The Alphas’ P**n Star Mate

Miles POV

"Wardens," Mick scoffed, sitting back in his chair gruffly after Chloe left with their friends. "They make it seem like wanting to protect our mate is a crime."

I frowned, thinking over the last few days. Even before Chloe left just now, she was looking back at us like she was asking for permission. I didn't know how I felt about that.

"If she would agree to take guards with her, neither of you would be so worried about letting her leave the pack house," Ivar said.

Chloe has refused every time it has been brought up. I don't understand why. She is the Luna of this pack now. Even if she didn't have crazy stalkers and exes hunting her down, I would want guards with her when Mick or I couldn't be. "Aw, did we miss breakfast?" Darren walked in with his human mate in tow. She was so small compared to him that it was comical.

"Billy didn't get you two up in time?" Mick asked.

"He just got back. Said something about practice running long this morning because someone felt the need to fight everyone and their mother."

Mick smirked against his cup of coffee before tilting it back into his mouth. He was getting more and more confident with his wolf by the day. I'm feeling rather proud.

"I'm sure there's food left if you go look in the kitchen. They just stopped serving only five minutes ago."

"I'll go see," Darren said, pulling a chair out for his mate before heading for the kitchen.

Taylor looked at both me and my brother with a puzzled expression, then asked, "Where's Chloe?"

"Rodger's," I told her.

"She left with Beau and Alexi," Mick added.

"Oh. That's surprising."

"Why is it surprising?" Mick asked.

"She hasn't left the pack house in a while. I thought Luna's weren't allowed to leave without their mates or something."

A nagging feeling started throbbing in my chest.

"She can leave. We're just worried about her safety right now, so she needs guards with her."

Taylor frowned, her eyebrows knitting together. It was like she was confused trying to work out something in her head. She is still learning the functions of a pack and its members, so she asks questions often. Usually the questions are directed at Chloe.

"You guys are still trying to force Chloe to take a guard with her everywhere she goes?" Darren asked, coming back in the dining room with two huge plates of food. Taylor looked at the one he set in front of her warily, so he leaned in and told her, "I'll finish what you can't." Taylor breathed out a sigh of relief.

Mick was the one that answered his earlier question. "She got shot not even a week ago. I'm not going to force her to have a guard, but she needs to be where we can protect her then."

Darren shook his head, shoving a whole sausage link in his mouth. "Yeah. I'm sure she loves that."

What was that supposed to mean? I wanted to ask, but Taylor asked another question before I could.

"A Luna's job is to make her Alphas' lives easier, right?"

Darren shrugged. "Yes and no."

"She's our mate. It's not a job," Mick said. "Just like Darren and Billy want you to be safe, we want her to be safe at all times."

"But...," Taylor bit her lip nervously, glancing at Darren before looking back at my brother. "But, Chloe told me that being a Luna changes her role to her mates. She said she had to make life easier for you both, put the pack first, and she needed to produce an heir. That's why she said she wouldn't leave the pack house without one of you."

My heart sunk. Chloe was burdening herself way too much, and that stinking 'heir' topic has been too much of an issue lately. I'm scared to even touch her now because I don't want her to think I'm just trying to produce a pup. Mick has been the same way. When she clearly wants it, we both, of course, cave, but we're both taking every precaution to not get her pregnant right now. Not while she thinks she has to get pregnant out of obligation to us, and not because she wants a baby herself. We've not been finishing inside her. At least not in ways that could make a baby, and I know Mick just ordered a large pack of condoms last night.

"An heir? Really?" Darren pointed his fork at Mick. "An heir is why her damned ex-mate hurt her so badly. Are you really pushing her to have one already?"

"NO!" Mick and I said together, both our frustration seeping through.

"Not at all," I said.

"We know she's not ready for that," Mick added.

"Good," Darren nodded, scooping the biggest spoonful of scrambled eggs into his mouth that I had ever seen.

Werewolves eat like beasts at times, but nothing like Darren and the other werebear, Dave. Those two eat every meal like they are storing fat for the winter.

"You know, Chloe had a very strict life as Luna of her first pack. She was trapped in a hellish pack house and wasn't allowed to do shit. No training. No going out on her own. No free time or friends. She sounds like she is reverting back to that. You guys aren't pushing her too hard, are you?"

Mick and I exchanged a look. I didn't think either one of us had been pushing her for anything. We just wanted to keep her safe. "We're not pushing her for anything, Darren," Mick said. "We've noticed her perception being a little off about being Luna too." "We're trying to figure out how to change that," I said.

Darren looked deep in thought for a few seconds as he took his time to drink a glass of orange juice. He swallowed all of it in four gulps. "Her other pack sounded pretty fucked up. Maybe she is reverting back because that is all that she knows. Has your mom or grandma talked to her about being a Luna of this pack yet?"

"They've been trying to plan her Luna ceremony, but beyond that, no. We didn't want to stress her out by adding Luna duties to her plate."

Darren scoffed. "Sounds like it's too late for that. I would have your mom talk to her soon, or she may keep going back to her Luna training from before. You're not stressing her out is going to stress her out more."

"Mom would like that too," I looked at my brother. "She's been holding back because we told her to wait. That's why she has been so insistent about planning the Luna ceremony. It's all she can do to get close to Chloe right now."

Mick sat still, contemplating, then agreed. "We can talk to them about it later. Emily will like it too, having Chloe in the office working with her."

"I like Emily," Taylor grinned. "She's funny."

I smirked, "She gives us hell. Why don't you start training soon too?"