Wild Wolves

Chapter 8 – Alpha V Luna

Lexis’s POV

Nyack howled. I told him to shut the fvck up, so I could think. I needed her. I would only become my best, my strongest and my most powerful with her by my side. But this was ultimately her decision. Either way, I had the power. I was glad to see she didn’t look as worried about our predicament as her family did about her.

There was hope. ‘She will make her own decision, Nyack. Her wolf will want you. But she will reject us if you keep pushing through. You will scare her!’ I growled at him, as he continued to bait me.

She looked a little timid, but I could tell she was a strong and capable woman. She just needed her family to believe in her ability to be independent. The goddess wouldn’t have chosen her for me if she didn’t have the ability to be a good Luna. This was what I was counting on.

Once the decision was made, she came with me and we left. Her family despised me. She could barely look at me and I wondered why she had chosen to come with me and not reject me.

The only reason I could think of was that she was like every other woman I had ever been with. Power-hungry, with a desperate desire to be Luna, and hold all the authority that comes with it. I didn’t care that was the reason though, each to their own.

This pairing was not going to be easy; I didn’t want her for any other reason than I needed my fated mate and the pack needed a Luna, but her scent was distracting. I needed to keep some distance from her so I could think straight.

I also needed to hide her from my father, until we could come to an agreement. We needed to be on the same page. Once it is in place, and we are mated and marked, I can gain my strength, and there is nothing my father can do about who she is. It would be too late.

In the car on the way back to the pack, I tried to keep my eyes forward. I mind-linked Abe to discuss my plan. The look on his face told me he disapproved before he had even responded, but he knew my father, and he knew we had no choice.

‘Get Cal the lap dog to do your dirty work, Lex. I want nothing to do with it. And you had better tell her what you are planning. Seriously, Kimmi is going to go ape sh.it when she finds out.' His cheerful banter was currently a thing of the past.

He was right, she would be p.issed, but I could handle her. She wasn’t as smart or strong as she made out to be. Abe and I had been friends for a long time and when he and Kimmi announced they were mates, we were all a little surprised.

Abe announced they were fated mates a few weeks after she had turned 18. I was surprised he didn’t tell us straight away, but he was always a little secretive when it came to his private life. He had been waiting for as long as me for his mate, but unlike me, he was keen to find her.

Kimmi was quiet, kind, and always prepared to help, but she wasn’t as feisty as she claimed to be. She was much more the homemaker type. Even though they were fated, Abe was not into personal displays of affection and we often joked about how the goddess broke the mould with him.

Everyone knew werewolves had little control around their mate, but not Abe. He had incredible self-control. This was precisely why I needed to handle this situation with Mylee. I wanted us to be amicable. However, I didn’t want our expectations to be confused.

Her family clearly disliked me, and I didn’t like them. Her reasons for coming with me were questionable. She wanted to be Luna, fine. But she was still from a pack I didn’t trust, and Dad had warned me about them.

Making a contract seemed like a fair and open way in which we were both clear about our expectations. The NDA was essential. I didn’t need her running to her brother with all our pack affairs. We had managed to keep to ourselves all this time and I wasn’t about to allow that to change.

I wasn’t opposed to having a relationship with her. In fact, if she chose not to be intimate with me, then we would have a problem. However, I wasn’t about to make her have s.ex with me. I wasn’t an ogre, and I certainly didn’t intend to make her feel like she had to.

One thing I wasn’t going to accept, though, was her being with another man. The pain I saw my mother going through was not something I wanted to experience. Nor did I intend to put her through that.

I was known for being callous and insensitive, but in general, only to those that deserved it. She had given me no reason to think that she did and until she did, I would respect our boundaries, keep our relationship professional and abide by the contractual agreement. If she signed it.

If she didn’t want a s.exual relationship, I would respect that, but she would have to agree to it at least once, to complete the union, which had to be done. I just hoped she would be a willing participant because I wasn’t prepared to consummate our relationship if she wasn’t.

I made a note to myself to add that to the contract, so she was fully aware of my intentions and what she would be agreeing to. I didn’t want her going into this blind. If she chose not to sign, I would drive her to the border of Scafell.

We could reject each other, it would be her choice, and I would have lost nothing. Dad would be none the wiser, and we could both move on. Hopefully, I would get another mate. If it caused a war between our packs, so be it.

I had yet to sign the treaty and after the stunt, they pulled today I wasn’t sure I wanted to anyway. I had managed to buy myself some time on that front, but Dad wasn’t going to be happy. At this point, it was damage limitation. It would have to wait until Mylee had made her decision.

I spent the rest of the day in my office, creating the contract, and avoiding her. Cal had said she was settled in her room. Well, he didn’t quite say it like that, but it was easier to think of it like that. When I finally had finished putting it together, I took it to her.

She was asleep, and even entering the room hadn’t disturbed her. I put the contract into the desk drawer and let her sleep. I returned later, hoping we could agree on whether this was going to be worth my time.

When I returned later, she was still asleep, and I sat on the edge of the bed and watched her as she slowly woke. She shifted so she was as far from me as possible. Nyack whined, her actions clearly showing her distaste for me. I felt like I was in a trance.

Her beauty was obvious, but it was her scent that was intoxicating. I couldn’t think straight. “You said you didn’t want to reject me. You asked me to come with you! I am here, Lexis. What do you want from me?”

I smiled inwardly. She was bold and direct, and I liked that she had a bit of a fight in her. But her eyes glared with distrust and anger towards me. It was profound and a little unnerving. She didn’t feel the bond the way I did. I was glad I had drafted the contract. It made this easier.

I thought she would be happy if I had been honest with her. Instead, it seemed to fuel her distaste. I wasn’t expecting her to love me, but this wouldn’t work if she couldn’t even look at me without disgust. She may as well leave. The sooner we accepted this was a mistake the better for us both.

Then she surprised me, “I said I don’t trust you, or like your particularity. I didn’t say I wanted to leave.” I liked her confidence, but her words confused me.

“If you don’t like me, why would you want to stay?” I was curious. Women were hard work. I could make no sense of her. Did she want to be Luna so badly, that she would stay somewhere she despised with someone who she clearly loathed?

“Why do you want me to stay if you don’t trust me? Just because being mated to your fated mate makes you stronger? Does your pack need a Luna that badly? Before I make any decisions about anything, Lexis, you can sit down and tell me exactly what it is you want and expect from me. Then, I will tell you what I want and expect from you in return. If we agree, I will stay.” With her hand firmly on her hip, she stood defiant.

I couldn’t help but find her outburst sexy. Her eyes danced with determination as she spoke. However, her intent was obvious. I could see why the goddess paired us, we both wanted something, and this way, we would both get it.

I can’t say I wasn’t disappointed she didn’t feel the bond the way I did. Part of me had hoped my mate would want me for more than my title. However, I had come to accept that the mate bond was more of a curse than a gift if mistreated.

At least we were both going into this with our eyes wide open. “Seems fair.” She had a right to have some expectations, but I didn’t want her to demand more than was reasonable. “Don’t expect too much though, little bird, or I’ll open the cage and let you fly out the window”.

“If WE don’t agree, I hope that you can respect the decision WE came to, and take me back, unharmed. IF it comes to that, I will make it perfectly clear to my brother, and the pack, that it was mutually agreed, and you will receive no retaliation from us.” I wasn’t sure where her outburst came from.

I may be direct, practical, and realistic, but I was no woman beater. Her inference that I would harm her was unwarranted and it stung. She was the one that said she was like a caged bird; I was simply telling her if we couldn’t agree she was free to leave.

I tried to ignore the intense anger building in me at her brazen words. Refusing to even acknowledge it, I was more interested to know how she thought she had any control over her brother and the pack. “You can’t promise that.”

“You underestimate me.” she stepped forward, with fire in her eyes, “I can. And I will.”

I could tell she believed it to be true. “You seem confident, little bird.”

“I am,” she responded, breathily.

Her proximity was clouding my judgement. I wanted nothing more than to lean down and kiss her, but that would just complicate things. We had a contract to sign, and I would not allow her beauty and the mate bond to distract me from that reality.

I would not allow her to use her feminine prowess to fool me into making it more advantageous and favourable to her than me. I held the power here and while I admired her attempt at seducing me to gain favour, I was not going to concede.

Even as she tripped, and I reacted instinctively to help her, I knew it was another way for her to use the mate bond against me. She was good, but I was better. I had more than my fair share of experience with women like that, and I was wise to her games.

I averted my gaze before her games started to work. Walking over to a small desk in the corner of the room, I opened the top drawer and pulled out the contract. “Here. This is my proposal. I will return tomorrow so you can tell me what you wish for in return, and I will have the contract amended, if we can come to an agreement.” I left it on the desk and walked away before she could accost me again.

“Fine.” She nodded curtly, clearly annoyed I had spoiled her game. “I will look over it after I have called my family. I haven’t told them I am okay.” Nice try, little bird, not happening.

“I have your phone. Once the contract is signed or declined, you may have it back.” I turned to leave; I couldn’t spend another minute in there with her. “Cal will bring you something to eat. You missed dinner.”

I was no longer in the mood for conversation. I had hoped for a less calculating mate, but at least we both knew where we stood. I guess that makes a good Luna. My mother hadn’t been that way, and look where that got her.

‘Same again Lex. Seems like a false sighting. Sorry dude. Look, do you not think it is time to give this up?’ As soon as I shut the door, Abe’s voice sounded in my head.

His insistence on making me accept defeat was less than welcome. ‘If Taije fvucked off, never to be seen or heard from again, would you give up?’ I spat back.

‘I would have helped that moody, sarcastic, irritable teenager pack.’ He retorted.

Okay, so wrong analogy. Taije was his little sister, and she was certainly proving to be quite the handful. I knew they were having problems with her, but as much as he joked, I could hear the truth in his words.

‘Well, I’m not you, and don’t think for a minute I don’t know you miss her as much as I do. I know you always thought she was going to be your mate, Abe.’

‘Yeah, well she’s not, and it’s been ten fvucking years Lex, if she wanted to be found, she would have come back by now. Just give it up!’ he roared angrily and blocked off our connection.

I knew I had overstepped, but Mylee had fvcked with my head and I took it out on him. I knew he had loved Elisha for his entire childhood. Dad could see it and made it clear he wasn’t happy about it. He split them up as much as he could.

We all thought they would be mates, even Elisha, and as much as it pained me to say it, I had hoped that they were. If I was going to have to accept anyone being mated to her, I could have coped with it being him. They complimented each other.

Dad, on the other hand, didn’t like Abe. He didn’t think he was good enough for her. He didn’t think anyone was, truth be told, but Abe was an omega. Elisha was set to be Alpha, the first female Alpha of our pack. It was always a hot topic of conversation.

Dad ensured I knew how to manage the role because even though she was strong, intelligent and would make a formidable leader, she was unpredictable and idealistic. I, on the other hand, was dependable, sensible, and committed.

Dad often told me Elisha would skip training and refuse to follow procedure and protocol and he was concerned about her ability to lead. But as Abe began to show promise and I helped him train, I had hoped she would settle and take it seriously.

We were only 14, and Elisha was 16. We had a long way to go before any of it would be realised, but it was imperative that we start our training young to ensure we were equipped to undertake the huge responsibilities ahead of us.

Responsibilities Elisha clearly decided she didn’t want. When she bailed on us, it wasn’t only me she hurt. Abe was devastated. He didn’t care about the Alpha title. In fact, we used to joke about him being a Luna. He did care about her though. She broke his heart.

She also broke Mums. It was around this time that things between Mum and Dad started to change, and I blamed Elisha for it, for a long time. It wasn’t until Mum was in the hospital for what seemed like the millionth time, that in her drug-induced state she said something that intrigued me.

She blamed Dad for Elisha leaving. She wouldn’t elaborate, but she was adamant it was his fault. When she sobered up, I tried to question her more, but she insisted she was just off her head, and it wasn’t true. I didn’t believe her.

When our lead tracker said they thought they had seen her at Coldfell, the day Alpha Aldine died, I questioned him for hours. He described her wolf, and I was certain it was her he had seen. Cato her wolf was unmistakable.

Ever since then, we had tried to track her, but the trail, while seemingly there, always went cold. I knew she was gifted, but I couldn’t quite understand how she managed to evade us at every corner. I began to think that I had just wanted to see her so badly, that we had fabricated the evidence to make it fit.

But I wasn’t ready to give up yet. Even if she was this close to us and never bothered to get in touch. I think that’s what hurt the most. She abandoned me, Abe, mum and dad and our pack, but I still loved her. We had been very close once, a long time ago.