Page 55 of Unbelievable Faith
Her wolf’s ears twitched at that word. Alpha. Michael had said she was an Alpha now. She blinked at him and as it sank in, she felt the rightness of the word. She was an Alpha. She could feel it too. In her blood and her veins, in her muscles, even in her soul, she could feel that it was true. She could feel the power and the strength radiating from somewhere deep inside of her and she was certainly large enough to be an Alpha now. She was strong, powerful and dangerous. She was a True Alpha’s mate now, an Alpha queen, but she didn’t know how it had happened any more than Michael seemedto.
With one last glance back at the porch to confirm that her enemy was indeed dead, Luna dropped her head and asked her wolf, nicely, to let her take control. She wasn’t sure what the new rules were now that her wolf was an Alpha. She’d never had to force a shift back to her human side before because her wolf hadn’t been dominant and her submissiveness let Luna always steer them, even from the back of her mind. Now, she didn’t want to test her wolf’s dominance so she asked to be let out and her wolf gave one last check of their surroundings, ensuring their safety, before slipping beneath herskin.
Luna whimpered as her body shifted back to her human form. It hurt. Oh, God did it hurt. Her bones stitched themselves back together in their smaller, frailer human form as her fur receded and her skin was red and splotchy when it reappeared. Her knees buckled and she ended up curled on the ground, shivering and shaking as she tried to wrap her brain around everything that had justhappened.
“Luna, baby, I got you.” Michael’s voice was there, his hands soft as he draped something over her and brushed her hair back, “I’ve got you. You’resafe.”
Her lashes fluttered open and she saw him kneeling in the dirt beside her. He looked less terrified now, more worried and if the small hint of a smile on his lips was anything to go by, he was also relieved. She tried to smile back at him but her mouth felt gross and when she wiped her hand over her chin it came awaybloody.
“It’s okay.” Michael soothed, “We’ll get you home and get you cleaned up. You’re safenow.”
“So areyou.”
Michael chuckled softly and helped her sit upright, wrapping the jacket he’d put around her shoulders tighter, “I am. Thanks to you, we allare.”
“I…” Her voice felt tight and she shook her head, “I was so angry. I saw her pointing that crossbow at you and I thought Darius was deadand…”
“Darius triggered the explosive on purpose. We wanted her to think we were downstream. We’d tracked her scent back here already and we were coming foryou.”
“Nobody got hurt?” She glanced past Michael to her brother and the Enforcer at hisside.
“Nobody but that bitch you ripped apart.” Darius gave her what probably constituted a smile on his stone cold face. “Well done, AlphaQueen.”
Luna’s eyes widened and she shot her gaze back to Michael, “It’s true, isn’t it? I… My wolf… I’m anAlpha?”
“Yeah. You’re an Alpha.” Michael wiped some blood from her chin, “I can feel it through the bond. You’re still you but your wolf broke whatever was holding her back. She’s bigger, stronger, faster. She’s a true Queennow.”
“But…how?”
It was Leo that cleared his throat, “Dad had a theory about thatactually…”
She looked up at her brother, “Hedid?”
“He told me once that he didn’t think you were truly a Beta. He thought, with your lineage, it was more likely that you harbored a latent Alphawolf.”
“A latent Alpha?” Darius raised an eyebrow, “I thought that was amyth.”
“So did I until I rounded that corner and saw my sister’s wolf double the size she used to be.” Leo shrugged. “Something must have triggered her Alpha side finally. I’d have thought if she didn’t emerge during the ordeal with Maddox that she didn’t exist butmaybe…”
“It was Michael.” Luna cuddled into her mate’s touch, “It was when I thought about Sasha murdering Michael that I lostcontrol.”
“Your Alpha side is a protector.” Rafe spoke up with a nod of understanding, “She emerged to protect your mate and your family. She’s not just strong. She’s loyal and protective. A trueQueen.”
Luna didn’t even realize she was crying until Michael swiped at hercheeks.
“Hey, hey, it’s okay. I know it’s a lot to deal with. You’ve been through so much but you’re safe now. We can talk about all of this later. Let’s get you home. Get you showered and cleaned up. You’ll feel better once you’rehome.”
She shook her head, “It’s not that. I’m not upset I’m just… finally. I’m finally who I was always meant to be. A strong Alpha werewolf, a true mate to the Pack Alpha, to you. I’m finally the perfect mate for you,Michael.”
“Oh, Luna…” Michael dropped their foreheads together and held her close, “You were always the perfect mate for me. Always. I love you so much. Let’s gohome.”
She hiccuped and hugged him hard. Finally, she felt whole. She felt like the person she’d always known she was supposed to be. As strong in her wolf form as she was in her human form. No longer submissive or susceptible to any sort of challenge that might take Michael away fromher.
Maddox was dead. Sasha was dead. Luna was an Alpha. Michael was her mate. And they could finally start living for more than the present because they had a future.Together.
