The Luna’s Peak

5

“Alpha Mathis chose to dissociate from his home pack in France when they were absorbed.” The slight smile on Reid’s face was almost smug. “He and his Mate returned to her home pack in Quebec, but they left and established the Lune Bleue pack in 2009.” He paused to laugh. “His son, Alpha Philippe, has been in power for less than a year. Fucker was born in 2007–he’s 19.”

“That means he’s a baby, and you should leave him alone,” I called, from where I sat at my desk.

“Leave him alone?” Reid repeated incredulously. “At the very least, I have to contact him—” I started to interrupt, but he spoke over me, “—just to tell him to keep better track of his f*****g people. Give him some pointers.”

“At the very least,” Silas agreed.

I scoffed. “Pointers?”

Silas smirked. “He’s new.”

“And you two aren’t nice to new Alphas.”

“Easy targets,” he snickered.

The three of us were in my office at the packhouse. I’d arranged for this space to be furnished following Faustine’s death, during Reid’s two-week-long period of unconsciousness. The layout of the room was very similar to both Reid’s and Silas’s offices. The massive window on my back wall, though, overlooked the heart of our town rather than the lake behind the packhouse—my office was across the hall. My desk was in the middle of the room, situated in front of two bookshelves, just like in Reid’s office. There was a small sitting area to the right of the window, with two, deep purple couches.

Reid and Silas were both lounging on my couches, while I worked on assigning inspectors to the new constructions.

I told Reid that I had to get my own work done, and that when I was finished, I’d help with the financial report. I expected him and Silas to find something else to do in the meantime, but instead, here they were.

Reid being Reid, he let his burning curiosity get the best of him. He couldn’t resist delving into the Lune Bleue pack’s history. What he’d discovered so far, with what he could access on his cell phone versus his computer, detailed the fairly short lifespan of a pack that appeared to be most definitely absorbable.

I glanced up from my computer, over at him and Silas. Silas was staring at his own phone. I watched as Reid tapped around on his screen with one hand, and rubbed his deliciously sharp jaw with the other.

What could he be reading now that had captured his attention so well, he’d fallen silent?

My eyes flicked back to my computer screen. I clicked on a dropdown menu, displaying a list of inspectors’ names available on June 18th in the southern sector of—

Reid made a low, throaty sound of interest, and I sighed. I got to my feet, and crossed the room to plop down on the couch next to him. He gave me a quick kiss on the forehead. I crossed my arms over my chest, and my legs one over the other, and I leaned my cheek against his bicep as I peered down at his phone.

I watched as he navigated to a page that listed less-generalized geographical information. He scrolled down to a map, where Luna Bleue’s home base was pinned, and then he zoomed out enough to see Vermont’s state line.

“They’re right there.” He chuckled. “I can’t believe I’ve never thought to look north.”

“If your only goal is to obtain more land, why don’t we just continue south?” I suggested. “There are still a few packs left with land in Virginia, aren’t there?”

He turned his head to look down at me, and I straightened up to meet his gaze. “When did I say obtaining more land was my only goal?”

“Aren’t there two packs left in Virginia?”

“You know they’re on my list. I do want Virginia solely for the land—just a power move.”

My brow furrowed. “What do you want with Canada, then?”

“Different kind of power move,” Silas cut in.

“Exactly,” Reid agreed.

“But...” I shifted my weight nervously. “Nobody’s ever done this before.”

“And why should we wait around for someone else to do it first?” Reid asked. He studied me, waiting, his dark brows knit together.

I just shrugged one shoulder.

“You said Dylan discovered those two intruders this morning, right?” he asked.

“Yes,” I confirmed. “Why?”

“Anyone but you and Beck back him up?”

“Channing, Darcy, and Garth made it to him before we did,” I replied, and then I repeated, “Why?”

Reid locked his phone screen and set the device down on the couch cushion next to him. “I want to know more about their initial discovery.”

Oh, Goddess. The Luna Bleue pack had piqued his interest enough for him to care about two harmless wolves on their way home from vacation. He never wanted more info on initial discoveries of intruders, even if they came with ill-intent—if they’d already been executed, he didn’t care.

Despite the wariness that I knew had to be written all over my face, Silas offered, “Should I mindlink them?”

“Sure,” Reid agreed. “Call them in here, so Luna can finish her assignments.”

“I’m not gonna divide my attention between—”

Reid interrupted me. “Don’t divide your attention, then. You were out there with them this morning. I’m sure they won’t say anything unusual anyway, I just want to hear it myself.”

“Fine.” I stood up and headed back for my desk, and I could feel Reid’s eyes burning into me as I went. “You guys are dismissed,” I said over my shoulder. “Go find something to do till the warriors get here.”

They both snickered, but I ignored them.

“Get your work done, Luna,” Silas called, on his way out the door.

I shot his back a pointed look just before he shut the door behind him. Reid remained on my couch, reclined and on his phone again. His legs were spread wide, and his free hand was splayed on his stomach. His expression was blank as he stared down at his phone.

Ugh, he was gorgeous.

Sometimes it really struck me, just how devastatingly handsome he was. Several dark, loose curls had fallen over his forehead. My fingers itched to sweep his hair back, and to kiss those deliciously full lips of his. I wanted to run my hands over his chiseled jaw, down his neck, and over his broad shoulders. My eyes wandered down his deliciously muscular arms, down to his large hands. Every time he swiped his phone screen, I could see muscles contracting in his hand and in his forearm.

I was salivating over him. My eyes found their way back up to his face, and heat spread onto my cheeks when I saw him staring back at me, his brow furrowed. I finally turned back to my computer.

Focus, I told myself firmly.

Why? my Wolf asked.

Inwardly, I rolled my eyes.

Right.

June 18th in the southern sector of our territory in New York.

I heard Reid stand up from the couch, and my stomach leapt up to my throat, in spite of myself. I felt his hand on the back of my neck and I jumped slightly.

“I said you were dismissed,” I reminded him, maintaining my composure as I kept my gaze trained on my computer screen.

“Yes, Luna.”

He playfully tugged on a lock of my hair that was free from the messy bun on the top of my head, and I batted his hand away. He chuckled, and he took just two steps, but I grabbed his hand and pulled him back.

Before I could even turn my head to look up at him, he had stepped around my chair to physically lift me out of it. I giggled, giving empty, half-assed protests about how I was working, and to put me down. He kissed the tip of my nose before he took my seat and put me in his lap, wrapping his strong arms around my middle and resting his chin on my shoulder. I gripped his forearms and shifted my weight, steadying myself as my giggling tapered off.

“You seem…stressed,” he observed, and the sound of his voice in my ear was so deep and rich and smooth, it made me shiver slightly, “but I have to ask,” he paused to kiss my shoulder, “are you wearing panties?”

I couldn’t help but laugh. “Why exactly do you ask?”

“Last time you wore a skirt like this,” another kiss on my shoulder, “there was nothing under it.”

Sometimes Reid’s bizarrely good memory was a thorn in my side.

“I am wearing panties,” I insisted.

He unwound one arm from around my middle and asked, “Are you?” as he reached down to pull my skirt up.

I hastily grabbed his wrist and returned his arm to its place around my waist—I couldn’t have him discovering the lingerie on his own.

Still clutching his wrist tightly, I replied, “Yes.”

“Show me.”

“Patience is a virtue, Alpha.” A bit hesitantly, I finally released his wrist to click on the next new construction that needed my attention. “I want to finish this.”

“How’s it going?”

“I’d probably be much closer to finished by now if it weren’t for you and Silas.”

“I have faith in you.”

“How sweet.”

I clicked on the name of an inspector in a drop-down menu, and right on cue, Reid chimed in, “Not her.”

“Why?” I asked.

“She’s not thorough enough.”

“Then why is she an inspector?”

“You tell me.”

“I think she does a fine job.” I left her name selected, submitted the assignment, and moved onto the next one.

The same inspector’s name was available to assign again.

“Don’t,” Reid said.

I clicked on her name. “Remind me, who handles our real estate?”

We were interrupted by a knock on the door.

“Give me my seat back,” I said.

He trailed several kisses from my shoulder up the side of my neck, and then he grabbed my face with one hand and turned my head to the side to pepper more kisses all over my cheek. “I love you.”

I twisted around to give him a quick peck on the lips. “I love you more.”

He lifted me to my feet, pulled the fabric of my skirt taut over my backside, and promptly bit my left ass cheek. I yelped and jerked away, spinning around to glare him, but he was already gone. He glanced at me over his shoulder on his way to the door, a smirk on his face.

I sat back down in my chair. I shot him a look as he strolled past me for the sitting area, with Silas and our warriors in tow.

Our warriors all gave me respectful greetings, and I plastered a friendly smile on my face and nodded at them in acknowledgement. My smile faded as they all settled on my couches. I grabbed my phone off of my desk from where it rested next to my keyboard and I navigated to my Photos app.

You wouldn’t, my Wolf snickered.

Of course I would.

I looked up at him, my finger hovering over the little blue arrow on my phone screen. He was seated between Silas and Channing, with a frown on his face as he stared at Dylan, sitting on the other couch.

“—definitely a lapse in judgement and I apologize. It won’t happen again, Alpha,” Dylan promised—I tuned it at the tail end of his explanation for his failure to report. He sounded sincere, but knowing Reid, a distraction would certainly benefit Dylan.

I sent the photo, accompanied with a text message that read, “Here ya go. Wearing panties.”

Reid’s phone pinged in his pocket, and his displeased gaze lingered on Dylan. I waited with bated breath to see if he’d check his notification, before they got too into their discussion.

Much to my delight, he did. He glanced at his phone, and then he did a double take. He brought it closer to his face. I hoped he wouldn’t accidentally flash my bare ass to Silas and Channing, but I didn’t care too much if he did—as long as he saw it.

He tapped on the screen. Surprise registered on his face, and he immediately slapped his phone down on his thigh. I looked back away from him the same second he looked over at me.

“Everything okay, Alpha?” Silas asked.

He cleared his throat. “Dylan, tell me about the intruders.”

I almost laughed out loud. I crossed one leg over the other. I didn’t dare look back at him now.