Luna On The Run!

Beta Eric’s POV

We arrive at the mayor’s office where Zane proudly introduces Ariel as his wife.

It stings, but there’s nothing I can do about it at the moment. I make sure I sit far away from her so I don’t have to look in her direction. Zane and Kensley come down hard on the Mayor, reminding him of his responsibility to keep the fortune seekers out of Midnight Moon. The peace treaty is slammed down hard on the table and I see the man’s Adam’s apple bobbing several times. The poor man is probably terrified of the wolf beasts in front of him. Who can blame him? Zane is a walking killing machine right now, with his wolf in distress.

But it is Ariel’s involvement that is attracting the most attention.

Unlike Zane and Kensley, she is calm as she enters the conversation. She points out to the Mayor the technicalities of the treaty and the possible consequences of human violations. Her arguments are convincing, the men are silent as she speaks. Ariel is clearly the daughter of an Alpha King, and her authority is undeniable. I sit at a distance, watching the discussion unfold.

Eventually, she manages to calm the conversation. When we finally got up to leave, we each shook hands with the relieved Mayor. The treaty is reaffirmed and the man assures us that he will provide more security on his part to keep the daredevils away.

“Ariel, you were wonderful,” Zane compliments her as we get into the car. He leans in to kiss her. But at the last moment, she turns her face and his kiss lands on her cheek. I held my breath, Zane doesn’t take rejection well and Ariel has been rude to him before.

But before he can respond to her reaction, she grabs his hand.All text © NôvelD(r)a'ma.Org.

“I’m so hungry, Zane. Can we please go to a restaurant? I only had a light breakfast this morning”. Zane’s hostility melts away instantly and she takes her hand to his lips. “Sure, just tell me where you want to go”.

“Doesn’t matter. Right now, I could eat a bear,” she points with a smile. Zane drives to a fancy restaurant overlooking a small lake. It looks very cozy and the atmosphere inside is great. When we find a table with a view of the lake, I sit down opposite Zane. However, I can’t help but get a good look at Ariel as well. I sigh deeply, this lunch is going to be a torture and I wish it were already over. I can avoid her in the pack, but here in a private restaurant, it is definitely difficult.

To my shock, she turns her eyes directly to me, her face softening. The sparks were unmistakable. I feigned indifference and rested my forehead on my clenched fists so as not to look her in the face. A waitress approaches and hands each of us a menu.

“What would you like, Eric? They have a mix of dishes here, there’s Italian and Chinese,” I suddenly hear her exclaim playfully. “Why don’t you go for the Italian and I’ll go for the Chinese and we can try each other’s dishes.”

Stiff with shock, I keep staring at the menu.

There is so much wrong here. Ariel is about twenty now, but what I just heard was the exclamation of a hormonal teenager looking for attention. Besides, her offer to share would be better suited to her mate. And it seems I’m not the only one who thinks so. Zane and Kensley are now frowning at Ariel. Kensley’s eyes move from her to me and back again, as if wondering if he has missed the point. I have to say something quickly to save the situation, Ariel is being deliberately careless.

“Why don’t we do it like this? You and Zane each choose an Italian dish, while Kensley and I decide on the Chinese flavor of the table. Is that a good deal, Luna?” I offer casually. Confused, she looks around the table as if she has just realized we are not alone and nods childishly anyway. Kensley clears his throat and waves the waitress over. We place our order and while we wait, the woman doesn’t let go of me.

“Eric, what is your favorite kind of drink? If you don’t have one, you can have apple juice like me. You won’t regret it, I promise,” she offers coyly. I sigh and look at Zane. Damage control is my job now.

“Zane, didn’t you have apple juice the last time we met? What a coincidence that your mate likes it too. Maybe we should start a plantation so the Omegas can make fresh juice for her every day?”

Hearing my statement, the dark, suspicious look in my Alpha’s eyes cleared up at once.

“Fantastic idea. Too bad I didn’t think of it myself. Eric, get this yard started today. Get a thousand apple trees planted. The Luna should never lack her own fresh juice,” he decides.

He takes Ariel’s hand again and kisses the back.

“We will take good care of you, you will want for nothing, my love,” he whispers to her. “I have yet to thank you for bringing the meeting to a successful conclusion. I was ready to rip the Mayor’s heart out for his failures. The man doesn’t even know what’s going on in his district.”

“Aaahh, it’s nothing. I am the daughter of the Alpha King, remember?

I have learned to negotiate for the benefit of all parties. There is no place for war if we can settle disputes in a civilized manner.”

Shit, that was harsh. I roll my eyes, the subtle rebuke is unmistakable.

Ariel clearly does not approve of the way Zane exercises his leadership, and there is nothing childish about her judgment.

And then it dawns on me. There is so much wrong with this woman. She is childlike for her age, but she can also be so businesslike when she needs to be. In her exchanges, she always talks about her father and his pack, never about Alpha Gorgio, her mate.

She lived with her mate for almost a year, and I am sure she has fond memories of her time there. They were reportedly very much in love, couldn’t be apart for long and were in constant physical contact.

And here is Ariel, in our pack for over a week now, and she has never mentioned Alpha Gorgio, not once. Her idol is her father, but that does not fit with the information we have from her.

Again, things don’t add up here.

The she-wolf here with us does not seem to have a mate, she does not behave like a fully mated she-wolf…