The White Wolf #Wattys2020

Chapter 13

I stopped myself from rolling my eyes. "If you want it so badly then go ahead. I'm not stopping me. You don't even have to challenge me, since I don't hold the spot."

"Always so fucking confident, aren't you? I don't care if I have to kill you, I will be his Mate and this pack's Luna," she shrieked, making me cringe as my ear drums vibrated uncomfortably.

"Why are you challenging me to become Luna? Have I not made it clear that I have no interest in ruling? If you want the title then take it. If you want him, you can have him. He is not mine and I am most certainly not his."

It hurt to say those words, but they had to be spoken. He would never take me as his and I could never take him as mine. Mira was the only one I needed to have a Bond with.

I side stepped her and continued to the nursery. When I peeked inside, I saw Mira feeding a newborn from a bottle. I sighed in adoration, sitting on the floor in front of her. As the baby began to squirm, Mira looked at me in distress.

"Just rock her back and forth a little," I advised," she'll fall asleep quickly now that she's eaten."

Mira did as I said and grinned widely as the baby closed its eyes and dozed off. She walked over to a crib, before turning to me. "I'm too short to put her back in," she pouted.

I smiled softly and took the baby in my arms. I placed it down gently and pulled the cover up to its chin. After softly touching the infant's cheek, I ushered Mira out of the room. I steered her towards the door and we made our way back to the pack house.

"All my classmates want to see you again," Mira told me.

I raised my eyebrows in surprise. "Do they?"

She nodded. "They like you. They keep saying they want you as their Guardian."

I heard the sadness in her voice. "Are you okay, Mira? Hey," I said, pulling her to a stop and kneeling so we were face to face, "what's wrong?"

She blinked back tears. "Are you going to leave me to become their Guardian?"

My heart ached and I couldn't stop myself from lifting her in my arms. "Oh, Mira, I would never leave you. Remember how I said only you can make me leave? And even if I did have the chance to leave you, I would never do it."

"Even if I sent you away?"

I nodded, wiping away her tears. "Even if you couldn't stand me anymore. If you ever were to release me, Mira, I would still be following you around to catch you every time you stumble, even if you didn't want me too."

She sniffled before pressing her head in the crook of my neck. "I love you, Laura."

I stilled. I hadn't uttered the words "I love you" since the night my parents were killed. Mira and I had always shown our affection to one another in non-verbal ways, like hugs and kisses.

I swallowed hard before replying, "I love you too, Mira. Always."

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The following morning, I carried out my normal morning routine: make Mira breakfast, get her ready for school, struggle thirty minutes to persuade her that her outfit was pretty and then finally drop her off at Ms. Sheila's classroom.

I was lying in the hammock again, reading a book, when I smelt it. It was a pungent smell, like old sweat. It was nearby and then it hit me. Rogues.