Alpha and Luna Rising

Chapter 3

May 28, 2025

One week later

Avalon’s POV

This past week has dragged on. The school is kind enough to let James and I do the schoolwork we will miss. So, I spend my mornings studying and my afternoons writing or hanging out with Garrison. In the evenings, I spend time with my family and read before bed.

The afternoons with Garrison have been spectacular. We go back to his pond for our second meetup. He packs and brings a lunch for us to enjoy. As we eat and talk, Garrison and I again lose track of time. As we leave the pond, he asks me why I can’t have children. “I have Turner Syndrome,” I answer and explain it to him the best I can.

“Is that why you want to become a doctor?” he asks with curiosity shining in his eyes.

“Dr. Jones has been amazing with me and so supportive. Her kindness and care, along with having a rare genetic disorder, inspired me,” I answer.

“I love that she has been so amazing with you,” he says with a genuine smile.

We talk more about the pack. I finally voice the question that has been plaguing me. “Do you think the pack would ever accept me being Luna?”

He shrugs and says, “I don’t know.”

After that, a silence falls between us until he takes my hand and pulls me up. He doesn’t let go and leads me to the rowboat. He teaches me how to row, and I'm amazed at his patience. I wish I could train with the pack; that way I could see him as a trainer. “You look deep in thought,” he says, pulling me back to the present.

“I was thinking about how patient you have been with me. It made me wonder how you were as a trainer," I answer.

He looks at me quizzically before saying, “You don’t train with the pack.”

“Your dad has forbidden me from pack training,” I say after shaking my head.

I briefly see anger flash in his eyes before he composes himself. Garrison takes a breath before saying, “Sorry, my dad enrages me sometimes. Please tell me that your dad and mom are at least training you at home."

I nod before saying, “My dad is training me. He will bring my mom or one of the siblings over to spar with me. So, I see other fighting techniques."

A sigh escapes him, and his shoulders slump forward. “I’m glad to hear that at least. I don’t understand why my dad dislikes you so much.”

“Honestly, I don’t know either. I do suspect that it has to do with me having Turner syndrome.”

By this time the sun is starting to go down, so we row back to shore and make our way home. Before parting ways, we exchange numbers, allowing us to text back and forth when we can’t meet up. It takes another four days before we can hang out again. Our text conversations were going very well and smoothly. It makes keeping track of questions I'd rather ask in person tricky.

During our third meetup, we took the rowboat out again. It's during this time that I finally get the nerve to ask a question that has firmly been on my mind. With a trembling voice, I ask, “I remember you mentioning wanting pups of your own. I know I can’t give them to you, but how would you feel about adopting or exploring surrogacy?”

“You have thought about this. Haven’t you?” Garrison replies.

“I have talked about it extensively with Dr. Stone, as I wanted to know my options so I could communicate them to my mate, whether fated or chosen,” I say with my heart becoming heavy. The more I get to know Garrison, the more my mind battles between falling for him and wanting to keep a distance to protect myself.

“It would have to be surrogacy. I can only pass on the title to my firstborn biological son. He is waiting for me to settle down with a mate and have an heir before passing the pack onto me.”

“Can't you amend that law once you’re Alpha so that it includes any child you have, whether blood or not?”

He nods before adding, “I want to amend that law and several others, but I also need to be careful in order to get that chance.”

“I think you will make an exceptional Alpha one day,” I say as a blush forms on my cheeks.

Garrison smiles his warm smile, which lights up his face, before saying, “Thank you for saying that. It means a lot, as I want to be an excellent leader for this pack.”

"What is your biggest fear about becoming Alpha?” I ask. Before swiftly stating, "Please forgive me! You don't have to answer."

He surprises me by replying, “My dad will find a way to insert his power even when I’m alpha. What is your biggest fear?"

I look down at the pond and whisper, “I will wind up alone.”

“You won’t wind up alone; you're too intelligent, kind, and hilarious for that,” he says before adding, “I think we should head back to shore. Why do I always lose track of the time when I’m with you?”

A blush returns to my cheek, and I nod before mumbling, “Thanks.”

When we dock, Garrison helps me out of the rowboat and expertly ties the boat to the dock. He takes my hand, and we walk back to my house. Once there, he gives my hand a squeeze before letting it go and watching me walk up into my house.

A few days go by, and I’m awaiting a text from Garrison. We have plans to hang out today. My phone beeps, alerting me to a text. I'm crestfallen reading the following:

Garrison: My dad is suspicious and demanding that I lead training today. I won't be able to meet you today. I'm so sorry!

Me: No worries! I appreciate you reaching out and letting me know.

Garrison: I didn't want you to think I stood you up. LOL

I send him a laughing emoji and curl up in bed watching old classic rom-coms until my family starts trickling into the house. While hanging out with them, I feel my spirits lifting. Now and again, Star would sigh or whine in the back of my head. “What’s up, girl?” I ask her.

“Do you think our mate will reject us?” Star asks with concern.

I reply, “I honestly don’t know. We will have to see how it goes. No matter how it turns out, I’m glad to have you as my wolf.”

“I'm elated to have you as my human,” she quips, before calmly fading away to the back of my mind.

Garrison’s POV

As I’m about to text Ava to have her meet me at the pond, my dad links me and demands I come to his office. So I stalk out of my room and down to the Alpha’s office. Before knocking on the door, I take a deep breath to calm my nerves, as going into this with an attitude won’t be helpful. “Come in,” my dad bellows.

I open the door and walk to the chairs in front of my dad’s desk. My dad motions for me to sit while he leans back in his chair. “Now, I know you missed two training sessions, which I know Corbin ended up leading. You weren't hanging with William. Where have you been going?” He queries while rubbing his chin.

“I just wanted space, Dad. So, I could think and decompress,” I reply, trying to stay as vague as possible.

My dad grunts prior to saying, “It looks to me like you're struggling to carry half the Alpha workload. I'm not confident you can shoulder the full weight of the Alpha duties.”

I sit back and say, “I feel absolutely confident that I can handle being Alpha. Before leaving, I talked with Corbin, my beta, and arranged for him to lead the sessions I missed. With William being my beta, I asked him to keep me posted about the pack. I stayed close to the pack, so I could respond quickly if trouble arose. My time away wasn’t about ditching my responsibilities but taking time for myself so I can be the best Alpha I can be.”

My dad snarls, “Don’t talk back to me, boy. Just go lead training, and you better be there when I check.”

I stand up, salute, and head back to my room to change for training. Before leaving, I text Ava to let her know I can't make it. I hear Damon whine in my ear. “I know, bud. I was looking forward to hanging out with Ava and Star as well. If we don't follow Dad's command, he will send the cavalry out to look for us.”

He nods in agreement. I head down to the training arena to set up for the junior elite training session. As I’m finishing up, William and Corbin show up. William is always ready to give a hand, looks at me, and asks, “Do you need help with anything?”

I shake my head, and Corbin and Willian exchange glances before Corbin asks, “What’s the matter?”

Immediately, my brain produces several questions. Why does my dad dislike Ava? Is it because she has Turner syndrome? Will Ava get furious with me if I tell William and Corbin that she is my mate? Can I trust these guys? Will Dad find out my secret if I tell it to my boys? Damon chimes in, stating, “Wow! You need to pause there, buddy. Tell our boys about our mate. Maybe they will help us. Besides, I trust that they will keep our secret. The only thing I’m nervous about is that William is Ava’s brother,” Damon says with a chuckle at the end.

“Would you guys come to the conference room with me, please? I have something I need to share with you,” I say before turning around and heading inside the building and into a small conference room.

I quickly check for bugs before sitting at the head of the table and motioning for Willian and Corbin to take a seat. I register the quick look of confusion in their eyes before they compose themselves. They both take a seat and stare at me expectantly. “For starters, I need you to swear that what I’m about to tell you stays between us.”

“I promise,” they say in unison.

I look William in his eyes before I say, “Your parents know the news I'm about to share with you two. A week ago I discovered that Avalon is my mate. My intention with her is to get to know Ava, and I have no wish to hurt her. The two afternoons I took off were to spend time with her so we could get to know her.”

“How come I haven’t heard about this from her? You know my family shares everything,” William snarls.

Corbin puts a hand on top of Will's hand, so he can warn, “You are going to get yourself in trouble.”

William takes a deep breath, and I also take a few breaths to settle my fear that he isn't going to like what I have to say. I say, “Will, Ava asked me if she could tell your parents. I agreed on the condition she promised only to tell them. I’m taking this very seriously and trying to get to know her in a way that the judgment from others won't get in our way.”

Corbin and Willian sit back, and William whispers, “Are you planning on rejecting my sister?”

I pause because I am still figuring out the answer to that question. The more I get to know Ava, the more she blows me away. She is a wonderful young lady, but I'm still nervous about how the rest of the pack will accept her as Luna. I think with training, Ava will make a terrific Luna. I decide to be honest, and I’ll gladly take the punch Will might give me. “To me, Ava is an amazing person. I believe that with training she will become a wonderful Luna. Damon and I have enjoyed getting to know her. All of us are nervous about how the pack will react if we accept each other.”

Corbin says, “I’m glad that you found your mate, but how is this going to affect Will and you?”

“I don’t want it to change anything between him and me either,” I say, looking Corbin in the eye, before turning to look at Will and asking, “What are you thinking?”

“I don’t know, man. Avalon has already endured enough pain for a lifetime. Please! Be careful and don't hurt her,” Will whispers.

I chuckle before saying, “Ava surprised me the day we found out we were mates, as she expected me to reject her straight away. She was genuinely shocked when I didn’t outright reject her. She thought I viewed her like the rest of the pack does. Avalon's been honest and open with me. It's been refreshing not having a she-wolf playing games with me to become Luna.”

William’s face turns red in anger, and he snarls, “Nobody knows her, and it grates my nerves how most of the pack treats my sister.

“Hey, man! I’m extremely aware I'm in a position to hurt her. I promise to be honest with her and try my best not to hurt her. I don't understand why the rest of the pack dislikes her. I’m trying to do the right thing in getting to know her, and I’m glad I have,” I say, placing my hands up in the air in surrender.

William lets out a few breaths, and anger dissolves into a helplessness he can’t seem to mask. “Thanks, man!”

“Let's go start this training,” Corbin says.

We all head up to greet the junior elite warriors. We start with a ten-mile run.