The Alpha's Invincible Luna

CHAPTER 4

As I stepped through the front door that night, the air was thick with the scent of takeout and the faint glow of the television illuminated the dimly lit living room. There on the couch, sprawled comfortably amidst an array of cushions, sat Arlo, transfixed by the flickering screen. Beside him, his girlfriend Heidi lounged with a carefree laugh, her blonde hair cascading over the armrest like a golden waterfall. The scene struck me as a stark contrast to the darkness outside, where the world had slipped into a peaceful quiet, leaving behind them a bubble of casual distraction.

As she glanced my way, I sighed and rolled my eyes before turning away. I really didn’t like her, not much different from Arlo. I walked down the hallway, my footsteps echoing softly. Once inside my room, I shut the door with a quiet click and dropped my books, worn backpack, and scattered papers onto the floor, creating a chaotic heap that reflected my jumbled thoughts.

As I sat at my cluttered desk, surrounded by thick textbooks, the sudden creak of my door interrupted my focus. I looked up to see my mother framed in the soft glow of the hallway light.

“Doesn't anyone in this family know how to knock?” I grumbled, irritation creeping into my tone.

She met my gaze, unfazed. “We need to have a talk.” She said evenly. With purposeful steps, she entered the room, the familiar scent of her jasmine and sandalwood perfume lingering in the air.

Without a second thought, she closed the door behind her with a soft click and settled onto my bed, its covers slightly rumpled. Though I could feel the weight of her presence, I chose to keep my attention fixated on the pages in front of me, refusing to turn around and face her.

“Sure, come on in.” I replied, my tone dripping with sarcasm.

“I received a call at work today from the Alpha, and let me tell you, he’s furious.” She said, her voice a mix of concern and frustration. “Are you deliberately trying to get yourself banished from this pack?”

“I won’t get banished.” I shot back, my conviction hardening.

“You can’t be so sure.” She insisted, her brow furrowed as worry etched deeper lines on her face. But then I replayed the memory of Zane and me in the woods just hours earlier, the tension crackling in the air between us.

“Actually, I do know.” I countered, determination lacing my words.

“Being friends with Zane isn’t going to save you from this.” She warned, her tone urgent. “You need to stay away from Saylor.”

“Of course, I’ll convey your message. Just tell her to steer clear of me. But I know you probably won’t take my word for it. It’s as if everyone is convinced that I’m the one stirring up trouble.” I snapped, still not willing to look at her.

She leaned closer, her voice lowering to a tense whisper. “You’re toying with something dangerous. That’s the Alpha we’re talking about—the one who holds the power to shape our very destinies. If he decides he wants us out of his territory, we’ll have no choice but to comply. Do you grasp the gravity of this situation?” Her expression was a mix of concern and urgency, making the weight of her words sink in.

“Stop pretending to start caring about me now. Do you understand that this is all complete bullshit? He’s going to find a way to banish me anyway because he hates me. I don’t know why he hates me, he just does. Probably because I’m the only person at school that doesn’t bow to his daughter whenever she walks into the room. But you, what’s your excuse?”

“I think you’re missing your father, and you’re taking out your frustration on everyone around you, especially Zion and Arlo.” She said, her voice steady yet laced with concern.

“Arlo is a creep, and I can’t say his father’s any better.” I shot back, finally turning to face her. The tension in the room grew palpable, a storm brewing in her eyes.

I watched her anger flare up before she regained her cold composure. Standing from my bed, the creak of the frame filled the heavy silence. “You’ve earned a week’s detention.” She said firmly. “You’re also grounded—no school activities and no going out after school. That’s final.” With that, she turned and strode out, leaving me to confront the fallout.

I could hear her and Zion's angry voices echoing down the hall, their words drowned in my frustration. The truth hit me hard: I was grounded because of that insufferable girl. Rage surged within me at this absurd injustice.

Wrapped in a towel, I headed to the bathroom, locking the door behind me. To be safe, I wedged a chair under the doorknob as a makeshift barrier.

After a long, hot shower that eased my stress, I heard Arlo and his girlfriend laughing in his bedroom—thankfully, he was busy and wouldn’t add to my worries. I quickly dressed, feeling the fabric against my skin. With my homework done, I settled onto my bed and scrolled through my phone, losing myself in a stream of short videos as a distraction from my swirling thoughts.

Eventually, exhaustion took over, and I drifted off to sleep. But it wasn’t the restorative sleep I craved; instead, a restless slumber consumed me, filled with fragmented dreams and echoes of unresolved feelings.

I spent the entire night tossing and turning, enveloped in a restless haze, until I finally rolled over and awoke, a peculiar unease gnawing at my insides. As my eyes slowly acclimated to the dim, shadowy contours of my room, I was startled to see Arlo standing right beside my bed. He was clad in nothing but a pair of fitted shorts, the fabric clinging to his toned physique, and his gaze fixated intently on me, piercing through the darkness.

Out of pure instinct, I pulled my blanket back and threw my leg up in the air and kicked Arlo in the face, causing him to fall backwards with a bloody nose and screaming in pain.

I hurled myself out of bed, adrenaline surging through my veins, and aimed a sharp kick at his ribs while he lay vulnerable on the ground. Just at that moment, Zion burst into the room, followed closely by my mother and Heidi, their faces a mix of shock and concern. But there was definitely no concern for me.

“What the f**k are you doing?” Heidi's voice rang out, tinged with disbelief and anger, as she rushed toward me, her eyes wide with alarm, while Zion quickly knelt beside his son, desperation evident in his every move.

“Get away from me!” I shouted, heart racing, adrenaline coursing through my veins as I prepared myself to confront Heidi if needed. The shadows of the room felt alive, and the sensation of being watched clung to me like a heavy blanket.

“Stop being so dramatic.” My mother retorted sharply, her voice cutting through the tension like a knife.

“That asshole had been standing over my bed while I slept." I yelled. The adrenaline surged through me, and I couldn’t hold back my fury. "He deserved what he got!" I shouted, my voice echoing in the silence.

From just inside my door, my mom’s voice sliced through the tension. "Why do you always have to stir up so much trouble?" She called out, her frustration evident as she stepped into the chaos.

“What? Are you seriously telling me that you don’t believe me?” I shot back, my voice rising in frustration. “He’s in my room in the middle of the night! Isn’t that enough goddamn proof?” My heart raced as the anger surged within me.

“Tessa. That’s enough.” My mother’s voice cut through the air, sharp and commanding.

“I think his nose is broken.” Zion chimed in, his tone almost detached, as if he wasn’t fully grasping the chaos around us.

“Of course it is.” I snapped back, my indignation boiling over. “ Unlike you son, if I’m going to do something, I make sure I do it right.”

My mother took a deep breath, her expression a blend of frustration and concern. “We are going to talk about this.” She said, her tone leaving no room for argument. “You’re becoming more and more out of control. When we get back, we’re going to have a long discussion about this.” The finality in her voice hung heavily in the room, amplifying the tension.

As they gently led Arlo out of my room, I could hear the sound of their footsteps fading down the hallway, carrying him away. It was clear they were taking him to the hospital, where the doctor could properly realign his broken nose before the bones began to set incorrectly. The urgency in their movements suggested that time was of the essence.

I paced around my room, each step fueled by a growing sense of frustration and anger that bubbled beneath the surface. My heart raced as I glanced around, the cluttered space echoing my turmoil. Finally, in a moment of impulsive rebellion, I seized the lamp from my desk—its weight suddenly too heavy to bear—and hurled it across the room. It sailed through the air, a fleeting arc of defiance, before colliding with the wall in a spectacular explosion of glass and metal, shards scattering like my shattered composure.

“f*****g assholes.” I said.