Page 33 of The Wolf Moon

“Come now, love. We can still do as we’re ordered without being cruel. This is our Alpha’s mate after all. She’s pretty much our Luna at this point. And we’ve never had a Luna before, it’s exciting isn’t it?” Diana seemed just that; excited. She turned to look at Caleb, who looked awkwardly in response.

“Yeah, uh. He’s refusing that title to her. And also a position in the pack,” Caleb told her simply.

Diana hesitated, looking from Caleb back to me.

“Well that doesn’t make any sense. He let her mark him, right? He let you mark him?” She was addressing me now at this point. I took a note from Caleb’s book and shrugged apathetically. Diana moved closer to me, tilting my head to the side to look at the healed mark on my shoulder. “Yes, the mark is completed.”

“Diana, just drop it,” Caleb pleaded with her pointedly.

“I just don’t understand. I thought this meant things would change… that we could-” Caleb cleared his throat dangerously, staring down Diana with a suddenly tense form. Diana hesitated, obviously torn between just throwing caution to the wind and keeping things hidden. She finally decided, turning back to me with a smile. “Oh well, you’re alive at least. Are you hungry, Mila?”

I was torn between distrust and hunger. My hunger won easily when I found myself nodding before I realized it. Diana took the chance to dance her way into the kitchen with satisfaction. I suspected she’d already learned food was the best way to my heart based on the last visit I had with her.

I stood to follow her and Caleb stood just as quickly to block my path.

“I honestly didn’t think there could be another man as annoying as Roman,” I told him with irritation. Diana cleared her throat from the other room and Caleb glanced back momentarily before stepping aside and holding his arm for me to step by. I walked towards where Diana was preparing me something to eat with Caleb close behind.

I sat down at the counter, glaring at Caleb when he sat nearest to me, and turned to Diana.

“So are you two like a couple or something?” I asked, causing a knowing look to exchange between the two of them. Diana dropped a plate in front of me and smiled sweetly.

“We have been for awhile now. After the Snow Moon, when the Mother’s blessing came back to us, we thankfully were made aware of our mate status,” Diana explained to me, shifting her curls to reveal the healed mark of a bite on her own shoulder. A blush appeared over her skin at revelation, but for some reason a sense of relief came over me. A part of me was drawn to Diana, in the same way I was drawn to Cate or Cynthia. They were kind to me for no reason, so I wished happiness on them despite their status as a werewolf.

I made no further comment on the mate subject, instead digging into the food presented to me with a sense of joy. I was looking at Diana from the corner of my eye, thinking about Cate as well.

“You know, I heard that you came here with Cate from a pack of rogues,” I finally said carefully, noticing Caleb shift uncomfortably next to me. I turned to glance at him, wondering why the statement would bother him. “I’m just wondering what you know about her?”

“About Cate?” Diana verified curiously.

“Yeah. I like her,” I mentioned simply.

“Well, that’s a first,” Caleb scoffed with disbelief.

“Caleb,” Diana scolded him teasingly.

“What? She hates Alpha Roman but likes the mute. Naturally,” He shrugged with amusement.

“So she’s a mute?” I tried to steer the conversation the direction I wanted it.

“I’ve never heard her say a word. I met her a year or so before I ended up joining the Trinity pack with her. She just kind of wandered in from nowhere and was pretty helpful with the rogues, despite her scary demeanor. She had a lot of hunting and fighting skill, so it was safer with her around. When we first arrived here, Alpha Roman demanded her to pledge herself to him and well, you know you can’t reject the King Alpha’s direct command, but she didn’t say a word… just bowed. Only a true mute would be able to manage that,” Diana explained. I had stopped eating and was only listening to her explanation with confusion. I could imagine Cate kneeling in front of Roman, pledging herself silently despite being told through his all consuming command to voice it.

“I heard you fought the Shadow of Death in a match before Alpha Roman interrupted,” Caleb addressed me, quite interested suddenly. I frowned at him pointedly, making it clear I didn’t want to speak to him rather than Diana, but something in his comment irritated my competitive side.

“I did. And I won.” I muttered bitterly.

“You should take her with you to the hunting grounds,” Diana suggested to Caleb eagerly.

“Absolutely not,” Caleb responded just as quickly. “Alpha Roman said she can’t fight or participate in any pack activities. That includes matches, hunting grounds, food halls, bonfires, any of the runs…”

“No eating. No sleeping. No breathing.” I began to mock him with irritation.

“She’s not allowed near the temples or bodies of water. She’s not allowed to talk about the Goddesses or the mate bond,” Caleb continued to ignore me.

“No smiling. No twirling. No blinking. No speaking.”

“I wish that last one was true,” He said to me sharply.

“Well you’re stuck with me so whatever I can’t do, you can’t either,” I told him triumphantly.

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