“Thank you for taking the time to see me, Alpha,” I say as I settle into the leather chair in front of his desk. I clench my teeth to keep a smirk from forming as Alpha Damon does everything he can to avoid making eye contact with me.
“Of course, Athena. How are you feeling?” He asks as he looks over the papers on his desk.
“Oh, I’m fine, thank you. I felt a lot better after I washed off the grime from the bunkers’ cell. It’s filthy down there.”
“Yes, well, it’s been a while since we’ve had to hold anyone down there,” he says as he shifts his gaze to his computer screen.
“Of course. So anyway, I just wanted to let you know that I’d like to accept the position of being the Lunas Delta.”
He stops what he’s doing and finally makes eye contact with me. “Really?” He asks. “Are you sure about that?”
“Yes, of course, Alpha. I’m honored to be asked to protect Luna Cassia, and if you believe there’s any kind of threat to her, I’d like to start as soon as possible,” I say in a serious tone.
I can almost see the wheels turning behind his eyes as he thinks for a moment.
“Unless, of course, the position has already been filled?” I ask, my eyebrow raised.
He swallows and clears his throat. “No, no, the position is entirely yours. Luna Cassia wants to go into town tomorrow. So you can begin your duties as Delta by accompanying her and protecting her,” he instructs me.
“It will be my pleasure, Alpha. Are there any other orders regarding my position?”
“When it comes to my Luna’s security, you have complete authority. I just want her to be safe. I’ll notify the warriors of your position, and you’ll work with Gamma Alex to choose warriors for the Luna Guard, and coordinate any additional security you believe you require.”
“Of course, Alpha. Thank you again for the honor of protecting the Luna. I will protect her with my life if I have to.”
“Cassia is in her office. Please go see her and iron out any responsibilities she may have for you as well. I will let her know you’re coming,” Alpha Damon says and returns his attention to the computer screen.
“Thank you, Alpha,” I say and stand. I bow my head to him and leave his office.
I walk down the hall to Luna Cassias’ office, and she’s waiting for me at the door.
“Hi, Athena! Please come in,” she greets me and motions for me to take a seat on the couch.
“Thank you, Luna.” I bow my head and sit down.
She closes the door and sits in the armchair in front of me. “I’m so glad you decided to accept the Delta position. I’ve heard nothing but good things about you from both Nick and Damon, and I felt such a good vibe from you the other night at the pack dinner.”
“It’s my honor, Luna. Do you mind if I ask how Nick is? Unfortunately, I haven’t had a chance to speak to him since returning home.”
“Oh, he’s great,” she says with a smile. “That cousin of mine was truly taken with you, Athena.”
“Cousin?” I ask, surprised. “I’m sorry, Luna. I didn’t realize you were related.”
“Think nothing of it,” she says with a smile. “From what I’ve heard, there wasn’t much time to get to know each other properly. You should contact him! He’d be delighted to hear from you.”
“Of course, Luna,” I return her smile. “So, Alpha Damon said you need to go to town tomorrow?” I ask, changing the subject.
“Yes! I want to get a few supplies for the mate’s ball, and I need to find a new dress!” She exclaims with excitement.
“We could always have dresses brought here, Luna. We could also have the Omegas go to get the supplies you need. If there’s a risk to your safety, I would advise not to leave the pack territory unless absolutely necessary.”
“You’ll come to learn that I’m a very hands-on person, Athena. I prefer to do most things on my own. And I have complete confidence in your ability to keep me safe.” She smiles once more.
“Of course, Luna. Are there any other responsibilities or tasks you’d like me to perform as your Delta?”
“That’s all I have for now. I’m excited to get to know you better, Athena,” she says as she stands from the couch.
I stand as well and bow my head again. “Me too, Luna. If you could please text me what time you’d like to go into town, and I will organize your security detail,” I say and follow her to the door.
“Of course, I will see you tomorrow,” she says, and I leave her office.
#
**The Next Day**
I study Luna Cassia in the rear-view mirror of the SUV as we drive into town. She’s beautiful, with deep brown eyes and long brown hair that falls in waves down her back. She doesn’t look much older than me and is at least 5 years younger than Alpha Damon. Which makes me wonder why he would betray his mate by sleeping with someone else.
Ryna clears his throat, bringing my attention back to the task at hand. “We’re five minutes out, Luna,” I say, and she enthusiastically nods and claps her hands.
‘*Tony will accompany me into the store with the Luna. Ryna, James, and Luca, you will hold your positions outside of the store,*’ I advise the warriors in the SUVs in front of us and behind us.
‘*Yes, Delta*.’
We park outside of the store, and Ryna exits the SUV and opens the door for the Luna. Tony and I follow her inside the store, keeping our distance as she speaks to a sales assistant.
“I just wanted to thank you again for this opportunity, Delta,” Tony says in a low voice as he scans the store.
“Ryna has told me how hard you’ve been training,” I say, watching as the Luna follows the sales assistant to the aisle she needs.
“I know I didn’t make a great first impression, but I want to prove myself to you. And I apologize for the things I said to you, Delta.”
“Do a good job today and consider it forgotten.”
He nods and follows Luna Cassia to the next aisle, helping her with the things she’s carrying.
#
Three hours later, we’re finally on our way back to the pack territory.
“I hope you were able to find everything you needed today, Luna,” I tell her.
“Today was great, Athena. Thank you. I really needed to get out and do something. I’ve been going a little stir crazy at the pack house,” she admits, rubbing her mate mark.
“Anytime, Luna.” I give her a smile in the rear-view mirror, trying not to show the pity I’m feeling for her.
Suddenly, Luca slams the brakes on in the lead SUV, and we nearly collide with them, stopping just in time.
‘*ROGUES*!’ Luca yells through the mind-link.
“Luna, stay here and lock the door,” I tell her calmly as Ryna and I quickly get out of the SUV and find we’re surrounded by ten rogues. ‘*PROTECT YOUR LUNA*!’ I yell as I shift and growl angrily at the two rogues directly in front of me. Tony, James, and Luca join Ryna and me to surround the SUV.
‘*I’m not sure these are rogues, Delta. They smell differently*,’ Tony says.
‘*I picked up on that too*,’ I say.
‘*What are they waiting for*?’ Luca asks as the wolves surrounding us growl at us, but don’t move from their positions.
‘*Is Enyo back yet*?’ Ryna links with me directly.
‘*I can feel her, but it would seem I’m on my own*,’ I tell him.
Looking around, I see that we’re close to our territory. I close my eyes and take a deep breath, and I call on Enyo, but she doesn’t respond. I can feel her power, though, and feel it start coursing through my body. When I open my eyes again, I can see my eyes glowing in the reflection of the wolf’s eyes in front of me. I take another deep breath and then roar. The surrounding wolves yelp in surprise, but they don’t have a chance to react further as I attack the wolf in front of me, and the others follow my lead.
The sounds of bodies colliding, and the tearing of flesh, surround us. I kill the first wolf quickly and grab the one attacking James, holding him by the scruff of the neck as James slashes his stomach open.
‘*Delta!*’ Tony yells, and I whip my head around to see one wolf trying to sneak up on me. Tony grabs her by her hind leg, breaking it, and I slash her across the face. The she-wolf howls and slumps to the ground in pain.
‘*Keep her alive! I want to question her*!’ I instruct Tony, and he nods, growling at the she-wolf as she shifts and tries to crawl away.
Two more wolves approach me, and I get down low and growl at them as a warning. But they don’t heed it. Instead, they both lunge for me. I knock the first one down as the other one tries to knock me off balance, but I step to the side, and they run into the SUV, leaving a big dent in the driver’s door. I grab them around the neck and toss them hard onto the ground, hearing its neck snap.
I suddenly gasp in pain as the other wolf digs its claws into my side and rips downwards. I look at the wolf with fury as pain courses through my body, and I roar again, so loudly that the SUV windows smash from the vibrations. I turn on the wolf and knock it to the ground. Placing my paw on their chest, I press hard, their ribs breaking under my weight. They yelp in pain, but it’s short-lived as I take their throat in my mouth and rip their head from their body.
‘*They’re retreating*!’ Luca yells, and we stand there panting as we watch the rest of the wolves run into the surrounding forest.
I hear a howl coming from the direction of our territory. I look over and see Alpha Damon and Uncle Alex in their wolf forms running towards us, followed by other warriors. They shift as they get to us, and Alpha Damon rushes to the SUV and opens the door to check on Luna Cassia.
“Damon!” I hear her yell, and she lunges into his arms, and he hugs her tightly as turns to me.
“What happened?” He asks, his voice laced with rage and concern. “We heard your roar from the pack house.”
“They were waiting for us, Alpha. They ran onto the road from the surrounding trees as we came down the road and lined the road to stop us,” Luca explains after he shifts back.
I shift back as well, holding my side in pain.
“Athena!” Uncle Alex yells when he sees the deep slash on my side. “You need to get to the Doc!” He says, getting a towel from the back of the SUV and applying pressure to the wound.
“I’m fine, Gamma,” I say firmly. “She should be taken to the pack hospital and have her leg set properly,” I nod towards the whimpering she-wolf. “Tony, Luca, keep her under guard until I arrive,” I instruct them.
“Who is she?” Alpha Damon asks, placing Luna Cassia on her feet.
“She was a part of the attack. I want to question her, Alpha.”
Alpha Damon crouches down in front of the wolf. “Please,” she begs. “I was just following orders,” she cries.
Alpha Damon gives her an icy stare and grabs her by the throat. “You tried to kill my Luna,” he snarls as he lifts the wolf off the ground.
“Alpha!” I yell. “What are you doing?!”
The she-wolf tries to break free, her eyes pleading with him as he tightens his grip around her throat.
“Protecting what’s mine,” he snarls and snaps the girl’s neck.