Her Alpha In Shining Armor

“Sebastian, we can’t keep doing this. You know that I am not the kind of Luna that your family wants. You don’t want me to be with anyone else, but you know that we’re doomed to-” “Never say that again,” he muttered, looking me in the eyes, a frown, turning his features to the side. He had always had the most expressive face, and today was no less. “My coronation is in a few days, and I will announce you as my mate during it. I don’t care what my father says, or what the pack will say. I love you, and they will eventually have to get behind that.” “But Sebastian, you can't say that for sure. You know how the pack works. I'm nowhere near your ranking, and barely anyone knows that we're together.” Just then, a hoot sounded in the background, as though punctuating what I had just said. It was true. The only place we ever met up with each other was under the trees where we were now, and when he snuck into my private quarters. It was becoming more evident to me as the days went by, that I was nothing but a secret to him, and all my core I knew that. And I think that he did too. “Emilia. You know how much you mean to me,” he cooed, a smile on his face. “I love you so much, and it's not even news to you. You are aware. I have shared so much of myself with you that betraying you would feel like betraying myself.” “Sebastian,” I sighed, taking in a deep breath. It was one of my favorite things about him, the fact that he talked a big game. He had been talking about introducing me to his family and his people for the longest time, and had found ways to slip out of it, yet I had assured myself that it was all in my head. “Forgive me,” I continued. “You know I have a hard time believing things like this, because you know what I have been through. You know all of the things that have been done to me in this lifetime, and I know you understand that I have a hard time believing these things. You need to be honest with me,” I said, my voice quivering as I asked for the truth I really didn't want to hear. “Do you actually want to announce me as your mate at the coronation?” “Yes! A million times yes,” he said, the force in his voice convincing me of his honesty. “I will announce you as my mate, and there is nothing that anyone can do about it. You are my partner, and I will make sure that they accept that, okay?” “Okay,” I agreed, sighing as I melted into his arms. Satisfied, he took my hand and led me towards my home. Right before we got to my door, I stopped and pulled away from him. “Actually, not tonight,” I smiled. “I don't feel too good. Why don't you head home? We'll see tomorrow, or maybe the day of your coronation.” “You know very well that my coronation will make me busy for the next few days. What if we do not get to see each other?” He asked, and I tilted my head to look at him, as though seeing him for the first time. “We have always been busy, Sebastian, you know that. Both of us make time to see each other, and that won't change. I'll see if I can take a day off from the daycare to come and see you. Okay?” “Okay.” With that, he started to leave, and the pit in my heart deepened from anxiety. Something about what he was doing was lopsided, and I was not sure exactly what it was. As though he could hear me speaking about it, he turned around and ran over to me to place a fat kiss on my forehead, and then another on my lips. The kiss sent a shiver down my spine, and I smiled into it wishing - not for the first time - that this was the daytime and everyone in the pack knew that I was in love with this man. As the kiss ended, I opened my eyes to find that he wasn't even there anymore, but that did not matter to me. The kiss had done what it was designed to do, and reassured me that he was mine and mine alone. Besides, the coronation would be happening in only a few days, and he had assured me that he would announce me as his mate. Now my biggest problem was to go ahead and find myself a nice dress to wear to the coronation. If he was going to claim me in front of the entire pack, I needed to find myself a nice dress. As I yanked open the door to my apartment and got in, my roommate, Celeste, sneered. “Whatever lies that man had been telling you, you do not believe them, right?” “What do you mean?!” I asked, taken back. “He is not lying to me. He has assured me that he is going to announce that we are together during his coronation. He would not lie to me about something so important.” Celeste laughed, a sharp, bitter sound that cut through the silence. A nearby tree shook suddenly, the weight of all the owls leaving it making it suddenly lighter. “Look around you, Emilia. Look at where we live, look at the life that we have with each other. He only meets with you under the cover of the night. There is nothing good that can come out of him meeting you in complete secrecy, especially when it's always at your place and never his. Think about this, Emilia. You should be much smarter than this. We're expendable to his family, and most of all, to him. He has nothing to lose, and everything to gain. You are not seeing that.”