Slaves to the Moon | DRAFT

XIV ■ Runaway Luna

Gabriel and Fergus-

"Sae, what ur ye goin' tae dae?"

The large red headed Scot had been standing guard outside the King's bedroom. To say eavesdropping had become a habit of his, would have been an understatement. It was more appropriately an addiction, one he might actually need help with. But so far, that hadn't seemed to persuaded the man to stop.

"I don't know," Gabriel frowned. "We just got her back. And she's not exactly accustomed to our ways-- our traditions. She's never experienced any of this before."

"I ken--"

"Do you?" Gabriel challenged, his voice dropping a few octaves as he glared at the other man. "Because it seems to me, like ever since we got back, the only thing you've cared about is me taking a strap to her ass."

"Aye. 'N' a bonnie arse it tis, no?" Fergus chuckled while clapping the Alpha on the shoulder. "A wee bit o' a stubborn streak in th' lass--"

"Fergus." The King snapped in warning.

"A'richt," the Beta eyed the Alpha warily before going on. "Bit if ye dinnae punish th' lass, th' rest o' th' world wull see ye as weak."

"You don't think I know that?" Gabriel hissed, his finger and thumb pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration. "But that woman, is my mate," the King reminded the Beta. "And one day, I hope to make her my wife-- your Luna-- and our Queen. If we do this, she'll leave." He nodded as he spoke. "She'll leave for good this time, Fergus. I'm sure of it."

"Weel, somethin' needs tae be dane." Fergus let out a guttural snort, voicing his disagreement with the King. "I mean fur Goddess sakes, man! Th' she de'il drugged me at least twa times."

"I know," Gabriel nodded, the disappointment evident on his face. By now, the entire world had heard of the 'Runaway Luna'. If he couldn't even control his own mate, how could he be expected to control the other packs. It was only a matter of time before some one tested his authority.

"Sae, I ask again, Yer Majesty," Fergus paused for a moment, treading carefully before going on. "What ur ye goin' tae dae?"

*
**
***

Alexis-

Nothing could console me as I paced in front of the fireplace. When Gabriel left for Italy, he had warned me not to run-- warned me there were worse punishments than being locked away. Despite that, I still consciously chose to ignore him-- to void our deal. Now, an intense nausea churned in my stomach, worse than the tides of an unsettled ocean. I saw it in his eyes before he walked out of the room this morning. He didn't want to, but as King, Gabriel would be forced to punish me.

Turning towards the warmth, I starred into the fire, watching as the red and orange flames licked at the logs. As my head fell into my hands, large sobs racked my body, and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't stop the flood of tears or emotions.

"Are you happy?" I asked, sliding into the booth across from him at the Waffle House. With a nod of his head, the smile on Freddy's face brightened his eyes. Of course he was happy, and I didn't need any further clarification to see that he was in love, either.

"What is that?"

I jumped slightly as Gabriel's voice brought me out of my reverie. For such a large man, he was surprisingly skillful at sneaking up on people.

As I stared into the flames, I continued to fiddled with the golden band in the palm of my hand. "It's nothing," I lied, quickly brushing at the few lingering tears on my face. "Just a broken promise from someone I once considered a friend." I offered a rueful smile, before turning towards him.