The Replacement Luna (A Luna Chronicles Novel) [Completed]

Chapter Eight

Chapter Eight

Alpha Quinn Danvers

I wiped the sweat from my brow as I slowed to a walk, my breath blowing out so heavily that I was sure the entire Pack would hear me. The hot sticky night air making it harder to catch my breath. I pulled my shirt off, practically having to peel it away from the sweaty skin, before using it to wipe my face. I grimaced at the ripe smell of my own perspiration.

"Out for a run again, Quinn?" a voice called out to me. I mentally groaned, wondering if I could feign deafness and start running again. But I reminded myself – as I always did when I had the urge to run away from Anna – that I was an Alpha and I needed to conduct myself as such.

So, I plastered on a smile I rehearsed well. It was my 'I'm a kind Alpha but I am also busy and do not have the time to speak to you' smile. "Anna, how are you?" I asked. Anna Yelpin was a forty-two-year-old woman whose husband had died five years back, and since then she'd been on 'Cougar Patrol' as Ken called it. Anna had made it very clear that she was interested in me, in more than a friend and Alpha, who was happy to give me the heir and love that I wanted.

Diana always told me to go for it, that it was unlikely that I was every going to find a woman who was actually single and willing to have my child within the Werewolf community. And, as she always reminded me, Anna was pretty – tight firm body, short blonde hair and smooth youthful skin. She may have been almost a decade older than me, but she looked younger.

And, maybe, I should have taken her offer. But, I felt if I did that I would be settling. I didn't look at Anna and get butterflies, my heart didn't skip a beat when she smiled at me. Perhaps I was too old for that, but I couldn't help but want for that. And it put me off slightly that Ken always thought of her as a Cougar.

"I'm good thank you, Quinn. I just finished dropping the twins off at school" she grinned at me. Her twin boys were almost sixteen and they were good kids, but I had never imagined being a step-father. "You out running again?"

"Yep, just a nice way to wake myself up" I lied smoothly. Since I was rejected by Ruth I spent most of my free time working out to both distract myself and get rid of excess energy. Anna opened her mouth to speak to me some more, but before she did I noticed a familiar shock of bright red hair.

I turned my back to Anna instantly to look over to the edge of the forest where I saw Ruth. She had a duffle bag over her shoulder as she scurried through the woodland towards her cottage. Her cheeks were flushed as she pushed forward, small loose strands of blazing hair were highlighting her face.

As if she felt my stair she looked up, meeting my eyes, before practically skidding to a stop. Her bag was obviously heavy as she lost her footing and stumbled to right herself. Forgetting Anna, I rushed over to her side and steadied her.

"Thank you" she whispered, voice angelic and sweet.

"Welcome back" I smiled, relief that she had returned from her visit to Black Bloods Pack obvious.

"It's good to be back" she nodded. She looked down at her feet, before taking a deep breath and looked back up at me. Her beautiful emerald eyes sparkled at me, unshed tears obvious, as she opened her mouth to speak.

"Oh, Eden, have you been away?" Anna cut in, moving closer to us and cutting off whatever Ruth was about to say. I bit my tongue in anger for cutting off whatever Ruth was building up to saying to me.

"Just visiting my old Pack..." she trailed off giving the older woman a blank stare.

"Anna" she prompted.

"Right, Anna, of course" Ruth smiled. She took a large step back and readjusted her bag. "Well, I'll see you all later". She moved away, walking towards the Pack village, before pausing – rocking on her heels – and turning back to us quickly. "Quinn, I need to speak to you".