Chapter 51

51. The Luna is pregnant!

The number of rumors and whispers among the members of the Sirius Bright Pack grew, but they were all favorable. The younger Alpha and his Luna had safelý returned to the pack, which had brought a huge sigh of relief and a bright grin on everyone’s faces. Word of the assault that had transpired to Kiara on the vampire’s territory had traveled across the pack like wildfire, and everyone was anxiously anticipating her safe return.

“The Alpha and Luna have arrived!” Using her hawk-like eyes, Lena had noticed the two of them and yelled loudly. Drawing everyone’s attention to Xavier and Kiara, who had only just come inside the entrance of the pack house. At the same time, she ran inside to call for the Beta female.

“Kiara!” Adira quickly placed the flower vase she had been holding aside and hurried over to her sister, pulling her into a tight hug. Earlier that morning, Adira and Zander had returned to the pack. The second in command, who had been in charge of the pack in the absence of the Alphas, had greeted Zander with a big bear hug. He hadn’t met him as his Beta, he had greeted him as a buddy who had been afraid of losing his best friend. When Gamma Tyler met the younger Alpha, he had been in the same boat. Fortunately, the elder Stephen had been kept in the dark concerning anything to do with their disappearance.

Every member of the pack had been worried about the two of them. They hadn’t gotten any sleep the night before as they kept searching for them until they had received a mind-link from the Alpha telling them to go home, that they would be there soon.

They had been relieved to see Zander and Adira return safely, and they were pleased to learn that the Luna had accepted their Alpha wholeheartedly and bestowed her trust and the mate bond onto him. They were now mated and marked!

Before Zander and Adira had the chance to accept their delight and well wishes, they learned of the attack that the elder Alpha and his mate had suffered while visiting the vampire enclave. The younger twin had called his brother right away, only to discover that they were already on their way back to the pack. Xavier had also told him that they were safe. Adira had been waiting for news of her sister with bated breath.

“Adira, I’m okay. Please don’t worry yourself needlessly. See I am alive,” Pulling away from her sibling, the young she-wolf chuckled, earning an angry glare from Adira. Kiara was fully aware that her sister had been blaming herself for failing to take care of her sibling like she usually did back in the Ardara Moon Pack, but the situation had been beyond her control this time.

“Are you sure you are not hurt? I mean I heard...”

“I swear I’m alright,” Kiara assured her, placing her hand on her shoulder.

“What about you, though? I heard the pack had been attacked...” The young Luna was at lost words when she noticed her older sister’s neck.

“Oh, Goddess! I can’t believe it!!” Kiara covered her mouth with both of her hands. Her chocolatey eyes widened in surprise as she observed her sister’s flushed cheeks. It was enough to convince her that what she was seeing wasn’t a trick of the mind.

Adira who had decided to never fall in love or find her mate, was now mated and marked by her mate?

“You accepted Alpha Zander!!” Kiara placed her hand on her arms, shaking her a little.

“Yes, I did,” Adira confessed with a giggle, feeling a little embarrassed. She knew she was going to get this kind of reaction from her.

“Oh my God. Oh my God. Oh my God!!”

“I am so happy for you, Adira!!” Kiara screamed with excitement while holding her sister as the two ladies jumped around like crazy in place before realizing their mates had been watching their craziness from the start, and had heard everything as well.

Both of the twins had blinked as they observed various expressions cross both the she-wolves’ faces, which were so cute that they both chuckled at their mates at the same time. Kiara swallowed her saliva while she searched the room for Xavier. She assumed that he’d gone with his brother, but he’d been watching her like a weirdo, and what was that devilish grin? Was he making a joke about her? She just happened to act differently when she was with Adira.

Tearing their gazes away from ladies, the twins continued to offer each other a hearty embrace while acting causally, which both Lunas noticed right away.

“How are you brother? I heard there was an attack in the Pack.”

“Don’t worry, it was taken care of in a matter of hours. It was a thrilling night. I also discovered that there is a huge river beneath the cliff. It is ours since it lies inside our territory,” Zander informed him casually as if it were no big deal.

“Yes, I suppose you are right. It is now ours. Well, Congratulations. You’ve claimed your mate. Invite Kaiden and Tyler over for a drinking party would be a good idea. Now it’s your turn to tell those two curious males about your fantastic night. I remember how all of you had made my ears bleed last time with all of your questions,” Xavier teased.

“Yeah, about the vampires...” Zander was about to change the subject and ask Xavier about other things before both of the Alphas noticed Adira and Kiara had been watching them with irritated looks.

“What?” It was as if they were being pelted with poisoned daggers by their mates Xavier and Zander exchanged puzzled looks.

How could these two men go from nonchalantly discussing the cliff, the river, vampires, mating, and marking?! They had exhibited zero emotional response to any of it, as if all of it were a common occurrence. Why would they be talking about mating? Did this imply that Xavier had also told his brother, Beta, and Gamma everything about theirs?

“Perverts!” Both Lunas scowled at their Alphas and marched away, leaving them both perplexed as to what they had done to be labeled perverts.

That was when the Gamma female and the Beta female arrived and both hugged Kiara. She had so many questions, but that was for girl talk and they wanted some privacy, so she put it off until later.

“Come on everyone. I have prepared lunch,” Jennifer informed the ranked males, who had entered the pack house. As all the ladies vanished inside the dining room, the Beta female grabbed Adira’s hand, and Lena took Kaira’s. When the males entered the dining room after chatting a little, every woman was seated at her assigned chair.

“Brothers!!!” Iris, who had been hiding behind the wall, rushed over to her brothers and gave them a big hug right away.

“Ahhh, do you want to kill us?!” Zander and Xavier yelled as she wrestled with both their necks, like she did every time she saw them.

“I was born to accomplish something that no enemy could!” remarked the green-eyed woman with a grin. Before either of the brothers could get a handle on their sister to teach her a lesson by pulling her hair and squeezing her face harder until she acknowledged defeat. Every woman at the ranked table enjoyed the simple family drama of siblings.

That’s when Kiara spotted an Omega slipping on the floor as a result of the long skirt she was wearing.

“Careful!” The young Luna exclaimed, quickly reaching out to grab her hand before the hot food could slip and burn her.

“Thank you Luna,” replied the woman, lowering her head. However, a faint growl erupted from the Alpha’s chest, who had stretched out to grasp the young she-wolf’s stomach in order to avoid her falling with the Omega.

“Didn’t I ask you not to run and not to shift?” Kiara lowered her gaze to Xavier’s hand on her belly. It was like a shield that had been protecting her since she had fled, but she had failed to see that he had also fled so that he could catch her.

“I am sorry,” The young Luna quickly apologized quietly while looking and feeling guilty. She had not wanted to worry him.

“No need to apologize, just take care. It worries me,” Xavier stated as he drew her closer to him and brushed the stray brown hairs that had fallen in her face.

“Am I missing something?” Xavier and Kiara eyes snapped to the younger Alpha who took a deep breath as he crossed his arms over his chest giving them a doubtful look. Of course, it was not just him but the Beta and Gamma couples, even Iris and Adira had narrowed their eyes at their siblings. They had been quietly watching as they were neglected by the both of them.

“Ummm,” Kiara gave her sister a nervous smile but didn’t say anything. She didn’t know how she was going to tell everyone. She was pretty shy, and she had no idea where to begin.

“Kiara is pregnant. We are going to have a baby,” Xavier announced, as if it were an everyday occurrence. Everyone’s eyes flew wide in surprise but the boys’jaws had dropped when they registered Xavier’s nonchalant attitude. What f*****g unexpected good news!! The Luna was pregnant!

“Oh my Goddess!” All of the females screamed at the same time. All of Kiara’s friends and sister jumped on her for a big hug filled with squeals of delight, causing the Alpha to move away from her.

“Congratulations!!!” Adira, Jennifer, Iris and Lena said together. “Thank you,” Kiara hugged all of them with a huge smile. She had not been expecting this big of a reaction from them.

“How long did you intend to keep this hidden from me?” Zander gave his twin a cotd glare. It was tough to look furious in this joyous moment, but the younger Alpha was known for his acting skills.

Tyler sneered, irritated, “Yeah, I’m sure this bastard was trying to get out of attending the party.”

“Yeah,” Kaiden agreed.

“f**k you, jerks! I only learned about it yesterday. Didn’t I tell all of you now?” Xavier snapped, taking his seat.

“Yeah,” all of the men conceded while still glaring at him but it was ignored by Xavier. Everyone took their seats to enjoy their lunch.

“We were planning a celebration for Adira’s Luna ceremony. But seeing as another piece of excellent news has arrived. We’ll be getting a new member in our pack soon, we’ll celebrate that as well,” Kiaden announced.

“A party? When?” Xavier asked, checking on the food.

“The day after tomorrow. It is a full moon,” Jennifer explained to everyone.

“Wow, I was not expecting a party,” Kiara said. She was excited about it. A party for an unborn baby?

“I was also surprised when they told me, but they had decided everything already,” Adira chuckled. The Omega began to serve the table.

“Wow, everything looks so delicious and different. Have you hired a new Omega?” Zander asked Lena, noting each dish.

“Yes, there is something special about today. The only reason cannot be because of our return,” Xavier pointed out.

“Everything today looks exceptional because Iris made it,” Lena revealed. Both of the twins’ gazes were drawn to their sister, who wore a proud expression as she waited for compliments.

“Are you sure it won’t kill me if I eat it?” Zander inquired, his mouth full.

“Hey!” Iris shrieked, her cheeks flushed with rage. Why eat it if he was afraid of dying?! Xavier chuckled while shaking his head, then took a bite of the food.

“It’s absolutely delicious. How did this lazy she-wolf enter the kitchen?” The elder Alpha mocked, but Iris smiled back.

“It’s because I’m learning how to be a decent wife and mate. I don’t want to let my mate down,” she murmured, scratching her nose.

“Hmm, what do you mean?” He questioned, noting the flush on his sister’s face. Iris shifted her gaze to Adira, who encouraged her with a small little nod.

“I found my mate,”Iris revealed, holding her breath as she glanced between her brothers’ surprised expressions.

“What!!!” They both yelled together as their green eyes were wide. “Yes,” she answered, hiding her nervousness. “Who is he?”

Xavier and Zander asked together in a shout-like inquiry.

“Please stay calm. You are scaring her,” Adira grabbed Zander’s hand.

“Exactly. Take it easy and let her explain. She found her mate. This is good news right?” Kiara suggested to Xavier who understood her and nodded. Iris got smiles from her sisters-in-mate but she was still holding her breath. If they were acting like this now then what would happen when they actually met him.

“I...” she started to speak but her voice stuck in her throat.

“I had decided to invite my mate to the party. He wants to meet you personally if you agree,” she explained without giving any more information.

“Alright, invite him over for the party,” Xavier agreed.

“However, you must promise me that you will not hurt him. You won’t force me to reject him because you don’t like him. I love him,” the younger sister demanded. Xavier and Zander were paying close attention to her body language. Something wasn’t quite right.

“Is he an Alpha blood?” Xavier asked, accelerating Iris’s heartbeat.

“Yes,” she replied.

“Then there’s no issue,” he remarked before returning to his meal.

“Invite him to the party,” he said with a smile. Everyone began to converse while eating, but Iris’s body had grown cold. Kiara and Adira had already noticed her.

“So you’re saying that everyone, even that f*****g traitor and his banished brother, were poisoned?” Xavier cast glances between Tyler and Kaiden. After lunch, they had all gotten together in their office for a quick discussion of the critical issues.

“Yes, they all appeared to be a suicide since the investigation revealed that they were not forced to commit the act. They did it out of dread of being found, but it made no sense to kill their children. We had no intention of punishing, banishing, or killing that family’s child. As a result, these suicides remain a mystery to us,” Kaiden clarified.

“Not only are these suicides a mystery, but so are the attacks that vampires have been receiving from werewolves, who believe that they had been carried out by us. According to Kiara’s theory, a third party is attempting to create a conflict between vampires and werewolves. But who could that possibly be?” Tyler stated, his eyes deep in thought.

“She said that it is someone who knows all there is to know about us and has spent years with us. They may have known about Xavier’s trip to visit the Vampire King, as well as the fact that I was here handling the pack. They are someone close, but well concealed,” Zander pointed out.

“The traitor or spy knew where we were both at the time and when they needed to attack our women. Kiara was about to be injected with vampire venom and a blood-sucking insect by that werewolf. She could have died at any moment. Adira was entrapped as well. They were about to feed her a potion then murder her. But why were our women the only ones they were after?” Xavier wondered, perplexed.

“You are totally correct. Why would they target Adira, who had been here for a month, if we trust the Head Warrior’s statements and believe he let the wolves in that attacked our pack because they sought revenge on us? I would have been their target, but they were only planning to kill Adira,” The younger Alpha pointed out “You mentioned that one of them indicated they were going to kill her because she knew something that made her a threat, right?” Tyler had inquired.

“Yes, but when I asked Adira about it, she claimed she didn’t know what they were talking about. Her life is an open book, with just the few intimate secrets she has shared with me,” he explained.

“That means Adira knows something important, but she is also unaware that it has the potential to expose something that was previously hidden to us,” Xavier spoke his thoughts out loud.

“This is exactly what I was thinking. Kiara had previously been attacked by a criminal wolf, but she had been saved. This is the second time she has been attacked. It’s not normal,” Zander remarked, making the Gamma and Beta look back and forth between the two Alphas. For a few seconds, their gazes remained locked before they spoke.

“The girls are in danger! Someone is trying to kill both of the sisters.” Xavier and Zander realized at the same time.

“So, now what do we do?” Kaiden asked. “We should not just increase the security of the pack but the Lunas’ as well,” Zander ordered.

“Lance is a formidable bodyguard, but if the previous situation occurred again, he would be alone. Jennifer and Lena are the only two people that I have enough faith in to trust the safety of both ladies. Jennifer is expecting a child, therefore she can not be under the stress of following orders. So from now on, I’ll reduce Lena’s duties in the pack, and they’ll be focused on spending most of her time with both the Lunas and Lance,” Xavier ordered.

“I understand, Alpha! The Beta and Gamma said together.

***

“Where should I place it, Kiara?” Adira had been debating whether the flower vase should be kept on the right or left side of the bed.

“Right side,” the young she-wolf decided, exiting the closet and examining her surroundings, that she had transformed completely. Xavier had already given her permission to change it as she pleased. So she had replaced the curtain, bed sheets, and a few other items. It was late at night, but Adira had been constantly assisting her in order to allow her sister to work less.

“Everything looks perfect,” Adira claimed, taking a deep breath admiring the flowers that looked perfect.

“Yeah, and you look even more beautiful wearing your mark,” Kiara smited as she lifted her brow, while the other woman smiled and brushed her finger over her mark. They sat on the bed together.

“Yes, it is beautiful. This situation isn’t completely repulsive to me. Everything that happened made me realize how much I love Zander. I was not bold enough to admit my feelings, but I could only disclose them when I was about to lose him. Fortunately, it was not too late for me, and I received my love,” the elder sister recounted, recalling all of the amazing moments she had shared with Zander.

“Adira, I am overjoyed by your successful love story. Even though this is not the case for everyone. I’m sure Mother will be thrilled when she learns that you’ve conquered your long-held fear.” Kiara gave her a warm smile. Adira’s grin had vanished.

“You are right, my love story is successful, but what about yours, Kiara?” She asked, holding her hand as she looked deep into her sister’s eyes. Kiara was stunned for a few seconds by her sister’s question.

“There is nothing to talk about in my story, Adira. You know that my destiny is fixed. So there is no love and no success,” Kiara replied, taking her hand back.

“Yes, I understand, but you’ve been with Alpha Xavier for over a month. I can see that you’re happy with him, and you’re his mate. So why can’t your love story succeed?” Adira inquired, concerned. Kiara got off of the bed, her heart heavy due to her sister’s questions. She could not help but turn her face away.

“Because I am just his surrogate, Adira. Yes, he is very good to me. He has never treated me badly. He’s the man I’ve always wished for. Yes, his tenderness drives me so crazy that I can’t think straight. When he isn’t with me, I crave for him. I need him all the time, but I know I won’t be able to keep him in this lifetime.” Kiara put her hand over her chest to hit it a few times to calm herself. Her eyes shone with tears but she took a deep breath.

“Kiara,” Adira got up from the bed to face her sister and called her name in worry.

“I’m well aware that I’m a moron. But I always gave it my all. I hold myself together whenever my heart threatens to betray me and beat only for him. I remind myself of the surrogacy agreement I signed with my mate. I understand that it is simply the mate bond. It makes me want to be closer to him. It was one of the things that drew me to him. I’m already pregnant with his heir and will give birth to him soon. Then, after a year.”

“Enough, stop hurting yourself. I am sorry,” Adira held her sister tightly, refusing to let her continue. Kiara hugged her back, but tears welled up in her eyes. She had avoided thinking about this from the beginning, but she had finally spoken about it in the end. She had no choice but to admit the truth of her reality.

“I wondered how you would handle this mate pull, Kiara. It is a living hell,” Adira drew back, her eyes full of tears as well. Kiara had not planned a future like this herself.

“Adira, I’ve given it some thought. I can merely carry out my responsibilities as Luna and surrogate, but I refuse to spurn his warmth. I can’t say I don’t want it. He embraced me for who I was. And I’m confident that I can make a change his life. He is hurt and broken. I’m going to show him how to love once more. Following my departure, he will accept a woman he will be able to love. Yes, I admit that thinking about it hurts like hell, but at least I can have him for a year, right? Before I leave my pup and him, I can create memories with him,” Kiara confessed with a smile on her face, oblivious to her own tears.

“I have decided to be a little greedy but I deserved this much, right?” Kiara asked, afraid that she was being too greedy.

“Yes”

“Yes, you deserve it,” Adira smiled, nodding as she cried along with Kiara. They hugged each other again. Kiara looked up at the moon in sorrow.

Was it true that every love story was not bound to be successful?