Little Red

Chapter 7

I remain deadly still, watching my "mate" retreat into the pack house.  Not even the sight of his perfect, sculpted back can lift my spirits.  He's cut like a greek god and has the personality of one too, it seems.

I knew that in the slim chance I found my mate, this day would come.  Goddess, I didn't want it to.  The day where I would have to confess to my mate and face his rejection.  His judgement.  I tried to forget about it, yet here it was.  Although I spent years preparing myself for this just incase, I never knew just how much it would tear me apart inside. 

I forgot someone else was here until he spoke up.  

Oh Goddess, he heard all of that.  

A long-buried shame claws up my throat, threatening to suffocate me.

No.  I've dealt with this before, and I will deal with it again.  This is nothing.  It doesn't even matter.

I tell myself whatever I have to in order to swallow the pain and push it away for now.

You will not cry.

You will not cry.

Immediately, I let my face fall into a practiced mask.  I can deal with this later, once I'm alone. 

"Luna, I am to show you to your room."  He informs me, coming to stand beside me.

I sigh and look up at him.  He's tall, nearly the height of his alpha, around 6'4 and bulky.  His short brown hair is cut military style, and his black eyes they regard me carefully.  Something swirls in their depths, but it's gone before I can fully assess it.  Everything about this man screams danger and pain.

Not trusting my voice after the encounter he's just witnessed, I nod stiffly in response.

He reaches for the bag at my feet, and I let him take it.

As we pass through the front door, he speaks again.

I hold my breath against the smell of my mate, fighting against my raging heart to push him out of my mind once more.

"My name is Samuel.  I am the Beta of Dark Night, and also Demitri's oldest friend.  Welcome to Dark Night." He says formally. 

His words are stilted, but his attempt to make conversation with me is thoughtful.  I also catalogue my mate's name - seeing as he didn't see it fit to introduce himself to me.

"Ara."  I state, preferring to keep it short.

"It is nice to meet you, Luna Ara."  He replies, making his way up the stairs.  His large frame fills my entire point of view as we ascend.

Despite what he just overheard, he doesn't seem at all affected.  I've only known wolves to be volatile, prone to outbursts in moments of tension.  The fact that he regards me with the same cool, collected demeanor is unusual.  I hope this is a sign that we'll have a good understanding of each other going forward.  

I follow him silently as we go up a few more flights of stairs before reaching the top floor.  He turns to the right down the wide hallway. 

"This floor belongs to Alpha.  And this is your room."  He opens a door at the very end of the hall, as far from the stairs as possible, and Demitri's scent does not reach this far down the corridor.

I try not to dwell on that.

I enter behind him.  He carefully places my weapons bag on the singular desk in the room and turns to me awkwardly.  He's so large, that he seems to take up most of the room.

I don't understand his discomfort until I take a look around.  It looks like any other normal guest room, slightly larger than the ones back home.

In other words, I'm not staying in Demitri's room.