Say Yes

Quinn

As I walked back into the pack house, I was met with cheers and warm smiles. I felt more at home than ever before, but I was also torn.

I had the power to reject my mate.

Even though we’d had a grand ceremony to celebrate our union, I could still walk away. It was what I’d wanted ever since I arrived.

The whole concept of a predestined “mate” seemed crazy to me. It felt like an arranged marriage where neither of us had a say.

This wasn’t the Victorian era.

I didn’t want to spend my life tied to someone who didn’t respect or like me. I didn’t want to be with a rude, arrogant guy who was impossible to be around.

~Oh God! Is Jaxon my ‘Mr. Darcy?’~

I swore off Jane Austen forever.

Despite all this, I felt a connection to the pack. Being Luna gave me a purpose—a role they desperately needed. And I guess it was something I needed, too.

The Moon Shadow Pack was warm and welcoming, unlike my home. They seemed genuinely happy that I was here.

It wasn’t that my mother didn’t love me, but her need to protect me from the world was suffocating. It felt like I was in prison.

And I didn’t want to jump from one prison to another. I wasn’t anyone’s captive, and I wouldn’t let myself be treated like one.

Thinking about all this was making my head spin. Or maybe it was the champagne.

Either way, I couldn’t let these feelings fester. It would drive me crazy.

I had to make a decision. ~Jaxon~ had to make a decision.

So, instead of storming back into the reception and giving him an ultimatum in front of everyone—which did sound pretty awesome now that I thought about it—I decided to wait for the right moment when we were alone to have a calm discussion.

***

I watched Jaxon choke on a piece of steak.

It took him a moment, but he finally coughed it up.

“What the fuck?!” he exclaimed.

I decided to tell him what Harper had said the next morning, when I found him alone in the kitchen eating breakfast.

He wasn’t exactly thrilled with the news.

“Rejection? Where the hell did you hear that? Who told you?” he growled.

“The better question is, why ~didn’t~ you tell me?” I shot back.

He turned away.

“I had a right to know, but you and everyone else made it seem like I didn’t have a choice. How is that fair?”

“You’ve had one foot out the door since you arrived. Are you really surprised I didn’t tell you?”

“‘Didn’t tell me?’ You flat-out hid it from me.”

“Well, now you know.”

Jaxon cut his steak into smaller pieces and kept eating. He was trying to ignore me, so I sat down in front of him.

“I didn’t have to tell you anything. I could have just gone through the motions to break the bond and walked out. But I didn’t. I’m here to give you the choice you never gave me.”

That got his attention. He looked hurt.

“Because you care about me. You stayed because of the mating bond. If you reject me, you know it’ll hurt me.”

I was speechless.

Did I care about him? Sure, I felt these strange sexual urges around him, but lust isn’t the same as love…is it?

And if what he said about hurting him was true, did that mean he secretly had feelings for me?

“I’m willing to give this relationship a try, so you need to decide if you want to as well. The decision’s up to you,” I said, before heading toward the door.

“Wait… Where are you going?” he asked, following me. “You can’t just say something like that and walk away!”

I turned to him. “I’m Luna now, remember? Which means I have responsibilities to uphold.”

“Responsibilities? What responsibilities?” he scoffed.

“If you’re so interested in my daily activities, then you need to reevaluate your relationship priorities,” I said, continuing toward the exit.

“Wait—stop!” He grabbed my arm, but I pulled away from him.

“Don’t touch me! Do that again, and I’ll make the decision for you!”

I slammed the door behind me as I left.

Jaxon

“This way,” Alex called as he led me through the forest. It was starting to rain, making the ground slippery and annoying.

“How much further?” I asked, following him.

“Not far,” he replied.

It felt like we’d been walking for hours. With Quinn threatening to reject me, I needed a distraction. But this was proving to be more frustrating than I’d hoped.

“So, you wanna talk about what happened with Quinn?” Alex asked.

~Damn.~

“Not really,” I replied.

“Come on,” he pushed, “I know something’s bothering you.”

“What’s there to say? She disrespected me by accusing me of disrespecting her in front of the entire pack. And now she’s threatening to reject our bond.”

Alex turned to me with a scowl. His eyes were telling me, ‘That’s no way to talk about your Luna.’

And he was right.

I was out of line.

“Have you asked yourself why she feels that way?” he asked, as we kept walking.

“Isn’t it obvious? She’s a spoiled only child who’s used to getting everything she wants,” I said.

“Really…? Are you sure you’re not talking about someone else?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.

“But I’m the Alpha—”

“Respect isn’t a one-way street, you know. She’s the Luna. Try giving it a shot and see what happens.”

I let out a sigh. He was right. As always.

Having him as my Beta was a pain sometimes. It was like getting advice from an older brother—or at least, that’s what I imagined it would be like. I didn’t have any siblings, but I always felt like I had some out there somewhere.

“Let’s go,” he motioned, “it’s just over here.”

We climbed a small hill and found ourselves on the bank of a creek. Alex pointed to some tracks in the mud.

I unbuttoned my shirt and shifted my upper body into a werewolf. My bones cracked, but I was used to the pain.

Once I was fully transformed, I used my wolf eyes to examine the tracks.

There were several sets I didn’t recognize. A group had passed through here recently. We didn’t often have visitors in our territory without us knowing. This was odd.

I lowered my snout and followed the footprints for a bit, but nothing seemed familiar.

Unable to identify the tracks, I shifted back.

“Find anything?” Alex asked.

I shook my head. “No one I know,” I replied.

“Think we’ve got a rogue?”

Rogues… Werewolves gone mad. There had been more sightings recently. The mere thought of them made my hair stand on end.

“If it is a rogue, there’s more than one,” I replied, which was even more concerning. Rogues were usually solitary creatures and dangerous enough on their own…but a group of them? I didn’t want to think about it.

“What’s our next move?”

I thought for a moment and was surprised when a wave of desire washed over me. I could only think of one thing…

Keeping Quinn safe.

I didn’t even like her, but I couldn’t get her out of my mind.

“Double the patrols,” I ordered, “we need more eyes out there. And let’s strengthen the castle defenses.”

I might have been overreacting, but I didn’t want to take any risks. Especially not with Quinn, who I couldn’t stop thinking about.

Did I care about her more than I thought?

The more I saw her as my Luna, the more it felt right.

Before I knew it, I left Alex behind and was running back to the castle.

I had to make sure she was okay.

***

Quinn

If I was going to be Luna, I wanted to do my part. Raphael suggested I visit the nursery when he found out I used to read to kids at the local library.

It seemed like a good place to start, so we hurried through the rain until we reached a pair of bright, colorful doors that led into the center.

When we walked in, we were greeted by a chorus of children’s voices. For a room full of thirty or so kids, they were surprisingly well-behaved.

The room was filled with pictures and arts and crafts. There was a large play area, a dining area off to the side, and a kitchen in the back for preparing food.

A young woman with red hair walked over to us. Her eyes were focused solely on me.

“Hello, Luna,” she greeted me, her tone cold. “My name is Zara, the lead teacher here. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.” There was something off about her tone.

“Likewise,” I replied.

An awkward silence fell between us.

Raphael stepped in. “The Luna wants to get more involved with the pack and thought she could help out here.”

She hesitated.

“Here? Oh… Of course,” she said reluctantly, “right this way.” So, we followed.

She gathered all the children on the carpet and introduced me as their Luna.

At first, the kids looked at me with wide eyes, unsure of how to react, but it didn’t take long for them to accept me.

Soon, I was reading stories, helping with art projects, tying shoes, braiding hair… I even changed a few diapers, which was a first for me.

I was starting to enjoy myself.

Everything seemed to be going well. But every time Zara and I made eye contact, I caught her giving me a dirty look.

~What’s her problem?~

“Luna, you have a visitor,” Ms. Dirty Look said, interrupting me from a finger-painting project.

When I looked over, I saw Jaxon standing in the doorway. He was drenched.

He didn’t come in, so I went outside and stood under the awning with him.

“I... I didn’t mean to interrupt,” he said, stumbling over his words.

“What are you doing here?” I asked, suspicious.

“Don’t leave.”

“I’m sorry?”

“I said, don’t leave.”

“Is that an order?”

“No, a request. I want you to stay. I want to make this work… If you’ll have me,” he said, his lips trembling slightly.

I wasn’t sure if he was serious, but hearing those words made me crave his touch. I wanted to feel his hands all over me.

A wave of desire was begging to be released... but I held back.

There were children around, after all. But later, when we were alone, might be a different story.

~Quinn! Get a grip!~

I pushed those thoughts aside and casually replied, “Okay.”