»Come on, one lane left!« I yelled and walked with them at the edge of the pool while clapping my hands.
After two lanes I let them take a break, they took it gladly. But I needed to admit that I was hard on them today.
It made me nervous that I couldn't get into the water myself, so I needed to be harder on them. But it seemed like they liked me being hard on them, because even though they were glad for a break, they now talked lively with each other.
»You're completely in your element,« Ethan grinned as he came up to me and threw me a water bottle that I caught with ease.
»Well,« I laughed and grinned back.
»Judging from your current mood it seems that you and Cassian talked it out. Though, you looked pretty angry while stumbling outside. By the way, who was the guy with you at the counter?«
I rolled my eyes while I thought about that.
»Yes, we talked it out and the guy is a cousin of Chat. He already felt familiar, but because of the alcohol I wasn't able to connect him to Chat. Well, and Cassian got in between before I could reject Valentin's flirting.«
»That dude's name is Valentin?« Ethan asked, and I nodded amused. »Pretty bad coincidence on Valentine's Day,« he mumbled and pulled a grimace out of pity. Two idiots, one thought.
»Captain Kyran?« Flustered, I turned my head away from Ethan and looked forward to where I found one of the younger swimmers.
»Only Kyran is enough. What's wrong, Eiji?« Hopefully, I remembered his name correctly.
He glanced over his shoulder where I saw three other boys standing who were younger members too.
»We wanted to ask if we could do relay swimming.«
Shortly I met with Ethans eyes but he only shrugged his shoulders.
»Why not, I have nothing against it. Ask the others if they want to join you by forming two to three other teams who you swim against or well, train,« I said and immediately he turned around with a big nod – broadly beaming over his whole face.
Only after ten minutes they finished forming three other teams who now trained the transition between swimmers and also tested out the different kinds of swimming – like on the back, butterfly and others.
Sometimes they exchanged a few words to discuss which kind suited them best and what they could do better and at the end of the training, it looked quite promising.
We saw each other off before I walked to the lacrosse field from which the players were about to leave.
In the middle of them was Cassian.
His sweaty hair laid almost flat on his head but still was shaggy and even from my location I could see the sweat beads roll down his face and neck. And damn it, I hated myself for the fact how hot it looked.
He laughed at a joke of one of his companions before his shining eyes found me.
In a hurry he walked up to me and pulled me against his chest before his lips brushed past mine for a short, soft kiss.
I immediately felt the gnawing looks of his team and also the hostility but that came more from the fact that I was a swimmer and not that we were two guys.
»See you, Cassian!« a few guys yelled to Cas before they left. »Yes, bye,« he yelled back and then smirked at me.
»Why're you beaming like that?« I asked and smiled gently.
»Hm... No idea, maybe because I hold the most amazing guy in my arms.«
He lifted me at the hips up into the air so my feet didn't touch the ground anymore and slowly swirled me in a circle before he let me onto the ground again.
Laughing, I kissed his lips shortly and snuggled my head against his firm chest. »I know that I'm amazing.«
Amused, he shook his head and entangled our hands and fingers.
»Where to?« I asked curiously while he dragged me to his car in which we got in.
»Our family has lunch together at your home and my father wants to talk to us about something, your father too,« he said and shrugged his shoulders.
»And that's why you sound so happy? In my ears, it sounds like we're going to the slaughterhouse,« I said jokingly and rolled my eyes.
»By the way, did Cameron, Genevieve and Chat arrive safely in Canada?« Cas asked and I nodded.
»Cameron and Chat needed to go to the frontlines immediately, which is why school is probably going to suck for them. And Genevieve is prohibited from going out,« I answered and chuckled at the end.
»Better that way,« Cassian laughed and I wanted to return something to his words when my eyes caught sight of something at the edge of the road.
»Stop the car right now!« I screamed and kicked the door open before the car could come to a halt.
»KYRAN!« Cas yelled in panic when I jumped out of the moving car. To my luck he already drove slower which is why I didn't hurt myself.
Hectically I stumbled the few meters back from where we came and slid down into the slippery moat.
With trembling hands, I pulled the little boy out of the ice cold, stinking water and searched on his neck and wrist for his pulse. To my relief I found it, though it was weak.
»What happened?« Cas yelled, probably assuming I had a sudden panic attack, and looked down at me only to widen his eyes when he saw the young Omega in my arms.
»Is he alive?« he asked, shocked and helped me out of the slippery moat with Luke in my arms.
»Yes, even though he is freezing...« I whispered and eyed his body.
Everywhere were hematomas that were so big I wondered how he wasn't dead. I wasn't sure if he had inner bleeding – and then his body temperature; ice cold. A few places still bleed but they weren't dangerous injuries – only grazes at his knees, elbows and knuckles.
But the giant hematomas weren't healthy at all and inside my head, I already imagined who did that to him. Though I couldn't believe that other children had the power to do this to him.
»The hospital is too far away. We will bring him to you because you live close by. And then we call an ambulance!« I decided sternly and lifted the unconscious Omega up.
Cas nodded quickly and opened the passenger door. I got inside and took my jacket off and wrapped it around Luke – the jacket was almost three times too big for him.
Tightly I squeezed him against my body to give him more of my warmth and Cassian put on the heater inside the car. He was too cold, almost as cold as dead.
Again, and again Cas looked at us and I saw the question on his face that I couldn't answer him yet. First, I needed to concentrate on Luke before I could concentrate on someone or something else.
I couldn't tell if it was my instinct of being a doctor, that I got in Canada, or my instinct as a Luna to protect the wolves of my pack.
The only thing that counted was that I worried about him right now.
With squeaking tires Cas halted in front of the house of him and his parents and jumped out of the door just to open mine. Together we ran into the house and into Cassian's bedroom.
»Cas, get me a bucket with hot water and washcloth, a hot-water bottle and a few blankets. And call the ambulance!« I ordered my mate and he disappeared, without saying anything against my order.
I brought Luke into the bathroom and undressed him before I washed his cold stinking body with warm water and then dressed him in clean clothes of Cassian before I laid him down in the bed of my mate.
It didn't take long for Cas to return with a bucket in his hands and then bring the other things I asked for.
Together we wrapped Luke in two thick blankets and put a hot-water bottle on his belly and at his feet. I put a warm wet washcloth on his forehead and with time a little color returned to his pale face.
»They're on the way. But because of some road work they need to detour. They drive as fast as they can.«
Relieved I sat down on the bed next to the feverish panting Luke and leaned against the backrest.
»You seem to know him,« Cas said and sat down next to me, even though there wasn't that much space left.
Trembling, I hugged myself and rubbed my upper arms as I thought about Luka lying in the moat. He would be dead if Cas and I hadn't found him.
»His name is Luke and he is an Omega in our pack. I met him two times in the hospital. One time you were there too and the second time was when I got shot. I was in the park and we talked. I saw his face at some point and he had a black eye... He told me that he got told by the other kids that he wasn't worth anything and that he didn't deserve a mate. And much, much worse things. I told him that he should come to me if something happened again. But now look at him.«
Desperate, I pulled my legs against my chest and hid my face in my knees.
Now I despaired even more with my role as the Luna. I wasn't even able to protect one member – a child – how should I be the mother of a whole pack?
»This isn't your fault,« Cas said gently and pulled me against him.
»But-« I wanted to protest but he put his hand over my mouth.
»You weren't the one that hit him green and blue, or were you? You aren't at fault if you didn't do that.«
Quietly I snuggled against him and sat here for hours, well it felt like that at least. Silently cuddled together.
In the meantime Cas wrote his mother that we would be late because there was an emergency. She said it wasn't a problem and we should come when we were ready.
»L-Luna Kyran?« a quiet voice suddenly croaked and I flinched.
»Luke?« I asked, hoarse and bent over the slender boy. Cas stood next to me and looked down on Luke.
»What happened?« he asked and seemed exhausted, which was completely understandable.
»We found you unconscious in a moat, ice cold,« I explained shortly and he frowned before he nodded.
»I wanted to come to you, Luna Kyran... They let me go after I told them that you would get angry at them. But today someone said that you're the Beta and not the future Luna and that the word of a Beta wasn't that crucial anyway, so they didn't care if you like them or not. They hit me again and said I deserved it because I lied about you being the Luna. But I didn't lie! You are Alpha Cassian's Luna. You told me that in the hospital. I wanted to walk to you because you said you would help me if they're mean to me again. But then everything was fuzzy and then my sight went black...«
Shortly I looked up to Cas who returned my worried expression.
»Yes, I am the future Luna, you didn't lie, and even if I was just the Beta, they still wouldn't have the right to hit you with that kind of excuse. However, it was a good idea to come to me, even though it could've ended badly if we hadn't found you in time,« I said and he nodded slightly and then pulled a grimace.
»My head hurts and I feel sick...« he whispered and I frowned worried.
»Cas, could you call them how far away they are?« I asked and immediately Cas pulled out his phone and left his bedroom to call the ambulance again.
»I have a meeting with the current Alpha later and I will talk about what you have to endure. That can't go on like this,« I said and he smiled, tormented.
It didn't take long anymore until the ambulance came and took Luke to the hospital. Just until the drove off I held his hand that he wouldn't let go.
»I won't let this go off without doing anything,« I quietly growled and clenched my trembling fists.
Gently Cas loosened up my fist and entangled our fingers which he squeezed soothing.
»Believe me, I won't let them get away too.«