Forever Luna

Disturbance

noun ~ the interruption of a peaceful condition

CHARLIE

I was on top of the world.

Invincible.

Fearless.

Superior.

And why shouldn't I be?

It has been three days since Calida and I mated, and we have done it day and night since. We couldn't get enough of each other, not that I was complaining. Tasting and feeling my mate in the most intimate of ways sated a part of me that seemed to always be on alert. I felt calmer, lighter; like nothing could happen.

But seemingly, I have been arrogant. Because there were no breaks for the newly mated, and Phoenix made sure of it.

Skipping the important video call with Alexandar was the first strike. Lucky for me, Phoenix had been in a good mood that day. I even managed to get him to play a game with me; now who can say that?

Other than Nova.

That woman was a whirlwind, I'm telling you.

After finally getting my mate back from a long day in Phoenix's office, we went back to my room and spent the night together. The next day was Sunday, and it meant most of us had the day off. I had not seen Nova that day, the tiny luna staying at home. Phoenix only came to the pack house to check up on things, mainly the patrol. He was still hyper-fixated on making the pack safe. Paranoid, if you ask me.

But the next day, after waking with Calida in my bed, I went downstairs to get her breakfast before I had to go to training. And low and behold, a tiny, angry, messy-haired Nova appeared, the smell of baby sick curdling in her shirt.

If her looks weren't scary enough, her attitude was.

"You better look after her." She had warned me.

"What?" I had asked.

A silly question.

She growled. "Beta or not, if anything happens to her, I will get you."

I had laughed at her, waving her off as being dramatic, but then she grabbed me by the shirt and pulled my face down until we were eye level.

"Calida is my mate." I told her. "I won't hurt her."

"You will look after her. I know you will, Charlie." She sighed. "I don't mean... any of that from you. I mean, from everything else. I had a vision of her screaming and I have not forgotten the blood."

Nova had truly shaken me up. She made me the paranoid one, taking a leaf out of Phoenix's book and making sure my mate was safe and sound. The entire training session I was on edge, and it cost me a wonderfully sharp bruise on my collarbone. I had to leave early; my wolf too agitated to be around so many wolves.

I ran into the woods, and there I found Phoenix's scent. I zoned in on him, tracking him down whilst staying down-wind. He wouldn't smell me if I stuck to the airflow and tiptoe. Logically, of course.

I found him patrolling the borders and stopped a few yards away. I made careful calculations. So tell me how, when he didn't even look my way when he spoke?

"Charlie, shouldn't you be training?"

Huffing, I stomped my paw into the dirt. How did you know it was me?

Phoenix turned from staring through the trees, the borders' warmth humming softly beside us. He barely glanced at me, a lazy smirk on his face. I knew I wouldn't get an answer and huffed, looking away from him.