Chapter 6 - Flynn

“My mate and Luna of Blood Moon will be…Lila Hargis.”

The second her name leaves my lips, it feels as if my inner wolf releases the vice grip it just had on me. That’s the only reason I turned my gaze to her at the back of the hall, sharp eyes seeing her clearly despite how far she was.

My breath catches in my throat when I realize what I just did. Except, it wasn’t me who commanded my choice. It was my inner wolf who took the reins of my being while keeping any sense of logic shackled as if imprisoning my mind. It’s the inner wolf’s voice that spoke her name, as if the mystical energy commanded mine.

I blink rapidly as I’m hauled out of the trance-like state I’ve been in, only to witness the horror of the scene before me. The gathering of Blood Moon wolves turn their contemptuous eyes on Lila at the back of the hall as nondescript mutterings fill the air.

What have I done?

How is this possible?

I glance at the lifeless goat on the table in front of me, frowning at it as I wonder if the animal was poisoned. Was there something in its bloodstream that distorted my mind and took me further in my trance than where I should have gone?

When I look up again, I’m met with Cynthia’s accusing glare. I glance at my parents on my right, but Father has his back to me as he speaks to Cynthia’s father—the old Delta who just retired.

This whole thing is a mess. Hanging my head shamefully, I’m about to lift the mic to correct this mistake when out of the corner of my eyes, I see my best friend rushing down the aisle toward his sister.

He pulls her to her feet from the bench and wraps her into his arms, rejoicing at the news as he spins her through the air. I press my lips into a firm line, stopping myself from going back on what I just announced to the pack.

My heart races with the speed of lightning when I meet Lila’s eyes across the hall. She’s clearly stunned, her disbelieving stare only leaving me with a sense of remorse that’s stronger than the one I have for my error. Something inside me withers away and finds its demise, though I’m uncertain what this feeling is.

The weight of the world seems to hang on my shoulders, and for the first time, standing there as the Blood Moon Alpha, I feel like I’m undeserving of this title. When my father comes over and places a reassuring hand on my shoulder, I’m on the brink of giving up.

Until he whispers, “Well done, son. Dismiss the meeting and give them time to process this.”

I frown at my father, his support coming as a surprise, though Mother’s nod of approval behind him is something I would have expected. I look down at the mic in my hand, still stunned by what just happened, then nod and turn to the hall.

Barely paying attention to what I’m saying to dismiss the meeting, I’m reeling from the shock of declaring Lila Hargis, the Omega of Blood Moon, as my mate. The hall quickly empties, the Blood Moon werewolves as shocked as I am as they disperse.

Even Lila leaves the hall with her friend, and Miles comes up to me for a congratulatory hug. All I can do is nod and hum in reply to whatever he’s saying until he informs me that he’s leaving.

I’m still in shock, using the podium as a prop to steady my legs when my knees threaten to cave. I have so many questions, and so many answers to seek.

I need to invoke my wolf right now.

“Flynn Lycoan!”

My name echoes through the empty expanse of the hall, dread filling my gut with how much anger is laced in that familiar voice.

“Cynthia,” I reply calmly as I turn around to find her fuming at the bottom of the stage.

“You don’t even have the right to say my name,” she spits venomously, eyes furiously slit. “How dare you humiliate me like this?!”

“Humiliate? Cynthia, I didn’t promise—”

“You promised me, Flynn! You promised me when you rejected her the first time around!” Cynthia roars.

I’m immediately sprung back to the memory of that very moment, when I made a solemn oath to take Cynthia as my mate. Except my words had been spoken while I glared at Lila, even as I kissed Cynthia’s head. Had my words held so much power that they’d been directed at Lila?

I shudder from the inability to accept that words hold that much power.

“It’s not—” I begin, but Cynthia cuts me off again.

“Save it, Flynn! Or should I say, Alpha Flynn?” she scoffs. “What kind of Alpha do you think you are, taking that worthless piece of sh—”

“Cynthia Warren!” I bleat, a fiery rage suddenly taking over me when I know where she’s going with her words. She’s about to slander Lila, and it awakens my inner wolf. “Don’t you dare say another word, or you will force me to kick you out of this pack.”

Cynthia frowns. “Kick me out? After what you did?!” she accuses.

My wolf completely takes the wheel, my fists curling at my sides as my wolf claws dig trenches into my palms as they extend of their own accord. “Enough!” I roar. “I will not hear it. You will not speak ill of the Luna of this pack!”

Cynthia stares at me in disbelief. “You’re gonna defend her?!”

I glare back, the inner wolf threatening to rage out and leap forward in defense. “I warned you already! Be very careful of where you’re treading!”

The harshness in my voice as I loom over her with the claws of my wolf out and ready is all it takes for Cynthia to back away and storm out of the hall in a flurry of tears.

It’s like a switch inside me is flipped again, allowing me to breathe, as if I hadn't been in control of my breath just now. Not in control of my voice either, which had me spitting words of menace at the ex-Delta’s daughter. I watch in shock as my claws retract and my hands turn to that of my human.

I could hardly stand the female who’d frequented my bed ever since we’d received our wolves. For a long time, even I’d believed that she would eventually become my mate, once I returned from special ops training.

Up until a few nights ago, I thought I’d do the honorable thing and pick Cynthia as my mate. Until I stood in those woods, like a creep in the night, and watched Lila undress.

Even then, I convinced myself that I was mistaken. That there was no way that I could ever feel drawn enough to the Omega to pick her as my mate. I walked into this hall tonight, determined to make the right decision—my first decision as the Alpha of Blood Moon.

Yet, something had taken over me, just as it’d taken over me to defend the Omega, who I chose as my mate.

I have no idea what came over me, but it was powerful, more extraordinary than anything I’ve felt before. Pulsing through my existence, the inner wolf became invincible for a hot moment.

I lick my lips as if the taste of that power lingers on my tastebuds, the adrenaline rushing through my veins almost scorching my flesh. The impulse to go outside and run freely in the woods propels my feet forward, a vindictive smirk growing on my lips.

I just tasted what feels like the peak of my existence as a werewolf. As the cool air outside contrasts the heat of my skin, a rumble of satisfaction bellows in my chest, spurring my steps as I rush forward toward the shadows of the trees making up the forest. As soon as I hit the ground running in wolf form, my paws carry me out over hedges and boulders, my path lit up by the moon. I cross Rock Creek, climbing to the peak, where I lift my head and howl at the sky.

When the sound escapes my wolf lips, it feels as though a weight is lifted from my shoulders. My wolf is at its most powerful, even though this form feels lighter than ever.

“ Alpha Flynn,” Miles calls out to me through the mind link—my first as the leader of the pack. “ You have some explaining to do.”

“Explaining?” My wolf brows furrow. “ What do you want me to explain, Beta?”

Miles chuckles mentally. “ That’s gonna take some getting used to.” He pauses, his voice entering my mind more seriously. “ My sister, Flynn. Since when has this been going on?”

“There isn’t anything going on, Miles,” I admit earnestly, the radiant power suddenly dissipating and leaving me with a vulnerable feeling. When my inner wolf took over and announced Lila as the pack’s Luna, it was obviously didn’t consider the explaining I’d need to do.

Forget my best friend—I can barely give myself a suitable explanation.

“ Then why did you choose her as your mate?” Miles asks.

“ Because she’s the only one suitable for me,” my inner wolf replies, deepening my frown. What does that even mean? I bray frustratedly, tired of this game of cat-and-mouse between my inner wolf and my logical mind, but the wolf cowers suddenly and remains quiet.

“ I guess you know better what you need for the pack’s interests. But, if you are gonna be my brother-in-law, we’re gonna have to celebrate. Drinks?”

“Not tonight, Miles,” I reply quickly, the weight of my decision only deepening when I remember why I needed to pick a mate in the first place.

I have to join the alliance with the neighboring packs, and my position as the Alpha of Blood Moon will only be secured once Lila and I join in holy matrimony for the Moon Goddess’s pleasure.

“ I’m afraid we’ll have to hold off the celebrations for now,” I go on. “ We need to proceed with the wedding, so I need to make preparations.”

“Of course, Alpha,” Miles replies more diplomatically. “ Is there anything I can do?”

“Rest for now, Beta. Tomorrow, I will debrief you and the Delta about our meeting with the other packs.”

“Got it, Alpha,” Miles acknowledges before the connection is cut, allowing me to take a deep breath and soak in the cool air that calms me.

My wolf is proving to be stubborn, my inner voice’s lips pressed into a firm line. I know I have a lot of explaining to do—especially to my parents, who’d been convinced that I would take Cynthia as my mate.

While I descend the mountain, I rehearse what I’m going to offer as an explanation, deciding on telling my parents that Lila and I had been in a secret relationship for a long time. It’s plausible since she spent a lot of time in the Lycoan house when Miles and I first became close friends.

I shake my head as I shift into human form, dismissing the memories of the past in which I always felt more than a familial connection to Lila. I might not be the biggest disappointment to my parents as an Alpha who chose a wolf-less Omega as his mate, but I’m the biggest disappointment to myself, not knowing what any of it means for me.

“Mother, Father, we need to speak,” I announce when I enter the dining room of the main house. “About the Omega—” I’m cut off when my mother rushes off her chair and approaches me with outstretched arms.

“Congratulations, my son,” she praises, pulling back to cradle my face with both hands, her eyes twinkling appreciatively. “You have made a great choice tonight.”

“I have?” I frown confusedly.

“Yes, son,” Father adds from the head of the dinner table. “Choosing the Omega as your mate sends a clear message to your pack now that you’re the Alpha.”

I glance between Father and Mother, a shiver running down my spine. Am I the only one out of the loop as to why I’m drawn to the wolf-less werewolf of our pack? Is my inner wolf in cahoots with my parents?

“It does?” I’m perplexed by how accepting both my parents are as they nod.

“Of course, Flynn,” Mother replies. “Choosing Lila as your mate shows the others that Blood Moon values equality. With the upcoming alliance…”

“The other packs will recognize this as a sign of strength,” Father adds. “They’ll see that Blood Moon is a unified pack, where every member is equally important. From the head of the pack to the lowest in the hierarchy, we’re not willing to forsake any lives to the looming threat.”

I stare at my father, digesting his approval as it all begins to make sense.

If I’m meant to sign the treaty and keep the pack safe, it will do me good to have the Omega as my mate. Perhaps that’s why my inner wolf nudged me toward her.

It’s a decision made with the safety of the pack in mind. Smart move for my inner wolf’s intuition, I must admit.

It’s not Lila’s wolf I need, or her ability to stand by me as the Luna. It’s the strength of my own wolf, whose boundless, magnificent power I felt pulsing through my being tonight. I’ve underestimated my own capabilities, wanting to rely on a mate bond to seal the deal of my reign.

I don’t need a mate. It’s only for the sake of formalities of stepping into my role as the Alpha of Blood Moon, thanks to ancient rules that have been observed for centuries.

“Thank you, inner wolf,” I mutter under my breath before turning a smile to my mother. “Mother, if you will, I’d like you to go forward with preparing an intimate ceremony for Lila and me.”

“I would be delighted!” Mother claps her hands together with excitement. “My son is getting married. It must be perfect.”

I smile through Mother’s excitement, though I’m not certain that this is ideally perfect. After all, Lila despises me. The only consolation is that she won’t be troubled by the likes of Cynthia anymore. She’ll become a respected member of the Blood Moon Pack, who cannot forgive her Alpha for the crimes he committed against her.

Great!