One

“What the fuck are you doing, Avery?!” James shouted as Avery slapped the petite girl. 

“No! What the fuck were you thinking when you entered the pack house with that woman?! Who the fuck is she to disrespect me like this?!” Avery shouted in disbelief. 

Her husband of five years just got home after their patrol with the other pack members. It hasn’t even been five days since they left, and now they didn’t only get home without finishing their patrol but also brought an unknown woman. It was out of the ordinary. Avery thought that it would go as usual, that he would come home to her and whisper her sweet promises, but that wasn’t it. She’s having a hard time accepting the fact that her husband got home while he had his hand wrapped around another woman’s waist. 

The cute-looking looking petite girl looked at her in a brief moment, and Avery swore she had seen her smirking at her. 

“Ave, darling,” James called Avery in a very affectionate way. James is the Alpha of their pack, her husband, and her chosen mate. “I am sorry, but I need them to know that I have found my fated mate.”

“And you want me to just agree with that? You are being absurd! Are you kidding me, James?!”  

“There is no other way, Avery! She was being chased by another pack! I can’t just leave her alone when I know I can do something for her!” 

Avery looked at her husband again. This time, her looks were sharper. “You can protect her without telling them she is your fated mate! I can’t let you disrespect me like this!” Avery declared. “Aside from that, I can’t let you put the pack in a pedestal for a girl who knows who! How can you trust a girl who was chased out by her own pack?”

“Listen, Avery. I know we are chosen mates, and you will always be my Luna. That will never change, but my wolf needs Georgina to maintain his strength. He has been crazy since he saw her. This isn’t a good time to reject my mate, especially now that there’s a power struggle among all the packs!” 

Avery tightened her grip. There it was—the excuse!

She loved James even when they were younger. They were childhood sweethearts. Avery is a daughter of two Alphas, an heiress to an elite pack, while James is her father’s best friend’s son from another pack. Ever since they hung out together, people have been talking about how they are a perfect match and that they are made for each other by the Moon Goddess—a paidestiniesethemeem. They were a perfect match, and this fact would be a shock to their pack members. Besides, Avery has been educated to be the Luna of their pack at such a young age. She was molded and raised to be the perfect Luna. No one of unknown and lowly background has the right to disrespect her!

“You can’t do this to me, James.” Avery sternly said. 

“Avery, you are our rational Luna. You can’t turn a blind eye to this and just turn your back on your husband’s fated mate. You are better than that!” Brylle, the beta of the pack, declared. 

Avery sighed in defeat. She knows that everyone will be in favor of the Alpha as he is the one who is protecting and leading the whole pack. But despite that, they shouldn’t ignore the Luna of the pack. After all, she is the mind of the whole pack and the one who manages everything.

“I’ll think about it,” Avery declared. She turned their back on them and was about to walk out when Georgina grabbed her hand.

“Luna…”

“I said that I’ll think about it. Georgina, is it?”

Georgina nodded her head. She smiled at her and turned her head to one of her attendees.

“Maya, take care of her for me and attend to all her needs.”

“Copy that, my Luna,” Maya declared, emphasizing the word Luna.

Before Georgina could utter another word, Avery turned her back on her and walked out. She can be as collected as she was earlier, but there is a limit to the disrespect that she can tolerate. James bringing Georgina into the pack as if he didn’t think of her is already her limit. That was the last thing that she thought James would do, but now that it has come to this, she doesn’t know how to react. What’s up with that girl, anyway? Even Brylle took Georgina’s side as if he had known her for a long time. Even Avery had a hard time gaining his trust, so why did he look like he trusted her more? Beta Brylle isn’t someone who would be moved by sole pity, Avery thought. There has to be something more in it, and she has to find out what it is.

“Thank you for letting Georgina stay here,” James said as he entered Avery’s room.

Avery shook her head. “What I told you earlier still stands. I can find her a better pack to live in, but she cannot stay here for long. I have my limit, James. Don’t disrespect me and push me too hard.”

“But…”

“When I met my fated mate before our wedding, James, you forced me to reject him and even marked me without my permission. You begged me not to tell Father, and I did. You were the reason why my fated mate couldn’t feel me, and now I have to face your shortcomings again? Do I have to face the consequences of your own weaknesses all over again?”

“You’re going to tackle that up again? You did not even reject that bastard and come on, Avery! That was a long time ago!”

“Yes, and I still need to face the consequences of your actions! Do you even realize how hard it is for me to face my fated pair that day and act all cool because he couldn’t recognize me?”

“Is it my fault that your connection is so shallow that a mere temporary mark was enough to break it?” James retorted.

Avery’s hand tightened, but she knew he wasn’t wrong, so she couldn’t think of reason why he couldn’t recognize him. She did not reject him, but he already couldn’t feel her anymore after a temporary mark.

Avery sighed. “No matter what you say, I will not let her stay here for good. There must be a reason why she was chased out of her pack. You can’t put the pack at risk just for a mere wolf. You aren’t just an ordinary wolf, James. You are our alpha.”