The Unwanted Wolf

ADIRA

Luna Freya was escorted out of the patient’s room, and the entire time, my heart was pounding. I didn’t understand why I was so afraid to see her. She had never done anything to physically hurt me, and there was nothing she could do to hurt me, but I sat there frozen with fear, hoping she wouldn’t talk to me.

My heart hurt as I watched her fight for her right to see Cain, wishing she had fought for me like that one time in my entire life. Deep down, I knew she thought of me as a burden and nothing more.

When she was finally out of the room, Mark turned back to me. He cupped my cheeks and made me look at him. “It’s okay. She’s gone.”

I tried to swallow, but my throat was dry. It was irrational to feel so much fear from someone I used to call “mother,” but I was having a hard time calming down my heart.

Mark grabbed my hand and squeezed it. “Let’s get you back to bed. It’s late.”

“She doesn’t have any power over you,” Reyland said, looking at the entrance to the door. “Just because she is your mother, it doesn’t mean she has any place in your life.”

I took a deep breath, trying to calm my heart. “I know. I just wasn’t expecting to see her right now.”

Mark turned to Reyland. “What was this deal you made with her?”

Reyland turned and looked Mark in the eyes. “I planned on telling you once I got back, but that’s when we found out where Adira was being held. Freya requested to be present when the search party went to find Cain in exchange for information. I agreed to it, because I was desperate for information, but with how fast everything happened, it wasn’t worth even attempting to bring her.”

Mark was silent for a moment. He looked at me, and his eyes brightened. “I completely understand. I would have likely made that same deal in your situation. Perhaps we can arrange a meeting with the two of them, depending on how my interrogation goes with Cain.”

“I want to be with you when you talk to Cain,” I said.

Mark took a step back. “I don’t want you anywhere near him, not after what he did to you.”

“I agree with Mark,” Reyland said. “That man should never set eyes on you again.”

I stood up and looked at both of them. Mark tried to help me up, but I brushed him off. “I understand where you two are coming from. Part of me would be happy if I never saw him again, but I feel like it is more important for me to be there. As messed up as his actions have been, I believe he believes he was just trying to protect me. If anyone is going to get information from him, I have the best chance.”

“I don’t like this,” Mark stated firmly.

I grabbed his hand. “I know, but I won’t be alone. You and others will be with me.”

“If he tries anything to hurt you, I won’t be able to hold back from killing him.” Mark’s face was hardened as he spoke. I could see all of the pent-up anger and fear still lingering on his face. If he wasn’t more concerned about my health, I was confident Mark would have killed Cain on that battlefield. Messing with an alpha’s mate was one of the dumbest things a person could do.

I kissed Mark on the cheek and smiled. “I would expect nothing less from my alpha.”

Mark looked down at me with wide eyes, and this time there was something else lingering there.

Reyland cleared his throat, and he looked around awkwardly. “I’m glad to see you doing well, Adira, but I think we should all get some more rest before the sun tells the world it’s time to get up.”

I chuckled to myself, realizing Reyland was feeling uncomfortable at the idea of his daughter flirting with her mate in front of him. He never did have to deal with that when I was a teenager, since I hadn’t dated anyone while I was still a part of Pack Lyna.

I leaned over and kissed Reyland on the cheek. “Good night, dad.”

Reyland beamed in response. “Good night, Adira.”

–

The next morning, I was feeling significantly better. My body wasn’t as tired after getting some proper sleep with my mate. I was up fairly early, feeling the need to get started for the day. I know Doctor Zayla said I should take it easy, but I was buzzing and couldn’t stand the idea of being in my room any longer.

Just as I finished getting dressed, I heard a knock at our door. Mark was still in bed, fast asleep, so I tiptoed over to the door. I cracked it open, and instantly Rie burst through the door, wrapping her arms around me. She held me tightly and didn’t let go for a moment.

“I’m so happy you are okay and back here!” Her voice was by no means quiet, and I heard Mark stirring in the bed.

“Why are you so loud?” Mark g*****d, turning over.

“I’m happy my luna is home! And I haven’t had a chance to talk to Adira yet,” Rie defended. “It’s not my fault you are still in bed.”

“It’s my room,” Mark grumbled, pulling a pillow over his head.

“It’s also Adira’s, so you have to deal with my presence,” Rie said. Her voice was loud and peppy, and this was the best mood I had seen her in for a while.

Mark grabbed his pillow and chucked it at Rie, hitting her in the face. I burst out in laughter at the shock on Rie’s face. I stepped in between them before things got more chaotic.

“Okay, that’s enough children.” I sat on the bed and looked at Mark. “I’m going to go get breakfast with Rie. You can join us when you’re ready.”

“Actually, I need Adira for the morning. You can have her after,” Rie said.

Mark glared at Rie for a moment before looking back at me. “Have fun, and don’t be too long. I want to spend more time with you today.”

“I’ll come right back to you when we are done.” I kissed Mark on the cheek and tried to stand up. He quickly pulled me back for a real k**s. His tongue dipped into my mouth, making my core buzz with excitement. For a moment, I completely forgot about Rie in the room, and I just wanted to stay in bed with Mark all morning.

Rie g*****d and grabbed my wrist, pulling me away from Mark. “Very funny, Mark.”

Mark smirked at her. “I was just giving my mate a k**s goodbye.”

“Uh-huh.” Rie didn’t believe Mark for a second, knowing exactly what he was doing. She pulled me out of the room and towards the dining room.

My face was still flushed from the k**s with Mark, and my mind was preoccupied with thoughts of being marked by my mate once again.

“Earth to Adira,” Rie said, waving her hand in front of my face. I hadn’t even realized we were already in the breakfast nook.

I bit my l*p, feeling a little embarrassed. I knew Rie knew what I was thinking about. “Sorry.”

Rie rolled her eyes. “It’s fine. I know exactly what Mark did. I’m just glad we finally have a moment together. It’s been much too long since we’ve had a chance to talk, and there’s so much we need to go over.”

“Oh, like that mark on your neck?” I teased. I could see Rie’s fresh mate mark on her neck, sticking out of her shirt.

Rie’s face turned bright red, and her eyes veered away from mine. She tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. “Mason is great.”

“He is. I still can’t believe my childhood best friend mated with one of my current best friends,” I said with a smile. It was a sweet couple, and I couldn’t have been happier for both of them.

Rie bit her l*p to try to hide her smile, but there was no hiding it. “That’s a little weird to think about, but I never thought I’d find my mate in the midst of all of this chaos.”

I reached out and grabbed her hand. “You deserve it. You two are adorable together.”

“Speaking of which, now that you’re back, we need to figure out when we are going to do your luna ceremony,” Rie said.

I shook my head. “That doesn’t have anything to do with what we are talking about.”

“Well, that’s enough talking about me,” Rie whined. “I’ve been wanting to figure out this ceremony–Scythe is going to need to be involved too–and catch up with you. I was scared we wouldn’t have a chance to plan this ceremony.” Her energy shifted, and she looked down at the table. “I can’t even imagine what Mark was going through, because it sucked for me. I hated not knowing where you were or if I would ever see you again.”

“Rie.” I pulled my lips tight. I didn’t realize my missing presence would cause such turmoil for anyone other than Mark, but it made sense. I would have been upset if it had been Rie or anyone else taken away like that.

Rie suddenly looked up with a bright smile on her face. “And that’s why I want to focus on happy things like planning your luna ceremony and perhaps even a baby shower.” She lifted her eyebrows up, a devious look on her face.

My eyes went wide. How many people knew about the pregnancy? “We don’t need to worry about the latter one any time soon.”

Rie pushed her lower l*p out and pouted. “Come on, Adira. I need details. You and Mark are going to have a baby?”

A smile spread across my face helplessly. “We are. I’m not very far along yet, though.”

“I can’t believe there’s going to be a baby in this pack,” Rie mused, smiling brighter than ever.

“Me neither. It doesn’t feel real yet.” I still felt like a kid in a lot of ways, so it was a weird thought that I would be a mother soon.

Rie reached over and grabbed my hands. “You are going to make a wonderful mother. You are already a great luna. So I’m thinking we plan for the luna ceremony on Friday. I know things aren’t over yet, but I also think we need some positivity in this house. What do you think?”

“I think that’s a great idea.”