The One 29

THE ONE 29

Chapter 29: Names Lucas “I can’t believe you broke his nose and who knows how many ribs, Kinsley,” I say, equally shocked and impressed by my mate. She stares down at his unconscious, bl**dy body with her hands on her hips, her chest expanding and contracting with the effort of dragging his dead weight past the pack’s borders. “He was a lascivious, arrogant p**k. He knew better than to look at me like that in front of you, but that didn’t mean that he didn’t look at me like he was remembering seeing my naked body every chance he got. I step up to her, taking her face in my hand, gritting my teeth. when she flinches away from my touch. “Why didn’t you tell me?” She turns away from me, wrapping her arms around her body. “You want the truth?” “Yes,” I say softly, knowing I won’t like whatever it is she has to say. “I didn’t trust you to do anything about it.” put my hands on my hips, looking down at the ground and regretting our mating night for the thousandth time. “Hunter was right. About us taking too long to make a stand. I should have listened to him before I met you. I should have 288 Wouchers taken a stand like he did. But I can’t change the past, Kinsley. All I can do is try to make it better in the future.” I stand there, staring at the ground. “Do you know how hard it was to see our new Luna accepting Hunter so easily, knowing that I may never have that level of trust with you?” I stop, my throat closing. I turn, looking at Koden lying unconscious on the ground. I walk over to him and stomp on his hand, smashing it to bits.

“Lucas!” Kinsley says, rushing over and pushing me back. I know I have tears in my eyes when I look at her. “You can’t even trust me to protect you? Even now? What the f**k kind of mate does that make me, Kins? A sh**ty one. Is there anyone else? Anyone else that looks at you like that? Because I swear to the goddess Kinsley, I will make sure that it never, ever happens again. This is your home. Our home. And I will not allow anyone to make you feel uncomfortable in your home. You are a Beta female. They should fall at your feet and submit to you, not make you feel….” I stop, taking a deep breath. “If not me, why didn’t you go to Hunter? I know you trust him.” “I can’t go to him every time someone looks at me in a way that makes me uncomfortable, like I know they are remembering that night, remembering me in that position, Goddess, Lucas, don’t you get it? I’d be in his office every day! We’re a huge pack. Lots of our warriors were invited to my birthday party.” “I want names, Kinsley,” I growl at her. “It’s not their fault they remember Lucas. Not all of them are 283 Vouchers creepy about it like Koden was. Most of them aren’t. Usually, if I catch them staring, they stop and turn away. But….” “Names,” I growl, and this time I pull her against me. “You are mine. Anyone who looks at you like they want you, will die. I don’ t feel any differently about you than Alpha Hunter does about Luna Sophie. Don’t YOU get it, Kinsley? I won’t tolerate it. That’s why it doesn’t happen in front of me. The pack seems to know what you don’t. I won’t allow them to disrespect my mate.” She puts her hands on my chest, but she doesn’t push me away. I watch as she stares are her hands, fiddling with the buttons on my polo shirt. “Does it help that I’ve started to believe that?” she asks me quietly, looking up at me through her dark lashes. “Let me prove it to you,” I say gently. “Please. I’ll never gain your trust if you don’t give me a chance.” She nods and looks at her hands again. “Honestly, I feel like I should stand up for myself, punch them in the face when they do it.”

“Why don’t you?” She looks up at me surprised. I raise an eyebrow at her. “Did you think that I wouldn’t believe you? Support you? Did you think. that Hunter wouldn’t believe you? You’re a Beta. Both of us know that you’re an honest, incredible woman. If you put a pack member in their place, I may ask what happened. Hunter would do the same. But that doesn’t mean that we wouldn’t stand behind you and support you. I still want names. But next time it happens, punch the a**hole in the face. Break his f**g nose, like you did with Koden. That will send a stronger message than anything I do.” 288 Mouch I watch as a smile spreads across her face. Then she surprises me, lifting up on her toes and placing her lips against mine. “Okay,” she says softly. I desperately want to take her mouth, to devour her, taste her, explore her mouth until she’s moaning and lost in the kiss, much like Luna Sophie was earlier. But, I know it’s too soon for that: I need to go at Kinsley’s pace. So, instead, I step back, quickly rearranging my now hard length in my pants before reaching out my hand to her. This time, she accepts it without hesitation, and I get to walk back to the packhouse hand-in-hand with my mate. Hunter POV I was beyond thrilled that Sophie not only let me kiss her in front of the pack, but I could tell that she lost herself in the kiss. I nearly did as well, but I need to make sure that I maintain the trust that she is giving me. I feel like a f**g king after what she said about me and our mating night. I will never do anything to make her regret trusting me. “Come on,” I say, extending my hand as Kinsley and Lucas drag Koden to the pack border. “I’ll give you a quick tour of the packhouse and then we need to figure out some clothes for you.” Sophie takes my hand, looking around at the back of the packhouse. “Is this where we’ll have my Luna ceremony?” “Yes, is that okay with you?” I ask, wanting her to have a say in 288 Voucher

everything. She laughs and looks at me. “I’ll have to trust you on this. I don’t know anything about your pack lands or this packhouse.” “Our pack lands and packhouse,” correct her. “And I’d love to say you’ll have time tomorrow to look around, but I intend to call your father tonight and see if we can meet with him in the morning. Would you like that?” I ask. She stops and through the bond can feel how overwhelmed she is at the idea of seeing her parents again. A stray tear falls down her cheek and I reach up to wipe it away. “Thank you,” she whispers. “There’s nothing to thank me for,” I say, leaning in to kiss her again. I feel like I can’t get enough of her taste, her scent, her warm, plumps lips. When we pull away, I give her a quick tour of the first floor, showing her the offices where Lucas and I work, the office that will become hers and next to that, Kinsley’s office. Then I show her around the kitchen, noting that there are fewer omegas. working than normal. “Do I need to find additional staff for tonight?” I ask them. They all look at each other, then back at me. “We mind linked Beta Kinsley. We’re down about four kitchen omegas, Alpha, and several more of the packhouse omegas.” “I’m sure Kinsley can handle it, but if there is a problem putting together a feast for our Luna ceremony tonight, please let me know,” I start to turn away, but Sophie steps up to them. “Have all of you decided to stay?” she asks. They all duck their heads. “Yes, Luna.” “I’m so pleased. Thank you. Thank you for supporting all she- wolves and helping Alpha Hunter and I make a better future for everyone,” she says, and I watch the omegas smile with her praise but also the thought that they now have a role to play in the future betterment of our species. “Well done, Luna,” I say as we step out of the kitchens. “Omegas thrive on praise. I haven’t been gone so long that I’ve forgotten that. But beyond that, they are taking a risk staying with us. If there is a war, their lives become dependent upon us. I take that

seriously and based on everything I know about you, you do as well.” I “I take the lives of all of our pack members seriously. But your point is valid. Omegas require the most protection, and so it means more that they are willing to stay and entrust us with their lives.” I begin to walk Sophie toward the stairs, wanting to show her our room when Kinsley and Lucas return. I see that they are holding hands. I’m glad. Maybe seeing my relationship with Sophie will helps theirs improve. “Alpha, I need to restructure the patrol schedules. We already have several warriors who are packing to leave,” Lucas says. “We have several omegas who are leaving as well,” Kinsley tells me. “I knew about the omegas. Get a head count of how many are 16 52 288 vouchers leaving, how many are staying and how many are still contemplating. If we need more omegas in the kitchen, put them on shorter, more frequent rotations. Lucas, let me know what our warrior status is as quickly as you can. Once word gets. out, we’ll need to make sure our borders are secure.” “Yes, Alpha,” he says and the two of them head toward their offices. “Do we need to help? I feel like I should be doing something,” Sophie says. “You should. You should be familiarizing yourself with our pack. Soon enough, you’ll be taking on a huge part of this workload. But for today, let’s get you acquainted with the pack, our room, and finding something to wear tonight to the Luna ceremony. There is plenty of time for us to do start doing everything else tomorrow. Today, is about you, my love.” When we get up to our bedroom, I open the door and let Sophie walk in ahead of me. “Before you say anything, feel free to change anything you want to feel more comfortable. If you want to bring anything from your pack that was yours, we’ll find a place for it.” Content from NôvelDr(a)ma.Org.

I watch as she laughs derisively, looking around the room. “Do you know, my entire efficiency was smaller than this room. None of it was mine. It was furnished and old. It smelled of stale smoke and sweat, but I felt safe there for nearly two years.” She turns and looks at me, walking into my arms. “Everything I want is already in this room. I don’t need anything else to make it feel like home. It’s already better than where I lived for the last two years.” Chapter 29: Names “Baby, that’s not saying much. I want it to be everything you ever dreamed of. All those things you wanted when I met you at 16, I want you to have those things.” She smiles and looks up at me. “I realized something over the past two years, Hunter. I don’t need ‘things’ to make me happy. The things I need to be happy aren’t tangible objects. I need things like love, security, safety, respect. Those are all things that you’ve given me. The rest is just….decoration.” I slide my hands into her hair, leaning her head back so I can look into her green eyes. “You humble me, my sweet mate.” I lean in, kissing her slowly and deeply before pulling away “But I still want to see you in a fancy dress for your Luna ceremony,” I say, making her laugh.