Chapter Forty-four

Vanessa’s mind was in turmoil. She could not explain exactly how she was feeling as soon as she set her eyes on Ace. Her heart beat a little faster in her chest, her palms got a little sweaty and all saliva dried from her mouth.

Oh, how I could use a soda now, she thought to herself.

Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Sophia retreating with the ice cream and another bag that she guessed Ace brought.

Cole was also lurking in the entrance of his room, peeping at them, but the only question on her lips was, “Why are you here?”

The corner of Ace’s lips quirked up and he replied, “What do you mean? I came to see you, of course.”

“Why?” she asked again.

It was starting to become repetitive, but her brain was processing so slow, she could not ask another question. In her haze, she noticed that he moved closer to her and his intoxicating scent of lemon and peppermint assaulted her senses and her heart sped up a little more.

Was that excitement, thrill or fear? She did not know the answer to that question.

His hand reached up and brushed hair away from the side of her face, cupping her cheek and her jaw in his large, warm hand.

A part of her wanted to lean into his touch, but the other part screamed in indignation, aching to grab that hand and break it in 8 different places.

How dare he make me feel like this, she thought again, vexed. Yet, she still could not bring herself to push his hand away, even when his calloused thumb stroked her cheek.

She made the mistake of glancing at the hand on her face, and she saw that the bracelet from that day was clasped around the wrist.

As if it couldn’t go any faster, her heartbeat sped up. Did it really mean that much to him, or was he just wearing it because he was coming to see her? Another question popped into her head.

Vanessa summoned the courage to look in his eyes, and his molten pools of emerald and amber stared down at her with an intense emotion that she had a hard time reading.

They held her spellbound as he leaned down and kissed her lips gently. She inhaled sharply and it seemed like he cast a spell on her because her body seemed to move of its own volition.

Her arms which hung by her side lifted to wrap herself around his neck and her lips moved in accord and to the tune of his lips. His strong arms wrapped around her waist and held tight, and it felt like she was going to get lost in him.

After an eternity and a second, he stopped and rested his forehead against hers delicately, “Why are you so afraid, Nessa? Why? Are you scared of love? A relationship? Happily ever after?” he whispered, but she stopped listening after the word ‘love’.

A hoard of memories she tried so hard to keep at bay flooded her mind and the sheer force of the emotions she felt running through her mind overwhelmed her.

In that instant, it was too much for Vanessa. She blanched and went pale, and her eyes rolled to the back of her head. She went limp in Ace’s arms.

“Vanessa, Vanessa, Nessa baby, open your eyes,” he pleaded as he tapped her cheek, trying to rouse her, but her eyes remained shut, her breathing shallow and her heartbeat suddenly weak.

Cole came bounding out of his room, and launched a punch into Ace’s jaw, “You bastard! What did you do to her?”

Still holding Vanessa, his head snapped to the side, and he felt warm liquid fill his mouth.

Calmly, he brought out a hanky from his pocket, still holding his mate as carefully as he could, and spat the glob of blood and saliva into it. A white marbled substance was in the glob. Ace’s tooth was uprooted by the force of the punch.

Anger burned in his eyes and fury ignited his blood, sending it boiling. It dimmed out as soon as he saw the tears shimmering in Cole’s eyes, along with the emotions fuelling the tears. Fright, concern and genuine affection.

Cole liked Vanessa!


***

The question that Alexia dreaded was thrown at her, by the former Luna nonetheless. Her heart lurched.

“But do you know what it takes to be Luna, Alexia? Are you ready to be the Luna of the Werewolves?”

Her mouth dried up instantly and she started to stammer, “I…uh…i…we’ve not discussed me being a Luna yet so I thought maybe…if the time came, I’d come to you for guidance,” Alexia decided to play it cool and smooth, but Evie saw right through her ruse and shook her head, chuckling darkly.

“I don’t think you have what it takes to be the Luna of the White Flame pack, talkless of the Werewolf clan, Alexia. You’re wasting your time here. I think you should reject Hayden and go back to the Hunters’ Clan. We’ll find a solution to these nuisances ourselves,” Mrs Lockwood told Alexia, stone cold.

There was a tense silence as Alexia could hear nothing but blood rushing into her head. Her heart pumped harder until it felt like it was going to pop out of her chest.

Her skin tingled and goosebumps rose. An acrid taste filled her mouth and her eyes stung.
Nobody tells Alexia Luther what she can or cannot do.

She rose sharply to her feet and turned on Hayden’s mother, “With all due respect, Mrs Lockwood, you have absolutely no right to tell me that. You are the former Luna of this pack, and as someone who’s stepping up to the mantle – when I’m damn ready to – all that I should have for you is reverence and respect. I will be Luna of the Werewolves when I am ready to, and I sure as hell would excel at it because I have my Alpha, Hayden by my side. I can bloody hell take on the world if I want to as long as he’s with me. The Werewolves will rebuild and flourish under our reign because we are already developing a long-term plan, ready to be implemented as soon as I want to be Luna. I hope you got that ma’am, and I will take my leave now. Excuse me,” Alexia huffed after the rant.

She tried her best not to shove past Hayden’s mother as she stomped her way to the stairs, wanting to get upstairs and call Hayden. Hopefully the sound of his voice will soothe her, and knock the condescending Southern drawl of his mother out of her head.

She hadn’t walked far at all when she heard a slow clap coming from behind her. she stopped, and drew in a strangled breath. Then she turned around and rather than the look of disdain she expected to see, Evie’s face had lightened up and she was smiling.

Alexia was confused, “Why are you smiling? I just told you off.”

“It was a test, and you passed. At the same time, it was your lesson one, and the most important lesson of all - be assertive, and stand up for yourself, your mate, or your pack when you need to.

You have to have a good spine, because very soon, you’d be the spine of the pack. So, congratulations Alexia. You do have what it takes to be a Luna.”

Alexia wasn’t buying it, so she just stood there, jaw clenching and unclenching.

“I mean it, really. See, let me tell you something,” Evie took a seat again, “Being a Luna is being a second Alpha, a female Alpha. You have to have the spine, the sharp teeth, and at the same time you have to have a velvety touch. The people will respect you but sometimes, the Council will not. You have to roar and show your power, and you still have to be meekly persuasive.”

“I don’t do meek, ma’am,” Alexia cut in, scoffing.

“When I say meek, I don’t mean doormat meek. You do understand the term Reverse Psychology, right?” queried Evie.

“Yes ma’am. I did study Psychology in college,” replied Alexia.

“Excellent. Being the Luna requires the use of Reverse Psychology, and a teensy bit of manipulation. Tell you what, I’ve manipulated my husband a few times when he was Alpha. He has never realized it till today. He thinks those ideas are all his. For example, I was the one who convinced him to bring the packhouse into the 21st century.”

That captured Alexia’s interest, “Really?”

“That’s right dear. As a Luna, you have to be able to think ahead, and make a vision for the future even if others can’t see it. then you just have to…convince them into seeing it,” said Evie.

“I really want to hear the story of this packhouse now, damn!” she remarked eagerly.

Hayden’s mother laughed a deep hearty laughter.

“Another day, dear. There’s one more thing. Do you know how to become a Luna? The process? The mating?”

Oh, here it comes. The Werewolf version of the Birds and Bees talk.