The Defiant Luna
Chapter 1

Jay-la POV

Jay-la slammed the door to the Luna’s office, banged it shut as hard as she could, heard it rattle in its frame with satisfaction. Nathan was now such an arrogant man, she didn’t recall him being like that once. He always had to get his own way now, it seemed. She was sorely tempted to stalk right out of this office, right out of the pack-house and get on the first flight back to L.A. to go and close out her human world profile, in person.

She prowled around the office she was now in, was apparently now hers, glaring at everything, wanted to toss just about everything in this bloody office onto the floor and kick it around. Stood in the middle of the room half an hour later, still had yet to pick up the stupid phone and do as he bade her. Why the hell should she? Just because he was her mate and the Alpha.

She really just wanted to go back to L.A. and do it herself. Coming here had not been her choice, been brought here. Yes, she understood why now, but still was more than pissed off about it. About how it had come about. Realised the only thing stopping her, from right this very minute, stalking out of this pack-house and away from him and his arrogance was the very fact that she was actually snowed in. Kora was against it, but also hadn’t liked his ‘you’ll do as I say’ attitude, would likely let her at this very moment just to show him they were not about to just sit and roll over at his every word.

It had started snowing again at some point during the day and was still snowing right now, turned and looked out the window, and didn’t look like it was going to let up anytime soon. She might love that arrogant a*****e in the next room, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t be angry with him or tell him no.

Being Marked and Mated by him did not mean she had to now do everything he told her to do. She had a mind of her own and knew how to use it. She was not about to become some bloody doormat to him or his wolf. Just because they wanted her to fall in line and sit and stay and do what he told them to. Not bloody likely.

Finally sat down in the Luna’s chair, that was apparently hers now, sat behind a large wooden desk, and looked around at the Luna’s office. Not much had changed since she left. She was going to gut this office, was not going to work from a place his previous Mate had used. Might even look at moving herself and the Luna’s office to a whole other floor, at the other end of the bloody pack-house for that matter.

There was the standard furniture of an office in here, a desk and chair, which she noticed was not at all comfortable. It was nothing like the one she had in her office. She stood up and stalked around the room, did not, she realised want to be in this room at all.

Banged out the door to the office into the packs foyer and nearly ran right into Luna Darla, she smiled right at Jay-la, “Hi Sweetie,” then frowned right at her a moment later and reached out a hand and touched her arm “What did he do now?”

“Nothing.” Jay-la muttered “I can’t work in that office, is all.” She admitted. Wanted nothing to do with anything of his ex-mate.

Saw Luna Darla really frown now as she looked up at her, “What is wrong with my office? Or our office until you undertake your Luna training.”

“It was her office.” Jay-la muttered and walked away.

“No, it wasn’t Jay-la. Never.” Luna Darla fell into step with her as she spoke. “That girl wouldn’t set foot in there or take Luna lessons at all. That is my office, it is all me.”

Jay-la sighed “I’m sorry I didn’t mean to offend you.”

“Hmm, well Jay-la sweetie, we can redecorate it however you want to.” She smiled up at her, “We could look at stuff today, if you like?”

“Maybe.” Jay-la nodded “I might just need a few minutes to calm down.”

“Why do you need to calm down? Talk to me. It’s what I’m good at you know. Being the former Luna, I listen and help people.”

“He, your son. Thinks it’s so easy to just close out my life, a few phone calls and it’ll be all good. It’s not going to be that simple.”

“Hmm, you’re boss you’re talking about, Eric Stanton, I believe.”

“Yes, Eric will never believe I’ve suddenly, at the drop of a hat, decided to stay here of my own free will. Not after everything that happened the last time I was here, and the way I fought to stay away.”

“Probably not.” She nodded.

“I need to go back to L.A. and sort that out in person.” Jay-la sighed, wanted to go, and go on her own. But Nathan had already told her, that if she wanted to do it in person. He would be standing right there next to her. She’d not be going alone, he simply wasn’t going to allow that.

“Well, you can do that, I’m sure.”

“Not without Nathan going, apparently.” Jay-la muttered a little more than annoyed about it. Her life over the past 6 years had been simple enough; work and being home with the children.

“Ah! Well, now I see your dilemma. You are right. His beast is a bit of a terror sometimes and can be completely uncontrollable as well. I don’t think it will just be Nathan you’ll have to contend with on that one. Havoc will be putting his Alpha Wolf needs in as well.” Luna Darla looked at her a little on the apologetic side.

Jay-la stopped walking and stared at the woman now. “What do you mean, his wolf is a terror?”

Watched as Darla shook her head “He can lose control sometimes. Though I doubt that will happen now, with you and Kora here. His beast does seem very calm to me, happy, I definitely sense his beast is happy. First time in a long time since I sense that.”

“His wolf was not like that before? When I was here, he was quite playful at times. Could definitely be firm and all Alpha Wolf, but never a terror.”

“No, he wasn’t.” she nodded “Got hurt by his previous Mate. Did not handle it well is all.”

“Darla, do I need to be concerned about this?” she asked outright, had three children to think about. If his wolf was a terror, then they might not be safe around his beast.

“No, no, no…He would never hurt you or the children.” Darla hurried out, “just as you would never hurt him.”

Jay-la nodded at that, she would never hurt Nathan intentionally and she knew there was no way Kora would hurt Havoc, loved her Mate from the moment she scented him out. Was also more than happy to be back here inside the pack, even happy to replace her Mate was the father of her pups. Purred quietly to herself sometimes about that fact.

It was likely she was going to have to sit down and talk to Nathan about his wolf. Get him to explain this to her. She did not want Havoc being a terror around the children or uncontrollable either. She didn’t want them to be afraid of him. That would not be a good thing.

Felt Kora huff inside her, annoyed with Jay-la’s line of thought, didn’t want her thinking anything bad about her mate. But they didn’t know him anymore, it had been six years since they’d been banished, and from what she’d heard he didn’t appear to be the same wolf he had been once.

‘Havoc, loving and good. A strong Alpha is all.’ Kora huffed at her.

‘I know you feel that way, love him. But it’s been a long time, we don’t really know him anymore.’

‘Is my Mate, father to our pups, he would never hurt them. I trust him.’

Jay-la sighed and excused herself from the Luna, to go and check on the triplets, she knew that they were upstairs with Rae-Rae. Nathan had asked her to come to his office and she’d asked Rae-Rae to watch them.

They found the four of them playing Go Fish, sat down on the ground and smiled at them, joined in on the next game herself. it was nice to just sit and hang out. She had put off making those calls, knew that it was going to have to be something she did, but wasn’t going to do it at his whim. Would do it when she was ready.

Watched Rae-Rae take a call from her mother Lauren, who wanted to know how she was doing? Saw Rae-Rae talk all excitedly about the mansion they were staying in and then g*****d annoyingly “Yes mum, I have not just a room to myself, but a whole suite to myself.”

Jay-la smiled, she didn’t know how long it would stay her own room, probably not long. Though Rae-Rae still had no idea about the wolfen world and was going to have to be introduced to it bit by bit over the next few weeks. Likely spend a solid week with no wolf sightings at all and then let her see one or two of them. Though she knew Lauren was aware that there were wolves out here, Nathan had told her as much.

Jay-la got to speak with Lauren herself, told her that yes she was feeling better, had recovered from her break down at hearing her mother had been attacked and nearly died. Also told her that her mother was awake an recovering just fine, quickly at that. Rae-Rae confirmed that. As well, having seen Jay-la’s mother herself.

The triplets also talked to Lauren. Both the girls smiled at her through the video chat and even told her their daddy was nice. Nate however didn’t say much on the subject, just said he had a room of his own and so did both Rosalie and Lilly. He still had yet to really go near his father, had walked around him and away from him at breakfast, didn’t say morning back to him when Nathan had smiled at him and said, ‘good morning.’

Nathan had tried to talk to him, gotten nothing from Nate. Had looked to her for help on the matter, she’d thought. She’d not given it, he’d yet to answer Nate’s questions about where he’d been. Until he did, it was unlikely, she thought, that the boy would talk to him at all.

Jay-la understood both their positions; her son wanted to know where his father had been all his life? Why he’d not been around? Nathan couldn’t really answer that without causing more damage, he’d banished her from the pack, that was the reason he’d never known about them. He wasn’t going to be able to state that she’d never told him about them, because if he told them, it was her fault, she would tell them he’d banished her before she knew she was pregnant. A vicious circle he found himself in and he knew it, or likely did. Though he hadn’t mentioned it himself yet.

Nathan was replaceing himself to be in a bit more of a bind at the moment. Whichever way he jumped, he still had to own up to it, being the one who sent her away and telling her never to come back. Not a nice thing for the children to hear, even if it was the truth.

Jay-la also believed he would be trying to avoid doing that, where it was possible. So he was going to have to come up with something plausible that didn’t see him as a cruel mean man in the triplets eyes.

She was currently leaving that all up to him. Jay-la didn’t know what she would have done if he’d not banished her. Would she have told him? She honestly didn’t know, with him having a Mate! Did know she would still have lived on campus. Though it was likely would have told her parents, but no-one knew what would have happened, it was the game of ‘what if’ and that never ended well for anyone.

Though she probably would have ended up staying away, knew that fear of his Mate and the safety of her children, would still have been there, likely worse if the woman knew of them. May well have ended up at her mother’s old pack, it was likely even her parents would have known that his Mate, and the future Luna would have taken issue with him having pups to someone else.

A part of her deep down inside, knew they would never have been safe here. Didn’t think her parents would have thought they would be either. Sighed to herself and pushed those thoughts away. She didn’t want to go down that road, still had yet to deal with them over what they had both allowed to happen.

Just to get her to come back to the pack, she was still unhappy about it. That they could agree to something like that, it had broken her and she knew it. That she couldn’t be there to see her mother when she was dying. Her own grief had brought her completely undone.

Right this minute she was just giving them leeway, on the matter. Due to having to deal with Nathan and their new Mate Bond, the children and settling them in or trying to. Had other issues to deal with. But they both knew it was coming, hadn’t liked her tone the last time she’d spoken to them. Stated flatly “I’m not ready to deal with you yet.” When she’d gotten up today.