The Luna's Betrayal

Chapter 9

Sierra’s POV

Aaron and I walked into the hospital and went right to Danny's room. I was happy to see she was sitting up in bed looking like she was in good spirits. Caleb was sitting in a chair by her bedside, looking tired but happier than when I had seen him before.

"Sierra, finally!" she huffed, laying eyes on me.

"She acts like we didn't rush home as soon as we got the call."

"I was here earlier," I said, coming to her other side. "But you were asleep."

"Sorry, it's been a day."

"I'll say. How are you doing?"

"I'm fine, they gave me an epidural so it's a lot better now."

"Aaron's call got me out of a very interesting day in the office," I told her.

"What happened?" she asked.

"It looks like my old boss from Nashville has transferred to our company."

"What, that as*hole Josh who fired you because you didn't like him?" Caleb asked.

"The very same."

"Da*n, what a small world. What happened when he saw you?" Danny asked.

"He was just as surprised as I was, but he ended up apologizing for what he did, and he seems genuinely happy for Aaron and me."

"Cole's not letting his guard down just yet," Aaron said, coming to stand behind me. I rolled my eyes at him. Cole liked holding grudges just for the fun of it, I swear.

"No, our mate is just very protective of us," Brooklyn said, puffing out her chest. That was truer and truer these days. He seemed to get more protective as time went on and we worked on our powers more.

"Oh, Aaron, did you tell mom and dad what was happening?" Danny asked.

"I did, and they're getting on the first flight out of Paris and coming back home."

"They wouldn't miss the birth of their first grandchild," Caleb said, giving me and Aaron a wink. I got the feeling they had a conversation I wasn't aware of. Dr. Kinsley walked into the room, her heels clicking on the tile floor.

"How are we doing in here?" she asked, looking up from her chart. "Alpha, Luna, it's nice to see you."

"You too, Dr. Kinsley," I said, returning her bright smile.

"I have to do a check on the baby, so if everyone could please leave the room except dad."

"Do you mind if I go train with Justin and Austin for a little while?" I asked Danny.

"No, go. It seems like we're going to be here for a while," she told me.

"Just mind link me if you need anything." I squeezed her shoulder before following Aaron out of the room.

"You're gonna go train right now?" he asked.

"I think so. I was planning to do it later, but now that I'm home I see no reason not to."

"Okay, I have a couple of things to take care of and then I can come join you if you'd like?"

"Absolutely!" I got up on my tiptoes to give him a kiss. We walked with each other back into the pack house but went our separate ways. Me to our apartment to change and Aaron to his office.

"Justin, are you and Austin at the training facility?"

"I'm here, but I'm not sure where Austin is."

"Mind if I come down for some training?"

"Sure! These young warriors could use a kick in the butt!"

"Give me ten minutes and I'll be down." Taking off the sweater and jeans I was wearing, I replaced them with a t-shirt and leggings. Since it was winter, I threw on a sweatshirt until I got to the training facility, along with snow boots. I grabbed a larger bag from my closet to put my sneakers in so I could change when I got there.

"You really should cut your hair, it's getting out of control," Brooklyn barked.

"What are you talking about? It's not that long." I surveyed my auburn hair in the mirror. It fell just under my boobs, which I didn't think was very long. Grabbing a hair tie from my vanity, I put it up in a bun to keep it out of my face. "Besides, what's Aaron going to grab on to when he's pounding me from behind?" I laughed. Brooklyn gave me an annoyed but amused look as we left our apartment for the training grounds. Since it was so cold out, we mainly used the inside training area. I got about halfway to the training facility when I had the odd feeling I was being watched. Stopping quickly, I looked from side to side.

Since working on my primordial abilities, my senses have gotten sharper. I closed my eyes and listened for any sound that seemed suspicious. Apart from the light sound of wind blowing, there was only silence. Then I heard a crunching of snow to my left. Jumping into a defensive position with my hand raised, I opened my eyes, waiting. Out of the tree line walked Austin. He saw me and jumped at the sight of me, ready to blast him away.

"Sh*t, Austin!" I said, straightening up and walking over to him.

"Are you okay?" he asked with concern in his voice.

"Yeah, I just had this odd feeling like I was being watched," I told him.

"Do you wanna check the woods?"

"No, I was probably just sensing you. I'm on my way to train with Justin, wanna tag along?"

"Sure, I'm not busy right now."

"Great."

"How's Danny doing?" he asked as we walked.

"Good, it seems like it's gonna be a while yet until the baby's here. I told her or Caleb to mind link me when it's time."

"At least you got out of work early."

"True, especially since my old boss showed up as the new editor."

"You're kidding, they had Josh transfer to Bennett?"

"Yeah, in all honesty, no one knew my history with him and he's a good editor. He apologized for how he treated me, and I believe we're gonna have a good professional relationship."

"Da*n, well that's good at least. How did Aaron's trip go?"

"It was good from what he said. Typical conference. Except some she-wolf was trying to hit on him at the end."

"Oh sh*t, clearly she doesn't know who his mate is," Austin joked, nudging me with his arm.

"I guess not," I laughed. "Her name's Heather, she works at one of the sister companies in Chicago. Aaron said she's the daughter of the pack's Beta."

"Did he say which pack?"

"No, I don't think he did."

"At least you won't have to see her again."

"That's what I said too." Austin and I walked into the training facility. I could see Justin in the ring with his shirt off training with two of the young warriors. We watched them for a second; the new trainees didn't seem to be fairing too well. They didn't look like they were putting in much of an effort either. "I can see what you guys mean," I commented.

"I think the problem is, with a primordial as their Luna, they don't think anyone is going to attack us. Or if they do, they'll be no match for you."

"Well, that's ridiculous. What if I'm not here? Being a primordial doesn't automatically make me invincible."

"You should show them what a real fight is," he said, looking sideways at me.

"Oh, it's on," Brooklyn declared. Taking off my sweatshirt, I laid it on a bench and went to meet Justin in the middle of the ring.

"Hey, you made it!" Justin said, locking eyes with me.

"Hello Luna," the trainees said, bowing their heads. Justin was only working with two, but there were about ten others around the room lifting weights or sparing with little to no enthusiasm.

"Hey guys. It's come to my attention that you all seem to think learning to fight isn't necessary." The two young wolves looked at each other uncomfortably. "Do you want to explain to me why that is? Neither of them said anything, they just shifted while looking at the ground.

"Well, Luna, it just seems pointless with how powerful you are," a young warrior named Palmer said from one of the weight benches. Everyone looked at her and then back to me, the tension hanging in the air like a thick blanket. Everyone was waiting for how I was going to respond to her comment.

"I understand that," I told them walking back and forth. "Just because I have powers doesn’t mean I’ll always be around when they’re needed. I’m not invincible. I could be injured or something. You are the defense of this pack after Aaron and me. It’s your duty to protect this pack at all costs." Everyone was staring at me. I decided maybe a little challenge would light a fire under them.

"Who wants to take me on?" No one moved a single muscle. It was so quiet in the facility, the only thing I could hear was the quickening of their breathing. "Come on, who thinks they have what it takes to defeat the Luna?"

"Do you really think anyone’s gonna take the bait?" Brooklyn asked.

"I think I will Luna," came Justin’s voice from the sideline. He walked up to me, as a few of the warriors murmured to one another.

"I want you all to take note of this, and if anyone is able to defeat me, they can stay in one of the guest rooms of the pack house and be catered to for three days." There was a flurry of excited whispers and smiles all around the room. Justin and I squared up in the middle of the training floor, as all the warriors gathered around waiting to see what would happen. I took a defensive stance, smiling at Justin as he looked right back at me with a smirk.

"You're going down," he said with a laugh.

"You seem pretty confident there."

"Does he really think he can beat us?" Brooklyn said, slightly offended.

"I think he does."

"Oh, he's in for a rude awakening," she said, standing on her two back legs, bouncing as though she was the one about to attack him. Everyone was murmuring and whispering, the anticipation too much for them. I wasn't nervous or anxious, I was confident in my abilities, and more confident in the knowledge that Brooklyn would rather die than lose to Justin.