The Alpha & His Secret Luna Princess

Chapter 3 - Settling in

(Hunter's POV)

Leaving Jade behind was one of the most difficult things I had to do, and I haven’t even spent proper time with her yet. This matebond is strong! But I have a pack to lead and a duty to fulfil. I must keep my pack safe at all costs. Jade is safe in the packhouse, so I feel a bit better leaving her there. Before I left, Beta Tucker had mindlinked me, letting me know that there were rogues spotted on the east border of our lands.

I always make sure to check these things myself as well, and make mental notes of any scents I pick up. As soon as I reach him, he gives me an idea of the way the rogue had gone, and where the odour starts to fade. It leads me to the river. Sh*t! No wonder his odour disappeared. Quickly give Tucker instructions to get men to search the river shores. “Run along the river within our borders until you find that scent again you hear me!” “Yes Alpha!!!” Everyone shouts and starts getting to work. We’re not sure yet if it’s more than one as they all tend to smell very similar, a foul, sour smell. A stench enough to make your stomach turn.

As I’m about to join the search, Luca starts going crazy, and a feeling of panic starts in the pit of my stomach. A bit confused, something is telling me to find Jade and fast. MATE!!! Luca howls in my mind. I immediately shift, ripping my clothes in the process, and I start running in the direction I feel the most drawn to.

Why the f*ck is Jade out here and not at the packhouse?!

Luca, where is she?!

We will find her. Luca reassures me, but I run like my life depends on it, because it does. My mate is in danger and I just found her. There’s no way I will lose her now. I feel a sharp pain shoot through my shoulder and I pause a bit, realising it’s her pain. Sh*t! I run even faster, letting my intuition and the mate bond take me where it’s taking me and the feeling is getting stronger, so I must get closer. Another sharp pain shoots through my leg and I almost falter, but I don’t stop. I have to get to her. I quickly mind-link my betas to get to me. I quickly tell them the direction I’m headed. “Get here NOW! Something’s wrong with Jade”.

Finally, her scent hits my snout and I see her… My heart sinks as she loses consciousness. But before I got to her, I saw the rogue attacking again. Before he gets to her, I growl loudly, giving my full alpha aura and charging for him. I go for his throat but end up biting his shoulder. I want to rip him to shreds, but I have to keep him alive. It took everything in me to control Luca as well to not kill him. I make quick work of knocking him out, just has Jason and Tucker arrive. Without another word, I rush to Jade and check on her. “Jade?! Wake up” I whisper, holding her face and feeling her pulse. It’s a bit weak because of the blood she’s losing, so I quickly pick her up and start running toward the pack hospital. The closer I get, the weaker her pulse is getting and I start to panic.

“Nurse! Get the doctor here NOW!” I shout as soon as I get there. The first available bed I find, I put her on it, and start shouting again, “Where the F*UCK IS THE DOCTOR?!”

“Alpha, I’m here!” Doctor Jen comes running up to the bed I put her on and is already wheeling her away.

“What happened?” she asks.

“Rogues” is all I manage to get out. “Please save her!”.

Doctor Jen looks at me and gives a short nod “Yes Alpha, I will take care of her”, focussing on the task at hand, she immediately starts shouting orders at everyone and they disappear through the doors.

I’m right behind them but I’m stopped at the doors. “Get out of my way!! I need to be with her!!!”

“I’m sorry Alpha, but this is as far as you can go” says a nurse looking on the verge of kneeling.

My betas hold me back as well and as best as they can. “Alpha! CALM DOWN! She will be fine. We have to let Doctor Jen do her work if you want her to survive!!” That calms me down some and I stop pushing forward towards the doors.

“Can I at least wait outside the room?” I look at the nurse who’s staring at me with wide eyes. Quickly averting her eyes and giving a quick bow, “sure Alpha Hunter this way.

I get there and I can hear all the commotion in the room, shouts and orders given to get her vitals stable. I decide to sit down as there is nothing else I can do. Worry eating me alive but this is all I can do to help her now.

It seemed like hours had passed but eventually Doctor Jen comes out and comes directly to me. “She’s going to be fine, Alpha. She’s lost a lot of blood, especially because of the bite to the leg, but we were able to do the transfusions needed to get her blood count up again. Her vitals are stable now…” Before she could finish, I was heading into the room, and I see her there on the bed. My world is in this room, and she’s alive. A tear escapes my eye and I quickly wipe it away. I sit on the chair beside the bed and hold her hand. I will not let you out of my sight again. I will always protect you. I vow to myself.

(Jade's POV)

Hmmm… I hum in my mind at the wonderful warm and tingly feeling in my hand. I smile to myself. I want to open my eyes to find the source of comfort but my eyes feel heavy and I’m struggling to open them. I hear a beeping sound from a machine… Wait, am I in the hospital? My body feels as though it’s been hit by a train and my limbs feel heavy. I eventually get my eyes open, and the first thing I see is Hunter holding my hand. Oh, that’s where the feeling is coming from. He’s fast asleep and looks a mess. How long have I been out this time? I think to myself. Trying to get in to a better half lying/sitting position, I stir a little. With the movement, a groggy looking Alpha groans, “Five more minutes…” and he must’ve remembered where he was because he then sat up wiping his eyes to clear the sleep from them before looking at me.

“You’re awake!” he almost shouts, and holds my hand even tighter.

I try my best not to wince, but he sees it, “Oh, sorry! I’m just so glad you’re awake! I should get the doctor, or a nurse. How are you feeling? What happened? Why did you run alone?” he says all of this way too fast and pause him by giving his hand a squeeze. Finally, I’m able to say something, though with a scratchy throat, “A little water please…”

He jumps up and grabs a glass of water holding it to my lips. A take grateful sips, enjoying the cool, soothing water going down my throat. I lick my dry lips and make a move to sit up a bit. Hunter comes to me and gently helps me in to the position I’m aiming for, and when I’m as comfortable as I can be.

“I’ll be right back. I think I should get the nurse first to check on you. You’ve been here for three days,” Hunter says.

I don’t say anything but nod my head, and watch him leave. A minute later, Hunter is walking in with a nurse, and she quickly comes to me and does a routine check to see that everything is as it should be.

“Good afternoon, Jade. How are you feeling?” says the nurse.

“A little groggy, and my body hurts.”

“Well then let me get you something for the pain...” she walks over to the other side of the bed, and gives me a remote, looking like device with a button on it.

“This is morphine. Click that button whenever the pain becomes unbearable. But not too much now. Everything looks good for now. I will send the doctor shortly. Alpha, you will most likely be able to take her home once the doctor clears her.” She smiles and bows slightly before leaving the room.

Hunter turns to me with such an intense look, I feel my heart starting to beat a little faster. Thankfully, the nurse put the sound of the machine off. Why does he have to be so d*mn sexy?! I’m about to look away, to get away from the intensity, but he gently holds my chin, keeping my face to him and urging me to keep eye contact.

“What happened?” he asks softly. “Were you trying to leave? I found you at the border…again.”

“No, it’s not that at all.” I try to comfort him, but his not having it.

“After you left, I wanted to explore a bit. You said it was safe here, and I hadn’t let Lola out in such a long time, I thought I could go for a quick run.” He’s about to cut me off but I raise my hand for him to give me a chance to at least finish my story.

“I hadn’t felt that free in so long, that I sought of lost track of how long I was running or where I was. I did not even know I was that close to the border.” I say a bit ashamed of how pathetic that sounded.

“What happened after that?” he asks.

“Well, at some point I realised a rogue was following me, but because I did not know where I was, I made a quick decision to face him.” I said.

“What were you thinking?! You could have died!” Hunter is starting to get angry.

“What else was I supposed to do? I wasn’t one hundred percent yet and couldn’t run forever trying to figure out where I was! I did what I thought best at the time.” I say to Hunter, but start to whisper, “I didn’t want to use my power, it would have spread further than I would like, and alert people to there people someone like me. It’s a risk I was not willing to take.”

“So what? You would rather die than to protect yourself?!” Hunter says angrily.

“Why are you arguing with me?! It has already happened. It’s done. I’m alive!” Fatigue is taking hold of me again. I slowly make my way into a lying position again, closing my eyes. Thankful that the nurse showed me the pain killer, otherwise I would be sitting with a fat headache.

“I’m sorry, Jade. You cannot possibly know what it’s been like for me to find you in similar situations. Twice. We haven’t even had one full day together, and yet every time I spend a good amount of time with you, you happen to be unconscious. I was worried sick.” Hunter says.

“I can see that.” I say softly. “You look terrible. Please tell me you at least got something to eat and had a decent sleep? A shower? Have you left here at all?”

“No.” that’s all he says and looks away. He turns to me again, and immediately I sense his intensity again. His alpha mode coming forth. “I will never let you out of my sight again. This I vow to you.”

“You cannot be serious. You know that’s not possible, right?!” I said, a bit agitated.

“I’m deadly serious. If the only way I can keep you safe is by having you around me constantly, then so be it. I would cuff you to my bed if I can, just to make sure you’re out of trouble”, Hunter says with that same intensity, and a growing lust as his eyes glaze over a bit. I can feel my cheeks heating up. I must look like a ripe tomato right now. I cough slightly trying to look a little casual, but I can admit I probably didn’t pull it off.

“I’m just glad you’re alive. Can we not be in this room for a long time to come? Please?” he smiles at me, and I smile back.

“Sure, it’s a deal,” I said.

“I have the rogue in a holding cell. Jason and Tucker have been questioning him but he’s unwilling to answer. I will see him myself and try to get some answers as soon as I have you safe at home.” Hunter says.

“He might already know who I am. I don’t want to think about what they would possibly want with me. My entire family is dead, they have no reason to want me.” I’m saying more to myself, knowing that Hunter will know I’m speaking to him too. Before we can say anything more, the doctor walks in. Wow, I actually forgot that we were waiting for her. Before walking further in to the room, she first bows at Hunter, before doing the same to me. “Good afternoon, Alpha, Luna.” She says, and my eyes bulge out, “You don’t have to call me that! It’s just Jade for now, please.” I say to her. I happened to glance over to Hunter when I said it, and he looked a bit sad by my slight outburst, but doesn’t say anything.

“How are you feeling Lu… uh… Jade? Is there any pain?”

“No, thankfully the nurse came in at the right time and showed me this baby.” I say smiling, holding out the button the nurse had given me.

“Well, then that’s great news. I’ll do my final checks, then you should be able to go home. With lots of rest, of course, until everything heals fully. Your body has been through a lot in a short space of time.”

“Yes ‘mam.” I say.

“Don’t worry doctor, I’ll make sure she gets enough rest,” Hunter says. I can tell by the tone in his voice how serious he is. What if he really cuffs me to the bed?! I start blushing again, and Hunter smirks at me. Knowing what I am blushing for.

“I’ll be back with the results shortly, please excuse me”. Doctor Jen leaves us.

I look over at Hunter and he makes his way over to me, taking a seat on the chair. Not sure of what to say, I decided silence from me is best. But Hunter doesn’t seem to mind. We sit there staring at each other and I can see so many emotions across his face.

True to her word, Doctor Jen is back with a clipboard in hand and goes through the results, advising me that everything is as it should be. I am expecting some weakness due to the amount of stress it’s been under. She gives me some medication for the pain, and sleeping medication in case I need it.

“You should be able to leave right now if you feel ready to go” Jen says. “I can get the paperwork ready for you.”

Hunter looks at me for an answer. I’m grateful that he leaves this choice with me. It shows me that he respects my decisions as well.

“Yes, thank you Doctor. I’m ready to leave,” I said to her.

The process goes fairly quickly, and Hunter reluctantly leaves the room to give me some privacy as I get changed into something comfortable.

I let him know that I’m ready, and wasting no time, he enters the room and picks me up bridal style.

“What are you doing? I can walk, you know!” I shouted-whispered.

“Well, it would take a long time to get home, and I’m sick of this place. Besides, I just needed you close, so it’s a win win.” He smiles at me and continues walking.

“We’re not far from the packhouse, but thought it would go quicker if we drove.” He gestures to the vehicle already waiting outside and Beta Tucker jumps out, opening the door for us.

“Good evening Luna, Alpha. Glad to see you alive.” He bows slightly and steps back, giving Hunter space to set me on the seat, before Hunter gets in with me.

As promised, it’s a short drive, but I understand why he said it would be better to drive. The air had gotten quite chilly with the evening now set in. The sun has just about disappeared, and the street lights are now the source of light for the people on the street. Not that we would need it with our night vision.

We get to the front and Hunter helps me out. He’s about to carry me again before I stop him.

“Please let me at least walk in on my own.” I say to him, agitated.

Limping my way up to the door. He moves ahead of me to get the door. As I walk through, there are people congregating at the entry way, and before I can understand what was happening. I see people visibly relaxing at the sight of me.

I turn and give Hunter a look saying: What? He reaches me and whispers in my ear. “They’re relieved that you’re okay.”

I look up at him, acknowledging his words, and I turn to the rest of the people and smile.

“We’re so glad you’re alright Luna, please don’t scare us like that again. We might not have met or been introduced yet, but we acknowledge you as our Luna. To know that we might not have been able to even speak to you like this would have been heartbreaking for this pack.” One of the men spoke for the rest of the people.

So this was the rest of the pack in the house. I was a bit shocked to see people that don’t even know me, so worried about me. It helped me understand a bit better the sought of relationship that Hunter had with his pack, and I could see that they all cared very deeply for each other, and each other's wellbeing mattered.

I smiled at them again before speaking, “Hello everyone. With the way you were all waiting for me, I’m sure you know of me by now. But I’d like to introduce myself anyway. I’m Jade, Hunter’s mate. Thank you so much for your worry, but please be at ease and enjoy the rest of your evening. I will be heading to bed now, as I am still majorly fatigued. If I had known so many people were worried I would have tried to leave the hospital sooner just to set your mind at ease.” Hunter comes up to me and puts his arm around my shoulder. I enjoy the comfort as I sigh, really feeling the sleepiness setting in. “Thank you so much for your worries my friends, but let me make her comfortable. There will be enough time for everyone to meet her individually. Good night for now.” He walks over to Tucker, who is now joined by Jason, and the gammas. Very seriously he says, “I will be down shortly, we have some business to take care of.”

I guess I already know what he’s referring to, but I'm too tired to worry about it. I don’t react and decide that it’s a battle to fight another time.

As he leads me to the stairs, he looks at me and raises his eyebrows. A question that doesn’t need words. I nod my head yes, not wanting to be stubborn, knowing I don’t have the energy to argue. He picks me up, and starts walking up the stairs. I look back at all the people who surprised me at the door with their worry. They seem calmer now, relaxed, starting to make their way to whatever activities they set out. There’s one face that confuses me though, as it seems I’m being glared at, daggers flying my way. It’s the face of a slim, beautiful woman, with blonde hair that reaches her shoulders. The pure hate for me I see on her face registers, but I have no strength left for any questions. Before we reached the fifth floor, I was asleep in Hunter’s arms.