#Chapter 2: “Moth to a Flame”

I felt a fracture form in my heart, dividing me from Hunter.

I wasn’t sure if it could ever be repaired.

But I could do what needed to be done now.

I looked at Maya. Her wounds were all superficial and she was now bandaged well. We should move. There was no reason to be out here any longer.

“Let’s get her settled inside,” I said.

I met Hunter’s eyes. He looked lost, but nodded.

I led the group toward the pack house, a large modern building hidden in a bank of tall evergreen trees. From the road, you couldn’t see the structure, which gave us some natural protection from rogues and rival packs.

Inside it was clean and sleek, but with comfortable accenting touches. Hunter and I helped Maya to the brown leather sofa in the foyer just inside the large, iron main doors. The rest of the pack members filed in, finding spots on the floor or other furniture, or roving toward the kitchen.

I fetched her a glass of water and some painkillers, then asked if she felt up to talking through the pack operations. I spoke gently, seeing that her brow was still creased with fear or discomfort.

She took a deep breath and nodded. Hunter blinked and inclined his head. Telling me to continue, I thought.  

“As Chief Delta,” I said to Maya, “I’m responsible for assigning tasks to the new members of the pack. Until you have a chance to show your strengths and earn a particular position, we’ll start you off with one of the more basic jobs.”

Just as I opened my mouth to give her the assignment, I felt an intrusion inside my head.

I was well used to the werewolf power that allowed us to talk to each other inside our minds. But I wasn’t expecting to hear Hunter’s low, thick words right now.

Promote Maya directly to Delta.

His tone was quiet but commanding.

That’s not the usual practice, I mindlinked back, trying to keep my emotions out of the words.  

Are you the Alpha, or am I? I’ll assign work as I see fit.

Are you sure? She’s young and new to the practices of the pack. I’m happy to teach her, but we don’t want her to feel overwhelmed.

His brow furrowed. I could tell he was considering what I said, since it had to do with her feelings.

I wasn’t going to give her sewer duties or something like that, I told him, if that’s what you’re worried about. How about just a nice simple job with some gardening or other maintenance for the pack house?

He shook his head slightly, making a decision.

Kara, just do as I say. I want her as a Delta.  

“On second thought,” I said aloud, “you’ll start as a Delta, so we’ll be working together. We handle all the administrative duties for the pack.”

I wondered how she would cope. The responsibilities of a Delta were many and complex.

There was a low flurry of whispering behind me. I caught just a few isolated phrases here and there:

“Unfair” and “biased treatment.”

Hunter’s expression remained stony.

As Alpha, he didn’t need to explain himself.

And he clearly didn’t intend to.

I gave myself a shake and turned to the crowd.

“Commentary about assignments only serves to distract us from the business at hand.”

My voice was steady, and I could see that my professionalism assuaged their concerns. The chatter went silent.

I gestured to Laila and she walked quickly toward us.

My assistant reminded me a bit of Maya, actually. Laila had been quite naive when I started training her, but she was friendly and quick-to-learn. She’d be the perfect person to train Maya.

“Maya, this is my assistant, Laila. She can help you get acquainted with our office and the role.”

They shook hands, smiling warmly at each other. Maya looked much more at ease.

“Kara,” Hunter said as he started toward me. He waved Laila away from Maya. “I expect you to guide Maya personally as she learns the Delta duties.”

“Of course,” I said curtly, nodding but not letting my eyes meet his for long.

Maya was looking quickly back and forth between me and Hunter: her eyes fearful with intimidation when she looked my direction, and bright with admiration when she looked in Hunter’s.

Hunter’s phone rang.

The loud ringtone shattered the tense moment. He walked briskly out to take the call.

The other pack members began chatting normally as Maya looked up at me.  

She cleared her throat quietly before she spoke. The sound was high and soft.

“I’ll keep my distance from Hunter,” Maya said quietly.

“What do you mean?” I asked, though I thought I knew. She must have heard the gossip about my relationship with Hunter.

“I just mean that I’ll stay in my place. Don’t worry.”

I wasn’t sure what to say. I didn’t want to upset her, and also didn’t want to increase anyone else’s suspicion about my relationship with Hunter.

Wetness glimmered on her long eyelashes. She looked down at the floor and breathed shakily.

Hunter swept back in, looking between me and Maya.

I saw his jaw clench when he spotted the tears in her eyes.

“What happened, Kara?” he snapped, rounding on me.

I was still inhaling, preparing to speak, when Maya’s clear voice floated up instead.

“It was my fault.”

Hunter and I both turned to look at her.

“I don’t intend to overstep my position—I would never,” she continued.

Hunter’s eyes narrowed. He clearly thought I was pressuring Maya to stay away from him. That I was exploiting my position to get her to do what I wanted.

The fracture line in my heart grew, more pieces splintering off.

He should know that I would never do that.

Maybe he didn’t know me at all.

***

I was exhausted by the time I returned to the Alpha suite that night. There had already been plenty to think about, even before the events of the day.

A whole list of important duties.

Yesterday, I’d felt capable of all of them.

But then my husband had looked at Maya like she was his new tether to the earth.

I could hear the shower running from the bathroom, steam spilling out the open door to gather above the marble floor.

I started to walk toward the bedroom. All I’d been able to think about on my way home was getting under the covers, pulling them over my head, and forgetting the world in sleep.

But then I caught a glimpse of his shoulder in the bathroom mirror.

Whatever had happened, my traitorous body was still drawn to him.

I was a pathetic moth drawn in by a radiant flame.

I entered the bathroom just as he turned off the water and stepped out of the shower.

We’d been married long enough to have an established routine.

It didn’t require words.

I saw the shift in his eyes. There was a shadow at first, a crease on his brow revealing his remaining annoyance at me for my interaction with Maya earlier.

But then the furrow unwrinkled, his irises lightened with desire, and he stepped toward me.

I usually tried to lose myself in our intimacy. Tried to let the physical sensation take over so that I wouldn’t remember the imbalance between us.

I wanted him, every bit of him. I wanted to write my love on his body in the movements of my hips against his pelvis.

For him, it was a transaction. I paid in his satisfaction.

He reached toward me.

He grasped my hips, hands large enough to reach around my curves so that the pads of his fingertips grazed my ass.

He pulled me toward him.

I felt his length against the front of my thigh and a sudden tingling wetness between my legs in spite of myself. I pressed myself toward his body.  

He stepped immediately back and spun me away from him.

I watched in the oversized mirror as he unbuttoned my dress and peeled it down my body. His expression was focused, practical.

He lifted me onto the countertop and spread my legs apart, stepping toward me as he dropped his towel. I squirmed, the shock of the cold quartz counter contrasting the heat of my body.

I wanted him to fill me.

His hand slipped between my thighs and I let out an involuntary moan. He stepped closer, about to enter me.

My need for him battled against my upset with him.

I scooted backward onto the counter, away from him.

I couldn’t.

Not until I asked him outright.

“What’s going on between you and Maya?”

I watched his eyes, admired the hard planes of his body and impressive erection, felt the silence swell up between us.

It stretched for long seconds before he answered.

“Maya is my fated mate.”