Luna On The Run!

Alpha Gorgio’s POV still

A few hours later I woke up well rested.

I put on some sportswear and make my way down to the main floor. After a hearty dinner, I make a beeline for my office. As I walk in, I see Jace and Alvin having a heated discussion.

“What’s up, man?” I ask them as I slump down on the sofa. Jace slides the laptop in my direction so I can see the screen. It’s a video of Alexis being picked up by Alpha Zane at his pack airstrip and taken to the packhouse. With satisfaction I conclude that the witch has done a good job, the Alpha seems to be smitten with his ‘mate’.

Most disturbing of all, he later insists that she share his bed. This is so not done for me. I cannot sacrifice Alexis’ virtue for the good of Ariel and myself, it is so wrong. As if she knew I was going to be pretty upset about this deal with the man, she also shows footage of them lying on the bed with their backs to each other. From the looks of it, the Alpha would rather have her close without touching than back in her father’s pack without ever seeing her again.Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.

Alexis is such a clever one. She knows how to play the man.

But then I see Jace next beside me, staring intently at the screen. “Gorgio, is it just me? Do you understand what I do?” I watch the images through slitted eyes but see nothing out of the ordinary. Alexis gets into a car with the Alpha, Beta and Head Warrior and they return a few hours later.

“Nope. Then tell us what you see and we don’t”.

“Alvin, you too? Nothing remarkable?” My Head Warrior also shakes his head in denial. “Tell us now, Jace. You’re making us unnecessarily curious,” he growls impatiently at his friend.

“I advise you to keep an eye on this Beta. There is definitely something suspicious about him. His attitude towards Alexis … hmmm”. Alvin slaps him on the back of the head.

“Man, just share with us what you think. It would save so much time. Why all these riddles all of a sudden? Come on, details,” he demands of Jace.

“Exactly how old did you say Alexis was, Gorgio?” Now it is my turn to look at him menacingly; no one here is in the mood for his games. “Seventeen,” I say briefly.

“Aaahh, this plan of Alexis’ is getting more complicated than we thought. The script has to be adjusted, there has been an unforeseen event,” he laughs now. And then he becomes serious again.

“Gorgio, we have to move faster. Alexis’ presence in Midnight Moon is becoming risky. Alpha Zane will soon discover that she is not Ariel.” In his undertone, I hear concern that he is trying to suppress. He doesn’t want to cause a stir.

“We’ll have to ask the Alpha King for more trackers, we need to find Ariel faster”. Slowly he stands and stuffs his hands deep into his pockets. Then he starts pacing around my office.

“I think I will join the search myself. Ariel trusts me, if she scents me I am sure she will be happy to see me. We should have her back here soon.” Now both Alvin and I have had enough of his rascals. We stand up and walk towards the Beta, our aura decidedly intimidating.

Sensing the threat we pose, he raises his hands in surrender.

“Hey, why are you accusing me? You can see it in the footage, it’s so obvious. Why do I have to tell you everything when you can find out for yourselves?” he tries to defend himself.

“Because it’s your job to analyze the pictures. Alvin is the executor and I make the decisions. But you are supposed to provide us with information, and now you are playing hide and seek with us. And we don’t like it, Beta,” I scold him. He seems to be constantly crossing the line between joking and being serious.

We make another threatening move in his direction.

“Listen, okay. I don’t know for sure, but if my eyes don’t deceive me, that Beta is Alexis’ mate,” he finally admits. “Look at his eyes, the look is the same as when you look at Ariel, Gorgio. I can’t be wrong. But she is clearly a minor. And Alpha Zane must have noticed it too, it can’t be otherwise”.

With Alvin behind me, I hurry back to the laptop and rewind the images.

Damn it! Jace is right. Everything about the Beta screams infatuation, even if he tries to hide it. But Alpha Zane is burning with jealousy, especially when Alexis talks to the Beta. Jace is right, things could escalate quickly. Alpha Zane is no fool, and while three mates aren’t unusual, I don’t think he’ll accept that his Beta is on the Luna. We need to act quickly.

I can already see Jace on the phone, urging our men in the city to take more action. If need be, I am prepared to go and look for my mate myself. We are waiting for a clue as to where Ariel might have gone. The CCTV at the bus station is broken and the place is a mess due to the high season.

I throw myself back onto the sofa in despair.

If everything in Midnight Moon falls apart and Ariel hears about it, I fear she will be less inclined to return. And then Zane will be even more determined to find her. That plan is completely disrupted by this unplanned twist.

I see an email pop up on the laptop. I grab the mouse and click on the icon to open the email.

My eyes are wide with joy at what I read.

“Jace!” I yell. “She’s in Arkansas. In the National Park. There are videos here. She’s with another woman.” The two men ran up to me and stared at the images on the screen.

Ariel, my heart.

She bends down to tie her sneakers. She looks so young and fresh in that wide dress. I want to grab her and press her to my chest, my face in her luscious black curls.

“Get the chopper ready. Jace and I are leaving. Alvin, stay here and help my parents with the pack. I don’t know how long we’ll be gone,” I order.

“Isn’t that also Jace’s job? He is your replacement, I have to go to protect our Luna,” he grunts.

I roll my eyes and run out the door, Jace at my heels…