Chapter 4

ALEXIS

Let's go see mate.

My wolf was still upset that Hudson hadn't acknowledged us so she wanted to go talk to him and see what his problem was.

I, on the other hand, wanted to wait until he approached us. I wasn't about to make a fool of myself and run after him like a love-sick puppy. There was a reason he didn't say anything the first time. Plus, we didn't even know what he was like. The only things we knew were rumors that said he slept around and gave cruel punishments for even the smallest of mistakes.

But I knew better than to trust the rumors – they were almost always wrong.

"Alexis, what are you doing here? Did you have lunch?"

I turned around and gave my dad a forced smile, "I'm not really hungry, Dad."

I sort of lost my appetite after Hudson walked off with my dad so I came up to my room to clear my head.

He pursed his lips and stepped inside my room, shutting the door behind him, "Sweetheart, we need to talk."

From the look on his face, I could tell that he was not happy with whatever Hudson told him.

I plopped on the bed and patted the spot next to me. He sat down and studied my face with a sad smile, "I don't think I've ever realized how fast you grew up. My wolf is quite distraught over the fact that his pup grew up and found her mate."

I grinned, "You're getting old, Dad. Admit it."

"I'll admit, I'm not as young and dynamic as I used to be, but I can still attract a good amount of ladies' attention, mind you," He said, giving me a pointed look.

"If you say so," I chuckled, putting my hands up in defense.

He shook his head in amusement and ran his fingers through his hair, "Sweetie, if you want proof, go ask your mom. She will tell you about my performance last night–"

"Okay!" I cut him off, "Forget I said anything. I don't want to hear about you and mom. That's gross."

I shuddered at the mere thought of what my parents did at night. Thankfully, my wolf was on the same page as me and was covering her eyes with her paws.

He gave me a smirk before his face turned serious again, "I had a talk with Hudson."

I straightened and gave him my full attention. He explained everything Hudson had said about his pack and how he couldn't accept me without seeing if I was capable enough to be Luna.

And while my dad was talking, I was overwhelmed with various emotions.

Bitter. Hurt. Disappointment. Hunger.

I had never seen an Alpha who didn't accept his or her mate the moment they saw them. Alphas are supposed to be even more protective and possessive of their mates than normal wolves. As a result, rejections were extremely rare.

"I'm sorry, sweetie. I can't imagine how hard this is for you. I can't force him to accept you because he might take that as a threat–"

I cut my dad off, "Of course not, Dad. If he wants me, he'll come to me. We shouldn't have to run after him."

Plus, if Hudson did think my dad was threatening him, it could lead to a war because of his stupid Alpha pride. The last thing we needed was getting innocent pack members involved with an issue between two mates. That was a big no-no.

My wolf was completely devastated over the news if her whimpers were any indication. I sighed quietly and started a conversation with her to bring her spirits up.

You okay?

I'll be okay. You're right. We shouldn't have to chase after him. We should just wait and see what happens.

Don't lose hope yet, it has only been a few hours after all. He's staying a whole month just to watch us.

But what if he decides that after a month he doesn't want us?

We move on. We'll find someone else someday.

My wolf winced at the thought, and I mentally slapped myself for my insensitivity.

I may be hurt, but my wolf was completely heart-broken. The connection she had with his wolf was much stronger than what Hudson and I felt right now. We would only have the stronger connection if we marked and mated.

"Alexis. Dad."

We turned to Neville, who looked quite uncomfortable for interrupting, "We have to set up for the bonfire, remember?"

His reminder immediately brightened my day, and my wolf seemed a bit happier too.

Every three months, we would have a bonfire as a sort of pack bonding thing. However, this bonfire was going to be a special one, not because my mate was there, but because my friend was going to get engaged and we were all in on it. I couldn't be more excited for her.

I got on my feet excitedly, "Let's go. We've got to get ready and help Jacques out. I'm sure he's panicking already."

Neville chuckled and let me and my dad go past him first before following us downstairs. The house was packed with people cooking and rushing back and forth between the rooms, gathering coolers and tables. I frowned slightly and glanced at the clock to see why everyone was in a hurry.

My eyes widened, and I quickly ran towards the coat rack. It was five-thirty and the bonfire started at six!

"I'll catch you guys later," I yelled, grabbing my jacket, "I've got some backs to ducktape. Neville, get your ass out there! We have to get everyone in formation."

"Formation?"

I pretended not to hear Hudson, who was frowning at me.

"Dad, if Marla comes by, give her something to do so she's occupied until the bonfire. We can't have her snooping around the cabin area," I said, grabbing the duct tape from Neville.

He nodded and went back to ordering some of the pack warriors to keep an eye on the packs of beer.

Since the bonfire was going to have everyone occupied, including the pack warriors, no one was allowed to get drunk for safety reasons. If there was an attack, we had to be sober enough to fight.

Not that I was going to drink anyway, I absolutely detested beer. The taste was horrendous.

"Neville, you got the sweatshirts?"

"Yep," he gestured to the duffel bag in his hands.

"Aight, let's go."

HUDSON

I watched Alexis rush outside with her brother.

What were they doing? What did she mean by formation?

My wolf growled at me angrily.

We should go after mate.

We're not going anywhere near her. We have to observe her first.

You're stupid. Why would you not want to be close to mate?

I sighed. My wolf didn't understand my reasoning at all. If it were up to him, he would have marked Alexis the moment he saw her.

Mate is pretty. There will be male wolves ogling her. You and I both know you won't be able to control yourself is someone behaves inappropriately.

I tried to ignore his remarks, but they were getting to me. My wolf was right– if someone behaved inappropriately, there was no way I would be able to control myself. Alexis was gorgeous, and there was no doubt she got a lot of male attention. It was the one part I hated about being an Alpha. My wolf side would try to come out everytime I got even a little angry or protective and attack the cause.

I just had to keep hoping that nothing would happen during this bonfire.