Chapter 6 - Leah

After how Killian had abandoned me in the community center last night, I wasn’t keen to go out to another party so soon, but I understood my role as luna meant I didn’t have a choice as to whether I attended or not. The packs of Pinedale had been kind despite my nervousness, and had done me no harm. I owed it to them to give the party a chance.

Killian drove us past the edge of town and toward the tree line.

“Where are we going?” I asked. My palms were sweaty, and I wiped them on my dress nervously.

“Just up here, there’s a clearing we use for pack events,” he explained. “Just somewhere out of town, away from the humans, where we can be ourselves.”

By the time we arrived at the clearing, I had managed to get my fear under control. I stepped out of the car and saw that all three packs had shown up en masse. A few hundred people were mingling under a canopy of pine trees and fairy lights while low dance music played in the background.

Killian took my hand tentatively and led me into the fray, where I was greeted warmly by everyone we met.

“Leah, you’re here!” An excited April grabbed my arms as though she had been waiting for me all night. I smiled back at her, unable to help myself from responding to her happiness.

“Thank you for hosting,” I told her.

“Are you kidding?” Jasper said, joining our group. “She’s over the moon about you. I don’t think I’ve heard a single sentence without your name in it for the past twenty-four hours.”

“A girl can’t be happy to have a new friend?” April teased her mate, pinching his side as she spoke.

“Ouch!” he said in mock pain. “You wounded me, darling.”

She winked at me, and I laughed at their playfulness. I wasn’t used to seeing happy couples together. I felt my chest tighten as I realized that I would never have what they did. There was too much baggage in my marriage to ever allow Killian and I to be happy together. The best I could hope for was that the position of leadership my parents had bartered for me would make it so I had a home to call my own.

As my thoughts spiraled, I felt Killian wrap his arm around my waist, pulling me closer to him. The burning sensation that had been building in my chest began to dissipate at his closeness, and I took a deep breath to regulate my nervous system. His hand squeezed my side gently, reassuring me that he was still with me.

April didn’t seem to notice that my thoughts had been elsewhere, so I was sure that my face wasn’t betraying me. I wondered if our mate bond had alerted Killian to my emotional dysregulation.

“You two should go make your rounds,” Jasper said. “I know everyone is looking forward to getting to know you, Leah.”

We bid them goodbye, and Killian accompanied me as we moved from group to group, meeting everyone and hearing their congratulations on our marriage. Once again, I found myself surprised by how kind everyone was being to me. They seemed genuinely curious about my thoughts and feelings, and ready to welcome me into the fold of friendship.

Before I knew it, I found myself feeling comfortable and able to let my guard down a little bit. The only hyperawareness left was keeping track of Killian. Unlike at the first meeting with the packs, Killian seemed determined to stay by my side.

“Would you like to come with me to get a drink?” he asked after we left yet another group, leaning over to whisper the question into my ear.

My stomach tightened at his closeness, and I felt myself pulled toward him as he spoke. Although we had been together all night, it was one of the first times he had spoken to me directly.

“Yes, please,” I responded quietly.

He placed his hand on the small of my back and gently guided me toward a table on the edge of the clearing.

“Lemonade or water?” he asked, reaching out to grab a cup from the table.

“Water,” I replied.

He poured a glass and handed it to me. As I took it from him, our fingers brushed, and I felt a tingle run down my spine at the unexpected contact. My heart skipped slightly, and I looked into his eyes, trying to gauge whether he realized how unsettled he was making me feel.

“Are you doing okay?” he asked.

“I think so,” I responded hesitantly.

I didn’t want him to know that I was reacting to his touch like this. It was clear to me that I was meant to be a luna for display purposes only. He held no attraction towards me, and I couldn’t let him know that I still had feelings for him. There was no way I could allow him to have that kind of power over me or give him the ability to hurt me any more than he already had.

“Do you mind if I go talk to Jasper and Nile really quickly?” he asked. “If you’d rather I stay here, it can wait.”

“No, that’s fine,” I assured him. “Everyone here has been very kind. I’ll be okay by myself for a while.”

Killian looked at me uncertainly for a moment before kissing my forehead. His scent stayed in my nose as he walked away abruptly, and I quickly closed my mouth and arranged my face into one of passivity instead of the shock I was feeling.

“You’re the new luna, right?” a woman asked from behind me.

I turned to see two women standing next to the refreshment table, both pouring themselves glasses of lemonade. They had identical long, blond hair and brown eyes. They were a few inches taller than me and, although skinny, had breasts that would make any red-blooded man stare. My first impression was that these were the kind of girls who had made my life in high school a living hell, but I immediately shook off that notion. I had never met them before and owed them the benefit of the doubt.

“Yes, hi,” I said, smiling at them. “I’m Leah.”

“I’m Nia, and this is my twin sister, Miranda,” one of the women said.

“It’s nice to meet you both,” I said. “Which pack are you members of?”

“Pinedale,” Nia responded. “Although if your pack is ever looking for new members to join, we’ll follow Killian in a heartbeat.”

Something about the way she said my mate’s name made me feel uncomfortable, although I couldn’t put my finger on it. I thought perhaps it was from a lack of loyalty to her own alpha, but I decided to hold off any judgment. After all, I didn’t know how any of these packs were run.

“I’m happy to hear that you hold Alpha Killian in such high regard,” I said diplomatically.

“He’s got a really nice cock, that’s for sure,” Miranda stated.

“Excuse me?” I said, shocked at her brazenness.

“You heard me,” Miranda said with a smile.

“Didn’t you know?” Nia interjected. “K has fucked more women than you can count. Honestly, he probably doesn’t even remember all of us.”

I felt the color drain from my face, and my hands and feet went cold as my fight or flight response was activated. Both of these women had slept with Killian. My mate.

Mine , my wolf growled.

Take it easy, Destiny. We’re in the middle of three strange wolf packs, I reminded her.

“Is that so?” I said, doing my best to remain unbothered on the surface.

Nia and Miranda giggled at my response.

“Didn’t you wonder why the sex with him was so good when he fucked you last night?” Nia asked. “He’s had plenty of practice.”

“I’m just looking forward to when he gets tired of you,” Miranda said, twirling a strand of her hair between her fingers. “I bet he’ll be back in my bed within the month.”

Internally, I was screaming as I listened to their hurtful words. I wanted to call them every dirty name I could think of, but we were surrounded by a crowd of people. I was a luna now. There was no way I could allow myself to fall to their level of spite.

“I doubt it,” I replied confidently. “Killian has more honor than you give him credit for. And much more loyalty than you, obviously, since you’re both ready to leave your pack to chase after a man who has already taken his vows.”

They scoffed but had nothing else to say before slinking away into the crowd. I took a deep breath as they departed and glanced around. Killian was nowhere to be seen, but I needed to get out of the crowd.

I walked away from the table, heading outside of the clearing where I could be alone. Once I was out of sight, I slumped to the ground, placing my back against a tree trunk as waves of jealousy and hurt washed over me. Tears streamed down my face as I pressed a hand against my mouth to muffle the unbidden sounds of heartbreak.

“Leah?” a voice said.

I turned my head and looked up, finding a man around my age staring down at me.

“Oh,” I said, surprised. “I’m so sorry, I just… I…”

“It’s okay,” he said quietly, sitting down beside me and wrapping an arm around my shoulders. “I heard everything they said to you.”

A quiet sob came up from my lungs, and he pulled me closer to his side.

“I’m Andrew,” he said. “But everyone calls me Andy. I’m sorry to meet you like this.”

“Me too,” I replied quietly, wiping my eyes furiously with my fingers. “Which pack are you in?”

“Alpha Nile Pinedale’s. Those two women you just met are my cousins,” he said, giving an apologetic grimace.

“Are they always so…”

“Mean?” He finished for me. “Yes, unfortunately.”

“So, I have that to look forward to,” I muttered.

Andy squeezed my shoulder. “I’ll stay here with you as long as you need.”

Tears spilled down my face again as I realized he was being genuinely kind. Aside from Sienna, no one had offered me comfort before.

“Thank you,” I replied, leaning my head against his shoulder.

After a few moments, I took a deep, shuddering breath as the tears came to a halt.

“Ready?” he asked.

I nodded, and he stood to his feet before reaching his hand out to pull me up as well. I stumbled a bit from light-headedness when I was upright, and he caught me in his arms.

At that exact moment, a deep voice growled from behind me. “What do you think you’re doing holding my mate?”

I whirled around in surprise to see Killian staring at me. His eyes were hard as he took in the scene. Andy’s hands were still at my waist as he stood behind me, and I realized exactly what this would look like.

“Wait,” I said.