My Broken Luna (REWRITTEN VERSION)

9. Middle Children Are the Best

9. Middle Children Are the Best: Xander's Pov

"I'm Alpha Dylan Jones. Welcome to the Red Stone Pack."

I feel Charlotte grip onto my arm tighter when she realizes the host Alpha and Beta are standing in front of us, her shorter stature making her feel even smaller compared to all of us. 'Are they the ones?' Brody asks me through our private mind-link, notching how Charlotte has taken hold of his hand with her free one.

'It's too soon to tell.' I answer. We don't know if this is the reaction she'll have with all the wolves here or not.

Either way, I add Dylan Jones and his Beta, Zachary Davis, to my list of suspects. When they reach out to shake my hand, I simply give a nod of acknowledgement, not caring that I'm disrespecting them in their own territory. I'm Xander Reynolds. No one in the werewolf world in above me except Charlotte and I have no problem dealing with anyone who disagrees. The next person they try to shake hands with is Brody, who simply does the same as I did.

What pisses me off, however, is that they don't get the hint and have the nerve to try shaking hands with Charlotte. To establish that she's off limits, I put my arm around her waist and pull her closer to me, daring someone to try touching her again.

"The guest-house is a twenty-minute drive away. There's a car waiting to escort us there."

In the limo, Brody and I keep Charlotte between us while Dylan and Zachary sit across from us. My wolf and I both get riled up when we notice that they keep staring at our mate, feeling even more possessive over her. "We aren't interest in social matters." Brody says when they start talking about the dinner happening at the moment.

This manages to shut down all further attempts at small talk, which I'm grateful for. I'm not in the mood to make casual conversation right now.

'Are you alright, sweetheart?' I check up on my mate, able to tell that her heart is racing.

She gives my hand a squeeze in response, not trusting her voice enough to mind-link.

'Once we get to the guest-house, we're going to settle into our rooms as soon as we can and it'll just be you, me, and Brody again.' I remind her, hoping to calm her nerves. It pains me to know she's so afraid, especially since I'm the one who dragged her along on this trip.

She keeps her eyes adverted from Dylan and Zachary, their presence seeming to intimidate her. I have to hold back a growl at the thought of anyone invoking fear in my mate, my tension not going unnoticed by Charlotte. We both find peace when we lock eyes, looking into her blue orbs reminding me of my priorities. I have to keep my anger under control if I want to protect her.

This task becomes harder as the evening progresses. The Red Stone pack-members working the event all leave lingering gases on my mate, specifically the males. She always attracts attention from other males when out in public, which already sparks my jealousy, but the fact that we're in another territory and these wolves have the nerve to ogle my mate right in front of me is infuriating. Even Brody notices the extra attention and doesn't hesitate to glare at anyone that looks for too long.

"Some wolves have already turned to their rooms, but many are still in the ballroom finishing up dinner." Dylan says as we enter the guest-house, everyone stopping what they're doing and staring at us when they're made aware of our presence. I even notice fear in some of the Alphas, Lunas, and Betas as they recognize who we are and the pack we represent.

Everyone is shocked that Charlotte is here as my Luna. Our pack is very private with our domestic affairs and until now, no one outside our pack was aware that I found my mate. It makes me proud to be able to stand by her in front of all these people, but I know she doesn't enjoy the attention.