The Alpha's Mate

Chapter 6

I shiver due to the coldness of the dungeons, as I walk past rogues snarl and snap at me sometimes making me jump in fear but nonetheless I keep walking trying to find what I am looking for, if it is here at all.

I reach a new set of cells and that's when I find what I'm searching for, I see petrified children, just skin and bones curled up in the corners shivering. Unjust packs are known for not even letting the children that pass through their borders have a fair trial or punishment, I didn't think Xavier's pack was any different.

I inch closer to the cell when I'm pulled back. I turn around to glare at Xavier.

"Stay away from the cells, I thought I told you this," Xavier mutters, crossing his arms and staring at me forcefully.

"What are these children going to do? Better yet, why are they in here, what the hell did they do to deserve this?" I retaliate angrily, making the children's heads shoot up in fear.

"We found them on pack land, they are rogues," Lucas spits angrily as if the word itself was venom.

"Are you kidding me?" I glare at him icily, "these are children! Are you that incompetent that you cannot tell that they are harmless? They must have been in these cells for weeks! Look at how frail they all are, you must know that not all rogues are dangerous, I was classed as a rogue, and I technically still am until the ceremony and I am not a threat."

Xavier and Lucas look at me so intensely it makes my cheeks flush and I take a step back.

I know they are both angry, but I'm angrier and I'm not going to leave these dungeons until every child is let out.

I see Lucas pull out a key and unlock the cells and before Xavier can protest I walk inside and calm the two crying children in this cell, forcing Lucas to unlock the chains around their ankles before taking them into my arms and making Xavier and Lucas carefully lead the other children upstairs.

Thankfully there was an empty room which I take all the children into.

"I would like to be alone with them please."

"No,"  Xavier growls lowly.

"Don't you have some Alpha business to take care of?" I ask.

"Yes which you should be taking care of with me," He responds, motioning to the door.

"I am taking care of Alpha business right now," I remark.

An idea pops into my head, "how about you plan the ceremony for...next month?"

It seemed way too sudden to me but usually the ceremony where people become the Luna officially, happens within two weeks of the Alpha meeting his mate or the woman chosen to be Luna if they cannot find their mate soon enough.

His face immediately lights up like a child on Christmas Day.

"Really?" He asks like he doesn't believe the words came out of my mouth.

"Yes, now I would like to be alone with the children, please," I ask once again.

"Fine, but Lucas will be guarding the door outside," he mutters worriedly, making me roll my eyes when he looks away.

"Deal," I smile.

The children are silent, I know it's because they are scared, I mean who wouldn't be. There's twelve children sitting in front of me now I'd say the oldest one is only seven years old.

I softly ask them all, "how did you end up on this pack land?"

The oldest one speaks up first after a minute, "we were being chased by the v-vampires, they killed our pack only the us and some of the older woman m-managed to escape."

"Oh my goddess," I quietly murmur, "are you all from the same pack?"

"All of us except one person Luna, he doesn't talk to us," A younger child speaks up.

"Thank you. Let's get you some food and then washed up and into some warm beds for the night," I smile.

"R-really?" A girl no more than 4 years old questions, like they don't believe I'm being kind.

"Of course," I tell them, standing up and waving my hand for them to follow me.

I make every single one of them 2 sandwiches with ham, a large glass of water for everyone and a lollypop, what kid doesn't like candy?

Once they're all finished, I take them up to the nursery which has many spare beds and tuck them all in, when I reach the anonymous boy, he grabs my hand and looks up at me with unshed tears glistening in his eyes and says to me, "I get nightmares every night, could I stay with you maybe a little longer Luna?"

My heart swells and I instantly say "of course, let's take a walk, maybe we can have a little talk about where you came from?"

He shrugs his shoulders and plays with my hair as I pick him up and hold on to him and begin to walk around the pack house.