After two hours of driving, Kiara could see nothing but forest once the car entered the Sirius Bright Pack's territory. They had been on the highway for quite a while. She could tell the driver was afraid to drive slow. He was driving so fast that Kiara had been worried that they would get in an accident.
The beauty of the woods made her feel alive again. Her sad tears had long since dried up, and she accepted that her life had changed when she entered Xavier's pack land. No, actually, her life had changed when the six-foot-three Alpha appeared in her life, laying his green eyes on her. In the end, her father severed all ties to her. She could not imagine what he would have done if she had revealed that she planned to be an enemy's surrogate. She only hoped that her sister and mother would do well in her absence.
She attempted to ignore all the negative thoughts tumbling around in her head and concentrate on the present. Her anxiety only increased at the thought that the car would be approaching the packhouse soon. Entering another pack's territory was frightening enough, but the male sitting next to Kiara had not said a single thing to her in the last two hours.
It seemed ridiculous to her that she had done nothing other than look out the window the entire ride while the Alpha sitting next to her had been dead quiet. Was it possible for him to say any less? He made her feel so uncomfortable that she spent most of the drive wanting to jump out of the speeding car. Though she never glanced at him, she could feel his gaze on her. Had it simply been her imagination, or were her nerves making her foolish?
"Welcome to the Sirius Bright Pack, Luna," Kaiden remarked with a warm smile. The entire time he was glancing back at his Alpha and Luna through the mirror. He found the new head couple of his pack adorable. His excitement was so high that it could touch the sky now that their pack finally had a new Luna.
"Thank you," Kiara replied. When she noticed his gray eyes, she flushed. He was stunning! His curly hair drew attention to him. If Kaiden had not been in the car, she would have followed through with her plan to jump out. Kaiden tried chatting with her from time to time, introducing himself, talking to her about his mate, and generally making the situation more comfortable for her. As for Xavier, he spent most of the time attending to some calls that sounded linked to his business. He also spent a while messaging someone. He appeared to be quite invested.
"Did you explain everything to Jennifer?" Xavier inquired, slipping his phone back into his pocket.
"Yes, Alpha. As you ordered, no outsiders are present in the packhouse, and no pack members will enter without permission, " Kaiden informed. Then Xavier began messaging someone again after Kaiden had received a simple nod for a response. Kiara wondered what they were talking about. Why were other pack members not allowed in the packhouse right now? "Alpha does not want any males seeing the Luna," the Beta chimed in. Kiara looked at Xavier, whose irritated eyes were drawn to his big mouth Beta.
It was already late in the evening, and Xavier had no plans to introduce Kiara to the other pack members. He was aware that his pack members would react to the news of his new Luna, with nothing but pure joy and eagerness. None of them would leave her alone if they found out tonight that she was his chosen mate for whom they had been waiting impatiently. Their curiosity would only irritate him, so he ordered Kaiden to ask Jennifer to send the other pack members away before they arrived. After a hard day of battles and arguments, all Xavier wanted was a beer, some food, and a relaxing bath. Kaiden was met with an enraged growl from his Alpha. The poor driver flinched. The Omega did not wish to bear the Alpha's wrath, but Kaiden covered his mouth with his hand.
"Oops! Did I say that aloud?" He acted surprised. Xavier's hand stretched out to slap the back of the brown-haired male's head. How dare he act smart! "Hey! Don't slap me in front of Luna," he rubbed his head and grumbled. Kiara couldn't keep herself from laughing. Were these the same bloodthirsty males who had almost slaughtered her entire pack and family? Kaira's little melodious giggle drew the driver's attention. Kaiden smiled proudly, he had successfully gotten Kiara to giggle. "The Luna looks beautiful when she smiles," Kaiden remarked with a smirk at the Alpha, who was staring at the young female once again. Kaiden's comment had been enough to silence Kaira.
“Please call me, Kiara,” she requested. She did not appreciate the fact that he kept calling her Luna. She was merely a surrogate, and he would find that out shortly because he was the Beta.
“How can I dare?” He looked surprised. Confused, Kaiden looked back at Xavier and Kiara. Why would she make such a request? Kiara smiled slightly at Kiaden's puzzled expression, wondering why Xavier hadn't asked Kiaden to call her by her name exclusively. She kept a close eye on Xavier. He'd been digging a large, scorching hole in her face yet again. If he continued on with this habit, she would find him creepy. She had already been unnerved by his sudden close proximity and kiss. He continually stared at her as if she were the prey he was about to pounce on.
As she moved her head towards the window to evade his gaze, she noticed a massive packhouse. They were arriving at the Sirius Bright packhouse! As they got closer to the huge white home, it grew more and more appealing and beautiful. She now understood why they were one of the wealthiest packs. Compared to this one, the packhouse she had grown up in was a dollhouse. She became lost in her own thoughts and did not realize the car had stopped until Xavier opened the door for her. Everyone else had already gotten out
"Let's go," he said, holding out his right hand to her, surprising her. He had treated her as if she were invisible and had not spoken to her most of the drive. Now he was extending his hand to her like Prince Charming? What was the matter with him? His politeness seemed almost menacing. While holding Xavier’s hand, Kiara noticed Kaiden smiling broadly. Feeling Xavier's hand was unusually warm, she couldn't help but glance up at him. This warmth was so alluring. How had that happened? Perhaps her worry and his weird conduct had made her entire body chilled.
The car door closed behind her, but the sound had not reached Kiara's ears because she flinched as he placed his arm around her waist. Her eyes widened in astonishment as she looked at him. What in the world was he doing? She was only his surrogate, wasn't she? So, what was the point of all this touching?
"Let's go inside," Xavier began, leading the panicked woman into the packhouse. Kiara maintained her regular calm demeanor, but she sensed the authority in his touch. It seemed as though he had every right to touch her as he pleased. She lifted her eyes up while he guided her steps. Why was she letting him touch her? “Because people are watching us,” Xavier studied her face. Kiara flushed and averted her gaze.
Jennifer had cleared the path and packhouse for them, just as Xavier had instructed. Only the pack members that had joined in the attack on her pack were around to see Kiara. They were stepping out of other cars behind them. They watched every small movement and expression of their Alpha and new Luna. Everyone's gaze had been drawn to the pair, particularly Xavier's tender embrace of their lovely Luna. They had not told anybody about Kiara, Xavier would introduce her later. They couldn't wrap their heads around the fact that a female was so close to Xavier and he hadn't pushed her away. Instead, his hold appeared rather possessive. He drew her in as close as he could. Was he worried that someone might steal her?
Kiara was captivated by the mansion's beauty as she entered the luxurious packhouse after traversing a few stairs. Everything around her was expensive. Each window in the home was huge and spacious. Despite the offered illumination, the moonlight entered the living room. Large, one-of-a-kind artworks adorned the walls. The ceramic and crystal vases were odd yet appealing. She resolved that she would never pass by these lovely, expensive items again as it would be nearly impossible for her to pay recompense for their destruction. Though was puzzled as to why there were no family photographs in the house.
'Does He live alone?' Will he and I be alone in this huge mansion?' Kiara's heart had been racing. While it would not change anything between them, she had inquired about his family before agreeing to this deal. He knew practically everything about her family and life, yet he was still a mystery to her.
Xavier allowed her to take baby steps seeing she was anxious. He could feel her chilled body pressed against him. She was already suspicious of his intentions, with the packhouse appearing to be deserted. Only Beta Kaiden walked behind them. The Alpha beside her had not bothered to let go of her waist. Why weren't there any maids? She had only seen the males of the group so far. Where had all the females gone? Kiara’s eyes roamed around, taking in her new life her new life.
"Kaiden!" Out of nowhere, a woman leaped onto Kaiden for a kiss. Kiara looked over to find a tall, blonde beauty sharing a heated kiss with Kaiden.
"I missed you so much!" She moaned into his mouth. Their lustful exchange had heated the atmosphere in the entryway. Kiara felt shy as she looked at the couple. She recognized the blonde as Kaiden's mate. She cast her gaze to the side, where their expressionless Alpha stood. He had been surprised observing her flushed cheeks. If witnessing a single kiss could turn her tomato-red, what would happen if she witnessed a couple openly mating? It was a common occurrence in this pack. Every member was free to live their life as they saw fit.
"Kaiden, you have all night to love your mate. Or you can just stay here, but I am leaving," Xavier remarked, causing Kaiden to panic.
"No, wait for me. I will accompany you," he broke the kiss, whispering sorry into his mate’s ear as he promised to continue what they had started later that night. No matter what he wanted, he had to go with Xavier at the moment. He let go of Jennifer and went over to Xavier and Kiara.
"Alpha," she bowed her head to Xavier, then noticed the young female who had been watching them.
"Ohh, we have a guest. Who is she?" Jennifer's eyes examined Kiara from head to toe. Kiara was relieved that she had changed into a nice outfit before leaving the Ardara Moon Pack. Her clothes were not brand new, but they had not been worn thin like what she had been wearing when she met Xavier.
“This is Kiara, my Luna," Xavier introduced Kiara, Jennifer jumped in delight before he could finish.
"Oh my God! Our Luna?!" She nearly screamed, getting closer to her. "How dare you hide this from me?" Jennifer narrowed her eyes at her mate.
"I wanted to surprise you," Kaiden decided to act cute to save himself from his mate's displeasure, but she immediately brushed his attempt at cuteness aside.
"I should have already realized that the Alpha was planning to bring our Luna home. She is so beautiful," Jennifer's black eyes twinkled with admiration. Kiara blushed more from her inspection than her compliment. Kiara had never felt so gorgeous in her life, even if Jennifer was a bit overly enamored. She wore little makeup, her hair was a bit unkempt and down, and compared to Kiara’s clothes, the Beta female wore expensive clothes even if they were her ordinary ones. And she had a big, pregnant belly.
"Luna, I am Kaiden's mate, Jennifer," She grinned as her gaze flicked back and forth between Kiara and Xavier. No wonder he wanted to hide this beauty from everyone. He would need to answer countless questions. The Alpha made a bored expression. He knew that teasing and poking from his Betas and friends was coming his way.
“Jennifer, I have to leave right now. I am leaving her in your hands. Can you show her to the room and take care of dinner?”
"Of course, I can do that! Please don't worry. I will take care of our Luna," she responded with zeal, knowing that she would soon be ready to fulfill her role as the Beta female. Her whole obligation was to the Luna the pack had lacked. but with Kiara's debut, Jennifer finally felt her position in this pack had been solidified.
'Let me know right away if anything happens,' Xavier mind-linked Jennifer before leaving the packhouse. Kiara watched the Alpha and Beta walk away, wondering where they were heading at this hour in the evening.
"Umm," Jennifer's throat cleared, drawing Kiara's attention. "The Alpha will come back to you soon, Luna.”
"I didn't say anything!" Kaira exclaimed in shock.
"Words are useless when your eyes speak," she gave Kaira a sly grin.
"No! You have it all wrong," she argued, but Jennifer just laughed.
"Let's go. Your room is upstairs," Jennifer took up her bag as she led the way up the steps, but Kiara came to a halt.
"Hey! Aren’t you pregnant? You don't have to carry my luggage. I can manage," she pulled her bag from Jennifer’s grasp, then started to climb.
"It's all right, Luna. It's not heavy, plus it's my responsibility as the female Beta to help you," Jennifer insisted on reclaiming the bag.
"Then it is my obligation as the Luna to look after my Beta's health," Kiara insisted with a smile, walking towards the chamber that Jennifer had been taking her to. Jennifer quietly admired Kaira. Her kindness had surprised her. Jennifer was drawn to her character more than her appearance.
"This is the room," Jennifer pushed open the door. Kiara had only taken two steps in before coming to a halt when she realized she was in Xavier's room. The entire area was saturated in that same appealing aroma of his.
"Why did you bring me to the Alpha's room?" She asked in a panic.
"You are the Luna, so you will be staying with the Alpha, right?" Jennifer let out a little chuckle.
"Yeah," Kiara gave her a tight smile. But she was afraid of how he would react when he learned that she had stepped into his room without his permission. Maybe he had planned for her to stay in another room.
"Luna…"
"Call me Kiara," she interrupted Jennifer.
"Umm, I don't think that’s a good idea," Jennifer hesitated. What would happen when Xavier heard her using Kiara’s given name?
"Why not when I am allowing you to," Kiara argued.
"Still…."
"You are around my sister's age, and I want the two of us to be friends. So why not call each other by our names rather than titles? It will feel more comfortable," Kiara suggested, which brought a big smile to Jennifer's face when she realized that she wanted to be her friend.
"Sure! Luna… I mean Kiara," both of the females giggled as they continued talking.
“How far along are you?” Kiara wondered. Her belly looked quite large.
“I just started my seven month,” Jennifer rubbed her hand lovingly over her belly. Any observer could see that she was excited for her baby. "How old are you, Kiara?" Jennifer went to open the window and let in some fresh air with the cool moonlight.
"I’m seventeen but my birthday is in three days," she explained.
"Wow, you are so young. The Alpha must have fallen in love with you at first sight. I am sure," Jennifer poked at Kiara with a smirk. love at first sight? Kiara was confused. Could the man who came to annihilate her pack have fallen in love with her? It was simply impossible. Regardless of how breathtakingly handsome he was, she couldn't believe it. In any case, she was fully aware of the reality behind her being the Luna and his Chosen Mate. She pushed the subject aside with a smile and turned to face the room's king-sized bed. The bedspread was smooth and soft. She figured if she sat on it, he would chastise her so she sat on the sofa. "The food will be ready in no time. Until then you can place your clothes in the cupboard. If you want, I can help you." Jennifer handed Kiara's luggage over to her. Kiara liked the idea as she was bored. It would also allow her to change clothes, but she wanted to consult with Xavier first before unpacking. Was she supposed to spend the night in his room? She began to open her luggage, but she stopped when she realized that Jennifer would see the state of her old clothing.
"I'll put my stuff away later." Kiara smiled at her a little, but Jennifer noticed she had closed the zip back up. It had made her feel uneasy exposing her clothing. She'd also observed that everything she was wearing was outdated and worn thin.
"As you wish, but later we will go shopping."
"Shopping?" Kiara was confused.
"Yes, don't you want to spend your mate's money and annoy him until his message box is filled with messages? I do it all the time," Jennifer had Kiara giggling. She'd always used this method to get back at Kaiden. Since he had concealed the news of Luna's arrival, he had earned himself another punishment that she had intended to deliver soon.
"That's something I'm not sure about. But I'm fine with what I have right now. I've never been demanding I can live with two sets of clothes," Kiara admitted with a chuckle.
"Then what about shopping?" Jennifer was astounded.
"Don't worry, I promise I'll accompany you, but I don't need anything really," she answered with a smile. She only had her savings and the money that her mother and Adira had provided her with. She already decided to spend her money entirely on her studies and stationery. She would need to purchase books for next semester as well as a smartphone for online courses. She used to use Adira's smartphone as her phone only had a keypad. She couldn’t afford a laptop, and beggars couldn’t be choosers.
"What pack are you from?" Jennifer inquired, perplexed. Kiara's shabby attire was inexpensive, but her speech revealed that she had been raised in a good family. Despite her thinness, she had the beauty and delicate skin of a princess. This young woman was indeed an Alpha's daughter.
"Ardara Moon Pack," Kiara hesitated a little before answering knowing that every member of Sirius Bright was aware of their pack adversary and the attack they had carried out on her old pack a few hours earlier.
"What? Ardara Moon Pack?" Jennifer frowned.
"Are you Alpha Sawyer's daughter?" She asked. Kiara nodded. Jennifer's eyes widened and her jaw dropped upon learning that the Alpha had selected a mate from their enemy pack that they were supposed to exterminate.
"How dare you step foot into our pack!" With a furious snarl, an older woman entered the room. Kiara sprang up from the sofa right away. The woman appeared to be around her mother's age. Her eyes were swollen and red from crying. Her eyes also held hatred, rage, and vengeance that Kiara didn’t understand. "How dare you give me this innocent look!" The older female shrieked, then charged at Kiara. She had discovered she was Alpha Sawyer's daughter when passing by the room.
"Margaret, you can't do this. She is our Luna," Jennifer leaped between Kiara and Margaret the moment she recognized that the older female's rage could not be contained and that she had every intention of harming Kiara. At the same time, Jennifer had mind-linked Xavier about the situation. She had been in charge of Kiara's safety while Xavier was not around.
"What? The Luna of this pack?!" Margaret exclaimed.
"Yes, Alpha Xavier's mate," Jennifer confirmed.
"How could Xavier choose this woman as his mate?" Margaret's eyes watered. Jennifer could only lower her eyes. "Her brother raped and killed my daughter!!" She screeched frantically, unable to believe that Xavier would take a murderer's sister as a mate. Kiara's eyes widened as her entire body turned cold as ice. She had not expected to encounter the mother of the blind woman. She now understood why Margaret was so enraged by her mere presence in the packhouse. She wished to murder Kiara just like Lewis had done to her innocent daughter. Jennifer tried to block her way again with all her might, but Kiara stopped her.
"Don't stop her. You can move out of the way," Kaira took Jennifer's hand in hers, guiding her away gently. Margaret was out of her mind. If she pushed Jennifer her child might be in danger.
"You can say whatever you want," Kiara told Margaret, who had been taking deep, long, angry breaths like a bull.
"No," Jennifer trembled as the older woman moved closer to the Luna, but she couldn't defy Kiara's orders.
"Margaret, the Alpha mind-linked me. He has given orders that you are not to touch the Luna. You have been asked to leave the room as soon as possible," Jennifer delivered Xavier's message quickly before it was late.
"You should be ashamed!" Margaret scowled at Kiara, completely disregarding Jennifer. She knew she couldn't raise a hand to Kiara, but she could say whatever she wished at this moment.
"Your brother killed my daughter, and you enter this pack as Xavier’s mate. I loathe you and refuse to accept you as my Luna." Margaret's remarks were like poison darts that Kiara took without arguing or saying a word. Even though she had been severely affected by each statement, she allowed the devastated mother to express her rage, hatred, and frustration.
"I am sorry," she expressed her regret with a bow. Even if it wasn't enough, she apologized. The karma for Lewis' actions was always going to haunt her. She had to learn to accept that. She had to be ready to face it.
"Like I said, shame on you! You should not even dare to look me in the eyes! You would not even risk looking into Xavier's eyes if you were truly sorry!" Margaret turned to leave while growling with a bloodthirsty glare. She stormed out of the room and then drove away from the packhouse. She had only returned to gather some of her belongings.
"Kiara, are you okay?" Jennifer questioned. She had a sorrowful expression on her face for not helping her. She had been in a dilemma as Margaret's rage was understandable. Nobody had anticipated that Kiara would be the enemy's daughter. Kiara took a deep breath trying to forget all the insults and hateful glares.
"I am fine…" as she held back her tears.
"What happened here!" With a growl, Xavier strode into the room. Jennifer cringed at the irate Alpha. Had he not been at the airport? What prompted him to return so quickly? Kiara gasped, bewildered at seeing the anger in his wolf eyes as if he'd wished to slaughter someone. Why was he so furious?