Alpha's Blind Luna

 novelbin

***Hectors POV***

Arriving at the border of the Crescent River pack was easy but walking into the territory was even easier. I thought Auri has said they had better security since losing pups but the fact that I just walked up the road without seeing a single wolf was shocking. I was hauling ass on the road, knowing Vale was in serious shit with this group. Auri said everything that we needed to speak about would need to be done through signing and I knew he was in deep shit.

Ezekiel should have gotten here at least a few days before me. I hadn't been able to get out of the fire Morgan and I were trying to put out for two days. It had been a fucking mess and I realized how old I felt, especially not having Auri. t The need to live up to her expectation and keep up with her was stronger than I thought.

I had spoken to Bryan a bit about the situation but I basically got the cliff notes of what was going on. Bryan was a little mad that he didn't get to come but whatever was the issue, Vale needed muscle. Auri also was too much of a force to pull. If she stepped on the territory, a tornado would have less damage than she would bring. Vale already was keeping information under wraps for some reason. It was especially weird that he was doing that with someone from the High Council here as well.

I did a loop around the city before seeing the giant castle north of it and I figured if there was going to be a pack house, that would be it. It screamed creepy. Auri would tell me what the High Council castle looked like but this was the most sad, depressing, run down, dark, dingy castle I had ever seen. My list of adjectives to describe the house was cut short by four warriors and what I assumed was either a Beta or a Gamma rushing out to me.

Quickly, I shifted and put my hands up. “I mean you no harm. I was called here for a friend."

Not a single one listened as they ran at me in wolf form.

'Need me?' Rydere's deep voice ran through me but I shook my head.

This was too easy. They made it too easy. I wasn't Beta for nothing. I didn't train with Auri for nothing. It was nearly a full blink and every single one of them were laid out on the grass, incapacitated in some way. Three more wolves came out. One being Vale, the other two were Alpha's but I didn't know them.

"Look, I put my hands up and they still attacked."

"How did you get into my territory?" The middle Alpha yelled and my face mirrored Vale's.

I pulled on some pants. "I ran. From the southern border. You should have felt an unknown pack-affiliated wolf was on your territory, Alpha. There was no patrol and I even did a lap around your city. What the fuck is with your borders?"

"Who the hell are you?" The other Alpha raged.

Vale answered this time. "High Councilor Mark, this is my friend, Hector. I asked him to come here to help beef up the defenses. As you can see, he is one of the best warriors I know."

I smiled. “Hector Mendez, Beta of the Golden Moon pack, nice to meet you."

My hand went out for a shake but neither Alpha's reached for it. The Alpha of the territory was still fuming.

"The fuck did you do to my warriors?"

Looking back at them, they were slowing getting up, groaning the whole time. "I didn't want to hurt them too bad. If they came at me any faster I might have accidentally killed them. But they are fine. So, we got a war? We gonna fight some people?" To emphasize, I ground my fist into my hand.

Vale had said to make a show of brawl and not brains. That he needed everyone to think we were working with three dumbasses. I did notice Ezekiel was missing and I thought that was odd. Usually, when the two of them were in close proximity, they were orbiting each other. They hadn't really noticed it but it was clear to anyone who spent any time with them. We started making bets on how far we could push one before the other would move. Auri, of course, won most of the time. It was not very far.

"I did not authorize another wolf on my territory." The Alpha growled out.

Vale smiled. "Well, he's here to help so that your warriors don't die. He could handle most, if not all, the vampires on their side. You should be thankful that Hector was able to take time out to come." He shoved his hands in his pocket and shrugged. “Honestly, I don't really care what you authorize or not. I thought it was necessary."

"I'm the Alpha here!" My eyes widened as I stared at the Alpha. He was seriously talking to his King like that?

"You might be the Alpha, but I'm the King. Don't like it? Suck it up." Vale motioned me with his head. "Come on in. We need to have a chat. I'll set you up next to the shit hole room they gave me."

Bowing my head, I replied, "Yes, my King."

I saw the Alpha go white and I shook my head. What the hell was going on here? How much disrespect was Vale taking? Auri said the pack was bullshit but this was beyond anything I had ever encountered. Even I was treated with more respect as a Beta. Following after Vale, I nodded to the two Alpha's.

We walked down a couple of the hallways until we reached a small door. Vale opened it up and I looked around the room. I had seen closets that were bigger than this room. This absolutely was an insult. Had Vale really been staying here? Did he even fit on the bed? Would I fit on the bed? While I was still fairly spry, that didn't stop my back from sounding like Snap, Crackle, Pop in the morning.

"Where is Ezekiel?"

Vale turned and his brow furrowed. "He hasn't made it yet."

My eyes widened. "Vale, he left the day after I got the message and I didn't leave until two days after I got the message from Auri. I was further away. He should have already been here by now. When was the last time you talked to him?"

Suddenly, I saw the color drain from Vales face. "The day before he was supposed to leave. I got a couple texts from him telling me he was leaving and a photo of him accidentally wearing one of my shirts but I figured he was just driving."

I nodded. “Okay, maybe he just got stuck at the border. If you get a shitty border patrol officer, and you don't speak the language, they make you're life miserable."

This didn't feel right though. He should have been here at the very least, three days ago. I needed to reach out to Auri, as soon as possible. See if she can reach out to Pipsqueak, get a pinpoint on his location. Vale was starting to pace, which was barely three steps for him in the tiny room. "Well, in the mean time, what's the plan? What am I here for? Especially after that oh-so-warm welcome from those two Alphas."

The question paused whatever hole he was digging himself into. "Alpha Niles is a very particular person."

"Why the hell are you letting them treating you like that? I mean, I don't care but when we are out here, you are my King."

He chuckled. "I'm not sure I can get used to that from someone who changed my diapers."

“Well, get used to it. I'm just wondering why you're taking it. How you even managed to talk Naresh to take it."

His eyes flashed for a moment but Vale kept control. "It wasn't easy. But there will be a moment when I will let my full power out here. When those kids are safe and I need to deal with this fucking pack, I will make sure they receive the full power and the full fucking wrath of the Alpha King. For now though, I'm not showing my hand just yet."

"Should we be speaking this out loud?" I glanced out the windows and he shook his head.

"I know their schedule because I was avoiding them at all costs. They aren't in the castle right now." Vale sighed and sat on the edge of the bed. "I asked you here one, because I didn't think I could handle this one my own, but two because I really don't know how to handle this."

I nodded and put down my bag. "Well, let's start at the beginning and work our way through it."

Vale lifted his hands up. 'Some of it I will sign, in case anyone else is listening.'

"Alright."

I leaned back against the tiny, rickety bed. Dinner had been hardly anything but after the full explanation from Vale, I didn't have much of an appetite anyways. It was a lot. My worry was quadrupled at the fact that Ezekiel wasn't here yet. Refusing to let it show, I told Vale I would reach out to Auri but it was more than that. We had been expecting some pushback after how many fires we were putting out. My worry was that this was part of that. Pulling up my phone, I called Auri. Vale was already asleep. Sadly, he did not take after his mom when it came to his snoring. It was definitely the Logan Chainsaw Massacre over there. It always made me laugh but it made it easy to tell when he was actually asleep. He was self conscious about it and so if he was faking sleeping, he would never snore that loud.

She was sitting in bed and she signed. 'Hello Stranger.'

I laughed. "Hey Auri."

Her face scrunched up. 'What's wrong?'

"How can you tell?"

'It's written all over your face.' There was a smile as she made the joke and I rolled my eyes.

"Sometimes, dear, you're insufferable."

Auri smiled and I felt my heart soar. I loved Auri. I always had. I always would. Truth be told, I fell in love with her before Logan even met her. The day we were captured, The Huntress may have let us go, but she kept my heart with her. The Huntress' strength and the look in her eyes. It was like lightning had struck my heart. Sure, she wasn't my mate but she was a crush. One that I thought I would never see again.

I locked her away in my heart to always have but never touch until the day we met back at the club when Logan was trying to win his Luna back. When I felt Rydere come forward and remind me, remind me of the long lost love we let slip through our hands. It was both shocking and devastating. At the time, I convinced myself it was enough to just be near her. It was enough to be in charge of her protection and be one of her closest friends. Over time, I realized it was too much. Everything she did, every choice, she oozed everything I knew she was as the Huntress except when she was with Logan. She bowed to Logan in a way that I hated. She was his Luna and I understood that but I hated it. Hated how he would treat her sometimes as well. But I said nothing. I keep my mouth shut and was there for her when she needed me.

That was until I listened to her conversation with Morgan, the day that she left. I knew I was letting her go to her death. But knowing her as the Huntress, I couldn't stop her. Part of me felt responsible for her death, when Logan seemed to be able to just go through the motions, I broke. Everything in me broke when we all were convinced that she was dead. Goddess, the day when I found out she wasn't I felt my soul leave my body. Seeing her come back, staying with us, was more than I could have hoped for in our universe.

I didn't want a mate, didn't need a mate. Auri was my everything. Even if, to her, our relationship was platonic. She knew my feelings for her. I think she suspected for years but one day Auri called me out on my matelessness. That was when I confessed to her that I had found my mate.

It was on the battlefield years and years ago. Our eyes locked, the mate bond started to form and then Auri had beheaded her in another breath. She was one of the wolves from the fake Alpha King's court. However, I didn't even mourn her. I didn't feel bad. Sure, we weren't actually mated but I should have felt more. Instead, I felt angry that the Moon Goddess would pair me with someone who tried to kill the love of my life.

When Auri found out, she was distraught but I told her it was alright. My love would have always trumped anything I felt for a mate. I didn't know why. Why I felt this pull and this love for her but I couldn't ignore it. She said she had Logan and there wasn't anything other than a close friendship with

me.

It was easy to lie and say that it was fine. I took up the place of an uncle but it always struck me as odd that Bryan and her relationship, for being best friends and her calling him her brother multiple times, she never did so with me. We were just as close, if not closer in some ways, but never once did she call me her brother.

I jumped when Auri snapped her fingers. 'Where did you go?'

Laughing, I shook my head. "The past. Sorry. Got lost, I'm back now. There is an issue."

'What's going on?'

"Ezekiel isn't here."

Her brow furrowed and she shook her head. 'He left over a week ago.'

"I know. I was nearly as shocked when Vale told me he wasn't here yet. I told Vale that he might have been stopped at the border somewhere, but Auri this...doesn't feel right..."

She nodded and got up. I saw the silk night shirt fall down for a moment and I looked away from the phone, happy she couldn't see every time I blushed. Sometimes, it was the goddesses gift that she couldn't see. I would have been caught more than a few times. In the back of my mind, I felt Rydere chuckle lowly.

I watched her set up the phone on the kitchen counter and she had pulled her tablet with the keyboard attached to it. She was typing away and there was multiple dings but she muted the phone. My eyes narrowed as I wondered why she muted when she was listening to the replied messages. 'Hold on a second, Hector.' She signed, still on mute.

She started to sign at the speed she sometimes spoke to Morgan. It was almost like a completely different language when she did it. Sure, you could pick out certain signs, but it was so far it was a word every three sentences. It was five minutes, maybe more, when I saw Auri's face pale. The color drained out her face and I saw her hands start to shake as she signed. Her head started to shake, and her mouth was moving. Auri started to sign more furiously than before.

Finally, her hand covered her mouth and you could see the wheels turning in her mind. She pinched her bottom lip between her fingers before finally

turning her head back to me.

'Vale's car hasn't left Italy, Hector.'