Mate to Match

The Perfect Luna

Aiden

What the f***k is going on?

There have been two earthquakes in one night now. It can happen, I know, but the second one is usually just aftershocks of the first one. This definitely didn’t seem like that. With what’s happening in the South, I am hesitant to chalk anything up to coincidence.

I wish Grandfather were here to cast some light on this situation. But then again, I’ve grown too used to his counsel. He always told me that he wouldn’t be around forever, that I needed to learn how to handle my pack, my troubles, and whatever else came my way by myself. What kind of grandson would I be if I didn’t make him proud by measuring up to his faith in me?

He never talked to me about my mate though. Nor did I ask him. We didn’t have time for frivolous stuff such as that. I know he expected me to have a chosen mate, one that would support me in my endeavours and be a role model for the pack. He wanted me to mate with the perfect Luna - strong but obedient, firm but pliable. She should be a queen in her own right but also subservient to me, her mate and Alpha.

Raina doesn’t conform to any of those categories. She’s weak and defenceless. She has no rank, no lineage to speak of. And yet, she stands up to me in a way that baffles me. How does she gather the strength to challenge the might of an Alpha? Is it the mate bond that's shielding her from my aura?

After Raina left my room, I fell into bed without bothering to change out of my formal clothes. Despite my exhaustion, nothing could get the thought of her amethyst eyes out of my mind. When the whole house started shaking again, I lept out of bed and rushed downstairs, mind-linking all the Gammas and Deltas to get people to safety. I was on edge until I saw her again in the training grounds. For some reason, knowing she was safe made it a lot easier to do my job. Now I'm sitting in my office with a glass of whiskey in hand, trying and failing to relax.

A knock sounds on the door. I call for whoever it is to enter and Jax comes in. He looks just as tired as I feel. "Most of them have gone back to bed," he tells me. He spots the drink in my hand and smiles wryly. "Can I have one of those?"

I motion him to take the seat in front of my desk. I pour another glass of whiskey and hand it to him. "Cheers to a train wreck of a first day," I say, raising my glass.

"For you and me both," Jax replies, raising his. "Cheers to you finding your mate as well."

I down my glass in one big gulp. "I may need to drink this whole bottle to get over that."

Jax watches me pour another double into my glass. "Raina's fine. I asked Eileen to watch over her. She says congratulations, by the way."

"You told Eileen?!"

Jax looks at me like I'm the crazy one. "Eileen is my mate. I don't keep things from her," he says uncomfortably.

I rub my forehead with my fingers. It's hard not to interpret his words as a dig at my own behavior towards Raina. But I know Jax isn't like that. One of the first things my grandfather taught me was that an Alpha should be able to trust his Beta. I chose Jax because he's the one I trust the most out of the whole pack. "Okay, fine. I guess it can't hurt to have someone else with her when we can't be."

"Why are you so hell-bent on keeping her shadowed the whole time? She's quite capable, you know."

"Are you kidding me? Look at her. She's a tiny wisp of a girl that looks like she'll blow away if I breathe at her too hard. I can't even feel her wolf. What about her screams 'capable' to you?"

Jax shrugs and takes a deep sip of his whiskey. "I used to see her around in high school. And she does have a wolf. She transitioned at sixteen like everyone else. I know that because she was one of the kids honored at the annual coming-of-age ceremony. You should give her a chance."

"Give her a chance to be what - the perfect Luna?"

"Aiden, you can't tell me you don't feel anything for her."

I throw my head over the back of the chair and groan. "You're really going to hold me hostage with this mate-bond nonsense?"

"Man, I don't get you. Any other wolf would be thrilled to find their mate."

"Well, I'm not any other wolf. I'm Alpha of this pack and I need to take my job seriously."

Jax runs his hand through his hair exasperatedly. "Look, Aiden. All I know is - despite everything I have to deal with during business hours, I get to go home to Eileen at the end of it. It's the best part of my day. Sometimes, when I'm neck-deep in rogue attacks or administrative bullsh.it, I think about seeing her again and it gets me through. And I'm not even talking about the sex."

I raise my eyebrow at him.

"Obviously, the s*x is amazing. We can't keep our hands off each other," he continues, oblivious to my discomfort. "But even if I'm paralysed from the waist down and unable to get it up for the rest of my life, I'll still be as happy to see her as I am now."

"Okay, that's enough," I say, slightly queasy.

"Give Raina a chance, Aiden. You owe yourself - and her - that much."

I throw up my hands. "Fine! I'll give her a chance! Whatever that means."

Jax drains his glass and stands up, a catty grin on his face. "Great, you can give her a chance at breakfast. She wants to talk to you."

"Wait, what?"

Waving goodbye, he opens the door and disappears through it before I can say another word. I sigh and sink back in my seat. I can do nothing but pour myself another glass of whiskey.