Silence of the Alpha

Silence of the Alpha Chapter Twelve

"I'm upset with you, Dahlia."

These being the first words in over an hour shared between us, it was a little hard to hear. No wolf likes knowing that their mate is upset with them.

I glanced up at him and saw that he had a small smile gracing his lips. I relaxed, realizing that I should take his statement lightly.

Instead of freaking out like I had originally planned, I chuckled dryly. "I expected that." I really did. He had every right to be mad at me right now.

This caused him to turn to me. His eyes sparkled like they used to. "You're a Luna now. You need to start being responsible. Stop running into so much danger all the time." His tone was light, but his words were truthful.

Luna. I kept forgetting about that. I'm a leader now. I can't just leave everything when I get scared. I think I'm just too afraid of being in charge. I wasn't close with my old Luna, so I never got to see what they were like. I wasn't the stereotypical Luna... I wasn't motherly and kind. I was reserved and more or less depressed.

Phoenix caught my change in mood, causing his own light mood to drop by a fraction. "You'll be a great Luna. It just takes practice." He smiled. "And patience, too, if you can muster up any."

My eyes rolled before I could even process the thought. I didn't have much patience at all. Waiting gave people way too much time to think and reconsider things.

The calmness of the situation was interrupted by a tired Kaine stumbling out of the back door of the house. His eyes held fear, but there was no visible danger. He didn't seem to notice our presence at the bottom of the hill.

Phoenix and I exchanged a confused look. Why was he out here? Kaine tilted his face to the sky and let out an audible sigh. While his eyes were closed, I silently gestured for Phoenix to go inside. He put up little fight at my concerned look. This was one of the few times that I could be motherly.

Phoenix easily slipped by the distracted Beta and went into the house, casting me one last look of concern.

I turned to look at Kaine just in time to see a lone tear streak slowly down his left cheek. He wasn't quick to wipe it away. He seemed relieved to be 'alone'.

I approached him slowly, making my presence known. He jumped slightly, and turned to face me. His eyes were wide and filled with a deep-rooted sadness. As soon as he realized who I was, he wiped his face and bowed his head. I knew it was more to hide his face than to show respect.

He cleared his throat and raised his head again to meet my eyes. "Luna." The title was shaky; filled with emotion. It broke my heart to see this happy-go-lucky guy in so much pain.

I was silent for a moment, watching his emotionless face fall until it contained so much pain that he was on the edge of breaking down. Just as the first tears began to escape, I wrapped my arms around him in a comforting manner. Silent sobs ripped and rumbled through his chest, vibrating both of us.

For fifteen minutes, I soothed him; cooing calm words and letting him break down to reveal what was inside his tough exterior. Once he had calmed down and began breathing normally again, he rested his chin on top of my head and let out a long sigh.

Pulling away, I held him at arm's length and searched his eyes for any traces that he was going to lock down on me. When I saw the raw emotion in them, I let him go, crossed my arms and raised my eyebrows.

Kaine cracked a small, sad smile. "Don't look at me like that."

I shook my head and looked down at my feet. "Then don't worry me like that again."