Twin Moon - Chapter 204 - The Beta and the Delta
Zelena.
When I woke in the morning, the bed was empty. I reached out my hand and felt the space beside me, it was cold. Gunner has been gone for a while. Panic set in immediately. He couldn’t have left without saying goodbye, he wouldn’t do that, at least I don’t believe he would. I pulled on a pair of shorts and one of Gunner’s t-shirts and raced downstairs. I checked his office first, nothing. Then I checked the hall and the library, again nothing. I pushed open the kitchen door and found Nat sitting at the bench, playing absentmindedly with her bowl of cereal.
“Have you seen Gunner?” I asked her as I stepped up beside her, but she didn’t respond.
“Nat, have you seen Gunner this morning?” I asked again, but still got no response. What the fuck is her problem? What have I done to warrant being ignored. I hit her on the shoulder with the back of my hand and she jumped and squealed, dropping her spoon and spinning around to glare at me,
“What the fuck Lena?” she huffed and gripped at her chest in fright,
“Not me what the fuck, you what the fuck. Why are you ignoring me?” I grunted at her angrily,
“I’m not ignoring you, why on Earth would I ignore the mother of my beautiful little niece or nephew” she cooed and placed both her hands on my belly, then rubbed her cheek on the not so small mound. It was sweet and has become one of her favourite things to do of late. But I was still mad at her for ignoring me, and then denying it to my face.
“I just asked you the same question twice and you ignored me both times” I growled and pushed her head away from my stomach.
“You did not. Did you? Oh Lena, I'm so sorry, I've been off in my own little world this morning. My mind is a mess and I'm completely lost”. Nat began to ramble, as Nat usually does. I would usually sit and listen. I do care, and I want to know what's going on with her, but first I need to make sure that Gunner hasn’t left already.
“Nat, take a breath for a second will ya. Have you seen Gunner this morning” I interrupted her fast talking. She sat up straight and frowned at me. I've hurt her feelings, shit. I stepped forward and grabbed her hands and placed them back on my stomach. Both Nat and her mother are easily pleased these days, all they need is to feel the pup move.
“I’m sorry, I want to hear all about it, I do. But first I really need to find Gunner. It's important, I swear” I said earnestly. I will come back to this. She seems very upset, and I love her too much to just let her wallow in it alone.
“He’s outside somewhere, he was up early this morning” she sighed and turned back around to her bowl of soggy cereal.
“I’ll be back soon, I promise” I said softly and kissed her cheek. She nodded and hummed before stirring her spoon through the milk with a spacey look on her face. I took a few steps back but kept watching her for a minute. She rested her head on her hand and slumped forward on the counter. She had deep frown lines in her forehead, which is weird enough on its own. She is always so pristinely dressed and made up. But her hair was clipped up in a messy bun, and not her usual straight and sleek bob. Her skirt hadn’t been ironed and she was barefoot. Another very unusual thing for Nat. Whatever is going on with her, it must be huge. I have never seen Nat look so dishevelled. But even in her current state of unravelling, she is still supermodel beautiful.
I kept my eyes on Nat as I backed out of the kitchen, I hate leaving her like this. The door closed and Nat disappeared from my eyesight. I quickly turned on my heels and speed walked for the door. If I could run, I would, but this quickly growing belly is making everyday activities very hard. I've got maybe seven weeks left. But at the rate I am growing, I don’t think I can make it that far without bursting open. I made my way onto the porch and scanned the surrounding area. That's when I spotted Gunner, he was sitting on the steps of Smith’s cabin, next to Smith. The two were in a deep conversation and Smith’s face looked unusually pale. I can only assume that Gunner has just told him that he’s leaving. I walked slowly down the steps and continued on my way towards them. Gunner saw me coming and offered a half smile as he kept talking. I walked very slowly, my hands on my stomach and my eyes glued on Gunner’s moving lips. I’ve never been one for lip reading, I wish I was. I could probably hear them if I focused hard enough. But ears dropping on this conversation feels like it would be a severe invasion of privacy.
As I reached the bottom step, Gunner grabbed Smith’s head and kissed his cheek hard. He then stood up and raced down the stairs to meet me. He grabbed my face with both hands and bent down to kiss me.
“Good morning my beautiful Luna” he said softly before dropping down to one knee, to then embrace and kiss my stomach as well,
“Good morning my handsome little Alpha-Son" he snickered and winked up at me. He seemed to be really cheerful. After our argument last night, and our little talk, I expected a more solemn Gunner. Not this. This upbeat and happy Gunner. Not that I am complaining, I love when Gunner is happy, which is a rarity these days. But it seems a little out of place under the current circumstances. Gunner stood back up and kissed the top of my head,
“I’ve got a bit to do today. Why don’t you go and have some breakfast, then maybe chill out and watch a movie. I'll come find you a bit later, okay” he said quickly before kissing my cheek again and dashing off before I could argue. I watched him rush away as I stood dumbfounded and a little lost. He's leaving soon and he thinks I'm just going to sit and watch a movie? I turned around to face Smith and ask him what that was all about. But that thought was gone once I saw him. Smith was slumped forward with his face in his hands. His body was shaking with harsh and ragged breaths, and the smell of despair was all around him. I wobbled up the stairs and sat down next to him, pressing myself right up against his side. I slipped my arm around his, holding onto it tightly, and rested my head on his shoulder. After a beat, Smith leaned over and rested his head on top of mine. We sat like that for a little while. Not talking, just sitting together in silence.
“He told you, huh?” I finally said,
“Yeah” Smith answered softly. I didn’t know what to say back. There was nothing to say. Gunner had made up his mind, and if I couldn’t change it, I really doubt that Smith could.
“You’re okay with him just leaving the pack, for Goddess knows how long?” Smith grumbled as he sat up right again. I sat up too and looked at the side of his face. His nose was red and his under eyes were red and wet.
“Of course I'm not okay with it. I tried to argue, I tried to beg, I tried to reason with him, but he’s made his decision. What more am I meant to do?” I answered him with a fake firmness to my voice.
“You’re the Triple fucking Goddess, force him to stay” Smith grunted back. I was quiet for a second, thinking about his words. Goddess knows I have thought about using my power on him. Locking in into place and forcing him to stay. But it would never work. Gunner would lose control and the darkness would definitely take him over.
“You know why I can’t do that” I said slowly after a few seconds. Smith huffed and wiped his face with the back of his hand,
“Yeah, I know” he mumbled.
“He named you the Beta, didn’t he?” I asked as I looked back at him. Smith took a sharp breath and looked at me. His soft hazel eyes looked sad and withdrawn.
“He did” Smith confirmed half-heartedly,
“I thought you’d be more excited” I teased and shoved my shoulder into his. But Smith was in no mood to play around. He huffed and leaned forward with his elbows on his knees. His scent changed from despair to anger.
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