Alpha King’s Wolfless Mate by Scarlett Higgins

Chapter 70

**Nora POV

The store had been strangely slow all afternoon. Christian had shown me how to rotate stock and take inventory, but now that those tasks were finished, there was nothing for me to do but wait for a customer.

I had a notebook opened on the countertop with ideas for the Lunar Festival scrawled across a few pages. I was more nervous about the event now that Blake had decided to invite Graham and his uncle to visit us for the festivities.

He thought it would be a good excuse to have them visit, since the castle would be packed anyway. It also meant that there would be more people around to see them if they tried to get up to anything strange.

I still wanted to make the festival a celebration that would bring joy to the pack. I wouldn’t let the presence of the Lanecreek pack ruin that.

I felt like my plans were coming together pretty nicely. I knew what had worked in Moonery, and some of it could be used here. But this had to be above and beyond any festival I had attended before. It was the first time that I was in charge of doing something for the pack and I didn’t want to mess it up.

I was sketching out a possible layout for the event space when Christian walked over. He had been putting together the order for next week, so I hadn’t seen him in an hour or so.

“What are you up to?” he asked curiously.“I’m just thinking about plans for the LunarFestival,”I answered.“I’m thinking that we can make use of the castle garden for refreshments. It’s open enough that people will be able to move around freely and easily access the forest. Besides, the statue of the goddess there will help remind everyone what the festival is really about.”

Christian glanced over my shoulder at the notebook.“I’m impressed,” he replied.“Have you planned an event like this before?”

“No,”I answered with a laugh.“That’s why I’m sonervous about pulling this off.”

“Well, it seems that you’ve thought of everything.Are there any Lunas in your family? I have a hard time believing you have no experience at all.”

He leaned against the counter and looked at me curiously.

“Not that I know of,”I answered.“I was raised in thepackhouse in Moonery and the Luna was always kind to me…”I trailed off.

I wasn’t sure how much about my past I should share. I didn’t want the pack to think that I was some stray they couldn’t trust.

I remembered how quickly Jeremy and the others had turned on me and how easy it was for them to believe I was a sp y for some unknown pack and my face went pale. That wouldn’t happen to me again, right? I needed to trust that this pack would accept me for who I am.

“Are you sure?”Christian asked, pulling me out ofmy thoughts.“Because you’re really an incredible Luna.”“I appreciate that,”I said.“But I really don’t thinkthere were any Lunas or Alphas in my family. I can’t be sure though…”I hesitated. I didn’t want to hide who I was anymore and if I was serious about becoming a trusted and effective Luna I had to be honest with my pack.“I’m an orphan.”

“Oh,” Christian said in surprise. A guilty look flittedacross his face, but he hid it quickly.“I guess I see why you and Maisi e have become such close friends.”

I nodded. It seemed like we really did have a lot in common. I felt comfortable around Maisie. I never worried that she was going to judge me too harshly or jump to conclusions about me. It was really nice having someone like her around.

“You know, you can probably head home early,”Christian stated suddenly.“I feel bad that you’re here when there’s nothing for you to do.”

I shook my head firmly.“Absolutely not,”I argued. “You have homework to do, don’t you? Go work onit in the office and I’ll get you if I need help with anything.”

“I mean, I do have homework but I couldn’t ask youto-”

“You aren’t asking, I’m telling you. I’m here to helprun the shop so that the community still has access to the goods they need and you and your father have time to take care of your other responsibilities. So, go do your homework,” I ordered.

“Yes, Luna,”Christian said. He sounded like hewanted to laugh, but I could see on his face that he appreciated the help. I shooed him away and he returned to the office.I looked down at the open notebook and sighed. This wasn’t the first time the issue of my parents had been brought up. I wished that I had a better answer, but I really didn’t know anything at all about them.

It was possible that there were Alphas and Lunas in my family, but I had a hard time believing that I would have been abandoned like I was if that were true. Then again, Alphas were overthrown sometimes. Could my father have been the victim of a coup like Blake had been?

The forest east of Moonery wasn’t a known Rogue Zone, but it was unclaimed territory. Maybe an exiled Alpha or Luna would have fled there with their child. The possibility had never occurred to me before.

It was probably a bad idea to let myself go too far down that train of thought. There was really no reason to think it was true. Thinking about my lost family probably wasn’t the healthiest thing that I could do, either. What good could come from dwelling on a past that I would likely never find answers about?

So, I went back to my festival planning. The food and drinks were easy enough to figure out. The Lunar Festival was about reconnecting with the Moon Goddess and your animal nature. Fresh roasted meat and decadent drinks were expected. I had compiled a list of the best chefs in the pack and I planned to reach out to them over the next few days to collaborate on a menu.

The decorations were pretty easy too. Holding the gathering in the garden did a lot of that work for us. We would of course bring in more flowers and a lot of lighting, but that was all that was needed.Entertainment was the hardest part. I was drawing a blank on that right now. I sighed and closed the notebook. I couldn’t focus on this right now. My family, or lack of, was distracting my focus.

If I was the child of an Alpha and Luna, what did that mean? Would it change anything?

Could that make it more likely that Blake might be my mate? I had no idea if there was any connection between Alpha bloodlines and fated mates, but it would make sense for that to happen, wouldn’t it?

I rubbed my temple and stared at the door. I was mates with Jeremy and he is the son of an Alpha. I didn’t want to get my hopes up, but it was hard not to feel a sense of relief. I was probably grasping at straws, but any reassurance that Blake and I were meant to be together was welcome.

The encroaching Lunar Festival made it hard not to think about Clara. This was a time of year dedicated to worshiping the goddess and reconnecting to your wolf. Without my wolf, was it even appropriate for me to attend?

The thought created a sick feeling in my stomach. I felt like a fraud. It was becoming a familiar feeling. My marriage to Blake started as a quid pro quo contract. It was so much more than that now, but did the origin of our relationship taint my position as Luna?

I was growing to love this pack and I wanted to be a good Luna to them. It was hard not to feel like I didn’t belong.

No, I had to stop thinking like that. I was putting in the work to learn to do this job and it was going to pay off. I loved Blake and that’s what’ s most important. Everything was going to work out forthe best.

I had to believe that.