His Reluctant Luna

I wasn't jealous of Savannah, I just wanted her to not remain lonely. Though I am

no one to judge, perhaps she was perfectly happy in her current lifestyle, like I was before meeting Lucian. However, getting a mate might change her perspective, as it did for me.

"Alright Ladies, we will be staying at Jade moon pack for two days and meet the unmated wolves from the other packs. By Luna's blessing, you all will find your mates. Even if you fail to find your mates, don't be disheartened. Just enjoy yourself."

I addressed the crowd of about 50 single girls and women who would be going to the Jade moon pack for the mating barbecue, dance, and picnic. The unmated wolves from about 10 different packs were going to assemble in my brother's territory. It would be a big hassle accommodating and organizing everything for such a giant party. I was glad I wasn't the one organizing it. They giggled and laughed about finding their mates, and I smiled at them.

"And you have nothing to worry about, your mates will accept you, and if you want to avoid confronting your families. You don't have to." I said to the 5 girls from Adam's pack. Unlike others, they were nervous wrecks.

Lucian was probably giving a similar pep talk to the unmated males. Arriving back, I quickly changed into a red dress. It was more of a family event with several packs arriving with their unmated, there wouldn't be any pack run or hunting as per the plan. But impromptu parties were a thing with the wolves.

His musky scent reached me before I saw him.

Lucian looked devastatingly handsome. He was dressed in snug jeans, and a casual white shirt with rolled sleeves to show off his forearm. He had shaved recently, which showed off his perfect jawline. I couldn't stop staring at him. How could I avoid this trip and have him immediately? That was my only intention. He read my thoughts, obviously, and smiled. He prowled towards me and drawled. "My mate is having rather impure thoughts about me," he snaked his hands around my waist, drawing me close.

"The Alpha doesn't seem to have honourable intentions himself," I replied, tracing his jawline with my finger.

"You are looking so ravishing, how am I supposed to keep my thoughts pure?" He whispered, nuzzling my neck.

I clutched his collar while he kissed my lips, our tongues entwined with each

other. By the time we finished, I was breathing hard and a fistful of his shirt was grabbed in my hands.

"Do you plan to rip off my clothes? Because that might delay us, and the unmated would be cursing us." He joked.

I sighed and left his shirt, adjusting its folds over his broad shoulders.

"Too bad, we can't get carried away now." I sighed.

He chuckled.

"Don't worry, we'll have ample time to get carried away, later. But now, we need to leave." He grinned at me and offered me his hand.

Crimson Shadow was one of the earliest packs to arrive at Jade moon. It was a bright, sunny day, as I stepped off the SUV. I spotted Emma and ran towards her to hug her.

"I missed you," I said, taking her in a hug.

"No, you didn't, you were busy with that dreamboat of yours." She laughed.

"You smell different," I said, breaking the hug. I appraised her flushed face and silky blonde hair.

"Wait! Are you pregnant?" I blurted.

She grinned," yes, I am. I found out just a few days back."

"Oh my god! I will be an aunt!" I screamed.

We squealed and laughed like schoolgirls. Drawing smiles from others and an exasperated head shaking from Rick. I glanced at Lucian who was talking to Rick and Danial who had just arrived with his pack.

"Mate!" One wolf swished past us and lunged at one of my girls.

"Easy wolf! You'll hurt her, "Lucian stopped him in the middle while the girl smiled coyly.

They sniffed and touched, getting familiar with each other.

"Awwwwww people are already finding mates," I chuckled.

"Look at you, being the responsible, Luna. I can't believe it, a few months ago you

were running away from your mate." Emma teased.

"We were playing the chase, and he caught me." I laughed.

"My my what a sight for the sore eyes, how is he in the bed?" She asked suddenly while looking at Lucian.

"What kind of question is that?" I could feel the heat creeping up my ears.

"I have always been curious about other men, as I have always been with Bobby," she replied with a serious countenance.

"Well, that's the man you are talking about," I warned.

"Oh come on! A little girl talk is not going to hurt. I can tell you all about my sex life." She grinned.

I laughed.

"Fine, we'll have some girl talk later." I glanced at Lucian, who appeared a little flushed and grinned at me. He had heard our conversation, of course.

The entire front yard was full of vehicles as different packs started to arrive. There were squeals of delight as wolves found their mates. Some moved on towards the clearing near the lake for the pack party/picnic. I sat down with the girls, Emma, Linda, Katherine, and other ladies while the kids played around us. Namara was playing chase with the twins and Sherry. We chatted about our lives and plans.

"I am going back to work!" I said excitedly.

"That's wonderful Alice," Emma and others commented.

"So that means I am not going to become a grand-aunt soon." Aunt Flora interjected, she had just woken from her reverie.

"Not so soon, I need more time before I am ready. It's a big responsibility. And you are already a great aunt of Johnathan and Clara," I said, looking at the squealing kids. I love kids but didnt want some of my own for some time.

"And Lucian is fine with it?" Emma asked.

"Of course, he has to agree, it's my life's decision after all." I quipped, taking a sip of Margarita.

The end of Regina didn't mean that we could be carefree and ignore security. Wolves are always on the lookout for trouble, and trouble seems to follow us. There could still be a rogue attack, some ambitious alpha going crazy. Hence, there were warriors deployed all around in the forest.

"If you will excuse me, Rick needs me, some trouble with the caterers." A weary Linda said and walked away to join Rick. Matthew was fussy, so Lenora left to feed and put him to sleep.

While Emma and I chatted, I spotted Savannah and asked her to join us. She was dressed in her usual warrior dress of black tee and jeans. An array of weapons hung from her hips.

"Hello, madam Luna," she said as she plopped down next to me.

"Savannah, I appreciate your dedication to the pack and your duties, but occasionally you must take a break. And I never got a chance to thank you for your help earlier." I said referring to her help in hiding Mark's secret from Lucian.

She smiled slightly, "I was just doing what would be good for the Alpha."

Did she think of anything else apart from Lucian? And the pack? I wondered.

As the evening deepened, the party was still in its full form and had gone smoothly so far. There were few incidents where the newly mated got jealous over their mate's previous liaison or attacked anyone who came near their mates. The Alphas controlled such situations. I was talking to Lucian and some Alphas when Linda and other moms started rounding up the kids for their naps.

"Have you seen Clara?" Linda asked in a worried tone.

"She was playing with the other kids in the play area. Is there a problem?" I asked in a concerned tone.

"I can't find her," Linda replied, her anxiety and worry was permeating off her. "She might have been hiding somewhere, let's look for her," Lucian replied. Soon we were all hunting for Clara. Like wolves, we can easily locate wayward children by their scents, but Clara seemed to have disappeared completely. Her scent vanished near the edge of the treeline. Linda was frantic by now, and Rick was trying to calm her.

"Let's search the forest," Lucian suggested.noveldrama

"There are warriors in the forest already, she couldn't have gone far. Maybe she got lost and dozed off." I replied.

Every tracker from all the packs was looking for Clara. I padded through some shrubs behind a rock. The dark forest loomed over me as I sniffed around for

Clara.

'Any luck?' Lucian said in my mind from the other side. He was s a few meters away.

'Not yet,' I replied.

The crunching of leaves behind me caught my attention and I whipped back.

"Oh! It's you." I said in relief.

Those were my last words. A blunt object crashed into my skull and I was lost in

the darkness.