Alpha Markus and Celeste
Chapter 82
Chapter 82 – Gillian
Gillian P.O.V.
There was something different about tonight. Not the usual anticipation of a full moon run with new she-wolves. I had one thought in my mind. Will Camila be my mate? Otto and I had been fighting to control ourselves all week. Never had we been so tempted. We’ve always been able to control our urges. Mom had always told us how sacred and important the mate bond was. Even though we were
almost 27 now, we had never relented. Camila was different. She evoked so much in us. I tried to explain it away. She was exotic. Her soft
voice with that thick accent sent shivers down my body. Just thinking about it was giving me a semi.
We’d gotten close. So close. I thought as I remembered the way we’d found ourselves in my room yesterday after the attack, letting
our bodies say what our mouths couldn’t. I couldn’t do that to her though. She had a mate and she had saved herself for him. If we were
not her mate….I didn’t want to think about it. I knew I was falling hard for her rich sun kissed skin and chocolate eyes and joyful
personality. She was selfless and reckless. She was the Gamma’s daughter and though she hadn’t trained to fight, she had refused to hide
when Huitzilopochtli threatened her pack. The need to protect her had been too much for Otto to resist and we had tried to hide her
behind us. Something that had not gone unnoticed by her.
Thad never wanted something as much as I wanted her. From the moment I saw her the first night, I could not get her off my f*****g
head. I grew up hearing stories from mom about how mates could feel the pull even when it wasn’t the full moon and I wanted to believe
this was it, but it had also been almost 8 years’ worth of monthly disappointments.
We could always ask her to be our chosen mate – Otto had been telling me all week.
We can’t do that to her.
I argued for the 70th time this week
And what if what happened to Alpha Alexander happened to us.
Otto whined in my head. No, we couldn’t do that. All we could do right now was pray. Pray that this was the last full moon we would
look up at the moon and pray for our mate. I knew she was nervous too and that was a small consolation. I hadn’t even had the heart to
ask her if she’d be willing to leave for Arizona with me if we were mates. Planning for a future that might never be was too much torture
to think about.
I walked into the records room around noon. I hadn’t seen Camila at breakfast today, but it was my turn to help, and above
everything, I cared about Celeste and Markus. “Where do you want me to start,” I said to Evergreen. He turned to look at me and pointed
at a stack.
“Those are all the same index. I pulled them for you.” I rolled my eyes. One f*****g bad index and suddenly I was an incompetent
nincompoop that couldn’t be trusted. Whatever. I wasn’t in the mood and this would make this easier. We worked in silence for an hour.
Usually, I didn’t mind the silence, but today it was all I could do to not scream. I needed something to distract me from the upcoming full
moon.
“You think we’ll be done before Sunday?” I asked. It was only two days from now and it still seemed like the scanning was endless.
How this man managed to keep his sanity, I didn’t know. He was in here 15hrs a day pretty much every day for the last 5.
“We should be done tomorrow at this pace,” he said and continued to scan. I sighed, so much for a conversation. He was not usually
this dry and grumpy. He was dedicated and passionate about his work. Slightly immature even at times when he wasn’t on the clock. I
think he was going through tech withdrawal. Aside from a TV and old computer in the common room, and a slightly more modern
multiple tech devices on him or around him. I think the only thing keeping him sane was the need to finish the job. Markus had told him
he might need to stay back a couple of days with a few warriors to finish the job and Evergreen had looked as if he was threatening to kill his puppy.
The door opened and Celeste walked in with a plate of food. She was wearing a dress Markus had mentioned earlier today had belonged to her mother. It was lacy and off white; her tiny bump was growing rapidly and it suited her. I know pregnant women said that morning sickness was usually the reason for the glow, but Markus said he hadn’t known of any morning sickness since she came here, but
use that language app. My broken Spanish and Camila’s only slightly broken English had helped break the ice. That and whatever she’d
told Camila that first night. Since we arrived, my Spanish vocabulary had almost doubled.
“Can you go help Markus? He and Diego have to go grab some items for tonight, get the barbacoa out of the ground, and then in the afternoon, we need you around to welcome the other Packs. Diego asked we meet everyone officially. I’ll take over for you,” she placed a plate on Evergreen’s desk and turned back to me. There was a weird smile and a twinkle to her eye. “We made empanadas with some left
over meat from dinner last night. Make sure you grab a few on the way out. Easy hand food.”
“Yes Luna,” I said, happy to be out of here. The overthinking was killing me.
“You can’t keep missing meals, Evergreen. I didn’t see you at breakfast again,” I heard her chide as I closed the door behind me.! chuckled. Evergreen had gotten food while they were romping around before breakfast. I can only imagine her face when Evergreen told her so. Everyone had seen the remnants of the prank she pulled on Markus and could guess what had happened after he’d shut himself in the room with her after he carried her back to the room caveman style.
I walked past Gabriel on his way to the records room. I met Alpha Diego, Markus, Zack and Mateo at the door, “Where are we off to?” |
asked.
“Diego wanted to show us to one of the properties that belongs to Celeste. I confirmed with the lawyers that they have the deed
among the documents we found in the safety deposit box. Then his mom asked that we get some more ingredients for today’s. It seems a
dozen extra wolves have drained her reserves for the full moon dinner a little more than she had realized.” Markus said as his eyes
narrowed at me with a smile. He was excited about something but he didn’t seem to want to share. He and Celeste had been acting a
little weird all week and I wasn’t sure if it was some sort of “pregnant couple” thing or planning to murder me and bury me out
here.
“No, this happens every full moon we host. She always has enough, but the thought of coming up a little short terrifies her. So then we end up eating the same thing for days after,” Diego laughed.
We had been driving for a while when Markus mind linked me. ‘So….are you excited to go home,’ Markus asked…a little too casually.
I narrowed my eyes at him through the car mirror.
I guess….It is home after all,’ I said suspiciously. Markus was never one to beat around the bush.
‘Right.’ He was quiet for a while, ‘Do you like it here? Mexico…with all the señoritas?’
“Are you trying to tell me something? Are you trying to leave me here, Alpha?
Tasked.
‘What? No. Why would you think that?’ He said.
‘You and Celeste have been really secretive lately. Now you’re being weird.’
His face went red. lam not being weird. I was trying to make conversation’
‘Well you’re either dumping me on this pack or killing me and burying me in the middle of nowhere. You wouldn’t be this awkward
otherwise.’
He crossed his arms and looked away from the mirror, “You’re being ridiculous.’ ‘Are you’re still hiding something.’ I said, not buying it.
Our chat was interrupted as we pulled to an old house in front of a lake. “Wow, this is beautiful” I said.
‘
“Yes, Aunt Bella’s parents liked to come here many times with her mom when they were little. It was place where they could just be a family, without Pack responsibilities,” he explained, “But come Markus, there was one thing I wanted to show you.”
We walked into the house. Despite it being old, it was very well taken care of inside. “We have been taking care of it since my great
uncle passed. We found this in one of the rooms.” He pointed to a trunk. “I thought maybe you and Celeste would like to go through it
tomorrow and see if you want anything from it.”
Markus opened the trunk and a big grin spread on his face. It was full of toys and baby clothes and blankets. “Do you guys not want
to keep anything for when you find your mate?” he asked Diego.
Diego shook his head. “These toys belonged to Bella and I believe a few even belonged to Celeste on the few occasions Bella brought her to visit. It’s all yours if you want it.”
“How are you going to get that home without her noticing?” I asked.
“Should be easy enough to distract her while they load it,” He smirked at me and I rolled my eyes. “Help me load it into the car.
We were not back until close to 6pm. I still hadn’t seen Camila and I was getting nervous. What if she wasn’t even here tonight?!
thought as I unloaded some of the barbacoa.
“She won’t be out until the full moon is about to begin,” Tomas said to me from behind. I turned to look at him. “You’re looking for my sister right?” I fought a blush and nodded. “There’s an Alpha that has been asking her to be his chosen mate. He’s 34 and needs a Luna. Camila told me she was going to accept his offer for the sake of the pack after last month’s full moon and we fought about it a lot over the last month. That man is an asshole and I don’t him harassing her.”
“She wants to be Luna?” I asked, my heart contracting with hurt. Tomas shook his head.
“No. I think she had just given up on finding her mate. She’s 25. It’s unheard of for her to be this old and not find a mate around
these parts. Not for she-wolves. She told me this morning she changed her mind though.” He gave me a knowing look, “Even if she
doesn’t find her mate tonight, she would rather choose a man she loves than go with him.” Then his eyes darkened as we saw a car coming up the drive. “That’s him. I told her to stay in her room until the run. I’ve gotten close to starting a war for the things he says to
her. We don’t need an altercation between the packs on a full moon. It’s bad juju,” I sighed. Great. I wouldn’t see her until the full moon
and to top it off, I would have to be nice to the man that made his intentions known to her.
Gabriel came out and helped me move Celeste’s trunk into one of the vehicles we were taking to the airport as Markus was
supposedly “distracting” Celeste by keeping her inside.
He and Atlas can’t keep away from her for more than an hour before he’s jonesing for her –
Otto laughed, but I could feel the longing
in his words too.
We joined Celeste and Markus as they were coming out to greet the Alpha, Gabriel taking his stand right behind Celeste. I stood next
to them while Tomas and Alpha Diego’s Beta stood behind him.
“Alpha Diego, good to see you. Beta Rafael, Gamma Tomas, but where is your sister? I am hoping she finally changed her mind about