The Luna's Gift

Chapter Two: Accepting What Is

                                                                                                Jake

    Every single time that I got a moment alone with Stella, we were interrupted right as it was getting good. I missed her, missed spending time with her. Complaining about it wasn’t going to do much. We were both so busy with Elias and everything else pack-related. Stella had Luna duties to tend to, whereas I had Alpha duties that never seemed to stop.

    Just as I was getting ready to dive deep into Stella, Priya mind-linked me. I had some important business going on with a neighboring Alpha. After the incident with the Vampire Elders, we needed to all come together as one until the Moon Goddess was ready for Stella. We all knew that when that happened, every elder would be coming after us, and I wouldn’t put the lives of my family in danger, not ever again.

    I walked into my office, taking a seat in my chair and pressing the button to answer the call. “Alpha Tristan, how are you doing?”

    “Doing well, Alpha Jake. Look, I have thought about your proposal over the last several weeks, and it sounds tempting. We, too, would want our pack members kept safe, but if I agree to do this, it will only be putting them in jeopardy, even more so. Think about it. If the pack were to align with yours, the Vampire Elders would go after us too. Right now, your pack is on their radar. While we do not believe in coming after a neighboring pack and would do anything to help protect it like our own, we have lost too much in the last three years. My pack still has not yet come back from our attack nearly three years ago. We aren’t as large as we used to be and can’t hold our own the way we once could. I know that your pack is significantly bigger than ours and would offer us your protection, but as this pack’s Alpha, I have to think of them first. You understand?”

    This was the answer I half-expected. Over the last several months, I have been trying to recruit ally packs to work alongside us in this war, but none were offering their assistance. As Alpha, it was in my interest to have more packs aligned with ours not just because we were the vampire's new target, but it solidified my place here as the Alpha.

    “Yes, Alpha Tristan, I understand completely,” I said coldly. I wasn’t mad at him directly, only pissed off about the situation in general. “Stay in touch, and if your pack ever needs anything, we are only a phone call away.”

    We hung up the phone, and I slumped back in my chair, digging my claws into the expensive leather. Lately, it seems like nothing can go my way.

    Priya opens my office door, not bothering to knock because she knew as my Beta, she didn’t have the same rules to abide by as others. Plus, we grew up together, and the way I saw it, I wouldn’t be in this position if it weren’t for her. I owed Priya a lot more than just the position of my Beta. “Alpha,” she addressed me but looking anywhere but directly at me. I knew something was instantly off.

    “Priya,” I gritted through my teeth. “Spit it out.”

    “Well, Stella evaded the Hunters again. She took off into the woods nearly an hour ago, and they have been trying to catch her scent since with no luck.”

    I slammed my fist into my desk. “Goddamnit, Stella!” She was always doing this. However, this was the first time it had been outside. Most of the time, she would evade the Hunters in our packhouse to get a few moments alone to herself. I’ve told her a million times that they were there for protection, but it was more so when the Moon Goddess decided to gift Stella that I was worried about. “Why wasn’t I informed?”

    Priya cut her eyes at me for about half a second before she realized who she was talking to. I didn’t like to use my Alpha command to Priya at all because she mostly listened, but once in a while, she would slip up, and I wasn’t afraid to correct her. “Sorry, Alpha. You had your call with Alpha Tristan, and we didn’t want to interrupt you. Besides, I know that things have been hectic for you these days, and I wanted to try and take care of the issue myself. Seems like Stella is getting better than I thought.”

    “Luna,” I reminded her. “That is your Luna, Priya.”

    “Yes, of course. Our Luna is getting better than I thought.” She winked at me, making my anger melt away as quickly as it came on. “There it is.”

    “There is what?”

    Priya smiled back at me wholesomely. “That smile that I haven’t seen in too long. We don’t get to talk like this much anymore. Alpha aside, I miss my friend.”

    I was about to open my mouth and respond when I heard Stella’s bone-curdling howl vibrate through every inch of my body. Priya didn’t respond to it, making me believe that I was the only one to feel it, to hear her. I jumped out of my seat, running out the front door of the packhouse. With my nose catching a whiff of her scent, my legs carried me to where she was.

    Stella was out in the middle of the open field right past the forest outside the pack borders. She was naked lying in the grass, telling me that she had recently shifted. I ran over to her, placing my hand on her shoulder. Stella was ice cold to the touch, and my heart instantly sank into my chest.

    For just a second, I thought that I would flip her over to find her lifeless. Instead, she managed to squeeze out a smile. “Jake.”

    “What happened?” I asked, pulling her up to her feet and into my arms. “You are freezing cold.” It was already strange because wolves had a naturally high body temperature.

    She grabbed onto my shoulders, pressing her bare chest to mine. “The Moon Goddess has given me the gift. I am officially the anchor. It’s a weird feeling. I felt hot and cold all at the same time, but I’m already starting to feel better.”

    We knew this day would be coming soon. We tried so hard to prepare for it, but there was never enough time. Stella and I hardly got to speak in between my meetings and other pack business, and by the time I got to bed, she was already asleep exhausted from taking care of Elias.

    “Come on, my Luna. I will take you back and lay you down.”

    “No,” she said in a commanding voice, one that she very seldomly used. “I need you.”

    I knew exactly what she meant. Only from hearing those words, my length grew incredibly hard, pressing against the fabric of my jeans tightly. Stella glided her hand over my chest, down past my navel, landing on my erection.

    Any coherent thought I had was almost out the window. It was hard to think with her rubbing my length, coaxing the tip of my erection with my own arousal. “You. Lay. Down,” I said out loud.

    Stella chuckled, kissing on my mating mark. “I’m fine, my Alpha. If I weren’t okay, I wouldn’t be able to do this.”

    She dropped to her knees in front of me, unzipping my pants and springing my d**k free. Before I could stop her, Stella had her mouth over my tip, flicking her tongue in a rhythm. I growled sharply, placing my hand on the back of her head and thrusting myself down her throat. As incredible as it felt, it wasn’t enough. I needed more.

    I pulled away, laying her back on the grass as I moved between her legs. My tongue glided along her neck until it ran over her mark, earning a pleasurable moan from her. I bite down the instant I pushed inside her core.

    Hearing her scream my name through the meadow was a perfect melody, one that I’ve heard a hundred times but loved more than the last. Stella dug her nails into my back, making me press inside her further. I still had my teeth sunk into her mark while pumping myself in and out of her until I felt her legs shaking beneath me. When I knew that she was at her tipping point, I bit down even harder, making her climax around me. Stella found my mark, biting down too, making me follow behind her. I couldn’t see a damn thing but stars dancing around in my head.

    “Better,” Stella mumbled, throwing her head back into the tall grass. “So good.”

    An hour later, we made our way back to the packhouse, letting our wolves share a moment together. The instant we walked back through those doors, our chaotic life started pulling us away from each other. No, not this time. Having spent an hour with her wasn’t enough. I was going to dedicate myself to her for the rest of the day, even if it were just to listen to her talk.

    “Pack meeting later this evening,” I said to Priya, passing by her in the hallway. “And I’m off duty until then. My mate needs me as much as this pack does. I’ve dedicated myself to pack business for weeks now. Now it's time to dedicate myself to her for the rest of the day. Hold my calls unless it is life or death.”

    Priya nodded, walking away in silence. Stella glared at me, walking up the stairs backward so she could get a view of me. “You mean that I get a whole day with the Alpha?” She fake gasped, earning a smile from me in return.

    I ran up the stairs chasing her like we were nothing but a bunch of kids. It felt refreshing like it was exactly what I needed. “Run all you want, Luna, but you won't get very far,” I teased.

    When we were in the safety of our room, I pulled her into me, kissing her passionately. Stella pulled away, looking up at me. “What is the pack meeting for? To tell them that it has happened?”

    “Yes. They need to know that now you are the anchor, danger will be heading for us shortly after. We have prepared all we can prepare for this over the last six months. The rest is left up to you. Just promise that we will start making time for ourselves again—all this pack business and now this gift you have. I don’t want it getting in the way of us. I need you now more than ever.”

    Stella slid the palm of her hand over my cheek, staring deeply into my eyes. “I’ve spent so much time with Elias, trying not to miss any second that I had with him because of this gift I knew I would be receiving that I have neglected you in the process. Never again. You have my word, Alpha.”

    I held her closely, just enjoying having her close to me, where I felt most at ease. We may not have it all figured out, and the future for us was uncertain, but Stella was my mate, one that I have spent every second loving since I found out. Our relationship was rocky at the beginning, causing a lot of issues between us, but now that we are here together, I knew that I would do anything to make her happy.