Alpha and Luna Rising

Chapter 2

May 21, 2025

Avalon’s POV

I'm standing at my locker and getting ready for the school day. As I place a schoolbook in my bag, my locker door slams shut. “You better behave today, Runt, or I’ll make your life even more miserable than I did yesterday,” Marcus growls near my ear.

“Marcus, will you kindly leave my sister alone before I make you?” Jameson says from behind me.

Principal Adam’s sharp tone comes from behind Jameson and scolds, “Now, Mr. Stone. Please tell me I didn’t just hear you threaten another student.”

“Sorry, sir! I got upset to see Marcus giving my sister a hard time.”

“I see, and you don’t think your sister can stand up for herself,” the principal replies.

My brother shakes his head. “It’s more that she can’t because it causes her more issues when she tries,” he adds.

Before leaving, Principal Adam says, “Mr. Stone, that may be true, but I still can’t have you threatening students. However, I will let this slide once because of who your parents are. Don’t let me catch you again because it will be an immediate suspension. Now, all three of you need to get to class.”

“Yes, sir,” we all say, and Marcus stalks off.

“I’ll walk you to class,” my brother whispers so only I would hear.

“Don’t be late on my account,” I whisper back.

“I’m only a few doors down from you. I don’t understand why everyone is so mean to you.”

“It’s because I’m different from other wolves,” I say.

James replies, “TS may make you look different from everyone else. To me, it makes you unique and a treasure.”

Speechless, I grab James and pull him in for a hug before pushing him in the direction of his class. “Thank you! Now get to class.”

I watch until James is in his classroom before opening the door to my classroom, walk in, and quickly find a seat in the back and sit down. At once, I take out the items I will need for class. My wolf perks up and starts pacing in my mind. “Star, I need to focus, and you’re making it hard with this pacing. What’s going on?”

“I don’t know, just something good is coming.”

Just as I get everything out for class and look at the teacher, she announces, “Today we have a special guest. Please extend a warm welcome to future Alpha Garrison Woodford.”

As Garrison enters the room, the most enticing smell of sea salt and sandalwood hits me. Star goes even more crazy and repeatedly chants, “Mate.”

“Will you calm down, Star?” I say to her.

“Go to mate,” she replies.

“It’s the middle of class, and he hasn’t even looked our way since entering the room. I’m sorry to say this, but he could reject us. His father doesn’t like me.” I solemnly say.

“He won’t reject us,” she says confidently before fading back into the back of my mind.

The morning passes quickly and without any incidents until lunch.

As I try to walk by their table, Marcus sticks his foot out and trips me. Not only does it start a massive food fight, James sees it and punches him in the gut, which escalates into a fistfight. Somehow, only James and I get suspended from school for the remainder of the week and next week.

As James and I come off my secret trail by our house, that lovely and familiar scent of pumpkin spice and cedar wood hits my nose. “Mate has come to see us,” Star says excitedly.

I inwardly sigh before saying, “Let’s not get excited before knowing why he is here. Should we find out together what he wants?”

“Please give him a chance,” she pleads.

“Of course I will,” I agree.

As I step onto my porch, I see Garrison sitting in one of our porch chairs. He stands up when he sees me and asks, “Can we go for a walk?”

“Sure, just give me a moment to drop off my things,” I reply.

He nods, and I head into the house. I head straight to my room, set my school bag on my bed, and brush through my hair quickly. Before heading down the stairs to meet Garrison, I knock on James’s door. “Come in,” he says through the closed door.

I open the door and poke my head in. “I’m heading out for that walk with Garrison. Please let mom and dad know.”

“Okay! Please feel vigilant and defend yourself if needed,” he says, his voice dripping with concern.

I nod before giving a quick wave bye and quickly go downstairs and out the door. Garrison silently leads me to this beautiful clearing with this crystal clear pond in the middle. He leads me to this bench near a dock with a rowboat attached. He sits down and invites me to sit down beside him.

“I’ve always wanted to find my mate. Imagine my surprise walking into the classroom and discovering that person to be you,” he says.

I gulp before saying, “I get that I’ll make your life harder, and I’ll understand if you want to reject me.”

He sighs and runs his hands through his hair before saying, “You're my best friend’s sister, and I don’t know much about you. I hope to get to know you before making that decision. If it's alright with you, I’d like to do it without the eyes of the pack and my family being on us.”

My stomach drops, and I take a couple of deep breaths before confirming, “You want to court in secret.”

He nods before adding, “It's just that I’d like to get to know you without the pressure of what others are saying getting in the way.”

“Do you mind if I tell my parents as long as I make them promise to keep it a secret? I’d hate to sneak around knowing they are worried about me.” I reply.

He takes a moment to think before saying, “I see, and I’ll agree to it under the condition you only tell your parents.”

“Thank you, and I agree to your terms,” I say while I bow my head in a sign of respect.

The conversation then turns into a 21-question session. Each of us would ask the other a question and then answer it ourselves. At times, Garrison would crack a joke and make me laugh. I found out Garrison likes the color blue and his favorite food is pizza, which my mom has taught me a family secret recipe and saying the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. As much as he loves to be outdoors hiking, and running as his wolf, he also enjoys going to the beach and just relaxing in the sand. Before we know it, the sun starts to set, which causes both of us to look at our watches.

We stand up, and as we start walking back, Garrison says, “Thank you for spending part of the day with me. However, I do have to ask why the two of you left school halfway through?”

I tell him the story, and at the end, I believe I hear through a growl, “I never liked that kid.”

Well, that makes two of us and the rest of my family. I can’t help but think before Garrison asks me about my dreams for the future, and I tell him about wanting to become a doctor and how I have full-ride scholarships to many premed programs. I think I see a flash of pride in his eyes at the fact, but it passes too quickly for me to be sure.

Then I see this side-eyed look when I turn the question around and ask him about his hopes and dreams for the future. After telling me he hopes to be a good leader, he admits to desiring several pups running around the alpha floor. My heart sinks as I admit to him that I can’t have pups. Guilt runs through me at seeing the quick flash of sadness in his eyes and knowing I’ll never be able to give him the pups he wants.

We walk the rest of the way in silence, but he does take hold of my hand for the first time. The sparks that fly up my arm and through my body startle me at first but then make me feel safe and as if I were home.

Once I’m safely back inside my house, I take a moment to lean on the door to compose myself and check in with Star, who has been quiet the whole time I was with Garrison. “Are you okay, Star?” I ask.

“Yeah! I was spending time with Damien, Garrison’s wolf,” she says with a hint of sadness.

I can’t help but ask her, “Did it not go well?”

She sighs before saying, “Damien is wonderful, but I’m afraid you're right about them rejecting us. As I feel a war in their minds.”

“I felt that war as well. Honestly, I didn’t expect Garrison to take the time to get to know us. I’m glad he is, as it shows he will be a good Alpha someday. Should we go tell the parents?” I say before pushing myself away from the door.

She agrees, and I head off to find Mom and Dad to see if they have time to speak privately with me.

My request piques their interest, and we go to the house office. Once we are behind the closed office door, we all sit, and I fill them in about Garrison and our afternoon. They share a worried look between them. I do my best to reassure them that I will be okay if the worst happens. They promise me that they will keep it a secret.

Garrison’s POV

Before walking into that classroom this morning and having my life changed. I’m fuming because my dad woke me up this morning to have me go to the high school in hopes maybe one of the newly aged she-wolves is my mate. He also drags me with him when he visits other packs for the same reason. He also points out that it will help me to get to know pack members and become approachable to them. Yet! There is a pack member that he is always putting down and encourages others to bully.

So imagine my surprise and apprehension as I walk into this room for my first visit and have this incredible scent of pine and lavender hit me. Who does this scent belong to? I think as I discreetly look for the source of the scent. It can't be her. How am I going to navigate this? William, my beta, is going to flip if I hurt his sister. These are the thoughts I have when I discover it belongs to Avalon Stone, my best friend's sister. She is also the wolf that, for some reason, my dad dislikes.

I end up having lunch with the principal and other faculty. The principal has to leave to deal with an emergency. Before leaving campus, I try to covertly look for Avalon in hopes of talking to her. However, I’m unsuccessful in finding her, so I head back to the pack and stop by her house.

As she comes into view, the look of shock and worry registers on her face. If she is to be my Luna, she has to learn to mask her feelings better. I anxiously invite her to join me for a walk, which she agrees to. I take her to my favorite place that I go to when I need to clear my head. In all the times I’ve come here. I haven’t seen anybody in the area. We sit on this bench I put by the water's edge and talk for hours.

During that time, I learn that she likes the color lavender and her favorite food is chicken parm, something my mom taught me how to make and telling me a lady loves a man who knows how to cook along with a few other recipes.When she tells me she likes spending time outdoors with her family but she feels most at home at the beach, I can’t help but think that’s something with have in common.

It's not until we are walking back that I ask her about her dreams for the future. She confides in me about her full-ride scholarships to various schools around this country and wanting to be a doctor. Then Avalon throws me off guard when she asks about my hopes and dreams. My life is planned out for me and has been since birth. So I tell her I hope to be the best alpha I can be and how I want children.

That’s when she drops the bomb on me that she can’t have children. From that point on, we walk back to her place in silence, and I can’t help thinking I’m going to have to reject her. My dad won’t pass on the pack until I have an heir and I can’t change the law until I’m Alpha. My heir has to biologically mine as the law doesn’t allow for adoption. Maybe surrogacy will work. I’ll have to ask her.

I sense her nervousness and grab her hand to reassure her. The tingles that travel up my arm make me feel like I’m coming home. After lingering long enough to watch Avalon get safely into her house, I start the rest of the way to the pack house. As I walk back, I realize I hadn’t heard from my wolf, Damien, all afternoon. “Sorry, bro, I took the opportunity to get to know Avalon’s wolf, Star,” the devil chimes in at the thought of his name.

“What do you think?” I ask because this decision does affect him as well.

He sighs before adding, “They are down to earth and compassionate, which are good qualities in a Luna. However, I’m worried about the pack and dad.”

I love that my wolf and I are always on the same page. “Same page, bro,” I quip before adding, “She is sweet and doesn’t deserve to have this prolonged. Do you have a decision already, or do you want to take some time to get to know her better?”

“If it's okay with you, I’d like to get to know her more.”

As I give Damien my agreement, I’m about to pull open the pack house door. Damien warns me, “We have been around Ava for several hours. You might want to shower before having dinner.”

“Thanks, bud,” I say before sprinting up the stairs. For some reason, I keep running the nickname Ava through my head and how it sounds so perfect.