The Unwanted Wolf

ADIRA

“We have stations set up around where you can find out your room assignments, guard patrol, and training times. Please get this information for yourselves as soon as possible, since the first patrol starts in an hour,” Mark announced to everybody. “Thank you for listening to us, and if you have any questions for myself or Alpha Lyna, don’t hesitate to ask.”

Everyone got up, and there was a crowd around Mark immediately. I stayed where I was, knowing I wanted to be here if anyone had questions about their living space. Rie skipped up to me, making it to me before the crowd hit.

“How are you doing, Luna Adira?” Rie asked in a teasing voice.

I rolled my eyes at the comment. She had been calling me “luna” for several days now, and every time I reminded her I wasn’t the luna yet. I decided to let it go this time.

“I am just grateful to have all of these warriors to help us,” I said.

“Do we know more about what we are facing yet?” Rie asked. She had been just as busy as me with getting everything prepared. It had been awhile since I had sat down and had a real conversation with her.

“Not as thoroughly as we’d like. Pack Lyna brought some text that might have some more information, and I reached out to Ginger to see if she could help us.” I kept an eye on the warriors, waiting for someone to approach us.

“How are you handling all of them being here?” Rie tilted her head forward, giving me a look to tell me what she actually meant.

I looked down at the ground, debating about how much I wanted to say. I wanted to be okay with everything, and I wanted to make sure I looked like a leader in front of everyone else. It wouldn’t be long until I was officially a leader, so I wanted to make sure to practice now.

“I’m trying not to think about it,” I said. I had managed to avoid Alpha Lyna so far, and I was hoping I would continue to be able to avoid him. I wasn’t sure if it was possible with him staying here with the warriors, but I was going to try.

“Why did you agree to his help if you were going to feel uncomfortable?” Rie asked, a frown plastered on her face. “You don’t deserve to put yourself in uncomfortable situations.”

I forced a smile onto my face. “I feel like I’m in a rock and a hard place. I don’t want to be around him, but we need his help. If what Cain said is true, we need to be prepared for a fight with the Council of Magic. I don’t want this pack to suffer because I’m a target. If I’m here, I’m putting everyone at risk. If being around Alpha Lyna means being a little uncomfortable but ensuring everyone’s safety, then I’ll put myself in the uncomfortable situation.”

Rie opened her mouth to speak, but a warrior approached us, so she stopped, not wanting to talk about these personal matters in front of others.

“I came late, so I’m not sure where I’m supposed to go,” the female warrior said as she approached us. When she got closer, she paused and turned her head to the side. “Adira? Is that you?”

I smiled, recognizing the girl from years ago. We were never friends and didn’t hang out much, but as the alpha’s daughter, my mother was always forcing me to remember the faces of the children around me. It was my job to know my pack members, since one day I was supposed to run the pack.

“Fey, it’s been a while,” I said. I looked over my clipboard, searching for her name on the room assignments. “You’ll be on the third floor in room 20.” We had gone around and numbered all of the rooms to make it easier to identify which room everyone was assigned to.

“Thanks.” Fey hesitated, looking at me closely. “I’m surprised to see you here,” she finally admitted. “I heard a rumor that something happened to you.”

“Oh?” I didn’t know what else to say. I had heard about some of the rumors already, so I wasn’t surprised she knew about them. I didn’t plan on explaining what actually happened either.

“Well, I heard several rumors. No one ever confirmed what actually happened to you. You just disappeared, and we didn’t talk about it. I thought maybe…” Her voice dropped off, and she looked down at the ground. After a moment, she looked back up at me. “Anyway, I’m glad to see you’re healthy and okay.”

I smiled. “It’s good to see you, too. If you need anything, let me know.”

Fey walked away, and I let out a long sigh. It was weird seeing people I used to know. There seemed to be a weird air around them when they saw me, and I didn’t know what to say. I couldn’t exactly tell them the man who I thought was my father kicked me out when he found out my mother had lied to him about me being his child, and I was actually the child of a sorcerer, so there was a weird prophecy around me that could cause great destruction. Even if I had the energy to tell that story over and over again, I was sure most people wouldn’t believe me.

“You look pale,” Rie said, placing her hand on my shoulder. “Maybe you should go lie down for a bit.”

My stomach was churning, and I felt low on energy. “There’s a lot that needs to be down here.”

Rie took the clipboard from my hand. “I can handle the room assignments. You just worry about yourself. You have been doing a lot recently. Have you been sleeping enough?”

I smiled sheepishly. “There’s been a lot to do, and when I’m doing things, I’m not thinking about my impending doom.”

Rie raised her eyebrows at me. “First off, there is no impending doom. I refuse to let that happen. Secondly, you need to make sure you’re taking better care of yourself. I know you have a lot going on, but if you work yourself sick, it’s not going to help anything.”

My instinct was to object, but I knew it did no good to argue with Rie. I was feeling unusually tired and the thought of dealing with more people from my past seemed like a lot right now. I looked over at Mark and saw he was talking to a bunch of people, so I didn’t want to worry him by linking him right now.

“Will you tell Mark I went to lie down when you see him?” I asked.

Rie put her hand on my arm. “Of course. Now go nap so you feel more refreshed later.”

I was about to step away, when I heard my name being called, drawing my attention back to the crowd.

“Addy!” Mason shouted, jogging over to us. “I’m glad I caught you here. That mate of yours is something else-”

As Mason approached, his face suddenly shifted, and he paused, completely mesmerized as he stared at Rie. I looked at her looking back at him. Both of their eyes were wide and dilated, and I could practically see the electricity bouncing between them. I held back a laugh as I watched the awkward tension build. Neither of them knew what to say at that moment, and it was pretty adorable.

“Rie, this is my childhood friend, Mason. Mason, this is my good friend, Rie,” I introduced them to break the silence.

Rie held out her hand, falling out of the spell. There were still sparkles in her eyes. “It’s nice to meet you.”

Mason grabbed Rie’s hand and leaned forward, kissing the back of her hand gently. “It’s a pleasure to meet such a beautiful woman.”

Rie blushed and giggled, and she suddenly looked like a teenage girl. “What a gentleman.”

I knew exactly what was going on, and my heart filled with joy for the two of them. My old best friend and one of my new best friends just found each other as mates. The happiness in their eyes was enough to tell me I was no longer needed here.

“I’m going to go lie down for a bit, but you two have fun getting to know each other.” I waved goodbye to them, but I was positive neither noticed me leaving. I shook my head with a smile as I walked away. They both deserved to be happy, and I was excited for them. Who would have thought such a strange circumstance would have brought two mates together?

As I made it back into the pack house, silence surrounded me, and it was a relief. I didn’t even realize how overwhelming all of the chatter had been until it was gone. The exhaustion I felt in my body returned now that I was alone, so I went straight to my room. I shut the door behind me and practically collapsed in my bed.

This was a new level of exhaustion for me. Even with not sleeping well, I felt unusually tired. Planning for everyone and dealing with the crazy emotions recently must have been taking a lot out of me. I closed my eyes, and it wasn’t long before I was drifting off to sleep.

I fell into a deep sleep, but it wasn’t long before I felt something familiar pulling at me in the back of my mind. I opened my eyes to find myself in my dreamscape. I expected to see Shadow or Moon here, but neither were around. The typical scenery was also missing, and I found myself in a plain white room. I still felt something pulling at me, so I spun around trying to find what it was.

I stopped when I saw Cain standing in front of me.

“What are you doing here?” I demanded, my tone cold. After our last conversation, I didn’t have much interest in being around him. I wasn’t sure how he even got here.

“I wanted to try making you understand one last time,” Cain said, his voice eerily calm.

“How did you get into my subconscious?” I asked, not wanting to hear him try to convince me to leave Mark yet again.

“You forget how powerful of a sorcerer is, and I’m not even as powerful as the Council of Magic. That’s what I need you to understand. There is no fighting them. If you don’t come with me, they will come for you, and you will die.” Cain clasped his hands behind his back and started pacing back and forth.

“We have allies. If you just help us prepare, then we can stop the Council of Magic together,” I said. “I’m not leaving my mate or my home, so don’t bother trying to convince me to go with you again.”

“You really are a stupid girl, aren’t you?” Cain snapped, losing his patience. “If I go against the Council of Magic, it will be a death wish for me and you.”

“Then go,” I said firmly. “I have no interest in your help, so stop wasting your time on me.”

“You don’t understand,” Cain said.

My fists curled, and I found myself growing irritated. “Understand what? I understand the Council of Magic is a threat. I’m prepared to face them, so just leave me alone.”