The Alpha's Contract Luna (Alexia)

-Alexia-

Alexia's heart was going wild. Her face could not help but remain crimson as she ate her meal. She could feel Kieran's eyes on her.

The special dinner for Kieran commenced. Since she turned up before him, Kieran had frequently been staring at her. She was seated to his right at the end of a long table, in front of Jaxon. "Is there something on my face?" Finally, she asked.

Kieran appeared to be taken aback. His hand reached out, saying, "Just a little, here."

He touched the corner of her lips, wiping it. His actions sent butterflies into her stomach. 'Goddess!'

'I think he likes the dress, and no, there is nothing on your face. Pfft!' She heard Rae speak in her mind. 'Alpha Kieran isn't hiding his gaze. Anyone could tell he is happy with the way you look.'

That did not help. It added to Alexia's awareness that she dared not turn in Kieran's way from that moment onwards. Instead, she purposely studied how Mara, the midwife, was attending to her child on the other end of the table.

Unfortunately for her, it made it all worse, for Mara misunderstood why she studied her and Cindy. Mara smiled in her direction and then directed her attention to Kieran. She asked, "Alpha, when are you planning to give our pack an heir, your successor? I think our luna likes children."

Alexia's eyes widened. 'Oh, no! What have I done?'

"Mara is just excited to deliver our Luna's and Alpha's first child," Rae remarked before a grin became painted on her face.

"Having an heir at this stage of your marriage would be good, Alpha," Mara proposed. "Like you, your son or daughter can be trained early on to be the next leader of our pack."

'Oh, my Goddess. This can't be happening.' Of course, Alexia remembered that she and Kieran would never be intimate. This was part of their contract! To save herself from the humiliation, she spoke on behalf of Kieran. Her voice broke in and out while she was at it, "I - I don't know if it's the right time. The war has yet to be won -"

"On the contrary, our dear Luna, having an heir is even more important, given the situation," an elder from another table suggested. Everyone within their group turned to the left, listening to the elder.

"The succession of leadership had always come from the main family of the Stones. Having an heir as soon as possible signifies stability and continuity of power," the elder elaborated.

"We know that our Alpha is strong, and we believe that he can win the war, but remember how Alpha Kevin left us?" The elder emphasized, referring to Kieran's father. His eyes went from one table to another. "It came unexpectedly, and no one was prepared for it, but it was fortunate that Alpha Kevin and our former luna had Alpha Kieran early, for he is the rightful leader of our pack. He inherited his father's strength and ability to heal faster."

"Hmmm." Alexia heard Kieran say. Then, he asked, "Who else thinks your alpha should have a successor soon?"

"I think the elder is right," Jaxon remarked.

"The elders are always right," another pack member suggested.

Mara smiled and revealed, "I just want to deliver our alpha's child."

More and more of the present pack members gave their two cents, all in favor of Kieran and Alexia having a child. It all the more made Alexia nervous. "Hmmm," Kieran yet again acknowledged.

Before Kieran could answer, Alexia heard him mindlink with her. 'Did you hear that, Alexia? We may not have a choice here.'

'What?' Alexia was shocked. 'What is he saying? What does he mean we did not have a choice?'

"Then," Kieran answered. "I shall consider your proposal, but ultimately, it is up to your luna to decide if she is ready."

'What? What just happened? He practically handed the responsibility to me? What about the terms of our contract?' Alexia silently asked herself.

Alexia did not get her answers at that time, but she meant to speak to Kieran about it the next day.

The gathering lasted for an hour longer. After which, Kieran ordered the attending warriors for a quick meeting. Since Alexia was not part of it, she chose to rest for the night, tired from her training.

Before she left, she said to Kieran, "Can I be excused, Kieran?" She yawned and added, "I'm exhausted."

"You may," Kieran replied. However, just before she stood up, he held her wrist and warned, "Alexia, I heard from the maids that the floor in your room had drag marks. Have you been moving your dresser?" Alexia's eyes widened. She replied reluctantly, "Um... yes -"

"Don't," Kieran ordered. "The pieces

of furniture are arranged in the room for a reason. Do not move the dresser from now on. You'll only end up scratching the floor and adding unnecessary work to the omegas. We would not want that. Am I clear, Alexia?"

"Um, yes, Kieran. I'm sorry," She replied. Well, now that they were not on bad terms, she was alright with moving the dresser back. Besides, she wasn't sleeping on the floor anymore. Kieran would not have a reason to check on her. "May I go now?" "Are you forgetting something?" Kieran asked, his brow raised as he looked into her eyes.

'Forgetting something?' She asked herself, but when she saw Kieran's gaze going past her, being mindful of the presence of others, she replied, "Oh, right."

She gulped before lowering her frame and pecking Kieran's lips. Her ears burned as he pulled away, saying, "Goodnight, Kieran."

To her surprise, Kieran's brows knotted, and he did not say his usual 'Hmmm'. 'Did I do something wrong? Was he upset? But I kissed him? Did I assume wrong?'

Alexia did not know why, but she felt utterly uneasy like she had made a big mistake. 'Maybe I should not have kissed him?'

Despite worrying about Kieran's reaction, Alexia walked away from their table and paced into the packhouse. When she entered, she noticed her dresser was back in its original place.

She shook her head as she picked up her sleeping wear, knowing that the maids must have moved it. She bathed and settled in bed, ready to doze off.

"Alexia, open up." Alexia awoke to the sound of Kieran knocking at her door. She frantically got up and opened the front door of her room. She saw Kieran standing there with narrowed eyes. His arms were folded against his chest, clearly displeased. She bit her lip and turned to the wall clock. It had only been an hour when she fell asleep, and now Kieran came to see her.

Looking at his angry face, she

concluded it must have something to do with how she wished him goodnight, but how was she to know? When he arrived at the training grounds, he asked for a kiss as a greeting. She immediately

assumed he wanted a kiss as a form of goodbye.

"Um, Kieran, I'm sorry about earlier," she said. "It won't happen again -"

"It should not happen again!" Kieran said in his deep voice. "We don't want the pack members doubting us and spreading rumors that would reach the king."

His response confused Alexia, but when he resumed, she finally understood where his anger resulted.

"If you are going to kiss me, you need to do it properly!" Kieran said. He invited himself into her room and shut the door behind him. He grabbed Alexia's arm and pulled her closer to his frame. He said, "Let me show you how it's done." Alexia gulped. Her heart galloped at an unrecognizable rate! The next thing she knew, Kieran's lips were on hers, his hand resting behind her neck, his other arm circling her slender waist.

'Oh, so the peck wasn't enough!' She realized.

Kieran's kiss was a little rough, more demanding than the last, but Alexia sure did not mind. She unwittingly responded to the taste of his flavor shutting her eyes and mimicking his actions. Same as always, there were no tongues involved. They parted their mouths just enough to allow nibbles and, occasionally, sucking on a single lip.

In each second that passed, their frames moved closer and closer to each other until there was no gap between them. Their breathing became labored as they barely let go of their lips.

Alexia acknowledged how she was instantly on cloud nine. Oh, how she wished the kiss would last longer. 'Goddess! What am I going to do with myself?'

After what felt like a minute, Kieran pulled away. To Alexia, he did it so prematurely that she was still in a daze. Her eyes were still shut, and her mouth was still open.

When she opened her eyes, she saw him smirk, but he quickly changed his expression to his usual impassive look.

"Remember that," Kieran said. "Next time, do it properly, or else, I'll have to teach you how it's done repeatedly. Do you understand?"

"Y-yes, Kieran," she faintly replied.

"Tomorrow, I have something important to discuss with you. Before leaving for your training, go to my office," Kieran instructed. She nodded and asked, "What - what is it about?"

"It's about your father and our contract," Kieran answered.

"Our contract?" She asked.

Kieran did not say more. He merely said, "See you tomorrow."