CHAPTER 10

LAZAR

“Who's the new girl, Alpha?” My Gamma, Mason asked me. I tore my eyes away from the laptop and traced it to see what or who he's staring at.

My eyes landed on my mate. She was curled up on the mini couch in the balcony. Her legs were tucked under her, wrapped in one of the blue throw blankets.

My eyes just stayed fixed on her. She had a paperback open, and man, was she ever locked in. You could tell by the way her head was tilted slightly and her eyes didn’t move at all that she was gone.

Completely lost in the book, not worried about me or what the Pack has to say about her. She has her whole mind on the words of the page.

Her red hair was pulled back in a simple messy bun. The way she always does it when she’s really focusing. It looked soft, and I felt that familiar warmth spread through my chest.

I reached for the coffee on the table and took a long drink from it, just watching her breath.

And then I smiled. Not a big laugh or anything, just a deep-in-the-gut feeling of happiness and pride.

‘Seriously’, I thought, looking at this calm, smart, beautiful person in my house. How the hell did I manage to bag a mate this beautiful?

It wasn't a question I needed an answer to. It was just a quiet thought of total disbelief and gratitude. I'd never thought that I'd find my mate, let alone someone as beautiful as she is. Her boyfriend must be a fool for ever hurting her.

People like her are meant to be handled with care and respect. They should be protected from the evil in this world by all means. Well, what better place than my arms?

“You should have just let me kill him that time, Lazar.” My wolf growled and I could only chuckle. During the day, we'd paid a visit to the police station to see Allison's guardian and her asshole boyfriend.

When they confessed everything they've done to her, my wolf wanted out. He wanted to hurt them the same way they hurt her. He wanted to avenge her, but I didn't give him the chance. Killing them was pointless…. To me, it was a useless thing to do. They don't deserve a quick death.

“No, Ronan. Killing them is an easy route. If you kill them, trust me, you're only doing them a favor.” There is a reason why a lot of people prefer to die when they're in anguish. It is simply an escape route, an easy way out of their pain. Letting them die so soon would only mean we're doing them a favor.

“Fine.” He hissed. “I won't kill them if that's what you want, but I'll torture them. Just give me a chance to do it.”

“How about no, Ronan?” My wolf cannot be trusted. There's no guarantee that he won't kill them while he's torturing them.

I sat there, rooted to the spot, enjoying the simplest, best view in the world: my mate who was totally at peace.

But I tore my eyes away from her when I heard Mason clear his throat. “What?” I furrowed my brows.

“No…nothing really.” He stuttered, but I pretended not to notice the mischievous look on his face. “I was only surprised to see a new maid in the Pack House. There wasn't a recent auction for maids, so….”

“That's your Luna, Mason. Show some fucking respect to her.” Marcus interjected. “Else you're gonna be punished.”

Mason's eyes went wide with shock. “Luna, as in Alpha Lazar's mate?”

“You heard right, Mason. She's your Luna and she deserves your respect.” He added.

​"But what about Margaret? I thought she was your..."

​I slammed my palm down on the table, cutting him short before he could utter another word about her. “One more word about her and I'll have you punished.”

“Forgive my carelessness, your Majesty.” He quickly lowered his head to the ground. “I'm… I'm sorry, your Majesty.”

The atmosphere in the pavilion changed almost immediately.

“Margaret was never my Luna, Mason. I never acknowledged her as my chosen mate or Luna. Get that into your head.”

“I am really sorry, your….”

“You are dismissed.” I cut him off. Without hesitation, he rose up from the chair and walked away. Of course he wouldn't hesitate to leave, because he knows what fate awaits him if he does.

As soon as walked away, Marcus burst into laughter.

“Everyone keeps addressing my sister as your Luna and trust me, it's funny. It truly is.” He said amidst his chuckles.

He was right. The Pack members wouldn't stop addressing her as my Luna even though I never acknowledged her as one. I never saw her as someone I would want to settle down with. Margaret may be strong, beautiful, the perfect match for a Pack Luna, every sane man's dream like she tried to portray, but in my life, she just doesn't fit in.

I've seen the way she acts around the Pack members, the way she treats them, the way she sees them as rags. That's not the kind of Luna a powerful man like me would want. I want someone who's sweet and caring to the Pack members, not someone who pushes them away at any opportunity she gets.

“It's all thanks to the former Alpha and my father. If he hasn't promised her that she'll be your Luna, we wouldn't be here.” He added and I could only sigh.

My father has promised Margaret that she was going to become my Luna since I haven't found my fated mate. Even though that was many years ago, the poor lady still held on to those words. She rejected her mate twice all because she wanted to be with me. I've made it clear countless times that she'll never be my Luna, but it's hard for her to understand.

“Speaking of which, Alpha, when are you going to introduce your mate to the Pack? The Pack elders don't know that you've found your mate yet. You know they'll keep disturbing you to take a mate from the eligible women. They won't stop until you choose one of them. So when are you going to introduce her, so the elders can get off your back?”

“When the time is right, Marcus, I'll introduce her. But for now, Allison needs to become familiar with the Pack. And also, she needs to recover fully.”

“I see, Alpha.” He nodded slowly. “She needs to become familiar with everyone. But asides that, are you fully prepared for when Alpha Darius will realize that your mate is human?”

“You have nothing to worry about, Marcus. No matter how stubborn my father can be, I am still the Alpha. He'll have no choice than to respect my orders.”

He exhaled sharply. “I'm not gonna lie, Lazar.” ​Marcus is my best friend, but he’s also my Beta. When he calls me by my name instead of "Alpha," I instantly know he's talking to me as my friend, not as my second-in-command. “I am worried about you. You know how Alpha Darius can be. He doesn't know your mate. He doesn't know that she's human. It's keeping me up all day, man.”

“I appreciate your concern, Marcus. I really do, but you should stop dwelling on what my father will do if he finds out that my mate is human. I don't give a fuck about him. You shouldn't either. So please relax.”

"What if he tries to cause trouble or something? A war?"

"Levying a war against your Alpha is considered an abomination, Marcus. If he tries it, I'll be forced to have him jailed. No two ways about that."