Chapter 35


    Ch 35 How Long


    Thea wished she could shift and run. Feel the wind rustle through her fur.


    “Luna!” Oz called out after her.


    “I can’t stay in there forever!” she yelled.


    She knew they were probably mind linking the Alpha, Liam, and the whole Delta team to get orders.


    They’d tell them to subdue her and drag her back to the pack house.


    “I just need a minute!” she added.


    She pushed herself faster than she’d ever run before. Her muscles screamed at the exertion.


    Into the woods. Past trees. She made it halfway to the border before the entire Delta team, minus Liam,


    ran up next to her in wolf form, encircling her.


    She was surprised when they didn’t stop her. Instead, they ran alongside her in a protective circle. The


    wolf in front led the way. He turned away from the border but not back toward the pack house. He led


    them in a circle around the territory.


    Tears started to build as she ran. Her vision blurred. Thea slowed to a stop. The wolves circled her.


    Thea sobbed and fell to her knees. The wolves let out high-pitched whines. After a moment, a few of


    them approached her, heads down, ears and tails down.


    She didn’t tell them to stop. She knew them all, even in wolf form. It was Landon, Maverick, Jonah, and


    Logan. Theyid down next to her like a dog would when its owner was sad. After a while, her crying


    slowed.


    “You all know everything, right?” Thea said. Maverick trotted off and came back in his human form and


    basketball shorts. His tawny hair looked the same as always in his short crew cut. Thea wondered if


    Delta team kept their hair that way so they never had to waste time styling it.


    “Yes, Luna,” he said.


    “How long have you been following me, watching me, without me knowing?”


    “Delta team was created for the sole purpose of protecting you, Luna,” Maverick said.


    “So I’ve never had a moment of privacy, have I?” He didn’t answer. His poker face remained intact.


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    “You all believe I’m goddess gifted?”


    Again, no answer. Maverick stood there, stoic, as the turmoil built inside Thea. All these grown


    men devoted their lives to her because of something that wasn’t guaranteed and was out of her control.


    She couldn’t do anything to ensure they weren’t wasting their lives.


    They were recruiting more, and others were already in training, spending the better part of a decade


    risking their lives in the military to learn how to keep her safe. And like Alpha Ulric said, she didn’t have


    a choice in it. She was never consulted. She didn’t ask for this.


    “I don’t want this,” she said.


    “What do you need, Luna?” Maverick said.


    She sighed.


    “It doesn’t matter. I don’t have a choice. Just, just give me a minute.”


    “If I may, Luna,” Maverick started.


    “I’m not the Luna,” she said. She looked up at him.


    “If I may, everyone on Delta team is honored to serve you. Goddess – gifted or not, you strengthen the


    pack, the future Alphas, everyone. It can only do good to keep you safe.”


    “I get that you believe that,” she started.


    “Thea,” he used her name so she would listen. Maverick was the only one gutsy enough to do it. His


    copper eyes looked determined.


    “You’ve only ever known the pack with you in it. We were in the pack before you were born. We’ve


    seen the difference. Ever wonder why everyone in our pack is bigger and stronger than everyone else?


    It didn’t used to be that way. We noticed it after you were born. All the kids had a growth spurt. The


    adults even grew a few inches. People got better at their professions, skills, talents. Businesses


    boomed. Kids did better at school.”


    A few more wolves shifted back to their human forms.


    “It’s true, Luna,” Ryder said.


    “I remember every member of our pack having a growth spurt, and the rest of the school didn’t. We


    started to heal faster. It was one of those experiences that changes you. Not just physically. On the


    inside. We knew something special was happening.”


    “We went to the Alpha,” Hunter said.


    “Asked what we could do, how we could serve. We wanted to be involved in what was happening. The


    Alpha swore us to secrecy, told us you were responsible for the changes in the pack. That’s when we


    formed the idea for Delta team. We knew we had to train, get experience. So we figured out the best


    way to do that, and we did it. Our proudest day was taking the oath to guard you with our lives.”


    “We’ve watched you grow up,” Owen said.


    “It’s one thing to have magic that benefits us all, but it’s something else to have apassionate heart


    and soul. It’s obvious you love this pack and that you care about every pack member. From your


    earliest days, you’ve taken care of others. You sought out the weak and injured, the hurting, and you


    made them better. You supported the strong ones, enabled them to be stronger. We see you,


    Luna, not a set of expectations. We know who you are.”


    “It’s not just your magic we’re protecting,” Liam said. He walked up from behind her, just joining the


    group. The meeting with the Alpha must have ended. His usual demeanor was back—the confidence


    and no-nonsense gait. He had the power to tell her the truth now, and he was eager to do so.


    “And it’s not just the future of our pack we’re protecting. I’m sorry you didn’t know our true purpose until


    now. Watching you over the years, we’ve all developed an adoration and respect for you that only


    grows stronger as time goes on. It’s not just duty that drives us. We love you.”


    The wolves lying next to her— Landon, Jonah, and Logan—stood up, walked a few paces, and shifted,


    along with the rest of the group. They all knelt, facing her.


    “We love you,” they all said together.


    Fresh tears filled her eyes.


    “What if I’m not gifted?” Thea said.


    “You’ll have wasted your lives.”


    “Did you hear us? You’re more than your magic,” Liam said.


    She wiped the tears off her cheeks.


    “Will you let us fulfill our purpose? Will you let us protect you?” Liam said.


    She sniffled and nodded. She could never say no when someone asked something of her.


    “I’m sorry. I’ll do better,” she said.


    “You never need to apologize to us, Luna,” Maverick said.


    “We just want you to be happy and safe.”


    Thea looked at the group of men. She didn’t know what to feel or think. She had respected these men


    as rational, powerful warriors all her life. Now she thought they must be crazy, but the earnest


    expressions on their faces wouldn’t let her insult their beliefs.


    “I understand,” she said.


    “You all better shift or get some clothes on before the future Alphas see you unmated wolves all naked


    in front of their mate,” Liam said.


    The men shifted back to wolves except for Liam and Maverick, the only two with some clothes on.


    “Tuna, what can we do to make this easier for you?” Liam said.


    “I’m very ufortable with the assumptions everyone is making. That I’ll be Luna, that I’m goddess-


    gifted.” She shook her head.


    “I know you can’t do anything about that.” She sighed.


    “I need to get out of the pack house. I need to spend time outside. Feel the sun and the wind, the trees.


    I feel ustrophobic being stuck in there.”


    “Okay. We’ll make it happen.”


    They heard rustling in the trees.