The One True Luna

High Pressure

"Alright... what is it?" I ask, very intrigued, “Let it out.”

"You said your pack still has Alpha Challenges, right?" Milo asks, devouring the bunny meat. I nod, taking a bite of mine too.

"As long as there isn't a direct successor. I mean, to be fair, Cain is the type of man to accept a challenge even if he had a son, but he would be within his right to reject it. As long as there isn't a successor, though, he is obligated to accept every challenge thrown his way," I respond, waiting to the rest of his plan with excitement. This is sounding promising and I know we're all thinking the same thing because Amaya gives Milo a very confused look.

"What the hell are you thinking, babe?" Gabriel asks first, “You want to challenge that guy?”

"But you love being a rogue," Amaya lets out, "So, why are you implying—“

"Relax, both of you," he rolls his eyes, then looks at me again, "They're extremely obsessed with me."

"Cute," I murmur, but I sound bitter. Because I am bitter and jealous of how in love they are and how much they f**k every single night while I'm just one tent away, on babysitting duty, crying my eyes out because I can feel my own bond dying, "So?"

"I'm just wondering if there's a rule against a woman being an Alpha," he continues and we all just freeze in shock, "Because I'm pretty sure I could train you and turn you into the best female Alpha there's ever existed.”

My mouth is wide open.

"W-well there isn't a rule against that because," I clear my throat and shake my head at this insane idea, "Because no woman would be dumb enough to challenge an Alpha and fight him. Also, it would look terribly bad on him to fight a woman and hurt her.”

Milo hums.

"Is he bigger than me? Or Gabriel? Which one of us looks more like your cheating husband?" he asks with his mouth full of bunny. I take another little bite and force myself to gulp it down. Then I study their bodies.

"He's probably a little taller than you," I tell Milo, he rolls his eyes in annoyance, "But not as buff as Gabriel. He's strong, though. And his wolf is bigger than normal and really strong too. The Alpha Challenge is both in human and wolf form. That means I would get my ass beat in two forms.”

"Your wolf isn't small, she's okay," Milo says, then studies my body, "And you're okay too. Right now, you're skinny and I can tell by your demeanor you've been told to be soft and delicate all your life. I'm going to change that, I’ll feed you right and get you moving and I know for a fact I can get you to win that Alpha Challenge against your bitchass ex-husband in a few months."

I let out a confused chuckle first, then it turns into full-blown laughter. He's so delusional and deranged.

There's no way I could go back to Garibaldi and just... challenge Cain to an Alpha Challenge for the damn title.

Everyone would think he’s right about me and I've turned insane. And then Cain is going to beat the s**t out of me. Under normal circumstances, I wouldn’t think he’d be capable of it, but at this point I’m sure he’d do it. He’d wipe the floor with me.

"I needed that laugh, so thanks," I let out a couple minutes later and I force myself to finish the bunny, "But that's never going to happen."

"No. It's happening," he says, voice stern and not as lighthearted as usual. He sounds like that first time when he found me trespassing their camp. Like a real rogue, not the cool bisexual guy I've come to know this past few days.

"Oh, dear mother," Amaya sighs and shakes her head, giving me a pitiful look, "You're f****d, Luna. He's relentless."

"I hyper-focus in my tasks until I achieve them, it makes me feel alive," Milo explains and pushes another bunny skewer at me. I give him a pained look, "Eat, Luna Arielle. You’ll need a lot more meat in those bones if you want to take revenge on those fuckers who humiliated you and kicked you out of your father's pack like you're trash."

"He needed this," Gabriel murmurs to Amaya, rocking the baby with his left arm, "It could be fun."

"But wait," I say, accepting the skewer just so Milo stops looking at me with those intense eyes, "Do you guys think Milo’s being insane or... do you actually think there's a possibility..."

"There is a possibility," Gabriel says with a nod, "Women aren't weaker just because, Arielle, they're just smaller and they don’t even get offered the chance to compete. Get strong, get smart, get confident and everything is possible. And it wouldn't hurt us to be friends with the Female Alpha of Garibaldi and be able to stay in your pack from time to time..."

"You'd totally come stay with me, as my team. My beta," I point at Amaya, she beams with excitement, "And my two counselors. Advisers. Whatever it is, you'd stay with me."

"Well, I don't know about that... I am a rogue at heart," Milo murmurs, making a face like he doesn't love that idea too much. And I can't believe I'm actually considering this madness.

I'm five foot four. Around one hundred and forty pounds the last time I weighed myself—I've probably lost about fifteen pounds since being here. I wasn't allowed to train growing up, I went to ballet, remember? So I know how to do the Plié, Relevé y Arabesque. I also know how to behave in high society, how to smile and be polite, how to get out of uncomfortable situations, how to make everyone feel welcome in my pack.

I'm a f*****g Luna, not an Alpha, that's preposterous.

"Imagine how good it'll feel to banish them," Amaya says and those are magic words. I look up into her eyes and the image flows into my brain way too easily. Me, the Alpha, banishing those two and their stupid baby, laughing as they walk away feeling just as defeated and lost as I felt when they did it to me.

Revenge. An eye for an eye, right?

"This is madness, but... I mean, what else is there to do, right?" I shrug and start eating again, "At least I'll try."

"No, Luna Arielle, you don't get it," Milo moves closer until he's right in my face. His eyes are usually warm, but they look unhinged at the moment, "I will not rest, I will not stop, until I've made you the strongest Luna the world has ever seen. We will succeed or we will die trying."