27

Chapter 27 – Emotions
“Come on Lucy dig deep and find that anger to fuel the fire circle.” Alpha Knox said. I was currently at the north end of the territory with Alpha Knox and Diesel, practicing my element training. I kept putting up a fire circle around them and Diesel kept extinguishing it with water and snow. I actually managed to singe his arm hairs yesterday.
It’s been a week since Diesel first saw Lia and I’ve been training every day. Payton trains in human form with me, teaching me how to spar, strike and defend while Diesel coaches. Then I spend an hour with Alpha Knox on my elemental training and Diesel helps. After lunch, Diesel and I train in our wolf forms, with Payton coaching, because I can’t mind link with Diesel yet, so she calls out the instructions from him.
We’ve discovered that my fire power is linked to my emotions. While elemental wolves can only control the element, they cannot produce the element. Diesel must have a water source to manipulate and control the element and I need a fire source or spark.
We wrapped up training for the day and shifted back, my shifting was getting faster with each shift. “Lucy, you’re learning so fast no one would believe you’re new to it. I can’t wait to see you spar with the warriors. They won’t know what hit them!” Payton laughed.
My golden wolf also made me strong and fast in human form. The training was teaching me techniques but the power of my strikes and speed came from the wolf within me.
“I wonder if your pups will inherit your super strength and both elements?” She said out loud and I started wondering the same.
“Just a reminder, you actually have to mate first in order to make pups.” Lia teased me.
“Lucy, I was thinking about going into the village this afternoon for a manicure and pedicure, was hoping your mate could spare you for a few hours?” Payton smiled at her brother.
“Lucy?” Diesel asked.
“Sounds great.” I replied, I’ve never had a manicure or pedicure.
“Be back by dinner, we’re joining the pack at the dining hall tonight.” Diesel gave me a kiss and we went to our rooms first, to change and freshen up. I actually took a quick shower and made it back downstairs at the entrance with my jacket before Payton.
“And where is our lovely Luna heading to?” Delta Elliot had just come through the front door.
“We’re off to the village for Mani and Pedi’s, want to join us?” Payton had just appeared behind me and answered Elliot, I burst out laughing.
“No thank you.” He laughed and tossed Payton the car keys.
We parked in front of the spa and Payton insisted we go to the village coffee shop a few doors down, before we go to the day spa. We walked into the coffee shop and stood in line to place our orders. I felt someone watching me and turned around to find Athena and Sam having coffee. Athena just glared at me.
“Pay no attention to her, she’s just jealous.” Payton said.
“Next please!” The cashier called out, then she recognized Payton.
“Oh, hello Beta. What can I get for you?” Asked the woman whose name badge said Riki.
“I’ll have a large iced mocha latte and the Luna would like to try the large iced pumpkin spiced latte.” Payton ordered.
“Luna is it?” Came a voice from behind us, we turned to find Athena standing there. “I wasn’t aware that she had been marked and claimed yet.
The Alpha isn’t having second thoughts about a rogue, is he?” She faked concern.
“Not at all.” Payton smiled back. “Diesel is a little old fashioned when it comes to true love, as opposed to superficial relationships.” Athena gave Payton a sour look before she turned and left.
“Let me out! I will rearrange her face.” Lia snarled.
“Order for Beta Payton.” A voice called out and Payton picked up our drinks. “Thank you, Riki.” Payton thanked the woman behind the counter, and we made our way to the spa.
We were seated in pedicure chairs next to each other, sipping our lattes. I don’t care for coffee, but this pumpkin spice thing was more like a dessert and tasted nothing like coffee.
“Is Athena always this pleasant?” I sarcastically asked.
“No, she’s been bitter ever since Diesel dumped her last year.” Payton said.
I let out a little gasp and Payton turned to me, “I’m so sorry, I probably shouldn’t have said anything.” She looked uneasy.
“No, it’s fine. Really. No one would expect him to make it to twenty-three and still be a virgin.” I said trying to sound as lighthearted as possible.
“He’s going to be twenty-four next week.” Payton smiled at me.
“I guess I have a lot to learn about my mate.” I said with a smile, trying to hide what I was really feeling.
I tried to enjoy the rest of the pedicure and manicure and didn’t even notice when the lady mixed up the colors I had selected for my toes and hands. I ended up with a silvery gray on my hands and a dark red on my toes. My mind kept drifting back to Athena and Diesel, she was beautiful and his strongest female warrior. Of course, she had intrigued him. She was perfect Luna material, but knowing that he had slept with her made my heart ache.
“I can’t wait to kick her ass in training!” Lia huffed. “She’ll be lucky if I don’t set her hair on fire.” She added.
“Come on Lucy, we’ve got some time before dinner, I’ll do your hair and makeup.” Payton smiled at me.
An hour later and I was wearing a form fitting, gray, sweater dress, with black tights and heeled boots. Payton put big rollers in my hair for a little more wave and did my makeup. “You don’t even need makeup, you’re a natural beauty.” She told me and I blushed.
We walked through the big double doors of the dining hall, heads turned, and whispers buzzed. We made our way to the big table in the front, Diesel stood up and pulled me to him. He kissed my lips and whispered in my ear. “You look absolutely delicious.”
“Let the woman breath for a moment.” Gamma Zeke said as he smiled at me. “Luna, I don’t believe you’ve met my mate yet, this is Vannica.” He introduced me to a beautiful, young, exotic looking woman with shoulder length brown hair and big brown eyes. She stood to greet me, and I noticed her swollen belly, she was expecting a pup. I congratulated them. It was their first pup and Zeke was a nervous, overprotective, wreck trying to tend to Vannica. It made my heart warm and I felt a longing deep inside.
“How’s the Luna ceremony planning coming along?” Vannica asked.
“We were hoping to start that this weekend. We’ve got less than four weeks until the December full moon.” Payton said.
“Count me in!” Vannica said, “I need a little excitement, Zeke won’t let me do anything!” She laughed.
Dinner was served and we had roasted chicken and pork tenderloin. I felt Lia on edge. “Are you okay?” I asked her in my head.
“I’m fine, but if the mutt over there keeps it up, I’m going to singe her eyebrows off with the candle on the table.” Lia huffed. I looked over to see
Athena staring daggers at me and whispering with the other she wolves around her.
Dessert was being served and I selected an apple tart. I quietly ate my tart and started wondering how long Diesel and Athena had dated. Diesel was laughing at something Elliot had said and I looked up at his handsome face. I was struggling with my emotions, knowing he had been with Athena and she clearly still wants him.
“Are you okay?” he asked. “I’m fine.” I lied.
“Lucy, the flames on all the candles keep rising up a few inches.” He whispered.
“I’m sorry, Lia is just a little tired, I’m going to go upstairs and get to bed early.” I said and left the dining hall. When I reached our bedroom door, I wasn’t really ready for bed yet. I wanted to be alone with myself and clear my head. I headed for the astronomy observatory.
The bed on the floor we slept in from the first night was still here. I flipped the switch and retracked the roof top to reveal the glass top and a flurry of snow gently falling. I took my boots off and laid back on the bed watching the snow. It reminded me of a snow globe.
A little while later, I heard the door creek open, and the room was filled with his scent. “Are you going to tell me what’s wrong or should I mark you right now and read your thoughts?” Diesel said as he sat down on the bed next to me.
“How long were you with her?” I asked. “With who?” He sounded confused.
“What do you mean with who? With Athena of course, why else would she be giving me jealous glares!”
He paused for a moment and spoke. “Lucy, that was a long time ago, before I even knew you existed. When I was dating her, she found her mate and rejected him, so she could be with me. I told her I wanted to wait and see if destiny would bring me a second chance mate and couldn’t be with her, so I broke it off.”
“What do you mean second chance mate? You had a first mate? Why didn’t you say anything?” I demanded.
“Lucy, I wasn’t sure that it even counted. We’d never even kissed.” He ran his fingers through his hair and took a deep breath.
“It was my eighteenth birthday and I was still at Dark Moon. I caught the scent of my mate and made my way over to her. I wanted a mate more than anything. When I set eyes on her, it was the Delta’s daughter, Fatima. She had her eyes set on the next Alpha, and the next Alpha of Dark Moon was Ranger. She rejected me on the spot.”
“I don’t remember anyone by the name of Fatima living at the pack house, what happened to her?”
“After my father passed the pack over to Ranger, a new Beta, Gamma and Delta were selected. Max was my best friend and Ranger tried to drive a wedge between us by making Max the Beta, instead of me. The twins, Blake and Cole, became the new Gamma and Delta. Blake was a few minutes older than Cole, so he got the higher ranking. Fatima and her parents moved to the city so she could attend college. After I became Alpha of the largest and strongest pack in the world, she tried contacting me, but I’ve never responded.”
“What about Athena?”
“Lucy, I wasn’t even sure I was destined for a second chance mate or that I even deserved one. Athena means nothing to me. You’re all that matters to me, little one.”
He pulled me to his chest as the tears ran down my face. “There’s so much I don’t even know, next week is your birthday and no one told me.” I sobbed.
“I don’t even know what to get you for your birthday.”
He kissed my lips softly. “You're all I want.” His eyes darkened.
My emotions were all flooding through me at once, relief, jealousy, desire, possessiveness, longing and heat. "Then have me.” I whispered back.