Chapter 8 #2
"Are you?” Jackson cut me off, his voice dangerously low.
"Because a mated Alpha protects his mate's heart, not just her body.
He doesn't let other wolves circle her like sharks smelling blood in the water.
When's the last time you spent time alone with Annalise?
" Jackson continued. "Real time, not just pack business or formal dinners.
When's the last time you took her somewhere, just the two of you? "
I opened my mouth to answer and realized I couldn't. When was the last time? Months, at least. Maybe longer.
"She's seventeen," I said finally. "What am I supposed to do, take her on dates?"
"Yes, you idiot. That's exactly what you're supposed to do." Jackson's voice was sharp with frustration. "She's going to be your mate in four months. Your Luna. The mother of your children. Don't you think you should know something about her besides what's in her training reports?"
The words hit like a punch to the gut because they were true.
I knew Annalise was intelligent, dedicated, and kind.
I knew she worked hard at her Luna training and that Mom was proud of her progress.
But what did I know about her as a person?
What did she like to do in her spare time?
What made her laugh? What did she dream about?
"The pack expects—" I started.
"The pack expects their Alpha to know his mate," Jackson cut me off. "Right now, half of them are wondering if you even like her, and the other half are taking bets on whether you'll reject her for someone else."
"I would never reject her."
"Then prove it. Stop giving every unmated she-wolf in the territory reason to think they have a chance, and start acting like you want the mate the Moon Goddess gave you."
Before I could respond, a commotion near the lodge caught our attention.
Scarlett was striding across the courtyard with determination, her black hair flowing behind her like a banner.
She'd been notably absent from the morning's she-wolf parade, but I should have known she wouldn't stay away for long.
"Speaking of complications," Jackson muttered.
Scarlett had been my most frequent companion over the years, the she-wolf I turned to when I needed adult conversation and physical satisfaction.
At twenty-six now, she was beautiful, experienced, and had never made any secret of her belief that she'd make a better Luna than a teenage girl with no real-world experience.
"Marshall," she called out as she approached. "I need to speak with you. Privately."
Jackson shot me a warning look. "I'll be here when you're done," he said pointedly.
Scarlett led me away from the training grounds to a quiet spot near the forest edge. She was dressed more formally than usual, in a way that emphasized her curves and reminded me of all the evenings we'd spent together.
"I heard some interesting news this morning," she began without preamble.
I raised my eyebrow in question.
"Veronica is telling anyone who'll listen that you're considering your options before Annalise's birthday." Scarlett's blue eyes were hard as steel. "And Tiffany is volunteering for every assignment that might get her alone time with you."
I rubbed the back of my neck, feeling a headache building. "It's just pack gossip, Scarlett. You know how these things get blown out of proportion."
"Is it?" She stepped closer, close enough that I could smell her familiar perfume. "From where I'm standing, it looks like every unmated she-wolf in the pack is making a play for the Luna position."
Tell me something I didn’t know. I hated it, but Jackson was right. I only had myself to blame. "What does that have to do with you?"
Her smile was sharp as a blade. "It means it's time for me to stop being subtle about what I want."
"Scarlett—"
"No, let me finish." She placed her hand on my chest, fingers splaying over my heart. "I've been patient, Marshall. I've been discreet. I've let you work through whatever guilt or obligation you feel toward that girl. But we're down to four months now, and I'm done waiting."
"She's my mate," I said automatically.
"She's a child who was assigned to you when she was thirteen years old," Scarlett countered. "That's not the same thing as choosing someone because you love them."
The word 'love' hung between us like a challenge.
Did I love Annalise? I honestly didn't know.
I felt protective of her, responsible for her, but love?
How could I love someone I barely knew? Love will come, Ranger growled.
Love will come when you stop being stupid and spend time with mate. Want to spend time with Sapphire.
"I want you, Marshall," Scarlett continued, her voice dropping to the husky tone that had always been my weakness. "I want to be your Luna, your partner, your equal. I want to give you strong children and help you build an empire that will last for generations."
She was offering everything an Alpha should want. Partnership, passion, a future built on choice rather than mystical bonds and pack obligations. For a moment, I let myself imagine it. A life with someone who'd chosen me as much as I'd chosen her. But the reality was I wanted my fated mate.
"You could reject her," Scarlett said softly. "It's been done before. Alphas who realized their true mate was someone else entirely."
"The Moon Goddess—"
"The Moon Goddess gives us free will for a reason.
She doesn't force us to accept bonds that don't serve us or our packs.
" Scarlett's hand moved up to cup my cheek.
"Think about it, Marshall. Think about what kind of Luna you want beside you.
Someone who chose this life, or someone who had it thrust upon her before she was old enough to understand what it meant. "
Before I could respond, she pressed a quick kiss to my lips and walked away, leaving me standing alone at the forest edge.
I made it through the rest of the day on autopilot, handling pack business and avoiding the increasingly obvious attempts by various she-wolves to corner me for private conversations.
By the time evening came around, I was exhausted and irritated and wanted nothing more than to hide in my office with a bottle of whiskey.
Instead, I found myself at the pack dinner, sitting at the head table and watching the social dynamics play out like a complicated chess game.
Veronica sat at my right, discussing her herb garden plans with animated gestures.
Tiffany had claimed the seat across from me and kept finding excuses to lean forward in ways that showed off her assets.
Scarlett held court at a nearby table, surrounded by her usual admirers but occasionally sending meaningful looks in my direction.
And at the far end of the head table, almost forgotten in the political maneuvering, sat Annalise.
She looked beautiful tonight in a simple blue dress that brought out her eyes.
Her auburn hair was pulled back in an elegant style that made her look older, more mature.
She spoke quietly with Luna Etta and the pack Elders, contributing thoughtfully to their discussion about trade negotiations with the coastal packs.
Watching her, I was struck by how much she'd changed from the thirteen-year-old who'd accepted my claiming with starry-eyed wonder.
At seventeen, she carried herself with quiet confidence, spoke intelligently about pack business, and commanded respect from the Elders who'd known her since she was a child.
She was going to make a good Luna. Maybe even a great one.
"Marshall?" Veronica's voice cut through my thoughts. "You seemed a million miles away."
"Just thinking about pack business," I lied.
"Well, save some energy for after dinner," she said with a sultry smile. "I still want to show you those garden plans. In detail."
Across the table, Tiffany pouted. "But Marshall, you promised to look at my patrol schedules tonight. I've been working on them all week."
The two she-wolves glared at each other with barely concealed hostility, and I realized this was exactly what Jackson had been warning me about. I'd created this situation by being careless with my attention, and now it was spiraling out of control.
"Actually," I said, standing abruptly, "I have some Alpha business to attend to tonight. Maybe we can discuss gardens and patrols tomorrow."
Both women looked disappointed, but they couldn't argue with Alpha duties. I made my excuses and headed for the door, needing air and space to think.
I'd almost made it to the exit when a soft voice stopped me.
"Marshall?"
I turned to find Annalise approaching, her expression hesitant but determined. Up close, I could see the maturity in her face, the way she'd grown into her features over the past few years.
"Are you alright?" she asked quietly. "You seem... tense tonight."
The simple question, asked without agenda or ulterior motive, almost undid me. When was the last time someone had asked how I was feeling without wanting something in return?
"Just pack business," I said, the lie coming easier this time.
She nodded, but her green eyes were knowing. "If you need someone to talk to, I'm a good listener. Luna Etta says it's one of the most important skills for leadership."
For a moment, I almost said yes. Almost told her about the pressure I was feeling, the expectations weighing on me, the confusion about our future. But then I remembered she was seventeen years old and four months away from being bound to me for life, whether she wanted it or not.
"I should let you get back to dinner," I said instead.
Her face fell slightly, but she smiled anyway. "Of course. Have a good evening, Marshall."
I watched her walk back to the head table, her spine straight and her head held high despite my obvious dismissal. She rejoined the conversation with the Elders as if nothing had happened, but I caught the way Luna Etta's eyes followed me with disapproval.
Outside, the air was sharp and clean, carrying the scent of snow and pine. I walked the territory boundaries until my restless energy was spent, trying to sort through the tangle of expectations and desires, and obligations that defined my life.
Four months. In four months, Annalise would turn eighteen, and everything would change. The pack expected us to complete the mating bond, to start building the future that had been planned since she was thirteen years old.
But did she want that? In all the years since her claiming, I'd never bothered to ask.
The timeline that had once stretched endlessly ahead of me was now racing toward a conclusion I wasn't sure I was ready for. Years had become months, and months would soon become weeks, then days.
Maybe it was time I found out what kind of man I wanted to be when that day arrived.
Or maybe, a voice in the back of my mind whispered, it's time to figure out if the Moon Goddess made a mistake.
I pushed the thought away and headed back to the Alpha house, but it followed me like a shadow, growing larger with each step.
Four months to decide the rest of my life. Four months to figure out if I could love a girl I'd never really tried to know.
Four months until everything changed forever.
I thought back to the look on Annalise's face when she'd asked if I was alright.
There was no agenda there, no angle. Just..
. care. The kind of quiet, steady care I hadn't realized I was starving for.
And I had pushed it away. Because accepting it meant accepting everything else that came with her—the bond, the future, the end of the life I knew and enjoyed.