Fated From the Start

Damsel in Distress

Ash POV

"So how long exactly were you going to wait to tell me?" my mom was standing in the doorway of my office eyeing me accusingly. 

"What do you mean?" I asked innocently, barely looking up from what I was working on. 

"Don't play dumb with me Ashton Reed." She quipped sternly, however, amusement was dancing in her eyes. "You've been off territory way more than usual the last two months, you've got this pep in your step and this twinkle in your eye yet you seem irritable and lonely when you're home, you jump whenever your phone dings, and most importantly you reek of human girl pretty much all the time. When were you going to tell me you found your mate? When are you going to introduce me to my new daughter-in-law?"

"Keep your voice down," I hissed, not wanting the news to spread through the pack. "Close the door and cool your jets. As you so delicately pointed out, she’s human, I have to take things slow. She is barely my girlfriend, let alone your daughter-in-law. I didn't want to get anyone's hopes up about their Luna existing when I have no idea if or when she'll even accept the Luna title." I continued. 

Mom waved her hand dismissively, "It's fated, she will be yours and she will be my daughter and she will be our Luna." She seemed exhausted with my implication that Harlow may not accept being my mate or our Luna.

"Just because we're perfect mates doesn't mean she'll want all of this," I gestured wildly about indicating the pack and everything that comes with it. "This is a hell of a life to expect a human to accept and embrace," I added with a sigh.

"Then I guess you better bring her up to speed soon and see how she takes it," mom stated matter of factly before strutting out, letting me know she wasn't going to debate the matter with me. 

My mom was fierce and bold, but she loved even more fiercely. I knew this whole exchange wasn't her being a hardass, but rather her trying to lovingly shove me in the direction of my destiny like she always had. Being a born Alpha I've been preparing to run the pack since birth. While my dad handled the teaching and showing of all the things I'd need to know and do; Mom was always there to handle the emotional side of things, to make sure I ruled with the required fierceness but also the necessary compassion, to make sure I was fearless and relentless when it came to doing whatever needed done. In this moment she was pushing me to be fearless and relentless in the pursuit of this pack's Lun. They needed me to bring her home to them as badly as I needed her here with me. 

I needed to tell Harlow soon and hope to god her feelings for me were strong enough for her to accept it. Goddess I hope she accepts it. 

Harlow POV

Cedar was sitting in his usual spot in the corner of my section, twirling a coaster between his fingers, staring off into space. With all the time I'd spent with the guys in the last few months Cedar had become like a protective and doting big brother to me, which was funny because he was actually 6 months younger than me. He was always checking up on me, teasing me, and taking care of me in those weird small ways like only family did. 

After a particularly bad shift at work where a guy tried to pull down my shorts as I walked away from his table and I turned around and punched him in the jaw causing Sal to suggest I should've just given them a good show instead of getting so defensive, Cedar started protectively showing up at the club every night. In the beginning I questioned him and protested the arrangement, but after a while having him there began to feel like a security blanket. He always just sat in the corner out of the way and kept to himself, spent just enough money that Sal wouldn't say anything about him eating up a table, and left a $200 tip on some random table at the end of the night. Meaning I wouldn't be able to yell at him for leaving it since I couldn't prove it was from him. 

He never paid much attention to the other girls in the club, which made them insanely jealous. I saw why, Cedar was a towering 6'4" and just as covered in completely carved muscles as Ash was, all five boys must spend an insane amount of time in the gym. His hair was a sun bleached blonde and fell perfectly in springy spiral curls. His face was angular and his eyes a deep lush green. He was also covered in tattoos and had a fun mischievous bad boy vibe about him. He always wore dark clothes and a leather jacket, all of which clung tightly to his muscles. I seriously questioned what was in the water where the guys lived because they all were "fall over yourself" attractive like this.

"How are you doing tonight, Totty?" Cedar asked as I walked over to the table with his usual drink order, referring to me by the oh so fun nickname the guys had taken to calling me since I was so tiny compared to them. 

"As well as can be expected being here" I sighed. 

"You could take Ash up on his offer to support you while you find something else," he shot me his trademark devilish smirk knowing this was a point of contingency for me. 

"We've been dating not even 3 months, I'm not letting him pay my bills for me, I don't care how loaded you apparently all appear to be." I retorted, giving him the evil eye.

"Eh, its generational money for the most part. Yeah, we have good jobs but we were given those jobs because of who we were related to. You've worked for what you have and we all respect you more than you know for that. It's the only reason I come and sit here every night and keep an eye on you rather than joining Ash in insistently begging you to quit. It's not that we don't want you to support yourself, we're just protective of you Totty." Cedar gave me a genuine soft smile instead of his usual smirk and it made my heart feel warm. These guys had so quickly become my family, faster than even Willow's siblings had. 

"I'm not defenseless you know, y'all want to treat me like the damsel in distress that needs rescued from the dragon guarded tower, when I'm more like the b***h that slays her own dragons and then goes back to napping in the tower because it was comfy." I smirked playfully at him this time. 

"Totty you cracked a guy in the jaw for touching you, I doubt you not," he put his hands up as if in surrender as he spoke. "Consider me your eager back up, that's all." He winked.

"I better get back to working the other tables before I attract a Sal lecture and we have to test just how willing you are to stay back up" I raised my eyebrow at him and then walked off to check on everyone else. 

As the night went on whenever I'd make eye contact with Cedar he'd make some goofy face and I'd have to fight off laughter. He gave off such a tough exterior, but was nothing more than a giant goof that was sometimes a little too blunt. 

I was on a drink run when I turned around and was face to face with the guy that had tried to pull down my shorts, despite Jenny's pleas for Sal to ban the guy he hadn't. "You dumb b***h, you fractured my jaw with your little outburst," he spat at me and before I could even process what was happening he shoved me as hard as he could. Somehow, instead of colliding with the ground, I landed in Cedar's strong arms. His eyes looked pitch black and there was so much hatred and fury on his stone hard face. Before I could react he passed my still in shock body to Flynn who had apparently jumped the bar to come to my rescue and then snatched my offender up by his shirt. He was holding the douchebag inches off the ground and seething hatred was pouring off of Cedar so thick you could cut it. 

"How dare you put your hands on her, you poor sad excuse for existence." Cedar growled so low it even terrified me. Even Flynn's usually beaming smile was replaced with a hard pierced lip cold expression as he held me back away from the ensuing fight. 

"Get your hands off me s**t stain, that w***e isn't worth getting your ass handed to you," the prick yelled back, oddly cocky for someone literally dangling off the ground at the hands of a much larger man. w***e was also definitely the wrong word choice to use as now Cedar and Flynn both appeared to be breathing so hard they were basically growling. Cedar released the guy's shirt with one hand and clocked him straight in the side of the face. This caused the guy's friends to immediately jump into action and they charged for Cedar. Cedar crashed to the ground as Flynn tucked me protectively behind him. Why did every man in my life feel the need to safeguard me like a piece of glass? I could hear the struggle and the gnarly sound of fists colliding with skin, but from behind Flynn's back I couldn't see who was taking the brunt of the beating and no matter how hard I tried Flynn wouldn't let me go. 

Suddenly the sounds subsided and I managed to break free from Flynn's grasp. Cedar was sitting on the floor bloodied and panting with three unconscious men littered around him. A scream escaped my lips and as if moving at the speed of light, Cedar came to my side.

"I'm so sorry Totty, I didn't mean to do all this, I just couldn't let him disrespect you like that…" Cedar began to babble, the most apologetic look in his eyes. 

"Your poor face," was all I said in response, my hands reaching for his wounds. 

Suddenly Sal appeared next to us bellowing about the scene that had unfolded. "Harlow, you drama causing little b***h, how am I supposed to handle this mess?"  Cedar's face hardened and I swore his eyes flashed black again. 

"Don't blame her, it wasn't her fault." Cedar pleaded, though I was certain he'd much rather pummel Sal's face as well for the way he was speaking to me. Respect for women seemed to be deeply engrained in these boys, and disrespect was met with a zero tolerance. 

"I've called the cops, they can decide what to do about this." Sal sighed in exasperation, and as if on cue three very cocky police officers strolled through the front door. "This is your last warning Harlow. If you're at the root of any more messes I have to clean up, you're done." He bellowed in my direction as he headed to his office.

Cedar looked at me apologetic once more, before going to speak to the officers. 

The rest of the night I was in a weird place. I couldn't wrap my head around what had happened. I went to highschool with eight brothers between Will and I and had unfortunately been the cause of more than a few fights, but I'd never seen a single guy take on three jacked up drunks. And how on earth did Cedar get to me so fast? He was sitting upstairs in the loft only a few minutes prior to the whole fight breaking out and yet somehow he caught me before I hit the ground. Also, since when was Flynn so protective of me? We were casual makeout buddies months ago and now he was jumping in to safeguard me from physical altercations? These men…

As I walked out the backdoor at the end of the night I heard a foot step behind me and jumped. "Totty, breathe. It's just me." Cedar cooed reassuringly, a giggle in his voice. "I just wanted to apologize again, I didn't mean to make such a mess for you." His tone was sincere. 

"I just need to know one thing, how did you get to me so fast?" I puzzled.

"I, uh, was headed to the bathroom when I heard him yell at you," he stated matter of factly, but there was an edge of something else in his voice that caused me to question his response. 

"I'm just glad you're safe," I told him as I climbed into my car, he was holding the door for me like the gentleman he was.

"I'm going to follow you home, Ash wouldn't forgive me if I didn't ensure your safety after something like that." He told me as he closed the door for me, walking away before I could protest. There was that damsel in distress treatment again.