Alpha Markus
Chapter 13

Markus P.O.V.

I lost control of Atlas when we saw that b***h Sandra charging Celeste. She still looked so fragile in her hospital gown. But the surprising part was how she stood up to Atlas and more, how she managed to soothe him into giving me back control. It’s not like Atlas was some vicious beast with a temper, he was generally fairly in control, but the bond screamed at both of us to protect this magnificent fragile creature in front of us. We didn’t expect her to stand tall when Atlas threatened the guard that allowed Sandra to get so close. She didn’t pull away when Atlas crushed her to our chest, inhaling her delicious scent like a drug.

Mate is already defending pack. Mate is already acting like a Luna. She is stronger than she looks – He said as he gave me back control. – I still kind of want to break his bones.

I just smiled at his words as he purred and curled up in the back of my head. I noticed Gillian and the warriors looked shocked. Atlas may not lose his temper often, but when he did, it was never easy to get him back in control.

“I’m sorry,” she said “I told him to go help Maya. I don’t have a lot of stuff to pack.”

I sighed, “I would prefer that you have a guard with you at all times while not in our territory. It is not safe otherwise,” I said with a pointed look. She blushed. “Zack, please load Maya’s belongings into the car. We are leaving now. I don’t want to be here any longer than we need to. I will help the Luna”

I saw her turn around to look at Zack, who smiled at her. A small growl escaped my chest.

“So… where is your room?” I smiled at her. Then I frowned, confused as I noticed she paled quickly, followed by another blush. Goddess, she was beautiful.

“Uhh, why don’t you wait here? I was almost done,” she said, turning and trying to go into a little door that was behind us. I followed her and put my foot in the door as she tried to close it behind her.

“Celeste?” I asked. I couldn’t help but feel hurt that she didn’t want me in her room. I saw her blush deepen and she sighed and opened the door as she went to retrieve a bag on the ground.

I took in the toilet, the broken sink, and then the futon below the sink. I could feel Atlas rage as he understood what this was before I did. “This is where you sleep?” I growled lowly. The blush on her face deepened as she grabbed an old brush and toothbrush from the sink and added them to an almost empty trash bag. I looked at her again, noticing that she was just standing there uncomfortably, waiting for me to move from the door.

“Is this all you’re taking?” I asked, holding out my hand to take her bag.

“This is all I own,” she said, not looking at me. I took the bag from her and looked inside. There seemed to be about 3 or 4 outfit changes, none of them seemed to be in decent shape. I could see neatly patched parts from other garments. My heart broke for her. When I looked up, I was surprised to see that while her face still had a blush of embarrassment in it, her head was raised as if daring me to comment on any of it. I looked around the tiny half bath again. While not suitable for a person to live with, it was tidy and you could see she took care of what little she had in it. I sighed, dropped the bag and pulled her into a hug. She froze at first, then slowly relaxed and returned the hug.

“We’ve got plenty of stuff at home. You can leave this here. Maybe some of the other girls can use it,” I said. I only felt her nod. I sighed, “Let’s get out of this place before I kill the entire pack.”

“I’ve been trying. You’re kind of taking up the whole door,” she gave a slight giggle. I laughed and let her go, hanging on to her hand.

‘Are we ready?’ I mind linked Gillian

‘Yeah, we’ve got Maya and the guards in the car. I slipped some cash to one of the girls and told her to replace a way to buy food for the other omegas. I also grabbed our stuff. It seems the recipes for the desserts were on the night stand as well, so I grabbed them. I figured you still owe them to Alpha Rhett since we’ll have the master with us,’ He laughed in my head.

‘Christ, that feels like a lifetime ago. I’d forgotten,’ I said as I looked down at the small hand holding my own as I made our way out the door.

‘Yeah, I noticed the place they kept her. This is going to be a long road for her. I hope you’re ready to be patient. I don’t think it’s going to be an easy transition. She will need a lot of help,’ he said. He was my best friend for a reason. ‘

Yeah I know. There’s something we’re missing about her past too. She’s been lying about her age all this time. I am not sure how that’s possible or why. She also wouldn’t tell me what her real last name is.’

‘What do you mean her real last name?’

‘While we were alone at the hospital, she said that she would be 20 in Dec, not 17 in March like the Luna said. She also said her name was really Celeste, but did not give me her last name. She looked so scared to talk about it. I thought she’d try to make a run for it at one point. I have a feeling there’s more to her than meets the eye’

‘Whatever it is, the pack is behind you and the Luna,’ he said.

‘Thank you my friend.’

‘Don’t thank me, the way that woman had Atlas practically purring after he lost control, I’m sure the entire Pack will be jumping with joy’, he laughed at me.

‘I’ll be sure to pay this back to you when you replace your mate,’ I rolled my eyes and I heard him laughing behind me.

“Duly noted,” he teased, and winked at a confused Celeste.

We got in the car and after she took a moment to look back at the Packhouse, we sped off. We made a quick stop to grab her and Maya a new pair of clothes, then prepared for the long ride home. She settled in the groove of my arm and yawned, cuddling close. I was surprised and more than elated at her actions. Hope rose in me that I would get her to trust me if I didn’t f**k this up too badly. I just hoped I remembered enough of my mother’s teachings on how to treat a mate. I spent most of the drive to my pack answering texts. Celeste slept the whole way there. I only woke her up when we got close to the Packhouse. I wanted her to see the territory. I knew I’d made the right decision as her eyes went wide with wonder. The entrance to my lands was separated by the Gila River outside of Phoenix. The only way in was to cross a giant bridge that was gated and guarded. There was a massive scattered forest before opening up to our Pack grounds. It was modern and rustic at the same time. It had a small town feel with modern amenities. I had made sure of it. I wanted her to be proud of her new Pack and proud of the work I’d done. As we arrived at the Packhouse, I had to stifle a laugh as her eyes went as wide as dinner plates. The building was 6 stories high and about two football fields long. There were enough rooms to house about 75% of the unmated males, the ranked families and the staff and their families.

Mate likes our house. – Atlas puffed his chest inside my head and I smiled, also beaming with pride at her reaction.

“Welcome Home,” I whispered in her ear as I wrapped my hands around her waist lightly after we got out of the car. I didn’t want to seem controlling or pushy, but I just had this constant need to touch her. She was tall enough so I didn’t have to bend to reach her. I loved that about her.

As she looked up, a couple of pups came running out screaming, “Luna! Luna!” with papers in their hands. They were followed by a couple of kitchen staff running after them. “Leave her be!”

I heard Celeste laugh as she bent down to the kids as they gave her the pictures they seemed to have drawn for her. My heart was bursting with affection as I saw her smiling around the children.