Chapter 22

The next day I wake up tired, with red and puffy eyes. As usual, I wake up alone since Sebastian didn’t come to bed. Not that I expected him to, anyway. He has made it rather clear that he would rather stay in his office than sleep in the same bed as me.

I get ready and leave for the office, all the while my mind is still reeling from the news Sebastian dropped on me yesterday. How the hell am I supposed to deal with my child being chosen to be the Moon Goddess's Oracle?

The life of an Oracle isn't as smooth as people think. They think that it's an honor and nothing else past that. They don't think about how dangerous it is for them, given that packs fight over them. That is one of the main issues I have with the life of being an Oracle.

As much as Krystal will be the link between us and the Goddess, also the fact that she'll be able to see into the future, I still don't want that kind of life for her. Where her fate is already decided. She won't be able to enjoy her high school, or go to prom, or experience college, or choose her own career. If indeed she is the next Oracle, then she'll have to drop out of school at thirteen because that's when she'll start her Oracle training.

I take my breakfast and my mind is still on the subject. Even Jax and Krystal's banter isn't enough to get me out of my funk.

"Alright, come on... let’s go,” I tell them once we're done with breakfast.

I was going to drop them off before heading to the office. This is a new routine I came up with after I transferred Krystal to Jax's school. I drop them off in the morning and then the driver picks them up in the evening.

They take their bags and rush outside. I take my handbag and keys and walk out, noting that Sebastian is nowhere to be seen or heard. Why does that make me feel some type of way?

I get outside and find a guy I have never seen before standing near the Mercedes Sebastian gave me. He is buffed up and full of tattoos. He has a scar running down from his brow, right through his left eye and down his cheek, ending just a few inches on top of his mouth. With that scar, he looks like the character Scar from

The Lion King

. He looks pretty scary.

He smiles at me, which takes away a bit of the scariness. At least he has a good set of white teeth and his smile is warm.

“Good morning, Luna. I'll be your personal guard and driver,” he says politely. “My name is Hunter.”

"Hi Hunter, it's nice to meet you... No disrespect or anything, but you're not supposed to be here.” I regard him, my eyes studying him.

The smile doesn't fall from his face nor does it waver even a little bit.

“That may be so... But it is Alpha’s orders and I can’t go against them.”

Without taking my eyes off him, I get my phone from my bag and dial Sebastian's number. “Mommy, hurry up. We're going to be late,” Krystal yells from inside the car.

I smile and reply, “Give me a moment.”

I tap my foot impatiently as I wait for my Alpha mate to answer. Note the sarcasm. I was about to hang up after the fourth ring, but he finally picks up.

"What?" he grumbles.

I didn't like his tone of voice. “Why is a man named Hunter standing next to my car? I thought we discussed this.”

Technically, we didn't discuss it, but like I said, I would have loved it if he had given me an option in the matter. Not just springing a stranger on me like this.

“He helped track you so he’s now your personal guard, Red. I thought I made that clear yesterday,” he sighs.

“You could have gone through it with me first,” I say petulantly. The need to stomp my feet like a child almost overtakes me.

There is a shuffle on his side of the line. “I did. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm in a meeting. Don't leave his sight, Red,” he commands before hanging up the phone.

For some reason, that made me feel like he was admonishing me, as if I were a stubborn child.

I take the phone from my ear and just look at it. My mouth opens in shock that he would just hang up on me.

“That arrogant, egoistic Alpha. How dare he hang up on me,” I mutter to myself.

The gravelly chuckle makes me snap my head towards Hunter. I'd completely forgotten that he was standing just a few feet from me.

“Shall we go?” he asks, his smile widening.

I clear my throat, trying to hide the embarrassment I felt at being caught talking ill of my mate. I wonder if Hunter will report that to him, or worse, tell the pack members. He doesn't seem like the gossipy kind, but then, who knows?

I silently get inside the car. He joins soon after and we hit the road. About thirty minutes later, we were dropping off the kids.

"Have a great day, and stay away from trouble,” I warn, hugging them both.

Krystal happily hugs me before skipping into school. Jax is hesitant at first but soon melts into the hug. Before he leaves, I see a type of emotion in his eyes which clearly lets me know that Miranda never hugged him. I make a point of doing it every single day—when I drop them off and in the evening when I come back home.

The kids' school is strictly for werewolves. Of course, humans don't know that. The administration gave it the reputation of being an exclusive school that is hard to get into.

It doesn't take long before we reach my company. Hunter follows behind me as I make my way to my office. I see the question and curiosity in our employees, but I choose to ignore them. After all, I don't need to explain anything to them. It seemed like no one knew about my kidnapping and I am thankful for that.

I greet my secretary as I get inside my office. I am surprised when Hunter follows me inside.

“What are you doing?” I ask him when he takes a seat on the sofa.

“Following my Alpha’s orders. I am not to leave your side,” he answers, getting comfortable.

There was no need to argue with him, so I just shake my head and take my seat. I note that he takes one of the magazines and begins reading just as Sheryl, my secretary, enters with a stack of papers. “Do I have any scheduled meetings today?” I inquire as she sets the papers on my desk.

“No... VP Claire informed me that you haven't been well and I felt it wouldn't be right to bombard you with meetings on your first day back after recovering, so I rescheduled them.”

Another reason why I fucking liked her. She was efficient and thought ahead. I didn't have to keep instructing her; she just knew what to do and when to do it.

"Good,” I nod, impressed. “Now, take me through what I have missed and what needs my attention.” She begins catching me up on what needs to be done. During her speech, I notice Hunter's interest in her. He looks captivated by her, like he can't take his eyes off her. The attraction is clear; he wasn't even trying to hide it from me.

It's not uncommon for wolves to have sex with humans, especially if said wolf is yet to find their mate. It's not encouraged since there is the issue of falling for a human, but it's also not discouraged. There have been cases of wolves falling for humans and almost rejecting their mates. There have also been cases of a human being a fated mate to a wolf, but it's really rare. The human accepted the wolf and even agreed to keep our world a secret, but it is usually hard to convince them at first that wolves live among them.

“So these papers need your approval. They are model designs you requested from the senior designers.” She brings me out of my thoughts.

"Okay. I'll go through them... Is Claire in yet?” I ask, looking at the designs. So far what I have seen isn't that bad, but they could use some improvement.

“Not yet,” she says shortly.

I look up and nod at her. “That will be all for now.”

She nods her head, turns, and leaves. The door closed softly behind her.

I set the papers and look at Hunter, whose eyes are fixated on the closed door.

“Don't even think of going there with Sheryl. She's a good woman and an even better secretary, and I don't want her getting her heart broken after you get bored of the sex with her,” I pin him with a hard stare.

His eyes turn to look at me. He looks heartbroken, which confuses me a bit.

“She's my mate, Luna,” he says brokenly.

I stare at him in shock because that wasn't what I expected. Out of everything, I didn't see that coming at all. My eyes soften when he speaks.

“What am I going to do?”

It was hard seeing such a big man like him broken, especially after knowing what he did for me and that he was Sebastian's tracker. How do I even help him? He's looking at me for guidance as his Luna, but I am the worst person for the job.

I have one failed mating under my belt, and the one I am currently in is a mating of convenience.

I leave my desk and go sit next to him. The moment I do, he places his head on my lap and begins to cry softly. As the Luna, I am supposed to offer comfort to pack mates when they need it, just as long as it doesn't cross any boundaries.

I soothe his back in comfort. I get him and understand his pain. His mate is human, meaning he can't outright claim her when she doesn't even know about the existence of wolves. There's also the fact that she could have a fiancé or boyfriend. There was also a chance that she'll not believe it or go crazy when Hunter tells her the truth. So many things could go wrong.

His phone rings, but he is too consumed in grief to even realize it. Since it's on the table, I see the name "Alpha" flashing. Given Hunter only has one Alpha, I decide to pick it up. Maybe I could pass the message later on when he was calmer.

"Why the fuck is Hunter on your fucking lap?” Sebastian booms the minute I answer the phone. His anger is palpable.

What the hell? I question, surveying my office. How did he know and why the hell did he sound so angry?