Klyn wakes me up and immediately, my eyes go in search of my mate. They catch her on her stomach, sound asleep, her hair spread about her shoulders and back. I relax and look to my friend who says her father is wanting to see me. I go shift and dress in the pants I borrowed last night, then walked with him to Alpha Merle's office. When we got there, I told him to go keep an eye on Opaline in case she wakes, call me if she does. He departs back the way we came and I entered the office.
Merle was sitting at his desk with a lazy posture and watchful eyes. I greeted him and sat down in the chair opposite him, waiting for him to tell me why I'm here. "How is Opaline?" he asks first.
"Asleep. She shifted last night when I got here, ate, and went to bed."
"Did she tell you what the reason was for her behavior?"
I nod. "Rogues, and memories."
Merle nodded, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. "Are you taking her with you today?"
"That is the plan, unless there is a reason I should not?"
The Alpha shakes his head and sighs. "I was not sure if she was stable enough for such a journey. I am concerned for her."
"We'll take as many stops as she needs. Klyn and I will guard her well until we're safe inside my house, where people can keep an eye on her when I'm not around."
He nods and gives me a small smile. "My blessings on your future, Alpha Lykaon. Make my daughter happy."
I nod and exit his office with a satisfied grin. Klyn hasn't contacted me about Opaline, so I go to the kitchen and find cereal, pouring it in a bowl along with milk, then take it up to the room. I knock and Klyn opens it, closing it behind me. My mate is still asleep in the same position, so I set the food down on the dresser and turn to my friend. "We'll give her another hour to sleep then make her get up. I want to be gone by noon."
He nods and lays down on his bed while I go over and sit beside Opaline, brushing her hair behind her ears. "A male is coming. He's not part of this pack either," my wolf informs me.
I tense and look at Klyn. "Someone from another pack is here."
He bolts upright and out the door, making sure to close it softly. "Can you tell if he's friend or foe?"
My wolf doesn't reply for a moment. "Friend of the family, but too close to mate. He's looking for her…"
I narrow my eyes at Opaline but tell Klyn to call off the search. I wanted to see this male and who he is. Klyn walks back in after a minute or two. Then there is a knock five minutes later and I walk over to open the door. The male looks up at me then past me to Opaline. "I'm sorry, Alpha. I didn't know she was still asleep."
"Who are you?" I ask with mock curiosity.
He hesitates. "Loup. I'm Beta to a pack far south of here. I got here a week or so ago and was checking in with Opaline. We've been friends for a while and…" His voice trails off when he notices Klyn. Swallowing hard he steps back and bows his head. "I just was wondering if she was alright now."
"She's fine," I hiss. Loup nods and starts walking away. I close the door and turn to my friend. "Knowing she's hesitant seeing men undressed and being squeamish herself, I am letting him off the hook."
Klyn nods and glances at his Luna. "Maybe you should start the bond before we leave?" He looks at me and shrugs. "It'll keep others away and maybe keep her safer while traveling."
I shake my head and walk over to sit beside her again. "It won't do much good. She can't even contact her own pack with her mind, much less someone from another pack. I am not sure if the bond will do much."
"She's got to have some protection though."
"And she will, but starting the bond only to not have her be able to call for help isn't going to help."
Klyn thinks for a moment, his eyes glancing from me to Opaline. If I didn't know Klyn, I'd have thought he was checking her out, but it's not in his best interest. He wants his own mate, and will get her. He's been with a select few girls from school, but no more than ten. He's scared though she may not exist.
I sigh and look at my mate again to see her eyes flutter open to look at me. Confusion then delight blooms on her face as she looks me up and down. Her celeste eyes hover over my stomach, widening slightly before coming back to rest on my face. "Are we leaving today?" she asks softly.
I nod, entranced by her melodious voice. "You don't have to shower unless you absolutely feel like it. But you must eat and walk around a little, get some strength back into your limbs. Klyn and I can step out while you get ready, but we need to leave soon."
She nods in understanding and sits up. Reaching up, she pushes a stray lock of my hair off my face and behind my ear. "You need a haircut."
"She's right," Klyn says with a smile.
I roll my eyes at him and shake my head, making it stand at odd ends. Opaline gives a small giggle before trying the same. Her hair doesn't do much, but it needs a good brushing. When she looks up at me, I smile and watch as she moves closer to me. She embraces me with her head on my shoulder and sighs. "I'm happy to go with you."
I wrap my arms around her and rub her back. I look to Klyn and say, "Can you go see if there is a pair of pants she can wear? She's not wearing a shirt around the house."
He leaves with a small smirk while Opaline pulls back and finds a brush. As she does her hair, I bring the bowl of cereal over and set it in her lap. Her eyes light up once again and begins to eat when her hair lies flat down her back. I am delightfully relieved when she begins to wolf down the whole dish—no pun intended.
She looks up at me with a small smile. "Can I have more?"
"Definitely!" I laugh and tell her to relax while I go get it.
When I return, Klyn is outside the door, leaning against the wall with his eyes closed. He looks at me when he senses I'm nearing and smirks again. "No men allowed, not even those with food."
I raise my brows. "And why is that?"
"My Luna is dressing and demanded I keep all visitors out until she claims she is ready." He gives a short laugh and crosses his arms. "I barely got into the room when she ripped the pants out of my hands and told me to get out."
I stare dumbfounded at my friend and his claims about my mate. A moment later, the door opens and Opaline appears in the large shirt and pink sweats. They seem a little small for her, but she won't be wearing them for too long. Plus I have clothes for her at my house, so she'll be fine. She sees me and the food before looking to Klyn with an innocent smile. "Thank you, Klyn."
"No problem, Luna."
Opaline turns to me and takes the bowl, eating a few bites before she smiles at me. "I just need my sketch book. I know where it's at if I can just go get it real fast?"
I nod and step aside to let her go. "Just be back in ten, okay?"
She grins and finishes her cereal, handing the bowl to me, before darting down the hall. I stare after her and laugh. "That is definitely our Luna!"
Klyn nods. "Now we'll just have to see how she does with the long journey."
Before long, Klyn, Opaline, and I are ready to go and are outside by the stalls Opaline had finally talked to her family about the reason for her isolation and attitude the past couple of days, and requested her sketchbook be sent to my house immediately since we couldn't carry it without it getting ruined.
Klyn and I went in separate stalls first, and came out in our wolf form. Opaline stared at me with awe in her eyes. I walked up to her and pressed my head to her thigh, rubbing my scent against her. She drops and hugs me, running her fingers through my thick, black fur. I sat and let her explore a little, her hands gentle and curious. Behind me, Klyn snorted annoyingly and pushed me away from my mate so she could focus. I glared at him, only to see he's giving me a wolfish grin.
When Opaline came out, her wolf came up to me and stood on her back feet, putting her forepaws on my chest since she couldn't reach my shoulders. Her ears were up and her amber eyes seemed to dance with light. Something told me she wanted to play, so I licked her muzzle which earned me a low growl in return. I nipped at her ears, and she jumped away a few feet and stood, lowering her front as if she were ready to lunge. Her tail was in the air, wagging slightly while her eyes stayed fixed on me.
Klyn brought me back to reality when he gave a short bark in warning. At this, Opaline's happiness faded a little, but she got serious enough to walk forward and sit in front of me, bowing her head a little. I blinked and realized she was showing respect towards me, as her Alpha. I needed to tell her to stop, but couldn't say anything to her, so gave a yip and led the way out of Whisper Eclipse territory. Opaline only glanced back once, before she bounded along with us, acting like a pup and playing between our legs.
"Maybe you should carry her?" Klyn suggested after about an hour.
I snorted. "I already know she won't let me. Besides, why do that when it's entertaining to see her so happy?"
"At least she isn't running away from us or cowering in terror," Klyn says with a glance at my mate, who was underneath me, running without getting trampled on."
"We'll stop in a couple of hours to let her rest. She's still weak and I don't want her to pass out on us at any point in time."
Klyn nods and we continue running, Opaline never falling back once.