Peace Little Wolf, I can give you peace

Luna Kayla POV

No one bothers me through the evening after dinner, and I do not leave my room. I go to the window and look out over the massive land illuminated by the moonlight. I cannot believe this would have been the home of my Alpha and me, and now, it is only my home. I understand why Alpha Maximus and his brother chose to walk away and allow me to have the land and the pack. I am, no, I was married to his brother, and technically I am the Luna of this pack and should be here, but I guess to the brothers, it is their way of helping me and making sure that I am happy and have a home. I do not have a home after losing my family and my husband.

I continue to look out over the land. I guess I do have a home, and here is my home. I see something moving in the distance; whatever it is, it is coming from the woods. I watch with great interest, and then it appears. The most beautiful wolf I have ever seen is in my eyesight. I know him. I remember this wolf. It is Alpha Maximus. He shifts back into a man and stands in the moonlight, nude and beautiful. He looks up to the moon and arches his back. He lets out a beautiful howl. My wolf howls for him and wants him. MATE! My wolf is pacing and panting. Haven't we been through enough? The thought of a man or wolf or anyone touching my body makes me want to scream, but my wolf longs for his touch. Go to him, and my wolf cries out, pushing me to go to him.

I cannot take it; I rush out of the bedroom and run through the house. I go out the front door and to the porch. I stand on the porch, and there he is, standing in front of me. He is beautiful as he looks at me in my long nightgown. He moves closer as both of us breathe hard and want one another.

"I ... I... I am afraid of being touched," I say. It is the only thing I can manage to get out as he moves so close to me. He stares into my eyes, and we are within an inch of each other. I cannot stop my breathing as it is heavy. I reach up and touch his face, but he respects my wishes and does not touch me. Tears begin to form and slide down my face. He reaches up to wipe away the tears but stops before he touches me.

"I will not hurt you," he whispers as he stands in front of me. He takes his thumb and wipes away the tears.

"I believe you," I say. He leans down, and his lips touch my lips. He kisses me and is so gentle. My wolf cries out for him.

"We should get you to bed. You need to rest and heal, little wolf," Alpha Maximus says.

"I agree," I say. I turn to walk away from him. My mate is right here in front of me. My wolf cries for him and wants him, but my body and my mind are not ready for that. I am screaming on the inside as I walk away from my mate. I make my way to the kitchen, and then I turn around to see him standing on the porch, looking out into the vastness of the woods. He is hurting too. This ordeal is not just my loss. It is his too. He lost his brother, and he brought his brother back here with my sister and his parents. He is in pain, and I need to recognize that he needs to heal too. I have to give him time to heal, and I need time to heal.

I start walking back to him. I want to tell him that I understand. As I make my way back to him, another wolf walks up to the porch. I stand in the door and listen to the wolves talking about perimeters and keeping watch. I have no idea about this type of thing. How will I take care of these wolves? There are only a few of us and all of this land.

"Alpha Maximus," I say as I walk back to him.

He turns around and looks at me. The moonlight hits his body just right, and my wolf is going insane for him, more than before; damn, he is unbelievably amazing.

"Yes, Luna Kayla," he says.

"Is everything okay?" I ask him.

He looks around at the woods. "Yes, other packs know that the numbers are down, and I am afraid someone will attack you. I do not have many wolves with me, but they are watching the perimeter. More of my wolves are on their way here to help," Alpha Maximus says.

"And when you leave me behind to go home, then what? Will this pack fall to an attack and another wolf, like Ranon, come in here and take me away or worse?" I ask him.

He looks down at the ground, and then it hits me. That is why he was running; he was thinking of how he would protect me and care for me as his mate. He is not sure how or what to do either. We are neither one ready for a mate, yet it has been thrown in our face. The decision is being made for us. Now he feels he should make sure I am taken care of not just because I lost my husband, his brother, but because I am his mate.

"Kayla," Alpha Maximus says, stopping to listen for something after he says my name. When he says my name, my entire body begins to shake and shiver, and I want to touch him. Why did this happen?

I move close to him and take his hand into mine for some reason. It feels incredible to hold his hand. "Kayla, I have several wolves that want to move south. It is cold during the winter, and they want to move to a southern pack. They are good wolves. They will be here tomorrow. They will help you and respect you. Most importantly, they will protect you," Alpha Maximus says.

"What will happen to you? Will you leave me? Are you rejecting me?" I ask him. Everything in his face seems to fade as I ask if he plans to reject me.

"I am not sure what we should do about this right now. You are my brother's wife, and," He says, but I stop him.

"I was your brother's wife. He was murdered," I say. I begin to cry and then lean into him. He puts his arm around me carefully as if he is unsure if he should touch me or allow me to just lay against him unbothered.

"I think we should see what happens, and I promise not to reject you unless you want me to reject you," Alpha Maximus says.

I look up into his eyes. "I am not sure what I want. My wolf is crying for you, and my body is destroyed. Why would any wolf want me? I am damaged, broken, and unloveable. I understand that you would not want a mate that has been with another wolf," I say.

He touches my face. "Do not ever say anything like that to me. Kayla, what happened to you was not your fault. Any wolf would be lucky to have you, even me. I am just not sure I want a mate. I have never thought about it or seriously thought it would not happen to me. I may be the Alpha of the pack, but I spend a lot of my time alone and away from everyone. I am not sure what I can offer you," Alpha Maximus says.

"Peace, you can offer me peace," I say to him.

"Why did you come back out here?" Alpha Maximus asks me.

"I was worried about you. I realized that you were in pain and that you had lost family. That maybe you needed someone to talk to, and I wanted to let you know that you can talk to me," I say.

"You are the first person to offer to listen to me. I guess everyone expects me to just be okay and move on after all of this. I am not sure how to move on, and I am hurting, Kayla, but I need to ... NO, I want to, not need to ... I want to make sure you are okay. It would mean everything to me if you were okay. I want something good to come from this, and I hope that is you. I am sorry, I am not making much sense," Alpha Maximus says.

"No, you are making perfect sense. I think I am going to bed now. Can we have breakfast together in the morning?" I ask him.

He smiles at me. "I would like that," Alpha Maximus says.

"Me too," I say.