The Alpha's Luna, A Destiny Divided

Chapter 6

Luna's POV

The morning sun streamed through the windows as I made my way down to the pack house's common area. My conversation with Callum the night before weighed heavily on my mind. One week. I'd given him one week to convince me to stay. The question was, did I want to be convinced?

As I entered the kitchen, the chatter died down, all eyes turning to me. I fought the urge to retreat, forcing myself to stand tall under their scrutiny.

"Good morning," I said, my voice steadier than I felt.

To my surprise, it was Nora who broke the awkward silence. "Morning, Luna," she said, her tone gruff but not unkind. "There's coffee in the pot if you want some."

I nodded gratefully, moving to pour myself a cup. As I did, I felt a gentle tug on my sleeve. I turned to find Ruby, her green eyes wide with excitement.

"Luna! Will you help me train again today? Please?" she asked, practically bouncing on her toes.

Before I could respond, a older wolf I hadn't met yet cut in, his voice sharp. "Ruby, don't bother our... guest. I'm sure she has better things to do."

I bristled at his tone, but Ruby spoke up before I could. "But Uncle Derek, Luna's an amazing teacher! You should have seen the moves she showed us yesterday!"

Derek's eyes narrowed as he looked me up and down. "I'm sure she is," he said, his voice dripping with skepticism. "But we have our own training methods here at Silver Creek. Methods that have kept us safe for generations."

The implied criticism stung more than I cared to admit. I opened my mouth to retort, but a deep voice from the doorway beat me to it.

"And yet there's always room for improvement, wouldn't you agree, Derek?"

Callum strode into the kitchen, his presence immediately commanding attention. His eyes met mine briefly, a warmth in them that made my heart skip a beat, before he turned to address the room at large.

"Luna will be staying with us for the foreseeable future," he announced. "I expect everyone to make her feel welcome."

A ripple of murmurs swept through the room. I could feel the weight of their gazes, some curious, some wary, some outright hostile.

"Alpha," Derek said, his voice carefully neutral, "may I speak with you privately?"

Callum nodded, following Derek out of the room. As they left, I caught snippets of their conversation.

"...don't know anything about her..."

"...my decision, Derek..."

"...putting the pack at risk..."

I turned away, my appetite gone. What was I doing here? I didn't belong in this close-knit community. My presence was clearly causing discord.

A gentle hand on my arm pulled me from my spiraling thoughts. I looked up to find Rafe, his kind eyes filled with understanding.

"Don't let Derek get to you," he said quietly. "He's just protective of the pack. Give him time."

I nodded, not trusting myself to speak. Rafe squeezed my arm gently before moving away, leaving me to my thoughts.

As the kitchen slowly emptied, I found myself alone with Nora. She eyed me over the rim of her coffee mug, her expression unreadable.

"So," she said finally, "you're sticking around."

It wasn't quite a question, but I answered anyway. "For now."

Nora nodded, seeming to come to a decision. "In that case, how about you join us for patrol this afternoon? Might as well make yourself useful while you're here."