It's Only The Heat [TharnType 18+]

Extra #1 🌙

I look at Thorn, stammering nervously. We haven't talked about whether or not he wants to be my Luna. I mean, being my mate already makes him my Luna, but I won't force the job title on him if he doesn't want it.

"Yes, I am," Thorn answers easily with a smile. My shoulders relax with the relief that Thorn doesn't mind being my Luna.

"Excellent," the elder nods. "We will get started on the preparations. Everything will be ready tomorrow night for the ceremony."

"Tomorrow?" I echo with wide eyes.

"Yes, Alpha. I'm afraid we cannot wait long to announce you as the Alpha. The pack will grow restless without a leader. It must be done as soon as possible."

I slowly nod my head, letting everything sink in.

"Do you have a Beta selected?" The elder questions.

"Tum," I answer without a second thought. I knew from the start that I wanted Tum as my Beta, and watching him take control over the wolves when my father attacked us only solidified my belief that he is the most suited for the job.

"We will make the necessary preparations. Take the evening to rest, and we will discuss this further with you tomorrow. I'm sure you're exhausted."

On the contrary, I'm actually wide awake with everything spinning around in my head. I nod my head in agreement anyway, not really in the mood to have them stick around and stuff my head with even more information. The wolves exit the house, leaving me alone with Thorn.

"How are you feeling?" Thorn asks, rubbing soothing circles on my back.

"I'm fine," I answer curtly. Without even glancing at him, I head up the stairs to my old room.

"Don't do this, Lhong," Thorn sighs as he follows me.

"Do what?"

"This. Pushing me away. Acting like you're okay when you're not," he says, exasperated. "We made so much progress in a short amount of time, and I would hate to see all of that undone because you're scared."

"I'm not scared," I fume defiantly.

"Yes, you are. And that's okay."

"No, it's not! And I'm not scared anyway so just drop it!"

"Lhong, we're mates. I can feel your fear through the bond," Thorn reminds me. "You can't hide from this. You have to face your fears head on, or they will eat you alive. Now, tell me exactly what you're afraid of."

"Everything!" I explode. "I'm afraid I'm going to fuck up running a pack! I'm afraid I'm going to be exactly like my father, or even worse! I'm afraid I'm going to let everyone down, including you!" I pause to take a breath, focusing my eyes directly on Thorn. "And most of all, I'm afraid I'm going to mess this up. I've done some stupid stuff in my life, Thorn, and it's only a matter of time before I ruin us."

"Okay..." Thorn starts slowly as he processes everything I just threw at him. "First of all, you're not going to fuck up running the pack. Sure, you might make some mistakes here and there, but no one is perfect. Everyone slips up. The important thing is that you learn from it."

Thorn steps closer to me. "Secondly, the fact that you're afraid of turning into your father just proves that you're nothing like him. Your father was vicious and power hungry. He didn't fear the monster he was becoming. You do. That's how I know you will never be like your father."

He takes another step towards me, and even though everything he says makes my soul a little lighter, the closing distance between us makes my heart pound in my chest.