Chapter 46

OAKLEY

We reached the pack house and had just enough time to shower before lunch. We made our way to the alpha floor. I started thinking about that rogue in the hospital and how much I could relate to what he went through with his rejection. I knew how hard it was. I hoped he had a second chance out there.

“What are you thinking about?” Mark asked. We had just gotten into our room and I realized I was just standing in the middle of the room. I moved towards the closet to pick out some clothes for after showering.

“I was thinking about the rogue and his rejection. I know what it feels like. We should let him join the pack if he wants. I wouldn’t force him to go back to where he came from. At least give him some time to heal and get on his feet. Help him to see that there are good ones out there and that life does go on. Maybe he will have a second chance out there. And he doesn't have to stay here forever. But being a part of the pack until he does decide what to do is better than being rogue.” I said.

Mark looked thoughtful for a moment before crossing the room to where I was in the closet. He pulled me into his arms and hugged me close.

“This is one of the many reasons why you are an amazing Luna.” He smiled at me.

“I take it that means yes?” I questioned, hugging him back.

“If that’s what he wants. We cannot force him to stay here either. Let him take the time in the hospital for the rest of today and then tomorrow we will see how he is doing and see what he wants to do.” He said.

“You don’t think we should at least let him know that he is welcome so that he doesn’t have to worry about it overnight? Give him the time to think about it?” I asked. It seemed like we were going to have different opinions on how to approach this situation and I was a little nervous about what was going to happen next. Mark was silent for the next few moments and it only made my nerves worse.

“How about this?” He broke the silence, “why don’t we send the beta over there with an offer so that he has the rest of the day and the evening to think about it and then tomorrow we will talk to him.” He finished.

“Okay, that’s a good compromise. I like that. I’m glad that you were able to come up with something that was in the middle of what we both wanted instead of just trying to demand that it be your way.” I smiled at him.

“Of course. Why wouldn’t I?” He asked me. I just shrugged. He looked at me skeptically.

“We should probably get moving so we can be down for lunch on time.” I said. He just nodded. We headed to the shower where we took turns showering and then finished getting ready for lunch. We headed down to the dining room once we were finished. Everyone got quiet and respectful of the alpha when we walked into the room, waiting for his okay to start eating. I could see Serenity and her minions in a corner whispering to each other and I could only hope that we could get through this meal without any issues. Once we sat at our seats at the alpha table and Mark gave the word for everyone to go ahead and eat the chatter went on like we hadn’t even walked into the room.

Lunch went on uneventfully. I chatted with the beta and gamma couple, mark and the few warriors that sat at our table. No one asked about the events of the morning and the rogue in the hospital so that was good. I glanced up over where Serenity was with her minions and noticed that it looked more like they were in a heated discussion then plotting something. One of the girls seemed to be in tears. It seemed as though the others were saying things she didn’t like or didn’t want to hear. All I could tell was they were not being very nice and I wondered if that was a normal thing. I didn’t even realize I was staring until Mark poked my shoulder.

“What’s wrong?” He asked.

“Do you see what’s going on over there?” I motioned with my eyes so I didn’t draw any attention to what I was looking at by pointing directly. It was a big room so I could have been looking anywhere in that general direction but I knew that once he saw what was going on he would know what I was referring to. He was quiet for a few moments and I looked over at his face to see him looking around. I rolled my eyes. I saw the moment he realized what I was looking at.

“What is happening there?” He asked.

“I don’t know but I want to get her alone and ask her what is wrong. what’s her name?” I asked him.

“Rebecca.” He said. “She’s the daughter of one of the warriors. I can mind link her to meet us privately in my office after lunch.” I nodded. I saw his eyes glaze over and looked over to see hers do the same. I could see she had paused her crying and that her friends were snapping in her face and getting more mad at her. It only lasted for a moment and when the mind link ended she looked even more worried.

“Probably should have waited until after lunch. That just made them more mad.” I told him. He just shrugged.

“I will take care of it if I need to. No one is going to be bullied. I’m not sure what is going on but the way they are treating her right now isn’t okay and I won’t tolerate it but I also won’t jump to conclusions. We will talk to her first and see what she has to say.” He said. I nodded. We finished our lunches with some mild conversation. I would look over occasionally to see her picking at her food, head down and doing her best to just get through lunch.

We finished our food and said our goodbyes to everyone. Mark took my hand, giving me butterflies and the sparks of the mate bond. Haven purring in my head. I didn’t think I would ever get used to it and yet I absolutely loved the feeling. I just wanted to curl up into it for the rest of the day and forget everything else but I knew that couldn’t happen. We made our way to his office to wait for Rebecca to join us so we could get to the bottom of what was happening at lunch.