The Alpha’s Hidden Luna

Luna'S table, Claw Mansion Woodward County, Oklahoma He said he loved me. He said we’d always be together; that he’d build me a swing under a big weeping willow and we’d sit there every night. That we’d watch the sunset. Why the hell did I believe him? I gritted my teeth, jaw aching. Tipping my head to one side, I spit some of the blood still slowly pooling in my mouth. None of my teeth felt loose as I prodded my mouth with my tongue, but I wouldn’t be confident in my assessment until I could look in a mirror — or at least touch my mouth. Instead, I was forced to watch as my saliva slipped through the golden strands of hay at my feet, disappearing onto the wooden stable floor. I shifted again, rattling the chains that bound me to one of the large beams holding up the barn. I stared at the beam directly across from me, looking for anything that might be of some use…but it was just a plain, ordinary beam. I could practically imagine it still being a tree, it was so large and tall. It was even still circular; whoever raised this barn hadn’t taken the time to plane four straight sides. Why bother? It was perfectly strong as it was. Which was great, if you were worried about barn construction. Not so great if someone had bound you to said beam with the tractor chains a person might use to tow a truck out of a ditch. I shifted again, and the cold steel bit into my arms and clutched against my ribs like an overtight hug. The pain blossoming on my left side made me gasp, spots forming before my eyes. The barn seemed to swim around me, like I was looking at it through a film of water. My exhale turned into a whimper and I bit the inside of my lip, trying to keep quiet. The links weren’t going to give. The hooks were arranged properly, too; I couldn’t hear anything that would suggest they were so much as slipping, much less sliding free. My shoulders dropped and my gaze fell back to the prickly hay beneath me. I was running out of ideas. The side of my face still throbbed. My ribs were complaining with every inhale and moaning with every exhale — but that wasn’t the worst of it. In the middle of my chest, my heart lay in ten thousand tiny shards and slivers. It was a glass trinket dropped from a hundred stories, exploding upon impact. My eyes burned and my vision went watery again. I sucked in a shaky breath and shook my head. A few hours ago, only a few hours ago, I had thought everything was perfectly fine. I’d still thought I would be getting married — maybe the end of this year, but most certainly by the end of next. I’d thought he was my one and only…and I’d thought he’d felt the same about me. I sniffled and tried to fight back the well of tears. He wasn’t going to make me cry. I wasn’t going to cry, I couldn’t let him make me cry…I racked my mind for anything other than the hurt. Any thought or memory or wish, anything that wasn’t focusing on this. “Soon, baby, I promise. Soon you’ll be all mine, for the rest of our lives. Nothing will change that.” I smiled softly as I traced my fingernail over Marnet’s broad chest, drawing lines like constellations between his sparse freckles. His chest rose and fell slowly, rhythmically, already settled despite what we had been doing not even five minutes ago. My heart still felt like it was stuttering, trying to figure out how to beat normally after all the attention he had just given me. The thought of it made heat well up in my gut, even if I was nowhere near ready to go again. I must have twitched, because Marnet chuckled underneath me, tucking me beneath one of his arms. His large hand spread across my spine, fingers warm and anchoring as he leaned in to press a kiss to the top of my head. My heart soared and my eyes flickered downwards as I tried to hide my smile. “How long?” I murmured, finally settling down, my cheek resting against his pec. I splayed my hand across one shoulder, comfortable as I used the man as my pillow. Marnet huffed and I could feel the pillow depress as he lay back. His fingers drummed against my skin. “I don’t have a date or anything picked. I told you, it has to be an organic moment. It takes away from it if you know it’s coming, Luna.” I smiled at the familiar argument. It was sweet that the man thought he was going to surprise me somehow, but he was my mate. I’d known for the past three years; he’d known for just as long. We had sensed the bond at the exact same moment, after all. Still, there was something endearing about the fact that he wanted to make it somehow more special than it already was. I squeezed him a little closer, feeling affection bubble up in my chest. I felt like a bottle full of soda, ready to burst and fizz over the lid. “You’re so cute,” I murmured. I could practically see him scrunching his nose at the word and giggled, unable to help myself. “Not cute,” he protested, half-hearted. “Just doing things the right way. I still have to get permission from my father anyways. The alpha has to approve anything, bond or fate or…I dunno. Whatever anyone else does.” “Marnet…” He shrugged. “Protocol, Luna. And I’m not going to ask my father to do something that might cause strife because it looks like he’s favoring his child.” I sighed and bit my tongue. This entire song and dance I knew well. I knew Marnet was right, that our alpha needed to give his blessing before any sort of official anything were to take place, but it felt like Marnet had been dragging this out. I wondered if he was afraid his father might deny us, but I couldn’t see why he would, unless… I bit my lower lip. There was the illegitimacy of my birth. But I’d lived with my father and our pack since I was twelve years old; even if my parents hadn’t been married or mated or… I don’t know, hand-fasted or whatever, I had been nothing but a loyal, well-behaved member of the pack. (Or I tried my best to be, anyways. I thought I was. I was, wasn’t I?) “Luna, you’re thinking too loudly.” I startled, lifting my head to look at Marnet. He’d tucked his other hand behind his head, propping himself up to watch me. I opened my mouth to apologize and he laughed, shaking his head. He squeezed me a little closer with the hand settled on the small of my back. “That was a joke, Luna. Seriously, though. I told you I would take care of everything. You trust me, don’t you?” I couldn’t help myself — I smiled. I just loved when he looked at me like that, his green eyes as warm as the grass on a sunny hill in early summer. That expression made me feel like the only woman in the room — no, the only woman in the world. I cuddled up a little closer, snuggling back against his chest. “Of course I do, babe.” I tugged the blanket over us. “Then why are you in such a hurry, sweet thing? We have all the time in the world.” I believed him. For three years, I believed him. I should have been smarter than that. I was smarter than that, but when he smiled at me with those pretty green eyes and perfect white teeth… Hell, I was a damn fool, allowing Marnet to string me along like that, but I really, truly had faith in him. In his promises. In our future together.