Second to the Luna

Chapter 1 - The First Attack

JUNIPER

“Just a little faster,” Ethan said.

My lungs stung as I gasped for air. I focused on Ethan’s voice, the only thing keeping me sane.

“Almost there.” He said, giving me a little glimmer of hope.

I groaned as I pushed my body to move faster. I wasn’t used to being pushed to the limits like this, but I knew it would be worth it in the end.

“Done!” Ethan shouted, much too cheerful for how early in the morning it was.

I slowed my run to a walk and rested my hands on the top of my head to open my lungs. The air stung with each breath I took, and I wondered if it would always be like this. Even after six months of training nearly every day, my body ached after each run with Ethan.

“That was great,” Ethan said. “You beat your previous time by thirty seconds.”

“You’re trying to kill me,” I muttered between breaths, not even bothering to hide my glare.

“You’re the one who said you wanted to get stronger,” Ethan pointed out.

“I know, but I didn’t know you were such a brutal trainer. I thought it would’ve been easier by now.” I shouldn’t have been surprised by Ethan’s intense training routine. He didn’t look the way he did from sleeping in.

As the beta, it was Ethan’s responsibility to train the warriors and make sure they were in top condition in case anyone ever decided to attack the pack. Not only that, but Pack Validas was known for their lycan ancestors, making them stronger than any regular pack. It was the alpha’s responsibility to not only protect his pack but every other werewolf pack in this territory. Alpha Winston was the equivalent of a king, although we didn’t use that term to describe him.

Ethan moved closer to me, putting his hands on my waist. “I work hard, but I play harder.” His thumbs dipped into the hem of my pants, and he started to stroke my hip bones. “If I’m pushing you too hard in training, I don’t mind balancing it out with some fun.”

We were several miles away from the pack house, and there was no one around us. Ethan and I ran the same path daily, and it was rare to come across someone this far in the woods. It made Ethan’s offer more tempting.

“And how would you ease my pain?” I asked, running my fingers over his exposed shoulder, right where my mate mark sat.

He growled, dipping his head down to the crook of my neck. He pulled my shirt to the side and started sucking on the spot dedicated just to him. My body quivered, and I knew there was no fighting this. I was already a puddle for Ethan to play with. It didn’t help that we hadn’t had a moment alone together that wasn’t dedicated to training in days.

His hand undid the leather straps holding my dagger, and the gear fell to the floor. Ethan was the one who had insisted I start training with warrior gear, so I could get used to the weight, but I could feel through our bond that he regretted his suggestion. He wanted easy access as his hand slipped into my pants, no longer impeded, and when his fingers ran through the slickness of my folds, another growl escaped his mouth, echoing around us.

“You’re already so wet for me,” he muttered against my skin.

My fingers dug into his shoulders as my legs quivered under his touch. I wanted him to take me right there in the middle of the forest. We had never done something like this during our training sessions. Something had gotten Ethan riled up enough that his patience had broken, and his desire for me was off the charts.

“What if someone sees us?” I managed to ask between my quickening breaths.

“I don’t think you actually care about that,” Ethan said, calling my bluff. He slid two fingers into my entrance, curling them just right. “Just say stop, and I will.”

A moan escaped my lips in response, and he already knew I wouldn't tell him to stop.

My body heated quickly, and I just wanted to tear off all of my clothes. I wanted nothing to separate Ethan and me.

“More,” I begged, unable to form a proper sentence.

Rogues on the border. Everyone take your positions, Alpha Winston ordered the entire pack.

Ethan pulled his hand out of my pants, and I held back the whine that threatened to escape. Rogues on the border had to be dealt with immediately, and I had to get my urges under control.

Ethan licked his fingers clean. “Shame. I was planning on doing so much more.”

“Guess you’ll have to wait,” I said, knowing I wasn’t the only one disappointed at the interruption. I pulled my weapon holster back up and tightened it, sealing away access to my pants.

“I’ll be as quick as possible,” Ethan said with a low growl. “Go back to the pack house, and I’ll meet you there when I take care of these rogues.”

“Can’t I go with you?” I asked.

“No,” he said instantly.

My chest tightened at his firm tone. Ethan wasn’t one to give me commands and orders, but his objection felt just like that. “Why not? You just told me yesterday I was making great progress with my fighting skills.”

“You are. You’re making incredibly fast progress, but you’ve only been properly training for six months. Most of my warriors have been training since they were sixteen, if not younger. You are nowhere near their level.”

Ethan’s explanation didn’t make me feel any better. “How am I supposed to act as the protector of the luna if I’m that far behind?”

“Kalli doesn’t need protection. She’s one of the best warriors in this pack,” Ethan said. His eyes glazed over, and his face twisted as he received a private link. “I’m sorry. I have to go now. Please just go back to the pack house, and I promise I’ll discuss this with you more when the rogue situation is handled.”

I wanted to keep arguing, because it felt like going back to the pack house was giving up. However, Ethan was responsible for the safety of this pack, so it wasn’t fair for me to keep him from his duties.

“Stay safe,” I said, knowing there was nothing else to be said.

Ethan kissed me on the cheek. “I’ll see you soon.”

He stripped off his clothes and transformed into his wolf form before bounding off to the border to handle the rogue situation. I watched him leave before gathering his clothes. I let out a loud sigh while I was still alone. I was frustrated in more than one way, and I had to get myself under control.

Normally, Ethan and I transformed into our wolves and completed the second half of our run in wolf form to train every aspect of my body. He would’ve wanted me to finish the training properly. However, my wolf was still heated from the moment with Ethan, and I wanted to jog off my frustration to stop any temptations from running after my mate. I wasn’t sure my wolf would have the same willpower.

When I made it to the pack house, Axel burst through the front door and ran straight towards me. “Where have you been?” There was a slight panic in his voice that confused me.

“I was on my morning run with Ethan when he got called away to take care of the rogue situation,” I said. Axel and Asher knew my schedule better than me, so I knew this wasn’t new information for him.

“I know. Ethan said you were coming back to the pack house on your own and asked me to look out for you. What took you so long?” He looked me up and down, as if scanning for injuries.

“I took the scenic route,” I said, laughing at my own joke. When Axel didn’t laugh, I knew something was wrong. “I decided to just run back instead of shifting into my wolf form. I didn’t think there was an urgent need to rush back. What’s going on?”

Axel took a deep breath. “With the recent rogue attacks, I started to worry you were in trouble.”

I furrowed my brows, still not understanding where Axel’s concern was coming from. Out of all of my mates, he was the most lenient with me, so it was strange for him to be acting this protective.

“Ethan has doubled the warriors patrolling the borders. No rogues will be able to get into the territory without his knowledge. Besides, I can take care of myself. I’m a trained warrior now.” I flexed my arm, trying to lighten the mood.

Axel smiled, but it was forced. “I’d still prefer it if you didn’t have to fight rogue wolves.”

Something was still off about Axel’s mood, but I couldn’t put a finger on it. “Is everything okay? You seem to be unusually on edge. This much tension makes you look more like your brothers.”

Axel narrowed his eyes. “How could you say such things? Me as high-strung as Ethan and Asher? That’s just preposterous!” His tone was overdramatic, and he was clearly faking to ward off suspicion, but I knew him better than that.

“Right. So are you going to tell me what’s going on in that head of yours, or am I going to have to pry it out of you?” I asked, not dropping the subject.

This time, when Axel smiled, it was much more believable. He pulled me into him and held me tightly. “I just get nervous when you’re out of the house during these rogue attacks. I know the Moon Warriors are skilled at protecting the border, but if a rogue slipped past them and got to you…”

I draped my arms around Axel’s neck and looked up at him. After the former Beta Burrell tried to have me killed on multiple occasions, my mates became extra protective of me. Axel usually hid this side of himself to give me the freedom I needed, but his stress had been building into a ball in the pit of his stomach. As I held him, I felt his worry through our bond.

“I’m okay. I promise. And I can handle myself better now. That’s why I’m going through all of this hellish training. I want to be able to protect myself even when you’re not around.” I had felt helpless too many times in my life, and I never wanted to feel that way again. I reminded myself of that every time I thought about quitting the brutal training.

“You could be the strongest warrior to have ever lived, but that wouldn’t take away the need to protect you. My wolf and I will always want to look out for you,” Axel said. He buried his head into the crook of my neck. When he inhaled deeply, his body tensed. He pulled back and looked me over again. “I thought you and Ethan were out for your morning run.”

“We were,” I said, looking away from him.

“Then why do you reek of him?” Axel already knew the answer to his question. There was no hiding from a werewolf’s nose.

“We were taking a break and got…distracted.” I licked my lips, some of the heat returning to my core just thinking about Ethan’s hands.

“In the middle of the forest?” Axel’s eyes darkened. He wasn’t normally the type to get jealous of the attention his brothers gave me, but I shifted under his gaze, worried that was the case now.

“Nothing really happened. We were interrupted by the rogue attack before things went anywhere serious,” I said.

Axel leaned forward, brushing his lips against my neck. His touch sparked the desire in my core again, and my thoughts became fuzzy. There was only one thing my body wanted, and suddenly I didn’t care which of my mates filled that desire.

“I just didn’t realize that the middle of the forest was a viable option for us.” Axel sucked on his own mate mark, making me suck in a breath. “If I had known, I would’ve dragged you out there months ago.”

I stretched my head, giving Axel full access to my neck. “You never asked.”

His teeth grazed my sensitive skin and a small moan escaped my lips. “In that case, I will be asking about many more locations I can bend you over in.”

A throat cleared behind us, and the intense energy instantly cleared my clouded judgment. Winston stared at us with raised eyebrows, and a flush of embarrassment rushed through my veins. Not only was Winston the alpha of our pack, but he was also my half-brother—not that we acted like siblings in any way. It was still awkward between the two of us.

We learned our parents had an affair in the midst of the betrayal of the former Beta Burrell. Then I left to go back to school shortly after. It didn’t give us enough time to figure out our familial dynamic. By the time I finished college and moved back to the pack, too much time had passed, and neither of us really knew how to broach the subject. He was my alpha, and I was his luna’s second. Our relationship hadn’t deepened past that point.

“Should you really be doing that where anyone can catch you?” Winston asked. I couldn’t tell if he was asking as the alpha concerned about the image of his inner circle, or if it was because he was uncomfortable seeing the affection itself.

“Sorry, alpha,” I muttered, stepping away from Axel. I didn’t trust myself at the moment. Normally, I was able to control my urges better in public, but today was an off day for me. I ached for the touch of my mate, and I was starting to not care about which one it was.

“How many times do I have to tell you to ask you to call me Winston?”

“Sorry,” I said. I looked away from him, hating how difficult it was to talk to him. It was easier to have a conversation with a complete stranger than him.

“Do you need something from us, Winston?” Axel asked, adding emphasis on the alpha’s name. I elbowed Axel in the ribs, knowing he was taunting the alpha. It was all in fun, since Axel grew up with Winston, but it still felt inappropriate to test the alpha like he often did.

“I do not personally need you, Axel. However, Kalli is requesting her second as soon as possible. Though, I’m pretty sure Ethan needs you at the border, too,” Winston said, a playful glint in his eyes. No matter how much Axel taunted him, Winston never backed down. It was almost like he enjoyed the challenge.

“Ethan asked me to wait here for Juniper to make sure she made it back safely. Now that she’s here, I will give my brother my oh-so-useful skills,” Axel said. He looked at me and then linked privately, I will find you later so we can continue where we left off.

I gulped, trying not to show a visceral reaction in front of Winston. Axel smirked, knowing what a tease he was. Then he left to join the warriors taking care of the rogue situation.

“Axel doesn’t like being told what to do, does he?” Winston asked.

I laughed at that. “I think he just prefers doing things his own way.” Axel had told me all about his rebel days growing up, and while he wasn’t the same bad boy as he was when I first met him, he still had his defiant tendencies.

“He’s lucky he’s Ethan’s brother. Most alphas wouldn’t put up with such unruly behavior,” Winston said.

Adjusting to life in this pack had been almost as challenging for Axel as it had been for me. Asher naturally fell into the position of Ethan’s head warrior. It was a position Asher had been born and trained for. Axel didn’t have an easy time fitting in here, though. He became part of the Moon Warriors and often helped Ethan and Asher out when they needed it, but it wasn’t the same.

“Good thing you’re not like most alphas,” I said with a smile. Despite Axel’s challenge of listening to orders, he had a good heart, and I knew Winston saw that side of him. As alpha, he could’ve ordered Axel to rigorous training to break his spirit. However, Winston only ever showed patience time and time again, even when Axel skipped out on training or sassed him.

Winston’s eyes glazed over as someone linked him. When his focus returned, his smile grew suspiciously bright. “You should probably go see Kalli before she storms out here to find you, and I should probably check on the rogue situation.” His smile faded with the last part of his statement.

“Everything okay?” I asked, an uneasy feeling settling in my stomach.

“Everything is fine,” Winston said, but I didn’t believe him.

There was something going on that no one wanted to tell me about.