Angel

Friendship

Noel's POV

"What the hell are you doing away from your guards?" Luke angrily questions.

My heart is still rapidly beating and my mind is still trying to figure out what exactly happened. It all happened so fast that I'm finding it hard to comprehend everything. Who was that man that attacked me? Where did the voice come from? Why is Luke here? Before I could even get those questions out, Luke grabs my arm and starts dragging me out of the shadows.

"Come on, let's get you back to your guards."

I instantly pull away from his grip and he doesn't fight me. Instead, he faces me with confusion and a bit of anger.

"Xavier can't know about this!" I blurt out. "He'll have the guards killed for not keeping me safe and it's not their fault. Promise me that you won't tell Xavier," I plea with Luke. I start thinking back at my one guard who seemed to have found his mate today. It would be devastating to know that he was killed because I decided to sneak away for a few minutes. I can't have that kind of blood on my hands.

I can see it in Luke's face that he is debating on whether to keep this from his brother or go against my wishes. I whisper please again to him and he finally sighs and a softer look appears on his face, signalling that he will keep it a secret.

"Let's get you cleaned up then."

I look down at myself and see that my legs are covered in dirt from being thrown to the ground. I also look to see the lifeless body not too far from us.

"How about the body?" I asked, worried that it will be discovered and people might get the wrong idea.

"I'll take care of it, don't worry." As always, Luke's words bring me at ease.

I silently follow him to a well. He fills a bucket with water and grabs a cloth and hands it to me. I concentrate on wiping the dirt off my legs, as I start to make sense of everything that has happened.

"Who was that man?" Luke stays silent for a while and I start to think that he won't answer me, but then he breaks the silence.

"He was a coward that wanted revenge. He was one of Xavier's many enemies and instead of going to the source, he decided to attack you."

I nod at his answer. Perhaps this is something I should get used to or at least be prepared for as a Luna.

"Why are you here?" I fire the next question out; worried that he might disappear any second. He's been gone for a while, ever since I woke from my coma and he found out that I had feelings for Xavier. I don't blame him for wanting to be away from me though. However, it does surprise me that he is here.

He clears his throat and averts his eyes away from me. "I've been visiting neighbouring packs and I just happened to be at this pack the same time as you. I didn't want to be a disturbance so I've been keeping my distance all day."

At the thought of him avoiding me all day saddens me. Have I hurt him that much that he doesn't want anything to do with me anymore? Ever since day one, Luke has been by my side and always making me feel better with his funny stories and encouraging words. He made me realize my strength and brought me so much confidence with the training we used to do. There were even times that I had wished that he was my mate instead of Xavier, but I could never deny that my feelings for Luke didn't compare to my feelings for Xavier. Maybe in a parallel universe where mate bonds don't exist, Luke and I would have been great together, but we don't live in that universe.

"I'm sorry that I have ruined our friendship." I meekly say, as I finish up cleaning myself up.

He whips his head towards me and his eyes soften at my words.