The Young Luna

Chapter 36

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"I imagine this wasn't how you planned to spend your seventeenth birthday" Chris commented, as

dawn began to break.

"Not really" I sighed, leaning my head on Chris's shoulder. He put his arm around me as I soberly

glanced at the door – hoping, and praying, that Seth was going to come through any minute. "Are you

sure you don't want to get some sleep?" I asked Chris, eager to change the subject.

"I'll head home once Alpha Zev comes back" he replied. Chris had gotten through his first shift quickly

and uneventfully, before we'd hidden inside the guest house and waited for my mate. Morning was

almost here and yet I hadn't slept since arriving back at my birth Pack – it felt like years since this trip

had started.

"You can call him Seth you know" I said.

"Nah, it doesn't seem right. He may be your mate, but he's still the most powerful Alpha in the country.

He's just never going to be a 'Seth' to me" Chris shrugged. Silence fell between us and I could feel

Chris's glance on me. He was desperate to cheer me up since I'd slipped into my foul mood. "Why

don't you tell me what you had planned to do on your birthday? If you were back with the Equinox

Pack?" he suggested.

I shrugged, "hadn't thought about it too much".

"That's a lie" he snorted.

"Yeah" I admitted, shooting him a momentarily smile. "Alright, I'll save you all the mate details. But, let's

just say that Seth would take the morning off and we'd spend it together. Most of it in bed, but he'd also

make me breakfast – probably something that is bland but he'll think it tastes good because he has an

awful palate and even worse cooking abilities. Then maybe I would see my friends, or do some

shooting, before going out for dinner with Seth".

"Sounds nice".

"Doesn't matter, ain't happening now, is it?" I deadpanned. Yes, I was in a shitty mood but it was my

seventeenth birthday and it wasn't going how I wanted to go. Chris couldn't get me out of my mood, no

matter his words of comfort, but luckily he was saved when Seth returned a few hours later.

"Seth" I exclaimed, jumping from the couch and into his arms. His arms quickly compressed me against

his body with almost desperation. "What happened? Did you kill Rafa? What happened to the girls?

Why are they even here?" I fired my questions at him without taking a breath.

Seth looked down at me, the bags under his eyes almost as large as mine. He offered me a small

smile, almost sad, as he ran a finger over my cheek in adoration. "All that matters is that you're alright".

"Fuck does it. I want to know what happened" I demanded, pulling from his embrace and glaring at my

mate.

"Later, Mabel. It's your birthday, I don't want anything to ruin your day" Seth sighed. I frowned up at

him, he looked stressed and tired. For the first time since I met Seth, he actually looked his age. It

threw me off for a few moments, so I just stayed blankly up at him.

It was Chris who broke the spell, "I'll take my leave".

Seth glanced up at Chris, "thank you for having Mabel's back". He nodded respectfully at my best

friend.

"She's family" he shrugged nonchalant. He said another quick 'happy birthday' wish to me, before

leaving to get some well needed sleep and recovery.

"He Shifted?" Seth asked me in shock.

"Yes" I nodded, "but never mind Chris. I don't care if it's my birthday, I want to...no...I need to know

what happened".

"Later" he mumbled in reply. He headed up the stairs and I quickly followed him. I hounded him the

entire time, but he simply ignored me. "We should get at least an hour or two of sleep" he said, cutting

through my incessant questioning.

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"But--"

"Later, Mabel. I promise later" he sighed heavily. I expected him to snap at me – which would be typical

– but his lack of anger seemed to dim my own frustration. I could see that Seth was extremely bothered

by what had happened and I hated seeing him like that. Seeing my mate in such distress made my

heart ache. Before my shift, I probably would have carried on pushing him until we argued or he told

me. But, I was a lot more attuned to his emotions lately and I just didn't want to push him further, I was

worried about what would happen if I did. I'd never seen him this low – something really bad had

happened.

"I'm going to take a shower" Seth mumbled, sounding defeated and beaten. Yeah, he sounded beaten.

And it didn't make any sense to me since he'd just found the Pack traitor he'd been hunting for weeks.

Yet he seemed even more stressed than before. Something bad had happened.

"Seth" I called out, making him pause in the doorway to the bathroom and turn back to me. "Is

everything going to be okay?"

"For you? I will make sure it always will be. For me? I'm not so sure anymore". With that he walked into

the bathroom, seconds later the shower turned on. I sighed heavily, shaking my head as I untangled

my wild curls from the confines of a scrunchie. It had been in the same position for such a long time

that my head ached as I ran my fingers through it – or attempted to before my fingers got caught up in

the curls half way down and I had to rip them out from the unruly mess.

After I stripped my clothing, I climbed into the bed and wrapped the covers around me. Despite my

whirling mind, exhaustion won out and within seconds I was fast asleep. But it was short lived as I

woke up the moment that Seth climbed in beside me.

I groaned and turned around to face him. Seth wrapped his arms around me, holding me to his chest,

but stayed silent. My eyes were threatening to close again, but the steady breathing of my mate told

me that he was still awake – awake and unhappy.

"Are we in trouble, Seth?"

"I told you that nothing bad will happen to you, Mabel. I will never let anyone hurt you". He pressed a

gentle kiss to the top of my head. I pulled back slightly so I could meet his bright, beautiful, blue eyes.

"I didn't ask about me. I asked about us. If you're in trouble, Seth, then we're both in trouble. We're

mates, that's how it works".

"I fucked up bad" he whispered out. His voice was young and vulnerable – I'd never heard him sound

like that. So I knew it was bad, whatever it was, it was really bad. "I didn't know. I swear I didn't know. I

would have never left those Werewolves in Yellowstone if I'd have really known".

"I believe you" I whispered truthfully, cupping his cheek. He gulped deeply. "Seth, tell me what

happened. Tell me what you did".

"One of the She-Wolves they took was the Black Blood's Alpha's girlfriend. Not his mate, just his

girlfriend at the time". Seth paused, not saying anymore.

"Seth, tell me what you did!"

"She was pregnant...with a son" he confessed. "I had no idea that she was pregnant, neither did the

other Alpha. But she gave birth to a son and rightfully he's the Alpha heir of the Black Blood's Pack. But

he grew up in Yellowstone as a Wolf not a Werewolf, let alone an Alpha".

I frowned, "I don't understand".

"I, not only, outcast an Alpha heir, but I also took a son away from an Alpha. To take a son away from

an Alpha, that's war crime. It's against the Council's Treaty I signed when I was made an Alpha".

I frowned, "a war crime. How did you find all this out?"

"The two girls are from Yellowstone and they explained it to me. Alpha Parker was there. He called for

the Council to convene immediately. Every Alpha of every Pack in the US will be here within twenty

four hours".

"To decide what?" I frowned, my heart racing in fear.

"If I'm guilty of council treason and war crimes".

"But that doesn't make any sense. You didn't know she was pregnant, let alone with a son. And you

sure as hell couldn't rescue those Wolves without exposing every Werewolf in the world. You didn't do

anything wrong. You had a hard decision and you made it". Tears danced in my eyes, "Seth, what

happens if they find you guilty?"

"Mabel" he whispered softly. My voice like poison on his tongue.

"Seth, tell me" I urged, almost crying. I knew the answer, of course I did, but I needed to hear it from

him. Maybe I was wrong. I wanted to be wrong. I'd never wanted to be so wrong in my entire life.

Seth's eyes glistened down into mine, "if they find me guilty...they'll execute me".

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