The Luna of Pearl and Silver

Chapter 9: Guarded Hearts

After the commotion had died down and the other werewolves had left, Thessalia gazed at Marcus with a mixture of appreciation and melancholy in her heart. "Thank you," she said softly. She hesitated before speaking in a cold tone, "Alpha Marcus, I appreciate your concern for me, but I can take care of myself."

As Thessalia spoke, her voice held a hint of bitterness and resentment that Marcus couldn't help but notice. He furrowed his brow, unsure of how to respond to her cold tone. "I know you're capable, Thessalia," he said cautiously. "But that doesn't mean I don't want to protect you. As an Alpha of this pack, I care about all the pack members, and I don't want to see you hurt."

Ignoring him, Thessalia looked away with her guarded expression. "Is there a reason you're hanging out there?" she said softly, changing the subject. "Shouldn't you be with Charice?"

Marcus sighed inwardly at her cool tone. He took a step closer to her, hoping to bridge the distance between them. He could sense the tension between them, and he was hesitant to push the issue. He knew that their recent encounter with the rogue werewolf pack had left them all on edge, and he didn't want to add any more tension to the already delicate situation.

Instead, he answered her question. "Charice is with the other pack members in the event."

“And you are here instead. Shouldn’t you be there as the host?”

"Charice was worried about you as there were rogues roaming around in the forest. She urged me to find you and wanted to make sure you were okay." He paused for a moment before adding, "Anyway, what are you doing back there?"

Thessalia's gaze turned towards him, her eyes icy and sharp. "That’s not your concern," she replied, her voice growing cold. "But I'm fine. Just needed a moment for myself."

Marcus nodded, understanding. "I get that." he said.

They stood there for a few moments in silence, both feeling the tension between them. As they both retreated into their own thoughts, the tension between them only grew stronger. It was clear that they couldn't continue avoiding each other forever, but the fear of what would happen when they finally faced each other was paralyzing. They both knew that they needed to confront the situation head-on, but they also knew that it wouldn't be easy.

Finally, Marcus broke the silence. He cleared his throat and took a step closer to Thessalia. He could sense her discomfort, but he didn't know how to ease the tension between them.

As Marcus stepped closer, Thessalia tensed up slightly, but didn't move away. She kept her eyes fixed on the ground, unwilling to meet his gaze. Marcus could feel the weight of their unresolved issues hanging between them, and he knew that he had to do something to break the tension.

"Thessalia, I think we need to talk."

Thessalia paused, feeling uncertain about how to respond to Marcus. However, before she could respond, she heard her name being called from the distance and quickly walked .

"Thessalia!"

It was Charice, calling out to her. Thessalia breathed a small sigh of relief, grateful for the interruption.

"I have to go," she said quickly, before turning and walking away.

Thessalia also knew that she couldn't keep running away from Marcus forever, but she didn't want to risk revealing their one-night stand to anyone, especially not Charice, her family or her best friends Lynn and Sophia.

As she walked away, Marcus stood there for a moment longer, lost in thought. He knew he needed to talk to her about what had happened between them, but he also didn't want to make things more complicated than they already were. He sighed heavily and ran a hand through his hair, feeling frustrated and unsure of how to proceed.

Meanwhile, Thessalia's mind was racing with thoughts of her own. She couldn't believe that she had slept with Marcus, her Alpha and friend, and she didn't know how to deal with the aftermath. She couldn't risk revealing their secret to anyone, especially not Charice, her sister and confidante. She knew that she had to face Marcus eventually, but the fear of the consequences of their actions weighed heavily on her.

Charice caught up to her, concern etched on her face. "Are you okay? You look terrible," she said. "I heard about what happened and I was worried that you went out alone in the forest, so I asked Marcus to look for you."

Her eyes were filled with worry and Thessalia appreciated her concern. "I'm fine," Thessalia replied, trying to sound convincing. "Marcus found me and we took care of the situation."

"I'm just glad you're safe. But is everything really okay?"

She forced a smile, trying to play it off. "Yeah, it was a close call, but I'm okay now. Thanks for asking anyway."

Charice didn't seem fully convinced, but she decided not to probe further. "You should be grateful to Marcus," she said. "He's the one who came to check on you."

Thessalia's heart skipped a beat at the mention of Marcus's name. "Yeah, I know," she said softly, avoiding Charice's gaze. “Let's just head back to the pack.”

When Thessalia grabbed her hand and was about to go, Charice asked, “Where is Marcus then?”

Without turning her head, Thessalia replied, “I think he was still back there.”

Right after she mentioned his name, Thessalia felt a sudden jolt of surprise as Marcus appeared from the shadowy bushes nearby.

She hadn't even noticed him there before, but now he was standing before them, his dark eyes fixed on her. She could feel the tension between them once again, and she wondered if Charice could sense it too.

"Hey,

Charice," Marcus said, nodding to her. "I’ve found Thessalia. She's okay."

Thessalia felt her heart raced as she looked at Marcus. She wasn't sure if she was ready to face him yet, but here he was, standing right in front of her. She could feel his eyes on her, and she wondered what he was thinking.

"Thanks, Marcus," Charice said, smiling at him. "I'm glad she's alright. You always have a way of finding people, don't you?"

Marcus shrugged, a hint of a smile playing at the corners of his lips. "It's just a talent," he said.

Thessalia couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy as she watched the easy banter between Charice and Marcus. She had never been that comfortable around him, and now she felt like she was a third wheel on the outside looking in.

This time she stood there silently, feeling a sense of isolation and sadness. Her eyes remained fixed on the ground, not wanting to draw any attention to herself.