Alpha Markus
Chapter 10

Celeste P.O.V

I could smell food, bleach and that strange cologne of pistachios and figs and wet earth as well as other smells that were not as dominant. I tried to move my arm, but my side hurt, so I opened my eyes instead. I saw Maya with a group of men around a small table. It looked like they were eating and chatting amicably. I could tell we were in the hospital, but this room looked different than what I would expect it to look like. It was almost homey. There were comfortable chairs, blankets and a laptop about. I felt the man with his back to me stiffen and turn. I was met with the most wonderful grey eyes.

I felt Kara sigh contently in the back of my mind. She sounded exhausted.

Are you doing Ok? – I asked with a little concern.

I am fine. It just took a lot of energy to heal you. I just need a nap. Be nice to him, OK?

I will try. You rest.

The man stood up and approached me like a weary man waiting for the rabbit to be spooked. He was tall, at least 6’3” tall and muscular. The plain white tshirt was tight around all the right muscly places. His broad chest tapered down to a small waste and I could almost see the v line at leading down into his jeans.

“Celeste?” he asked gently. I looked back up to his eyes. He looked concerned. I saw his eyes glaze over and one of the warriors sitting at the table got up and left the room. “My name is Markus. Do you know where you are?” He asked.

“Hos-Hospital,” I said. My throat was so dry, it was hard to talk. Markus provided me with a glass of water. It soothed my throat as I gulped down the entire thing.

Maya ran past him and gave me a hug. “I was so scared you wouldn’t wake up. You saved me!” I patted her back awkwardly. I was not used to this kind of contact. I looked back at Markus. He was smiling softly at me. I tried to return the smile, but I am not sure it came out as nice as his. Smiling was another thing I wasn’t used to doing. I noticed the rest of the men then. They were all standing from the table. The food forgotten.

“You should keep eating. I didn’t mean to interrupt,” I said. They bowed their heads and stood to the side as the Pack doctor walked inside.

“Good Morning Luna. How are you feeling?” My head snapped around the room, looking for Luna Luisa.

“Celeste?” Markus looked at me with concern in his eyes. “How are you feeling?” My brows furrowed. I couldn’t understand why the doctor had called me Luna. My head was still too muddled and it was giving me a headache, so I decided to think about that later.

“My head hurts, my side still hurts, and my jaw feels sore and I need to use the bathroom.” I said honestly.

“Well you have been sleeping for 3 days, so that’s understandable. Can we help her to the bathroom please?” He turned to the warriors. Two started moving to help but there was a low growl coming from Markus.

“I got it,” he said, and the warriors immediately returned to the table. He walked over and lifted me like a child. I couldn’t stop the blush that surfaced to my face. I could feel warmth and tingles at every point where our bodies touched.

I took a moment to compose myself while in the bathroom. I’d never had that kind of reaction to any man. I washed my face and looked in the mirror. My hair was a mess, I still had some bruising around the base of my jaw. Suddenly, I flashed forward. I saw Markus holding me to him. His hand in my hair. I felt a wave of heat burst from my core as I came back to myself. I felt the migraine burst forth like a train wreck. I stumbled out of the bathroom. I lost my balance and started falling face first, but I didn’t hit the floor. Instead, I hit a very firm chest. I looked up and Markus was holding on to me. He pulled me up and held me up. I felt the same heat spread from my core. His eyes darkened and his hand came to up to my face and into my hair.

“Luna, what happened?” Doctor Castle asked. Markus lifted me up again and put me back in bed.

“Uhh, just got dizzy,” I said, trying to get my head back to the present, “I have a migraine.”

“Alpha Markus,” Dr Castle said 15 minutes later after doing an examination. “I can’t replace anything wrong with her. She still needs rest to finish her healing, but she should be able to travel today or tomorrow.”

I looked at Dr. Castle then. “Travel? Where am I traveling? Where am I going?” I said, panicking.

“Can I speak with her alone please?” Alpha Markus asked. Everyone shuffled out of the room. Maya looked unsure, but then Beta Gillian gently guided her out.

“Celeste, have you met your wolf?” I looked at him and panic set in. They knew. Oh god, they knew. My eyes flitted from his face to the window. “Celeste, it’s OK. No one is going to hurt you. You know what a mate bond is, right?” All I could do was nod. Suddenly he looked less confident. “D-do you remember the night of the full moon, before you passed out?” He asked.

“Sandra,” I whispered.

“Yes, but before you passed out?”

My eyes widened “Kara – Kara said you were mate.” He smiled, relief flashed across his face.

“Is Kara your wolf?” I nodded.

“We are mates Celeste. Do you know what that means?” I looked away, hurt and annoyed by his words.

“I know what that means. Just because I’m an Omega doesn’t mean I’m dumb,” I snapped, though my words had little heat behind them. It was mostly shame in knowing he wasn’t too far off the truth. I hadn’t stepped foot in school since I was 8 years old. I’d only managed to learn to read and do basic math.

“Hey, look at me. I don’t think you’re dumb. No one here knows you’ve got your wolf, so I wasn’t sure that they’d taught you what happens,” he said gently.

“I’ve heard people talk,” I turned my head again.

“Celeste, I need to know. How old are you?”

I snapped my head to him again. Panic rising. I tried to stand up. I needed to run away. The lie I’d lived for 11 years was crumbling around me.

“It’s OK. It’s OK. We can talk about that later. When you feel safe and you can trust me. Please don’t run away from me. I will never hurt you,” he said. I was still breathing hard but his touch was calming my panic. I sat back down on the bed and looked at him. He looked so concerned and desperate. I suddenly wanted to touch his face and I didn’t realize that my hand was actually moving of its own accord. I placed a hand on his cheek and felt the tingles and warmth. I sighed when he closed his eyes and leaned into my hand. We can trust mate – Kara said sleepily.

“No one can know,” I said, and he opened his eyes. He nodded. “I am 19. I will be 20 in December. They think I am 17. I had to lie.”

“What’s your name?” He asked.

“Celeste is my real name,” I said, not wanting to lie to him. He looked at me for so long, then looked away and I could see some hurt in his eyes. “I’m sorry. I haven’t told-“

He looked at me with a small smile. “It’s OK. Thank you for trusting me. No one here needs to know,” he gave a deep sigh and then held my hand. “So, back to business. I am Alpha of the Crescent Moon Pack. That makes you the future Luna of my pack. Don’t worry, we will take it slow. We will only do things at your pace. But we do need to go back to my pack. We’ve been gone for 5 days and I have duties to attend. And I want you as far away from this place as possible.”

My mind was going a mile a minute. I was a Luna. I needed to learn to be Luna but the most important part of what he said was, I was leaving this god forsaken place. I smiled widely and threw my arms around him. He was surprised but held me tightly and then chuckled. “I take it you’re OK with leaving this place?”

“Yes please.”