HIS SPECIAL SECOND CHANCE LUNA

Chapter two

Two weeks after Hope's rejection, Jessica arrived with Carlos proclaiming her to be his Luna. Their Alpha Succession and Luna Ceremonies were held in tandem at the following full moon.

Hope dutifully helped with preparations but declined to attend the actual ceremonies, though attendance was supposedly mandatory so that the pack could swear fealty to their new alpha pair. She managed by faking ill, something she never did before.

Yuri suggested a run, a precaution that proved advantageous when she was suddenly overwhelmed with pain as her mate marked another. Despite the severing of their bond, Hope suffered whenever Carlos and his chosen mate were together.

She hoped that their marking would finally bring an end to her pains, but it continued to linger, slowly dulling over time.

Hope kept her distance, avoiding the packhouse except when it was absolutely necessary. She knew her parents wondered about this behavior and probably had an inkling why she did it, but they respected her privacy and did not directly question her.

Five years had passed since then and Hope continued to avoid the packhouse. The only difference now was that her parents had passed away, leaving her alone to maintain the cottage and garden. Now, whenever Carlos and Jessica mated, she only felt a dull ache and, thankfully, those times were few and far between.

The alpha pair had yet to produce a pup and heir, but that wasn't completely unexpected. Chosen mates were less fertile than fated ones. While a fated pair could easily produce four or five pups, chosen ones would only have one or two in the same amount of time.

Given that Hope felt his betrayal less often, she could only assume the pair didn't mate as often as they used to, making it even more difficult to conceive.

Though she wondered about the pack's future stability, it wasn't her place to question their alpha. No one knew she had been his fated mate and no one would listen to a wolfless, unranked she-wolf anyway. So she focused on what she could do for the pack: namely, educating the pack pups.

***

"All right, gather around," Hope laughed as the kids swarmed around her.

Hope carried the two-year-old on her hip while the others waited for the rules of their game. Sometimes it felt as if the pack treated her as a glorified pup-sitter, but she didn't mind as it allowed her to spend time with them without interference. She used their numerous outings to teach them various bits of practical knowledge.

She had brought them to a wide clearing filled with wildflowers. Piled off to the side were several baskets woven from wild grasses. The pups immediately noticed them and fidgeted with excitement.

"Okay, so did everyone bring their herb book?" Hope asked, holding up her own.

Eagerly the pups held up their homemade pamphlets they made during their craft project earlier in the week. Taped to each page was a medicinal herb that had been pressed and dried specifically for the application. Each page also included the plant's name and most common uses written in Hope's neat scrawl for the younger pups while the older pups wrote theirs themselves.

Over the last few weeks, they had learned about herbs, how to identify edible plants and poisonous ones and where to find them. Now it was time to put that information into practical experience.

"So, today we are going to have a scavenger hunt!" Hope announced to the excited cheers. "As I'm sure you've figured out, we are going to collect herbs. I want you to split into pairs because...why?"

"Safety first!" the pups answered in chorus.

"That's right. So in pairs you will take your baskets and collect as many herbs from your books as you can find," Hope said.

The pups bounced on their heels eager to begin.

"Remember to stay within the boundaries of the clearing. Ready? On your marks. Remember our safety rules! Go!"

Squealing, the pups darted to the pile of baskets before dispersing through the clearing. Hope smiled cooing at the two-year-old pup in her arms. He was too young to take part in this event, but he would still benefit from being able to run around in the fresh air.

"Miss Hope! Miss Hope!"

She turned as an eager pup hurried up to her holding a sprig with bright yellow flowers.

"Is this wormwood?"

"No. That's mustard," Hope answered, kneeling down to the pup's level. She never liked to talk down to them. "Let's see what wormwood looks like again, shall we?"

The pup dutifully opened her book to the appropriate page for comparison. Hope was always patient with the pups and never lost her temper. They were young and still learning, so it was natural for them to make mistakes.

Once the mini-lesson about the difference between the two herbs was over, the pup returned to her brother and continued their hunt.

The pups were free to ask her any questions, but she wouldn't help them find the herbs. Hope smiled at the young pair. Nicholas and Luis were brother and sister born one year apart, so they were close. Their parents had also been unranked members of the pack.

Unfortunately, both had been killed in a rogue attack two years ago, leaving the pups orphaned.

Hope did her best to care for them. She remodeled her own childhood bedroom to suit the brother and sister, filling it with books, toys and games as well as a closet full of clothes.

Hope even petitioned to adopt the pups officially but had been denied. Her face warmed at the memory.

***

"Alpha!" Hope stormed into Carlos's office without waiting for permission. "Explain this!"

Hope tossed the denied adoption papers onto his desk, staring at him as he flinched. It had been years since she last set foot in the packhouse, and it was the first time she entered his office.

Despite the vast difference in their status, Hope showed no inclination to give him proper respect. Her eyes shimmered red as she glared at him and his wolf cowered.

Trying to maintain some semblance of his authority, he looked at the paper she tossed at him stating, "It seems pretty obvious."

"I didn't ask you to identify it," Hope practically snarled. "I told you to explain it. Why did you deny the application?"

"Why would you want to adopt two pups in the first place?" he snorted. "Their family can take care of them."

"They don't have any family," Hope snapped. "Their aunt and uncle were also killed in the rogue attack that claimed their parents' lives. Their grandparents died years ago. Their mother was from a different pack."

"Was she?" Carlos frowned.

"She was your exclusive maid. Do you even remember what she looked like?" Hope snorted in disgust. "Have you compensated those pups for their loss before you sent your yes man to turn off the water and power to their home? A home they were still living in. They nearly froze to death!"

Carlos winced. He did remember signing the order to turn off power to the abandoned home, but he had been assured it was empty.

"Those pups have been living with me for the past six months, so why can't I adopt them?"

"You aren't even mated!"

"And why is that, I wonder?" Hope growled.

Yuri had never made herself known since she awakened, but now she pressed close to the surface, adding power to Hope's anger and enhancing her aura.

Carlos involuntarily shuddered as her anger washed over him. It made his wolf completely withdraw.

Feeling his wolf become submissive irritated him. He was alpha and everyone was beneath him, especially a wolfless female.

What made it worse was that she was right. He should have been aware the pups' parents were gone and that they had no close relatives within the pack. They should have been placed in appropriate lodgings and whoever adopted them compensated for raising them.

None of that had been done because he hadn't bothered with the paperwork. Compounding the issue was the fact Jessica overspent her weekly clothing allowance, and he had to get the money from another part of the pack's finances.

"It's not your place to question your alpha," he forced himself to stand, giving him a height advantage, since he was little over six feet and Hope only five-four. "The pups will be taken care of. They don't need you. Understand?"