Luna Zahra

Chapter 2 - Devastated

"How could you!?" I yelled as I busted through the doors of my mother's personal quarters. She and father had lived separately for as long as I could remember, and this afternoon I found her in her usual spot – sipping a cup of tea with a book in her hand.

"I'm afraid I don't know what you're yelling about, Zahra darling," she replied casually, never looking up from that damned book of hers.

I stormed across the room, feeling a growl building at the back of my throat, and ripped the book from her hand, tossing it to the floor.

Her eyes shot up to meet mine, presenting with a look of anger and annoyance. At least the feeling was mutual.

"You had no right to weasel information out of my friend, and you certainly had no fucking right to invite Ryder here!" I growled at her, feeling heat rise up to my neck from the anger coursing through my body.

My mother growled back, attempting to assert her dominance, "I had every right! You're of Alpha blood – you need to be with your mate, as does your brother, and I assure you if I find out he's keeping his mate a secret as well, then I will act accordingly."

"I only did what's best for my pack. I did what you were too cowardly to do yourself," she added, her words almost stinging. Almost.

"Fuck you, Ezelea," I sneered through clenched teeth.

I then spun around on my heel and exited the room, slamming the door behind me. My mother would pay for what she'd done. The old bitch always had a knack for butting into business that wasn't her own.

But for now, I had to deal with the very personal problem that would be arriving in a very short amount of time. There would be no escaping once Ryder arrived. My father would find out everything and summon me, and my father was someone I simply couldn't disobey.

Zane would order my presence too, of course. As my Alpha, he had every right, but as my brother, I certainly didn't bow down to him. As much as I loved my brother in my own unique way, I wouldn't allow him to make me feel badly over this situation. I couldn't predict his exact reaction, of course, as he was just as complicated as I was, but I knew he wouldn't be pleased with me once he learned how long I'd known of my mate.

He wouldn't be pleased at all, and much like me, my big brother had a temper.

My wolf whined at me within my mind at the thought of our mate arriving today. She'd been restless and upset with me over this ordeal for the entire three years that I'd been avoiding the situation. She simply didn't understand why I refused to let her have her mate, and I supposed she never would fully understand. She was a wolf, after all.

It was actually astonishing that I hadn't gone mad over the course of three years – knowing of my mate and not being united with him. Most wolves would have lost their fucking minds, so really, this whole situation just proved how strong I was.

Much too strong to be the mate of Alpha Ryder.

Running downstairs from my mother's personal quarters, I made my way back towards our infirmary wing, praying I wasn't too late. I'd much prefer that my father and brother hear of this from me, after all. I wasn't sure how much my mother had told everyone, or if the two men even know why Alpha Ryder was paying us a visit. If I confessed, it was surely cushion the blow.

As I made my way back to my father's private room in the infirmary, I took the time to study each wall I passed by and took in any of the artwork or photographs that happened to be hung on them. For the first time, I took a moment to really observe and appreciate my pack house.