The Alpha's Little Luna

Suspicion

Jace cleared his throat and took me out of my musings.

“Zane, I've reached the Beta. He says his daughter has been missing since yesterday. She was indeed in the woods playing with some other pups when they couldn't find her anymore,” he informed me. “He is on his way here with his mate to pick her up. They'll be here in two hours."

"Don't you think you should call Alpha Ahri and let him know about this?" he suggested.

Yes, he was right, I had forgotten about all that. The bliss of finally having my mate here had completely consumed my attention. I grabbed my phone and searched my contact list for the number I needed.

“Alpha Ahri, Alpha Zane from Midnight Moon here. You must have heard that we found your Beta's daughter near our border," I let him know.

The man on the other end of the line growled menacingly.

“Alpha Zane. Yes, my Beta informed me. This matter should be thoroughly investigated. A pup cannot run miles in a day. There is more to this case.” He didn't exactly sound indulgent, but that was to be expected.

"That's for sure. I discovered the scent of your pack on my territory. That means that some members of you have entered my land improperly," I informed him. “That is punishable by law. I look forward to including this in your research.”

He puffed something out but didn't respond to my words. I decided not to be too pushy, my position was highly sensitive now that I was at the mercy of his decision in my personal affairs.

“There's something else I want to discuss with you as well. It's unusual, but nobody knows the deliberations of the Moon Goddess,” I tried to introduce him carefully to the matter. “Mercedes is my fated mate,” I dropped the bomb.

"What!!" he barked into the speaker. “Dare you to put a finger on the pup and I'll make dogmeat of you! You pedophile. I'm coming for her with my warriors. And make sure she's safe and sound at the border. I'll kill you!" he raged on.

His breathing rasped through the phone, and I could sense that his anger had reached the top.

“Alpha Ahri, I can assure you that I am by no means a pedophile. And Mercedes' parents are on their way and will get their daughter back safe and sound,” I assured him calmly. “I don't intend to claim her yet, I know the Were-laws too. I want to discuss this issue rationally and come to an agreement with you all.”

"Agreement? About what?" Ahri snarled.

I sighed deeply.

“Listen, Mercedes is my fated mate. The Moon Goddess has decided this and I accept that. All I want is to be able to visit her in your pack and have her here with me, so she gets used to my presence and the pack. After all, she is the future Luna of the Midnight Moon pack.”

I heard him swallow hard a few times; the news was clearly not easy for him to digest.

But then there were two, this extraordinary circumstance was something I had to get used to as well. “Alpha, the laws forbid third parties to keep mates apart,” I reminded him. "I can assure you that she will always be safe here, my Beta and Head Warrior will be her personal protectors."

On the other end of the line, I eventually heard him take a deep breath, frantically trying to calm himself. Ahri was known as a hothead; it took a lot to rationalize him. In past Alpha meetings, he had made himself known as loose-minded, only a few wanted to get involved with him. But I had no choice since my mate was from his pack.

“Her parents will be there shortly. Talk to them and if they agree, I'll expect you in my pack within two weeks to discuss this matter further," he finally conceded. “But I still think this is suspicious, too many coincidences going on. First the girl is missing, then suddenly she is miles away in your pack and now she is your mate.” He paused to enforce his words. “Are you sure you have nothing to do with the k********g of the pup?” he asked doubtfully.

Goodness, hell, no!!

Could this man for once think logically? Even Mercedes did a better job here than her Alpha. And patience wasn't exactly my forte. I suppressed my annoyance; I had no more time to lose on this jackass.

"Then explain to me what my motive would be for doing this? The girl is already my mate. If I knew that beforehand, I would have just gone to her parents and then to you, as I do now," I explained to him as if I were talking to a toddler. “Why should I take the trouble to kidnap her first and then appear suspicious?”

The Alpha noticed my irritation and decided to confront me. "What do you mean to tell me?" he sounded tight. “Why wouldn't that be possible? Nowadays people do everything to get what they want. Who tells me you are an exception?”

No, hell, no, I wasn't going to waste my time on nonsense.

“Listen, Alpha. As agreed, I will discuss the matter with her parents and be with you in a week. I'll let you know in advance when I arrive. I’m looking forward to the results of your investigation.” Before he could say any more, I ended the call.

Jace and Cleo stared at me pitifully.

“Yes, this reaction was expected. The man is not known for his high IQ,” sighed Jace. "I can tell he was ready to declare war even before he had enough information about the situation."

“That would be a wrong decision on his part,” Cleo added sarcastically. “Underestimating Midnight Moon and acting against the Were laws will be his end one day.”

I walked to the liquor cabinet and took out my most expensive wine. There were now plenty of reasons to throw a three-man party. Midnight Moon had found its Luna and I had a mate. Maybe not quite the way I would like it to happen, but that didn't affect my happiness.

I passed my friends a glass and made a toast. “To a new beginning for Midnight Moon. With a Luna, we are much stronger, invincible,” I stated in my fiercely Alpha tone.

Jace and Cleo nodded. The bubbles from our glasses rose while we looked at each other confidently.