As soon as we walked through the airport doors we were met by an entourage of pack members. To the normal human it would have looked like we were important people who just had a convoy of cars awaiting them, but it was obvious these wolves had picked up on a strange presence in their pack territory and thus came to take us to the Alpha.
"I am Daniel, the head warrior. State your names and business on our land rogue," Daniel said with a harsh tone, his eyes darting around and scrutinising each and every of our faces. I could tell some of us wanted to knock him out of the way but they kept their heads down and let Mason do the talking according to the plan.
"Take us to your Alpha," Mason said, his voice strong as he stared at Daniel, unmoved by Daniel's harshness in addressing us. Daniel looked like he was about to retort back but nodded as we were all sorted into several cars. I ended up in the car with Haley and Mason and the air was tense. We could not talk openly as we risked exposing ourselves. Daniel kept staring at me through the rear view mirror, as I would catch his eyes lingering on my face and then on Mateo who was sleeping in my hands.
I felt my apprehension rise as we reached the familiar surroundings leading to Luke's house. My hands began to shake and Haley held them and gave me a reassuring squeeze. The convoy of cars pulled up to the front of the house and I was hit with nostalgia. This was the house I had once called home, a place that I grew to scorn once the bitter taste of betrayal hit my lips.
Nothing had changed as it had only been a year, the exterior of the house still looked the same as the day I had left. My breath caught in my throat as the front door opened and then my eyes narrowed once Lauren's face appeared followed by her body. Once she stepped out we all did also, and we the Renegades stood in a group formation while Daniel walked up to her and whispered in her ear as her eyes swept over us.
"State your business!" She barked at us, wondering who was going to speak up for everybody. Mason kept calm as he stepped forward once again.
"I am Elijah Wells and these are my pack members. We were attacked by rogues and our Alpha was killed, prompting us to come and seek refuge in your pack," Mason then bowed his head respectfully as Lauren's gaze lingered on him. Her eyes squinted like she was trying to remember something, like she had seen him somewhere before. I held my breath as she looked at all of us, just as Luke stepped outside also. His scent was powerful and hit me hard as I had been away from him but it did not have the same calming effect it once had.
I wished that he was a crumbling man, that he was paying dearly for what he had done but he looked somewhat better than he had when I left. My heart constricted as Lauren territorially slipped her hand into his and kissed him on the cheek, one eye trained on the females in our group as if sending a warning. I nearly scoffed, wanting to rip the smug look off her face. I noticed that Luke remained stiff, his eyes staring at all of us and lingering on me. Under his gaze I looked elsewhere, afraid that somehow he was going to remember me.
"I've been informed that you're seeking refuge in my pack, why did you not go to packs closer to your pack? After all, that is what the alliances are for,"
"We know that the Tatum pack is the strongest in the Lycan Union. I fear that our region will soon fall to hunters, and so it is better to come to the strongest pack rather than moving to another pack in the region and coming under attack again,"
"And what gives you the impression that I shall accept anybody who comes to ask for refuge?"
"I know that shortly after becoming Alpha you raided an unruly pack, rescuing people who had been made prisoners and taking some of them into your pack," At this I stiffened, feeling Luke's gaze on me once again.
"That was the past.. what skills do you have as a group that you can bring to the pack? We are in dangerous times from what I notice in the other regions. I want to make sure I have no weaknesses in my pack," I heard Haley scoff at this but mask it with a cough. Eyes turned to her but she kept her head bowed.
"We can all defend ourselves but we need to be trained some more. We will abide by the pack rules and make ourselves useful. We just need a place to stay, a place to have a new start. We lost a lot of people in the attack and it is best if we can leave those memories behind us," Once Mason said this a silence fell over the gathering. Luke stepped out of Lauren's grasp without even looking back and walked towards our group, stopping in front of Mason. Mason held his gaze without blinking and Luke moved down the line, staring at each of us. He got to me at the end of the line and my head was bowed.
"How old is he?" His voice shook me out of my trance like state and replaced it with confusion as I looked up, realising that he was asking about Mateo.
"He's one, Alpha," Once Luke heard my voice his eyes widened slightly as he looked pained. He looked at Mateo's sleeping form and then nodded his head, several thoughts running through his mind as he walked back to where an emotionless looking Lauren was.
"And the father?" He whispered, a sad look settling in his eyes as he stared at me. I felt a pang shoot through my chest as I felt myself going through all the memories of the last year. I remembered how I had nearly died when giving birth to Mateo and my eyes immediately zoomed in on Lauren. It felt like a knife was being driven into my chest once I spotted the all too familiar mark on her neck, the one that was shaped like the geographical location of the pack.
It was small, but my eyes saw all. I snapped my eyes back to him, trying not to break out of character. I wanted to shout at him, wanted to ram my fist on his chest and demand that I be given answers. However I did the opposite, I managed to curb my feelings and swallow them until they were at the very pit of my stomach. Luke picked up on my hesitation and my face must have shown something because he turned apologetic.
"I'm sorry to ask something so sensitive,"
"He died.. a long time ago," My voice came out colder than I thought It would and I could tell Luke was surprised. Mason was looking at me as Luke nodded.
"You shall be provided accommodation. Half of you can occupy one place while the others are given another place to stay,"
"Alpha, we only have each other and we don't wish to be separated. At least... not so early," Haley finally spoke up. She was playing the weak role very well and her eyes held so much emotion that Luke nodded and changed his mind immediately. The pack dwelt in what looked like an estate to the human eye, however most of the land was Tatum territory until the train station. Luke's family was quite wealthy, running a real estate business along with owning a chain of hotels.
"Very well, you'll be shown to your new home but I'll speak to your leader," Luke said before dismissing us. We were all ushered back into the cars which had brought us here and taken to a large house not too far away from the main Alpha home.
—
"I can't believe that's him, I have a strong urge to pummel him and shout at him for his stupid decisions," Haley said with a scowl as she walked around the room which Mateo and I would be staying in. The house had six bedrooms and I recognised it as a house which was used for guests from other packs.
"Well too bad you have to keep in character," I said with a sad smile
"And who does that girl think she is, holding his hand possessively like he would slip away if she did not. She's threatened by you and I can tell,"
"How could she be threatened by me when she doesn't know me,"
"It's obvious Luke has taken an interest in the mysterious female with a young child. It's very interesting to see, the way he was staring at you like he was trying to join the pieces of a puzzle together,"
"You don't think he can tell, do you?"
"I'm thinking he feels he knows you, feels like he has met you before somewhere but doesn't know where. I bet his wolf is also very confused," This made me pause, and the pause was interrupted by a knock on the door downstairs. Soon I heard the voice of Mason followed by a voice that sent chills down my spine once it reached my ears. I walked down the stairs, pausing when I looked at the figure of Finicky who was faced away from me.
He turned around and all I could do was stare. He was the last friendly face I had seen before almost meeting my demise at the train explosion. So many thoughts rushed through my mind and I took in his new appearance. He had changed in character, the friendliness in his eyes had faded and been partly replaced by a strong, stoic look. His hair was dishevelled and longer, and there was some stubble in his face. Finn also stared at me
"Finn," I said, my voice barely a whisper as his eyebrows creased in confusion. He was wondering how somebody he never had met or seen before would know his name. I was going to go further, going to reveal my true identity but Mason immediately took over.
"We've heard about what a great Beta you are, that is how she knows your name,"
"It's nice to meet you, welcome to the pack," Finn said, his face returning to normal from the confused look he had before as he flashed a small smile. After he introduced himself to the rest of us he had to leave and I returned to the room.
"What happened down there?" Mason's voice came from behind me as I turned to face him. There was worry etched unto his features and his eyes glistened with curiosity and questioning.
"I nearly slipped, I just wanted him to know who I was. He was so kind to me, he was the one who escorted me to the train station on my last day in this pack. I guess I just wanted him to know that I am fine," Mason let out a sigh, sitting on my bed.
"It's not safe, and as much as I hate to say this... we don't know who we can trust in this pack. We don't know if he could have had a hand in the assassins targeting you,"
"He wouldn't," I said, trying to shake off the idea but the possibility still lingering at the back of my mind.
"You can one day reveal yourself, but we are still early into this mission and I don't want us taking any big risks,"
"I understand, I'm sorry,"
"You don't have to be sorry. You're going to be living alongside the man who you gave your all to but who ended up betraying your trust, betraying your love. He betrayed your bond,"
"I still can't believe he would mark her, that he would be so quick to replace me," The word replace felt heavy on my tongue and Mason gave my shoulder a reassuring squeeze.
"Now is the time to show your strength, you must fight,"
"I won't let you down," I said, as Mason smiled before turning to leave the room.
——
Lukes POV
Remnants of her.
Memories of her face, her touch, the smile that she would have on her face. The way her eyes lit up and the dimples in her cheeks popped out. The way her light laughter could melt away any pain, the way her eyes would change tones due to emotions which she felt. The way she would clutch me when she felt unsafe, unsure. The way she clung unto me like I was her rock, the foundation beneath her feet which kept her still standing.
That was what I held on to, the only things which kept me sane. The anchor which kept me focused on the present instead of carrying out the thoughts that went on in my head. I was conflicted and tortured, and each day I seemed to worsen in condition. I had made many mistakes, but cheating on Anya was the worst I would ever make to date. If not for Finn and Lauren I would have ran the pack into the ground. My mother was away handling the family business in the other locations which the businesses were situated thus leaving me to carry out my duties.
I had been abandoned by my best friend even if we saw each other everyday, I had been abandoned by alliance members after they found out what had occurred but Lauren stayed glued to my side. She was a very intricate, careful and calculated person who had the heart of a leader. She tried her best to carry the pack along, to keep things moving. However I knew that things would never be the same as when Anya was here. Though Anya suffered when it came to her flashbacks and panic attacks she was a Luna that was adored by the pack members. She braced the position with all the energy she could muster and didn't ever try to back down. I tried to suppress my feelings, but instead found myself torturing my body with all the memories of the time we had spent together.
I had to stay strong, I had to play my part in front of the pack so that they would feel that they were still secure. My insecurities, doubts and pain came with full force when I was all by myself and I let it take over me. I had let my tendency to make my mother happy cloud my judgement, I had let the pressure get to my head and lead to my jeopardising of a relationship like no other. I had been the worst partner anybody could ask for.
I had to put those thoughts to the side once I was informed of the new people who had ventured unto our territory. Once I laid my eyes on the group I knew that they would be a great addition to the pack. It reminded me of when I ha first seen Anya and for that I was pained. I found myself especially drawn to the quiet female who was holding a child in her hands and I was confused. My heart felt like it was being tugged in several directions and I didn't know what to believe. I felt a pull, almost like the one I had with Anya but softer in nature. I knew Alphas could have more than one potential mate, could it be that she was one of my potential mates? I was thrown into conflict, a female who had just survived the loss of her partner and the father of her child could be my potential mate and I did not know how to feel about it.
I couldn't get her face out of my mind. It was now in every corner, haunting me almost. Black hair in a short, fierce pixie cut and brown eyes. She could have passed for someone related to Anya but I knew that was grasping at straws. The way her eyes shone when she looked at me, the pain that filled her face when I asked about the father of her child.
"Luke, are you even listening to me?" The soft, disappointed voice of Lauren hit me like a brick. I immediately snapped back to the present, looking down at my plate of spaghetti which was now lukewarm.
"I'm sorry," I said, the word sorry feeling to overused to me it left a bitter taste in my mouth.
"Who is she to you?"
"Who is who?"
"You know, that girl who came with those protection seekers today. I saw the way you looked at her Luke, is she someone you've met before?"
"I've never seen her face or met her anywhere before, and that is what makes me so confused,"
"I hope you don't plan on doing anything. I don't care who she is, I'm your Luna," She placed her hand atop mine, "you chose me," Her voice held some hope to it, but her words sent a chill down my spine.
"I did," I tried to hide any emotion in my voice as I pulled my hand out of her grasp and began to eat the spaghetti which I had little appetite for. "I guess as we get used to the pack I may get some answers as to why I feel this way," I said, my voice coming out nonchalant. I couldn't say any more than that. How could I tell Lauren that I felt a pull towards a mysterious woman and the child she held in her hands? It felt like my life was being thrown into another state of confusion and I decided I would just wait and see what happened, wait to find out who this person was.