The Strength of a Luna

Moving Out, Moving In

Chapter 3

Arden POV*

The next 12 hours were a whirlwind. Alpha Robert met my mother, and she oozed excitement over the fact that I found my mate and that he was an Alpha on top of it. He had brought some pack members with him who helped pack up some of my things, but he kept promising that I wouldn’t need much since he would provide for me. Mom swooned at it, but I bristled a bit at that thought. Even Fae had managed to break out of her love drunk stupor to feel offended.

He was welcomed by mom to spend the night at our house, and she encouraged him sleeping in my room, but I protested, telling him that I wasn’t quite ready for that. Even though I could see him tense and his eyes flash as if he didn’t approve, he agreed to sleep on the couch.

First thing in the morning, my belongings were packed into the back of his SUV, and I was hugging my mom and Jess goodbye. Mom was crying happy tears, and Jess told me that if I didn’t text her daily, she would kick my ass. She also made me promise to have her visit once I was settled and officially a Luna.

Once she said those words, it truly sunk in that my mate was an Alpha, but I push those feelings away until I was ready to deal with them.

I said my goodbyes, and soon was in the back seat of an SUV with my mate sitting right next to me.

**

“Mate” Robert called out trying to get me to look at him.

“I have a name.” I replied, still not making eye contact.

I don’t know why, but after he nearly marked me at the party last night, I have been avoiding looking at him. He is my mate, and I know it’s hurting him that I’ve been avoiding him, but he was wanting too much too soon. Even though I had been so sure about meeting him, I just felt overwhelmed and hoped he could understand.

“Arden,” he says in a low voice that has me clenching my thighs together, “please look at me.”

I look up at his onyx eyes and my world stops. Once again, I’m trapped by his gaze. Fae is whimpering in the back of my head, and I’m damn near feeling like I’ll whimper out loud.

“Why have you been avoiding looking at me, mate?” Robert asks me.

His use of ‘mate’ snaps me out of the trance and I take a minute to get my bearings.

“Robert..”

“Robbie.” He corrects me, and I melt just a bit at the idea of a nickname.

“Ok. Robbie. I know that the Moon Goddess chose you as my mate, and I’m far from ungrateful. But you scared me last night. You nearly marked me without my permission. And not only that, we were in front of a s**t load of strangers! I know nothing about you. I know your name and that you’re an Alpha…”

“That’s two things you know about me.” Robbie interrupts.

“I don’t even know what pack you’re from. I don’t know if you have siblings. I don’t know your parents. I know nothing important about you, and that bothers me.” I ranted at him, barely taking a breath. I look back up at him and can see that he is barely holding back a laugh, but it seems he decided to ‘humor’ me for now and answer my questions.

“Ok, mate. I’m Alpha Robert Wells of Dark Woods Pack. I’m 22, have no siblings, and my parents were killed 5 years ago. I took over the pack at 17, and I have been handling it as well as all of the company business since then.” Robert told me with sincerity in his voice that showed he wanted me to know of him. Only there was one major problem.

“Do not call me mate.” I told him trying to put strength in my voice even though my body and my heart were working against me. “I understand that as an Alpha, normally you would’ve at the very least marked me by now. But I hope that you continue to respect me until I become comfortable.”

He looked far from happy with this statement. I watched as his eyes darkened even more, and his shoulders tensed. For a moment, I worried that he would lunge towards me and mark me without asking. But slowly, he regained control and looked up at me, body still tense and on edge.

“Of course, mat- Arden.” He said in a strained voice, but seemed to slowly relax, “I want to respect your wishes. You are my mate, and even though it is fighting against my nature as an Alpha to mark you here and now, I want you to feel comfortable and safe within our pack and our home.”

“Thank you.”

I met his eyes for a moment before turning away to finish the car ride in silence. His words were perfect. Showing that he cared for my feelings as well as showing that he is willing to fight his nature for my comfort. The rest of the car ride was spent with me in thought about how things will go from here.

I’m mated to an Alpha. That means, I’m a Luna (or soon to be), and I’m going to be in charge of an entire pack. My heart rate sped up as I thought of it. For years, all I’ve had to worry about is myself, and at times even that was too much for me. I may or may not have fallen on rough times or found myself in rough positions during my escapades across the world. How will I take care of a whole pack?

But then there is the worry that I won’t even have to worry about taking care of a pack. The way that Robbie has been talking to me, he seems to act like I’m just a mate. Just someone to bear pups. Even his answers that he gave me about his life were very short and to the point. He didn’t show any emotion towards his parents having died, and there wasn’t even pride in his voice over the fact that he has been taking care of pack business as well as actual business since he was 17.

As if he could sense my inner turmoil, Robbie reached across the backseat and pulled me into his lap. Instantly, my thoughts quieted, and I felt myself relax. With my face buried into his chest and his scent overwhelming me, I easily drifted off into a peaceful sleep.