The Luna’s Second Chance Mate

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I leaned over Larissa protectively as she strapped Declan in the backseat of the car. Declan was squirming and laughing, trying to avoid Larissa’s hands, but she was her usual patient self, and after she had joked around with him a little bit she finally convinced him to sit tight while she clasped the strap over his waist and handed him a toy and his iPad to play with. The jar of crickets which he had stubbornly refused to part with was also by his side.

To my surprise, he picked up the jar instead of the iPad. At his actions, Larissa turned around to smirk at me. She had tried to explain to me a few days ago that this trip would be very good for Declan, and that it would help curb his obsession with electronics, but I had not believed a word she said because I knew how much Declan loved to play games on his device.

“Fine. I know you want to hear it, so I’ll just say it. You were right. Happy now?” I said, raising my hands in surrender.

Larissa gave a smug smile, folding her arms and cocking her head to the side. “Of course I was right. What did you expect?”

We broke into laughter as she shut the back door and proceeded to the passenger seat while I climbed into the driver’s side. Ever since the incident with the strange man and Declan, things had been a little tense between us. We were still thinking about it, and it prevented us from relaxing like we wanted to.

Before I started the ignition, I took one last look around to make sure everything was fine and then I zoomed off. The ride home was silent save for Declan speaking up once in a while and asking random questions about the crickets. Larissa was there to answer him and she explained things in a way that would make sense to him.

As I drove back to the pack mansion, I thought about the ambush, the strange man in the woods with my son, and everything else that had been happening in the last few weeks. I decided that I could not take it anymore. I had to do something about it, and I had to do it fast.

An hour later, we arrived back at the mansion. As Larissa carried Declan out of the car, I almost leaned in to kiss her before I remembered where we were. I stopped myself just in time and awkwardly cleared my throat.

“I…uh, I’ll see you later then,” I said to her and then turned around and walked in, leaving her to her duties. I saw the look in her eyes and I knew that my discomfort had not skipped her notice, but I refused to let myself think about it at the moment. Back at this mansion, we were just Alpha and servant, nothing more than that. And that is how it had always been.

Before I could let myself be immersed in those thoughts I shook them off and walked to my bedroom. I had a lot to do and there was no time to spare. Immediately, I mind linked the Gemini, my beta, and the scouts, summoning them to my study for an emergency meeting.

A knock sounded at my door a few moments later, almost like they had been waiting in the next room. “Come in.”

The door was gently opened and I watched as Hunter, Jackson and The Gemini walked into my study.

“Good day, Alpha,” they greeted at the same time, bowing to me.

I waved their greetings away. “No time for pleasantries now. Sit.” I gestured to the chairs in my study. “Now…as you all know, we are being targeted by a mysterious group of people. We know nothing about them except that they are responsible for the attacks that has been unleashed upon us and a few other small packs within our jurisdiction.”

“Yes, Alpha,” Hunter spoke up. “We have been making a lot of effort to identify these people, but we’ve had no luck so far.”

I grunted. “That is why we are here. I haven’t been taking this quite as seriously as I should. I do not care if they are fucking ghosts. All I know is that we must put an end to this nonsense once and for all!” I banged my fist angrily against the table, the memory of the ambush making me boil. “They have crossed the line, and I will not sit back and do nothing about it!”

They all exchanged confused looks.

“Did something happen, Alpha?”

“We were ambushed at the cabin,” I said through gritted teeth.

“What?!” Jackson hissed, jumping up from his chair in anger. “Those motherfuckers.”

“Why didn’t you tell us? You could have called us for backup,” he said.

“There was no need. I fought them off as best as I could, but I doubt their aim was to cause any real harm. It was probably just their sick way of warning me.”

“I can’t believe those bastards,” Jacob shook his head. “The nerve of those people. We need to find them and make them pay.”

“I’m gonna have to agree with Jacob,” Hunter put in. “Letting them go scot-free every single time will put the notion in their heads that we are weaklings. We cannot let them have the upper hand.”

I nodded in understanding. “And that is not all. Declan got a little lost while playing around a few days ago. We found him in the woods with a strange man who I believe is a member of this same mystery gang.”

They all jumped from their seats at the same time. “I swear if he did anything to Declan I’m gonna–”

I could feel the tension in the room and I raised a hand once more to quiet them down.

“No, he didn’t. We got there in time. But again, I don’t believe his aim was to harm Declan. This is just another warning from them. I guess targeting Declan was a message to me, that they could have access to my loved ones.”

“This is absolute bullshit?” Hunter growled. “We need to find these people and we need to do it fast. We need to make them pay.”

They began to discuss amongst themselves and raise suggestions on how best we could tackle the issue. It was clear that they were all angry, and although I appreciated the rage, this was the time to keep a cool head and make plans. I understood why they were all seething. Hell, if I had the opportunity I would kill them all. But we can’t kill what we can’t see.

“Enough,” I raised a hand to silence them from the commotion that was starting to arise. “I understand your grievances, and believe me, I feel the exact same way. But we know nothing about these people. So where do we begin? We can’t find them, so all we can do now is wait for them to come to us.”

They all nodded in understanding. “Yes, Alpha.”

“Good. But mind you, waiting does not mean we are going to be idle and waiting to be taken off guard like a bunch of fools. That is why I summoned you all. Jackson, I need you to double the security here at the pack. Every nook and cranny must be guarded, every man accounted for. So if anyone even thinks of sabotaging or betraying us, we will be aware.”

“Yes, Alpha.”

I turned the other way. “Hunter, you will do a thorough briefing of the men to find out the most capable ones and which guards should be reinstated to which post. I want them trained and each man playing to his own strength. The men who work better at night should guard the gates at night, and the guards that work better in the day should work in the day. After you have done all this, make sure it stays organised. If we are going to get ambushed in the dead of the night, we have to be ready. Is that understood?”

“Yes, Alpha.”

I continued. “We also need to kick off and take training more seriously. There are a lot of teenage pups now, and men who have not been fully trained. That is your job, Hunter.” I turned to him, irritation slowly building in my chest. “Don’t think I didn’t notice you’ve been slacking off for weeks.”

He bowed his head. “Alpha, I–”

“I don’t want to hear it. You are my Beta, but do not think for one second that you are indispensable. There are a lot of wolves vying for your position, so do not make me announce the Beta position as open and available.” I faced the rest of them on the table. “Each of you must do your jobs and complete it, and it sure as hell must be perfect. I will not tolerate incompetence and I do not care if the bunch of you are the most important pack members. Any wrong move and I’ll have you replaced.”

They all bowed low and nodded in understanding. “Understood, Alpha,” they said in unison.

“Very good. Now we have that down, we need to discuss this mystery enemy. What do we know about them so far, except for the fact that their followers address them as ‘the moon’?”

Hunter was the first to contribute. “We know they are responsible for the attacks on smaller packs in the north region. According to our sources, it seems like a pattern. They are gradually inching their way through Griffinhowl territory.”

“We also know that the Luna of Southsea who was killed in battle has a sort of connection with them, so we can start looking in that direction and see if there is anything we can get,” Jackson added.

As they continued to belt out suggestions and talk amongst themselves my mind was running a mile a minute. I tried to think of the enemies I had over the past few years since I became Alpha, and honestly speaking, none of them would dare go to this extent. Perhaps it wasn’t someone I knew, and it was a new alpha trying to overthrow me in secret.

“That is very valid, Alpha. What if it’s a bunch of alphas?” Jacob asked. I had almost forgotten that the Gemini could read minds. But admittedly, that seemed like something to build on. The possibility that it could be more than one enemy was very high.

I turned to Jackson. “Write up a list of packs that are enemies of Griffinhowl and send them to me. After I’ve looked through them, I will send some spies into their households. Gemini, do you think you can handle that?”

“Yes, Alpha,” they echoed.

“Good. Any other suggestions?”

There was silence for a while and then Hunter spoke up. “Alpha, there is one other person who seemed to know more about this mystery pack than she let on; the Luna of Shadow Pack. Perhaps we should seek out her help once again.”

I frowned at the name. “Absolutely not.” No, I had not forgotten about the woman who had pointed us in the direction of the Southsea Luna. “She might know more than she let on, but that is because she is a cunning woman. She might seem to be on our side, but people like her always have an agenda. And if Griffinhowl asks for her help once more, she is bound to sense weakness within us, and then she will strike. So, no, we are not doing that.”

They reflected on my words and finally nodded. “I apologize, Alpha. I didn’t think that far.”

“It’s no problem. I think we are done here. You’re dismissed.”

Jacob smirked. “Ah, come on. That’s all? You haven’t even told us about the rest of your trip.”

“Yes. How was the vacation with your housekeeper,” Joshua strung along, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

“Whatever happened on my trip is none of your business, boys.”

“Ah, something did happen.”

I stood. “Get out, all of you,” I clapped my hands to hurry them. “I won’t listen to another word of this. Henceforth, I will not tolerate any crude remarks about her. Is that understood?”

They all exchanged looks. “Woah. Since when are you on her side? What changed?”

I ushered them out of my study and towards the door. “You’ll find out soon enough.”

With confused looks on their faces, they all walked out. I was about to shut the door when I saw Larissa emerge from the top of the stairs with another maid by her side.