her whisper to Dad. “Something is wrong with my son, Ken. I can feel it. He’s not himself. He looks like he’s in pain.”

“Calm down, Grace,” Dad said, trying to soothe her. “Why don’t you go talk to him? He might open up to you—you’re his mother, after all.”

“You’re right,” she agreed. “I’ll go to his room now.”

Mom walked into my room without hesitation, relieved to find the door unlocked.

The room was dark, the only light coming from the moon filtering through the curtains.

“Liam? Liam, son, where are you? I just want to talk,” she called softly.

“Go away, Mom. I don’t want to talk to anyone,” I muttered from my spot in the corner of the room.

“Liam, I’m just worried about you. You don’t look well.”

“I’m fine, Mom. Please, just leave,” I said, my voice cracking slightly.

She moved closer, her concern unwavering. “Son, I can’t leave you like this. What’s the matter? Please, I can help.”

“You can’t help, Mom. So please, leave me alone,” I said firmly.

“I’m not going anywhere,” she insisted, sitting on the edge of my bed. “Maybe I’ll be able to help if you tell me what’s going on.”

“How? How can you help, Mom? Only the Moon Goddess can help, and I guess she’s ruined everything,” I said bitterly.

“Son, don’t say that. The Moon Goddess loves her children. She wouldn’t ruin you,” she said, her tone gentle.

“MATE!” Rage growled, taking over for a moment.

“You found your mate? Oh my goodness, that’s great news! Who is she? Where is she? And why didn’t you bring her home with you? Is she part of the pack, or from another?” Mom asked excitedly, firing questions all at once.

“Mom, she loves someone else! I’m too late,” I admitted, my voice heavy with anguish.

“What do you mean, Liam? She can’t love someone else—you’re her mate. Which pack is she from? Has she been marked by another? Answer me, Liam.”

“Mom, she’s not from any pack.”

“She’s rogue? Or what?”

“No, she’s human, Mom. She’s human,” I confessed.

“It doesn’t matter, Liam. Humans have been great Lunas over the years. There are many stories about it. It’s okay, son—we’ll find a way to convince her. She’ll be drawn to you. I know you’re scared she might reject you because of who you are, but you never know. She might accept you just as you are,” Mom said reassuringly.

I shrugged at her words. “I wish it were that easy, Mom. I wish.”

“Just who is this girl, Liam?” she asked, her voice softer now.

I turned to look her in the eye. “It’s Macy, Mom. Macy’s my mate. Derick’s girlfriend is my mate.”

Silence filled the room. I turned to see Mom’s wide-eyed expression of shock.

“What?! Are you being serious right now?” she asked, her voice trembling.

“Why would I joke about something like this, Mom?”

“When did you find out?”

“At the party. The moment I arrived, Rage smelled her. It broke me to see her with Derick. The bond called out to her—it was hard having her close and not being able to touch her, to claim her,” I admitted, my voice raw with emotion.

“Oh, my son, I’m so sorry you had to go through that alone,” Mom said, her voice cracking.

“The Moon Goddess decided to play tricks on me, Mom. It could have been anyone else—it should have been someone else, not her. I don’t want to hurt Derick, but I can’t give up on her, Mom. I just can’t.”

Kendrick’s POV

“I can’t believe the Goddess has chosen to hurt my boys this way,” I said, pacing the room.

“Liam is the Alpha of this pack, and an Alpha needs his fated Luna more than anyone. It’s crucial for the pack’s strength and future pups. Grace, you and I both know that Derick is head over heels in love with Macy. He’s not concerned about the bond, and since he’s not the Alpha, he isn’t obliged to be with his fated mate, even though he has Alpha blood.”

“Liam doesn’t look good, Ken. Seeing his mate with someone else has taken a toll on him, and Rage isn’t doing well either. What do we do? I can’t just sit here and watch him suffer like this,” Grace said, her voice filled with worry.

“If we do anything rash, we risk hurting our other son, Grace. We need to think carefully before making any decisions,” I cautioned.

“But we have a bigger problem, Ken. Macy doesn’t even know about us. She doesn’t know what we are or that she’s mated to an Alpha. Derick has been keeping it a secret from her,” Grace said.

Before I could respond, the front door opened, and Derick walked in.

“What’s going on, Dad? What’s with the tension in the room?” he asked, his gaze shifting between us.

“Nothing,” Grace and I said in unison.

“Are you sure? You both look tense,” he pressed.

We nodded, but I knew he wasn’t convinced.

“Dad, I hope nothing’s happened to Liam. Is he back from his run?”

“Your brother’s fine, Derick, and yes, he’s back,” I assured him.

“Then why are you acting strange? Are you sure you’re fine?” he asked again, his brows furrowing.

“Yes, we’re fine,” Grace said quickly. “Did you drop Macy off safely?”

“Yes, Mom, I did. I helped her with some work, and we grabbed lunch before I came home. That’s why I’m late,” he explained.

“That’s great, son,” Grace said, her voice forced.

“I’ll just go check on Liam, see how he’s doing,” Derick said, starting toward the stairs.

“NO! Don’t go,” Grace and I shouted in unison, making Derick stop and look at us in shock and confusion.

“Why?”