I sit down on my chair inside my office and look at the little sticky note stuck next to the phone. Time for business, I guess... I pick it up and dial the number. It rings three times before someone picks it up.
"Alpha Damon," a gruff voice says down the phone. He sounds very young, maybe 18 or 19. A reasonable age to take over a pack in the werewolf world, so I'm guessing I'm correct.
I relax back into my chair and answer back. "Alpha Axel here. It has come to my attention that you rung my beta not too long ago and wanted to speak to me." I'm in a full alpha mode and put on a business like tone.
I hear the shuffling of papers before alpha Damon speaks again. "Um, yeah. Our pack is in a bit of strife and it would be highly appreciated if you could support us in some way."
I rub my chin and sigh. "What kind of strife? Financial?" I question.
There's a moment of pause before he speaks up. "I guess you could say my pack is falling apart. One of our former... pack members left us a little while ago and she seemed to be the base of the pack. She kept us together and made sure we were fed, had clean clothes, etc. I guess you could say she was like a maid."
"Or a Luna," I state. He's quiet on the other end and I take that he won't comment. "Let me ask you a question. Is your pack starving? Is your pack house looking like a mess? Are close relationships now falling apart because of this one person?" I ask, building up to support my theory of their Luna running away.
Again, silence. A few minutes of silence actually.
"Yes," he mumbles down the phone in defeat. I smirk at his answer. Wow, I didn't know one wolf could do that to a pack.
"All I'm asking for is a little help to get us back on our feet. Maybe a tip or two for keeping a close-knit and organized pack," he continues to say.
I think about it for a bit. To me, this just sounds like a pup who has lost his way and doesn't know where to start. In other words, a weak alpha.
"I will think about your offer and get back to you soon. Until next time, alpha Damon." I don't wait for his reply as I hang up on him.
I lean my elbows on my desk and run my hands through my hair. 'Fred, my office, now.' I mind link to my third in command. Not even five minutes later, Fred is walking through the door.
"You wanted to see me, alpha?" he asks and I nod, indicating for him to take a seat. Everyone knows to address me as alpha in my office, except Callum of course. I think he just likes to get on my nerves... "A pack of few territories over has asked me for help to get their pack up and running again. Seeing that Callum is busy at the moment, I only have you to console with. Input?" I question. I may have sounded rude, but Fred knows that I'll go to Callum first before anyone, and he has accepted that.
"What type of help, financial?"
I shake my head at his question and he looks at me confused.
"The alpha is young and weak, by the sound of things. He lost a former pack member and the whole pack is separating and apparently the place looks like a mess. In all honesty, I just think they need a kind of motherly figure. A Luna. I don't think they need me at all," I comment and Fred nods.
"What about the Luna, alpha? I don't know her at all and hardly know her nature, but I think any Luna would be a good motherly figure to any pack. That's my opinion," he tells me with a small smile, probably thinking about his Luna. Of course, in a nonsexual way. I will personally take care of anyone who thinks about Celina that way, into shreds.
Celina does seem caring, kind and gentle. She's also strong-minded though and can put up a fight. I think she'll be perfect for the job, but first, I need to get her to accept me and for her to meet the pack.
"I agree, but she's not ready. In due time she will be, but until then, the pack will just have to wait out."
Fred nods at my decision and exits soon after.
For the rest of the day, I busy myself with alpha work, but all my mind can focus on is Celina. I feel guilty for leaving her cooped up in her room all day, with nothing but the entertainment of Callum and Comrade. I can't even imagine that...
The day goes by slowly. I deal with pack issues, phone calls and make sure we're stocked up on food. By the time everything's done, it's about 7:30pm and I can't wait to get back to my mate.
I step out of my office and shut the door. I turn around, about to make my way to my room. What meets my eyes, though, is certainly something I don't expect to see. About five of the pack children are standing there looking guilty and looking at the floor. One of them is holding a big blue card with ribbon and glitters all over it.
"Alpha..." the one holding the card trails off. His name's Henry and he's one of the minor pack member's children. Not that it matters, everyone is an equal in my pack, whether they like it or not.
"What is it, Henry?" I ask gently as I crouch down to their level. You can't be too tough on the pack children, then they'll fear you. You want them to trust you.
"This is for the Luna. We thought that if our mummies and daddies didn't apologize for what they said, we would," he tells me while handing the card. I smile slightly. Well, what do ya know.
"Thank you, Henry. I'm sure the Luna will be very happy to have this," I say gratefully and smile at him. He beams back at me, along with the other children.
I stand back up and ruffle his hair. "Shouldn't you guys be in bed?" I ask them curiously in a joking tone. They all giggle and run off down the hall. I shake my head and head upstairs to my beautiful mate, Celina.
I reach the door and witness a sight I never thought I would see. Callum is standing next to Comrade, and staring wide eyed at Celina, scared. Callum is scared. Wow.
"Well, I see you have managed to scare your babysitters for the day. You're dismissed," I say to Callum and Comrade.
Without any prodding, they both sprint out of the room. I hear a chuckle come from a certain someone and I have the sudden urge to know what she did.
"What did you do?" I ask as I grin mischievously at her. Celina just shrugs.
"They got a warning not to touch my hair again or else," she tells me innocently. I raise an eyebrow at her, but she doesn't elaborate. "So, how was the pack? Were they upset I didn't meet them?" she questions nervously.
I sigh and run a hand through my hair. "I tell ya what, a lot of people wanted to meet the future Luna. Pretty much the whole pack turned up," I say and watch her face fall. I instantly know that she thinks she upsets them. "No, it's okay, sweetheart, you didn't upset them," I explain, pulling her into my arms. I'm glad she let me hold her for once, it feels nice to have my mate in my arms. "I explained to them you weren't ready to meet them and they were fine with that. I'm giving it about a week, two weeks tops, until they want to meet you though. They really feel guilty about almost killing their future Luna and they want to apologize." Also for how they disrespected her, but she doesn't need to know that.
She smiles, then something dawns on her pretty little face, and she looks at me suspiciously. "Did you ask them to apologize?"
I chuckle in amusement. I actually didn't ask them, they came up to me. "No, I didn't ask them. In fact, they asked if I could give you this. It's from the children of the pack, saying sorry about what their mummies and daddies did," I say with amusement in my voice.
She takes the card from my hands and just stares at it for a bit. She runs her finger over the words and I just watch her. I can't believe this beautiful person is all mine. A sudden look of adoration crosses her face.
"Oh my gosh," she whispers as she leans back into my chest. I wrap an arm around her waist and pull her closer to me.
"No one's ever done something so thoughtful for me before," she mumbles as she traces her fingers over the messages. She smiles while a happy tear slips from her eye. I wipe it away gently with my thumb. "I love it."
"I thought you would. You seem like the person to love little kids," I honestly admit as I bury my head in the crook of her neck, breathing in her scent. She smells like spring morning with newly blossomed flowers. Girly, I know, but so true.
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She sighs and reads over the messages again. She reads them for a while before she gently sets the card down and closes her eyes. It must be at least eight by now and, knowing how idiotic Callum and Comrade are, she's had a tiring day. A big yawn escapes her mouth, proving my point.
"Tired?" I question quietly.
"Mm-hmm," she hums back and I lift her slowly from my lap and place her in the bed, pulling the covers over her.
I lightly kiss her forehead. "Goodnight, Celina. Sweet dreams," I whisper, then she's out like a light.
She looks like a beautiful angel sleeping, like an angel from the Moon Goddess herself. I lightly brush some stray hair away from her delicate face. Maybe in a few weeks’ time, she'll grow to understand what it really means to have a mate, and to be a Luna.
I head over to the couch in the corner and get myself as comfy as possible. That's not very much. My legs hang over the end, my body is cramped to fit into the small space, and my head sort of falls off the side.
I don't know what time it is before I fall asleep, but I'm met with the images of my beautiful mate in my dreams.
7
CELINA
I wake up the next morning tangled up in the sheets and hugging the pillow next to me. I groggily open my eyes and I'm instantly met with the morning light. I groan and roll over, and guess what? I fall off the bed with a loud thud.
"Ow..." I mutter to myself as I hear stirring from my right. I look in the direction and notice a very asleep Axel on the couch. Why is he on the couch?
I crawl over to him and look at his peaceful face. He doesn't look stressed or worried, just peaceful. I wonder if he can be like this when he's awake. I stroke some hair off his forehead and lean in to kiss it, bringing a small smile to my face.
I stand up and back away, not wanting to disturb him. I check the clock and notice it's about six in the morning. I sigh and head to the bathroom to wash up. I usually wake up at five at my old pack, so I guess you can consider this a sleep in.
I splash my face with cool water and wash away all the sleep. I brush my black hair with the comb on the bench and head back into the room.
Taking a chance, I walk to Axel's wardrobe and peek in to see if there are any clothes that will actually fit me. To my surprise, half of the wardrobe is girl’s clothing. I blink as I take in all the outfits. They're sorted by color, with shoes on the floor and accessories on the top of the shelf.
I walk in and run my hands over the clothes. I've never really had a choice in what to wear before. I just wear what I'm told to. I have a choice now.
As my fingers skim over all the materials, they land on something lacy and soft. I stop and peer at the deep purple fabric carefully. I pull it out from the rack of clothes and gasp softly. It's a deep purple top that would come to just below my belly button. The chest area is covered in lace and the whole of the back is just lace and no fabric.
I find a nice high waist black skirt and slip it on. I look in the mirror inside the wardrobe and smile. I actually look nice. The color contrasts that of my hair and eyes as well, and actually matches.
I walk out of the wardrobe smiling and head to the door. I take one last look at Axel's sleeping body and instantly know that when he wakes up, he's gonna run around looking for me. I giggle at the picture in my head and close the door behind me.
I must say, on my way to the kitchen, I do get lost. Since I was asleep when Comrade brought me up to the room, I have no clue where to go. By the time I get down to the kitchen, it is half past six.
It's a Saturday, so I doubt that the pack will be up before 10, so that gives me about three and a half hours to have some me time. Or until Comrade, Callum or Axel wakes up.
I make myself coffee on the very expensive looking and very complicated machine, and set myself down on a bar stool near the kitchen counter.
I take a sip of the strong goodness and I'm awake in an instant. I don't really like my coffee sweet, so I have a straight black every morning. For some it's gross, but to me, it's absolute heaven.
Without my permission, my thoughts drift somewhere else other than my coffee.
I wonder what my old pack's doing right now. Knowing them, they'll all be sleeping with vodka bottles around them. It takes a lot to get a wolf drunk, so I'm guessing a lot of vodka bottles.
On the other hand, if my absence has affected them at all, they'll be up and running around trying to sort out the pack house. It probably looks like a bomb hit it right now. I don't even want to think about the dirty dishes.
"Oh, I didn't realize you were up. I would've guessed that you were asleep at this time of the day."
I jump at the unexpected voice and turn to see Callum smiling at me.
I relax a bit knowing that it's not someone who will harm me. From what I've gathered, Callum is a friendly guy who likes to joke around. I decided that, when he and Comrade ran out of my room looking scared, I could trust him. Just like that.
"Yeah, well, I'm an early riser," I mutter in reply, going back to my coffee.
He makes his own coffee and takes a seat beside me. We sit in silence for a bit and I can see he wants to ask me something, but he seems scared. He keeps fidgeting with his coffee mug, not actually drinking the coffee.
"What?" I question. If he has something to ask, he can ask.
"Hmm? Oh, nothing, nothing," he mumbles. I stare at him blankly until he sighs. "Why don't you give Axel a chance?" he blurts in a rush. I blink at his question and choke while sipping my coffee.
"What?" I repeat my last question as Callum looks at me sympathetically.
"Sorry. I don't usually ask things that aren't my business, but I'm just curious. I mean, you give Comrade and me a chance, so why can't you give Axel a chance?" His voice soft and gentle as he asks me the question. Almost instantly, the memory of Axel walking out of his office and leaving me behind in a crying heap comes to my mind.
"I'll give my trust to him when I know he won't leave me," I say bluntly and Callum looks at me, confused. I'm not sure why, but that's the simplest way to put it.
"Leave you? What do you mean?" he questions, voicing his confusion. I sigh, no me time then...
"I really don't want to talk about this right now. I'm sorry Callum, it's just a touchy subject," I tell him and he nods in understanding.
"Can I ask one more question?" I nod and he continues. "Why do you trust Comrade and me then? I mean, what's so special about us? You hardly know us and you trust us? That just seems weird to me, that's all."
I actually stop and think about his question. Why do I trust these people that I hardly know anything about and be ok with it?
"I don't know really, never thought about it. I just feel safe around you guys and I'm almost positive you guys will never hurt me. Axel, on the other hand, I'm not so sure... He can be sweet, but can also be... well, mean in a way. How would you react to that?" I ask, telling him what's on my mind. He stays silent and that just proves my point.
Without another word, I get up, put my cup in the dishwasher, and walk out. It's about quarter past seven now, and I have no clue what to do. Without Comrade and Callum entertaining me, I'm at a loss.
I wander aimlessly up the stairs, planning to go back to the bedroom. When I hit the top of the stairs though, I get rammed into a very hard body and stumble back, effectively making me fall down the stairs.
Each step I land with a thud and another groan. My sides take most of the impact, but on the last step, the back of my head hits it hard. I land on the floor and hear someone curse loudly. I look up through blurry, unfocused eyes, to see Axel taking the stairs three at a time and Callum running toward me.
"What the hell! What happened? Why is she on the floor?" Callum asks, panicked. He slowly rolls me onto my back and I tilt my head to the side so I don't put pressure on it.
"I don't know. I woke up and she wasn't there, so I freaked out and ran to the stairs and accidentally rammed into her. Oh god, Celina? Are you ok? Can you hear me?" Axel’s
panicked voice fills my ears.
I look at him and nod slightly, making me wince from the pain in my head. I slowly move my hand to grip it and use the other one to push myself off the floor.
I feel blood seep through my fingers and I grip my head harder. I slowly get to a standing position with Axel and Callum helping me on the way.
With all the times I've been pushed down the stairs, this is a minor injury for me. I've had broken arms, broken legs, sprained ankles and blows to the head. I actually had one of each, one time I blacked out because of the pain.
They lead me over to the couch and just get me to sit there. I stare in front of me blankly as Axel and Callum talk quietly to each other. I feel myself numbing out the pain like I usually do, and make a move to get up and go to the kitchen to clean myself up.
"Whoa there, Celina, you're not going anywhere. We called the pack doctor and she should be here about... now," Callum says as the doorbell goes off. I thought the pack doctor stayed at the pack house. The one in my old pack always did, not that she helped me with my injuries or anything...
"Lola, thank you for coming. We had a bit of an accident," Axel says as he leads her into the room. She takes one look at my head and scurries over to me. While she is taking out her medical supplies, I move slightly away from her. I do not want this woman touching me, whether it's for medical reasons or not. Axel picks up on my movement and makes his way over to me.
He sits down next to me and leans in to whisper in my ear, "It’s ok, Lola won't hurt you. She's helped us a lot with pack injuries. You can trust her."
I look at him and see the honesty in his eyes. I nod and he backs up as Lola takes his place. My heart rate spikes at the closeness of this new person that I have never met before getting so close to me. It makes me wonder why it didn't happen with Callum and Comrade...
"Right, all I'm going to do is clean your head up, take a look, and then see if you need to get stitches or not. Easy enough?"
I nod silently at her gentle words, but stay rigid and completely still.