Marked

Chapter 4.1: Meet the pack

♡...Lunae...♡

It had been a long and tiresome few days. The added stress had attacked my body in ways I had never experienced. No, I wasn't sick or anything… which I had learned was an added gift from the mark… but I had enough hives to drive anyone inside. Max… bless her heart. She had brought me every herb in her garden hoping to calm me down, but nothing seemed to work.

Ashton suggested we go home for a few days… my home, hoping the familiar surroundings would put me at ease. Needless to say, it worked. Five minutes after sitting on my couch and ordering pizza and, I had almost forgotten about what had become of my life… Almost. Ashton and I flipped through the channels, trying to find something to watch, but as usual, we ended up tangled in each other's arms on the couch instead.

It was nice. Lying there with him and, it was like we were back to our old selves. As we lay there, my back to his chest, he gently rubbed up and down my arm. As usual, I turned towards him, allowing him to place cute little kisses all over my face before he got to where he wanted to be, placing sloppy kisses on my neck. Returning his affection, I kissed and sucked on his neck. I could feel him harden, his erection happily stabbing my stomach until I drew back.

I still loved him. With everything in me, I loved him. But I didn't want this to go further right now. There will still be a few questions that need to be answered. And I needed to be sure that he wouldn't turn with the excitement of our lovemaking.

Seeing the blush on his face, I just laughed before readjusting myself on the couch, sitting as far away from him as possible before throwing my feet in his lap. "So… you were never gonna tell me you were rich?"He lay at the end of the couch, rubbing my feet. "I mean, why do you even have a job?"

"I never looked at it that way. My grandfather always told me that just because the money was there didn't mean it would always be there." It is a strange concept to me, honestly. For most of my life, I had lived check to check, barely making enough to make ends meet. We had moved around so many times that I never had a chance to meet anyone, at least not long enough to form a tight bond. And yeah, I had friends, but we were young… we didn't have to grow apart. The distance did that for us.

"And I love what I do, you know that." It was true. Ashton had been an art therapist since he graduated college, early at that. Every now and then, he would run one of his lessons by me, and I would find myself emotional, but by the end of it… clarity. And seeing who he was raised by did not surprise me at all. Yes, his grandfather may have been stern, but Max… She was a true gem.

She was clearly a tremendous mothering figure in his life. Her patience with me during my… off moments, I can only imagine how she handled the temper of a young wolf. Not that Ashton had ever had a temper.

I closed my eyes, laid my head back on the arm of the chair, and he continued to speak about his childhood. I allowed myself to think of our future… what it would be like with kids. Or Pups? No, kids… I shook the thought out of my head and opened my eyes to find him looking at me, head tilted like a confused…

… Dog.

Oh my God. I had never realized it before, but when Ashton was concerned or confused about something, he always told his head like that. I wondered what other telltale signs I had missed over the years.

"What?" I asked.

"Nothing, it's just…"

"It's just what?"

"It's just… Nothing." I raised my eyebrow. "Lay your head back down. Relax. We're supposed to be distressing you."

Even though my hives were gone, I knew he was only trying to help. So, I did as I was told. I had almost gotten too comfortable and just about dozed off when I felt his hand raising up my calf. I smiled and flailed to get him off my leg, which only excited him further. Soon, his firm hand was replaced with his soft lips. I swallowed hard, allowing a gasp to escape before his amber eyes met mine, and he stopped.

"I'm sorry… I… I'm gonna go get a drink of water or something. You want something?" I shook my head no, and again, he tilted his head.

"Oh, let's go shopping!" He pulled me to my feet, and this time I tilted my head. "You need something to wear for the pack dinner this weekend…" Pack dinner.

Oh.

Well.

Would you look at that?

...My hives came back.

We went shopping. I found a dress, a clutch, a beautiful necklace, and a pair of pumps that I knew would give him more pleasure than they would ever give me. I went to swipe my card, and he pulled it out of my hands before he replaced it with one of his own. He paid for it all.

We muddled through the next few days, keeping up with our usual routine until the day of the dinner. And then I found myself as the center of attention at the manor.

I sat there counting down the hours until the whole ordeal was over, but why? Any other woman would feel like a Disney princess right now. I was wearing a super expensive dress and jewelry that was worth more than all of the items in my closet, my house, and my car all combined. And these shoes… man. I felt gorgeous. But I also felt like…

Not me.

No… I felt like everyone else wanted me to be, not me.

“Loo, you look like you’re extremely uncomfortable…” Ashton whispered in my ear.

“I am uncomfortable,” I confessed.

“Lunae, is it?” I nodded at the woman who now stood beside me. “What a fitting name for a future Luna. Congratulations.”

Lunae the luna. ugh. Wait... What’s a luna? I turned to find Ashton taking a long sip from his glass. “What’s a Luna?” I asked out loud.

He sighed and cursed under his breath before answering. “A Luna is the Alpha's mate… she is… The Alpha female. She's the strongest, most respected woman in the pack… And the mother of the next Alpha.” My eyes widened as the realization hit me, which caused me to take a long sip from my glass. “I swear I was going to tell you I-”

But he didn't. He omitted the truth from me once again, and I was pissed. Fuming even. “May I be excused?” I asked as I stood up. Every pair of eyes at the table was now on me, but only briefly before they all turned to Ashton beside me.

Mr. Crestly spoke up on my behalf. “No need to ask permission at this table, child. You’re practically family.” And then they returned to their meals and pleasant banter.

I bowed my head to Mr. Crestly. I bowed. Jesus Christ. Forgetting how large the house was, I found myself lost in one of the many corridors. “I can't be a Luna!?” I spoke into the silence in an attempt to calm myself down. “I mean… how can I be expected to be responsible for a whole freaking werewolf community?!” Or my own self at this point! At one point, I had gotten so turned around that I could not distinguish the words I was saying out loud from the ones I was saying in my head. “How did you manage to get lost in a hallway? Sh*t!”

I was frantic, panicking, unable to catch my breath when I heard a quiet humming that made me feel strange… but it was calming me down. I couldn't place the song or where it came from, but it was beautiful.

“Might I be of help to you… Luna, to be?" The humming stopped, and I snapped my head toward the voice that spoke to me, seeing nothing at first… and then he appeared from the shadows.

“I’m sorry, I did not realize anyone was here..” Feeling uneasy, I started to turn on my heel, “Sorry, I’ll just be on my way then.” But when I turned around, he was there too.

“Are you sure?” He spoke in a hiss… like a snake. His face was inches away from my own, and without realizing, he had somehow backed me into a hall.

The humming started again, but this time, it did nothing to soothe me. “Uh yes… I am sure if you would just excuse me…”

He placed his arms on either side of my head against the wall I was pressed up against. “You smell…” He sniffed my hair, “amazing.”

“Oh, thanks… Ashton likes this shampoo, too.” I brought up his name, hoping the creepy stranger would take the hint. But he did not. "You know Ashton? The Alpha heir… um… he should be here in a moment, I am sure of it.”

“Is he now?” I nodded and turned my head, not wanting to look into his eyes anymore. They were not Amber like Ashton’s… they were Red… Crimson. Like blood. “Tell me something… How does Ashton feel about this?” He ran his fingers over my scar, which was now visible because I had been too afraid to face him head on.

“He’s fine with it…” Ashton growled as he pulled me away.

“Ashton, thank god!” I had never been so relieved in my life.

“Go to my room,” He jerked his head in the direction I was to go, but I could see that he was not in charge… so I did not move. “I said GO now, Loo!”

He yelled at me.

He actually yelled at me.

When I walked away, I was furious. I was hurt. My ears were ringing. Tears stung at the corners of my eyes. I could hear sounds from where I had been, but I was so distraught that that's all they were. Sounds. He yelled at me. Crushed, I walked and walked and walked some more until I stood at the front of the manor, hand on the doorknob… I could just leave now. I should just leave now.

“Oh honey,” Max appeared and grabbed my hand. The few tears I was hanging onto finally flooded down my face. “No, no… That won’t do. You're too pretty to be crying!”

“Max." I sobbed, "I can't be this person… I can’t!”

She held my hand in hers and led me to Ashton’s room. “I’ll be back in just a moment.” And then she was gone again. And I was alone again. But I just wanted to go home.

Somehow, I had managed to fall asleep, but I woke up when I heard Maxine and Ashton arguing in the hallway about me.

"I know, Max. I know! Do you think I wanted that to happen?”

“Do you think that is what SHE wanted to happen?”

She. Me. Who would have thought that a human could cause so much disarray to a family of supernatural creatures? Within weeks, I had managed to let out a secret that had been safely kept for years.

“If you care for her as you say you do, then y-”

“If? Are you f*****g kidding me, Max? I would gladly kill for her… I almost did less than an hour ago!”

I heard the sound of skin hitting skin, and I started crying again. “Ashton!" Max took a tone I had never heard her use before. "You will not speak to me like that. You will not take out your frustrations on me. And you will lower your voice because the girl you love, the woman you have decided to spend your life with was just groped and attacked by a stranger in your home. Not only did he disrespect her, but you did too! That is a lot for anyone to deal with. Let alone a human. She was a mess. I had to stop her from leaving. She is resting, and you will not go in there until you get yourself under control!"

Ashton growled, "Did you just slap me?" He was yelling again, and then there was another sharp sound. And then their voices were too quiet to understand.

The knob turned, and I sat up in the bed.

“Loo?” Ashton asked before stepping in. “Are you ok?”

“I'm fine.” I wasn't. But I told him that I was.

He popped his head around the door. His face was red, and he had tears in his eyes… And then there were tears in mine, too. “I swear I am so sorry… I didn't mean-”

“Loo, stop,” He joined me on the bed and wiped the tears from my face. “I’m the one who's sorry. I should have never raised my voice at you. He… I,” He was crying harder than I was.

He apologized or at least he tried to. And then he drove me home. He was still upset when we got there, so he stayed the night to make sure I was ok… or so he said. Personally, I think he was the one who needed emotional protection that night. But if he wanted to prove something to me he did not have to. I looked at his jacket slung over the back of the couch and I wondered if he noticed the blood on the sleeve… I had heard him say he had almost killed for me tonight… How close did he come?

And what else had been said that I had not heard?