The Quiet Luna

Chapter 8. Torin

I spent the morning trying to focus on work, but my mind kept drifting back to Odessa. I couldn’t help but feel a little envious of Zade. While I fidgeted and read the same sentence three or four times, he was holed up with his mate. I huffed out a sigh.

“Dude, you are driving me crazy!” Wynne snapped.

My head snapped up, surprised that I had been so obvious. I thought I’d been keeping my emotions in check better, but looking at the irritated expression on Wynne’s face told me I hadn’t been doing as good a job as I had thought. “Sorry, it’s just…”

“Yeah, yeah,” he said good naturedly. “Look, I don’t know how you’re coping with this. When I found Candice, there wasn’t a force on Earth that could have stopped me from making her mine officially.” I opened my mouth, but Wynne held up a hand to stop me. “I know. What she went through and she’s recovering, and blah blah blah. I get it, and I know why you can’t mark her yet, but man, you’ve got to do something. At least kiss the girl!”

“We’ve come close a few times,” I admitted. “But we always seem to get interrupted, and maybe that’s for the best. I don’t want her to feel like I’m rushing her. And I definitely don’t want her to feel like she doesn’t have a choice here.”

Wynne stared at me with his mouth hanging open slightly. “A choice? Torin are you high? You’re fated mates! It’s not really a choice! She’s meant to be with you! She’s meant to lead the pack with you! Choice, huh!” he scoffed.

“She does have a choice!” I insisted. “If she doesn’t want this- if she doesn’t want me,” it came out nearly as a whisper, pain lancing through my chest at the thought of her rejecting me.

“Torin, I say this with all the love and respect I have for you as my best friend, my chosen brother, and my Alpha. You are an idiot.” I glared at him, but he ignored my look. “That girl is so smitten with you. I know she’s been through a lot, but anyone with half a brain can see how she looks at you. She feels the mate bond, and she wants to move forward. Trust me, man, I’m one of the ones that interrupted your moment. The girl wants you.”

I ran a hand through my hair and weighed his words. If he was right, it would be the best news of my life, but I still felt a need to hold back. “I just feel that under the circumstances, I can’t just treat her the way normal mates tend to… react. I don’t want to just take her and make that decision for her. I want to…. I don’t know…” I gestured around hopelessly, not quite sure what it was I was trying to say.

“Romance her,” Wynne said with a knowing nod. As soon as he said it, it clicked in to place that it was exactly what I wanted to do.

I slouched in my chair, feeling a little defeated. My father had been a good Alpha, maybe a little domineering and strict at times, but I had to admit he had been a good Alpha. He wasn’t a good father, however, and he was even less ideal as a mate. One year for my mother’s birthday, he bought himself a new set of golf clubs, telling her his gift for her was time away from him while he went golfing. The sad thing was, it was probably the most thoughtful thing he'd ever done for her. As least it didn’t leave her black and blue. “You know I’m not good at romance. I don’t even know where to start,” I sulked.

“Pack a picnic lunch and take her to the pond,” Wynne suggested.

“Be serious,” I growled back.

“I am serious!” he insisted. “I think Odessa would get overwhelmed with some huge gesture or fancy dinner. The girl’s been locked away for years. Being out in the fresh air would be good for her, for both of you really, and the pond is pretty. I bet she’d love it.”

I sat back and thought about it. Maybe he had a point. Plus, the pond was remote enough that it was less likely anyone would accidentally interrupt us. I looked at the clock and stood up, realizing it was almost lunch time. “Come on,” I said over my shoulder. “You’re going to help me pack the most romantic picnic lunch ever.”

Wynne followed me to the kitchen and half an hour later, we had a picnic lunch packed. It wasn’t anything special- sandwiches, potato salad, some fruit that looked a little like a pink grenade but smelled nice, brownies, and a bottle of wine- but I was just excited to be able to spend time with Odessa. When the girls came down the stairs for lunch, she looked exhausted, and I had a moment of doubt. Maybe she would be too tired to want to venture to the pond. Before I could voice my concerns, though, she looked up at me and her eyes seemed to twinkle. I couldn’t help the grin that spread across my face. Maybe Wynne had a point; maybe she really was feeling the mate bond.

The pond wasn’t very far away, but I knew Odessa was already tired from the morning, so I packed us into an SUV, and drove the short distance. I wasn’t used to the silence, the women I had in my life were always chatting away happily. I didn’t really know what to say, and it felt weird to have a one sided conversation, so I kept quiet. My thoughts were racing, however, and by the time I pulled up by the water, I was doubting every decision I had ever made. I ran a hand through my hair and turned towards her, ready to admit that this was a stupid idea and we could either head back to the pack house, or I could take her to a restaurant for a real meal, but the look on her face stopped me in my tracks. She was sitting forward in her seat, her eyes huge and dancing with wonder at the scene laid out in front of her, a tiny smile played across her rosy pink lips. I turned my attention to the pond and tried to see it the way she did. Wynne was right, it was a pretty spot. There were trees that bordered three quarters of the space, lending their shade. Lilies clustered at the far end while a small spring fed into it at the other side. We were parked just to the side of a grassy clearing that gently sloped towards the water’s edge. Birds flitted among the branches of the trees overhead, ripples in the water crisscrossed as fish swam just below the surface, and a family of turtles sunned themselves on some rocks. The spot really was quite idyllic.

Hopping out of the car, I jogged around to her door and helped her out before collecting the picnic basket from the back seat. I led her to a spot on the grass a short distance away and spread the red checkered blanket out. As I finished smoothing it out, I turned to see her watching me with a curious expression. I smiled at her, causing her cheeks to flush in embarrassment and I couldn’t help but wonder what she had been thinking of while she watched me.

“Are you hungry?” I asked her, not really knowing how to break the silence between us. She nodded shyly and sat on the blanket, looking like she was trying to take up as little space as possible. I spread out beside her and began unpacking the food, finishing by pouring us each a glass of wine. “Cheers!” I smiled at her as I held up my glass. Her cheeks seemed to be permanently pink, and I thought it was the best color I’d ever seen in my life.

We ate and I told her more about our pack, our lands, what I wanted the future to look like. The longer I talked, the easier the words came. She relaxed, but seemed interested in what I had to say. Occasionally, she would reach out her hand to gently touch my arm, stopping my flow of words with a questioning look and I would explain in greater detail. She smiled at me, and I found myself completely distracted by her lips. The wine had put even more color in her soft skin, and I could think of nothing other than tasting her. She seemed to recognize the sudden change of mood, dropping her eyes bashfully, but leaning towards me so imperceptibly that I wasn’t sure she was aware of what she had done.

I moved towards her until our lips were just a breath away, breathing in her intoxicating scent. Her eyes fluttered closed and I ran my thumb along her jaw into her hair, relishing the soft shiver of anticipation from her. I wanted to commit everything about this moment to memory. The feel of her, the scent of our bodies so close, the sounds of shrieking teenagers and the splash of water.

Wait. What?

Odessa jerked away from me, both of us turning startled eyes to the pond where a group of teenagers were now splashing and cavorting in the cool water, destroying our peaceful afternoon. I checked my watch, wondering how long Odessa and I had been sitting here, but only confirmed the teens were supposed to have another two hours of school left! I muttered a string of curses under my breath.

Odessa was shaking beside me, and I turned to her, afraid that she was upset. Instead, I realized that she was laughing. The silent mirth bubbled in her, and she took a sharp intake of breath as tears appeared in the corner of her eyes, her smile captivating. It almost made up for the lost moment of what I had hoped would be our first kiss.

Almost.

I smiled at her and shook my head in exasperation. She squeezed my arm gently as though to say, “Go easy on them.” With a sigh I stood up and walked to the water’s edge, letting my alpha dominance wash over the frolicking kids. They froze in place and turned slowly to look at me with wide, terrified eyes as I scowled down at them.

“This must be a new class I’m unfamiliar with,” I growled at them.

“I… I… I’m s-so sorry, Alpha,” one of the boys stuttered out. “W-we were just… just…”

I glared at him daring him to lie faster. “Cutting school to skinny dip?” I suggested. The truth was, Wynne, Zade, and I had done much the same as many times as we thought we could get away with in school. I couldn’t let these kids know that, though. I bit back the smile that wanted to come, a part of me happy that some things never seemed to change. “I will be speaking to each of your parents.”

“No, Alpha, please!” a petite brunette pleaded. “My dad will kill me!”

I gave her my best withering look, but the tears in her eyes made me pause. Another girl slowly moved towards the brunette, gently wrapping an arm around her shoulders in a comforting gesture. Tingles spread up my arm as Odessa joined me, slipping her hand gently into mine. I looked down at her, wishing I could ask for her opinion. She gave me a small grin before turning towards the teens with a look that could only be described as disappointment. Highly amused now, I turned my gaze back to the pond, amazed to find every face downcast in submission.

“For now, I will show you leniency,” I said with a low warning growl. “You will attend two training sessions every day for a month in addition to your regular duties.”

“Yes, Alpha,” they all intoned miserably.

“And if I catch you skipping classes again, the punishment will be much worse,” I warned. The tiny brunette gulped, and I made a mental note to keep a closer eye on her. Her father was one of my top warriors. I knew he was strict, but I hoped it wasn’t more than that.

“Should… should we go back to school now, Alpha?” a blonde girl asked in a wavering voice.

The words telling them to get out of my sight were on the tip of my tongue, but Odessa squeezed my hand and c****d her head at me with a small shrug.

“She’s got a point,” Hunter chuckled. “Our moment was already ruined, and by the time the kids get back to school, it’ll be the last bell. Tonight’s training can be bad enough.”

“Wait, what do you mean ‘she’s got a point?’” I asked him. “Have you been able to talk to her this entire time and didn’t tell me?”

“Humans,” he rolled his eyes at me. “Body language. She’s quite expressive if you pay attention.”

“I pay attention!” I huffed at him. He simply rolled his eyes again and chuckled at my expense. Annoying wolf.

“You may as well use this stolen time to relax and prepare for the next month,” I said out loud. “All of you will report to the seven o’clock training tonight. Do not be late!”

“Yes, Alpha,” they intoned once again.

I turned away from them before they could see the grin I couldn’t fight back anymore, and walked back to the picnic blanket with Odessa, her tiny hand still clutched in mine. I was reluctant to release her hand, enjoying the feeling of her being so near. Lifting our entwined fingers, I gently kissed her fingertips, watching her eyes darken slightly as the pink blush returned once again to her cheeks. I had half a mind just to yank her into me and capture her lips with mine, but quickly dismissed the idea. I needed to do this right. I needed her to feel cherished and not think of me the same as the brutes from Deep Waters. The thought was like a bucket of ice water thrown on me, and I let go of her hand to start packing up the remnants of our picnic.

As we drove back to the pack house, I wanted to reach for her hand again, but resisted. I wasn’t sure I could stop touching her if I started, and I needed to come up with some sort of plan. Some way to ensure there was no way we could be interrupted again.

I pulled up in front of the pack house and once again jogged around to help her down. When my hands encircled her tiny waist, I felt like a magnet had been engaged and I couldn’t seem to pull myself away from her. Her brilliant green eyes stared at me through her lashes and my body pressed against hers. This wasn’t the most romantic place for a first kiss, but I couldn’t seem to stop myself, and she didn’t seem to mind. Finally, I thought as I lowered my head to hers, engulfed in her sweet scent.

And that’s when the screaming started.