Two Alphas, One Luna

Shining Through

Priya

I felt so drained. Physically and emotionally. After what I did a few days ago, I wasn’t given any real privacy. While I sat on the bed in the guest room ridiculous Lifetime movies, one of Mercer’s men stood right outside of the door. The door was left open, so each time someone walked by I felt their eyes on me. So humiliating. Mercer made it crystal clear that he had no intentions of letting me go. There had to be someone here that didn’t approve of his actions, someone who felt even a fraction of sympathy for me. Considering Mercer’s temperament they were probably too afraid to speak against him. Then again, why would any of them risk punishment for me? I had to find my own way back. Back to what, I wasn’t sure. I still didn’t know exactly what happened, and no one would tell me. If I at least knew that my mother and siblings were alive, if Gray was alive…

“Um, Priya?” Olivia’s timid voice came from the doorway. I looked over at her curiously. I did feel bad for slicing her shoulder open. She was all healed now but, I could tell she behaved differently around me now.

“Hm?”

“There’s a big pot of Turkey chili and a ton of sweet cornbread ready if you’re hungry.” She said with a half smile.

“Oh, I might have some. Thank you, Olivia. By the way, I’m sorry for hurting you. I know what’s happening to me isn’t your fault. You didn’t deserve that.”

Her eyes lit up a little. She looked surprised to hear my apology.

“Thank you for saying that. I appreciate that more than you know.”

I watched her walk away, leaving me to my solitude again. I hadn’t eaten breakfast so I was a bit hungry now. Most of the time I was trying to avoid running into Mercer, so I’d just stay in this room. I knew I couldn’t completely avoid him because he’d seek me out. But I was damn sure going to try.

Things sounded pretty busy around here today. Although this house was the main estate, there were several of them along the Naulo Archipelago. For some reason there were more people in the house today. When I reached the kitchen, a couple was hugged up near the kitchen island. My presence didn’t seem to kill the mood. I looked around at the glass paneled cabinets for the bowls. I was impressed with the amount of space. This kitchen was definitely fit for a chef.

After I made myself a generous bowl of chili, I headed to the dining room. Before I could turn the corner and enter I heard Mercer talking to someone. The conversation was getting heated.

“You should be preparing for war, not trying to introduce a new Luna to the pack! Do you honestly think the other clans aren’t planning an attack right now?!” A woman scolded him.

“So what if they are?! They brought this upon themselves! Breaking an agreement is an act of war in and of itself. Warrick knew that. The rest of them chose to defend his betrayal and so suffered the consequences.” Mercer fired back.

My food was cooling off in my hands but, I had to hear more. If they slipped and said something important…

“You are way too impulsive Mercer! You always have been! This could have been handled with an official meeting with the Red Eye pack. Did you even consider it?!” The woman yelled at him again. I heard Mercer laugh bitterly at her suggestion.

“How naïve are you? I mean really, Stacie. Gracian wasn’t going to just hand Priya over to me. Even after I showed them proof of my contract with their Alpha, he didn’t back down. Taking her by force was my only option. If they want her back they’ll have to kill me first.” He said with conviction. Stacie, sighed with frustration.

“If you’re really willing to risk going to war over her, I hope you have a plan. Our pack doesn’t deserve to get dragged into a blood bath because of your d**k, idiot.” She hissed.

“You’re lucky you’re my sister. And this isn’t just lust. I’ve loved her since I was just a boy. There’s a lot more to this than you realize.” Mercer said.

“I’m sure. But the problem is, she loves someone else. The fact that you killed so many just to make her your Luna, it’s going to be next to impossible for her to forgive you. Much less love you.” She said. That I agreed with.

His sister had an affair with my father and in the end, had him killed to avenge her son. Now her brother was determined to walk through the fires of hell to make me his. I still didn’t know whether or not Gray was alive. What a mess this was. I turned to leave, hoping I could make it back to my cozy cell before being noticed.

“Priya, you might as well have your meal at the table. No need to eavesdrop and let your food get cold.” Mercer taunted.

Damn it. Of course he knew I was there. I’m sure they both sensed me. Oh well, I’m busted so no need to make things more awkward by running off. I entered the dining room reluctantly and took a seat at the far end of the table. I tried my best not to make eye contact with either of them. Suddenly, I wasn’t so hungry anymore.

“Hm. I hear you’ve been difficult. I understand though, believe it or not. You’re probably holding onto the hope that a calvary is coming, I wouldn’t be so sure.” She sounded confident, which made me meet her gaze.

“Stacie, don’t antagonize her. If you’re done expressing your concerns, you can go.” He said sternly. She looked over at him briefly before looking back at me.

Her eyes were the same dark, chocolate brown. She had wavy brown hair with light brown highlights that came down below her shoulders. Like Mercer, she had little moles on her face. Only hers were spread out more. One on the side of her prominent round nose, one on her right cheek, and the last on the left side of her chin. I could see why my father was tempted.

“You think that you know my people because you slept with the Alpha? Is that it?” I asked her with my eyebrows raised. She looked caught off guard momentarily.

“Excuse me?” She said genuinely offended. Good.

“You heard. Whether the Red Eye wolves come now or weeks from now, they will come. I can guarantee that the other clans will rally behind them. I’m sure they’ll show your pack the same amount of brutality that you showed theirs.” I said directly to Mercer. Stacie laughed bitterly.

“I guess we’ll see how this plays out then, little red. If I were you I would try to be sweet towards my dear brother. He’s the only one protecting you here. If there is a judgement day upon us, our pack members will blame you for their losses. Mercer was simply taking what was promised to him, they don’t fault him for that. You on the other hand? They will never accept you after that. Not even if you become their Luna.” Stacie stood up from the table then. My words were caught in my throat.

Mercer’s eyes began to glow a golden hue that was the signature of the Golden Fang pack. She’d pissed him off. He rose from his seat, towering over her by at least four inches.

“You don’t speak for anyone here, Stacie. The only power you have here is what I choose to give you. Our parents are retired billionaires that no longer interfere with pack business, they have no sway here either. Because of them, you’ve become nothing more than a spoiled, arrogant b***h who thinks everyone is going to bend to your will simply because of family connections!” He growled at her furiously.

Stacie’s shoulders visibly tensed, she appeared hurt by his words.

“How could you say that to me?” Her voice trembled slightly.

“I should’ve said it long before now. You’ve made your point, so go home. If I need you I’ll call.”

“Fine. I really hope you know what you’re doing.” She said before leaving the dining room.

Mercer sighed heavily, trying to calm down. I shifted a little in my seat. When he looked over at me, his eyes had returned to normal.

“I’m sorry about that. I need some air, you should come with me. You must be going stir crazy in here.”

It was the first time he sounded sincere about letting me go outside. I would’ve preferred to go alone but, I knew that wasn’t going to happen. Seeing the layout of the place might give me an idea of how to get out.

“Yeah, fresh air sounds good.” I said, getting up from the table. Their little spat ruined my appetite anyway.

The winds were calm today, and the warm sunshine was a welcome change. I felt like I was in a different world after being cooped up inside for nearly two weeks. Mercer had clothes ordered for me, so I at least had warm clothes. It was thoughtful of him. Or manipulative.

“When will you stop the the wolfsbane injections? I haven’t caused any trouble for almost a week now.” I said looking up at him. We were walking on the stone paths around the estate, rock salt crunching under our boots.

“That isn’t long enough for me to trust you. If you want to be able to shift again, earn my trust.” He said.

“I guess that’s fair. I don’t trust you at all…”

My comment made him laugh.

“Yet here you are, walking alone with me. I wanted to ask you something.” He hesitated for a moment, making me look up at him again.

“Yeah?”

“Do you remember receiving a sapphire wolf charm on your thirteenth birthday?”

I thought about it for a second, and I did recall such a gift.

“I do remember that charm. It was beautiful. My parents didn’t say who it was from.” I said, thinking deeply about that day.

Then the realization hit me and I tripped. A clump of ice I overlooked. Mercer grabbed me by the arm, keeping me from falling forward. I met his eyes again to see him smiling.

“You good?” He asked.

“Yeah, thanks. So it was your gift. All this time I couldn’t figure it out.” I said pulling away from him. He placed his hands into his coat pockets.

“Did you keep it?”

I nodded, I could see blush in his cheeks.

“It’s funny, I sent a letter along with the charm. I guess it never reached you.” He sighed.

I was beginning to wonder just how much my father intervened to keep Mercer and I from getting close.

“What did the letter say? Do you remember?” I asked, deeply curious. Instead of answering, Mercer started walking again. I continued on with him.

“I would never forget those words. But I don’t think now is the time to hear them. A lot has happened since then.” His voice sounded less cheerful now. I could tell he wanted to say those unspoken words but my disdain for him held his tongue.

“So, what? You’ll just never tell me?” I stopped walking then.

Suddenly Mercer turned around and pulled me in against him. It wasn’t forceful like before, it was gentle and protective. I looked up at him nervously. Mercer lowered his head and kissed me right on the center of my forehead. His lips were so warm and soft against my skin. I was frozen in his arms from shock. Strangely, I wasn’t afraid. He slowly let me go and returned his hands to his pockets.

“You passed the first test. I just might tell you soon…” He said with a smirk as he walked off again.

I hurried to catch up. We continued walking in silence, letting what just happened linger in the air between us. I spared a glance around every now and then. In the distance, far from the main estate, I noticed a series of yachts docked. If there were yachts, there had to be a landing pad somewhere. It might not even be on the main island. Damn it. I had to get out of here somehow. The way Mercer is behaving, there might be an opportunity to escape. I hated the idea of using someone’s feelings as a weapon but, this was survival.