Chapter 4 Chapter 4

I stood before Michael’s cell, my hands in the pockets of my jacket. It took some convincing, but I got Mario to let me talk to him alone. He was right. This was my choice, and it was one I had to make alone. Michael was sitting on the floor of the cell, the cot had apparently not be slept in. Why he’d choose to stay on the cement floor is beyond me. His head resting against his chest.

His scent danced around me, pulling on my senses and urging me to go to him. I steeled myself against the instinct. Lazily he lifted his head and made a soft, sarcastic laugh when he saw me standing there. “What do you want?”

“Can you feel it?” I asked him.

“What does it matter?”  Michael asked back. I took that as a roundabout way of saying that yes, he did feel the mate connection. He sighed loudly and glared at me. “Look, can get on with this. Just reject me, throw me out of your territory and I’ll be on my way. I already spent the night in this dump, and that was more than enough.”

His bluntness took me so by surprise I wasn’t exactly sure what to say back. “That’s what you want?” I asked, unable to believe how casual he was being. Did he not care at all?

Again to my surprise, he started to laugh. “What I want? No one has given a damn what I wanted in my entire life, Peaches. Why start now?” His tone bitter through his laughter.

“Peaches?” I repeated. I wasn’t sure if I should be offended or not by the nickname. He shrugged as a reply. I sighed and sat cross-legged on the floor. “I should reject you. It’s what everyone in the pack would expect and might even insist. Your father’s cruel hand has managed to hurt people even here.”

“My father was a thorough man if nothing else,” Michael replied, his voice dull and flat.

“He was also strong and capable,” I admitted. “Traits you look like you share. Traits that...” I paused. I’ve spent so much time trying to deny my weaknesses that I found them difficult to admit now. “That I need right now,” I managed to finish.

That caught his attention. He sat up straighter and his glare now held a hint of curiosity as he stared at me.

“I became Luna of Willow Pond about six months ago. Since then all anyone does is question, challenge and doubt my rule. All based on two things, my age and that I’m unmated. I can’t change my age. If I had my mate, it could be enough to silence some of my opposition,” I explained. I hated to need a man to I could keep my pack.

“That has to be,” How started. “The saddest and most pathetic thing I’ve ever heard. If you can’t run the pack on your own. Maybe you don’t deserve it.” His lip curled in a sneer.

“I can run the pack just fine on my own! It’s the old school, chauvinistic bastards who are making it impossible,” I snapped at him. My anger getting the better of me. I know it was childish, but I couldn’t help myself after his little, snide remark. “I’m offering you a chance to actually do something with your life other than abuse women,” I told him, getting up on my knees to sneer back at him. Now for the sucker punch.

“But you’re not my only option, Howe. Flinn is a good man. He's kind, sexy as sin, and he’s ready and able to fulfill every last desire I have,” I told him. I let my voice grow huskier as I ran my fingers along the steel bars of the cell.

Faster than the eye can see, Michael crossed the length of the cell. He wrapped his hand around my neck and pulled me towards him as far as the bars would let him. He growled at me, his eyes glowing a golden-brown, with an unmistakable possessiveness. I will admit, it scared the crap out of me.

Michael took in a deep breath through his nose, and his eyes returned to their normal color. “If he’s such a god given gift to women then why are you wasting your time talking to me, eh, Peaches?” He demanded, the sneer coming back to his face.

“He’s not an alpha,” I said, satisfied my voice came out firm and level instead of shaking with fear. I’m sure Michael could detect it in my scent, but I couldn’t control that. “No matter what he does, Flinn will never be an alpha wolf. He’ll never have other alphas acceptance or even respect.” And they would kill him and take the pack from my anyway. I needed a mate that could defend himself against the other alphas

“Haven’t you heard what I did to the future luna of Blue Crescent?” Michael asked with yet another sneer, bringing his face closer to mine. “How I abused and tormented her for years? How I had even planned on turning her to I could hurt her even more? How my father wanted me to rape her, so Ryder would always know that I had her first?”

My fear grew as my throat tightened. I don’t think I could talk even if I wanted to so I gave him a brief nod.

“Is that what you want, Peaches? You willing to let yourself burn all in the name of keeping your pack?”

The way he said the words made me pause. While his tone was hard and bitter. The way he asked me that made it sound as if he was warning me, instead of being condescending or threatening. Maybe I was delusional or just stupid, but I saw that as a possible good sign. “No,” I told him, all my fear of him gone. I placed my hand on his.

“I will never let you consume me in such a way, Michael,” I told him, removing his hand from my neck. He didn’t resist or try to fight me, so I took his hand in mine. “This is what I think. You are one screwed up man. Anyone would be after having Alpha Ryan as a father, but you are not your father. Everyone deserves a second chance. I want to give you that chance.”

He just looked at me for a moment. His fingers twitching as if he wanted to hold my hand back, but his eyes narrowed again. Michael’s sneer reappeared yet again. “Then you are one stupid bitch,” he jeered, jerking his hand out of mine to punch the bars right in front of my face. It made me jerk back in reflex. He moved back to the far wall laughing a cold, cruel laugh. “The dumbest bitch I ever met. Even Brook was smarter than this one.”

I got up and left without saying another word. Mario was waiting by the door. I knew he’d seen everything, but thankfully, he let me deal with it. “Decided yet?” He asked as we returned to his car.

“Not yet. He’s definitely an alpha wolf, but he’s also got enough baggage to fill a 747. Is it possible you could get this future Luna to skype with me tonight? I’d like to hear her take on everything,” I told him, closing my door and trying my best not to slam it like I wanted.

“I’ll see what I can do,” Mario replied, driving me home.

When we got home, I took another shower to wash off any of the residue scents and emotions that may be on my skin. I changed into fresh clothes for the same reasons. After that, I had to hold a meeting with my council. The council consisted of Mario, Koreyon, and Jennifer, the public relations person, and three elders. The first three supported my lunaship, but the elders. All in their eighties or up, they still had the ideas that it took a man to lead.

Most of the meeting consisted in the elders harassing me about releasing one of the rogues. I, of course, defended my decision in his release. I didn’t see the point in holding him longer, and it was the right thing to do. Mario agreed, saying it would be an unneeded drain on our resources. Koreyon agreed, saying we needed our men on the borders and in the cells. Jennifer agreed, saying the release would give us a better public image.

However, the elders ignored all these reasons. They insisted that it made me look weak and more importantly made the pack look weak. They also demanded to know what I was going to do about the other two rogues. I intended to get the suspicious rogue two weeks of community service. He'd repair the damage he’d done. The one is Cell 3-B would stay in 3-B for two weeks then re-evaluated.

The others agreed with me while the elders again accused me of being weak. Last they wanted to know my plan of action for the general rogue problem. Koreyon would send out undercovers to the bars and see if we couldn’t find this rogue recruiter. Until then keep security on high alert and look for any suspicious activity.

It was a good plan. I knew it was good, but they found fault in everything. They'd grumble that with an alpha these kinds of things wouldn’t be happening. Which brought them to the topic of Michael. I told them I was investigating his involvement. There was no way I was ready to discuss him as my mate with the elders. In fact, as soon as they brought up my lack of a mate, I ended the meeting. By that time, I had a horrendous migraine and was ready to call it quits.

I decided to pass on lunch and instead went to hide out in the dark of my room. Turning on some soothing jazz, and I hoped to ease my pounding head. I knew I could count on Mario to hold down the fort for a few hours or the rest of the night unless something drastic came up.

I wasn’t sure how long I’d been laying listening to the soft, sultry music when someone knocked on the door. I could tell by the scent it was Mario. I debated on pretending to be asleep and let him handle whatever disaster came up. Unfortunately, the responsible adult in me forced me to get up off the bed. “What is it?” I grouched when I opened the door.

Mario gave me a stoic look that only hinted at a touch of amusement at my grouchiness. “You wanted to speak with the future Luna. Well, she’s online and willing to speak with you now,” he replied, handing me a laptop. “But I suggest you run a brush through your hair first,” he added before walking down the hall. I set the laptop on the desk, turned on the small lamp that sat there and looked at my reflection in the mirror to my right.

It wasn’t pretty. If anyone saw me on the street, they’d probably think I was some kind of junkie. My hair looked like a rat slums, it wasn’t classy enough to be a nest. Strands of my strawberry blonde hair stuck out in all directions and looked dull. My green eyes looked washed out, and they had enormous bags under them. I looked pale, not like elegant pale, but I just lost quart of blood pale.

I brushed my hair and splashed my face with cold water, hoping to give me a less zombie-like appearance. Opening the laptop, I unmuted the call to the future luna. The girl that appeared before me took me by surprise. Light red hair hugged an almost heart shaped face. She was pale like me, but hers was the elegant pale. Pretty hazel eyes, full lips, and cute freckles to boot.

“Hi, Alice right?” She asked, smiling at me warmly.

“Yeah, that’s me, and you’re the future Luna of Blue Crescent?” I asked.

She rolled her eyes with a brief scowl. “Yeah, but can you please just call me Brook? I hate it when people call me future Luna. I know you all think of it as some kind of honor, but it just makes me feel like a trophy wife or something.”

I grinned and couldn’t help but laugh. As soon as I was about to reply, I heard someone on her end say, “You all? Did you forget you’re one of us again, Brookie? Really, you’re going to start hurting my feelings!”

Brook looked over her shoulder and yelled back, “Dean, will you hush! I’m talking to someone! Besides you’d actually have to feelings for me to hurt them! I don’t think you’re deep enough for that.” She looked back to the screen and gave me an apologetic grin and shrug. “Sorry about that.”

“That’s okay, I just want to…” I started, but this Dean interrupted again.

“That was just mean,” he complained. “That’s it. I’m not letting you hang out with Ryder or Andy anymore!”

I could see him, sit next to her, throwing an arm over her shoulder. She glared at him, but I knew friendly animosity when I saw it. My brother and I used to do the same all the time. The thought of my brother made the breath from my lungs vanish as if it was never there.

The pain hit me as fresh as the day I found out he’d been killed along with my parents. Not wanting Brook or the guy to see me get emotional, I swallowed the hurt and longing like a bitter pill.

“So who you talking to Brookie?” Dean asked, looking into the screen. He was kind of cute. Light brown hair, blue eyes, muscular build. “Well hello there,” he said, giving me a very obvious flirty grin.

“Don’t,” Brook said, looking a little embarrassed.

“I’m Dean and a Leo. I like long walks on the beach, cuddling, and have a sudden liking for blondes. What can I call you besides Beautiful?” He said wagging his eyebrows at me.

I stared at him for a second, before breaking down laughing. “I’m Luna Alice,” I said through my laughter.

“Ohh, a woman in charge. Me likey,” he said, winking at me which only made me laugh even more. I hope he didn’t want me to take him serious like that.

“Ryder,” Brook yelled over her shoulder. “Your brother is doing it again!”

“Doing what?” Dean complained. “Do you see this Alice? I’m persecuted! All I want is to find some…” he started to say when he suddenly jerked out of the view of the webcam.

Another guy appeared in front of the camera. The similarities told me this was Dean’s brother. “Hello, I want to apologize for my brother. I think my mom dropped him or something as a baby. Anyway, he won’t bother you guys anymore,” he said before kissing Brook on her cheek. She blushed before disappearing out of sight.

“Not cool Ryder, that was a total cock block! Did you see how hot…” I heard Dean say off in the background, before the sound of a door cut him off.

“Oh my God, I am so sorry,” Brook said, looking extremely embarrassed now.

I laughed and shook my head dismissing her embarrassment. “Are you kidding? That padded my ego for at least half a year,” I told her, smiling.

“So what did you want to talk to me about?” She asked, looking relieved.

I sobered some. “I wanted to talk to you about Michael Howe.”

Her expression turned grave and almost haunted. “Oh. What about him?”

“He came into my territory...” I started.

“Is Mike causing trouble?” she asked. The shortening of his name in such a familiarity threw me a little.

“No, not exactly,” I said, trying to regain my footing. “He got caught up in a rogue attack on my territory. That’s not why I wanted to talk to you, though,” I told her then with a deep breath continued. “Michael is my mate, and I don’t know what I should do. I don’t know if I should waste my time on him or move on. I guess, I just wanted to get your take on him and hear what you thought of him, considering all that he’s done to you.”