Alpha Caelan looked down in surprise at the rather large, now-fractured rock beneath his hand. He glanced up in my direction.
I quickly averted my gaze to avoid locking eyes with him, but I could feel the intensity of his stare burning its way across my skin.
“Oh my Goddess! Did you see that?!” Taffy whispered as she leaned in close to me.
“Alpha Caelan breaking the rock?” I asked with a shrug. “What’s the big deal? He’s an alpha. Maybe he forgot his own strength.”
“Yeah, because he sawyou~in a swimsuit,” she chuckled, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively. “He probably had to fight to control his desire to come over here and ravish you.”
“I…uh…I don’t think that’s what happened,” I countered. “There’s plenty of other she-wolves out here he was probably looking at besides me.”
“Nope. He was definitely staring right at you,” Taffy asserted confidently.
“You’re imagining things,” I insisted, shaking my head.
“We’ll see,” she sang, wading deeper. ***
Alpha Caelan made his way around to the other she-wolves, spending private time with each of them as I watched, helplessly glued to every interaction.
I wasn’t sure why I was so invested. I kept telling myself it was because I was trying to figure out a way to help Sunny, but even I didn’t believe that.
He splashed around and laughed with them, but from what I saw, he was careful to maintain a respectful distance. He was always polite, courteous, and very much aware of who might be watching.
He won’t be able to manage that with Sunny. She’s too forward for that.
Trying to keep her safe when she kept disappearing into the bushes with any male she was attracted to had been a particularheadache of mine for years. Unsurprisingly, she made quite a spectacle once she got Caelan’s attention.
She laughed extra loud at anything he said, running her hands over his bare chest every chance she got. She even jumped into his arms when the water got “too deep” because she needed to keep her hair dry.
It made me sick to see him holding her like that. I don’t think he was a fan either because he quickly hurried over to a shallow area and set her down as soon as he could without her squealing about the water’s depth.
I don’t know why I care anyway. Just because he has a pleasant scent, and I don’t mind his touch, doesn’t make him anything to me. It’s stupid to feel jealous over something that I’ll never have.
As soon as Alpha Caelan left Sunny, she started for me. I could see by the look on her face that she wasn’t happy.
“I need to speak to Shade…alone,” she declared as soon as she reached me and Taffy.
Neither of us had a chance to respond before she grabbed my wrist and yanked me out of the water, dragging me toward the tree line where we wouldn’t be overheard.
“It’s going to be your turn with Caelan soon,” she explained as we came to a halt beside a big oak. “Remember your mission. The only reason you’re here is to help me become the new luna, understood?”
I nodded.
“Make sure you let him know how much danger I’m in because of Alpha Huxley. Tell him he’s been trying to force a mating with me. That should make him jealous and make him want to protect me.”
“Okay,” I agreed sullenly. “I can do that.”
“Good,” she said, gripping my arm tightly. “He has to understand what an immediate threat Dark Moon is to Thunder Moon. Father called this morning and said they managed to break into the pack house yesterday.”
“What?!” I hissed, dismayed to hear they’d gotten past our defenses. “Why didn’t he call me? What were they even after? You’re here.”
This meant they were getting bolder. I would have to be extra vigilant to make sure they didn’t get to Sunny.
“He didn’t say, but he stressed that I’m the only chance the pack has got. We need this mating to unite Thunder Moon and Harvest Moon. Make Caelan understand that, Shade.” She glared at me.
“Don’t forget what you owe the pack. What you owe me.”
“I haven’t,” I replied as I glanced around.
