The Luna's Reluctant Alpha

Chapter Seven

KAI

I hadn't wanted to step foot out of my place tonight, the weight of pack expectations pressing down on me like a second skin. But Amelia's words rang in my head, her gentle prodding that a boy my age deserved some fun, even if I felt older than my years.

Besides, Caitlin was relentless, giving me hell for trying to bow out. So, I found myself standing amid Tyler's raucous party, where the thumping bass from inside his house couldn't drown out the dull ache for solitude in my chest.

Tyler, Marcus's younger brother and part of our pack, had this knack for bringing people together. Good kid, really, with a heart as steadfast as they come. The living room swirled with the scents and sounds of our kind, young alphas posturing and omegas giggling over drinks. I leaned against the wall, taking it all in, when my gaze snagged on someone unexpected.

Alexis Kim.

Caitlin had sworn up and down that Alexis wouldn't show—too socially awkward, she'd said, never invited to these things. But there she was, like a specter in the flickering bonfire light. Even from a distance, her presence stirred something within me. She wore her shyness like an ill-fitting cloak, one that couldn't hide her grace or the warmth that seemed to radiate from her smile.

Watching her, I realized how little I actually knew about her, yet there was an undeniable pull. A good heart—I could feel it from here. She laughed, tossing her hair back, and the young alphas around her were like moths to her flame, tripping over themselves for a moment of her attention.

"Careful," I muttered under my breath, though she was too far to hear.

The night wore on, a blur of faces and werewolf bravado until she slipped away to the back porch for air. That's when I followed, stepping out into the night's chill.

"Alexis Kim, you need to be careful," I growled before I could think better of it, closing the space between us.

"Careful?" Her voice was a mix of surprise and challenge as she pivoted to face me, eyes defiant. "I'm just having fun, Alpha."

"Omegas give off signals, especially to hormone-addled alphas. Teenage boys can't control themselves like—" My warning hung in the air, unfinished.

"Unlike you?" The defiance in her voice was now edged with curiosity, sparking a tension that crackled between us.

"Exactly like me," I muttered, suddenly finding it hard to meet her gaze. Her eyes held too much, a challenge that stirred something within me, a sense of intrigue that was both alluring and terrifying.

Alexis had a way of stripping me bare with just her gaze, seeing past the façade, the Alpha's son, the pack's expectations. She saw Kai. And I wasn't sure how I felt about that.

As we stood there, two bodies frozen in a moment of silent communion amidst Tyler’s loud party, something shifted. The air between us hummed with anticipation, crackling like the static before a thunderstorm.

"Kai," she whispered, her voice barely audible over the noise. Just my name on her lips sent a jolt through me lightning-quick, igniting a flame that had been just an ember moments ago.

"I..." My words were lost amidst the chaos of my mind; my heart pounded against my chest like a wild beast.

A gust of wind rustled through the nearby trees carrying the scent of pine and something else - her scent - sweet and tantalizing like orange blossoms on an early spring day.

Without thinking, I closed the gap between us. My hands rested on her waist as if they belonged there, pulling her closer. In that heartbeat of silence, our eyes locked—a silent conversation in the making. Then somehow, inexplicably, my lips found hers. It was a kiss born of frustration and warning, but it quickly flamed into a wildfire of raw need and yearning.

My hands tangled in her soft hair, pulling her closer as the world shrunk down to the space where we touched. Her lips moved against mine with a ferocity that matched my own, her breath hot and quick. Fireworks exploded behind my closed eyelids, igniting my blood.

"Kai," she whispered into the small gap between our mouths, a plea or a blessing, I couldn't tell.

"Sweet girl." My voice was a husky echo of her own, my hand resting possessively on the small of her back. The simplicity of her name on my lips felt like a truth I'd been denying myself.

The porch, the party, the throbbing pulse of our pack—all of it faded until there was only the searing touch of our intertwined fingers and the magnetic lock of our gazes. My senses heightened, every brush of her skin sending shockwaves through me. Her scent was intoxicating, a heady mix of rain-soaked earth and something sweetly floral.

I couldn't get enough of her, the taste and feel of her lips against mine. I could swear I heard her heartbeat drumming in sync with mine, a song as old as time and as thrilling as the hunt. I wanted to lose myself in her, forget about my heavy burdens and responsibilities, but a part of me—the part that was raised to be Alpha—whispered caution.

"Kai," she whispered again, softer this time, hands wandering up to rest against my chest. The way she said my name... like it was something precious, like she was asking a question and making a declaration all at once.

"Mate..." I pulled back just enough to look into her eyes. Damn those eyes! They held an entire universe—all hope and fear and brave defiance—and for a moment I felt like I was teetering on the edge of a precipice.

The party behind us roared on, oblivious to our little world on the porch. There was laughter and music and the familiar scents of our pack mingling with the night air. But all of it felt distant, like background noise compared to the symphony Alexis Kim played on my senses.

My hand moved from her waist to stroke down her arm, fingers ghosting over the goosebumps that had little to do with the chilling night air. I could feel the electricity between us, a live wire zinging back and forth. She was in my system, quicksilver in my veins, making my heart pound and my thoughts scatter like leaves on the wind.

There was a knot in my chest that I couldn't unravel, a tangle of emotions all vying for dominance - desire, fear, regret… and something else, something deeper that I couldn't quite put a name to.

"Oh, Kai," she breathed, her voice just barely above the pulse-pounding music and laughter behind us. Her eyes were wide and dark, filled with an emotion that mirrored my own uncertainty. "I don't know what's…" she began, her voice trailing off as her gaze locked onto mine. It was like looking into a mirror of my soul, reflecting all the confusion and longing that was roaring through me.

A silence fell over us, a pause in the symphony we'd been orchestrating. I could feel the tension coiling between us, winding tighter with each passing second. The question hung heavy in the air– where do we go from here?

But reality crashed back with the force of a tidal wave. "This... this isn't right," I gasped, tearing myself away. The look in her eyes—a blend of desire and something like understanding—tore at me.

"Kai," she reached out, her voice cracking with emotion.

I stumbled backwards, my wolf and my conscience warring inside me. What we wanted clashed with what duty demanded. With every step I took back into the house, the dreamlike bubble we'd created popped, leaving a cold emptiness in its wake.

I didn't look back, couldn't bear to see the hurt I'd left behind, but the image of Alexis on that porch, reaching for me, haunted me as I vanished into the shadows of the party.

***

The taste of Alexis's lips lingered, haunting me as I backed away from her, my heart thundering against my ribcage like it wanted to break free. Her wide, startled eyes mirrored the chaos that churned inside me. What had I done? My promise to Quentin—a sacred vow—had just shattered against the reality that the girl in front of me was my fated mate.

I should've felt elated, complete, but instead, a hollow pit gnawed at my insides. Thunder growled in the back of my mind, his disapproval echoing my own self-reproach.

"Go back to her," he urged, his voice a fierce whisper in my consciousness. "She's who you're meant to be with."

But I couldn't. Not with Caitlin's image flashing in my mind, not with the memory of Quentin's dying request binding me. I turned on my heel and stormed back into Tyler's house, my emotions a tangled mess of guilt and longing.

Caitlin caught sight of me the moment I entered; her eyes narrowed with a jealousy that seemed misplaced considering the coolness between us lately. "Where were you?" she demanded, her tone sharp.

"Just needed some air," I lied smoothly, even as I felt Thunder's disdain for the deceit.

She eyed me suspiciously but didn't press further. Instead, she latched onto my arm, her possessiveness clear. "Let's go to Rick Taylor's party next."

I barely stifled a sigh. "I can't. Early morning patrol and football practice."

Her grip tightened. "You always have some excuse."

"It's not an excuse," I said, though the fight had drained out of me.

Caitlin tossed her hair and released me with a huff. "Fine. I'll find my own way home." She flitted away into the crowd, soon laughing with someone else—a guy who looked all too eager to have her attention.

A part of me knew I should feel a sting at that sight, but nothing came. My gaze instead roamed the room for Alexis. She was nowhere to be found; maybe she had already left.

I couldn't shake off the memory of our kiss—the fire that had surged through me as our lips met. It was nothing like the chaste pecks I'd shared with Caitlin, which she had always been dissatisfied with. She wanted more from our relationship physically, but it never felt right to give in—not with Thunder’s constant reminder that we should wait for our fated mate.

Now I knew why.

With Alexis's birthday only days away, reality was sinking in hard and fast. The kiss hadn't just been a mistake; it was a revelation that Alexis Kim was indeed meant for me. And when she turned 18, our bond would cement itself beyond denial.

The drive home was quiet; Thunder didn't bother hiding his irritation anymore.

"You're acting like a fool," he accused, his tone harsher than usual.

I gripped the steering wheel tighter but said nothing. What could I say? He was right.

The next day at school dragged on interminably. Lectures blurred into white noise as images of Alexis kept flashing before my eyes—her smile, her laughter at Tyler's party before everything changed between us.

Football practice wasn't any better. I missed easy passes and tripped over my own feet more than once—the perfect picture of clumsiness rather than Cedar Creek's star quarterback.

And then came patrol—my attention scattered to the wind as every rustle in the underbrush seemed like it could be her approaching steps. It wasn't; it never was.

The following morning found me sitting through a pack meeting led by Amelia as Luna while Armando rested upstairs. My father might have been incapacitated by his illness, but Amelia had taken up his duties without missing a beat.

As reports came in about rogue activities and border patrols, I nodded along mechanically—my thoughts stubbornly fixated on Alexis and what today meant for us both.

Amelia cast me worried glances throughout the meeting; she knew something was off but mercifully didn’t call attention to it.

Thunder remained silent too—a rare occurrence—giving me space to grapple with emotions too complex to untangle in front of the pack.

But no matter how hard I tried to focus on anything else—the threats we faced or strategies we discussed—all roads led back to Alexis Kim: my fated mate whose birthday had dawned bright and inevitable on the horizon of Cedar Creek.

***

The afternoon sun hung heavy in the sky, the kind of warmth that seemed to press down on the world, flattening everything into a two-dimensional painting. There I was, parked across the street from Lincoln High, ostensibly there to pick up Caitlin. The excuse tasted sour on my tongue, a lie I told myself because the truth was too damn hard to admit—I was there for Alexis.

I watched Caitlin from a distance, laughing with a group of guys. Once upon a time, that sight might have sparked a flare of jealousy in me, but now it barely registered. I was detached, like watching a play where you knew all the lines by heart and the actors were just going through the motions.

My mind kept drifting back to Alexis—her smile, her laugh, and that kiss. That damn kiss. It had knocked me for a loop, set my world spinning in a way I hadn't known was possible. It was like she had waltzed into my life and rewritten all the rules without even trying.

I leaned back against the seat of my truck, watching her from afar. She was all light and easy grace among her friends, her laughter ringing out clear and true in the afternoon air. I couldn't help but notice how everyone seemed drawn to her; it wasn't just me who saw something special in Alexis Kim.

I let out a humorless chuckle. If this was some cosmic joke, I wasn't laughing. There she was, right within reach and yet miles away because of promises made and blood vows taken in the raw ache of grief.

Caitlin used to be different—sweet and kind before high school politics twisted her into someone else. She'd been poisoned by her need for love and admiration, turning into someone I hardly recognized anymore. And here I was, tethered to her by a vow made when she'd still been that sweet little girl who'd looked at me with wide eyes full of trust.

The regret churned in my gut like a living thing as I remembered Quentin's dying eyes—his plea that had been impossible to deny then. Now it felt like chains around my heart. The Caitlin I had promised to protect had long since faded away; all that remained was the echo of what could have been.

Thunder stirred within me—a low growl vibrating through my bones as if he too felt trapped by choices made in moments of pain. We both watched Alexis, this beautiful enigma who had stumbled into our lives and turned everything upside down.

My hands tightened on the steering wheel as she threw her head back in laughter at something one of her friends said. Every instinct in me screamed to go to her, claim her as mine for all to see. Thunder roared his approval at the thought—his desires mirroring my own so closely it was impossible to tell where man ended and beast began.

But then Caitlin spotted me across the lot and started toward my truck with a possessive stride that once would have filled me with pride. Now it just made me want to flee.

And so I did.

I turned over the engine and pulled away before she could reach me. No guilt laced my thoughts—only relief and Thunder's roar of approval ringing loud in my ears. We were being jerks; we knew it and didn't care because life had handed us a raw deal too many times before.

As I drove away from Lincoln High, away from Caitlin's confused expression turning into indignation in my rearview mirror, my mind spun with thoughts of Alexis—the feel of her lips on mine replaying over and over like a broken record.

It dawned on me with cruel clarity—I understood now why my father did what he did when he met Amelia. But then flashes of my mother's face would surface—her sadness etched deep into every memory I had of her—the way depression consumed her after he left until there was nothing left but an empty shell that couldn't find a reason to keep beating.

Caitlin might be spoiled and self-centered now, but beneath it all lay the vulnerable girl who had lost everything once already. She depended on me not just for love but for survival itself.

My heart twisted with torment as Thunder whimpered his heartbreak quietly within me—a sound so laden with sorrow it might as well have been mine alone.

I hated this whole fated mates mess—hated how it turned you inside out until you didn't recognize yourself anymore—hated how much like my father I'd become even though every fiber of my being rebelled against it.

The drive home was silent save for Thunder's occasional low growls of frustration echoing through our shared consciousness—a mirror to my own turmoil as we both mourned what could never be ours without tearing apart everything we knew.