My redundancy

The meeting had come to a conclusion. There will be supply of water and electricity continued to the huge pack, but the pack has to give back security to humans.

Against vampires at night.

That was easy. Even my pack used to do that. It's rather simple to keep vampires at bay than live in an uncivilized pack house, right beside a human city.

I breathed out, exhausted with three hours of baseless discussions. How does Jean Bloodmond cope with this every two days a year? Maybe that was why it's just for two days in a year. Can't imagine listening to puny humans speak for hours and hours non stop.

"How was that, sweet angel?" I sat like a sack of potatoes dumped over a chair. The way I groaned made Jean chuckle. He moved over to me, walking behind me as he touches my chin.

Goddammit. He makes me feel like a little girl.

"I think I have an answer already. Too boring, right? They're not the only people coming here for free therapy, however. We have other ties."

...Doesn't trade stop at water, electricity and materialistic goods?

"I think I now know what kind of Luna I'd become. Can't be doing alpha shits any longer." Jean chuckled.

"Well," We watch everyone leave the room until it's just us both.

"Can we talk about us now? I want to learn more about you, so I can serve you better."

Serve...me? A fresh rogue from my shitty pack?

I don't think so, sweetheart.

"Uh...why would you want to serve a person like me? I don't put anything on the table." I expressed genuinely. Jean brings his hand up to hold mine over the table. I gulp at the sight. How his huge hand overlaps mine and gives me warmth that no one has ever given to me.

"Because you are my mate. It's my duty to keep you happy and serve you till the end of my time with you." He takes the hand in his hold to kiss the back of it. Why...? Why so gentlemanly?

"...Till the end of your time with me?" I could rejoice a thousand times in the future with those words. With a scoff, I shake my head. My old, cold self was resurfacing.

"Men cannot dedicate themselves to a woman like me."

"Why not?" I furrowed my eyebrows upon his question. He was moving into me, making me back up on my chair as much as I could. But, it was of no use.

"B-Because alpha men have a s-second chance—"

My lips were sealed. His warm, pink lips that lingered over mine have reached and closed my speech. He moves our lips to which I couldn't help but comply, like the fool I am.

"My previous mate was killed. I didn't love her as much, but she was killed."

"...By who?"

"Jacob." I gasped.

I should've expected that answer. With the hand slowly coming down from shock, I extend my question, "Why...?"

"He didn't want to see me happy, Lesley. That was why- That was why I was begging you, insisting you to come to me. He's more than dangerous. He just wants to wreck me and turn me into him. We're brothers, after all."

Twins, on top of that.

I couldn't help myself from getting to my feet and hugging him to my stomach. He's been through so much, all because of Jacob. His mother was killed by him, then his first mate as well.

"Then that makes me your second chance?"

"Yes." I soothed his hair after the answer. Why do I feel the need to say sorry to him?

"There's a little festival coming up. Our pack is huge, and the celebration as well. It's a festival of showing our heirloom to the moon and absorb her powers to stay strong for another year." He explained pretty briefly.

"I see. We have a tradition something similar to that as well. I...I am looking forward to it."

"But since this time around we have a Luna, you shall be the pillar to help our heirloom reach the touch of moonlight in the evening, Lesley. Are you okay with that?"

"It's just holding the article up for the first moonrays to hit it, right?" He gently shakes his head as a no. My eyes widen.

"The Luna is our yin energy, we know that. You will be absorbing a part of the energy as well from the heirloom. I heard it was scary from my grandma. When she was young, and the Luna of this pack."

Whoa...

To feel the power of the moon surge within me? It felt like the myth. But I want to do it. With a curt nod, I smile at the man who tilts his head to the side.

"You have such a pretty face, baby girl." Oh, I couldn't help but blush.

After that, we make our way back to the bedroom only to see Roman trying to talk to the human woman. The companion of a trade master, or someone along the lines.

"What is going on here?" Of course, it's not very common to see someone randomly chilling in your bedroom while you were away. She smells drunk, yet Roman was being as patient as a saint with her.

"Madame Kiya, I request you to be walking out of this room since the alpha is already here. Look! He is here! He might not like it—"

"Shut up!" The woman named Kiya takes a deep breath around,

"Hmm...what's that sweet smell? Is that a woman?" I raise my eyebrow.

Was she a half werewolf?

A hybrid, perhaps?

"This is our room, Madam Human. Please, your husband or partner - whoever that is - is waiting for you outside. You are causing problems to our pack." I step up and speak, since sweet words don't really reach a drunken mind.

"Problems for your pack...? I belong here!"

"If you did, I would remember your name, Lady. Who are you?" I turned to look at Jean who sends his authoritative voice out to the woman.

"Ugh...what a waste to explain everything from the scratch. Well...I've been waiting for my whole life to travel here, claim my place here only to be rejected by my own step brother." Jean crushed his eyebrows together.

He walked towards her so swiftly that I thought he would hit her, land a blow on her face for her drunken spurts.

Instead, he shook her arms, aiming to get her sober.

"Who the fuck are you...?" He repeated his question. Wait. What is going on in here?

"The product of an affair, is what I'd like to say, dear brother. I am half demon, half werewolf, just like you. But my story was entirely different. Because mother...killed and feasted upon my father's corpse after doing the deed. She was much older and filled with love from you two, born twins in her lonely life. Remember the tale your father must've told? That mother was gone missing from this pack for five months?" Jean nodded his head.

Suddenly, he began to realize.

He covered his mouth in astonishment, so did I.

The demon mother of his...didn't really have a heart, did she?

I can't even imagine the birth of this woman standing in front of us.

"She threw my unborn self into a river. I was still five months in her womb, yet bigger and stronger than any other species because I'm half demon, just like you."

That was true.

Werewolves and demons bear children for a lot lesser time than humans. Vampires bear for more, because they need proper and specific nutrition to give birth to a child. Also, Vampires don't get pregnant that easily. Hence, their population depends on converting humans into their species.

The festival was right around the clock, later details came to me like a truck. The festival...is tomorrow.

When tomorrow comes, the morning was such a wreck already. For me, it felt like there was a piece of it which was missing from my heart. Should I be doing this?

I feel as if something is going to happen with me, especially since I'm a rogue now and am officially not a pack member. Even though Jean has marked me on the side of my nape.

Remembering that, I touched the small bruising on my nape. It was two little dots, his marking was so gentle in the lake too. I just keep thinking about it, smiling soon.

What the fuck? I'm so bipolar.

"You're thinking too much about the festival, baby girl." Walking inside our shared bathroom with toothbrush on one hand and towel in another, Jean speaks out loud. Why do I always forget he could read my mind whenever he liked? Beyond the mate bond even.

Because he's a demon.

"I'm thinking about what it could do to me, Jean. I want to do it. I will take pride in it and I'll be honored as the Luna of this pack. But..." I looked at his reflection in the mirror. Right before he puts his toothbrush in his mouth, he asks,

"But?"

"What if something goes wrong because I'm a rogue? Will I be cursed? Will the heirloom adapt to me, since I don't have the privilege of a pack?"

"Privilege of a pack?" He's stopped brushing his teeth briefly, turning to me. His eyebrows furrow in the sexiest way possible. "You're already a member of the Bloodmond pack now, Lesley."

His mouth was filled with foam, but I could comprehend his speech upon reading his mind.

"I don't think so...

I must be a member of the pack for at least a week or two, right? Or I will be cursed by the moon Goddess. I already have a curse on me." Looking down at the counter, I mumble the last set of words more to myself.

"It's going to be alright, Lesley.

Remember, you're the Luna of this pack. A normal rogue becoming a member needs one or two weeks of time to be accepted by the moon Goddess. A Luna just needs a kiss from her Alpha to be accepted. You're different from the others, Lesley. I hope you believe in yourself a little more."