Children of the Moon

• chapter ten •

Okay this is hella cute I think

"Kieran!" I yelled, sprinting through the pack house towards his room. "There's a fucking body in the cells! A body!"

Puffing, I stopped at his door and, without knocking, pushed it open. If Kieran had heard me, he didn't show it. He was stood at the balcony, watching our progress from the house. Jerk.

But he didn't have a shirt on. Oh boy, I thought, I'm done for. As soon as I had walked in he tensed, giving me quite the view of his muscular torso. And what a torso it was. Not too muscly, but just enough so he looked fit. His shoulders, however, man they were nice.

"Kieran, can you please clean it out?" I tentatively asked.

He turned and slowly walked towards me, a sinister look in his eyes. Standing before me, his eyes locked onto mine, and suddenly I was lost.

"You wanted help?" He spoke in a hypnotising voice, and I could feel my wolf melt.

"Uh - yes...um, Alpha." Why did I call him Alpha?

He purred - or rather, his wolf did. Either way, I smiled when I realised what effect I still held. His wolf was completely entranced by mine. Just as mine was by him.

"You play a dangerous game, Malia," he drawled, tilting his head. "First, my wolf, and now, my beta."

I couldn't believe we were about to have this conversation now. There was a body in the cells and he wanted to talk about me merely speaking to Andrew.

"Why doesn't Andrew just clear the body out?" He asked, his eyebrows raised slightly as he waited for my response.

That was it. "Because," I exploded, "he's currently comforting the girl who found the body - his mate! If you had been a better friend to him the last few months then you would have known he found his mate!"

I covered my mouth, I was not supposed to tell anyone about Andrew and Chelsea.

"But don't say anything, please." I hastily pleaded.

"Malia, the secret is safe with me." He promised, "But can I ask one thing? Why did you come to get me? Why run all that way back when you could have just gotten someone to mind link me?"

His hands moved to rest on my shoulders. I swallowed as I looked up at him.

"Um, because I - uh - wanted to see you?"

I didn't need him knowing that dead things were one of my triggers. That was something I had to deal with on my own.

"No, Malia, there's something else." He said, "What is it?"

"It's fine. It's not something you need to know; I'm just being stupid." I stepped back from Kieran and turned around, "I'll just get Andrew to get it, it's fine."

"Malia, wait." Kieran grabbed my hand as I was about to leave and spun me into his chest. "Let me do it, just please tell me what's wrong."

"Dead things are one of my triggers, okay!" I yelled, "I know, pathetic. I'm a werewolf, I know, but I can't exactly help my anxiety, can I? I'm sorry you got stuck with me."

All the insecurities I had came rushing back full force as I realised that this perfect man had me as a mate. I staggered back and ripped my hand from his grip, after seeing him stand frozen on the spoken.

Great, I thought, he's probably come to terms with the fact he has me as a mate.

Turning and running out of there, I hear Kieran curse before footsteps followed me. Before I had even got out of the house, his arms wrapped around my waist, pulling me back into him.

"Shh, Malia. Don't cry, Ma Belle." His thumb brushed away the tears that I didn't realise had left my eyes. "You said so yourself, 'we all have our burdens.'"

Not thinking, I threw my arms around his neck and hugged him close. He was confusing me. The heat from his body warmed my cold mind and I revelled in the feeling he gave me. If only our lives were this simple, I would be able to enjoy holding him close every night.

"Let's go sort this out, okay? You don't have to come if you don't want to." He said.

I looked up and shook my head. "No, I want to be there. Will you help me?"

"Of course, Ma Belle."

We walked out of the house, his arm firmly wrapped around my waist.

"Vous devriez prendre votre déjeuner, maintenant." Kieran instructed and I watched as the rest of the pack, except Andrew and Chelsea scurried off. If anymore French comes from that man's mouth, I might have a heart attack.

Kieran kept a hold of my hand as he walked into the cells, me trailing behind, petrified.

As soon as I could smell the stench of decay hanging in the air, that's when my control snapped. I stopped short, squeezing my eyes shut, eyebrows drawn together in panic and my breaths coming out shakily.

I tugged my hand from Kieran's and ran from the cells, sprinting past Andrew and Chelsea and collapsing on the ground. I couldn't breathe, and every breath that entered my body felt like it was on fire, only cooled slightly by the tears that covered my face.

Gripping my hair, I curled over my knees, shaking my head repeatedly. Why did I think I could do that? That was a stupid thing to do.

I screamed out when I felt hands on my shoulders. Unfamiliar, cold hands that did nothing but terrify me further. I could still smell the rotting corpse and as a result, my mind had conjured up the image that the hands on me belonged to that.

Thrashing about, I sobbed. Why wouldn't these hands leave my shoulders?

"No!" I screamed, trying to get the hands off of me. It didn't work.

"Get the fuck off her." Kieran growled, and instantly, my wolf was alert.

I felt the hands leave my body, and heard Chelsea hastily apologise. My mind relaxed in the slightest, knowing that the hands were not a threat, before another pair of arms - warm this time - wrapped around my body and hugged me against a wall of warmth. I relaxed into the hold and felt myself calm down.

"Shh, you're safe with me, Ma Belle." Was the last thing I heard before I passed out.