#4 Moonlight on the Water

Knox

Navy spent days in our room, refusing to leave. She also refused to express her emotions. She was so angry at her mother but she was also devastated by her reaction. As much as she wanted to hate her and be unaffected by her, Isla was still her mother and she still craved her love. It was no different than my father and me. I would be lying if I said that his disapproval didn’t affect me.

I tried to give her her space, but it was hard for me to leave my mate in pain. I checked in on her constantly, absolutely refusing to leave the packhouse for any reason if she wasn’t willing to come with me. I rescheduled all of my meetings or completed them virtually instead of going into the corporate office. Dover was posted outside her door, unmoving and unwavering. I sent the girls in on a rotation to check in with her. Most of the time they just sat in silence, but it was still enough to provide some comfort.

Mally was in charge of getting her to at least shower, change, and eat everyday. She was a tiny, soft spoken she-wolf but very firm and stubborn. She was able to handle my Luna quite well.

I was sitting in my office trying to catch up on some paperwork when my phone rang. I answered abruptly.

“This is Alpha Knox Greystone.”

“Alpha Knox, this is Alpha Finn Oxford with the Silver Moon pack here in Washington. We aren’t too far from you guys, actually.”

“Yes, Alpha Finn, I believe you prefer Fox, is that correct?” I remembered meeting Fox at a submit event a few years back.

“Yes, sir, you got it!” Fox chuckled,

“Call me Knox. What can I do for you?” I asked.

“I heard that you’ve mated to a siren princess.” He got straight to the point.

“News travels fast.” I grumbled, concerned for my mate’s privacy and safety.

“Don’t worry, Knox, I’m not a threat to your Luna. Word only got to me because I’m mated to a Fae princess.” He admitted, shocking me.

“I heard something about that. How is your Luna doing?” I asked.

“Good! She’s pregnant again. We’ve already got toddler twins so we’re going to have our hands full.” Fox chuckled deeply.

“Oh, I bet, good luck with that, man.” I’ll admit, I’m pretty eager to have a pregnant Luna myself.

“Anyway, I wanted to ask you if you’ve had any trouble with the Council?”

“It’s funny you mention that…..” I dove into the story of Velvet Moon and my mate’s ancestry.

“You have evidence against the Council?” Fox said in a low voice.

“I guess so.”

“And witnesses, it would seem.” He added.

“I don’t think Luna Cordelia or Luna Fiona are going to be much help. They didn’t want us looking into it in the first place. I’m still trying to locate Amy and Timothy, I’m not sure if they’ll be any help or not.” I sighed.

“Yes, but it’s a good option to have. Knox, there are several packs and Alphas who have had altercations with the Council. Alpha Noah and Alpha August to name two from the east coast. They both run very large and powerful packs, both taking wolfless Lunas. We have formed a sort of alliance in case the Council decides to act against our mates.” Fox explained,

“I was nominated to call you since our packs are so close. We wanted to include you in our communications. Right now, we’re just keeping each other informed on any Council interference.”

“Honestly, I am pretty worried about the Council trying to get involved with my pack’s business and my Luna, especially knowing their history with this territory and sirens.” I grumbled.

“No one should have to worry about their mate’s safety, especially from a group that’s supposed to look out for our people’s wellbeing.” Fox’s voice was low and dark.

“I agree. Count me in with your alliance, Fox.” I nodded curtly even though he couldn’t see me through the phone.

“Excellent. We have a group email going on right now, I’ll add you to it.”

“Sounds good, man. Thank you for reaching out.”

“One more thing, what’s your mate’s name?” He asked.

“Oh, it’s Navy.” I nearly purred her name.

“We wish you and Navy happiness, Knox. Talk to you soon.” Fox said before hanging up the phone. Not even a minute later my computer dinged with a new email. It was the Alphas greeting me.

I was pissed that a need for such an alliance was necessary, but I was glad to be involved in one just in case. I left my office to head upstairs and talk to Navy. I wanted to fill her in on the new information. Before I could reach the elevator, Clay stopped me.

“Alpha, there’s uhm….someone on the beach.” He stammered, looking skeptical.

“Someone?”

“Yeah, he came out of the water.” He nodded towards the backdoor,

“On the private beach.” Our packhouse beach was only accessible through pack land, or the ocean, of course.

“A siren?” I asked. Clay shrugged,

“I guess, man, I don’t know.” He looked out of his depth. I shook my head at him and started walking towards the back door. Clay followed.

Once outside I saw a man of average height and build, he had blonde hair and brown eyes. He wasn’t particularly good looking, but not necessarily ugly either. What he was, however, was butt ass naked. His appearance even caused me to blush. Clay was already on it, throwing the stranger a pair of gym shorts.

“Who are you?” I asked once the man’s business was covered.

“I’m looking for Princess Navy.” He ignored my question.

“The Alpha asked for your name. You are trespassing on pack property!” Clay growled, feeling threatened. I motioned for him to calm down.

“I’m just looking for Navy. She’ll know who I am.” He said.

“I’m not getting my Luna until you tell me who you are and what you want with her.” I glared at him. His eyes widened and his face turned white,

“So you’re the other mate?” He spat at me. It dawned on me who this pale stranger was,

“Ah, you must be Cameron.” I nearly growled his name.

“She talks about me.” He said in a pathetic voice.

“Only to say that she was going to reject you.” I sneered. I was being petty, I’ll admit.

“That’s why I need to talk to her. She’s not going to just reject me and toss me aside like I’m trash. I deserve a proper conversation.” It sounded to me like he just threatened my mate.

“Did you just threaten the Luna?” Clay snarled, sensing the same thing.

“I would never threaten Navy. She’s my best friend.” Cameron said. I smirked at the word friend.

“Yes, and that’s all she’ll ever be.”

“That’s up to her now, isn’t it?” Cameron glared back at me.

“She’s already decided. I’m sure Isla must’ve told you. Why else would you be here?” I called him out.

“That’s Queen Isla to you, dog.” He took on a fighting stance.

“Cameron, don’t.” I shook my head at him, sighing. I really wasn’t in the mood to explain to my mate why her boyfriend was a toothpick in Alistair’s teeth.

“Knock it off you two, honestly.” There she was again, sneaking up on me.

I turned to see my beautiful mate bathed in sunlight as she stood on the beach. I held open my arms for her and she struts over, placing herself against me. Cameron’s face fell and I rejoiced in the sight of it, smugness radiating off of me.

“Reign it in, Alpha.” Navy jabbed me in the side with her elbow, clearly sensing my ego.

“Yes, my love.” I obeyed.

“Cam, what are you doing here?” She turned her attention to her siren mate.

“Your mother told me what happened. She said you were just going to reject me and accept him as your mate. Don’t I at least warrant a conversation, Navy?” Cameron’s voice cracked.

“I was going to come home, Cam, and talk to you. But, I’m sure my mother failed to mention that part. I wasn’t just going to accept Knox and leave you in pain. We were planning a trip home so I could properly sever the bond.” Navy explained. Her eyes were filled with sadness as she spoke to her friend.

I knew that, despite everything, Cameron was still her best friend. I wished that they weren’t mates, then they could still see each other. There was no way I could stand letting her see him now, even after she rejected him.

“She didn’t mention that.” He mumbled. Navy rolled her eyes,

“In case you couldn’t tell, my mother is completely against me staying here or having any sort of free will.”

“I’m against you staying here, too, Navy.” Cameron whined, taking a step forward. I pulled Navy behind me, not at all okay with him being near her. Navy’s icy eyes looked up at me, her dark eyelashes strongly sweeping over them,

“Just give me a minute.” She said, her voice sweet but stern. She wasn’t asking. I nodded,

“I’ll be right here.” I wasn’t asking either. She stepped away from me and towards Cameron.

“I know you want me to come home with you, Cam, but I just can’t. I’m sorry. I love Knox.” Her words sent my heart into a thunderous flurry.

“You just met him!” Cameron’s outuburst made Navy jump. I resisted the urge to throw myself between them.

“Yes, and I already feel more for him than I’ve ever felt for you, Cam. What does that say? You’re my best friend, but that’s it.” I could tell that Navy’s words were tearing Cameron apart. If I wasn’t at war with him, I would actually feel sorry for the guy.

“You never even gave us a chance. You left right after we found out we were mates.” He protested.

“We’ve known we were mates for years, Cam, be honest. Everyone did.” She said plainly.

“But, we never acted on it.” Cameron said.

“Did you want to? Did you actually feel an urge to act on anything?” She dared him to answer.

“Not until I turned 18.” He said.

“Cameron.” Navy sighed, not believing him.

“It’s true. I turned 18 before you, but I was waiting for your birthday to make a move.” I growled at the thought of Cameron making any sort of move on my mate.

“I’m sorry, but I just don’t feel that way about you.” Navy said,

“I can’t be with you, Cameron.” Her tone was flaccid.

She stepped away but Cameron was quick to stop her, grabbing her arm. I lunged forward and grabbed his shoulder, throwing him across the beach. I yanked Navy behind me and snarled at the siren. Clay was at my side in an instant, already shifting into his wolf.

“Clay, stop!” Navy ordered him and he immediately obeyed his Luna.

“Don’t fight.” She begged me with her big, doe eyes. I nodded and relaxed my stance. Cameron stood and dusted the sand off his pants.

“Please, Navy, just give me a chance. I’ll even stay here, on the surface.” He was pleading with her, refusing to look at me.

“There’s no way I’m going to let you anywhere near my mate unsupervised.” I growled. Navy tugged on my arm,

“He’s my friend, Knox.” She said softly.

“You want to give him a chance?” I realized how depressed my voice sounded just now.

“As my friend, that’s all.” She assured me,

“I can’t let you go without a guard.” I said again.

“I understand.” She shrugged casually.

“And I’d like you to stay in the pack territory.”

“Okay.” She agreed again.

“You’re so quick to just give him whatever he wants.” Cameron snapped and I nearly ripped his head off.

“He wants to keep me safe. I do what I want, he just keeps me protected. Besides, he gives me whatever I want, too.” She answered defensively and I swelled with pride,

“If you’re serious about meeting on my terms, this is it. We can meet here, on pack land, with Dover or Clay. That’s all I have to offer, Cameron.” Navy said.

“Okay, fine. Can we meet tomorrow?” He grumbled.

“Tomorrow afternoon.” She looked at me for approval and I nodded once.

“Come to the front gate this time so my guards don’t try to eat you.” I warned him. Cmaeron didn’t so much as look at me.

“Come on.” Navy tugged at my hand, pulling me back towards the packhouse,

“Let’s go to our room.” She said, leading the way. I followed her like the puppy I was.