KENNA POV

I set my forehead against the closed door and ask, "What is wrong with us?"

Kaden sighs behind me, his palm briefly touching my arm until I flinch away.

"It was instinct," he explains. "When you ran into him, I saw him as a threat that hurt you. My wolf is antsy now that there's a chance you'll get..."

Get pregnant? That's highly unlikely. I don't think I will ever find the words to explain to Kaden that he doesn't have to be overly violent on my behalf. He is an alpha; made to protect. These misunderstandings and fights will keep on happening. One day, I might reach a breaking point.

"We can't keep living like this," I say, finally finding the courage to turn away from the door and face him.

I'm tired, but Kaden looks angry, bursting with tumultuous energy as always.

"I know," he agrees. "Goddess, Kenna. I'm just so crazy about you." He touches my arm again. This time, I let him tug me into an embrace.

"I shouldn't have blamed you," I tell him. "It wasn't your responsibility to stop the pack from spreading rumors. I just said those things because I got defensive."

"I know," he replies, rubbing the small of my back. "I knew you wanted to deal with it, so I stepped aside. But know that now that you're mine, I'm shutting all of that down."

"Let's take it one day at a time."

"We'll be fine," he says.

I pray to the moon that he's right.

Kaden runs late for work, so I stay behind to pick up the groceries. He insists that someone can do it for me, but I wave him off. He hesitates before kissing me. I watch him go, and finish restocking the fridge. I skip work today. It helps to know that since Kaden hired new doctors, the work is better distributed.

I go home to pick up a few things, and I cross pack members who whisper their greetings. It's like they're being forced. Are they afraid of what will happen if they're not kind to me now that I'm in a position of power?

When I arrive home, I find my mother in the kitchen. She startles me, but then my surprise becomes nervousness when she looks at me with a predatory gaze.

"You sly little girl," she declares, slapping her plate on the counter. "You lied to your mother." After a minute, her glare is replaced by a huge smile. "Great job, Kenna! Oh, baby, I knew you could secure a powerful man. You can leave your silly job now."

My stomach becomes knotted. I'm disgusted by my own mother.

"Mom, you're still here?"

"Don't make it sound like you want me to leave."

I do, though, because I know she's only here to pry.

"Tell me everything," she demands, laying against the counter.

Admit to her that I was screwing around with Kaden as a friends with benefits? Yeah, that's not happening.

"I really just want to relax. Yesterday was crazy."

"Yes, it was so stressful for me. What was that cougar's name? Sylvie?" she scoffs. "Stupid bitch wanted to replace you."

Goddess, save me from this conversation.

"I think you should go home, mom. Do you need a driver?"

"Go home?" she laughs. "Sweetheart, I'm moving to this pack! My daughter is going to become a Luna! I'll be treated like royalty here."

I realize that I have to leave before I say something I'll regret.

"Okay, well, I need space. Stay here for as long as you'd like, but I'm going to stay with Kaden. Call me if you need anything, okay?"

I walk into my bedroom, grab a handful of random clothes, and shove them in a bag.

"You always do this, Kenna! Walking out on your mother and ignoring me. You ungrateful–"

I leave and go into the woods. When I'm deep enough, I undress and leave my phone and clothes by a tree. I run a few laps around a known path, and then I lay by the lake to cool down. When I change back into my clothes, I send a text to Chaney.

'Want to grab a drink at the bar?'

She replies instantly. 'Who are you and what have you done with Kenna?'

I roll my eyes. Yeah, normal me would never want to go out, but I wouldn't agree to be any alpha's mate either. Here we are, though. I might as well continue to erase my identity.

'Is that a yes or no?'

'Yes, Luna. I'll be there.'

Luna? I raise an eyebrow.

Back at Kaden's place, I shower and sort through the few clothes I took. There's a black mini dress fit for the occasion– not really my style, but it's fine. I don't think many men will be looking at me now that I'm Kaden's.

I reply to some emails, change into my dress and sandals, and text Chaney that I'm about to leave.

'Sorry, there's an emergency and I'm going to be stuck here for a while longer. Raincheck?'

I reply, 'no problem. Do you need me to clock in?'

'Nope, we've got it under control. Take it easy.'

I set my phone down and reach for my dress straps. I hear the front door open downstairs. Kaden must be home.

Without thinking much of it, I scratch at a stain on the dress before pushing it down. The door opens a minute later, and I jump in surprise because I hadn't expected him to enter without knocking.

"Hey, I–" he trails off when he gets a look at me. My back is exposed, my dress hanging off my shoulders.

"Uh, hey," I reply, holding the dress against my chest. "I was going to go out with Chaney, but she got busy."

"You look nice." His eyes scan my frame. "Stunning."

The sexual tension thickens. I would have expected him to feel awkward and close the door, but Kaden is incapable of feeling such a mediocre emotion. He easily takes the lead in any situation, including the bedroom, and he rules it like a king.

He enters the room, not bothering to close the door, and strolls toward me with his fists clenched. I have no interest in running. I stand my ground.

Kaden stands toe to toe with me, his breathing heavy and his veins stark against his neck. The T-shirt he wears looks an inhale away from shredding off his back.

Our foreheads press together– the only part of us that touch. We stare and wait for the other to submit.

Slowly, I fall to my knees before him. Kaden watches from above as I tug at his jeans, fighting to release his erection. Then he's out, hanging hard mid-air suspended only by lust, occasionally pulsing in beat with his heartbeat. He's so erect it must be painful.

I lean in, and I take him into my mouth. My eyes lock onto his, and although I'm on my knees, worshiping him with my mouth, I am the one in power here.

I sample his tip, sucking and licking at the bead of moisture there. I'm giving him so little, but he's already crumbling. I smile through a mouthful of cock, amused by the idea that one of the greatest Alphas of the continent can't handle the sassy mouth of his luna.

Kaden doesn't like this. He takes a fistful of my hair and grips the base of his cock to feed it to me. I swallow a few more inches, but quickly reach my limit. I give my best performance I can handle, sucking and contorting my tongue to massage the angry, pulsing, fat dick in my mouth.

"Fuck, Kenna," he groans, his grip on my hair tightening like he forbids me to go anywhere. I have no plans of unlatching until I have his creamy white load dripping from the corners of my lips, saturating my dress.

He rocks into me, fucking my throat gently. I gag a few times, but I keep my teary eyes locked on his. I'm tuned into the sounds of his grunts and our bodies mixing. I swear I hear a noise from the distance, and pull away with confusion.

My eyes move to the window, and I scream when I find a pair of eyes staring back at me. Sylvie is watching from the second story, tuning into our intimate moment.