The Dark Alpha's Light

Rules for a Luna

Torben

I woke up with my face nestled in the back of her neck, breathing in her scent. I had another dream about the day my father died, and I was left becoming Alpha at a young age. I hadn’t personally witnessed the crash that took his life; I still lived with the images. He had been drinking heavily after a devastating attack that left us with thirty dead warriors and broken families. So Father did what he did best and drank until he was in an enraged stupor which caused him to fight with Mother, and he left to cool off, but instead of running in wolf form, he drove off in his new Porsche. I still remember my mother howling in pain when she felt him die. That day I vowed not to allow alcohol in my territory. I would not allow another family to be torn apart by the poison.

I sigh and watch her sleeping for a moment. The room is mostly dark, with the early tendrils of sunlight coming through the thick drapes. Lenore snores softly and seems comfortable in my arms. I have to admit that she is the most beautiful creature I have ever laid my eyes on. I move a strand of her long brown hair behind her ear and softly kiss her shoulder. She smiles in her sleep as I gently unwind my arms from her and rise from bed. I glance at the clock. It’s a few minutes before my alarm is set to go off.

I like to take an hour to train in the morning before breakfast and get to work. I rise from the bed and walk into my closet to throw on my workout shorts and a grey t-shirt. I step out and look at Lenore. She is curled up facing my side of the bed. Set mumbles happily in my head as I look at my mate. I lean down and kiss her cheek before leaving the room.

It takes me about ten minutes to walk to the training facility. It was completed last year and is state of the art. Everyone who is able to is required to train in my pack. They don’t all have to become warriors, but I want everyone to at least know the basics.

“Good morning, Alpha Torben,” My head trainer Glenn Barker bows to me. Glenn is a few years older than me and one of my best warriors.

I nod to him, “Good morning, Warrior,” I address him.

“I heard you brought our Luna home yesterday,” He says, and I give a low grunt.

“You heard right,” I grumble.

He lifts an eyebrow with a low chuckle, “That bad?”

I shake my head, “I’m here to train, Warrior,” I order him, and he huffs and salutes.

“Do your warmups then, Alpha,” He gestures and turns away from me.

I get started, and after running twenty laps, I walk back to my trainer, and my Gamma is standing beside him. Set lets out a growl. I remember smelling his scent on Lenore, and it made Set angry. Gamma Frederick eyes me and throws up his hands.

“Look, all I did was introduce myself to your mate, Alpha,” He explains.

I nod, “I know,” I reply. “It was Set that was angry.”

‘Don’t put the anger all on me,’ Set grumbles.

I ignore the wolf and face my gamma, “Are you ready to spar?” I ask my gamma.

“Let me warm up first,” He huffs. “I can't wait till Garth gets back,” He laughs.

“Who?” I ask with a raised eyebrow.

“Beta Garth,” He responds and begins his warmups.

I move over to some dummies to work out with while waiting for Gamma Frederick to warm up.

“Okay, I’m ready, Alpha,” My gamma says from behind me.

We walk to the center of the field and get into our fighting stances. Gamma Frederick comes right for me, and I deftly dodge him. We spar pretty rough, and we both become covered in bruises and wounds. After nearly an hour, I flip him over my shoulder and pin him to the ground with my claws buried in the flesh of his shoulder.

“f**k!” Gamma Frederick curses. “Seriously, Alpha?”

I stand up and help him to his feet, “You will be okay,” I tell him as blood runs down his chest.

“It’s going to take all day to heal, and I have patrols to do,” He grumbles as a medic runs up to him. He sits on a bench and allows the woman to clean his wound.

“Oh, you may need stitches, Gamma,” The medic tells him.

“You aren’t still mad at me for talking to your mate, are you?” Frederick says to me with anger.

“No, I told you that was Set,” I explain while my wolf huffs.

“Right,” He shakes his head. “You know I have a mate, Alpha. I would do nothing to dishonor Lana. I love her. I was just merely being kind and welcoming your mate.”

“I know, Frederick,” I growl. “I told you it was Set that got angry.”

He shakes his head, “I get it. You have waited a long time to meet your mate. It’s all new to you.”

I sit on the bench beside him and sip some water. “I’m still unsure what to think about her,” I admit.

“None of us knew what to think,” Frederick chuckles. “I was speechless the first time I met Lana. I was floored that such a beautiful woman was mated to me.”

I nudge him, “You are a good-looking guy.”

“Thanks,” He snorts. “But just try not to be you,” He gestures to me.

“She refuses to call me by my name and only calls me Alpha Ambrose,” I sigh and rise from the bench. “I only need a mate to produce my heir. I don’t need love or anything like that,” I growl, and Set whimpers.

“Everyone needs love, Alpha,” My gamma tells me.

I say nothing to him and start walking back to the packhouse. Set is pacing in my head, and I have to shove him to the back of my mind. I stop in the kitchens and grab a quick breakfast. I acknowledge the omegas before walking out and heading back up to my room.

Her scent engulfs me as I enter. She is on the bed, snoring softly. I can’t help but stand over her and admire her beauty. ‘Kiss her,’ Set urges. ‘Mark her and make her ours forever.’

I shake my head and walk into the bathroom. The hot water of the shower feels good on my bruised muscles as my mind wanders to thoughts of Lenore. I think about her in the throes of pleasure as I pump into her while she screams my name.

I let out a growl, ‘Set.’

‘What?’ He huffs.

‘You are being a pervert,’ I respond.

‘I am no such thing, Torben,’ Set argues. ‘Those are your thoughts. I imagine myself with Astrid.’

I sigh and try to shake the thoughts from my head.

‘It's okay to admit that you are falling for your mate, Torben,’ Set argues.

‘I am not falling for her. She is only here to provide me with an heir,’ I grumble and turn off the shower. I quickly dry off, wrap the towel around my waist, and step into the bedroom. I notice that she is awake.

I catch those blue eyes staring at me. I stare back at her for a moment while Set pants in my head. He is trying to get me to mark her. I ignore him and walk into the closet to get dressed.

Lenore is sitting up on the bed when I step into the bedroom. I stare at her, admiring how her long hair hangs down her shoulders. I admire her beauty, and my heart races. She stares back, and a small smile forms on her lovely face. I allow some semblance of a smile to work its way onto my face.

‘She is only here to make me an heir,’ I remind myself. I cannot allow myself to fall into the mate bond trap.

“Get up and get dressed,” I order her and watch her face fall. “After you get dressed and eat some breakfast come to my office so I can go over your schedule,” I order her and walk out of the room before she can reply.

‘Smooth,’ Set snorts. ‘Are you trying to push her away?’

‘She is just here to make me an heir, Set,’ I tell him. He says nothing else as I hurry downstairs and walk into my office. I sit behind the desk and turn on my computer. I begin answering emails and phone messages. I call Beta Garth to get a status on the conference. While on another phone call, there is a knock on the door, and the scent tells me it’s Lenore.

I take a deep breath, “Come in,” I respond, and she slinks in. My mate is wearing a white button-up shirt with a straight black skirt. Her long hair is neatly braided, and those blue eyes sparkle as she stops in front of the desk. I gesture to the chair in front of my desk, and she sits down.

Her blue eyes dart around the office and stop at the portrait of my father.

“Thank you, Mr. Hanson. I will call you in a few days for a follow-up,” I say to the general managers of one of my hotels.

“No, thank you, Alpha Ambrose,” Mr. Hanson responds.

I hang up the phone, and Lenore looks away from me, so I clear my throat, and she turns those eyes on me. My breath hitches in my throat, and it takes me a moment to compose myself. “You are new here, so I thought I would go over some rules and expectations.”

She rolls her eyes but says nothing but folds her arms and leans into the seat.

“I must say, though, that I am impressed with how you are dressed,” I tell her.

She looks down at her clothes and shrugs, “I acted as the Luna of my pack after my mother died. My father expected me to dress like this when I was working,” She explains.

I have to refrain from smiling. “Your father taught you well on that.” I place my hands on the desk. “First rule, my word in this pack is final. That’s not to say I won’t consider your opinions on things, but I will make the final decisions.”

“I’m surprised that I am allowed an opinion,” She chuckles dryly.

“You are my mate, Ms. Moonglade,” I remind her. It pains me to call her by her last name, but she refuses to use my first name, so I am giving her the same courtesy. “Two, you will get up at the same time as me every morning to train. In this pack, every member who is able to is required to train. I assume you trained back at Moonglade?”

She nods, “Yes, I trained hard.”

“And I have that same expectation here. Though should a threat arise, I expect you to get all the nonfighters into the shelter and keep them safe,” I explain to her.

“I did that at home.”

“Then you should be familiar with the motion. I will show you the location of the shelters and give you the codes for all of the doors. I also expect you to maintain the supplies,” I continue, and she nods. “Third, and this is important. I do not allow any alcohol in this territory. It is strictly forbidden. Nor do I allow pack members to leave the territory to go to bars and get drunk. If they are caught, the punishment is severe, and I will not hesitate to punish you should you violate that rule.”

“Interesting,” she muses. “You know you smell like Scotch.”

I raise an eyebrow, “I do?”

She nods slowly, “My father likes his Scotch, but you reek of it.”

“Funny, you smell like Chamomile,” I almost laugh but refrain. I take a deep breath. “Now, I realize you probably expect us to fall in love and become picture-perfect mates, but you are just here to provide me with an heir.”

Her face falls, and tears well up in her eyes, “So, you only brought me here to be a broodmare, great,” She says with a touch of sadness. She looks away from me and stands up. “Is that all?”

I try to do my best not to let her sadness affect me. “My mother will be home tomorrow, and she will help you learn how to become the Luna of this pack.”

Lenore nods slowly. “I see. So, I will be the Luna in name only?”

“Yes,” I reply. “You are dismissed, Ms. Moonglade.”

She says nothing and hurries out of the office. Set is in my head howling for her, but I have to resist the urge to go after her.

‘We have work to do, Set,’ I remind him.

‘You are an i***t, Torben. You have to see your fated mate as something more than a broodmare. She will be so much more to you,’ He pleads with me.

‘I don’t want to discuss it, Set,’ I grumble at him.

‘You are making a grave mistake pushing her away, Torben,’ Set argues.

‘I have a reputation to maintain, and I can’t do it if I let myself become influenced by the mate bond,’ I nearly yell at him.

‘You don’t deserve her,’ He says before sulking in the back of my head.

The rest of the day is nothing but work. I pause briefly to eat lunch, but otherwise, it’s a solid work day. When it is nearly dinner time, I rise from the desk and stretch before leaving for the day.

The scent of Chamomile lingers in the halls as I let myself follow it. I find Lenore curled up on one of the couches in the library with a stack of books around her. She is reading one of the older tomes as I step toward her. She doesn’t seem to notice me for a few moments until I clear my throat.

She looks up and blinks, “Oh, s**t,” she shakes her head. “I get lost in books sometimes,” she mumbles. “Did I miss something?”

“No,” I respond.

“Did you need something?” She asks without really looking at me.

“No,” I sigh. I stand there awkwardly, trying to think of something to say. “Would you like to have dinner with me?” I finally ask her.

She shakes her head, “I wouldn’t want you to develop any real feelings for me, Alpha Ambrose. And having dinner together may make you break your resolve.”

My anger rises at her insolence while Set laughs in my head. “Fine,” I grumble and rush out of the library. I lean against a wall. ‘Breathe, Torben.’ I slide my hand down my face. I get up to my room, take off my suit, and dress in a pair of grey pants and a white sweater. I order some dinner to be brought up while I sit in my chair by the fireplace and pick up my book. I thumb through it and find the spot I last left off. I spend several hours reading and ignore my dinner. Her scent reaches my senses before she slinks into the room.

She refuses to look at me as she rushes into the closet. She walks out a moment later with clothes in her arms. I can’t help but watch her every movement. She does her best to ignore me, but I hear her shudder.

‘I want to meet Astrid,’ Set speaks up. ‘You two may not want each other, but I want my mate.’

‘I want her,’ I retort.

‘For breeding,’ He snorts. ‘But I want to see Astrid in person and rest my muzzle in her fur.’

‘Fine, we’ll go on a run tomorrow night, alright?’ I tell my wolf.

He huffs, ‘I wish you would see her a more than someone to give you heirs. She has been through a lot and works hard, according to Astrid. She is a strong fighter and very intelligent. She can provide you with so much more than heirs.’

‘I don’t want to talk about it, Set!’ I yell at him.

Lenore slinks out of the bathroom, wearing just a silky pink nightgown. She keeps her eyes downcast as she plops on the couch and picks up her phone. I sigh and return to my book. It’s another half hour before I close it and walk over to the bed. Lenore is still on the couch. I step toward her.

“You should be getting to bed. You have to get up early,” I tell her.

She huffs, “I’ll find my way into bed when I am ready, Alpha Ambrose.”

My heart hurts to hear her call me Alpha. “I wish you would call me Torben,” I remark and turn away from her. I climb into bed and lay on my back. It doesn’t take me long to fall into a fitful sleep. I awake hours later with Lenore in my arms. She sleeps soundly while my nose is once again buried in her neck. I inhale deeply and let myself fall back asleep to the sound of my mate’s soft snoring.