Page 16 of Crystal Luna

“Goodnight, Curtis.” She then looked up at Alpha Heath, barely able to meet his gaze. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to intrude.”

He sighed gently, his lips curling into a smile. “I didn’t mean to make you feel like you did. You didn’t do anything wrong so there is no need to apologise.”

She nodded and turned to leave, but his next words stopped her in his tracks.

“You can tell them no if you like. And if you don’t know how to, I’ll do it for you. I don’t mind being the bad guy.”

She nodded again, unable to put in words how much that meant to her.

The next morning, she woke up with a nervous fluttering in her stomach. On top of that came her very short night. She loved the bed and sleeping under a roof protected from the elements, but everything still felt too good to be true. She was afraid this would all be a dream.

She got dressed and ate a small breakfast before heading to the gym. Her hands shook and her heart raced as she pulled open the door.

Marvin was already there, looking up from the weights he was reorganising and grinned. “Good morning.”

“Sorry I’m late.”

“You aren’t. I’m early.” He motioned for her to come closer and pointed at a weight bench. “How about we talk a little before we start anything. I’d like to get to know you first.”

She sat down, worrying her bottom lip. She’d talked more about herself in the last few days than she had for over eight years.

“Don’t look so worried. I won’t ask about your deepest darkest secrets—yet.” He laughed mischievously.

They talked about her daily routine up to that point. How many miles she’d travelled every day, and what else she did to keep in shape. He asked about any dangerous encounters—human or wolf—and how she’d handled them both mentally and physically. He took notes on things he thought would help her best, such as exercises to strengthen her human body as well as techniques for self-defence and hunting.

After they talked, he showed her a few exercises she could do without any equipment. He also used that time to see how fit she was and measured her height and weight to track her progress while they were training together.

When they were finished, he asked her to come back the next morning. When she arrived home, she was drained in every way possible. She hadn’t had much human contact over the past months and now that she’d had so much, it was overwhelming, even felt as if she was drowning.

Chapter Seven

Velora

Mia and Curtis returned later that afternoon, excitedly knocking on the door.

“Evelyne’s baby is here!” They both burst out as soon as the door opened.

“Dad said maybe tomorrow we can visit,” Curtis continued. “He said they need rest now.”

“How exciting!”

They’d seemed very close to Evelyne when she’d seen them with her. Their excitement was the sweetest thing she’d seen in a long time.

So they didn’t have to worry about cooking, Velora suggested that the kids help her make a meal for Evelyne and Beta Wayne. They were all for it and spent the entire afternoon with her, creeping into the early evening. They were very chatty and talked about all the things they wanted to do with their new sibling.

After a while Curtis blanked then explained, “Father is looking for us. He’ll be here soon.”

Velora paled, feeling like she’d been punched in the gut. She hadn’t meant to keep them from him.

As soon as Alpha Heath knocked on the door, Mia ran to open it. “Look, Daddy! We cooked for Evelyne and Wayne so they can spend more time with their baby.”

“That is very sweet of you.”

Mia took her father’s hand and pulled him into the house.

“I see you’re keeping Velora quite busy these days.”

Velora’s heart sank, overwhelmed with guilt. She couldn’t look Alpha Heath in the eyes.