"Okay, first of all, that was uncalled for," he said, rubbing his jaw where I'd landed a solid punch.
I moved in to give him a hug. "You deserve it," he hugged me back patting me on the back.
"Are you mad because I interrupted something beautiful or because you missed me," he said looking at Lila behind me.
Lila's face was flushed as she muttered something about needing water and hurried from the training yard, leaving me alone with my just-arrived idiot.
"Do you ever think before you speak?" I growled. To think I missed his crazy ass.
"Where's the fun in that?" he replied with a shrug. "We need to talk,"
I rolled my eyes and motioned for him to follow me. "I hate it when you say that. Fucks up my day."
*****
In my study, I poured both of us a drink. "Now, where the hell have you been?"
He sat down, propping his boots on my desk. I shot him a glare, and he quickly put them back on the floor.
"So, while you've been playing house with Princess Lila, I've been climbing the mountains looking for a cure for you."
I froze. "A cure? You sound like I came down with the plague,"
"Yeah, genius. You're dying, remember? I wasn't going to sit back and just let that happen. Who else is going to put up with me?"
I frowned. "And you just figured the answers would be in the mountains,"
"The night we got back, I did a bit of research and found someone I believe could help. Remember the story of the healer Shenaya, banished for practicing dark magic. I found her descendant who is a skilled healer but lives in the mountains in the north. She has access to some of her ancestor's books and I… I made a deal with her."
"Dorian, what did you do?"
"Alpha, you can be mad at me later. But we need to get ahead of whatever is going on. I'll be damned if I just watch you die!!!" His voice rose as he slammed the table in front of him.
Damien stirred, angry at the subtle challenge. "I will not ask again, Dorian. What did you do?"
"I promised to restore her into the pack in exchange for keeping you alive,"
"You did what?!" I approached him intimidatingly, my authority challenged and my wolf and I would not stand for it.
"Alpha, please, you have to stop and listen to me,"
"My great-grandfather banished Shenaya and her descendants for a reason; she wreaked nothing but havoc on this pack. She singlehandedly brought this pack to its knees. She sent the alpha to his death. Her magic was nothing but evil passed on to her descendant and you… a nobody… you thought…"
Dorian was visibly shrinking in his seat as I heard his wolf whine in submission. I stood towering over him, inches from ripping his head off. "Alpha, I had no choice,"
"You dare to justify your actions!!! You undermined my authority. Who made you alpha???" Damien had shared control now, my eyes flaming and the hair on my body standing straight. "Magnus!" My voice reverberated through my quarters and in a few seconds, he was there. He trembled to the ground at the sight before him awaiting his orders.
"Drag him to the dungeons before I kill him with my own hands,"
"Alpha, please, you have to listen to me," Dorian begged. I roared angrily as Magnus held Dorian by the arm out of the room.
This was my fault. If Dorian, my beta who truly knew me was already making stupid decisions in trying to keep me alive. What would the pack do if they found out? Make a deal with the devil? My job is to protect my people, not the other way around. I punched a fist into the wall, cracking it slightly, a line running through the brown wall paint. I refuse to spend the rest of my days trying to be saved. I am the alpha goddamnit. I threw the office door open, running through the house for the exit.
As soon as the sunlight hit my skin, I shifted mid-air, my clothes flying in all directions in pieces, I made for the woods. I ran and ran, my paws landing heavily on the sandy ground, leaves and branches brushing my fur. I ran to the top of the hill and howled in frustration. I am not a weak alpha!
I heard my pack howl in response, sensing my frustration. My pack! My people! Should I damn the consequences and live as Dorian suggested or should I die honorably knowing that my children will give their blood to this pack also?
I walked down the hill; Magnus would probably be on his way with a new set of clothes. I spotted a golden fur strolling towards me, clothes between her jaws. It wasn't Magnus but I knew who it was. Even as a wolf, she was beautiful. She dropped the clothes and I fished a short out, going behind a tree to shift. By the time I got back, she had a short and crop top on already.
"Thank you," I said walking towards her.
"It's okay. I haven't let my wolf out since I got here. It was a nice stroll," she smiled gently.
"I'm going to be out here for a while though; you can head back out if you want,"
"I told Magnus I would handle it, I am here to stay with you,"
"You don't have to,"
"I want to," she insisted. "I wouldn't dare ask you what is going on but I see your struggle. Since being here, all I have heard is how you waited this long unmarried because you were waiting for a mate. I know what it feels like to put your pack first and your needs last. All I ask is that you trust me enough to know that I can be your shoulder to lean on if you let me. I cannot be your mate but I can be your partner,"
"Aren't you intrigued by the idea of a mate?" I asked her.
"Oh, I found my mate. He died three years ago on patrol. Ran into some rogues,"
"I'm sorry," I said to her. I held her hand in mine and found a log for both of us to sit on. "Sometimes, my responsibilities feel overwhelming. The hard choices I have to make,"
"Dorian?"
I sighed heavily. "He challenged my authority,"
"I am sure he has a good reason for it. Sometimes, our loyalty to our alphas prompts us to make stupid decisions. We can't stop it; it's almost like a mate bond. Undeniable. It's the same loyalty that has brought me here, to this pack,"
"Do you regret it? Coming here?" I asked looking into her eyes.
"Not for one second," she didn't skip a breath before responding, her eyes holding mine.
"I approve of you," I whispered and leaned in to kiss her. This time, there was no struggle for superiority. It was me finally accepting, approving of her as my Luna. She was capable; she would carry my pups and raise them to be formidable alphas.