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Luna looked at me with wide eyes. She seemed shocked and I couldn't blame her. it was me

I had just confessed my love to her. Something I've always wanted to avoid. And yet I had done it.

When I looked into her tearful eyes, I couldn't help it. Maybe I expected a different reaction. Who knows, maybe our friendship was over now.

"Sorry. I shouldn't have said anything."

She opened her mouth to say something. However, Cole forestalled her. He stood at her side and pulled her to his body.

A growl left my throat and I was about to run towards Cole and rip him to pieces.

"So here you are. I've been looking for you everywhere. Shall we go back inside?"

Luna kept looking into my eyes and said nothing. A few moments later she sighed and finally nodded to Cole.

"What do you want with him?" I asked angrily.

"He's a friend!" she replied calmly.

"We're just friends, Hunter."

"He...don't trust him."

"I have to decide for myself. I'm not a child anymore."

I took a deep breath and ignored the idiot next to her.

"Don't you want to say anything about that?"

She knew right away what I meant.

"Not now. I have to...think."

"I'm waiting. However, I can't watch you go with that bastard!" I said angrily.

"Then close your eyes!", she said cheekily and accompanied Cole in.

If I wasn't jealous at that moment, I would have laughed at her statement. She was small and petite, but her mouth made up for it.

A small smile formed around my mouth.

She drove me crazy, that was clear. My little mate.

...

"Can't you be so flashy?" James said to me.

"No. I don't care what other people think."

My eyes hadn't left my mate and that idiot for an hour. This moron actually dared to touch her shoulder. When I was done with him, he would wish he had never met Luna.

"So either you claim her for yourself, or you let her live her life. If she's interested in Cole, then you have to put up with it. I know how bad it must be for you."

"Since when does she have anything to do with that bastard?" I asked angrily.

"Bunk? Since when do you use terms like that?" laughed James.

I just gave him an irritated look and looked straight back at Luna.

"It's okay...to your question. I don't know. He definitely knew that he had to keep it a secret. Not even Ella knew about it. She actually wanted you to accompany her. But you bastard didn't invite her ."

"Do you really think I wanted her here? In the midst of 200 werewolves?"

"There are people here too."

"People who have been enlightened. Mates. She doesn't know anything. When the ceremony begins, what should she think then? That several couples bite their necks?"

"By then she has to be at home. It will be difficult to explain that to her. Cole must be aware of that."

"Cole is up to something. I know what he's planning."

"Will you enlighten me?"

"Zoe is his mate. He thinks I don't want to tag Luna since she's human and that's why I want his mate. That's why he's hitting on mine."

James burst out laughing. My eyes fell on him a second time and I gave him a death glare. James tried to pull himself together and said, "Sorry, but that all sounds too weird. Like we're protagonists in a story."

"Except this isn't a story, it's the grim reality. I know that Luna is in danger around him. Except now I don't have the right to tell her to stay away from him. She would just think I would be a jealous and possessive control freak."

James took a deep breath and finally got serious: "Let's be clear. Do you want her or not? Make up your mind before it's too late."

I took a deep breath.

"You're right."

I got up from my chair and straightened my bow tie. At least now I knew why she was red. Ella and her plans.

"Where are you going?" James stopped me.

"I'll take what's mine."

I wasn't enjoying myself at all. Rather, I felt absolutely uncomfortable around Cole. I didn't think it was him of all people. But to two people.

First there is Zoe, who has been staring at me hostilely for ages. If looks could kill, I'd be long over the mountains.

A look, however, caused even more nervousness. Hunter. Every time I caught a glimpse of him, I found he was already looking at me.

Unlike Zoe's look, I couldn't read his at all. He was like a statue that barely moved.

"Don't you agree?", Cole asked me.

Having no idea what he was talking about, I just nodded. Cole seemed satisfied with my answer. He wanted to say something again, but the older man we had seen earlier approached us.

Wasn't his name Matt?

"Cole, I wanted to meet your lovely companion."

"Alpha, this is Luna."

Alpha? What are the odds that he was also named like Hunter?

"Nice to meet you. I couldn't properly introduce myself to you at the time. Hunter didn't want that at all. Speaking of Hunter, how do you feel about him?"

Overwhelmed, I didn't know what to say. But I felt a pleasant tingle on my skin as someone wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me into a body. I looked up, startled. Hunter glared at Matt and calmly replied, "She's mine. By my side."

"A human?" Matt laughed scornfully.

Hunter suddenly growled and I saw his green eyes darken.

"She's my mate! I won't let you even look at her."

This time he devoted himself to Cole.

"Now about you. If I see you even looking at my girl one more time, I'll kill you myself. Got it?"

Before I even heard his words, Hunter was pulling me away from the crowd.

All I could hear in the background was someone shouting that the mating ceremony was about to begin.

"What was that supposed to mean?" I asked, panting heavily, when we finally stopped.

Hunter turned to me and I backed away, startled. Ok, I really wasn't imagining it. His eyes were black.

"What about your eyes?"

He closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths in and out. When he opened them again, they were green.

My heart pounded anxiously in my chest. What the hell was going on here?

"Luna, I'll explain everything to you soon."

"Explain what?" I asked with a trembling voice.

"I'm scared of losing you if I tell you."

"You can't lose what you never had!" I say, seeing how painful his gaze was getting.

A bad conscience spread over me. Should I have kept quiet?

Hunter suddenly tensed his whole body and within a second he had me behind him.

"What's going on?" I asked. I didn't get an answer, but I heard a loud growl.

I looked past Hunter and started.

"Are...are those wolves?" I breathed in horror.

In front of us were three wolves, ready to attack. I had never actually seen one in my life, however they seemed much bigger than they did on TV.

They growled loudly, baring their teeth so that even the saliva dripped onto the floor. The worst thing was that they were only a few meters in front of us. Three wolves against two humans.

"Don't be afraid!" Hunter said calmly. I looked up at him. He didn't seem scared at all. On the contrary, he was angry.

"Hunter, I don't know if you're aware of the situation we're in right now."

"Luna, don't be afraid. Nothing will happen to you. Never. I promise you that."

"If you expect me to run away now and leave you alone, then you are wrong!"

Hunter smiled, "I really hope you won't run away."

"What do you mean by that?"

Before he could answer, however, I saw that the wolves were walking towards us. But this was not the case, which is why I was more than just shocked.

Hunter's body changed. He bent and his body cracked. I closed my eyes because I was scared.

However, out of curiosity, I opened it two seconds later. Instead of Hunter, there was now a wolf in front of me. A huge black wolf. He was bigger than the three animals in front of us. Much larger.

He gave me a look and suddenly in my head I heard: " Close your eyes."

I didn't think twice, I did it. I heard a brief scuffle. A painful whimper. A short time later, something soft nudged me. I opened my eyes and saw that the three wolves were lying on the ground.

Hunter's snout was spattered with blood. he was big I could look him straight in the eyes.

Why didn't he attack me? I thought.

I could never attack you, little one.

I looked at him in horror. Did he just speak to me? Okay, this was all too much for me. My vision started to blur and I dangled. Just before I passed out I thought I was going to land on the cold and hard floor. Instead, I landed on something soft.