Chapter 90: I Need Advice

Beta Female Louise's POV still

In the days that follow, the relationship between Zalev and me continues to go downhill.

We barely speak and I only see him at lunch and dinner in the dining hall. In the first few days after the fatal conversation, he came back from work late at night and I was already asleep most of the time. And in the morning he left early. At the table, he stares at his plate and barely exchanges a word with me.

I have enough days now to think about what Sara, my wolf, has confided in me.

Zalev is already over the fact that I wasn't a virgin when we met, and I've told him frankly that I don't really believe in fated mates. At least not that I would ever meet mine, since I was over twenty-one. Besides, I had a high rank that afforded me many privileges. Zalev was fine with that, for my mate, my past was a sealed chapter, what counted for him was the two of us.

I deny being jealous of Lori for having triplets with Romero.

The Alpha son was a fling, I saw him as a challenge since no she-wolf in the pack was able to catch him. And as the infamous daughter of the head warrior, I was eager to tie him to my victory chariot to show off.

But what followed was hard for me to process.

Alpha Alvarez and Zalev know Lori wears a mask, she is not the quiet sweet girl she pretends to be. They asked me to forgive her as I have now started a new life with Zalev in another pack. Besides, no one in Eclipse Howl would believe me if I told them what happened to me. Lori has joined the Alpha family, so her word would outweigh mine. And I cannot risk my parents' position; my family has provided the Head Warrior for the pack for centuries.

I just want justice, Lori must pay for what she did to me.

If the rogues had not found and taken care of me, I would be history by now. And that cannot go unpunished. Zalev doesn't have a single reason to see Romero as a rival, when he stayed here he was clearly crazy about Lori. And now that they have pups, I know the man will never let her go.

Once again, I stand on the private balcony of the apartment.

My mood is low as I stare out into the forest. It's sundown, just a few more weeks and the full moon will be here again. Then it is time for mating and celebrating in Blue Blood, an old tradition Luna Serene told me about. She, too, had found her mate during this time and they had conceived their eldest son on the same night.

Then my eyes fell on two wolves just returning from a run. They go behind the tree line to shift into their human and change. Then I recognized Alpha Alvarez and Meg. They are madly in love and always together. After the failed mating with Elissa, they have grown closer. They are now eagerly waiting for Meg's twenty-first birthday to finally mark and mate.

I smile as I see them embrace. Meg eagerly presses herself against the Alpha, deepening their kiss. And when they finally run out of breath, he holds her tight as she desperately tries to seduce him. She rubs her hips against him and clutches his shoulders.

Meg is impatient to mate with the Alpha. Although this need not be a problem, most couples have sex at seventeen. She has been saving herself for her mate and Alvarez is not making it easy. When he whispers something in her ear, she pulls away and they walk toward the packhouse, hands intertwined.

Now that Meg is a member of this pack and the future Luna, I could confide in her. Maybe I just need a sounding board to get my frustrations out. Meg knows both me and Lori, I am sure she will believe me.

So I'll wait until she disappears into the packhouse. We can't mind link until she's officially the Luna, so I'll have to go look for her.

I put on my gym outfit, after my talk with Meg I wanted to do some laps in our sports center. Leaving the flat, I decided to take the stairs. I take two steps at a time down the stairs until I reach the main floor. I sniff the air and soon pick up Meg's scent. It led me to the back balcony.

Opening the double French doors, I see her standing in a corner. She is staring ahead, her shoulders slumped in defeat. I hurry up to her.

"Meg, what is it? Why do you look so defeated?"

She turns slowly toward me, her eyes red-rimmed. It is clear that she is upset.

"Louise. My goodness, I haven't visited you for a long time. I am busy preparing to take over the Luna duties from Serene. But there is so much to remember. Only a few months left. I hope I will have mastered everything by then." I move closer to her, knowing she is trying to distract me from her worries.

"The position of Luna is a hard one, and you can only succeed if you are committed to the Alpha. And I know you love each other, you will build your strength from that. You can do it, Meg. You have everything you need to handle this." She looks relieved as if she doubted herself.

"Thank you, Louise. I also feel stronger with you here. We are from the same pack and I know I will always have your support. And your words have really strengthened me."

She looks around before turning back to me.

"There's something I want to talk to you about. I know you have more experience with mating than I do. Perhaps you would like to give me some advice?"..