His Undercover Luna

Chapter 9

Roxy

"Roxy, wake up!"

I groaned as the pounding on my door persisted, accompanied by Aiden's voice. This felt just like back home when he woke me up every morning at five for training.

"I'm up!" I shouted, dragging myself out of bed. I quickly freshened up, pulling my hair into a high ponytail and throwing on some training gear.

The silver lining to this mission was that even though we were already fully trained, we’d get to pick up on their fighting techniques—skills we could use against them later.

I headed to the kitchen to grab an apple before going to the training grounds. But as soon as I entered, the intoxicating scent of my mate hit me like a tidal wave. My body weakened, betraying my resolve, but I quickly steeled myself. Acting skills, don’t fail me now.

I strolled into the kitchen, feigning obliviousness to his presence. Grabbing the apple, I tried to leave before he could say anything.

"Morning," he greeted brightly. Damn it.

"Morning," I mumbled, keeping my tone uninterested as I headed for the exit.

"Won't you need water too?" His voice was calm, but I could feel his gaze on me. With a frustrated huff, I grabbed a bottle from the fridge without looking at him.

I heard the scrape of a chair and knew he was getting up. I made a break for the door, but he caught my hand before I could escape.

He spun me around, forcing me to face him. I avoided his eyes, knowing the effect they had on me. My hand tingled where his touched, and I pulled away quickly.

"You okay?" he asked softly, concern lacing his voice.

"I'm fine," I muttered, my tone clipped. I turned to leave again.

"You sure?" This time, his hand caught mine again, and I yanked it free more forcefully.

"I said I'm fine," I snapped. "I need to get to training." Without waiting for a response, I marched out, my chest heavy with the weight of my actions.

It's for the pack. For Aiden, Dad, Phillip, and everyone counting on me. I can't let selfish desires derail me.

Outside, I found Aiden and Ryan deep in conversation.

"Hey, Roxy," Ryan greeted me with a warm smile.

"Hey," I replied simply. If I couldn’t win over Ace, I’d have to gain the trust of everyone else.

"Ready?" Ryan asked before leading us to the training grounds.

The training grounds were expansive, much larger than ours back home. Wolves sparred in various circles, showcasing a range of skills. My gaze was drawn to the female fighters—something our pack didn’t have. It was a refreshing sight, one I’d have to suggest to Dad when we got back.

"Welcome!" A guy about our age approached us with a bright smile. "I’ll be your main trainer for the next four months," he announced, his tone brimming with enthusiasm. Aiden let out a subtle scoff beside me.

"We’ll start with the basics and work our way up. By the end, you should be leaving here as an expert," he said, addressing Aiden. Then he turned to me with a teasing smirk. "And you’ll probably hit intermediate."

I narrowed my eyes at him, biting back the urge to show him just how wrong he was.

"Is there a problem, little wolf?" he taunted. That little—

"Come on, Zack, no need to taunt her," a familiar voice interrupted. I froze. Ace.

"She might surprise you," he added, stepping to my side. His presence sent a shiver down my spine, and my annoyance flared.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, not bothering to hide my irritation as I began my stretches.

"I couldn’t miss my mate’s first training session," he said teasingly.

"I don’t need supervision. I can take care of myself," I shot back, keeping my eyes on the ground.

"Oh, I know you can, but I want to be here."

"Don’t you have work to do, Alpha?" I asked pointedly. This was the second time he was neglecting his duties for me.

"I do, but it can wait," he said with a shrug. I rolled my eyes, hoping he’d take the hint and leave.

"Go. You don’t need to be worried about who fights me," I added, knowing his overprotectiveness was the real reason he was here.

He didn’t reply, nor did he leave. Fine. I’d just have to ignore him.

For the next hour, we re-learned skills Aiden and I already mastered. Ace stayed, his gaze never leaving me. His impressed expression made me second-guess myself. Am I being too good again?

"You can take a break," Zack finally announced, heading for his water bottle.

"That fast?" I asked, genuinely surprised. Everyone turned to look at me, stunned. Aiden shot me a warning glance, silently telling me to tone it down.

"Aren’t you tired, Roxy?" Zack asked, his curiosity evident.

I feigned exhaustion, panting lightly. "Of course I am," I lied. "I just thought you guys were tougher than that."

"Remarkable strength and stamina," Ace whispered in my ear, startling me. I yelped, clutching my water bottle as he grinned. "You can fool them, but I know you’re not tired. What’s your secret?"

My heart raced. "I have no secret," I said evenly. "I’m just a determined wolf with Alpha blood. You of all people should know what that means. Now, can you pleaseleave?"

"But your brother has Alpha blood too, and you’re holding up far better than him," he observed. My mind scrambled for a response.

"Look, I don’t know, okay? But you need to leave. You’re distracting me from my mission," I snapped, immediately regretting the double meaning in my words.

"Do I make you nervous, ma chérie?" His voice was soft, teasing, and utterly maddening.

"No. But can you just leave? I. Don't. Want. You. Here," I gritted out.

The look of hurt that flashed across his face nearly broke me. Every fiber of my being screamed to take back those words, to soften the blow, but I couldn't. I had to stay strong.

He hesitated for a moment before turning and leaving, his shoulders heavy with disappointment. My heart felt like it was being ripped apart. To keep myself from crumbling, I repeated the mission mantra in my mind: This is for the pack. This is for the pack.

I glanced over at Aiden, who gave me an impressed look. His voice rang through our mindlink.

"Wow. Didn’t think you had it in you."

I didn’t respond, too lost in my turmoil. I wasn’t happy with myself. In fact, I was miserable for the rest of the session. My snappy mood made me stronger, which only led to Aiden nudging me repeatedly to tone it down.

After training, I headed back to the house, eager to shake off the day. I showered and threw on one of Aiden’s oversized shirts before settling down with a movie, hoping to distract myself. The knock on my door barely registered, so I called out for whoever it was to come in, too focused to care.

"Hey, you got a minute?" Ace’s voice startled me, and I shot up immediately.

Cursing my lack of awareness, I turned to face him. "Um, yeah. Sure," I said, trying to keep my face neutral.

His eyes swept over me, lingering a little too long. It was then I realized what I was wearing—or rather, what I wasn’t wearing. The intensity of his gaze made my heart race, and I had to fight the urge to give in to the thoughts swirling in my mind.

"Is everything okay? You know, with you and me?" he asked, clearing his throat and meeting my eyes again.

"What do you mean?" I played dumb, though I knew exactly what he was getting at. I just needed a moment to steel myself for what I was about to do.

"Yesterday, it felt like we were making progress, but today, you’re distant again." He took a cautious step closer. I stepped back just as quickly.

Remember the mission, Roxy. Remember the purpose.

"Yesterday was a mistake," I said, forcing the lie out. His face fell, pain etching itself into his features. My heart screamed at me to stop, but I pushed forward.

"You want to know why I’ve been distant? I didn’t want a mate. I never did, and I still don’t," I added coldly.

"That’s a lie," he whispered, his voice barely audible, his pain evident.

"It’s the truth," I snapped. "Hurts, doesn’t it? Well, too bad. That’s life. I came here for one purpose: to complete my mission and return to my pack. Meeting you was just an inconvenient stumble along the way."

"Roxy, please—"

"No!" I cut him off, shaking my head. "You can’t change my mind. The mate bond pulled me in for a moment, but I’ve had a wake-up call. I don’t want you."

The words tasted like poison, but I forced them out, each syllable slicing through me as much as it did him. His face crumpled even further, if that was possible.

"What?" he choked out.

"I don’t want you," I repeated, my voice barely a whisper. My hands trembled, and my wolf growled in protest, but I kept my face stoic.

His eyes glazed over as if he was retreating deep into himself, and without another word, he turned and walked out.

As soon as the door shut behind him, I crumbled onto the bed, burying my face in my hands as the tears began to fall.

I wish things were different. I wish I could have both—a happy pack and my mate. But life isn’t fair, is it?

Maybe this was karma, the universe’s way of punishing him and his pack for what they did to mine all those years ago. But why did I have to suffer too? Wasn’t there another way?

I clung to a sliver of hope, wishing for some magical force to grant me the best of both worlds. But deep down, I knew better.

I pressed my face into my pillow, tears streaming freely now. I hadn’t cried like this in years, and the fact that I was doing it in his house, over him, felt like the ultimate betrayal to myself.

The thought of having to repeat this charade over and over again made me cry even harder. This wouldn’t keep him away for long; I knew that. He was persistent, and it would take weeks—maybe months—of pushing him away before he’d give up.

And when he finally did, maybe he’d find someone better. Someone who could make him happy in a way I never could. He deserved that much, didn’t he?

But the thought of him being with someone else only made the ache worse.

Sighing, I curled up into a ball, my chest hollow yet heavy with regret. I tried to focus on anything but the pain, hoping exhaustion would eventually take me.

As sleep pulled me under, one thought lingered: How much longer can I keep this up?