LYRA
________
I inhaled a deep breath, feeling as if air had finally returned to my lungs.
Every word that I had exchanged with Alexander finally registered, and I sighed. I suddenly missed Jaxon and Ava. Being around unfamiliar Wolves felt overwhelming.
Jaxon would have teased me over the luck of being mated to the enemy, meanwhile, Ava would have cheered me on.
She always wished that I found my mate before Gabriel could take me as his, and her wish had come true, even if it wasn't as we had imagined.
When the door to Alexander's office swung open, I darted my gaze toward the intruder. Zynthéa eyes found mine and she smiled widely, before shutting the door behind her.
"He's my brother but I swear even I'm scared of him sometimes," she said, faking a shudder.
"He's your brother?" I asked, horrified.
Poor girl, a brother like Alexander and a mate like Dyami. And I thought I was the unlucky one.
She smiled sheepishly. "I may sound biased, but he's actually a really good person."
I narrowed my eyes at her, wanting to beg to differ with his past, but I didn't say anything.
"Come on," she urged. "I'll show you to your room."
I pouted, but let her lead the way. Escaping right now would be useless.
Alexander didn't seem like the type to leave his guard down and I knew if I tried, he would have me captured.
I needed to build their trust so they would leave me to roam the territory freely, before I could proceed with my plan.
The bedroom was a lot bigger than any bedroom I had ever owned. It was simple, and different to the rest of the house. Meanwhile, the house was dark and mysterious, the bedroom was light.
The double bed was placed in the centre with two small bed side tables on either side, a small lamp situated on each respectively.
There was a large window covering almost the whole wall, bringing life to the room. A soft sofa chair was placed by the window. A door next to the one that I was standing at lead to the bathroom, as per Zynthéa's introduction. I was left in awe at the simplicity, yet practicality of the room.
Zynthéa remained with me for about fifteen minutes, introducing her pack to me and talking about Dyami, when she decided she had to head back.
I was grateful for having her in this territory when everything and everyone else seemed so unfamiliar. It helped me feel a bit easy.
I had showered, changed in to a different set of clothes and blow dried my hair, when Alexander returned. He had knocked once and entered without awaiting for me to tell him he could enter.
I rolled my eyes but didn't complain. It was his house after all. He could do as he wished.
I was surprised when Alexander said 'hello' and placed himself on the single sofa chair by the window.
He had a folder which he placed on his lap and started to flip through the white sheets of paper without sparing me a glance.
It annoyed me even more. His presence caused every emotion in my body to waken. I hated him, but I also really liked him.
It was frustrating. It annoyed me more at how attractive he was just sitting on the chair, focused deep on his work.
"Do you need anything?" Alexander shocked me by asking, his eyes glanced up at me.
I could feel the flush creep up on my face and I directed my gaze to the uninterested ivory curtain to avoid his gaze. I ignored his question and instead paid interest to the papers on his lap.
"What is that?"
Alexander's eyes lit up at my question. "Pack work. I have to look over these files every few days to make sure everything is running smoothly."
I nodded my head uninterestedly. I had only asked to divert the embarrassment that I felt.
"Do you want to take a look?" he asked, hopeful. "It would be a good start as the Luna."
His words quickly dampened my mood, and I glared at him hard. His gaze was on the papers, unaffected by his own question. The seriousness on his face told me he wasn't joking about what he had said.
But before I could even argue with him, a loud knock on the door shook me out of my daze and I turned to see who had interrupted.
Dyami popped his head through, causing Alexander's head to lift at his appearance.
"What is it?"
"Wolves." The dark haired boy narrowed his eyes at me briefly before turning his gaze back on the Alpha.
"Three Wolves from Pale Moon have trespassed. We have them captured."
Alexander rose from the chair and dumped the papers. "What! Why did you not tell me sooner?"
Dyami bowed his head slightly. "I tried to mind link you but you had me shut out."
He spared me a dirty glance, before turning his gaze away. I rolled my eyes. He was definitely annoying.
"I see," Alexander replied. "Did anything happen that I should be aware of?"
"One of our recently turned pups was hurt, but other than that, everyone else are alright."
Alexander growled lowly at the latter boy's words. "I understand. I will be with you shortly."
He dismissed the boy and stalked towards me, until he was right in front of me.
"I know you are not ecstatic about being here, but you need to listen to me right now."
When I didn't respond, he continued.
"Wolves trespassing my land means they are a possible threat. I cannot and I will not let you be in a position where you could get hurt."
I hated his words. I hated that he sounded like he actually cared about me. Maybe he did, maybe he didn't. I wasn't sure how the whole mate stuff worked, but I could feel his genuine concern.
My Wolf warmed up to him and I wanted to embrace my mate, but I held myself back.
"You will stay here until I get back, Lyra," he finally said, eyeing me carefully. "I have just found you and cannot risk losing you already."
His corny words stirred something inside of me. "Will I be safe here?"
He nodded. "I would not leave you here if I did not deem it safe."
I chewed on my bottom lip and remained quiet after that. I knew Wolves from my pack wouldn't hurt me, but I was nervous about returning to Gabriel.
As much as I wanted to hate Alexander, staying here and formulating a plan to escape eventually was far better than returning to Gabriel. I felt miserable with him.
"We will talk when I get back. There is a lot you want to hear from my side and I also want to know more about your relationship with that loser."
I fought the urge to roll my eyes at his nickname for Gabriel. But nevertheless, didn't respond.
Alexander cupped my face in his hand, tilting my head so I was looking directly at him. I hated how at his touch, I became completely paralysed, forgetting every negative thought that I had related to him.
"I want you to know that you are safe here," he murmured, his eyes examining mine. "You are not the enemy, you never will be. The pack will love you as their Luna."
I didn't want that, but arguing with him right now was pointless. So I remained quiet, yet again.
Honestly, I wasn't sure what to say. His close proximity made it hard for me to be sarcastic or angry, I was left wanting him to stay and embrace me.
It concerned my Wolf that her mate was attending to Wolves that could be dangerous. She wanted to protect him, making me feel frustrated.
"Wait for me. I will return to you," Alexander promised, rubbing his thumb over my cheek.
With a quick peck on my lips, my mate was out of the door, leaving me gasping for air and electrical currents spiralling down my body.