Chapter 3 –– I don’t need a Luna

Daemon's Point of View

Looking out the window, I was trying to take my mind off the current dispute I was having. The gardens were well-kept, and the street outside was free of rubbish. Various wolves and Omegas were walking past, going about their daily lives. All of them were completely unaware of what was happening in the packhouse. Most of them were clueless about what goes on behind the scenes to create a successful pack. With increasing irritation, I turned back to deal with this argument.

I could feel my anger rising, and I was close to losing my temper and destroying something. How dare Mitchell try to pressure me into this? Was I not the Alpha? Was I not capable of making my own choices? I bet my mother, Alana, put him up to this. All she cares about is having grandchildren, so she probably pressured Mitchell into this.

"Daemon! Son! Please listen to me! You need to find your mate," he said to me. I know my father was trying to reason with me, but he just didn't get it. My mother was his fated mate, and as they like to keep reminding me, they fell in love at first sight. I was not like them. I wasn't even sure I would ever want to be in love.

"I don't need one!" I growled at him.

"Without a Luna, you will be weaker," Mitchell explained.

"I am not weak, and I haven't needed a Luna yet," I answered him.

"That will change as you get older," he replied.

"I will deal with it then!" I retorted. "I will decide when I need one, and it will be when I want one and not before."

"Why won't you listen to reason?" Mitchell argued. "You need to visit other packs and see if your fated mate is close by. An Alpha needs a Luna, and a pack needs both."

Why doesn't he see reason? Ahhh! I feel like I am not going to get any sense into him. "And if I don't find my fated mate?" I asked.

"Then you may have to consider a choice, mate. It is not ideal, but better than not having a mate at all," he said.

"And if my fated mate comes along afterwards? Any relationship with my chosen mate would effectively end. My wolf would no longer tolerate a chosen mate," I replied. That was the problem with choice mates. No matter how much you loved them, there wasn't a mating bond. If your fated mate came along, the mating bond would eventually ruin your other relationships. This was the reason most shifters waited until they found their mate. I wasn't sure I wanted either at the moment.

"Well, you need to get a Luna soon!" he said, the words laced with a challenge. His tone grated on me as if my choices—or lack thereof—were some kind of joke to him.

"Enough!" I growled, my voice reverberating with barely controlled fury. My chest heaved as the weight of his words pressed against the fragile wall of my patience. The sharpness in my tone cut through the air like a blade, silencing him instantly.

I turned on my heel and stormed out of the room, my footsteps echoing in the corridor as anger and frustration coursed through me. My hands clenched into fists, my claws threatening to break the skin. Why did he think he had the right to meddle in my choices? To push me into something I wasn't ready for? The pressure was suffocating, and the walls of the packhouse felt like they were closing in on me.

I needed air. I needed space. I needed to breathe.

Mitchell was the former Alpha of the Black Wolf Pack—and furthermore, he was my father. For the most part, we had a good relationship. He had taught me nearly everything I knew about leadership, strategy, and the delicate balance of strength and compassion required to lead a pack. His lessons were ingrained in me from a young age, and I respected him deeply.

I took over from him about 4 years ago, when I was just 22. It was a good age to step into the role of Alpha, and I relished the challenge. I had been preparing for this all my life, training tirelessly, shadowing him during meetings, and learning the intricate dynamics of pack politics. By the time the mantle was passed to me, I was ready—or at least, I thought I was.

But there was one thing about my father that grated on my nerves more than I cared to admit: he had a habit of giving advice that wasn't always warranted. He meant well, of course, but sometimes it felt like he didn't trust me to make my own decisions, as if he couldn't quite let go of the reins. He'd often remind me of his "suggestions," delivered with a knowing look as if his way was the only way.

And now, here he was again, pushing me about getting a Luna—like it was some kind of missing piece in my leadership, a crack in my foundation that needed to be fixed. His persistence felt like a weight pressing down on my shoulders, and this time, I couldn't hold my frustration back.

"Enough!" I had growled before storming out of the room, the sound of my boots heavy against the hardwood floor. My father's voice didn't follow me, but I could feel the tension lingering in the air, thick and suffocating.

Yes, we had a good relationship. But sometimes, even the strongest bonds needed a little distance.

I was more assertive and far more powerful than he was, and fortunately, he had been able to see that and willingly passed the duty of Alpha on to me. If he hadn't, I would have had to fight him. I would have easily won, but I didn't relish having to do that, as I did love my father. He had been a satisfactory Alpha and caring father. Although I was the stronger of us, I still couldn't use my Alpha power to make him submit—neither he nor my mother.

Since I had taken over the pack, especially the pack's finances, we had quadrupled our wealth. The Black Wolf Pack was one of the biggest and wealthiest packs in the country. I knew how to invest money and make even more money. It was something I was talented at.

All pack members paid tax, which was put into the pack's funds. I also invested in some businesses, such as a construction company that dealt with humans and other packs. There was a law firm and property developers. My pack owned between 45 and 50% of the local city, where humans resided.

Some of my pack members owned small businesses in the central city. Some of the members even lived in town, but I kept a strict register of all Wolf-Shifters residing outside of the Black Wolf Pack's official boundaries.

I was very conscientious and didn't like to waste money on frivolous things, but we still lived with a reasonable level of luxury. All of my pack lived in clean, warm, well-maintained houses and apartments. It didn't matter their rank; they were all looked after, and none of my pack members, Omegas or otherwise, were abused or maltreated.

This was not always the case in many packs. I was proud of what I had achieved. I didn't need a Luna who would only be interested in my stature and wealth. Becoming the Luna of my pack would increase the status of almost any woman. I wasn't having that. Now, my father was pressuring me to find my mate, fated or chosen. I was furious.

I walked through the corridors of the packhouse, my mind racing with all the reasons why I didn't want a mate. I had seen how taking a chosen mate had ruined a friend's life. He had fallen in love with his chosen mate and had a pup. His life was good until his fated mate came along.

Of course, he had fallen straight away for his fated mate from the Goddess and had left his chosen mate behind. His fated mate had rejected him for not waiting and for having a pup with another woman. He returned to his chosen mate, only to be rejected by her.

I didn't want to be him or that person. My decision was to only take my fated mate as my Luna. Until then, I wanted to keep working towards making my pack the best it could be.