The Alpha's Contract Luna (Alexia)

~Alexia-

"I-I." Alexia's mouth remained open. She honestly could not decide about it now, even if Kieran suggested she had every right to refuse being intimate with him.

She liked him. There was no denying that now. She undoubtedly liked him, but what was her future with him if they were not true mates? Will Kieran stay loyal under a marriage that was only imposed upon them? "Kieran, what - what I wanted to know is... how you feel about this?" She asked. Alexia, at least, had to get his side of things.

She saw how Kieran clenched his jaws. His mouth parted, but before he could answer, his brows met, and he looked elsewhere.

Kieran was mindlinking, and she was certain of it.

"We have a visitor," Kieran revealed.

It should not concern her, but observing how he looked at her, she asked, "Who?"

"He said he is your friend from the Cross River Pack. Dean?" Kieran replied.

"Dean?" Alexia's eyes rounded. "Why is he here?"

"Drake, he - he took it all on us," Dean revealed before carelessly drinking the water the maid had given him.

Alexia's heart broke, seeing her friend's state. Dean had bruises all over his body. He had a cut on his face, his nose was broken, and he had lost so much weight.

Alexia, Kieran, Rae, and Jaxon sat in the living room where they had accommodated Dean. Immediately after Alexia confirmed Dean's identity, they rushed him to the packhouse and served him food and water.

Dean grabbed a chicken and ate it with his bare hands. He swallowed it fast. A low growl escaped his lips before he reported, "Drake imprisoned us, Alexia. Mom, dad, my sister, and Melissa's family."

"He - he said it was payment for what Alexia had done and taken from the pack. He said we would pay for it with our lives and be slaves!" Dean described. "I escaped because they took me into the forest to collect special herbs. I fell into a pit while reaching out to one, and they all just left me there to die - but I climbed. I climbed my way up and made it out. I ran as far as I could and -"

With a look of regret, he admitted, "I had to steal a car from the neighboring pack. I don't think they saw me since it was parked on the roadside."

"The only place I thought of going to was here, Alexia! I don't know where else to go," Dean said at last before crying again.

"And Alpha Roland did nothing?" Kieran asked, his voice showing a hint of resentment.

"No! He did nothing! I doubt that he knew nothing about this. He wanted us to be punished too!" Dean responded. "I hate him, Alexia! I hate our alpha, and I hate Drake!"

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry," Alexia replied, walking in front of Dean. She kneeled before him and wept. "This is all my fault -"

"It's not your fault!" Kieran corrected. "I took action on how he maltreated you! I was at fault for not cutting off your father's limps!"

Kieran turned to Jaxon and asked, "How did this happen? I thought we paid two insiders to be our ears within The Cross River Pack?"

"I just called our contacts, but." Jaxon frowned and said, "Their phones are dead. Something must have happened to them."

A low growl escaped Kieran's lips. He ordered, "Call the king and inform him of the situation. Ask for backup from The Midnight Pack and have forty of our men prepare to leave!"

"At dawn, we will depart for the Cross River Pack!" Kieran decided. "This time, Drake and Alpha Roland will not escape my wrath!"

With the arrival of Dean, the terms of their contract had to be put on hold. Kieran had to see through their plans and spoke to the king, whereas Alexia attended to her friend.

The next day, Alexia left with Kieran and his warriors. Dean remained in the Stone Blood Pack to heal.

"Ace, tell them we are from the Stone Blood Pack, but do not reveal that I came with you. I want to see their true colors - how they act in front of my wife," Kieran instructed his gamma. Ace, who was behind the wheel, nodded.

Alexia could not believe it. She was back at her old pack.

She arrived with Kieran in less than two days. They rarely rested as they traveled on land. The warriors who came with them took turns in driving at night. Jaxon stayed behind to watch over the Stone Blood Pack.

During the trip, Kieran worked on his laptop while sometimes getting busy on the phone, receiving updates from the southern coast. Yet again, they could not discuss the terms of their contract, but Alexia noticed Kieran's approach towards her had changed. Kieran kept assuring her that everything would all work out. He sometimes massaged her back, and last night, he urged her to sleep in his arms while in the car's backseat.

Little by little, Alexia saw hope. Perhaps their marriage would turn real, and it might last.

Seeing how they were at the entrance to her former pack, Alexia said, "I don't know if it is good to announce that we are coming. Would that not endanger Mel and Dean's family?"

"Well, either way, we can't go in undetected. Considering how everyone in the pack can mindlink with each other, we will still be

discovered." Kieran explained his et

plan. My objective here is to lessen the number of deaths. This isn't just about your friends' family now. It's the entire Cross River Pack versus my pack and the king of Taplean."

"Besides, they do not know we are aware of what they did to Melissa's and Dean's family," Kieran added.

"If Alpha Roland would surrender the pack peacefully, well and good. However, if he wanted a fight, the entire Cross River Pack is already surrounded and would surely fall into my hands today," Kieran revealed his plan.

Earlier, Alexia remembered how Kieran had already sent his men to stake out the south, east, and western borders of the Cross River Pack. Kieran told Alexia that an allied pack, The Midnight Pack, was already hidden before the north border. "They are letting us in, Alpha. We will proceed to the packhouse," Ace said. He was the one who stepped out of the car and spoke to the perimeter guards.

"Good," Kieran answered.

Minutes passed, and finally, they turned up at the packhouse. Alpha Roland and his stepfamily were already at the driveway, waiting for them.

While inside the car, Kieran received a phone call from the king. He gestured for Alexia to go ahead, and she did, leaving the car door slightly open. She strode forward with a few of Kieran's warriors. Alexia first checked her surroundings. She and Kieran rode in the car behind her, and another SUV followed. All in all, six warriors of the Stone Blood Pack revealed themselves as Alexia's escorts.

"Ah, if it isn't my step-sister, Alexia!" The first one to speak was Hazel, Alexia's step-sister. "What brings you here, sister? Please don't tell me your husband returned you! Haha!"

"I'm not surprised. No one wants you," Hazel added.

With a frown, Alexia responded, "No, my husband did not return me. I came with him."

Instantly, their faces paled, especially Drake's. They all looked past Alexia and waited for Kieran. However after a minute, Alexia's husband had still not stepped out of the car. By how Drake and Hazel were suddenly whispering to each other and laughing, she could tell they assumed Alexia was bluffing.

Before she could react, Alexia's gaze quickly fell on her father, and she saw his disapproving stare. His eyes narrowed, and the corner of his lips twitched. "What brings you here, Alexia? Is Alpha Kieran really with you? Where is he? I doubt he would waste his time accompanying you here." "I heard Drake kept Dean's and Melissa's family prisoners," Alexia said. "Alpha Kieran and I are here to free them and... take this pack under the Stone Blood Pack's rule."

Alexia's hands balled into fists. Her

eyes narrowed in anger, recalling

Dean's account of their

imprisonment. Alexia wanted to show her rage and let her father feel he has offended her. She was

Kieran's luna now and deserved regard, but much to her dismay, Drake laughed at her. Hazel and her stepmother did the same.

"When did you suddenly get a backbone, Alexia?" Matilda, her stepmother, mocked. She snorted as she continued to laugh, but soon enough, Alexia saw how her stepmother's eyes widened. Judging by how the surrounding air thickened, she could tell it was because of the man behind her.