Merciless Luna

Chapter 9

*Arkyn’s POV*

 “I see” she replied to me as we parked in front of the packhouse. She quickly unbuckled herself and opened the door, getting out and slamming the door shut. What is up with this woman? I get out of the car, moving around to stand next to her. “Why are you upset?” I question frustratingly. I don’t get it. I told her why we followed her, so why was she upset?  I kept gazing at her, but her expression was of shock as she saw the packhouse.

 “Why is this so huge? Is this some sort of hotel or something?” she asked, walking towards the front steps. I chuckled, forgetting for a moment her attitude from a few minutes ago. “It’s the main packhouse. The alpha, beta, and top warriors live here, so it has to accommodate the different families.” I tried to explain. She turned to me, her surprised expression so innocent and endearing. It spurned something in my chest and I couldn’t help but feel the pull towards her. I unconsciously took a step towards her, motioning for her to move up the steps. She didn’t pull away, which was a major improvement from the first night we met.

 “So how are you able to accommodate everyone?” she asked curiously as I opened the door for her. “Holy mother of…” she rambled as she took in the main entrance. The first floor was a spacious open concept flooring, with the main living room adorned with couches of all shapes and sizes. There was a spiral staircase to the left that led to the above three floors and high ceilings adorned with chandeliers. I smiled as I gently tapped her shoulder. “Come, I’ll show you around” I said, a slight smile on my lips. She looked at me, smiling slightly as her cheeks flushed a bit, and followed me as I showed her the kitchen, the designated eating area, the recreation room filled with a pool table, a hockey table, various consoles and multiple flat screens to accommodate large crowds of people.

 “Spare no expense I see” she muttered as she took everything in. I laughed a bit, shrugging my shoulders. “Only the best for my pack and my family” I bemused. She smiled again, this time with some admiration in her eyes? Again, I felt that spurn in my heart, but I had to control myself. As much as I wanted to move in and claim those lips, I needed to keep my distance.

 “I’ll show you the other floors” I motioned as I extended my hand for her. She looked at it hesitantly, unsure as to whether to hold my hand. I had to admit it hurt to see her battle with herself and felt my patience was about to go out the window when I suddenly felt the jolt running through my hand. She gasped, pulling her hand back again in surprise. “What…what was that?” she asked me, rubbing her hand thoughtfully. I tried to hide my disappointment, remembering that she didn’t know much about mates and only what she probably heard from her mother.

 “That’s normal. It’s a natural reaction of attraction to the one that’s your…you know…” I trailed off, suddenly feeling uncomfortable explaining myself. “Is it always so electrifying?” she questioned. I smiled slightly, knowing that this was a topic I did not want to talk about. “I guess. That’s probably something Maya can answer truthfully. I’ve never had a…well…mate. So I don’t know if this is long term” I admitted as I averted my gaze, not wanting her to see my slight embarrassment. Awkward silence fell between us for a moment. “Can we try again?” she asked. I tried to keep my face from showing shock as I quickly turned to her, nodding a little too fast for my liking. She chuckled again, reaching out for my hand and this time I was the one that hesitated for a moment. Would that sensation last? Would it dull down as contact continues? There was only one way of finding out. I reached out my hand and grabbed hers, feeling the jolt run up my arm, heightening all my senses. I felt the hairs of my arms standing on edge, my heart began to race quicker, and the electrifying sensation dulled down to a dull warmth. It felt as if I was being enveloped in a hug that took all my pain away. I blinked slowly, staring at her as she did the same, our hands still intertwined. My throat was suddenly dry when I tried to speak. I cleared it again, trying to compose myself.

 “I, well, let’s go see the other rooms” I stammered, nervousness taking over my usual stoic self. She giggled a bit at my nervousness, which caused me to relax a little as I pulled her down the hall to the staircase. “The second floor is designated for the commander of the pack warriors. Matt, his mate and two children live on this floor” I explained as he moved on to the third floor. “Here is where my beta, Colton lives with his mate Maya” I looked at the corner of my eye as I explained, and thankfully she was still looking interested as she saw the different floors.

 “Each floor is decorated differently” she noticed. I nodded, moving up to the final floor. “Since each floor is designated to that particular family, it’s up to them to decorate it to their liking, as this is their permanent home” I explained. Once at the fourth floor, I stopped and looked at her, waiting for her reaction. “This is the fourth floor. The alpha’s floor.” I started. I noticed her tense a little as she looked around. For some reason I was hoping she like how I decorated the floor.

 “Well, at least I see you have a sense of taste” she replied, pulling her hand away to walk around the hall. My hand suddenly felt empty and cold, and I wasn’t sure what to do with myself as I lost her touch. My floor had a modern look, with crisp grey and black tones on the walls and trimmings, and a few contemporary paintings depicting the moon and nature. She walked down the hall, admiring the paintings and the rooms. “So which one is your room?” I snapped out of my daze as I looked up at her, realizing I hadn’t moved an inch while she was already halfway down the hall.

 “It’s actually the door to your right” I replied, walking up the short distance to the door. Why was I so nervous in her seeing my room? It’s not like she would be staying here with me. Would she be staying with me? How would she feel about that? I shook my thoughts away for a moment, opening the door to let her in. She walked into the room and gasped softly as she took in the size of the room. “It’s practically the size of my home” she exclaimed in surprise. I smiled in relief, staying by the door to let her explore.

 “The bathroom is the first door on the right, and the walk in closet is right next to it. There’s also the sliding doors that lead to the balcony outside, and it has a view of the woods surrounding us” I explained as she looked around. “Well, this is a nice place Arkyn. I am impressed” she turned around smiling at me and for the first time it was a sincere smile, with no suspicion behind it. I felt my heart freeze in that instant as I noticed just how incredibly radiant her smile was, and how she looked even more beautiful than before.

 “But the million dollar question” she added. “Where am I going to live now?” she questioned.

Raj’s POV*

 He stared at me confused, taken aback by my question. Why though? Weren’t they adamant about me staying in the pack grounds for my safety? He averted his gaze before walking towards the window. “Normally, those that are mated would sleep in the same room” he stared. My eyes widen as I gasped, involuntarily taking a step back. His body shook slightly, and I noticed he was trying not to laugh. I narrowed my eyes, wondering what he thought was so funny.

 “So I’m supposed to sleep here with you?” I questioned. He stiffened slightly, before turning slightly towards me. “I have requested the room adjacent from here to be prepared for you” he responded, his face void of any emotions. There it was again…looking at me as if I was just a nuisance to him. I felt my hands clenched into fists, unsure as to why I was so angry with him over that simple answer. “Well excuse me for asking” I shouted. “It’s not like my whole damn life just got turned into a pile a s**t” I walked towards him, my eyes narrowing even further. I saw his eyes widen at my surprise, his mouth hanging open as if to say something but I cut him off.

 “Nobody asked you to come after me! Nobody asked you to save me! I’m sorry if I’m such an inconvenience that the only reason you even showed up was because you probably wanted to capture us for interrogation! After all, we were in your land without permission! You don’t give two shits about me and I didn’t need you to take me away from there!” I hadn’t even realized I was standing face to face to him, looking up slightly at the towering man before me.

 “You should’ve just left me there to die!” I screamed at the top of my lungs. My vision blurred, realizing that I couldn’t stop the tears from falling. I wanted to punch him so hard, I wanted to take out my anger at him, but I couldn’t even lift my hand. I just turned around, storming out of the room, moving to the room across from him and slamming the door shut. I locked the door, choking back a sob as I slid onto the ground, crying uncontrollably. Why did this happen? Why did I have to lose my mother? Why didn’t he just care?

 “Stupid” I muttered, wiping my tears away. This is why I didn’t want to have a mate. The pull, the feelings, the agonizing torture of wanting to be close to him, of wanting his touch, all of that would just make me weak and a target. Loving someone and being mated to them will only bring pain and heartache. My mother was broken after she told me that my father was gone. I don’t want to turn out like that, broken, consuming myself in an addiction because my drug was gone. I can’t stay here. Not after that outburst. I need to get out of here. I stood up, wiping my face with the bottom of my shirt before moving towards the balcony. I pulled the door open to see if anyone was around. I hadn’t even realized the sun had begun to set already. Noticing the coast was clear, I began to climb over the balcony, reaching the bottom balcony. I peeked over and saw the lights were out, so the coast was clear. Looking over to the last balcony I moved with speed to jump down, completely missing the balcony and falling to the ground in a thud. I groaned slightly, feeling the pain in my ribs as I sat up. Not wasting time for fear of being found, I quickly ran towards the direction that Arkyn had driven from, trying to find my way out of the pack.

 Things would’ve been easier for me if I could just shift and run the rest of the way. It was frustrating to feel so weak as if I were human. I ducked behind a tree, trying to keep my heart from beating so fast. I saw a couple of warriors walking around. They seemed to be in a deep conversation, and thankfully didn’t notice my scent. I waited a few minutes before the coast was clear and continue to make my way to the pack borders. I have no intention of staying at a place where I knew I was unwelcomed, much less with a mate that hated the very concept of me being his mate of all people. I saw the borders and noticed the guards were inspecting a vehicle and realized Maya was returning.

 Taking the opportunity of the guards being distracted I darted with all my might behind them, hoping to avoid any confrontation. I nearly tripped as I turned, running straight on the road when I heard the commotion at the gate. He must’ve realized I was gone and was probably giving out orders to capture me. s**t…I needed to run as fast as I can. “Her scent is this way” I hear the shouting. ‘crap crap crap they’re going to catch me. Why can’t I shift already? Dammit Ember help me out here will ya?’ I mentally begged my wolf. I was met with silence. Was she really that mad at me for leaving? What was she five? The Sun fully disappeared on the horizon and I was met with the darkness of the night. It should be easier to escape at night right? Dear Goddess I hope so. Suddenly a dark shadow jumped over me, causing me to stumble and stop in my tracks. My heart was beating out of control as I saw the massive black wolf before me. He was growling at me, icey blue eyes narrowed and I already knew who it was. I involuntarily took a step back, feeling the pull towards me much stronger now in his wolf form. s**t just hit the fan and I was in big trouble.