Chasing His Kickass Luna Back Chapter 121

Karl

I need to breathe.

Before anyone notices, I decide to sneak out of Abby’s apartment and away from the clean-up party, feeling like I’ve got a storm cloud hanging over my head.

Kissing Abby was a bold move, a stupid one maybe, and now the walls in there are practically vibrating with tension. My wolf isn’t happy either; he’s restless, prowling around inside me as if he wants to burst out.

I step outside, welcoming the chill in the air. It feels good against my skin, like it might cool off the heat of the moment, give my alcohol-addled brain some clarity. The sounds of the city’s nightlife hum in the distance, a muffled backdrop to my jumbled thoughts.

“Dammit, Karl,” I mumble to myself, shoving my hands into my pockets as I walk around the building. The gravel crunches under my boots with each step, as if scolding me. “What were you thinking?”

But then, suddenly, my senses flare just as I’m turning the corner. There’s a scent—something close to the window where Abby’s apartment was torched. I stop, sniffing the air. It’s not smoke or any cleaning chemicals. It’s something else. Something familiar.

I can’t place it.

Just when I’m practically about to get on all fours and give the ground a good sniff—screw anyone who sees me—Chloe’s voice interrupts me.

“Karl? What are you doing out here? You look like a creeper.”

I jerk upright, meeting her gaze. “Just needed some fresh air. It’s kind of heavy in there, you know? Smells like smoke.”

Chloe crosses her arms, always too astute for her own good. “So you’re sniffing the air out here to clear your sinuses or something? Really?”

“Actually,” I say, “can you come here for a second?”

She arches an eyebrow but steps over, clearly intrigued. “Okay, what’s up?”

“Do you smell anything unusual here?” I gesture to the spot near the window.

Chloe sniffs the air, then shakes her head. “Nope. Just smells like burnt wood and cleaning stuff to me.”

I nod, taking her words to heart. If Chloe, with her sharp senses, can’t smell it, then what the hell is going on?

She looks at me, her gaze probing. “Ugh, I can’t believe I’m actually asking this…” she mutters, running her hand through her hair. “But are you sure you’re alright, Karl? You look a bit... off.”

“I’m fine,” I lie, my mind racing. The scent, why do I recognize it? And why am I the only one who does?

Chloe holds my gaze for a moment longer before nodding. “Alright, if you say so. But if you keep acting all broody and mysterious, people are going to start thinking you’re up to something.”

I manage a forced smile. “I’ll try to act normal.”

She starts to head back toward the door, then stops, freezing for a moment. I feel as though I can see the gears turning in her head. Then, slowly, she turns around. “Hey, um… If you figure out what’s bothering you, you know where to find me.”

I’m a bit taken aback by her sudden kindness. “Oh, um… Thanks, Chloe.”

She heads back inside, and I’m left alone again, staring at the window where this whole fire originated from. There’s still orange police tape surrounding it, indicating that a larger investigation is at play.

But I’m still unsettled, my thoughts spiraling. That scent was so familiar, like a name I can’t quite remember.

Could it be connected to the fire? It has to be. But why is it only familiar to me? Could I know the person behind all this?

“No,” I think to myself, shaking my head. It can’t be. I’m drunk, and the smoke from inside has clouded my senses, and my mind is still whirling from my kiss with Abby.

A kiss. With Abby. I almost forgot, I got so absorbed in… whatever this is. I should talk to her.

Just as I’m about to head back inside and face the mess that I’ve made with Abby, my phone buzzes in my pocket. I glance at the screen. It;s a call from Marcus, my Beta. Normally, I’d be irritated about the timing, but right now, talking pack politics feels like a welcome distraction.

“Hey Marcus, what’s up?”

“Karl, glad I caught you. You have a minute? We need to discuss some pack matters.”

“I’ve got a moment,” I say, feeling a knot of tension that I hadn’t noticed before start to unwind. “What’s going on?”

“First off, the lumberyard deal went through. They’re asking if we’re okay with them expanding a bit more into our territory.”

I think for a moment. The owners of the lumberyard have been allies for years, and the lumberyard provides jobs for pack members. “Fine by me, as long as they stick to the agreed environmental safeguards.”

“Great. I’ll confirm it with them.”

“What else?”

“We’ve had some land disputes on the west boundary. The Everwinter pack is claiming it’s theirs.”

I grit my teeth. The Everwinters are notorious for pulling stuff like this. “Alright,” I say with a sigh. “Let’s not start a war over it. Offer a meeting to discuss it, and go heavy on the diplomacy. Remember, their Luna loves our pack’s specialty: Turkish delights. Get her a fresh box of them. It’ll sweeten the deal.”

“Understood. Oh, and you’ll have a couple of contracts to e-sign tonight. Expect some emails.”

“Sure, send them over,” I reply.

Marcus pauses for a moment before he speaks again, choosing his words carefully. “And, Karl, there’s something else. Some of the pack... they’re talking.”

I feel a prickling sensation at the back of my neck, a warning from my wolf. “Talking? About what?”

“About you not being around much. They say you’re shirking your duties as Alpha.”

I close my eyes for a moment, inhaling deeply. The irony isn’t lost on me: I step out to escape one problem, only to be confronted by another.

“Marcus, what’s my approval rating?” I finally ask, needing to know how deep the wound goes.

“It’s... not the best lately, Karl. You should be aware of that. You’ve always been one to prioritize the pack, so your absence hasn’t gone unnoticed. It’s fixable, though. You just need to come home.”

I feel a pang of guilt, and it stings. “Maybe I have been shirking my duties,” I admit, looking up at the sky as if it holds answers. The stars twinkle back, indifferent to my problems. “I’ve been distracted lately.”

“Distracted?”

I hesitate, reluctant to bring up Abby and the complicated web of issues surrounding her right now; how my efforts to gain her favor only worked to a certain extent. How she’s still rejecting me, even tonight. “I can’t talk about it right now, Marcus. But I understand what you’re saying.”

Marcus sighs on the other end of the line, a heavy sound that says he’s carrying his share of burdens, too. “When can you be back, Karl? We need our Alpha. In person.”

“Very soon,” I say, feeling the weight of that promise as I make it. “I’ll come back full-time to the pack, I swear.”

“Alright,” Marcus replies, still sounding skeptical but willing to trust me. “Take care, Karl. We’ll hold down the fort until you get back.”

“Thanks, Marcus. Bye.”

As I end the call, I find myself looking back toward Abby’s apartment. Inside, there are people who surprisingly care about me, a woman who has taken up a significant chunk of my thoughts, and mysteries that need solving.

Yet, in this moment, the strings pulling me back to my pack feel more like steel cables than strings.

I’ve been walking a fine line, trying to be the man Abby needs and the Alpha my pack deserves. And I’m failing at both.

I shove my phone back into my pocket, my fists clenched. My wolf is restless, unhappy with my indecisiveness. He’s a creature of action, of directness, and this situation is making him anxious, just as it is me.

“I’ll fix this,” I mutter to myself, setting my jaw. “I have to.”