Chapter 10 - Luke
When the allotted tradition duration ends, I can’t tell if I feel better or worse about everything.
On one hand, it seems like I managed to make some sort of progress with Sera, but on the other, I know there was more distance between us during the getaway than what would be deemed acceptable.
We didn’t exactly nurture the bond, but I worked away at some of her defenses, and even if it doesn’t feel like much progress, it’s better than nothing.
Once we had had enough, we went home while the guys found a place to crash for the time being.
They’re planning on sticking around in Coldreach for a bit because, apparently, they don’t want to leave me to my devices, just to make sure I don’t go changing the very structure of the island without consulting anyone else.
My connection to Sera pulls subconsciously as I leave the house a few days later.
On the inside, I feel my wolf growing anxious for more of her, and to keep her as close as possible, but I need to give her time and space. At least for now, I want her to settle in and breathe.
Dad’s house is nestled further in for privacy, overlooking the deep woods leading north. He may have been the Alpha for quite some time, but that didn’t mean he wanted to be right in the middle of the hustle and bustle of the wharf.
When I pull up, Dad is already waiting outside on his porch swing. His eyes follow the vehicle as I park, then he gets up and approaches the front steps.
For a brief second, I consider turning back and going home, but I know how this works and that he already has something to report.
“Afternoon,” he says casually, though his expression looks anything but.
“You wanted to talk?” I ask, staying in the vehicle after killing the engine.
He nods, keeping his voice calm and controlled. It’s the same tone he uses with just about everyone. “The scouts tracked some movement just north of the ridge. We’re assuming Wraith Peak wolves.”
“How many?”
“Three different signatures were picked up, but they could be on some kind of rotation. They’re still looking.”
My jaw tightens, not liking the thought of them being so near again. I have half the mind to wonder if it’s the ones from before, but I doubt Dawson allowed them to take up those hunting rights.
If not them, then his other wolves are testing boundaries and surely looking for any weaknesses.
“Have they crossed or interacted with anyone?”
He shakes his head. “Not yet, but they weren’t discreet about their movements either.”
They want us to know they’re lingering. Dawson likely wants me to know he isn’t backing away from his word from before.
“Then I’ll increase the number of patrols until we find out what they’re doing.”
“Already done.”
Of course.
Regardless of his smooth tone, I can still see something moving underneath his outwardly indifferent demeanor. Something unsaid, and potentially more aggravating than I want to deal with right now.
But I’m not letting it fester, and I already have the feeling I know where it will go.
“If you have more to say, then say it.”
A beat of awkwardness sits between us, and his eyes just barely narrow. “The timing isn’t ideal.”
“Timing for what?”
“Everything you have going on,” he murmurs, letting it come out now. “There are too many distractions.”
I hold his gaze, feeling the slight hesitation he clings to. “Say what you mean.”
Well aware that I won’t drop this until he’s crystal clear, Dad takes a breath and doesn’t hold his punches now. “Bonding with the girl was a mistake.”
I’m used to his unattainable standard by now, but hearing him say it outright burns.
Arms crossed, he keeps his posture straight and firm, like a wall that refuses to move. “If I were you, I never would’ve tied myself to a wolf like her. She’s weak, Luke.”
Heat floods my system immediately, filling me with anger. “Careful.”
He doesn’t flinch. “She’s untrained, and she has no loyalty to this pack. Not to mention, you don’t even know her.”
“She’s not a threat, if that’s what you’re implying,” I return, forcing myself to keep it all in despite how badly my inner wolf wants to rage. “Connections take time to develop.”
“She’s fuel to the fire, and causing instability during territorial pressure is more reckless than you realize.”
“You don’t even know her.”
“I don’t need to,” Dad says, as if he somehow has the answer to everything already. “I’ve been at this a long time, and I know the others won’t be as welcoming as you expect them to be.”
My brows furrow as the idea registers, and it only stirs up more rage inside me. “You don’t know that for sure.”
“I know she needs to be accepted just like any other Luna. She won’t have it at this rate.”
I hate how every word feels more like he’s sinking his claws in me, forcing me to dwell on the ache of it.
“You’re underestimating them,” I retort, refusing to believe it’s that cut and dry.
“I’m not.”
Despite still sitting in the Jeep, I lean forward, tone firm. “You’re talking about my mate.”
“The mate you hardly know, and the one already clouding your judgement.”
We both go silent then, and for a split second, I’m a teenager again, standing in the kitchen after my first real fight with a split lip and slowly healing bruises.
I wanted him to tell me I did right by defending my sister from a few others in the pack who had teased her, but that wasn’t what I got.
This is different. Our dynamic has changed, and I’m not that kid anymore.
“I didn’t choose this lightly.”
“But you did,” Dad says firmly, tone still cold. “You brought her into Coldreach before you even knew what she was. That was your first mistake.”
“And what was the second?” I ask, struggling to hold back my wolf and the need to defend our connection, regardless of how new it is.
Dad doesn’t answer at first, almost like he’s actually weighing just how crushing his next words could be, though he says them anyway. “Bonding with her. You had numerous other advantageous options, and you threw them away for a witch.”
I want to lash out and make him take it back, so he corrects himself and respects my decisions.
I want him to fall in line like the others, but even now, with me holding the Alpha mantle, he hasn’t fully released the role from within himself.
At least, the instinct to command and lead still lingers beneath his skin.
Almost falling into old habits, something in me wants to obey. This isn’t just habitual submission. Instead, it comes from the fact that he’s my father. Alpha or not, he’s still the one who taught me how to hunt, how to fight, and how to lead.
He isn’t just some rival Alpha. He’s blood, and despite my standing now, that piece of me feels compelled to remember my place.
Though that place isn’t mine anymore, and we both know it.
“I knew the risks, and I knew what it could cost.”
His eyes narrow. “Then why do it?”
“Because Sera didn’t deserve what was happening to her,” I say, trying so hard to maintain my own edge.
“And now she’ll face backlash because of this decision.”
I pause, hung up on the words before I take a breath. “She’ll have me.”
Even if it feels vulnerable to say, it still doesn’t soften his tough exterior. “That won’t be enough.”
It takes everything in me not to react and not to let him see just how cutting this conversation is. If I did, he’d see that as weakness too.
“When Dawson Voss makes his move, will your focus be on the pack, or will you split yourself between war and a mate who can’t even look at you?”
The last part almost makes me flinch. Even he knows we aren’t in a good place. He’s keen enough to pick up on something like that.
Taking a moment to compose myself, I hold his gaze. “You think I can’t handle both.”
“I think you’re overestimating your control and authority. You’re still a new Alpha, Luke.”
My jaw tightens. “So you would’ve left her there?”
His expression shifts just enough for me to catch, and he speaks deliberately, “Sometimes, leadership requires setting aside your emotions for the sake of the pack, even if it means ignoring what you want.”
Dumbfounded at the way he can so callously talk about my mate and me in the wake of our bond snapping into place, I can only stare at him.
That’s it then. That’s the real difference between us.
My features harden next. “I’m not you.”
“No, you’re not.”
Rather than praise or words of encouragement, I only get a warning, and my chest tightens as a result. Typical.
“I’m telling you, the pack will not rally behind her the way you imagine, not when they’re still uncertain about magic. If she falters, or if her magic surfaces, they won’t be forgiving.”
My fist clenches at my side. “She has it under control.”
“You can’t guarantee that.”
He can’t either, but I keep that to myself. The way he’s forcing me into doubt is grating, and I hate every moment of it.
My own father, the one who passed the torch down to me, doesn’t trust my instincts. He wants me to be like him, and to follow what he deems a fool-proof path, but I’m not him, and that path isn’t mine to take.
“I’ll handle the pack and my mate,” I mutter, well aware that I’m drawing the line in the sand.
For a long, agonizing stretch, we both stare at each other, unwilling to back down.
We’re both leaders, but only one of us is the Alpha.
Then, Dad pulls back, disengaging now. His words come out quieter now. “I hope you’re right.”
It’s not a true concession or an apology, but it’s all I’ll get for now.
I don’t say anything as he turns and retreats into the house with slow, yet sturdy steps, somehow asserting his own dominance even now. When he moves through the door, Isaac passes by him with a lingering glance before reaching the Jeep.
A familiar flicker of concern appears in his gaze. “Bad?”
“Yes.”
My brother studies me for a moment, looking far more empathetic than Dad would ever allow himself to be. “What did he say?”
“That I made a mistake accepting Sera. He’s doubting me,” I murmur, fingers gripping the underside of the steering wheel.
Isaac deflates with a slight shake of his head. “Of course he did.”
“He said the pack won’t accept her because of what she is.”
He hesitates at that, eyes saying more than he does.
“You don’t agree with him.”
“I think some of them won’t, but that doesn’t mean we can count everyone out,” he says, glancing between me and the house. “And that doesn’t mean you should stop doing what you feel is right.”
Even with that rage still boiling inside me, Isaac’s consolation is one I apparently needed to hear, as it helps take the slightest edge off.
“You don’t have to prove anything to him, you know,” he adds, tone more hopeful.
While I know it isn’t that simple, and being Alpha doesn’t stop you from wanting your father’s approval, I nod anyway. He’s trying.
“I know,” I say gently, reaching through the open window to put a steady hand on his shoulder. “I just have to figure this out.”
Isaac’s lips pull with a slight, empathetic smile, and I know that despite everything, he and Eve will always stand with me.
Eventually, needing to cool off, I head out again, driving down the familiar roads back through town.
All the while, I feel the bond between Sera and me pulling. Nothing in me feels settled now, and it won’t until I get closer, or until I learn how to get her to trust me.
Either way, regardless of what all of this costs, I chose it.
I pulled her into this, and I won’t let her stand alone, even if she looks at me like I’m the enemy, and even if she hates me.
I have to try anyway.