Mine to Protect Chapter 70: MOONLIGHT WALKERS PACK

*Hazel*

We are now seated on the sofa in the living room, and I can’t help asking Lukas “How come your pack doesn’t have any fence, like Crescent Moon? Isn’t it dangerous? And also, why you don’t live in the packhouse?”

Lukas raises an eyebrow at me. “Aren’t you an attentive little wolf? I thought you were sleeping like a log on the way in and didn’t notice anything. You even left some drool on my car seat.”

Amanda slaps his knee, making him pout. “Be nice!” she admonishes him.

“We don’t need fences, we are a small pack, no one sees us as a threat, plus they know who the Alpha of this pack is, and no one will dare mess with me,” he adds smugly.

Amanda scoffs. “Yes, that, and the one hundred sentinels hidden in the woods around the perimeter,” she adds sarcastically.

“That’s only for precaution. Better safe than sorry,” he explains.

“Well, at least it gives it a more natural feeling, that fence at Derek’s pack makes me feel claustrophobic.”

“You mean your pack; you are the Luna!” Lukas points out.

“A Luna they despise, and I honestly don’t know how long I will be their Luna for, maybe they are better off without me.”

“When all the mess about that fake news is cleared, you’ll see that they will all accept you with open arms. Derek is working on it; he will make sure that your name is cleared,” Lukas says, while I shrug my shoulders, not convinced in the least by his words.

“You know what, even if Emma sometimes can be rude and a total pain in the ass, what she told you that day at breakfast wasn’t completely wrong. Crescent Moon is a big and wealthy pack, full of well skilled warriors and talented people, you should feel lucky to be their Luna, be ready to help and protect your pack, not keep moping around because things don’t go the way you want them. If you don’t feel worthy of being their Luna, then stop whining and do what you have to do to make yourself worthy of them.”

That said, Lukas gets up and heads upstairs without another word. I am left dumbstruck at his words and at his behavior. Did he seriously get angry at me? Did he dare say that Emma was right?

“Forgive him, honey, the Luna topic is a touchy one for him. He didn’t mean to get angry at you,” Amanda explains apologetically.

“Is it because he hasn’t found his Luna yet?” I ask, not understanding the reason behind it.

“I think it is better if he tells you himself, it is not my place to say.”

Her words make me even more curious and confused, what is Lukas hiding behind that playful façade?

We all go to sleep, tired by the long eventful day, I snuggle in the blanket knitted by mom, trying to remember her scent and the warmth of her hug, and get asleep to the memories of my family living happily, unknowing of what was going to hit us.

The next day I woke up to the sun rising in the sky, I forgot to shut the curtains when I went to sleep. Although I feel like I could use some more sleep, I feel too unsettled to rest, so I get dressed in sweatpants and a T-shirts, and decide to go out for a morning run.

I don’t see Lukas or Amanda on my way out, so I guess they are still sleeping, the house is all quiet. I start running on the small road where we came from yesterday, then take a turn right to another small road, wondering where it will take me, I soon get my answer, because I find myself deep into the woods. The air is fresh and musky, I relish in the scent of pines and maple trees, making me feel at ease with the world.

Suddenly someone jumps down from a tree, scaring the living daylights out of me.

“State your name and purpose!” the ninja orders in a threatening tone. He’s wearing military clothes, which help him mix in the forest background.

“Who are you?” I asked him instead.

He’s ready to tackle me, when Lukas’ voice comes from behind me.

“Hands off, she’s a guest, she’s the Luna of the Crescent Moon pack. Please, tell the other guards too, so they don’t attack her while she’s wondering around without letting anyone know where she is going.” He says the last part with a pissed expression on his face.

“Yes, Alpha!” The ninja nods and leaves climbing back up the tree like a skilled monkey.

“I didn’t know your warriors were ninja turtles, or better, ninja monkeys,” I say, trying to ease the tension up a little, as Lukas is still looking at me with a pissed expression on his face.

Is it still because of yesterday?

“Next time you decide to go for a run in the woods at bloody sunrise, tell me in advance, ok? Derek will have my head if anything happens to you!” he says angrily.

“I didn’t know I needed permission to run around alone, and it’s not like I left your pack’s border. Plus, you have ninja monkeys positioned everywhere, they will certainly see if I am in trouble,” I reply heatedly.

He takes a deep breath to calm himself, then continues in a much calmer tone.

“Ok, it is my fault I didn’t explain the rules to you. Even though my pack is quite safe, you still have a huge target behind your back, so you can’t go alone in the woods or anywhere too deserted without me or a skilled warrior at your side. We don’t know what is coming for you, and we can’t put you at risk.”

What he says makes sense, but it still makes me feel trapped, like I can’t have any real freedom. It sucks to be me.

“Ok, I understand, I won’t wonder around alone again, ok?”

“That’s my good girl!” he says beaming at me. “And if you could move your morning run to a less ungodly hour, I would be happy to accompany you.”

“Aren’t you an Alpha? Don’t you need to wake up early for training and to deal with all the Alpha stuff?”

“The Alpha stuff, as you call it, can wait until 7 a.m., after I had my usual morning coffee. My Beta handles the training,” he explains, while gesturing for me to go on with my run.

We ran together in silence for a while, Lukas is running beside me, his gaze fixed on the road.

“Can I ask you why yesterday you got so upset? Did I say something that made you angry?” I can’t help asking him the question that is burning on the tip of my tongue since his outburst.

He stays silent for a while, and just when I think he is not going to answer he looks at me with the saddest expression I have ever seen on his face.