Silver Moon Luna

Chapter 4 - Mates

I was 15 minutes early. I began to start stretching so that I was well-prepared. I had a feeling Alexander would not be super easy during the fight and I had never watched him fight before to learn his moves. I looked up to see Alexander coming down the hill. He walked with a lot of confidence and energy so that I was for sure I could win this.

He was ready to spar. He was in basketball shorts and sneakers. His shirt was hanging on his shoulder. I could still see the shine of his necklace. He didn't remove it. I will use that to my advantage as needed. As he walked by me to the mat, he pushed me to the side, making me almost fall. As I looked at him he had a smirk on his face. He was ready to show the group of wolves that were coming to see what he was capable of.

I had him on his back, using all my strength and leg placement to hold him down. He looked to be enjoying this nonsense as we sparred back and forth. My wolf was getting angry at this show he was putting on. I grabbed him by the necklace and began to pull him up off the ground with the strength of my wolf pushing him forward. He grabbed my arm with one hand and the necklace with the other. As my wolf began to surface and hair started poking through my skin, his necklace broke and his arm fell to the side holding it. The scent hit me strongly as I was shifting. My wolf held him to the ground and I could feel she was upset. She was angry with him, not because of the sparring. But she knew his secret. She knew and didn't tell me, but to give Kyleen credit, she was attempting to protect me. He whispered into her ear to run to the woods and wait for his arrival.

My wolf listened without hesitation. She loved to run and run she would do. She ran so fast deeper and deeper into the woods. We were about a mile into the woods when we stopped.

"Kyleen, is everything OK? What happened back there?" I asked her through our link in my mind.

"We have found our mate. The scent was so strong back there. Alexander told us he would meet us here. You heard him whisper to me to run into the woods." Kyleen was tired from the sparring and using a lot of her strength, but all her mind could do now was wonder what her mate looked like, tasted like and what his wolf form was like.

"Kyleen, how did you not recognize which of the males out there watching was our mate? If the scent was strong, wouldn't we know right away?" I was so curious. This would be my life-long partner.

"I let us down Alina. He was there and I obeyed Alexander. His tone carries that of an Alpha, so it was hard not to do as he said right at that moment." She was feeling sorrow and sadness.

"Kyleen, it is OK. We will find him once again if he is there." I was determined more than ever to get my mate now that I know he is near.

I stood in wolf form and shifted back to my human form. I went to a low hanging branch on the big oak tree and hid myself. I could hear someone coming and did not want to be startled if it was not him. He was standing beneath us. Thankfully, the trees hid us just enough.

"I can smell your scent Alina, come out, come out wherever you are." He was taunting us and without a cause. What did we do to him? I got into my jumping position and went for it. I aimed perfectly as we both came crashing down onto the ground. My claw caught his necklace and his eyes went dark.

"What is this necklace getting in the way two times now seriously?" I asked seriously.

"It was a gift and I do not want it broken." He spat back.

He was being too evasive to me. I needed a confident man, a mate and a lifelong partner. Kyleen whimpered in the back of my mind. What was going on with her? Why was she reacting this way to him.

"Alina, break the chain, knock it down. We have to know what it means to him. I can sense he is not being honest." She was determined again and this time, with no one around us, I wanted him to be honest.

I broke the chain and the aroma of cedar and cinnamon immediately filled my lungs. I stared at him, frozen in my stance of. I knew at that moment. His hand immediately reached for mine.

"Alina, please let me explain. I was not trying to hide from you. I am trying to protect us from a life we didn't choose. Where we become mated to someone we hardly know. We are allies, our families are old friends. I did not want to change anything. It has been years since I was around. I thought it would disappear." He was trying to convince me. To convince me to not accept this bond.

"I was raised to cherish the bond between two mates. I was raised to believe the Moon Goddess knew what was best for us. I was raised to trust and be honest with those close to me. We were raised together? What was there to lie about? You hid from me. And on top of that, you lied and hid from your mate. Put the damn necklace back on so I don't have to feel it anymore." I threw the necklace back at him. Upset and now crying. Tears rolling down my face and I could feel my eyes swelling.

"Alina, I didn't mean to. I just did not want to leave my parents without an heir to take the Alpha place. Please forgive me. I don't need a necklace. I have felt you and scented you from the moment I stepped out of my car in the woods the night before I arrived. I knew my mate was close. I didn't know it was you. I was out for a run, your dad knew I was right at the border and advised patrol. Beta Lucas kept the pack from running where they would notice me. But your scent was close to me. I knew you were not with the rest. It was that moment I placed the necklace on. So that you would not know. But, I did not know it was you. I did not know until the moment I stepped into the kitchen that the mouth-watering scent of cherries and chocolate belonged to you." He bent to his knees. I was hugging my knees, shaking and mad.

"How long have you known?" I screamed at him. I am fueled by anger and pain now. Why would my mate not want me? Why would you do this to me?

I got up and started running before he could answer. I did not want to hear anymore lies. I shifted and ran through the trees. My wolf cried and hurt with me. Her soul is hiding in the back of my mind. I shifted before running into the house and up to my room. Locking myself in. I jumped into my bed and hid under the covers. I blocked out anyone trying to mind link me and cried myself to sleep.

I woke up banging on my door. "Alina, open up, it's your birthday and I am going to break this door down to check on you if I have to." I heard my dad say right outside the door.

"Hold on, I just woke up. I'll open up for you." I yelled at the door.

"A little faster missy." I heard my mom chime in.

I crawled out of bed, put on a t-shirt that was still lying at the end of my bed, I strolled over to the door and opened it.

"There is my birthday girl! Happy Birthday my beautiful. Today will be magnificent. Do not let the events of yesterday's sparring upset you. By the way, what happened after the sparring? Alexander said that you ran into the woods because your wolf had came out to spar too and when no one found you we tried mind linking you with no response, we checked here. While you didn't answer the door we could feel your presence. We wanted to give you a night to let go of whatever it was."

"I was just upset that my wolf came out. I was upset that I lost control of the situation. Especially against another Alpha." I put on a tone of annoyance instead of pain so they wouldn't know the real reason.

"I will let that slide for now. But remember Alina we know when more is going on. But, we will discuss tomorrow. Today is about your birthday! You are to be happy and smiling today." He pulled me into a tight hug and my mom joined in and I was wrapped in the security of my parents.

"Remember, tonight is your party. Alexanders parents will be arriving about an hour before. So you can wait to greet them at your party so you will have time to get ready. Enjoy your day and we will see you then. I am going to finish up some loose ends with Alexander and prep for their arrival. I love you princess." My dad finished as he grabbed my moms hand to walk away.

"I love you too sweetie." My mom stated as they began walking away.

I went back into my room and got into the shower. I put on some leggings and an over sized sweatshirt. Slid on my boots and out the door I went. As I got to the bottom of the steps Marie called me into the kitchen.

"Miss Alina I made you breakfast pancakes and saved you extra sausage. Happy Birthday my favorite werewolf. May your day be filled with amazing blessings of the Moon Goddess." She gave me side hug as she said it.

Since I missed dinner last night I was definitely starving. I ate all 6 pancakes and all the sausage she saved me. My stomach was overly full for sure. But after yesterdays events I was happy to not smell cinnamon rolls today. But Marie makes me the same breakfast every birthday since I was 5 and she began cooking for us all when her mate died.