HIS SPECIAL SECOND CHANCE LUNA

Chapter six

‘Hope. Her name is Hope’

'Yes! Hope!' Ray happily whined, eager to learn the name of her wolf.

"I thought I told you I didn't want to see these heathens while we had guests," Luna Jessica snapped as she neared Hope surrounded by pups.

Hope bowed her head, "Sorry Luna. It won't happen again."

"It better not. I won't have our guests' night ruined by these spawn."

"Of course, Luna. Come along pups," Hope herded the little ones inside the packhouse and out of view.

"Aaron? You okay?"

Aaron's hair bristled as he tried to calm his wolf, 'Easy!'

'How dare she talk to mate like that! I'll rip her throat out!' Ray growled.

'Easy, let's be smart about this.’

Aaron frowned. It wasn't right for his mate to bow to any wolf, Luna or no. Jessica's attitude had been rubbing him the wrong way since his arrival, and now he had a hard time controlling his disgust.

Aaron never heard of a Luna who hated pups or treated them with such contempt, chosen or not.

As his mate disappeared inside, Aaron struggled to suppress his urge to follow. He searched for her for so long he wanted to keep her within his sight at all times. But he was the guest of honor and could hardly leave without drawing notice.

He had to handle this situation carefully. Alphas were very protective of their territory and there was protocol to follow for a wolf to transfer packs, though no one would prevent an alpha from claiming his rightful mate.

'Mate, come home with us!' Ray growled.

"Aaron! What's wrong?" Brian's voice finally cut in.

"My mate. That was her."

"You mean the one who took the pups inside?"

"Hope. Her name is Hope."

"What do you want to do?"

"Go inside and watch her for me, please."

"Sure. Don't worry. She'll be safe."

"Keep me updated. I want to know everything."

"Yeah, yeah. It'll be like you were there yourself."

Aaron suppressed a growl. He wanted nothing more than to be at her side, but something told him not to reveal his hand too soon to his hosts. There was something off about them that went beyond simple, chosen mates.

"What was that about?" Aaron casually asked as Jessica returned.

"Oh nothing. Just a little trouble with the staff," she smiled. "Staff?"

"Yeah, poor wolfless Hope. Minding those little heathens is all she is good for."

Aaron raised an eyebrow looking at Carlos for insight as the latter downed the rest of his beer. With a belch, Carlos set down the now empty bottle with the others before demanding another from the nearest pack member. A new bottle soon replaced the last, and he didn't hesitate to drink deeply from it despite the fact his wolf had to be suffering.

Aaron warily eyed his hosts. Something was very, very wrong with these two.

***

While Aaron was too prominent a figure to slip away, Brian had no such issue, quietly returning to the packhouse. Entering the dining hall, the echoes of laughter directed him to a small room off from the kitchen.

This room, unlike the dining hall, was plastered with the children's artwork and educational posters from their lessons. It made the room cozy unlike the sterile atmosphere of the larger room.

The same sense of unease that made Aaron wary of their hosts also piqued Brian's mind. Packs thrived on their pups, which were literally their future. It was unnatural to hide them away like some dirty secret.

Not wanting to disturb the little group, Brian stood near the door, out of sight, peeking around the corner to keep an eye on his pack's Luna.

He was concerned by how thin she looked. Brian didn't recall seeing her at lunch, and now he wondered if she was getting proper meals. Wolves tended to have a higher metabolism than humans, so it was important they consumed enough calories or else they would rapidly lose weight, especially if they shifted often.

She also seemed paler than normal, though she could also have a naturally lighter complexion. Brian knew wolves from certain parts of Europe and the east coast tended to be paler than those in the west.

Her hair was a mane of rich copper waves with a healthy sheen and her smile was warm, causing her eyes to shimmer red. It could also be her wolf hovering close to the surface, though he never heard of a wolf with red eyes, most had green or brown.

"Excuse us."

Brian jerked back, allowing the kitchen omegas to enter bearing plates laden with real hotdogs, salads, coleslaw and other goodies from dinner.

The pups squealed delight using the ketchup, mustard, relish and other condiments on their hotdogs. Each was given a soda, and they happily ate their dinner around the pretend campfire.

Brian's stomach complained about its own empty state. He stepped into the kitchen and helped himself to the sides lining the center counter.

Outside, he knew there were barbeque ribs and steak along with burgers and hotdogs, but he didn't mind missing out as he watched over his future Luna keeping Aaron informed about her activities.

Slowly he became aware someone was watching him.