#7 The Twins of Satin Moon

Maizey

“Where are we going?” I asked Hunter as he helped me into his truck.

“To a spot just inside my pack lands. It’s away from everyone.” He said when he was settled in the driver’s seat.

“To do what?” I asked.

“There’s a trail that’s a favorite of mine. It leads to a waterfall. It’s perfect for a picnic.” He nodded towards the backseat and I looked back to see two backpacks.

“I’m a scientist, not a hiker.” I laughed nervously.

“Who said anything about hiking? You have your own personal wolf to ride up.” Hunter smirked and I felt my face turning red.

“Won’t I be too heavy?” I mumbled. Hunter just started laughing hysterically.

“Watcher is literally barrel rolling around inside my head at the fact that you think you’re too heavy for him.” Hunter said, wiping a tear from his eye.

“I’m glad he finds me so funny.” I mumbled but I couldn’t help but smile.

“I have to tell you something, baby, before we get into our date.” Hunter’s expression grew serious.

“Okay?” I turned in the seat so I could properly see him.

“My brother called me today, he sensed our kiss last night. I told him that I was refusing to stay away from you and he was actually okay with it.” His words surprised me.

“He was?” I gasped.

“Yeah, he said that knowing I was with you and that you were being cared for soothed his wolf and kept him from feeling weak. Maizey, I also told him about your childhood and Paul.” Hunter added and I felt my heart sink, “I didn’t tell him any details, just a general synopsis.”

“Why?” I whispered.

“So he understood why I couldn’t stay away from you anymore. Archer, he’s really pissed at Paul. I think he’s going to track him down.” Hunter sighed and I felt my eyes widened.

“Why?” I said again only this time I had fear in my voice.

“To kill him.” Hunter stated plainly.

“He can’t!” I gasped, feeling tears swimming in my eyes.

“I know it’s twisted and confusing, but in the werewolf world killing is….I don’t want to say normal, but, normal.” Hunter shrugged with a guilty expression, “It’s how we deal with things, especially when it comes to protecting our mates. No one can get away with harming someone’s mate and be allowed to live. I knew you wouldn’t want me to kill Paul so I didn’t go look for him. Archer is fed by more rage than I am. He’s not asking for permission. He sees Paul as someone who harmed his mate and he’s going to kill him for it.”

“You deal with things by killing people? Nothing about that is normal, Hunter.” I cried.

“I know, princess, that’s why I didn’t bring it up. But, Archer is a different beast. I couldn’t talk him out of it.” Hunter sighed, grabbing my hand and rubbing his thumb across my knuckles.

“I thought he didn’t care about me? I thought he just wanted to take me away to satisfy his wolf?” I was watching his thumb move across the top of my hand so I could focus on something other than my crippling fear.

“He does care about you, princess, he’s always cared about you, he just sucks at showing it. He’s not going to take you anywhere, I promise you.” He said.

“But, he’s coming here?” I asked. Hunter grabbed my chin and pulled my eyes up to meet his. He glanced back and forth between me and the road.

“He is, but it’s just to meet you. Personally, I think he’s going to fall in love with you and never leave. I don’t know how he couldn’t.” Hunter smirked, tugging at my lower lip with his thumb.

“What if he decides to stay?” Honestly that was more terrifying than the idea of him wanting to kidnap me. I trusted Hunter to protect me against his brother, but I wasn’t sure about sharing myself with two Greybacks.

“Then, we’ll deal with it. You’ll have two mates who love you and who will spoil you rotten. It’s a good thing, Maizey, not something to be scared of.” His hand moved from my face to the back of my head, playing with my curls.

“Two mates is no big deal?” I stared at him wide eyed. Hunter chuckled,

“Just focus on your one mate right now, little red.” He soothingly messaged my scalp and I couldn’t do anything other than nod, “Let’s focus on our date now, enough of the heavy.” He added.

“Deal.” I grinned at him and started looking out the window, watching his pack grounds come into view.

“We’re here.” He said as he pulled off the road and into a grassy field.

He hopped out of the car and opened the door for me, offering me his hand as I stepped onto the running board of the truck. He opened the back door and pulled out the two backpacks.

“Can you carry these while you’re riding Watcher?” He asked.

“I’m not some delicate flower, Hunter, I can handle a backpack.” I laughed at him, turning around so he could settle the pack onto my shoulders. He laughed at me with a certain sparkle in his eyes, “What?” I asked and he just shrugged.

“I need to get naked so I don’t destroy my clothes.” He said and I started blushing again. I kept my back to him as he stripped. I felt him stuff his clothes into one of the bags on my back.

“Okay, I’m going to shift, princess, and then you’ll climb onto Watcher’s back so we can go to the falls. Okay?” I nodded and then realized my back was to him,

“Okay.” I agreed aloud. I heard bones snapping and then something soft and fluffy was nudging my back. I turned around and smiled at the big white wolf with green eyes.

“Hi, Watcher.” I grinned and Watcher yipped excitedly. He crouched down so I could climb onto his back easily.

“I’m ready.” I said as I grabbed two fists fulls of his white hair and held on tight.

He barked again and jumped up. He started walking slowly at first, then moved to a trott, before picking up his pace to a run. Eventually, I got comfortable enough to look up from where my face was buried in his mane to look around. The world was speeding by with just the sound of his large paws pounding the ground.

After about thirty minutes, Watcher slowed his pace until he stopped altogether in front of a cascading waterfall pouring into a large pond. Watcher knelt down and I slid off of him. I dropped the backpacks down on the ground and started walking towards the water. I was so distracted by the scenery, that I didn’t even hear Watcher shifting behind me.

Suddenly, Hunter’s strong arms were around my waist and his body was pressed against my back. I laid my head back, leaning into him, when I realized that he wasn’t wearing a shirt. I squealed and wiggled out of his grip.

“What’s wrong, baby?” Hunter chuckled. He was wearing pants, thank God.

“Nothing.” I mumbled, turning away from him so he wouldn’t see me blushing. He chuckled again and I heard him unpacking the picnic bag.

“Come on, come sit.” He was sitting on a blanket that was spread out along the water. He had his shirt on now. I sighed and joined him.

“This is a lot of food.” I said as he continued to pull out containers.

“Franny, one of the kitchen staff, went all out for today.” Hunter laughed as he arranged the food.

“You have kitchen staff?” I asked in surprise.

“Sure, we have all sorts of staff.” Maybe I underestimated just how rich Hunter’s family was.

“Tell me about the….what did you call it? The packhouse?” I tried to remember the name of his home.

“It’s just a house, really. Lots of packs have large community packhouses but we went a different route. My family lives in the largest house on the property while my Beta and Gamma have their own separate houses that are nearly just as large. Traditionally, once a new Alpha is named, the old Alpha, Luna, and their children move into a large house for the former Alpha family. My siblings and parents are still in the packhouse, though, to keep me company.” Hunter explained.

“Are you close with your family?” I knew he was close with Mel but I hadn’t seen him with anyone else.

“Oh, yes. My siblings are all younger than me, but I like having them around. My mom’s actually expecting again.” He laughed to himself.

“Really?” I was surprised at the age gap, even though I knew his youngest brother was only 10.

“Yeah, she’s due in two months but she won’t tell us if it’s a boy or a girl.” Hunter smiled.

“Do you want a big family?” The words were out of my mouth before I could stop them and I knew I was blushing again. Hunter smirked at my embarrassment.

“I want whatever my Luna wants.” He kissed my flushed cheeks before returning to divvying up the good.

“You know that I love my job, right?” I changed the subject and Hunter seemed confused by that.

“I know?” He answered questioningly.

“It’s just, I heard what you said to my brothers about paying off the house for them and I know you’re rich. I also know that being the Luna comes with responsibilities. But, I’m not ready to be a housewife. I like to work.” I mumbled. Hunter moved closer to me and cupped my face in one of his large hands.

“I would never expect that from you, Maizey. You can work for as long as you want. I really don’t care either way.” Hunter shrugged as his thumb circled my cheek.

“Okay.” I smiled, satisfied with his answer. He dropped his hand and handed me a turkey sandwich.

“Do you like strawberries?” He asked after we finished the sandwiches. He was holding a container of chocolate covered strawberries. I quickly shook my head and moved away from them,

“I’m really allergic.” I said. Hunter looked at the container like it was now evil. He shot up from the blanket and ran towards the woods, throwing the strawberries as far away as he could. I was giggling at him as he returned,

“That wasn’t necessary.” I laughed.

“It most certainly was. Nothing hurts my baby. Any other food allergies I should know about? Can you eat any of this since it was in the same bag?” He looked really worried now. I grabbed his hands and forced him to calm down,

“They were in a container, it’s fine and, no, I’m not allergic to anything else.” I smiled lovingly at him, batting my eyes with a flirty smile. I didn’t even realize that I was doing it until his eyes matched mine. He pulled me onto his lap and the next thing I knew he was kissing me.