Chapter 14

~M

I'm about to respond when - "Ollie!" A little blonde girl shouts and comes running towards us. Also getting the attention of the other children.

However, she stops in her tracks when she notices me.

Her big eyes look up at me and I realize she is the girl from the soccer game with Jason.

"Luna!?" She says and a big smile spreads to her roses cheeks.

She continues to run towards us and jumps onto me, and I spread my arms to catch her in a hug. "Jennifer," I say as she squeezes me.

I have only seen her once or twice since that game but I got to know her a little better. She said that she had a big sister but lived with a lot of other kids. I never put the pieces together.

"Luna?!" Other kids said and I recognize most of them as they start to run towards me. I had met many children and teens through Jason and his friends. I didn't realize that so many young wolves didn't have their parents.

I guess it might have been because of the past war. It took so many lives, and I guess this pack was directly involved in it.

I am torn from my thoughts as the children hug at my legs while I try to hold onto Jennifer.

Oliver and Jasmine give me questionable look.

"Luke's little brother and I would play soccer with the other kids," I explained to them. But their smirks didn't disappear.

"Luna where have you been?" One child called out trying to get my attention.

"I was working with Luke,"

"Why haven't you come to play?"

"I was with Luke,"

"Why weren't you with Jason when he came to play?"

"I was with Luke," I says sheepishly trying answer their questions.

I am always with him and sometimes it's suffocating. Because I'm not with the loving and caring him, I'm with the Alpha version that's always working. The Alpha version always wants me by his side, but doesn't show public affection.

"Why are you always with Alpha Luke?"

Before I could answer Jennifer, who was still on my hip with my arms around her, responded for me.

"Guys leave her alone. Their mates and are madly in love duh," she says and smiles at me.

I get a guilty twist in my stomach.

"All mates are in love." Another states.

"Is love that easy?" A boy asks and turn to me.

I take a moment and decide to answer truthfully.

"No it's not that easy. Love takes work. There will be days where you can't stand the person, days where you can't be without them. And days in between."

I imagine Luke, "with mates you are attracted to them automatically, that doesn't mean you love them automatically. It's beautiful and wonderful when you find your mate," say aware of the fact I have everyone's attention.

"It's a life changing experience, no one else can affect you like you mate can. But," I say, "love is something time creates. It must build as any other relationship, and the attraction of mates just give it a good foundation."

Seeing the disappointed faces I quickly added, "but once you have that love, having a mate is like a fairly tale. With a strong handsome prince and beautiful princess," I say noticing the smiles on the children's faces.

The boys and the girls are satisfied with this answer and before they could bombard me with questions Jasmine comes to my rescue.

"Alright everyone we are gonna go in the back yard to play. Luna will join us after she gets some food okay," she says and signals Oliver to bring me inside the house as she rounds up the kids to the gate beside the house.

Over the fence I can see several play sets and swing sets. I smile to myself at how much fun they must have here. It must be a good distraction from the family that they don't have.

As I enter the house that is more like a hotel, I notice that there are still kids inside, as well as she wolves that are around my age and older. They seem to be taking care of the kids.

As we walk I count about 8 she wolves all of them seem to be younger.

Oliver takes me through the house, I take note of its state. It has hardwood floors and open rooms with no doors, probably because most were broken. I see little marks on the white walls from paint and scratches from balls and hand prints from mud.

On the door way into the living room, there is the marks telling how tall a child is.

"Hey Oliver," I hear and notice a very friendly girl wave at him with a pretty smile and I try my best to hide my amusement.

He simple nods his head at her and continues walking.

I notice her disappointment but keep my head down pretending not to notice his shut down.

We enter the practically empty kitchen that had an open wall to the dinning room.

"Water?" He asks and I shake my head.

"I'm not hungry or thirsty," I say

"Oh," he says and scratches the back of his head.

I debated whether or not to just leave and go to the back yard, but I wanted to get a better start with him. I know we could be good friends if we put our prides aside.

There is a complete silence then I ask.

"So Ollie?" and his faces goes tomato red.

I don't bother to hold back the laughs.

"It wasn't my idea!" He tries to say over my laughing.

"Everyone who lives here that is my age is a girl, and I have always grown up around girls so it was just a nick name. It was also so the younger ones can pronounce it." He says trying to justify himself.

"I understand. I tried to get them to call me by my name, but they still call me Luna," I say once I stopped laughing.

"I'm surprised they knew you," he says with a smile, "you really are an important person to our pack." He says.

In a serious tone he adds, "I'm glad I stopped you."

I don't respond, I could have been past the woods by now if I didn't run into this family.

"Didn't I scare you?" I ask with a raised eyebrow, well aware of his relaxed body language, which was stiff at a board an hour ago.

"Of course! You were terrifying," he says with a loud chuckle.

"Then why stand up again me?" I ask and he pauses to think about his answer. Scratching the back of his hair, as she-wolves who pass by us ogle him.

Glancing back at Oliver, I study his profile as he think of what to say next. His well set facial structure, defined jawline, silk black hair, and large, deep-set eyes. He has defined muscles with broad shoulders. If I could describe him in one word I would say, strong.

In another world.

In another time.

In another life.

We were probably mates.

I am comfortable around him, and obviously we have the same mind set. I like his scent and the way his smirk rises a little more on the right cheek then the left.

I feel safe near him.

And I could see why the other she-wolves stared at him, he is attractive and has pack leadership potential. I smile at how naïve he is, and he finds his words.

"Because I thought about Jasmine with her mate and how much she loves him and he couldn't function without her. Then I thought about the Alpha. You're his mate. You are the only person he will ever love.

I thought that if my mate was running away and some random person could stop her, I would give anything for them to try their hardest. I don't think a man can live without his mate. I don't believe in rejection, it's never truly possible to sever a bond between mates," he says with a straight face looking into the dense woods that I had planned to escape to.

"You want to meet your mate soon, don't you?" I ask knowing the answer, he smiles down at the ground and nods.

"As soon as possible. I know once I find her, I will never let her go." he says, "I will cherish her like no other,"

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