LUNA AKIRA

BANISHED

ROMAN

I trusted Michael wholeheartedly, and yes, I was the one who suggested he take Akira and Zion out to town, but after he left to pick them up, I found it difficult to stop worrying about their safety and regretted not offering to take them myself. All sorts of thoughts ran through my mind, and I continued to worry about what could happen to them, especially to Akira, my fated mate. I had fallen deeply for her, but for now, it has to remain my secret. I have learned over the years to keep my emotions hidden. My father taught me that the Alpha must be feared at all times. I didn't want anyone to see me showing any concern or emotions towards Akira, for fear they may consider me weak. I was overjoyed when she had told me about her and Zion being just best friends and him having a boyfriend. It wasn't easy for me to keep a straight face when I was bursting with joy on the inside, but I pulled it off. Another thing that troubled my mind was our age gap. She is rather mature for her age, but her generation is so different to mine, and what if she has an issue with it? I guess time will tell. I tried to keep myself busy, and it took a lot of willpower to avoid checking in with Michael for updates. I decided to focus on balancing the factories' books , and just as I got stuck into it, Michael mind linked me and told me what was going down at the restaurant. He filled me in with every single detail. It felt like I was right there. I listened attentively and couldn't say a word because I desperately wanted to burst out laughing hysterically. My mate was just amazing, and I was so proud of her for standing up for my Beta, which reassured me more that she would be able to stand up for and protect the pack. I was more relaxed after hearing from Michael. And yes, after we were done, I laughed myself silly. I pictured Akira saying those things to Celeste and laughed even harder. I pulled myself together before anyone could walk in on me being in such a jovial mood. I knew that it would not be long before Celeste made an appearance.

Just as I expected, Celeste burst into my office, crying her eyes out. "Alpha, please, you have to help me! Your first Beta harassed me and humiliated me in the presence of so many people today. How am I to show my face in public after the way he treated me? You have to punish him severely for what he put me through. And to make matters worse, he was with a loose tongued w***e who had the audacity to call herself your Luna. She should be put to death for speaking such nonsense! She didn't even have a wolf's scent. Please, Alpha, you have to do something!" I allowed her to vent and then asked her in a stern voice as to what she wanted me to do. She responded with, "I want your Beta to go down on his knees and beg for my forgiveness and then have him banished from the pack for disrespecting me, and as for that woman he was with who claimed to be your Luna, she must be hanged in public for all to see. How dare she claim to be the Luna!" I then asked her if she was sure about the punishment as it seemed too severe, but she was persistent that it wasn't and that they deserved it. I summoned Michael to my office and asked Celeste to take a seat. I sat in silence and observed her as she continued dramatically repeating the harsh embarrassment she had to endure all because of him. When he arrived, I maintained my stern, loud voice and asked him for his version of the incident that took place. I made no mention that he had informed me of everything earlier. Once he was done, I called for two of the Warriors to come to my office. Celeste's face lit up, and I didn't miss the wicked smile she gave Michael.

I allowed her to enjoy her moment as she probably thought that everything was going to work out in her favour. After a few minutes, just as the Warriors arrived, I stood up and walked over to her and let out a loud growl. I placed a hand around her throat and lifted her up in the air and said, "I have let you get away with a lot of things over the years. I turned a blind eye to you, as you disrespected my Betas and other pack members, but all of that ends now! How dare you disrespect your senior, my first Beta? And then you show even more disrespect to me by calling my Luna a w***e!" I let go of her throat and she fell hard to the ground. "Alpha, please, what are you saying? How can you believe Michael's lies over what I told you? Please think about us and what we have together. I would never lie to you. I love you too much." This woman was a damn good actress, she sure knew how to put on a good show, unfortunately for her, I was done falling for her tricks. I felt like an i***t for not seeing her for whom she truly was and getting rid of her sooner! "GET DOWN ON YOUR KNEES NOW AND APOLOGIZE TO MY BETA!" I commanded loudly and saw the terrified look on her face. She attempted to speak, but I shut her up before she could utter a word. "ENOUGH WITH YOUR LIES AND FABRICATED STORIES. THE ONLY WORDS I WANT TO HEAR COMING OUT OF THAT MOUTH OF YOURS IS AN APOLOGY TO MY BETA, AND YOU BEGGING HIM FOR FORGIVENESS!" She hesitantly got down on her knees in front of Michael and whispered an apology. I screamed out at her that I couldn't hear her, and she said it louder and asked for him to forgive her. It was not a sincere apology, but it would do. I then asked her to stand up and told her to now consider herself banished from the Blue Moon Stone pack. I asked her to leave behind the credit card I had given her and asked the Warriors to make sure she left our lands. She started to plead with me to reconsider, but I told her that it was only fitting that she received the same punishment she had chosen for my Beta. She was lucky I spared her life! She continued to beg for forgiveness and for me to reconsider my decision as the Warriors dragged her out. Once Celeste's screams died down, Michael told me that he had a bad feeling about letting her go like that. He said that we should have had her locked up in the dungeons or even put to death. He was convinced that we were going to see her again, and when she showed up, she would be seeking revenge. I told him not to worry about it as she would not survive out there on her own. The rogue wolves she might come across would probably rip her apart. He then told me that she was convinced that I loved her, and she would blame the Luna for me not accepting her. Akira must be warned. She could try to attack her. I immediately contacted Skylar and explained everything that happened and asked her to take extra precautions and ensure that Akira is always protected. She reassured me that she would not let anything happen to Akira. I prayed to the Moon Goddess to also watch over her, and through a vision, she confirmed that she would help keep her safe. We didn't need Celeste adding to our current troubles with the Lycan . Who knows what he was busy plotting!