I am the Alpha King's Luna

Chapter 4: Mate With Me

Chapter 4: Mate With Me

(Amelia's POV)

I sat frozen on the edge of Alexander's enormous bed. My hands gripped the soft sheets beneath me like a lifeline because my world was tilting in a way I could not comprehend.

His words hung in the air, heavy and inescapable.

A formal mating. A Luna ceremony. Me—his Luna.

Cora, my wolf, was already celebrating like we had won the lottery. She purred and hummed, radiating joy, her voice echoing in my mind: Mate! Ours! This is perfect! Say yes!

But I couldn’t celebrate with her.

My human side wasn’t purring. It was screaming.

The pounding headache from my hangover only added to the chaos. Everything about this felt too much, too fast, too impossible. Maybe, just maybe, this wasn’t real.

Maybe this was a fever dream from too much whiskey.

I clutched my aching head, whispering under my breath, "This can’t be happening." My throat tightened around the words. I could barely breathe.

"Amelia," Alexander said smoothly, his deep voice cutting through my spiraling panic.

I flinched at the sound. My gaze darted to him. His emerald-green eyes were locked on me, unreadable, sharp, and way too calm for someone who had just asked me to be his mate.

“I… I must be dreaming,” I mumbled, fingers pressing against my temples. Maybe if I pressed hard enough, I could wake myself up. After all, none of this made sense.

“Dreaming?” Alexander repeated, stepping closer. There was the barest hint of amusement in his tone, although his face remained stoic. “No, little healer, I assure you, this is reality.”

I barely heard him; my thoughts were racing too fast. My mind replayed the events of last night: Dominic's harsh rejection, the humiliation seeping into my bones, drowning myself in whiskey, crashing into Alexander, sinking my teeth into his skin.

My stomach churned at the memory. A mistake. A drunken, stupid mistake that spiraled into a disaster of epic proportions.

And now? Now, the Alpha King of the East—the most powerful figure across multiple packs—was standing in front of me, treating this mess as though it were just a mildly inconvenient puzzle to solve.

I couldn't look at him anymore. The weight of his calm gaze made my chest ache. I pushed myself off the bed, my legs wobbling. One shaky hand reached for the pitcher of water sitting on the nearby table.

The cool liquid sloshed as I poured it into a glass, my hand trembling. Without thinking, I raised the glass higher than I should have and splashed the water directly onto my face.

The icy chill made me gasp.

Maybe that would shock me back to reality. Maybe these past twelve hours would reveal themselves as some wild hallucination.

But when I opened my eyes, Alexander was still standing there.

One side of his lips tilted upward in the faintest smirk. "Cute," he murmured softly.

That single word sent a spark of irritation through me. My cheeks burned as I glared at him, the water dripping down my chin.

"This isn’t funny!" I snapped, throwing the empty glass back on the table with more force than necessary.

The smirk didn’t leave his face, though his posture shifted slightly. His arms crossed over his broad chest, muscles flexing beneath his skin as he regarded me with calm intensity.

“There’s nothing funny about it,” he replied, his tone all business now. His piercing eyes never left mine. "This situation needs resolving, Amelia. And I’ve presented the most practical solution."

Practical.

He spoke as if he were solving a logistical issue, not discussing something as life-altering as a mating and Luna bond.

My frustration boiled over, spilling past every mental wall I tried to hold up.

"Practical?!" I repeated, my voice rising. I threw my arms up in exasperation, pacing away from him. "You want to mate with me—as if it’s some kind of… some kind of deal? This can’t be real! Last night was an accident. A mistake."

I whirled to face him, my heart thundering, my voice trembling. "Cora acted out of instinct."

Alexander’s expression didn’t so much as flicker at my outburst. If anything, he looked even calmer than before, his head tilting slightly to study me like I was a puzzle he was determined to solve.

“And yet,” he said simply, his voice firm and unshakeable, “here we are. Call it instinct if you want, but there was no mistake, Amelia. What’s done is done.”

I opened my mouth to retort, but the sheer finality in his tone stopped me.

Alexander strode toward me, his steps calm and measured. "Your bite left a mark on me," he continued, his deep voice unrelenting. “A mark that can’t simply be ignored. Wolves across multiple packs will already be questioning what it means. Speculation will spread.”

“Then I’ll explain it was an accident!” I blurted. My voice cracked. "It didn’t mean anything—!"

He cut me off with a sharp look, his green eyes flashing.

"Enough."

The command in that single word made my breath catch. I froze under his gaze, my words vanishing into the tension-filled air.

"This isn’t just about you, Amelia," Alexander said, his tone low and firm. "Do you understand the consequences of leaving this unresolved? A mark signifies many things in our world—things your world cannot afford to ignore."

I gritted my teeth, my chest tightening with the weight of his words. He was right, of course. I hated that he was right.

Still, I couldn’t just accept it. My emotions were in turmoil, my practical instincts warring with everything else.

Alexander must have seen the struggle in my eyes because his tone softened, just barely.

“Let me lay out the advantages.”

He paused, waiting for my hesitant nod before continuing.

“You’ve spent years working as a healer,” he began evenly. “As my Luna, you’d gain access to the largest healing center in the east—a center even you could oversee entirely if you wished. And with it, an unparalleled network of resources."

I blinked, surprised by his tone. It wasn’t his typical commanding edge. He almost sounded… encouraging. But my wolf whimpered softly, sensing the emptiness in his words.

Without allowing me to process, he kept going.

"You’d also have full authority over the pack's medical operations. If you wished, you could modernize the system or even train healers in the way you see fit."

His gaze didn’t waver as he added a final point, his tone factual and detached. "And if, for any reason, the mating fails, you’d have legal control of half my territory and property. You’d leave with more power and influence than any Gamma-born wolf could ever dream of."

My stomach churned. The room felt colder despite the sunlight streaming through the windows.

He probably thought he was being reassuring, giving me all these so-called “benefits” of the potential bond. But each word cut deeper.

Everything he said sounded like a carefully calculated business proposal, devoid of any real feeling.

Dominic’s words from the Moon Kiss Club rang in my ears, laced with the same tone of brutal indifference. "I need a powerful Luna,” he had said. "Someone with bloodlines worthy of the title."

The memory stung all over again, and the similarities made it worse. First Dominic, now Alexander. Was I nothing more than a convenient solution to everyone?

My hands trembled as I let out a shaky breath, fighting against the swell of emotions threatening to drown me.

Alexander stepped back slightly, perhaps sensing the rising tide of turmoil within me.

“You don’t need to make a decision immediately,” he said, his voice noticeably calmer. “I’ll leave you some time to think it through. I’ll have the kitchen prepare breakfast.”

He turned toward the door, his deliberate movements steady, giving me space.

I didn’t know why, but that simple act of stepping back—a gesture that felt uncharacteristically considerate for someone like him—made something inside me tug painfully.

"Alexander," I called softly. I hadn’t meant to speak, but the words slipped out, too raw to suppress.

He paused in the doorway, glancing back over his shoulder. His piercing green eyes latched onto mine again, sparking that same unsteady feeling in my chest.

For a moment, I couldn’t find the words. Every insecurity I’d ever buried began bubbling to the surface like poison. My fingers fidgeted with the hem of his oversized shirt, my knuckles whitening.

Finally, I forced it out, my voice small and trembling, "Wouldn’t it... weaken your position to have me as your Luna?"

Something in his gaze shifted, a flicker of emotion I couldn’t quite read.

I dropped my eyes, unable to handle his piercing stare. The words kept spilling from me, each one sharper than the last.

"After all… I’m only Gamma’s adopted daughter." My voice cracked with the weight of my unsaid fears. Heat burned at the edges of my ears, but I powered through, whispering the words I knew Cora would hate.

"The Alpha King of the eastern territories should have… someone better."

Cora snarled in the back of my mind, throwing her clear frustration at me like daggers. Why do you doubt yourself? Why are you lying to yourself? He’s ours!

But I couldn’t ignore the horrible truth.

I wasn’t enough. I never had been.

Not for Dominic. And certainly not for Alexander Stone.

Alexander turned slowly toward me, his full attention now on me. His shoulders, broad and intimidating, tensed slightly as he faced me.

I dared to glance up at him, just for a moment.

Whatever emotion flickered in his green eyes, it wasn’t mocking. It wasn’t pity.