Luca followed an annoyed Adira, leaving Caleb alone in front of the packhouse. He wanted to ask her what her problem was, but he had years of experience and knew not to question a female wolf when she was mad.
Or upset.
To be honest, Luca was not exactly sure why Adira reacted that way. He wanted her to stay behind because he was not willing to risk her entering such a disgusting place. Yes, he could've altered both her smell and appearance, but some part of him did not like the idea of putting her in the middle of the camp.
Had that been the wrong thing to do?
No.
Was that the right way to do it?
Most likely no.
He followed his mate and saw her grab a few clothes from the bag she had been carrying and changed into a pair of shorts and a top. He saw her tanned skin and small marks around her hips, the way her wavy hair moved with the wind, and the curvature of her back when she stood up straight.
He liked her figure.
Luca approached her and took the bag from her gently, "Here."
"I got it," she replied.
He did not argue and simply nodded.
"Are you upset?"
Adira looked at him, her look pinned him to where he was standing. He could almost hear the gears in her brain working to give him a reply. Her mouth thinned and she let a long breath out before answering.
"No," she finally told him. "I do not like to be left behind during missions when there is no reason to," He remained silent, allowing her to speak her mind. "Like, I do not get why you shut me off so quickly like that. I am capable, you know? I am one of the few best warriors this pack has."
"I've heard that."
"And do you believe it?" He nodded yes. "Then let me do my job when I have to."
"My intention was never to offend you or your position. I simply wanted you out of danger," he explained.
"One thing I will make sure you are very aware of is that I will not be kept behind, hiding, simply because you tell me to. Respect my position as a warrior and the duties that come with that."
He knew this woman was a warrior of her pack. He knew she had great abilities and was capable to take care of herself. But he still wanted to protect her. However, he could compromise with himself. She deserved the chance to show him just how capable his mate was.
"I apologize. I will try to cut back on my... worry."
Their eyes met. Luca wanted to reach out and touch her skin, but she beat him to it. Her hand rested on his forearm, squeezing it gently.
"Thanks."
"Is this normal?" he asked her.
"What?"
"This," he pointed at the space between the two of them. "Working on things that bother us."
She laughed, her good mood coming back and the tension gone.
"You mean communicating?" she asked sarcastically. "I mean, I believe effective communication is a must in all kinds of relationships. Just because we are mates doesn't mean our relationship will be perfect every time. These things take time."
"Yes, I am aware... its just that I had never had this kind of relationship."
She looked at him with surprise.
"But you are old, aren't you? You never had a girlfriend before?"
"Is that what you are?" he asked her instead. Her cheeks acquired a rose tint, making her look more beautiful.
"I... well..." she looked everywhere but him, avoiding eye contact. "If we use human terms... I guess that's close to what we are?" she sounded like she was asking him rather than saying it.
Close, but not completely. Spouse was an even closer term, but it did not describe the entirety of what a mate was. His mother had explained to him what mates were supposed to be to each other long ago, when she was creating mates for her creatures.
At first, she placed entire souls in every werewolf and made a bond between two souls that complement each other almost perfectly. Those were the first mates she made, people who were already born found a soul that could pair well with them, and then the mate bond was formed. However, that was not the perfect bond, according to the Moon Goddess. She argued there could be a better connection between people who were similar. Therefore, the Moon Goddess started to use a single soul and divided it into two in order to create a more stable bond. That was the kind of bong every werewolf of this era had.
However, because he had been born even before werewolves were created, he had a full soul.
Luca had asked his mother for a mate, and when she agreed to do it, she took her sweet time with the task. He was now thankful to her. Even though they had just found each other, Luca felt a strong connection to this woman already. Simply clarifying things that bothered her was something he took great joy in; they were working together and that made him happy.
They made it back into the packhouse in silence. He wanted to grab her hand as they walked, but he decided against it, not sure if that could be considered an unwelcomed gesture.
Would she feel uncomfortable? He did not want to make her feel like that.
Wait... why was he overthinking things too much?
He took her hand, and she entangled her fingers with his. Luca felt warm travel from where their skin touched each other. The few people who were still outside gave them glances over the shoulder, but both of them passed by ignoring their looks. They entered the living room and found Nora, Isabella, and Dalia talking.
Dalia noticed them first, interrupting whatever she was saying before they walked in.
"Hi."
Luca hadn't paid too much attention at first, but he now noticed her eyes were swollen and a little red, as if she had been crying for a long time. Isabella had an arm around Dalia's waist and kept her close to herself. Nora had a look of pity in her eyes as she looked between the two women.
"Hello," Adira replied to her greeting. "Are you guys, okay?"
"Yeah," Dalia replied quickly. "Luna Nora was telling us where we'll be sleeping."
"Yes, actually. Adira, do you mind taking them to the empty room next to yours? I have some paperwork to finish, and I would rather start on it now. Please offer them the hospitality I'd show."
Adira nodded and smiled at the two women.
Luca could appreciate their beauty and why Miles had chosen them. But the energy those two had was brash, aggressive, and dangerous... Like fire.
He knew he should keep some distance from them.
The four of them walked up the stairs, and they passed by Luca's bedroom, then by what he knew was Adira's, and then made it to the end of the hall and entered a slightly bigger room than his own. It had two king-size beds, a large closet, and two vanities. Luca stayed by the door as Adira gave them a little tour of the room.
"If you need anything, just go downstairs and ask anyone on duty, usually they'd by the kitchen."
"Thank you," Isabella told them. Luca was used to people avoiding eye contact with them, so it was not a big surprise when the two women looked around the room as they spoke to him. "I appreciate your help, sir. You have no idea what you've done for us."
"Yes. If there is anything I can help you with, please let me know."
"It's okay," he replied. "Just help us deal with this Miles and his groups."
Luca followed Adira out of the room and joined her in her bedroom this time. They spoke about small things, like the most recent book Adira was obsessed with, and then he told her about the time he went down to Earth for the first time.
"Mom did not allow me to stray away from her when I was little. She said I had too much to learn before she could trust me by myself. I actually got sick eating some stuff I saw on the ground and she rushed me back into the sky," he looked at the ceiling as if he could see the stars outside. "I remember hearing something about a venomous fungus I ingested. I was apparently dying," he explained. Adira gave him all her attention as he told the story. "So, she begged one of her siblings to treat me. Which he did."
"How?" Adira asked, with a little sparkle of admiration in her eyes.
"He cleared my body of all its blood and gave me some kind of liquid. My veins burned for days and I was in so much pain for an entire week. I'd pass out every so often and wake up by the water they'd give me every few hours. When I woke up, I remember feeling powerful, like nothing could kill me. He had given me the ability to heal myself."
"But we have that ability as werewolves. We heal faster than normal humans. We also don't get many diseases others do," she interrupted him.
He touched her nose with his index finger. "Exactly! But keep in mind that I was a nine-year-old human who lived among the stars. I was still human at that time, and up there are no diseases, infections, or things like that. I grew up in such a sterile environment, and my immune system never developed completely, so when I went down there, I got sick the moment I was exposed to harmful things... Like poisonous fungi," Luca smiled at the memory. He felt he could tell her anything, and he wanted her to know she could ask him anything. He wanted to make her feel safe in this new relationship they were forming. "It was not until I reached a mature age that my mother took me to visit another sibling of her. She gifted me immortality, however, it was not the same kind all gods have. I can still die, but as long as nothing kills me, I'll live forever."
Adira's expression shifted; Luca noticed it but did not make any comment. He understood what bothered her.
They changed the subject after a few minutes of comfortable silence. Adira fell asleep a few hours later, and Luca picked up her body and moved her to the bed. He stayed there for a while, watching her sleep. There was a mortal woman, one that his mother had chosen as his mate.
He left the room before sunrise the next day and made his way to the kitchen to fix himself a cup of coffee. He enjoyed the beverage; it was one of the few things that hadn't changed about him.
He leaned on the counter, watching warriors walking out, preparing for their turn to patrol the area. The window that faced the front of the house was foggy, making it difficult to see through it even with his enhanced abilities. This was how Earth had looked like to him the first time he looked down from the palace in the sky. He remembered feeling the same way the time he learned his birth mother had been human; he wanted to meet her, but the Moon Goddess prohibit him until he was older. He had looked down to Earth, looking for his birth mother and father. When he found them, they felt way too far away from him.
He smelled Dalia before she entered the kitchen. The promiscuous woman wore nothing but a thin long shirt and underwear. Luca greeted her politely and continued watching through the window at the shapes that appeared every time someone passed by.
"Can I get some?" she interrupted his train of thought.
"Get what?" he asked her.
Dalia pointed at his cup. "Coffee. Where can I find some?"
Luca had only been here for a total of two days, but he felt comfortable there. He put his cup down and took another mug from the cabinet. He filled the kettle with water and turned it on to heat the water up, and while they waited, he took out the instant coffee, sugar, and creamer from the fridge.
He took a step back and grabbed his coffee again, taking a sip from the mug.
"Luna Nora told me your mate is her cousin," Luca looked over at her and simply nodded yes. "She's a beautiful woman," Dalia commented as she served the water into her mug. "Is she your only mate?"
"What do you mean?"
"Well, I've been told you are pretty old and stuff. What I am wondering is whether or not there were others before her."
"That's none of your business," he cut her off. He did not like people who intruded into his personal matters. Adira seemed to be the only exception so far. "Don't ask questions that do not concern you."
"My bad," she sipped from her mug.
They stayed in silence after that exchange, both looking anywhere but each other. A couple of minutes later, the house started to wake up. People entered the kitchen and made themselves breakfast while ignoring the two people in there. Luca appreciated them doing this, he did not like when people gave him too much-unwanted attention. And by the looks of it, Dalia felt the same way.
"Morning," Caleb said when he stepped inside. A few people replied to him, and he greeted others as he made himself some coffee as well. Caleb took the sugar and opened the container, stopping to look inside it and place it down hard on the counter. "You all know you have to refill the containers if you finish them," he told those leaving the kitchen. "Who finished the sugar?"
Nobody replied. Dalia took a long sip from her coffee and placed it down softly. She made a scene of cleaning her mouth with a napkin before speaking. "That was probably me. Sorry, dude. I did not know I had to do that."
Caleb simply bent down and took out a large bag with cane sugar. "We refill everything here. If you are the last person to use something, you put it bag. The dishes you use, you either wash them or put them in the dishwasher," he explained while filling up the sugar container. "We all live together and take care of this house. Learn to do so too."
Dalia rolled her eyes, but Caleb ignored her.
"All right."
She left the kitchen, leaving her empty mug and dirty napkin on the counter. Luca saw her leave moving her hips with every step she took. Caleb was red in the face, but still took her mug and put it inside the dishwasher, throwing the napkin with unnecessary force into the trashcan.
"She's quite the rebel," Luca told him.
"She has no respect for others, that's what she is. Never learned what it means to cohabit with a pack."
"Are we having a meeting today?" Luca changed subjects.
"Yeah," Caleb sat down in front of him. "At ten."
Luca put his empty mug inside the dishwasher before leaving the kitchen. When he returned to his room, he took a shower and change into a pair of black jeans, and a white t-shirt. He then went inside Adira's room. She was no longer in the bed, but he could hear the water running from the bathroom. He waited for her to finish so they could head out together.
Adira opened the bathroom door and stopped when she noticed him seated on her bed. Her damped hair stuck to her skin, and the grey towel that was around her body barely covered her breasts. Luca felt absolutely no shame to stare at her body.
"I thought you were still in your room."
"Nope."
He continued to stare at her, feeling the heat under his skin starting to form. His pants felt slightly tighter as he looked her up and down. Luca thought she would feel embarrassed, but Adira surprised him by walking to her closet and leaving the door open as she looked for an outfit. She dropped the towel to put her underwear on, and Luca just watched her move. She walked out fully dress, using the towel to dry her hair.
"Ready?' she asked him. Luca stood over her, closing the distance between the two of them. She looked up at him, breathing in his scent, touching his hand when he stopped moving. "Why haven't you claimed me yet?"
Luca knew why he hadn't done anything to advance their mating. He was nervous.
Nervous that he was going to outlive her. Nervous that maybe she would not like to have him as her mate. nervous that she could be in more danger by being close to him. Nervous he would have to live without his mate after she dies.
Because she was a mortal being.
And he was not.
"I just want to take it slow," he said instead.
He could smell her scent getting stronger. Her arousal became noticeable as she ran her hands up his arm, to his chest, and down to his waist. Luca contained himself, letting her touch him, wanting her touch.
"Try not to take forever, then."
She placed a hand on his hard groin. He hated the layer of clothing separating her hand from his skin at that moment. She passed by him and opened the door. Luca took a deep breath in and followed her, wanting to kiss her more than ever.