The Moon Wolf

Chapter 19 (1st Draft)

Penn was very shaken by the last few minutes in the cafeteria with Alpha Troy and she hardly knew where to look or how to act when they came into the common room. Every eye was on her. The teens looked worried while Beta Lucas and Jules looked merely curious. Penn stopped short and stared wide-eyed at them all.

She realized she should have put some thought into how she would greet them after her rather bewildering encounter with Troy. Yet, she hadn't, and now she was not certain at all what to do. In her haste, coming to a sudden stop, she'd half forgotten that the Alpha was right on her heels. He nearly collided with her but managed to come short of knocking her down.

He stopped himself by grasping her shoulders in both his hands. There was a strange gasp among the teens. They weren't sure how to read the moment. Troy, sensing their alarm, smiled at them, over Penn's head, and in a joking tone said, "I hope you weren't talking about us while we were out of the room."

He winked at them afterwards, as he gave Penn's thin shoulders a final squeeze before trying to releasing them. The same strange pulse of warmth radiated up his arms the moment his hands had made contact with her slender shoulders. The feeling was even stronger this time. Perhaps because both of his hands were making contact with her.

In any case, he found it that much harder to let go of her and walk away from her this time. He had to make a conscious effort to take command of his hands and remove them from her shoulders. It was not an easy task by any means and that rattled him. He'd never felt such a powerful physical magnetism to another wolf in his whole life. Not even to the sweet little omega, Ellie, whom the Moon goddess had given to him as a mate when he was just a young Beta in the pack.

He'd certainly felt a strong bond for his mate. He had a powerful desire to protect her and to treat her with deep tenderness. Sadly, his and her mate bond never developed. The poor, frightened creature rejected him almost as soon as she realized that being his mate would make her Luna of the pack some day. It was a responsibility she felt ill prepared for she told him one night while weeping openly before him in her distress. The memory was still a bit painful.

The sweet girl, just in her late teens at the time, told him flat out that she preferred her quiet life as a relatively unknown omega in the pack to the life of the future Luna. She assured him she would never be happy as his Luna even if she had a decade to prepare for the role, despite what an honour it would be.

Troy had been crushed by the confession. Every pack-wolf lived and breathed for the moment they found their soul mate. It was a precious gift from the Moon goddess herself and not something to be passed over or taken lightly. He could not believe that Ellie sincerely meant to reject him.

So, he tried to persuade her to thoughtfully reconsider her decision. He was so sure that together, with the Moon goddess' blessing, they would make a formidable pair. He had unwavering faith that the Moon goddess had picked the very best match for him and was not the least bit concerned about Ellie's status as an omega or her lack of leadership experience.

The little omega would not be deterred no matter how convincing and persuasive he tried to be. She might have been little in stature and consequence but she had a will of solid iron. Once her mind was made up, no amount of begging and pleading on his part could change it. It broke his heart to think that there was nothing about him that could persuade her to reconsider such a drastic decision.