Luciana’s POVLuciana always knew that she had a choice. One that involved running away. The first few months in the Blackmoon pack had been a tense one. She would always have anxiety attacks and wondered how long it would be before Reed showed up there to take her.She had always had the option to run away, if or when he showed up, but that option was thrown off the window the moment the moon goddess had decided to give her a second chance mate. Running away wasn't an option anymore, a truth she had come to accept.Luciana let out a sigh, her fingers combing through her hair in a gesture of frustration. Uncertainty gripped her. How much did Wilson know? She needed to be cautious. Lying to the man who was like a father to her mate was not going to do her any good. It wasn't a smart move."I didn't want Alister to see it," she explained carefully."Why?" Wilson's question was sharp, demanding a direct response.She blinked rapidly, fighting back the moisture that threatened to pool
Alister's POVAlister tossed and turned throughout the night, sleep eluded him. So, when his phone made a soft beep, bearing a message from Elijah asking to see him, Alister was already in the process of climbing out of his bed. He cast a fleeting glance at Luciana, who lay in peaceful slumber. It was a good thing that she could at least sleep well that night, because whatever was bothering her had to be huge.As he tiptoed out of the room, Alister's mind wandered back to the previous day. The moment he had entered the kitchen and witnessed the glass slipping from Luciana's grasp, a surge of fear had gripped him.He had feared that her distress might have spiraled into a darker place, where self-harm seemed like a desperate escape. With a sigh, Alister descended the stairs. It wasn’t too early to leave the house, but whatever Elijah wanted to discuss with him had to be very important if the dude was waking him up this early.Alister gently unlocked the door, his movements deliberate
Luciana's POV“ That’s wrong Omar… you missed one step” Luciana said, looking at the pitiful face of Omar as he tried to make sense of what he was doing wrong.Currently, Luciana was teaching the boys at home, something she hadn't done in a while. Earlier that morning, she had woken up to find Alister's side of the bed cold, meaning he had left while she was still asleep. Most likely, he was busy organizing things for the upcoming visit of another Alpha from a different pack. Luciana realized she hadn't even asked about which Alpha was visiting; she had been so focused on resting after the exhausting day she had the previous day. Alister had mentioned the visit, but her tired mind hadn't bothered to process the information or ask any further."I'm pretty sure I'm doing it right," Omar's soft voice interrupted her thoughts.Luciana rolled her eyes playfully Omar. Really, it was becoming difficult to teach Omar, especially when the boy literally knew things that were way advanced for
Alister’s POVAlister was aware of the time Luciana slipped out of the line of the welcoming party, but he didn’t bother to go after her, mainly because Alpha Reed was already walking towards him and it would be way disrespectful for him to suddenly leave.He didn’t know why she had left suddenly, even without notifying him. It only helped fuel how pissed off he was at her actions.Because she had hidden the invitation letter, they now had to entertain Alpha Reed, and she wasn’t even there.He noticed the look that Elijah have him but shook his head, turning to Ophelia, who also had a shocked expression on her face. He wasn't the only one who was worried.Ophelia must have understood the look he had sent her because she nodded and discreetly sneaked out of the group.Alister released a sigh as he turned back to his guests from the Blue Moon Pack. Why were they so many? he thought. He counted quickly in his head, and there were about fifteen Werewolves from the Blue Moon pack.Damn! H
Luciana’s POVThis cannot be happening.But it was happening. And as much as Luciana didn’t want to see Alpha Reed or have him near her pack and family, he was already there. Her worse nightmare was becoming a reality.She knew that Alister was going to be disappointed in her for leaving the welcome party line; hell, he was already disappointed in her if the cold shoulders he was giving her were anything to go by.She hated the fact that her secret was tearing a hole and creating a wedge between her and her mate. She hated the fact that she had to run whenever she heard the name Alpha Reed.Why should she be the one running? Why wasn’t he the one running? He had rejected her and almost killed her. He should be the one running, but here she was, running away from him again.It felt surreal that Alpha Reed, the same alpha who had rejected her after using her, was now with her second-chance mate in the pack, discussing whatever he was there for.A thought occurred to her, and she
Elijah’s POVElijah had heard everything that Alpha Reed had told Alister. After all, he had been standing right there, even though both Alpha's didn't notice his presence.Ordering around a group of Werewolves who had a different Beta was not an easy task. After he had stopped Alpha Reed’s entourage from following their alpha, he had sent them all to the waiting lobby and told someone to serve them refreshments.They had not obeyed him easily. Some had tried to follow after their Alpha, while the others kept asking him questions about the pack that they had no business knowing.Either the pack members of the Blue Moon Pack were nosy or they were inquisitive by nature. Elijah suspected the former, judging by the way they had acted when they arrived.By the time he was done controlling the stubborn bunch, he had left them their in the waiting lobby with Matt and had made his way to Alister’s office. On his way, Megan blocked him."Is anything wrong with the Luna? I saw her running int
Alister’s POV"You are not supposed to be here..." Luciana mumbled in a shaky voice as Alister entered the room and closed the door.Alister paused by the door to stare at his mate. She looked more fragile than she had been the night he first rescued her.He sniffed the air; it was damp and heavy, meaning she had been crying. Maybe she was sorry for what she had done."I’m where I’m supposed to be..." Alister retorted a bit harshly, moving further into the room.Lucia took a step back, only stopping because she could not move back any further because of the bed there. He sighed, tucking his hands inside his pockets.Surely Luciana was not scared of him, so wherever the thought was coming from, she had to be insecure.Luciana sighed, dragging her hand through her hair. "I’m sorry... I shouldn’t have left the welcoming party line: " she apologized.That was not what he was expecting to hear first, but they could start from there and work their way through this tension between them. She
Alister’s POVAlister was currently perched on the edge of his table, while Wilson was occupying one of the couches in his office. They were waiting for Elijah to show up, and it was a bit shocking that his beta had not shown up at the office, considering how punctual the guy was."I can’t believe I came in before him," he muttered, causing Wilson to scoff.After the talk he had with Luciana the previous day, they both took the boys home and stayed at home together. It had been a while since they had family time together that didn’t involve the pack.He felt refreshed and renewed and was ready to take the day, only to come into the office that morning and find out that Elijah had yet to arrive."It’s unlike him... Should I give him a call again?" Alister asked Wilson.Wilson shook his head and said, "Elijah told us he’s on his way. No need calling him; we’ll wait." He said that, looking down at his tablet. He was probably working.Alister didn’t know how long Wilson was going to sta