Things are getting out of hand

~Dante~

The storm is approaching, I need to warn the entire pack to stay indoors when it comes. How soon? I can never predict these things.

"Dad," A small voice yanks me from my thoughts. "what do you think Noelle would like to eat?" Lynx quizzes, helping me carry some ingredients to the countertop.

I thought about the question, I didn't just want to throw the first words that came up. 'I do not care' doesn't seem like an answer that would please Lynx, she's very sweet. And seems to like Noelle, for whatever reason that might be. My daughter is adorable, and too innocent for this world.

Hopefully when she grows up she'll be able to see what I mean when I say, Noelle is a weird woman. Her reactions to certain things are, very unusual. They're not normal. She says and does the strangest things, have you ever seen a woman moan from food? I don't think so.

I'd like very much to blame this on the Cerberus genes but I can't. I get the idea that this is all her. And that is worse.

I've only know her for two days and I already want her gone. Note to self: Charge your daughter a year's worth of manual labor when she turns eighteen for making you put up with Noelle.

'I think she would be okay with anything. We're having a hefty dinner, to set off the new month. She'll be stuffed by the end.' or catatonic.

I got a smile in return. If there's anyone who has never had a problem with me reading their minds, it would be my daughter. Every new member has struggled with my decision but they eventually got over it. Mostly because I only go into their minds when we need to talk or if we're in the same place/room. Since Lynx was born, she didn't question it once. To her, it's only normal for me to be in her head.

She's my prized jewel, I love her to death. I can hear how having a mom would be so much fun for her. She wants to do things with her that I can't. I'm not upset about it, but whatever she's hoping for, I can only pray Noelle doesn't disappoint. It would break my soul if my little girl got her hopes crushed.

"When do you think she'll be back?"

Hopefully not anytime soon. I would like to cook in peace.

'I'm not sure, but let's get started. You can make her your favorite no bake, chocolate pecan pie.'

Her smile hot bigger, and she said nothing out loud. But in her head, I could hear her humming how much Noelle is going to love her once she tastes her pie. This is my fault, if I had to be genuinely honest, I told myself that Lynx is the one person's mind I don't need to do a weekly scan on.

There's a difference in what I do. My pack members understand that when I'm going through their mind to talk, I'm staying on the present level. Just hearing the new thoughts, and responding. I don't go deeper to uncover their past memories, or thoughts from a couple of days ago unless I have too. I don't invade their private past memories unless I have too. My pack understands that, I'm happy they do. Though to be real, what can they possibly do? I wouldn't want to beat them to a nothing if they tried to mutiny, or take over the peace I worked hard to create.

But I decided to give my daughter a pass. If I hadn't, I would have known she was plotting to find me a partner.

Does that make me a bad parent? I don't think so. Lynx meant no harm, she's only seven. Noelle's life was ruined because my daughter wanted me to be less lonely, it's tough to be mad at her.

Lynx and I worked without many issues, occasionally bumping into each other. She focused on her pie. I made everything else. We start every new month with a huge dinner, it makes Lynx confident that the next month will go smoothly. A tradition I started without knowing, and now she follows it with a full heart.

"Micah sit."

Oh lord. She has returned.

"Eeeppp, dad she's back."

I'm well aware sweetie. This demon has arrived to torment me with her chatting. And scent.

"Micah, I said sit." Noelle grumbled, sounding a bit more frazzled. I don't think that's how she talks to her dog normally. What's wrong? I can feel a large presence in the house. It's harmless though.

With a sigh heaving out of my chest, I turned to exit the kitchen. Something small, and petite, walked right into the middle of my abdomen. My fingers stretched out, grasping onto the center of her sweater before she couldn't fall hard to the floor.

Noelle releases what sounds like squeaking, and I immediately see why.

My fingers are wrapped around the front hem of the fabric, holding her from falling, and exposing her bosom. They bounce as she struggles. Why is she walking around braless? Something barks the question at me.

'Where are your undergarments?'

"Um, please let go. This isn't how you save someone. Normal people would reach for the arm or waist, but not you oh great alpha." She snorts, turning her orbs in their sockets.

I raise a relaxed brow, using that same hand to twist the shirt so it slides underneath her breast before lifting her off the ground. The shirt loosens up, and I note that her nipples are peaking out from underneath. Her chest is full and ample, I feel a sudden dryness in my throat. She looks appetizing, her skin is beautiful. My whole hand could cover her chest if I reached for her.

Nimble fingers circled mine. "Put me down." She starts swinging her legs back and forth, they don't get to me. My arms are quite long, and it's mostly on the fact that she isn't trying to kick me. She's attempting to wiggle out of my grasp without cutting her sweater in half.

A chuckle flees from my mouth before I can think to stop it. Noelle immediately freezes. Her thoughts go off, they're- well, I didn't need an ego boost but she definitely likes my little chuckle. Now she's breaching into the curiosity of how it would sound if I actually spoke, I would hate for this to become her new obsession.

I really want to hear more sounds from him....

That's enough. I placed her gently to her feet, releasing my hold on her. I'm not sure why I found it funny. It could be the way she was kicking, that was hilarious to me. Her face too, I stifled another laugh.

I wanted to do something, right? Oh yes. My feet take me to the small gap between the front door and the living room. I found the large, clearly infected golden retriever pouting by the door step.

Oh I see what happened. Micah got infected somehow, and Noelle is freaked. Dogs are the only animals in the world that can carry the virus, they turn into large wolf like beast but their transformation takes the longest. Micah might have been infected years ago, and Noelle never noticed because the changes are slow. It's almost like the dog was dying so it could become a new one.

I brought my hand to stroke the fur behind her ears, she immediately warmed up to me. Moving closer and licking my face. My smile was inevitable.

'Good girl.' Micah barked in response. Panting giddily, her tail wagged behind her.

"Your doctor said my dog has been carrying the infection for years, and I didn't even know. I think she got infected while my parents were around." Noelle explained, coming out of nowhere. Micah was quick to tackle her owner, giving her the saddest eyes you'd ever gander from a dog.

'That's not unusual. She might have eaten something that was contaminated with the blood of an infected, since there were no bite marks.'

I won't mention her parents part. I don't know what happened to them, and frankly, I do not care. The less I know, the better.

"I'll never get used to you popping into my mind."

I moved my eyes in a circular motion.

"She seems the same, only larger. And more energetic. Just the way she used to be." noelle laments.

'Lynx will help you arrange a room for your pet, so get up, and come help us in the kitchen.'

She blinked, confusion draining her expression. "I don't know how to cook anything you might enjoy."

'My daughter can teach you.'

Noelle grumbles out a swear at me. I whistled to Micah, her ears perked up instantly and she shuffled over to me.

I made my way into the living room, and the dog followed. I led Micah over to the couch pressed against the large window, and knelt patting the floor next to it. The sun is out, and the curtains closed. The moon has its effects on everyone that is infected, but specific animals suffer the most from it. We don't have a lot of pets- infected pets to be exact- here. I'll have to talk to Payton. Micah might become extra violent under the moon's gaze, we have to be careful.

As an alpha, that is my job. To protect my pack.

When I was sure Micah wouldn't move, and she seemed content with taking a nap, I returned to the kitchen. Noelle had on an apron, and Lynx was showing her how to mash the potatoes.

I shook my head, the image of the two of them peering over at the pot of boiling potatoes looked uneasy in my mind. I don't know why. I'm not comfortable with her being around my daughter.

"It's gotta be creamy, and delicious, for that to happen we need to wait for the potatoes to relax from the hot massage. Then you smush em!"

"Doesn't that mean we're sort of killing them?"

Lynx giggled. "Nope, they're happy to go this way. It's an honorable death."

I trained my focus to the steak, and ignored the two as they laughed about the potatoes. Noelle was feeling out of place. She has no idea what is the right or wrong thing to do around a child.

She needs to loosen up, lynx is the easiest kid to please. There is no wrong or right way to handle her, as far as she's concerned.

Dinner was fine. Not good, but merely fine. That's all because of Noelle. She did it again. This moaning every time she tastes a new meal is going to be a recurring thing from what I've seen, and I don't like it. Something about that sound pricks my skin.

It grips at a beast hiding on the inside, and forces it out. And I don't want it to come out.

To think alphas go nuts for Lunas. I want mine miles away from me, but also safe and well fed. A man can't have everything.

Noelle helped me with the dishes, we didn't talk but I could hear her thoughts so tastelessly loud. She rambled on about my body heat doing something to her, and I wondered if marking her had a different effect that I wasn't aware of. Her cheeks stayed rosy red throughout.

Her smell still coated the air, the honey musk seemed to test me.

I swiped my tongue over my lips, I want to taste her- the beast within me growled. The primal sound left me gobsmacked, I was not expecting that.

Over my dead body. Something has to be wrong with me in the head, for me to even remotely consider this woman- nope, I am not gonna think about it. That is just not happening.

I showered and strolled back into the kitchen to grab a glass and fill it up with water. Noelle was situated in the counter, baggy yellow shirt swallowed her entire body. She is either very small, or the shirt is too big.

She must like these baggy clothes since they're all she wears. And the lack of underwear. We'll need to discuss that.

"Oh, you're up this late."

'Yes. So are you.' Only I'm not sitting in the middle of a dark kitchen alone.

She shrugged, flipping her curls over her shoulder with a sass I didn't know she had. "I was just confused. Couldn't sleep. Kiki said something about a mating festival or ceremony, I get these all mixed up, and then while we stayed with Micah she brought up that heat thingy you were talking about. And effects of the moon. I still don't get it."

That does not explain why you're in the kitchen at this ungodly hour, but okay. I'll pretend I didn't notice.

I crossed the path to the sink, got my glass of water and tripped the lights on with my thumb. Then I moved on to one of the stools made especially for me, and settled on it. Noelle turned her body, criss crossed her legs. Her fingers balled into fist, pushing down at the bottom of the large shirt to cover the space between her thighs.

I wasn't even going to look in that direction, but I refrained- like the gentleman I am- from saying that.

'What exactly did Kiki tell you about heats?'

"That they make werewolves very horny."

My affirmative hum was short, I should have asked Patronka to do that instead of the Kiki. But I needed someone easy to befriend. Ah, Zeke. Why didn't I ask Zeke?

'She's not wrong. Heats seem to trigger the virus in a sexual way. Making us hornier, and more in tune with our animalistic sides. If one of us has a mate, they crave that person mostly. It occurs one week every month. There is flower we make into a medicine that suppresses the urges of a heat once ingested. One sip of that tea, stops the heat for a whole month. You'll have to start drinking it.'

I've never been tempted by a triggered heat before, but I'm not going to risk it with a Luna that carries my mark.

"What?!" She looked aghast. But by what part? That there is the million dollar question.

'Yep. It's similar to the full moon effects. When that happens, we're more like wild beasts. Shifting into our wolves and whatever happens then is beyond our control sometimes. Depending on the wolf. You're not included in this because Lunas can't shift. It might make you into something else. Weaker. Sicker. There's also the lunar run which is....interesting to say the least.'

"So we have a horny time every month and a time of the year when we go crazy? And I'll be allergic to the full moon?"

I nodded. 'Technically we have more. The full moon is unpredictable sometimes, it can appear every night for a whole month, or once a year. We can't be sure. Then there's the blood moon.'

Noelle parted her lips in a gasp. "Did the virus affect nature as well?"

That made me laugh, my shoulders swung up and down. Her expression is ridiculous, like she's in the middle of coughing and sneezing at once. I gripped my cup, barking out in high fits of laughter.

I was able to calm myself after some moments, only to find her cheeks hot and flaming. Reaching to her ears, she almost looked cute. In the way that says I'm-having-an-allergic-reaction-but-not-really. She's close to being a tomato or exploding.

"I'm glad you find my question funny." She sounded lost for words.

'It's not my fault you looked like an idiot.'

"How dare you?! It was a solid reaction."

'Sure. To answer your question, no it didn't affect nature. But it made our bodies react differently to things that were once normal to us. Like the moon. A blood moon is normal actually. Fifty years ago it was a beautiful thing to witness. Now there are stories that it mutates the Cerberus genes.'

I gulped the last bit of my water, blanking my face. Noelle made her disappointment known with a subconscious tremble of her bottom lip. Almost like me not having an emotion on my face meant the world to her. Too bad, besides laughing I don't think she'll get anything else out of me. I won't let it happen.

He's still so handsome, despite being an asshole. She swooned.

I'm going to ignore that.

'Do you want to know anything else?'

Her eyes tripped back for a second, glimpsing at the ceiling. Dual half moons returned to my face, then they lowered to the mark resting on my neck. Out of curiosity, I bared that side of my neck to her. Noelle sucked her lower lip between her teeth, questioning why she felt the sudden urge to slide into my lap and bite down on the mark.

I also have that exact same question, what the fuck?

I cleared my throat, abruptly snapping her out of that trance. That was getting out of hand.

"Why are we having a mating ceremony? Kiki said it's like a wedding for infected couples."

Fifty years and they've already created a new term for everything.

'To introduce you to the pack. It's mandatory for couples. And whether I like this or not, my head zeta refuses to let me back out of it. We are considered a couple.'

"Thanks for not hiding how much you hate this."

'You are welcome.'

"Alright. Um, thank you for answering my questions, I'll get out of your hair. I have to sleep, I have training tomorrow. A lot of running," she awkwardly got off the table, the shirt rides up for a moment and my eyes latch too the lacy panties hugging her ass.

I need more water. Apparently, I'm thirsty.