A Luna's Power

Chapter 3: Mate

-Lara-

Goddess, it really was the queen. So … f*cking … bada**. I did not even know what to say, as she stood there in the doorway, watching me with her silver eyes and her arms crossed. It was … I was … what did you say to the most powerful female on this planet?

“I … I have something to talk to him about,” I simply said.

My vague answer just made her smile a little as she walked further inside, placing herself only a few feet away.

“And here I thought we were celebrating your birthday. Nineteen, right?” she asked.

I nodded once.

“And instead, you are here to talk to my mate. Not even to see your sister, who I believe you haven’t seen for nine months.”

She was judging my actions. I did not want to get on her bad side, but what could I say? I had more important things to do besides celebrating my birthday. Being luna of a pack and refusing to have an alpha, made you a target and I refused to have my position taken away, therefore I had to prove myself constantly. I did not have time for dinners or parties or socializing.

“I have been busy,” I said. “And I have important work to do. It is not easy being a luna that rules on her own.”

“No, but it can be really lonely to rule on your own,” she told me.

I was aware, but I had always been on my own. How were things even different from back when I was younger and now? Answer, they weren’t. I wasn’t even that close to my sister, even if our father wasn’t here to ruin things for us and favour one over the other, we were still strangers.

“I know,” I said.

She continued to study me for a little while but then lowered her arms, nodding a little.

“Very well, I will see if Valerio has time, but you still have to stay for dinner,” she told me.

“Okay. Thank you, my queen.”

She just glanced at my sister shortly and then walked away. I took a second before I turned to my sister, who was trying her best to smile at me, but I knew she was hurt. I should feel bad, right? I should apologize and tell her that, of course, I came to see her, but I didn’t. I really was just cold.

“Well, I guess I will go check on the kids,” my sister said and got up.

“I will go with you.”

Rider joined her, none of them looking at me. I understood. I wouldn’t want to be nice to myself either, but I didn’t have time for these kinds of things. The talking and the laughing and the opening birthday presents. I had work to do, and I knew Selene would never understand. She was never fit for the position. Our father had stripped her luna power from her, telling her she would only be good enough if she had an alpha by her side. Now she had one. A very powerful one actually, and while she had changed, she still wasn’t a luna. At least not in my eyes. A real luna would never hand over her power. A real luna would never think she needed an alpha. She just needed herself.

-James-

“She wants a meeting?” Valerio asked.

Octavia had just arrived at his office, where we were doing the last of the work for the day. We had been told we all had to attend dinner since Selene’s younger sister, Lara, who I had never really met, had arrived. She had apparently turned nineteen only a few days ago, and Selene wanted a chance to celebrate her birthday and see her sister. They hadn’t really been seeing much of each other because Lara was now ruling a pack and she was determined to do that on her own. Quite impressive actually, but I was uncertain if she could really continue to do so. She was barely what you could call an adult.

“Apparently so. She only agreed to come here in order to see you.”

“Why not just ask for a meeting?” Garrett asked.

“She wants one now.”

Valerio leaned back in his chair, thinking it all over. I was certain he had hoped he could end his day early today, or maybe he was concerned as to why Lara wanted a meeting. Selene’s and Lara’s father, Michael, was still in Isolation, and since Selene had come here to live, the responsibility now rested on the young Lara’s shoulders. Maybe something had gone wrong. Maybe he had found a way to manipulate Lara as well. I hoped not. We had enough problems with Connor, who we still didn’t know where was. We didn’t need to have to deal with Michael again.

“And here I hoped we could end the day early and just have a nice dinner,” Valerio sighed.

Yes, that would have been nice, at least for everyone else. I actually liked the work. It took my mind off …

“So, shall I tell her you want to see her?” Octavia asked.

Valerio leaned over his table a little. He looked tired and he definitely did not seem like he wanted another meeting. He had already had a lot of those through the day, but eventually he nodded.

“We need to wrap some things up here. Go tell her I will give her twenty minutes and I will send someone to get her.”

Octavia smiled and walked away before Valerio tiredly rubbed his eyes.

“You think it has something to do with Michael?” Garrett asked.

He was sitting in front of Valerio, who turned his eyes at him and started tapping one of his fingers against the table.

“I hope not,” he said. “We have got enough on our hands at the moment.”

“And if it is?” Chris asked. “I am not sure how Lara is doing when it comes to ruling the pack, but when Selene was in power it was quite clear a lot were still loyal to Michael.”

He was not wrong, and I had no idea how different the two sisters were. If Lara was like Selene, then perhaps she was having trouble keeping the pack’s loyalty. Especially if they did not find her strong enough.

“Well, I won’t see their pack destroyed. If Lara needs my help, then I will give it to her,” Valerio said.

I could only agree. The two sisters had worked hard on keeping it together. It would really be terrible if all that hard work was going to go to waste.

***

We finally ended the last of our work for today before the king was ready to meet Lara. He had sent me out to get her and I was walking down to the living room where she was waiting for me to get her. I just hoped this meeting had nothing to do with her father.

I turned around the stairs, as I reached the bottom and then I walked down the hallway, until I came to the living room where she was waiting on her own, but just as I stood in front of the closed doors I felt something strange or more like … scented something. Why could I smell … vanilla? I looked around the empty hallway, but there was no explanation for the faint smell of vanilla that was invading my nose and had my mouth watering and my heart beating a little faster from … excitement? I was unsure but suddenly I found it hard to stay still and quickly reached for the handle, opening the door and then …

I had never before been hit by such a power scent. I almost took a step back as it overpowered me. Where did that heavenly smell come from? I looked to the other end of the room, where a red-haired female stood with her back to me and had opened the doors leading out to the garden. She was enjoying the view as the wind blew through her hair and sent her powerful and intoxicating scent towards me.

What the hell?

She must have noticed my presence, because suddenly she started to turn around and … f*cking hell, she was so beautiful! Her face an oval shape, with flaming red hair to frame it and this pale skin with a few freckles dancing over her nose. She had deep chocolate-colored eyes that just drew me in. She wore a black top and ripped jeans together with some boots and dark gloves on her hands. She looked almost dangerous.

Mate!

Oh no … No … No … No … that wasn’t true.

I refused to believe it was true, but my wolf, who had moved to a very dark part of my mind where I couldn’t reach him since Jane died, suddenly came crashing to the surface, now desperate for the little female in front of us. I shook my head, grabbing the handle harder to keep me in place. I had never before been so overpowered by him.

Mate! Mark her! Mark her now!

He clearly wanted her with a desperate need, most likely afraid she would be taken from us if we didn’t … he didn’t get to claim her, but I would not claim her. I loved only one female! I loved only Jane and she would always be my only mate. I would never have another!

“F*cking sh*t,” I heard her breathe.

It seemed like she had come to realize who I was to her as well, and even if I wanted to move and get out of there right away I just couldn’t move. My legs refused to listen to me. Goddess, why are you so cruel? I wondered. I had already had the perfect mate and she was taken from me. Now she sent me a new one? Did she just get off on torturing me?!

The little redhaired female and I were staring at each other, both completely frozen and unable to do anything, but then slowly she narrowed her eyes at me, and I saw her hands turn into tight fists. A threatening aura came from her, and it looked like she wanted to … kill me?

“You have got to be kidding me,” she said.

I looked at her confused. Why was she mad? She walked over to me with determined steps, and her vanilla scent only got stronger, almost making me growl in a possessive way and also to show I did not approve of her threatening energy that was clearly meant for me.

“Reject me! Reject me now!” she ordered me.

She wanted me to do what?