6. First Chat With Lunaris
1635 Words
Alpha Lunaris motioned towards a chair next to him, and I cautiously sat down. My heart thumped in my chest as I remained close to him, feeling vulnerable.
"You," he said, gazing into my eyes once more. "You're the mother of the boys who entertained me earlier, correct?" His question made me nod my head, but I kept my eyes downcast.
"I saw pain on your face when you stood at the entrance of Royale Grandeur. Have you lost someone dear to you?" he spoke soft and slowly, almost whispering as if he was sharing a secret with me.
I nodded, still avoiding his gaze. His concern for me and the tone of his voice stirred my emotions even more.
"Who?" he persisted, his tone was quite kind and compassionate.
The empathy and kindness in his voice broke through my reserve. It was as if the pain I had in my heart began to melt away. I kept my head lowered as his words kept extinguishing my burning heart.
"I don't want to talk about it," I replied after some minutes of silence. Honestly, I felt a sense of relief knowing that someone truly cared.
Alpha Lunaris remained silent for a while, his gaze fixed on me. He seemed to be desperate for me to open up and share my thoughts. A heavy silence hung between us, until he eventually broke it.
"What brought you my lounge?" he asked, his voice low.
I hesitated for a moment and my mind raced with fear and uncertainty. Eventually, I found the courage to speak.
"I believe that my family may have offended yours," I replied softly.
Alpha Lunaris' expression remained impassive, as he listened to me. Then, he spoke again.
"Why do you think that?"
I took a deep breath and murmured.
"I overheard your mother pleading with your brother to forgive my family just now," I said. He fixed his gaze on me as if he was waiting for me to finish before responding. I kept my eyes lowered.
When he turned his head and looked in the direction of three women that sat around a table, I heaved a sigh of relief. I noticed a small smile spread across his face as he looked at them. He returned his gaze and shrugged.
I looked over at the women and studied them intently. Eventually, I spotted a woman who looked exactly like him, and I couldn't help but let out a small laugh.
"Why are you laughing?" he asked. There was a hint of amusement in his voice.
"She is your mom, I guess," I whimpered.
"The woman you overheard is my dad's friend," he revealed. "Alpha Brady is my half brother."
"Oh...," I murmured.
The awkward silence between us lingered for a few moments before I finally spoke.
"I think my family may have offended your half brother. Would you help me find out what we did to them?"
"I'll do my best to help," he agreed without hesitation. "But don't be afraid. This is my pack. I'm the one in charge and I'm here to protect everyone."
His words managed to calm me down, and I nodded gratefully. "Thank you," I said softly before standing up to leave.
As I turned to head towards the door, my eyes caught his again. His gaze was intense, and for a moment, I wondered what he was thinking. But then he simply gave a reassuring nod, and I knew that I could trust him. I turned my head and stepped out.
As I peered into Alpha Brady's lounge, fear immediately gripped me. He and his friends were huddled together, engaged in a hushed conversation. The conversation he had with his mother flooded my mind and heightened my fear.
Suddenly, Alpha Brady lifted his face and locked eyes with me. A shiver ran down my spine as he pulled out a cigar he had on his lips and checked the time on his wristwatch. His deep baritone voice echoed through the room as he asked, "It's 8:30 PM already. What took you so long?"
Struggling to maintain my composure, I stammered out, "I…I…I want to go back to my room," bracing myself for his inevitable outburst. But to my surprise, he simply waved me off. "Go to your room and wait for me. We have a lot to discuss," he said sweetly, drawing smoke from his cigar. "Alpha Zerek has retired."
"Alright," I murmured and turned immediately.
I rushed down the stairs and made my way to my bedroom. Hastily, I grabbed the programmed watch and typed 'MIRA' on it. The red light on the golden wristwatch beeped, followed by a tired voice on the other end.
"Good evening."
"Mira, it's Lily Brown. Where are you?"
"I'm in my room, already in bed," responded Mira.
"Are my pups with you?"
"Yes, they are sound asleep," answered Mira. "They were so tired."
"Thank you, Mira. Can you please tell me where your room is? I want to come get them now," I requested.
Mira thought for a moment before responding, "Meet me at the courtyard."
.
Five minutes later, I met Mira and her helpers in the courtyard. They were carrying the sleeping boys on their shoulders, with one of them holding our small luggage. They followed me to my room and carefully set the boys down on the bed.
"I bathed and fed them well," Mira said.
"Thank you, Mira," I said with a grateful smile. She returned my smile, shrugged, and left.
.
I was filled with immense gratitude as I looked the at children who were bathed and fed. It was the first time I had ever received any assistance.
I had been carrying the burden of taking care of them alone since I was 17. I cooked, clean and changed their diapers. I sent them to daycare before going to school. It was tough for me then but I never complained. No one ever cared. What Mira did might be small in her eyes and I wish I could explain to her how powerful her action was to me. Even my mom and blood sister had never done it.
I quickly changed into light nightwear and stood behind the window, staring at the magnificent view. I could see security guards patrolling the area with guns. I was so lost in thoughts of what Mira did that I didn't even realize I had left the door open until I felt a hand slide across my waist. I shuddered and tried to turn around, but his grip on my waist tightened. I held onto the windowsill to keep myself from being pulled away by the mysterious hand.
For the first time since my wolf had awakened, I perceived the scent of mate arousal, and suddenly, I was thrown into heat. My grip on the windowsill weakened. The hand slowly turned me around, and I came face to face with Brady. His eyes were dark with desire, and I felt my knees go weak. He pulled me closer to him, and I could feel his breath on my neck.
The mating I had longed to have a taste of was right in front of me, but I couldn't bring myself to indulge. The conversation he had with his mom came up and began to dissipate my heat. Slowly, I began to pull away from his grip, ready to fight him off if he dared to force himself upon me. Despite how badly he wanted the mating as well, I was surprised when he released me.
"If you're worried about your pups, you can come to my suite," he suggested, casting a glance at my little ones.
"I just got here," I replied, adjusting my nightgown to cover my exposed cleavage.
"I mentioned it in the invitation letter I sent you. Did you miss that part?" he asked pointedly. I shook my head, recalling that I had seen mention of it but hadn't fully understood what he meant about getting started immediately.
"I want to sign the prenuptial agreement first," I stated firmly, turning to face the window so he wouldn't see the confusion and fear on my face. I felt him move closer, his hands sliding around my hips once more when he couldn't resist the sight of my curves.
As his hands slid around my waist, I couldn't help but tense up. My body felt like it was betraying me, responding to his touch despite my internal resistance. I felt his fingers spread out, the tips lightly pressing into my skin as he tried to pull me closer to him. I pushed my conflicting emotion aside and held the windowsill tight.
"Let's go to my suite," he whispered softly into my ear. I could feel his intense heat.
"I think it's important that we establish the terms of our agreement before anything," I said, trying to keep my voice steady despite the way my heart was racing in my chest.
He exhaled against the back of my neck, his lips brushed my neck and I sealed my lips to prevent an involuntary gasp. I could feel his hands beginning to move, one slipping up to cup my breast through the fabric of my nightgown and the other sliding down to rest against my hip.
"Please stop!" I said, turned my head slightly and broke away from his grip.
"You are here for discussion. Aren't you?" I asked, adjusting my nightgown to make sure no part of my erogenous zones was visible.
"Of course," he said, his voice strained with desire as he looked at me.
"I want to ask you a question. Please, would you be honest with me?" I asked. He did not say anything. He just took my hand and led me to a chair.
- Writer
