Chapter 23: Chapter 23

Austyn

Another two weeks had gone by since Leo and I’s breakthrough weekend. Things had gotten so much better between us. Kayden was exiled, escorted miles from the territory line and threatened with his life if he ever returned. Madeline Grace hadn’t made a peep, at least, that’s what Leo says, and I believed him. I’ve never trusted someone as much as I trust Leo Storm. He made me feel things I never thought I would be capable of feeling.

I had taken up to working at the daycare in the community center while Leo was busy during the day. Whenever the daycare didn’t need me, or I needed to burn off some steam, I went to the training grounds. Leo was adamant that I didn’t train with the group, so I snuck in between sessions and joined small sparring matches or trained by myself. I just didn’t want to be useless like I was against Kayden. I knew I would never be as strong as a werewolf, but I had to be able to do something.

Leo and I spent every waking moment we could together. He made it pretty clear that he was ready for me to move into the packhouse with him, but I knew what that meant. Waking up together at the hotel was a close enough call. If we slept together regularly, we would mate for sure, and I wasn’t sure that I was ready for that, yet.

I was at the training grounds with Nick, watching his warriors’ training session. He was used to my company and we made a pretty good team, actually. I liked Nick, which was good considering he was my personal bodyguard. He was my only real friend at the packhouse, but I was okay with that.

“Hey, Luna!” Nick called up to me.

“Yeah?” I called back down from the viewing deck.

“Leo wants to see you in his office!” At the sound of his name, I immediately perked up. I jumped down the steps and ran towards the packhouse. I could hear Nick laughing behind me. I found my way to Leo’s office easily, having been there dozens of times already. I couldn’t help myself, I liked to bother him as much as possible.

Without knocking, I stepped into his office and danced over towards his desk. I took my place on his lap, finally becoming comfortable with his affection.

“Hello, baby.” Leo purred, nuzzling his face in my neck.

“Nick said you wanted to see me?” I whispered. My eyes landed on the snow globe from our trip to Newport. He kept it front and center on his desk with the picture strip from the photo booth on display inside.

“I always want to see you.” His voice was husky, like it always was when he was filled with desire. I pushed on his chest and forced him to remove his face from my skin.

“Fine, yes, I wanted to talk to you about something.” He sighed, kissing my forehead.

“Okay?” I asked.

“First though, I wanted to show you these.” He said.

Leo picked up a yellow envelope and handed it over. I quickly opened it and pulled out several photographs. I felt my cheeks getting hotter as I shuffled through the photos from the hotel gazebo. Leo was absolutely killing it in his tux and ridiculously charming smile. I had to admit, even I cleaned up pretty good in my red dress. I credited Photoshop.

“I told you, you looked amazing” Leo chuckled at my response

“They did turn out really good, Leo.” I said.

“I’m going to have them framed for us, but you’ll have to come to my room to see them.” His eyes sparkled with mischief as he snatched the photos from my hand.

“That’s rude!” I cried, glaring at him.

“Just playing dirty, my love.” Leo hid the photos in his desk drawer and started kissing me again.

“Leo!” I swatted at his arm and felt him chuckling against my shoulder.

“What else did you want?” I whined. Leo grumbled, for some reason he was dreading this part of the conversation.

“It’s about Amber Nice, Nick’s mate.” He said and I was immediately in a bad mood,

“What about her?”

“Well, this is off to a bad start.” Leo said with a smirk.

“Leo, just tell me.” I said impatiently.

“Nick said that she’s really lonely. No one wants to associate with her because of what the pack did to you. I can’t blame them, I don’t fully trust Amber, yet, but she has gone to great lengths to prove her loyalty. She openly submitted to me and exiled herself from Dark Moon. She apologized for the part she played in your mistreatment. Nick says that’s expressed wanting to apologize to you in person.” Leo explained but his words made me feel uneasy.

“You want me to let her apoloigze?” I asked.

“Yes and maybe consider befriending her?” I made a face at Leo who chuckled and amended his statement,

“Or at least be acquaintances. If you’re openly okay with her, then the pack will be, too.”

“You’re really asking for a lot here, Leo.” I sighed.

“I know, baby, and if you don’t want to you don’t have to.” Leo’s eyes were so soft and filled with love that I couldn’t help but give him whatever he wanted.

“Fine,” I groaned loudly,

“I’ll try. But, I can’t promise anything.” I said.

“Good enough.” Leo grinned, pulling me close for a kiss.

“She’s on the Gamma floor.” Leo added in between kisses. I pulled away,

“Oh, you want me to do this now?” I asked with wide eyes. Leo shrugged,

“No time like the present.” He smirked. I pushed him away and jumped off his lap,

“You owe me for this.” I groaned.

“Whatever you want, baby. I’ll even let you do dirty things to me.” Leo winked and I knew I was turning a million different shades of red.

“Goodbye, Leo.” I grumbled.

His filter had been less and less active the more time we spent together. Leo was filled with seductive thoughts and he wasn’t afraid to share them with me. He was tempting and my control was wavering.

Leo frowned at me but I slammed the door in his face, keeping my resolve for now. I stumped towards the elevator and rode it to the third floor, sulking. I was not thrilled about this idea, not even a little bit, but my desire to give Leo what he wanted overrode my own discomfort. Not to mention that I knew he was right. Amber deserved a second chance, a chance to apologize for her actions.

I stepped off the elevator and was greeted by a long hallway. Each door was labeled with a golden plaque: Beta, Gamma, Alpha (retired), Luna (retired). I walked up to the Gamma’s door and knocked once. After a minute, the door opened and Amber appeared in front of me. Her eyes were huge, clearly she wasn’t expecting to see me standing here.

“Aus….I mean, Luna.” Amber cleared her throat and composed herself, bowing her head in respect.

“Hi, Amber.” I sighed.

“Did you….do you want to come in?” Amber opened her door wider and motioned me inside.

“Thanks.” I mumbled, stepping around her and into the Gamma suit. She led me through the living room and into the kitchen. We sat at the table, staring at each other.

“Is there something I can help you with, Luna?” Amber asked. I had to admit, I was surprised by her attitude. She was actually submitting to me.

“Leo and Nick said that you wanted to talk to me.” I explained.

“Oh, yes, I did. Sorry, I, uhm, didn’t think you would actually want to see me.” She stammered.

“Well, I’m here.” I said.

“Do you want some coffee or tea?” Amber asked, embarrassment was literally radiating off of her.

“Amber, can we just get this over with?” I sighed. She sat back down,

“Yeah, sure, okay.” She mumbled, taking a deep breath.

“I wanted to apologize for my part in your pain, Luna. How my parents treated you wasn’t fair, how my brother treated you wasn’t fair, and how I treated you wasn’t fair. I don’t want to make any excuses, but I wanted to explain why I treated you like I did,” She took another shaky breath before continuing,

“From the moment you moved in, my parents told Kayden and I that we weren’t allowed to be nice to you, we had to treat you like a burden. I tried to be your friend at the beginning, I don’t know if you remember that or not,” She paused and I only nodded,

“My parents beat me for it. It didn’t take long before Kayden and I both associated being nice to you with beatings. I thought it was just easier to ignore you but Kayden, he took it to another level. I think he felt that he was your mate even then and wanted to fight against it,”

“None of that matters, the point is, I’m sorry for how you were treated and I’ll take any punishment that you see fit to give me. I dissolved my loyalty to Dark Moon and pledged it to New Moon. I submitted to your Alpha and I’ll submit to you, too, Luna.” Amber bowed her head, avoiding my eyes as a show of submission.

I thought about what Amber said. She was kind to me when I first moved in. She told me that she was excited to have an older sister. A few weeks later, she started treating me like everyone else.

“Why don’t your parents like me?” I asked.

“Honestly, I have no idea. My parents never told me anything. Kayden might know.” Amber shrugged. I paused at the sound of Amber’s voice and something dawned on me,

“Amber?” I tried to get her attention but she wouldn’t look up at me,

“Do you know about Kayden?” She finally looked at me, her eyes pulled together in concern,

“What about him?” She asked. I sighed, grumbling at Nick under my breath.

“He attacked me two weeks ago, Amber.” Amber’s eyes grew two sizes, her face draining of color,

“I swear, Luna, I didn’t know anything about that!” She cried. I shook my head,

“I know, I know, Amber, calm down.” I tried to soothe her but it felt unnatural. I patted her hand like a small child and we both froze in discomfort.

“Leo put him in the cells and called your father. Your father stripped Kayden of his rank, he’s going to choose someone else to be the next Alpha.” I said.

“What a dick!” Amber’s outburst made me jump. She gasped, covering her mouth,

“I’m sorry, Luna…” She started to apologize but I couldn’t help but laugh.

“It’s alright, besides, you’re not wrong.” I shrugged.

“What….what did the Alpha do to Kayden?” Amber asked hesitantly.

“Your father also exiled Kayden after finding out he was in our cells. Leo kicked Kayden out of the pack territory and ordered him to never come back. He went rogue, Amber.” I tried to speak softly, but it was hard not to spit Kayden’s name.

“He deserved it.” Amber mumbled.

“It’s okay to be upset, he was your brother.” I sighed sympathetically.

“Not anymore.” She shook her head.

“Listen, okay, I’m not going to say that I forgive you, Amber. I have a long way to go before I’m ready for that step, if it ever happens. But, thank you for explaining what happened from your point of view. I think that we both escaped and we both have the opportunity to start over.” I said. Amber looked at me encouragingly,

“You really mean that?”

“I’m willing to give you a chance.” I nodded.

“Thank you, Luna, I won’t let you down.” She grinned.

“Please, stop calling me that, it’s weird.” I mumbled.

“You got it….Austyn.” I started looking around the suite and realized that Amber had not just been living here, she never left.

“Have you seen the pack grounds?” I asked her, changing the subject. She shook her head,

“No, I haven’t left the room, really. I went down to the kitchen a couple of times but no one wants me here. It’s easier just to stay in this room.” She sighed, looking down at her hands.

“Let’s go, you need to see your new home.” I stood up and grabbed Amber’s hand, shocking us both.

“I don’t know….” She started to argue.

“You’ll be with the Luna, no one will mess with you.” I replied smugly, pulling her out of the room. I drug her the whole way down the elevator and out the front door.

Amber complained the entire time. Her face was as white as a ghost and I could tell how uncomfortable she was. I decided to take her to see her mate in action first so he could comfort her. We walked across the grounds and towards the arenas. I took her up the stairs to the observation deck.

“Look, there’s Nick.” I pointed towards the second arena where he was training the Patrol and Border wolves. Amber immediately perked up, a huge grin on her face.

“He looks good out there.” She purred. I laughed at her,

“He’s the best at training them and at being my protector.” I agreed. Amber looked sideways at me,

“Oh, that’s right.” I saw a flash of jealousy in her eyes.

“Don’t worry, Amber. Nick’s like the brother I never had.” I laughed at her.

Nick seemed to sense his mate’s presence then. He turned around and made eye contact with Amber. He started grinning immediately and ran towards his mate.

“Amber! You’re out of the house and with the Luna!” He grabbed Amber’s face for a kiss. I cleared my throat when the kissing didn’t stop after a few seconds.

“Sorry, Austyn.” Amber giggled nervously.

“I’m so happy to see you here.” Nick said, wrapping his arm around Amber’s waist.

“Austyn and I talked. She asked me to come out for a walk.” Amber shrugged. Nick looked over at me and mouthed thank you. I nodded at him in response.

“That’s a great idea. You two should go to the community center.” Nick suggested.

“Can’t I just stay here?” Amber whined, looking pasty again.

“Come on, let Nick work.” I laughed, dislodging her body from Nick’s grip. Amber whined dramatically.

“It’ll be fine. Our men have to work.” I added, tugging her away.

I pointed out different things as we walked across the grounds and towards the community center. I told her about all the things the community center had to offer. Lucky for us, it was Friday afternoon, and the center was bustling with activity. Amber tensed up, seeming extremely uncomfortable with the crowds.

But, like I had told her, no one dared say anything with me around. They looked surprised at Amber’s presence but then quickly averted their gaze and changed their expressions.

“I spend a lot of time at the daycare, helping out. It makes me feel connected to the pack. I can’t do a lot right now as the Luna, so at least I can help out here.” I said as we looked through the window to the infant room.

“Oh, maybe I could help out, too.” Amber ogled at the babies.

“You could talk to Nia in the front office. She’s the daycare director.” I suggested, pointing towards the main entrance of the daycare.

“Maybe another day.” She said, biting her nails.

“It’s easier to just jump in, trust me.” I said, pushing her towards the office.

“Luna!” Nia jumped up at the sight of me,

“And who’s this?” She looked at Amber.

“This is Amber Nice, Gamma Nick’s mate.” I introduced them. Nia’s eyes flashed with recognition before she carefully composed her expression.

“Nice to meet you, Gamma.” Nia bowed her head with respect. It was customary for the mates of the Beta and Gamma to also be addressed by their mate’s title.

“Please, just call me Amber.” Amber shook Nia’s hand.

“Amber was interested in helping out at the daycare sometimes, too. She wants to get to know the pack members. She can work her shifts with me.” I explained. Nia looked at me with concern for a second before nodding,

“Of course, anything for you, Luna.” Nia went back to her desk and started typing on her computer,

“Amber, if you could just fill out this form so I can create a profile for you. We have to run background checks, too.” Nia explained, handing Amber a clipboard.

“Sure.” Amber sat down and started filling out the form.

“I’ll be right back, I’m going to check in on preschool.” I announced before walking back through the daycare.

Preschool was my favorite age group and the lead teacher, Emma, was one of my favorite people. She was my age and super friendly. I’m not very good at making friends, but Emma would be one if we ever saw each other outside of work. I knocked on the door to the three and four years olds room. Emma smiled at me through the window and unlocked the door.

“Hey! I didn’t know you were scheduled for today.” She grinned.

“I’m not, I just wanted to check in. I’m giving the Gamma’s mate a tour.” I said.

“Everyone, say hi to the Luna!” Emma addressed her class as they were playing. The kids looked over at me and started waving and shouting at me.

“Hi, friends!” I waved back.

“See you on Tuesday?” Emma asked.

“Yep! Have a good weekend.” I pulled open the door but Emma stopped me,

“Do you have plans for the weekend?” Emma asked. I turned back towards her,

“I don’t think so.” I shrugged.

“Do you want to go shopping with me? I was going to head into the city and it’s much more fun when someone’s along for the ride.” Emma said.

“Let me check with Leo to make sure he didn’t have any plans, but yeah, that sounds good!” I grinned.

“Great! I’ll give you my number so you can text me since you can’t mindlink yet.” Emma scribbled her phone number down on a piece of paper and handed it over. I didn’t have the heart to tell her that I didn’t have a cellphone.

“Okay, talk to you later!” I shoved the paper in my pocket and left to find Amber. She was waiting for me in the office, ready to go.