The Alpha's Little Luna

Kissing and Babies

And then I remembered that my little mate must be hungry.

She definitely had not eaten anything since she went missing.

I took her hand as we walked out of my office and into the huge dining room. Fortunately, Jace had already mind-linked with the cook to let her know that we were bringing a young pup who needed to be fed.

As we stepped inside, the aroma of warm pancakes and syrup hit us. Mercedes released my hand and dashed towards the table, obviously famished. I led her to the chair that had been vacant since I became Alpha of our pack. Gently, I lifted her and positioned her in the Luna seat. Jace and our Head Warrior watched with widened eyes, holding their breaths sharply.

But I didn't pay attention to them. My mind was on my little Luna, who was finally seated in her rightful place. Taking my position next to her in my Alpha chair at the head of the table, I grabbed a plate and put a pancake on it.

"Mercedes, which syrup would you like on your pancake? We have strawberry, caramel, and pure honey," I asked. She gazed at the delectable pancakes on her plate; it seemed that my mate was a true foodie.

"Honey, Zane," she exclaimed childishly. "My mummy always puts a lot of honey on it for me." I sprinkled a generous amount of honey on the pancake and then cut it into smaller pieces for her. When I handed her the fork, she immediately dug in.

"Thank you, Zane," she said a moment later with a full mouth. I also poured her some fresh orange juice.

“You're so welcome, little one,” I replied. Once I knew she was comfortable, I began eating from my own plate.

'Zane, we need to talk. I've never seen you so affectionate with a pup before. There's more going on here,' Jace communicated through our mind link. 'I'm starting to suspect what it is from the glow on your face.'

I glanced at my Beta and Head Warrior. Once I made sure that Mercedes only had eyes for her food, I turned back to my best friends.

"Yes, she is my fated mate," I confirmed their suspicion. "Only the Moon Goddess knows why she paired me up with a pup, but I love her already and will make sure she stays in my life until she's of age to officially take her place as Midnight Moon's Luna," I declared confidently.

Jace gazed at me thoughtfully. "You know that Alpha Ahri is awfully strict with his pack members," he reminded me. "You will have to be very convincing to make him believe that the pup belongs to you."

Yes, Jace was right.

I was aware of that as well. Ahri was definitely a controversial leader. He trusted no one, and if any of his members got into trouble, even the lowest rank Omega, he was ready to start a war. And here we had his Beta's daughter. I knew it would be tough discussions to have my mate regularly in my pack. But he would have no choice but to allow me near her since Were-laws are crystal clear about this: mates belong together.

The only rule he had in this matter was that Mercedes was still a minor, so I couldn't claim her and just keep her in my pack. Until she turned eighteen and also acknowledged me as her mate, she must remain under Ahri's jurisdiction. Damn, these were going to be some challenging years to overcome!

"Zane, how old are you? And where are your mummy and daddy?" Mercedes demanded my attention once more.

"I am twenty, little one. My parents live in the other wing of the packhouse, and I have a younger sister named Elise. The Head Warrior here is her mate," I answered. "Do you know what a mate is?"

Her big silver eyes stared directly into mine.

"My mummy and daddy are mates. They kiss each other all day long," she signed dramatically with a grin. "I often ask them why they kiss so much if they've only had one pup, after all."

Jace and Cleo burst out laughing at the silliness of her words. Mercedes threw a shy look at them.

"Little one, whoever told you that mates get babies by kissing? That person lied to you. You have to trust me on that," Jace teased her while hiccuping with laughter.

A serious expression appeared on my mate's face.

"Marco's parents have five pups and they also kiss all day," she stated. "Marco says he often sees them without clothes in the house too."

I almost spat the pancake out of my mouth in shock. Holy crap, what’s the matter with those people not locking their doors when they are at it?

"Did he mention that to you? Maybe his parents were about to shift into their wolf at that time?" I suggested. s**t! This is unheard of! If I run into this busybody Marco, I'll have to teach him not to meddle in matters that concern grown-ups. He seems like a smart-ass trying to initiate my mate into bedroom secrets way too early.

"No, no, no, Zane," she reproved while shaking her head firmly. "Everyone shifts outside the house or in the forest - never in a bedroom."

Now it was Cleo who couldn't hold back; he banged his head on the dining table with laughter. Oh, goodness! I clearly am not ready to follow the logic of a pup, let alone one with a snoopy friend as an influence.

I gave Cleo a warning gaze, but he was still struggling to compose himself. Jace also had a hard time keeping a straight face. In a frantic attempt to change the subject, I served another pancake onto Mercedes' plate.

"Why don't you try the strawberry syrup this time?" I suggested. She nodded in agreement, and I had successfully shifted her attention. After finishing all of her food, Mercedes started to yawn. Obviously, the past few hours had worn her out quite a bit.

"Are you feeling sleepy, little one? Don't worry, I'll have my sister come over and pick you up. She will help you take a bath so that afterward, you can rest for some hours before your parents arrive to fetch you," I explained.

The child nodded with joy in agreement. I mind-linked Elise to report to the dining room.

'On my way, Alpha,' she answered immediately.

When Elise entered the dining room, she walked straight to Mercedes. "Cleo told me that we have a beautiful guest today in the pack," she said, smiling at my mate.

"Hi, I'm Elise. This big Alpha here is my brother. You must be sweet Mercedes."

Mercedes nodded shyly as she watched Elise with interest.

"Can you bathe her and dress her in clean clothes? Then put her to sleep on my bed. She has spent the whole evening without being with her pack. We have fed her, and now it's time for a nap," I explained to my sister.

Taking hold of each other's hands, they left the dining room happily chatting as if they had known each other for years.

Now it was finally time to have an in-depth discussion about the situation with my Beta and Head Warrior…