Chapter 7

**** Enzi ****

Three days! She’s only been here a few days and she’s already turned my life upside down. This girl is driving me nuts. I should never have taken her. What the hell was I thinking? I should have left her there and come back in a few months. If I had, this whole nonsense with her and Merideth wouldn’t have been necessary. I can’t believe my mother arranged that. It’s not fair to Merideth, or to me, and most certainly not to Alyssa, but my mother is right about it being an effective cover, a cover that has already proved necessary. No one would possibly suspect that she means anything to me. It hurts like hell, though.

I look up when Jayvon bursts into my office.

“They say they were just told to take pictures of all the girls they see. Then they’d be told who to grab. They thought they were going to be kidnapping random girls, not necessarily a specific one. They weren’t given any descriptions to look for anyone in particular.”

I rock back in my chair and blow out a relieved breath. Jayvon has been monitoring the interrogation of the men we captured on our lands today, taking photos of our pack facilities and our pack members. Given that I couldn’t trust myself not to rip their heads off, I left that job to Jayvon. I almost lost control at the thought of them being here for her. It’s killing me to have my mate so close to me but not be able to treat her as she deserves or as I want. I want to cherish her, to worship her, but her safety is paramount. Even if she hates me forever, I will keep her safe.

“She’s not in any of the pictures they took,” I say, gesturing at the photos displayed on my desktop computer. My wolf is still fuming within me, and I’ve been constantly at odds with him since I met Alyssa. I’ve essentially been at war with myself every day. 

“Good thing she threw that little poolside stunt then,” Jayvon says with amusement. 

“It’s a good thing I locked her in her room, yes, but she can’t stay there forever. What the hell am I supposed to do?!” 

I hadn’t really been looking for my Luna; however, I was briefly thrilled to find her. Then, Simon filled me in, and all this shit happened. I’m constantly on edge and I hate myself more and more each day.

“Enzi, I know you wanted to keep all this quiet, but I think you need to consider telling Darryl. And maybe Jamie. They need to understand why you are obsessed with her,” Jayvon suggests.

I rub the back of my neck and groan, “I know, and I’m not obsessed.”

“You are,” he snorts.

“Fine, I am. Has anyone noticed?” 

“I don’t think so. She’s only left the pack house for training so far. But your Delta and Gamma should know what’s going on. Jamie already feels a pull to her and he can’t understand it. He thinks it might be a mate bond, but he can’t feel it completely because she’s young and doesn’t have her wolf yet,” Jayvon explains.

“Fracking hell!” 

Gammas have an innate inner drive to protect their Lunas. It’s strange that he feels that pull since Alyssa is not marked by me yet, meaning the mate bond hasn't even snapped in for her. It must be because she and I are both Alphas. The Mood Goddess’ magic is hard to comprehend, an it makes sense that Jamie would mistake the Gamma connection for a mate bond, though. Alphas often sense mates even if their mate is underage, but an underage wolf never senses his or her mate until they are 18. Non-alpha wolves can sometimes feel an attraction for their mates and sometimes have suspicions of who their mates are, but they never recognize the full mate bond until it snaps in for both individuals. 

I’ve seen some young couples who have dated for a long time and made that assumption. They talk themselves into believing their partner is their mate, then when they turn 18, the disappointment is heart-wrenching. That’s one of the many reasons that a lot of wolves don’t date until they find their mates. I can’t have Jamie pursuing Alyssa, thinking she might be his mate.

I mind-link Darryl and Jamie, asking them to meet me immediately. In a few minutes, I’ve given them both a quick rundown of the situation and explained the stakes. 

“So… she’s your mate?” Jamie asks with disbelief.

“Yes,” I admit.

“Then why are you being such a dick to her?” Jamie exclaims; his Gamma instincts kicking in. His job is to protect the Luna. Next to me, her mate and Alpha, he would be the closest person to her in the pack. Despite the pride that he’s already feeling protective of her, I can’t help the small growl at his disrespect toward me and my possessiveness over my girl.

“I explained that. There are things she doesn’t know, threats she can’t fathom, and for now, it’s best that no one knows who she is or why she’s here.” 

“What if someone recognizes her?” Jamie queried. 

“It’s doubtful. None of our pack members have been to her pack, and when we brought her here, we told everyone she was Jayvon’s cousin. I also instructed Jayvon to tell her and anyone who might ask that her last name is Smith,”

“Because that doesn’t sound fake at all,” snarks Jamie.

I ignore Jamie and continue, “People might recognize the name Johnson, so we needed to change it. Her parents were popular, well known.”

“She really doesn’t know who her true family is?” Jamie asks, shaking his head. 

“Nor why they want her,” I add in answer. 

“How can she not know though? Surely someone would have told her where her mother came from, even if it weren’t her parents. You can’t keep a secret like that quiet. Someone in her pack would have said something,” Darryl comments.

“According to her uncle, Alpha Simon, Luna Mara’s parents cut her off completely when she fled and ran off with his brother, her mate, Noah. Her parents pretended she didn’t exist, they completely erased all evidence of her. Luna Mara never mentioned them to anyone either. Very few people know where she came from, only Alpha Noah’s immediate family and his Beta. Alpha Simon said Luna Mara tried to contact them several times over the years. She even sent photos of Alyssa, hoping that her parents would at least want to know their granddaughter. They never responded to any of those attempts. They didn’t hear from Mara’s family until recently when they needed her.” 

“Bro, I have to say, Alyssa deserves to know what’s going on. I hate that you are putting her through this,” Jamie raises his concerns.

“Believe me, I despise myself for it. At first I thought claiming her was the safest option for her. Who’d dare attack us? But when I got in the car after the wedding, I found this on my seat.” I pass Jamie the note that threatened to kill her if I publicly claim her as my wife and mate.

“Goddess!” Jamie swears. “Any idea who sent it?”  

“None. And that’s not all. I got that one while we were in her pack, and this one was pushed under my office, earlier today..” 

I hand Jayvon the second note. He quickly scans it, before handing it to Darryl who does the same thing before handing it to Jamie. This note specifically references my holding her in her swimsuit and that they are always watching us. It kills me that I can’t figure out what’s going on here.

“If any of you have a better idea, please share it.” I say. “I know I’m being a dick but I’d rather be a dick that keeps her safe than a loving mate who gets her killed. We need her here and we need to keep her identity secret at least until she’s of age and I can mark her. It’ll be easier to protect her then. Once that’s done, he won't want her any more. Just like he didn't want his daughter anymore when she chose Noah.” 

“If she’ll let you. If she chooses you after all this,” Jamie mutters.

I growl at Jamie’s snark, I hear both Jayvon and Darryl stifle a laugh. No one challenges me, Jamie certainly never has before, he’s already so damn protective of his Luna. Jamie’s right, though. At the rate I’m going, she won’t let me touch her, she’s already said as much, let alone mark her as mine. And I can’t blame her one tiny bit.

Still, the thought crushes my heart. 

I try to ignore it and keep talking, “It’s the only way to keep her safe. They killed her parents to get to her, for Goddess’ sake! And I’m sure there’s more Simon didn’t tell me. The question is, what else could he be hiding? It’s only for three more months. Then I’ll tell her everything.”

**** Alyssa ****

It’s three full days before I see my dickwad jerkface husband again, up close and personal. I watch him at most mealtimes sitting beside his future Luna. I’m thankful that he’s not into PDA. Other than mealtimes and training, I don’t see anyone the whole week. Mistress Merideth hasn’t visited again and I don’t know anyone else here. I suspect my loving husband told her to ignore me as a punishment. Thank Goddess for books. They mysteriously turn up while I’m sleeping or out of the room and have been my only company lately.

For both meals and training, a warrior named Jamie collects me from my room and walks me to and from my destination. I am not given time to linger either. Jamie is a couple of years older than me, quite attractive, and seems genuinely friendly. Anyone who saw us walking together would assume we are good friends, maybe more. No one would make the correct assumption that he is my jail guard. At least he is nice.

Sometimes after training or after meals, I would find a small surprise in my room. Chocolates, flowers, and books to relieve my boredom. I suspect it was Merideth, or maybe Jamie; they are the only people that have actually shown me any kindness since I’ve been here. Plus, the books were mostly sappy romance novels, which seems more like a Mistress Merideth’s thing. This was not a genre I’d ever read before, and I was quickly finding that I really enjoyed them. They were light and easy, and I didn’t have to think too hard. Yet, I still found myself completely pulled into the ridiculous stories. They gave me something else to think about other than my own horror story. Escaping into a ridiculous world was definitely appealing.

In an effort to relieve my boredom, I also wrote letters to my uncle and my best friends back home. I begged Jamie to find me paper and envelopes, and the next time I saw him he had a gorgeous packet of notecards for me. Though he told me not to seal the envelopes as the Alpha would need to review my letters for any potential security red flags — of course he would. 

Even though I appreciated the ability to write to my friends, I couldn’t actually tell them a damn thing! I couldn’t tell them I was married. I couldn’t tell them what pack I’m at. I couldn’t tell them the truth about how he treats me. So really, I was still just as alone and isolated as I was before. What could I even say? My letters were vague and not like me at all. I told my friends I was visiting a few different packs, meeting new people, and that I missed them and would love to hear from them. At least they would know I was alive somewhere and thinking of them. 

In my uncle’s letter, I asked after his family. My cousin was due to be born around the same time as my birthday, so Aunt Carin’s due date was rapidly approaching. I could use some happy news. Even though logically, I only just sent the letters, I couldn't help but get my hopes up every time I saw Jamie, thinking maybe he had a reply for me. No such luck yet. 

Since it has been a few days since seeing real people, imagine my surprise when I’m woken up one morning by a giggly someone bouncing on my bed.

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