5. Different.

Storm’s pov

I didn’t want to buy a Luna. I had told my dad that numerous times.

"Well, if you had found one on your own, or even attempted to look, then you wouldn’t be in this mess." My wolf, Brand, said.

Brand means fire in Dutch, and he is a bit of a hothead, so the name fits him. He claims he's agitated because I haven’t found my Luna yet to ground me, or whatever the fuck he thinks.

"Just shut the fuck up, you know I'm right." Brand growled.

Dad didn’t tell me where we were going until I got on that plane. Both me and mam were pissed. She told me to show no interest in anyone, and hopefully, dad would just leave the whole thing alone. But of course, he didn't, and now I was stuck with some seventeen-year-old that I had looked at once.

"You like her." Brand said. "You might act like you don’t, but she is your type."

"She is nothing like the girls I’ve dated." I countered.

"She’s strong, tall, beautiful, and a handful. Isn’t that exactly what you want in a mate?"

It was. For years, I had tried to find someone who would appeal to both myself and my father. Someone who would be submissive, who could blend in when necessary but stand out at parties. Someone like my fucking stepmother. She knew when to shut up and when to speak. She knew what her role was, and she played it to perfection. She was fake, and I hated her, but I knew that’s what my dad wanted for me, and he wouldn’t let me become Alpha until I had found someone like that. But Aaro was the opposite of that.

Seven years of trying to find the perfect Luna, hoping I might run into my true mate, didn’t work. I was twenty-five now, and most people had already been marked and mated. Fuck, most people had kids at my age.

By the time Mama was twenty-five, I was already eight.

I didn’t know what to do about Aaro, and I thought about it the whole plane ride home. I could cut her loose, but dad would find her and probably punish her for my mistake.

I could take her as my Luna and try to have a nice life with her, but was that really fair to her? On the other hand, it was a step up from living at that school or being dead. And it would get my dad off my back, finally.

I tried to ignore Aaro as much as possible, hoping she’d realize I wasn’t some fucking predator waiting to take her virginity against her will. I would never do that. I didn't want this whole thing either.

Then the fucking lunch. Wow. Not only was Aaro purchased, but she was now treated as property as well. Changing her hair, her name—what the hell else did they want to change about her? Didn’t they realize she was worth just as much as the rest of us?

Aaro was strong. She held herself in the company of me and my father, and our auras did nothing to her. Most people had to get used to our auras. Mam sometimes said it felt like there was less air in the room or like someone was sitting on your chest. I also could tell she was strong because, when my dad put a fucking tracking device in her wrist, she hardly screamed out.

Even after blood started dripping on the floor, she merely stood there.

"I am taking her to the damn doctor." I growled. "She hasn’t got her wolf yet!"

Dad shrugged his shoulders. "She’ll heal."

I knew he didn’t respect women; I had seen it all my life. But this was a new low for my dad. Threatening to kill my mother, buying someone, and piercing the wrist of an innocent young woman. I really shouldn’t be surprised, but I was. I kept hoping to see some good in the guy, but until now he was failing miserably at that.

I picked Aaro up, and she made a tiny squealing sound.

She smelled good. She felt good. It wasn't like the other women I'd dated. She honestly smelled like stroopwafels. They're the Dutch cookies my mom used to get in the mail from my grandparents. They weren’t allowed to come here, but they sent packages, and we’d video call.

Maybe if I got a Luna, mam could go home.

I walked with her in my arms to the doctor without saying a word. She held her wrist, and by the time we got there, it was almost closed.

The doctor smiled at me, when I placed Aaro on the small bench in the office.

"Future Alpha Storm. How can I help you?"

"I am not the one that’s fucking bleeding, so maybe focus your attention on her." I pointed to Aaro.

The doctor nodded his head and quickly examined Aaro’s wrist. "I’ll give you some stitches, so it will barely leave a scar. But it should be healed in a few hours. Can I ask what caused such a peculiar wound?"

Aaro smiled at the doctor, "a nail. I walked into a nail, doctor."

"Just get it fixed." I growled.

The doctor gave Aaro two stitches and put a small bandage on her wrist.

"Thank you, Doctor." Aaro said, before getting up from the bench.

"No problem, sweetheart."

I grabbed Aaro’s arm that wasn’t hurt and pulled her from the office, saying, "this is your future Luna, Aaro, not "sweetheart."

"Jealous?" Brand said, mocking me.

"I apologize, -" The doctor tried to say something, but we had already left his office.

"Get dressed, and I’ll show you the pack." I said.

Aaro nodded but raised her eyebrows slightly. I knew there was a lot she was keeping hidden inside that pretty head. I could see the defiance in her eyes, but since arriving, she had acted like the perfect fucking mail order bride. What was she actually thinking?

I walked ahead, but she kept following me.

"What?!" I growled, turning towards her.

She didn’t even flinch.

"My room is next to yours, future Alpha Storm. You asked me to get dressed, right?" Everything she said was sweet, but "right" had a sarcastic tone to it.

"It’s cold. Dress in layers." I said, and I opened the door to my room and slammed it shut behind me.

What the hell was going on with me? Why did I care about someone I had met hours ago? Why did I care what she thought or if she was hurt or got cold? I had treated the women I had dated fine. I mean, I didn’t love them, but I treated them with respect. I didn’t hurt them, at least not on purpose. I might be cold, but I’m not fucking heartless. But Aaro? Something was different about her, and it was confusing the hell out of me.

I had some blood on my shirt, so I took it off and changed into a sweater. I was used to the cold, but even I could tell it was freezing today. I picked one of my warmer jackets and some boots. I hate it when snow gets into my shoes and my socks get wet. Shit, should I have told Aaro to pick sensible shoes?

I got out of my room and waited for Aaro to step out. How long does it fucking take to get dressed?

I knocked on the door, and she didn’t open or respond. I knocked again, this time loudly, and she opened the door, wearing the same dress.

She had washed her arms; there was no blood left. But her face and dress seemed wet as well, which made the dress cling to her body even more. She had the perfect fucking hourglass figure, and those breasts were just the right size. She had put her hair in a ponytail, which I wish she hadn't done. I liked her hair down.

"What’s the fucking problem?"

She sighed, as if she were holding herself back from saying something she’d regret.

"I apologize, future Alpha Storm. Most of the clothes here are for special occasions, and most of them are too small."

"Come with me." I said, pulling her arm again.

She bit her lip. Was she holding herself back from speaking again?

I took her into my room and went into my dressing room. I picked out a t-shirt, a thick woolen sweater, some jeans, and a belt. She might be tall, but she wouldn’t be able to fit into my jeans. Although she did have a big ass.

"Which you love." Brand said, and I ignored my annoying wolf.

"Get dressed."

She raised an eyebrow, and I looked at her, waiting for her to speak out. One day she would be unable to hold back, and I would know what she really wanted to say.

But instead she looked at me defiantly and pulled her dress off. Shit, she wasn’t even wearing a bra, and that thong barely covered anything. I stared at her, admiring her beauty. Her nipples were perked; she must be cold. Her skin was smooth, and she had the cutest little belly button. And those muscular legs. she barely had a scar on her. Just one on her leg and a small scar on her knee. Wow, she was perfect.

She rolled her eyes at me and began putting on the t-shirt, the sweater, and the jeans. She looked unsure at the belt, as if she didn't know what to do with it.

I walked towards her, taking the belt from the bed, and I pulled her close by the waist of my jeans. I looped the belt through every loop, with my thumb stuck inside the waist of her jeans. Her skin felt so warm and soft against my thumb, and she smelled so fucking good. All I wanted was to stick my hand inside her jeans and feel her skin against the rest of my finger, maybe touch that ass of hers, but I held myself back. I tied the belt and took a step back.

"Let’s fucking go."