a Primal Pursuit

forty four

I tutted. "Yet he was happy to set you up with him, despite knowing you don't have a mate, because he wanted his daughter to be an alpha female."

Her lips drooped with a frown, and she stared at her porridge. "I know, but we all honestly thought Asra did not want a soul mate, nor would ever find one. He was so... closed off about relationships. We were friends since we were young, so he at least knew me and it would've meant our pack would've had an heir at least."

I cringed. "But could you have lived in a relationship without a soul mate's love? To just be with a friend and never feel that spark?"

"I never will," she sighed sadly. "I lost mine, Ailia. There is no such thing as a second chance."

"I don't believe that." I shook my head.

"Nobody has ever had a second chance mate."

"That's probably because those who lost a mate probably died, too." I frowned.

"Perhaps..." She didn't seem convinced.

"Not perhaps," I interjected. "If someone as lowly, and depressing as me, aka the human with no concept of the outside world, can somehow have a mate, then someone as kind and beautiful as you cannot be without one."

She awed at me, stretching her arm across to take my hand. "I will marry you in a heartbeat, Ailia. It is to marry, right? That's what the humans do."

I laughed, nodding. "Yes, it is, and thank you, I am flattered."

Grinning, she patted the back of my hand before returning it to her spoon. "I had my mate, and I lost him."

"But that wasn't your burden. Wolves killed him. That is not your fault. That sounds like it was because of who your father is."

She blew out a harsh breath. "I have thought about it endless times, Ailia. Sleepless nights, thinking of the what-if's. Nothing makes sense. To meet him, and not even be able to kiss him before they took him from me."

"It was a test." I pointed at her with my teaspoon. "I am telling you, one day, somebody is going to walk into your life and everything is just going to fall into place. Bond or not, there will be someone."

"I hope so, but I don't see the point of holding onto that." She shook her head. "I am not getting any younger."

I snorted. "Please, Asra is like fifty."

She giggled, happy to be enlightened. "If he hears you call him an old man, he will crush you."

"Not if I crush him first." I beamed.

Her laugh was hypnotic, and soon I joined in. We finished breakfast over idle laughter and chat after that, and only when I realised we had been here for an hour did I look around.

To my surprise, Luna Black sat with a group of females around a large table, holding a steaming mug in her hand. I flickered my eyes down her pastel pink dress, chewing the inside of my cheek as I observed her body language. She appeared formal for a casual breakfast.

As if by cruel fate, the moment I think to look away is the moment she lifts her icy blue eyes. Blue meets blue and for a moment, I am unsure if I am to look away. But thankfully, I didn't have to decide because she did it for me. She excused herself from her table, bringing her mug over to our table and standing at the edge.

Wait.

Our table?

My eyes widened, looking up at the luna beside us. Piper bowed her head, greeting her softly.

"Morning, Piper." Luna Black greeted back before turning to me. "Good morning, I am afraid I did not properly introduce myself last night. I'm Luna Black."

My jaw flexed, and I stared up at her with trepidation. I didn't like the height difference, and pushed back my chair to meet her head on. She was the same height as me, which was strange because I always thought wolves were tall. Her eyebrows rose as I stood before her and nodded once.

"Luna Zenith, nice to meet you casually, Luna Black."

Her lips quirked with slight humour, eyebrows smoothing with a strange expression. "Luna Zenith, never thought I'd see the day."

Piper laughed from beside us, standing so she could be included in the conversation as well.

"I keep telling her that, but she never saw what Asra was like before, so she never got the chance to see how miserable he was without a luna." She laughed softly.

"Human too," Luna Black smirked. "Definitely did not see him accepting the bond for a human."

I narrowed my eyes, not liking her tone. "Excuse me?"

Her eyes darted to me with surprise. "Sorry?"

I folded my arms. "You make being a human such a bad thing."

"It's not that. Asra just despises humans." She frowned. "I am surprised you are not dead."

"Alpha Asra, is not that man you think he is." I cocked my head. "I am his mate."

She pursed her lips. "I...heard you dislike submitting."

The heck does that mean?

"Oh?" I scowled. "I don't like to listen to those who don't deserve it."

"So, it doesn't bother you?" She wondered. "You don't feel the need to fall to your knees?"

"Not in the slightest," I shook my head, slightly confused by the change of topic.

"Strange for a human..." she muttered.

Her eyes ran along my appearance before her nostrils flared. She leaned in close, taking in a deep lung-full of my scent whilst I wrinkled my nose with distaste.

"You smell... peculiar."

"Charming." I rolled my eyes.

"No, no, not bad." She shook her head. "You don't smell...human."

"Because of the mate bond." I shrugged.

Her frown deepened. "Something else..."

I didn't miss the way she peered into my eyes before she flickered her gaze over my hair. Her hand twitched by her side, before she gave in to impulse and reached across. She pulled it between her fingertips, spreading the hairs across her finger before finally letting it drop.

"It was nice to meet you, Luna Zenith. I must excuse myself. My mate is calling." Luna Black smiled faintly before dispersing from the room.

I turned, confused and rigid, to face Piper. There was nothing between us apart from the discarded steaming cup of tea left behind.