Love me, Luna

16

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After Dr. Maya took the tube out I was allowed to go back to my room. I thought I was at the hospital, but this was a building off to the side of the house.

Feeling the wind on my face made me smile and I stopped to take a deep breath, enjoying the warmth of the sun.

"I like seeing you happy." Alec says as he carries my bag of medicine Dr. Maya gave to me.

"There's so much land." I laugh. "Is your family the only ones that live here?"

"I've ordered everyone..away. I don't want them to bombard you all at once, but to answer your question. No, we have pack houses all around, they're just spread out. I like having privacy." He continues to walk and I follow him.

"So everyone in your pack lives here?" My breathing is ragged as I attempt to match his pace.

"Yes and no, I have my beta and his family. Then there's a few families that choose to live here as well. There are some that have lives outside of here too." He slows his pace, seeing my struggle to keep up.

"How big is the territory? What does that even mean? How far away does everyone else live?" I attack him with question after question.

He wears a small smile on his face. "You're very curious today. Think of the pack territory like regions, states, and cities. It's not just a couple of acres. They live over the tree line, there." He points ahead of us to a line of trees. "There's a short path that'll bring you to a big neighborhood where some live."

"Hm." I say kicking at the grass while I walk. I look over the acres of land and that's the first time I notice we're close to a lake to the far left.

"But this is my place. Like I said, I like my privacy." He motions to the gigantic house in front of us. It has at least three stories, with a balcony that juts out on the middle story.

Alec opens the back door for me and guides me inside. Inside is a huge kitchen with rows and rows of drawers and a big island in the middle.

He leads me past the kitchen to the dining room that holds a long table that would fit at least 16 people easily.

"Sit, I'll grab you some water." Alec walks back to the kitchen and that's when I notice I am feeling parched.

I wonder if that's something else the bond let's him feel? Could he feel the pain I was in? Or worse, could he feel the way he makes me nervous? This stupid bond, I need to figure out how to block my emotions from him, if that even exists.

Alec walks back in with a glass of water and slides it to me as he sits across the table.

I raise an eyebrow at him as I take a sip. "You're not going to poison me are you?"

"Believe me, if I wanted to do that then I would have already." I choke on my water at his response which earns me a smile that disappears just as fast as it appeared.

"We need to talk." He clears his throat. "I think we got off on the wrong foot and my mother would kill me if she found out."

"So you just want me to pretend that I was never kidnapped?" I ask.

"What I'm saying is, I'm sorry." He lets out a deep breath. "I wish things could have gone differently, but it was dangerous for you to stay there. Being unmated in another packs territory was driving me mad."

"What do you mean?" I tilt my head to the side.

"You got my mark the day we met, but that's not all that changed. Your smell, it's intoxicating, to not only me but other unmated males as well."

"So you're saying I stink?" I sniff my armpits which earns me a laugh.

"No, Luna you do not stink. Like I said, you smell intoxicating to me, but the same goes for others too." He pops his knuckles when saying the last part.

"Is there a special perfume I need to use or?" Would I smell for the rest of my life?

"No." Alec laughs. "We'll talk about that later. I have something to give you."

I perk up as he reaches in his pockets. He slides my phone across from me and I greedily snatch it away. I turn it on to see hundreds of texts from mom, emails from school, and I notice Tristan's name occasionally pop up.

"I wanted to give you time to talk to him. I... I couldn't imagine what it's like for you to have all of this thrown at you. And." He clears his throat. "I'm just sorry."

He genuinely looks at me before leaving the room. As soon as he's gone I unlock my phone and call Tristan.

It takes a second for him to pick up but when he does I let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding.

"Lee?" From the sound of his voice that wasn't the first time he'd said my name, but my brain doesn't allow me to speak.

The situation we're in is different. Someone needs to make a book titled "Finding out werewolves are real and then getting kidnapped by said werewolves for dummies". I'd buy it.

"Lee." Tristan says impatiently. "Listen, if it's you calling, then just tell me. What more could you possibly want? I've done everything you've asked, so what is it this time? Wait! Is she hurt, I swear I'll kick your a.."

"Tristan!" I cut him off, finally finding the words to say. "It's me! It's Hadley!" I inwardly smile at his words, imagining Tristan taking on a guy that probably has super strength and can shoot lasers out of his eye balls.

"Lee? Are you okay? Has he hurt you?" My heart aches at the hurt in his voice.

"No no no, I'm okay. I swear. He let me have the phone to talk to you." I explain.

"So what, he's kept your phone from you this whole time?" He yells, something I've never heard him do before.

"No, Tristan. I've been in a kinda funk lately, I don't know. I didn't even ask for it, but I'm fine now." For some reason I feel the need to defend Alec, even after everything he's done. He's still my mate and it's my job to...wait. Did I really just think that?

Tristan interrupts my train of thought. "Lee, are you okay?" He's probably even more confused with the situation as I am, but he has no one to answer his questions like I do. For all he knows, I could be laying on a rock waiting to sacrificed.

"I'm fine I swear Tristan. I've just had a long week." Wanting to change the subject, I try asking him what I've missed. I can't think about the pain I've endured the past couple of days. "Tell me, how's mom?"

"Everything is good here, your mom has asked where you've been. But I made up something about how you've been busy with school." Tristan gets quiet for a second. Minutes go by and a pit forms in my stomach at what he could say next. "Are you happy with him?"

I go silent. It's such a simple question, but one I can't answer honestly. I've been here for over month, but can't answer that question. Especially when it's coming from someone who I'm currently dating. To say I'm happy would be an understatement. I've been holed up in my room, specifically my bed, for awhile. To make matters worse, been in the hospital, or in a hospital bed, for a week trying to not rip my clothes off by an invisible fire that lights up my skin. I can't tell him any of this though, who knows the lengths he'd take to try and find me. I need a plan first.

We used to be so honest with each other and how we felt. I never had to guess with him, but now there's a wall that is stuck between us. A wall that is way to big for either of us to just climb over. I can feel it growing by the second as we talk and I fear soon it'll grow so big, we'll never find our way around it.

"Tristan, what are you getting at? You're my boyfriend and I'll figure something out so I can come back soon." The longer I stay here, the more intense this connection I have with Alec gets.

There's more silence until Tristan says the words that crush me.

"Hadley." I can hear him let out a deep breath. "We can't be together anymore."

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I hope you guys liked <3 but I have one thing to say:
TRISTAN NOOOOO!!