Luna Aleksa's Escape

2. Going through the motions.

I had woken up to what had been my favorite scent in the entire world until yesterday; bergamot and sandalwood. Lachlan’s scent. When a werewolf came of age and when they were near their mate, they emitted pheromones that only their mate could smell.

I looked next to me and saw Lachlan curled up against the edge of the bed. Once upon a time, he would have cuddled up next to me. I would have looked at him with such affection. Now, all I felt was disgust and resentment. A large part of me wanted to give him a piece of my mind and unleash fury upon him. But the logical side of me knew I needed to refrain from doing so.

There had been signs, but I’d been blind to them. I wriggled out of bed to check on the twins. I opened the door to the nursery. They were fast asleep. I went back into the room, only to find that Lachlan had left the bed and moved into the bathroom. I heard the shower running. This was perfect because I couldn’t stomach seeing him, and having to pretend that everything was okay.

I needed to make a plan for the twins and me. I’d decide our future. But first I needed to get the twins ready for daycare, and then I planned to call in sick to work. I needed some time to think and clear my head.

I’d fed the twins upstairs so I could avoid running into Eva and Sam at breakfast. Poor Sam. He had no idea what was going on. Once I’d finished dressing the twins; I picked them both up and descended downstairs. The pack house was a hive of activity. A far cry from yesterday when it appeared almost deserted.

As I approached the door, Lachlan called out, “Aleksa, where are you going?” I looked up at him and prepared to put on my best act.

“I’m just taking the twins to daycare, and then off to work. I’ll see you later,” I said in my sweetest voice. Lachlan said nothing more and turned away. I exited the pack house and made my way to the car. I took the Black Mercedes Benz SUV because it was practical and I could pack a lot in the trunk without it gaining any unwanted attention.

I’d put on some relaxing cafe music as we drove through the woods. The pack’s daycare was on the other side of the training fields, so it was easier to drive there, plus I was trying to keep up appearances since I was supposed to be driving to work.

***

Once I settled the twins at daycare, I got back into my car. Before anything else, I needed a strong coffee. I drove to the nearest Starbucks, purchased a much-needed coffee, and made my way to the park across the road. I found somewhere quiet where I could get my head around things.

While I sipped on my coffee, I contemplated my future. I felt relaxed, even though it was just momentarily. A heart wrenching pain seared throughout my body. I now knew what this meant. My so-called mate was being unfaithful to me, probably with my best friend, but who knew? Was she just one of many? My mind raced with questions that couldn’t be answered.

Strangely enough, as painful as it was, I was more angry than anything. Angry that he could do this to me, to his family, and angry that I blindly trusted him, but most of all angry that two people that I loved with all my heart could betray me in the worst possible way.

After about half an hour, the pain subsided. Then it dawned on me. I realized there was only one thing I could do. I needed to break our bond. If I was to have any semblance of a life, I needed to reject my fated mate.

Oh moon goddess, help me!

It was not as simple as just rejecting Lachlan, as no alpha would willingly accept a rejection from their fated mate. The reason was that this would mean they would lose their strength. Alpha’s needed their fated mates close as they drew power from them. I had heard of lunas rejecting their alpha and being denied that right. Some lunas had been held almost as prisoners in their own pack. That was something I planned on avoiding.

First thing was first, I needed to get as far away from here as possible. I pulled my phone out, my hands shaking as I typed, and I started to google. All of my searches kept leading me to Colorado. My interest was officially piqued. It was a great distance from Evergreen. It was on the other side of the country.

Lachlan would never find us there.

I loved it had such a diverse landscape. Colorado appeared to be full of forests and lakes, river canyons, and snow-covered rocky mountains. It was the perfect place for two pups to grow up in. I needed to research the packs and territories in the area to make sure I didn’t overstep on anyone’s land. I planned to find a quiet human town and live there with my pups.

I snapped back to reality when a voice in my head spoke. I was getting mind-linked from Lachlan. A mind link was a mental messaging system that linked everyone in a pack. It allowed werewolves to communicate in wolf and human form.

“I won’t be back until tomorrow night — urgent pack business,” Lachlan said.

“Is everything okay?” I replied.

“Nothing to worry about,” he shot back.

“Ok, see you tomorrow night!” I replied, ending the mind link.

Time went way too fast and before I knew it, it was time to pick up the twins from the pack daycare. I drove through the pack ground gates and waved to the warriors at the entrance. “Good afternoon Luna,” they said in unison.

“Good Afternoon Chad and Rick,” I replied.

And as I parked the car, I saw my pups waiting by the gate, with a big smile.

“Mommy!” they called.

“My pups!” I enthusiastically called back.

I spoke with their teacher, who told me what a busy day they’d both had. I was pleased to hear they had a good day, and a little sad that we would be leaving all of this behind. They had made a lot of friends and had such outstanding teachers.

As we walked into the pack house, we were greeted by Lachlan’s parents.

“Good Afternoon Aleksa,” Cade said.

“Good evening Cade, nice to see you again Caitlin,” I said to the previous alpha and luna of the pack.

“What brings you to the pack house today?” I asked. They lived towards the back of the territory in a gorgeous loft-style apartment overlooking the lake and rarely came into the pack house unless they needed to.

“We were hoping to see Lachlan, but someone advised us that he was away for the night,” Caitlin said curiously.

“Yes, Lachlan mind-linked me earlier today to say that he was on his way out. Lachlan mind-linked me earlier today to inform me that he was on his way out urgently, and it was pack-related. I don’t know any other details. “I’m sure everything is fine,” I said. By now, the twins had run off into the kitchen. They were always so hungry after daycare.

Cade and Caitlin were both polite enough, but they were never very excited about Lachlan choosing me as his Luna. They were difficult initially, but over time, they realized I wasn’t going anywhere — especially when I became pregnant with the twins. They were not the type to hover, so they politely said goodbye, and I made my way into the kitchen.

As I walked around the corner, I saw my cheeky twins sitting at the breakfast bar with Oreo shakes all over their faces and hands. Missy, the head omega cook, was standing in front of them, shaking her head and smiling. Missy was one of my favorite people here. She was so kind and caring. She was like the grandmother I never had. I would miss her when we left.

Eva, the one person I was hoping to avoid, strolled into the kitchen and interrupted my thoughts.

“Oh Aleksa, there you are. I’ve been looking for you all day!” she said. “Since Sam and Lachlan are away tonight and I’m bored, I thought we could drink some wine and hang out together.”

“Oh Eva, usually I would love to, but the twins have had a big day, and I’m exhausted after a big day at work. Can we take a rain check?” I looked at her with an almost pleading look on my face.

“I suppose so. You’re very lucky I’m such a patient friend. You know, Aleksa, you’ve become a bit of a bore since having the twins, you need to live a little,” Eva said disapprovingly.

“ Is this b***h for real?’’ Amber growled.

I sighed internally. It was nice to hear Amber talking to me again. I had missed our chats. We needed to reconnect. I wasn’t sure what I had done wrong or why she had retreated.

Then I had an idea — a run. We hadn’t been for a run in so long. We needed to go for a run and try to salvage our connection. I needed her now more than ever.

“Hello, earth to Aleksa? Selfish much! I was talking to you and you just zoned out!” Eva yelled. I realized everyone was staring at me.

“I’m so sorry Eva. What were you saying?”

“Hmph!” Eva groaned, and she walked out. I had no idea what had just happened. I looked over at Missy, who was looking at me curiously. “Sorry, I just zoned out then. What did I miss?” I asked Missy apologetically.

Missy took a breath. “Eva was asking you if she could borrow the red dress and the matching ruby necklace Lachlan bought for you on your birthday last year, then she asked if she could come over to try it on later tonight when the twins were in bed.”

I was utterly astonished that she wanted to wear my special dress and necklace, but it sure was painting a picture for me.

There was no way that vile woman was borrowing my things.

I didn’t even want them myself now, because it all felt like a lie. But there was no way she was getting her hands on them. Not on my watch.

“Thank you for clarifying that, Missy,” I said. I would mind-link her once I’ve settled the twins. “Alright my little munchkins, it’s bath time,” I said, and I whisked them off the stools and made my way to the stairs.

As I walked into our room, I smelled a scent I couldn’t place. It was feminine, unlike anything I’d detected before. But I let it go.

I didn’t have time for that.

I needed to focus on bathing and settling the twins. I yawned loudly. It was at that moment I realized I didn’t have the energy to take Amber for a run tonight.