The Alpha's Lost Luna

19

Rowan

Her fear was a tangible thing. I could practically feel it in the air between us, thick and suffocating. I could see the way her pulse fluttered wildly beneath the delicate skin of her throat, the way her fingers twisted nervously in the blankets gathered around her. Her wide green eyes stayed fixed on mine, waiting for an answer I wasn't sure I could give. Because the truth was that I didn't know.

"I don't know," I admitted softly.

I hated the way her shoulders immediately sagged, the way something inside her seemed to fold in on itself at my words. Like disappointment was an old friend that she knew too well.

"But," I continued quickly, reaching for her and needing her to hear me. "That's something that we can figure out. Together." Her eyes lifted again and I continued. "I don't understand why they all seem to gravitate toward hating you. It feels... wrong. Forced. Like compulsion rather than true hatred. At least for some of the pack."

And it was true. I had seen their faces when she was tied to the stake. At first, I assumed the disgust written there had been aimed at Elizabeth. That they looked at her the same way my mother always had. Like she was something beneath them. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized I might be wrong.

Some of them weren't disgusted by her. They were upset by what was happening to her. Stuart had gone out of his way to care for her. Regina had defended her more than once. Even some of the lower ranking wolves had looked uneasy during her punishment. But they all had one thing in common. They never stepped in. They never stopped it. As if they... couldn't. As if something — or someone made sure of it. I wanted answers. No. I needed them.

Slowly, I lifted my hand and brushed my thumb across her cheek. Something deep inside me loosened when she leaned into my touch instead of pulling away. She still hadn't answered me. She hadn't said if she would stay. She hadn't said if she would choose me or how my words affected her. But right now, none of that mattered.

Because for the first time in what felt like forever, she was safe. She was here. In my room. In my space. In my den. And maybe for tonight we could exist without fear. Without punishment. Without the entire damn pack breathing down our necks. Maybe tonight, I could just know her.

My phone vibrated violently in my pocket for what felt like the hundredth time, pulling me from the moment. I let out an exasperated sigh and tilted my head back toward the ceiling. When I finally pulled the device free, all I needed to see were the names lighting up my screen.

Mother. Father. Heather. Richard. Texts. Missed calls. Voicemails. They were relentless. I didn't read a single one. I turned the phone off completely. Because shutting it off didn't make the problem disappear. It only delayed the storm waiting outside my door. I closed my eyes and reached for Cade through the pack link.

"Everything secure for now?" I asked. His response was immediate.

"For now. I'm doing damage control, but I wont be able to hold off your parents for much longer. Heather has already approached your door twice. I don't envy you when you come out of there." He paused. "How is she?"

I leaned back against the headboard next to Liz, watching her carefully. "Do you truly want to know?"

"Rowan," Cade said, his tone sharp with warning. "She is your mate. She is important to you. That makes her important to me." Guilt twisted in my chest. "I know I wasn't perfect when we were younger. Hell, I'm still an asshole now. I know I owe her more than one apology. Probably several. But if you choose this bond — if you accept her, then she will be my Luna. I would be bound to protect her. Truthfully, I'd do it whether I was bound to or not."

Some of the tension in my chest eased. That was why Cade was my Beta and my best friend. Why he always would be. Because when it mattered, he never failed me.

"She's shaken," I admitted. "She ate the food you sent up. Give Stuart my thanks and a reward for his discretion."

Cade laughed softly down the bond triumph echoing through each breath. "I knew the food would work."

Despite everything, I almost smiled. "She brought up something important," I said, and I felt him paying closer attention. "She wants to know who she is. Why she has always been targeted. She said my mother told her something. Something that hinted at her past, her lineage."

Silence followed. Then Cade spoke. "You think there's more."

"I know there is."

I looked at her again. At every bruise. Every cut. Every scar. At the proof of years she had to survive alone.

"There are records somewhere," I said. "Old ones. Hidden ones. Sealed if necessary. I want you to find them. Quietly. I want every scrap of information you can get your hands on."

"Understood."

"And Cade..."

"Yeah?" he asked. My voice lowered when I spoke next.

"You're the only one I trust with this. With her." A beat passed. "Please don't make me regret that..."

His answer came without hesitation. No explanation. Just two simple words. "I wont."

The bond went quiet and I opened my eyes. Liz was staring at me with a mixture of confusion and wonder. Almost like she wasn't quite sure what to make of me. My gaze moved over her slowly. Every wound. Every bruise. Every scar. Every mark left behind by people who should have protected her and chose not to.

Her brown hair was tangled, matted in places with dried blood and dirt, and rage burned hot and sharp beneath my ribs. My wolf was in agreement. We were pissed. I hated seeing her like this. More than I thought possible. Every bruise on her skin felt like a personal failure. Every cut was proof that while I stood by obeying duty and expectation, she had suffered alone.

And if this was what the mate bond felt like now before we had fully accepted it, before it was sealed, then I understood why wolves destroyed kingdoms for their fated mates. Because I would. I absolutely would! Which begged a darker question. If my parents were true mates... why did they look so broken? Why did love look like control? Why did fate look like cruelty? Why was it so easy for them to step out on one another when the thought alone made me sick with nausea?

Those were all questions for another day. Because right now my mate needed care. And judging by the uncertainty in her eyes, it was care she wasn't used to receiving.

"Would you like a bath?" I asked softly.

She blinked at me. Confused. Then her gaze dropped to herself and a deep blush spread across her cheeks.

"I... I should probably go back to my room," she stammered quickly. "I'm making a mess in your bed. And I can clean that! I just need to..."

"Liz," I said her name quietly, but it stopped her instantly. "You will never have to work yourself to the bone again. I wont allow it."

Her breathing hitched and her brows furrowed.

"You will never be forced to clean up after everyone else. You will never be punished for existing. I will never stop you from doing what you love or want, but I will never allow anyone to treat you like you are less than what you are." My voice dropped. "And what you are... is mine to protect."

Tears shimmered in her eyes. I leaned forward, gentler this time. I pressed my lips to herself brow as she processed my words.

"I don't care about the sheets, Elizabeth. I don't care about the mess," I let my hand settle over hers. "I care that you're hurt. I care that no one took care of you when they should have. I can fix that. That, I can do." My thumb brushed across her knuckles. Silence stretched between us. "So, I will ask again... would you like a bath?"