My Fearless Luna

Chapter 3

ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WORLD:

When my future beta, Paul, called to tell me about my parents' meeting with Alpha Gerard, I hoped he was wrong. I know they want to retire, but they have always had my best interest, and the packs best interest, at heart. That’s why they did not want to give me the tittle until I found my Luna, or chose one. A Luna is important to keep the pack together and ground her Alpha. But if Paul was right, they did not take into account that that only works if she is chosen by her alpha, not if she is imposed on him.

I wasn’t the perfect son growing up. I used to be the typical teenage boy, going to every party and not caring about anything really. I had my fair share of girls, never something too serious. I was not a manwhore if that’s what you’re thinking. I respected the girls I was with, but they knew I was not looking for my Luna just yet. After high school was over, I decided to turn my life around and start being responsible about my life and my pack.I attended Peace camp per my parents' request. I was never interested before, but I realized that getting to know some of the people that would be leading the packs of the European Kingdom, would be useful. If I wanted to take control of the pack, then soon enough I would have to make deals and agreements with them. I wanted to prove to my parents that even without a mate, l could stay focused and not lose my temper. Peace camp was supposed to be a long business trip, nothing else. At the end of the day, most of the kids attending were in high school. I was sure to be one of the oldest ones there since I had recently turned 20. I never imagined this trip to be something I enjoyed, let alone meeting someone I could see as my Luna.

I can still recall every detail from the day we met. We were trying different team-building exercises. For the last part, we had to go through an obstacle course. Most girls decided to sit that one out, but not her. Elisa was determined and fierce. We were racing against each other.

- “I can give you a head start to make it a fair fight.”

- “Maybe I am the one that should give it to you.” – She answered with a smirk on her face.

- “You think you’re that tough?”

- “I know I am. Could do this blindfolded and still win.”- She was cooky and I liked it, but I wanted to push a little harder. Her pride had to have a limit and I was willing to test it.

- “You wish. But if you are so sure, let's bet on it. The last one to finish the course has to get across the lake at midnight today.” – I was sure she was not going to accept the challenge. The lake was freezing at night. No one in their right mind would get into it.

- “You are on. The last one to finish the course has to cross the lake at midnight naked.”

I have never experienced that kind of cold in my life. She was laughing at me the wh0le time, and all I could think about was how beautiful her green eyes looked when she was this happy. I wanted to be the reason she had that gorgeous glow on her face. I wanted to be the reason she smiled and laughed like that again. After I finished crossing the lake and put some clothes on, I asked her out. To say she was surprised by my request would be an understatement.

- “Are you afraid you will fall in love with me?” - I teased.

- “I am afraid you will. “

- “Then go out with me. You have nothing to lose. And to make my proposal even better, I’ll let you choose the next challenge. If I do fall in love with you, you get to choose the punishment you see fit.”- Her eyes lighted up again at my statement, and I knew I was going to lose, but this time I wanted to.

- “Okay.”- She answered while biting her lower lip. Did she know how much I wanted to kiss her at that moment? I don’t know. But I am sure going to ask her about it if I ever…Scratch that, when I see her again.

I was thinking about her lips on mine when I saw my parents arrive home. Finally, I thought to myself. It was time to face the issue at hand. Amelia.

Amelia was the daughter of the Alpha from the Yellow Stone Pack, Alpha Gerard. She had wavy blonde hair, pale skin, and blue eyes. To be fair, she was beautiful. We used to play together as kids all the time. She was a year younger than me, and most pack members, including our parents, hoped for us to be mates. So, when she turned 18 and neither of us felt the mate bond, more than one were disappointed. Chosen mates were common now, but the strength a true mate could give to an Alpha was different. Besides, true mates gave people hope, hope for better days, hope for the war to be over. I wanted that. I wanted my people to have hope in my Luna and I. Not only that, I wanted to feel the strength and confidence that came from finding my destined half. I have never been the cheesy type, but I wondered how finding my true mate would feel like. After my summer with Elisa, I knew what love felt like and I didn’t want to settle for anything less.

My parents are true mates, and their bond is enviable. They both ground each other and challenge each other to be better leaders. A true mate was said to be the greatest gift the moon Goddess bestowed upon us. It was sad to see many people did not believe they existed anymore. And even sadder to see my parents, a living breathing proof of that gift, giving up on it.

As soon as they saw me, my dad just pointed to his office. He knew I was not thrilled about his last arrangement.

- “I cannot believe you took this decision from me.”- I said, irritated.

- “Theo, I was thinking about your future, and the pack's future. Amelia is a wonderful girl. She is pretty, kind, courageous. You grew up together. Would it really be so bad if she was to become your Luna?”

- “Son, she would be an amazing Luna. She already knows the pack, our traditions and is already part of this family.”- My mom added.

I knew they did not take this decision to hurt me, but it was not theirs to make. It was mine. Maybe it wouldn’t have been so bad before, but their decision was the one that kept me from asking Elisa to come with me, to be my mate. So, it was bad now.

- “In order for her to be my Luna, I would have to marry her, mate her and mark as mine and I don’t want that. She’s like a sister to me. We don’t have romantic feelings towards each other.”- I tried explaining to them.

- “I don’t believe that is true on her side, son. She was more than happy when we told her about this arrangement.”- My mother answered.

- “You already told her!” - I was getting even more annoyed about the whole deal than I initially was. – “Without even talking to me first! I have a right to decide who my Luna will be, and I do not choose her.” – I was starting to lose my temper. Exactly what I did not want.

- “Theodore, do not talk to your mother like that!”- My father said sternly. He would protect his Luna from everyone, including her son. I wanted to feel the need to do that. Was it too much to ask? – “I get you are not happy about this, but your duty is to think about what is best for the pack. They need a strong leader, and a gentle and capable Luna. Amelia has all the qualities to become the perfect one to rule by your side, especially in this time of darkness.”

- “Dad, I know the pack needs a Luna, but they have you and mom to lead them.- I said while concentrating on my breathing. Eros, my wolf, was going mad just thinking about the possibility of losing our mate without even knowing her. - “I know many Alphas take over as soon as they turn 18. Trust me, there is nothing I want more than to lead our pack. I have been training for this my whole life. All I am asking is a chance to find my Luna, my destined Luna. I know it is rare nowadays, but I had hoped to find her. You had your chance to do that, and I am sure you have never regretted waiting.”- I knew using his bond with my mom was a low blow, but it was exactly what I needed for them to understand why I was so against this plan of theirs.

- “Son, we would never take that chance away from you. I know your dad made it sound as if you are to marry Amelia tomorrow, but in truth you are to marry her as soon as you want to accept your title as alpha.”- As soon as my mom finished

talking, I looked at my dad waiting for him to elaborate on that.

- “Theodore, the deal stipulates you’ll marry Amelia before you accept your title.We never talked about when that would be. We all know true mates are sacred, and it is already stated that if any of you find your true mate, the wedding is off.” – He sighted. – "Son, with the war going on in America, things are starting to get tense and is better to have secured alliances. Maybe it’s not the way you would have chosen to maintain the alliance with the Yellow Stone Pack, but it was the best option I found. Marriages make for strong alliances. Besides, you would become alpha of both packs, making our pack, The Crimson Pack, the biggest one in Europe.”

If you saw it from my dad’s point of view, it all made sense now. But it is not as if our pack was small or defenseless without Yellow Stone. I wished he had talked to me about it before he made that deal. My mom broke the tense silence that was setting in the room.

- “We may not have given Gerard a fixed time frame, but your father and I believe a year is more than enough for you to accept your title. If you wish to find your mate, you have until you turn 21 to look for her. But son , if you don’t find her, when the time comes, you will accept your responsibilities as Alpha and marry Amelia. Understood?”

A year was not necessarily a long time, but I already had someone in mind, so it’s not as if I was blindly looking for my mate. So, I accepted.

- “I do mom.”

- “You must be careful and not make it obvious that you are looking for your mate. If Gerard finds out, he is not going to take that well. No more partying around with random girls.”- I was taken aback by her remark.

- “Mom, I left those days behind me when I finished high school. Besides, Amelia knows me, we went to school together. And I don’t want to hurt her by changing our friendship into something else, until I am sure I’ll marry her.”

Now that everything was sorted out, I wanted to leave as soon as possible.

- “Thanks for giving a chance to find my mate.” – I added quickly. – “I know it means you need to be in charge for a while longer and you deserve to step down after the amazing job you’ve done with the pack. I promise I will act accordingly when I see Alpha Gerard or Amelia. And if I don’t find my mate, I will marry her without any objection and take over as Alpha as soon as I turn 21. May I be excused?” – My dad nodded, and I walked out as soon as he did.

My parents did not know it yet, but I had a long trip to plan. A year-long trip to plan. I was sure my mate was not part of the Crimson Pack, which meant I had to start looking elsewhere. I wanted to start searching for my mate as soon as possible. Maybe, just maybe, I had already met her, but she was too young for either of us to recognize our bond. Maybe my mate had a pair of gorgeous green eyes that lighted up every time they saw me.

NOTE: Hey guys! I had a lot of fun writing this chapter. Let me know what you think in the comments. And if you have ideas for the chapter's name, I would love to hear about them too.