48. Set in his ways

I knock at the office’s door.

A moment later, I crack it open and peek my head inside. Luke’s looks up from where he’s working at his table.

“Did I disturb you?” I smile at him

Luke shakes his head “Come in.”

I slip inside and close the door behind. Its been a while since breakfast and now that I’m tired after reading books in the library I decided I should do something else.

“What are you doing?” I ask, perching myself on his desk

“Something boring,” Luke says with a sigh, he glances up at me “When I’d rather be doing something else.”

My brows raise, along with the corner of my mouth “Pity you have to keep working.”

He sighs again. I lean forward to inspect the file, looking more like a calander where there’s a note under each date and Luke is filling up the rest.

“Anything I can help with?”

“I’m afraid I have to suffer through this one alone.” Luke says, his eyes flicker to me yet again “did you call your mom?”

“Yup.” I nod “she wants me to come back as soon as possible.”

This time, Luke closes the file and sets it aside, turning in his chair to face me fully “Did you tell her?”

I bite my bottom lip and shake my head “I figured it’ll be easier to explain if I just tell her in person.”

Luke lets out a breath, leaning back in his chair. I furrow my brows, I thought he’d want me to tell her as soon as possible.

Noticing my confusion, Luke takes my hands in both on his. My heart rate doubles by the small contact, but I do my very best to keep my head.

“Elise, keep an open mind about what I’m going to tell you,” Luke says, his voice is as hard as always, but I notice the pinch of concern in it

“Okay,” I nod at him calmly

“We cant let anyone know about us,” he holds my hands tighter “Not until I officially become Alpha Supreme, not until we move to the New York HQ.”

“Why?” My face is all angles of confusion

A shadow crosses his face “If anyone found out about you, it wont take them long to plan something to get to me.”

“Get to you for what?” I ask

“I’m a new leader, not even official,” Luke says “There are countless people probably planning assassinations right now.”

I stare at him, mind running a million miles per second. Luke searches my face, looking for a hint of what I’m thinking. Considering the way his grip tightens a notch, I think he comes up short.

I shrug.

The look of pure surprise on his face makes a laugh bubble from my lips.

“Alright, so we cant make it public just yet.” I grin at him, eyes crinkling in amusement “It’s only for like what? One week?”

Luke flashes me a small smile, the relief on his face barely readable but definitely there. He presses a kiss to either of my hands.

“I thought you would insist that you can keep yourself safe.” He says

“I can, Winters.” I say, raising my chin “But I’d rather not look over my shoulder every ten seconds to make sure no one is stalking me for taking me hostage.”

“Thank you for understanding, Hazel.”

“You don’t have to thank me.” I wink at him, then a sudden thought crosses my head

“What about this though?” I ask, titling my head to expose the mark on my neck

Luke presses his lips in a line, his brows already furrowed in dislike as he says “We can hide it.”

I put on a thinking expression, then nod “Turtle necks and a boat load of perfume, I got it.”

Luke shakes his head “That wont work, Hazel. The change is in your very scent, your aura. Its not that simple.”

“Then what?”

Luke seems to be debating if he absolutely had to say what’s in his mind “Korra can mask it.”

“No way,” My nose crinkles at just the thought “I don’t want to mask it, and her spells sting pretty bad from what I remember.”

“She’s our best option.” Luke sighs “Believe me when I say I’ve looked for other solutions for the situation. She’s the only witch capable of anything close to masking a mark.”

My teeth graze my bottom lip again, brows pulled together in thought.  Well… I can handle a bit of a sting and its not like I want an inexperienced witch to turn me into a toad by accident.

After a few moments of awkward silence, I finally make a face at him.

“This relationship better be worth doing all this for,” I say

Luke leans forward, brushing his fingers along my jaw, trailing towards my neck, over the mark. The storm in his dark eyes gravitates towards my wide eyes, he flashes me a smirk, showing a hinting of glistering canines.

“I wouldn’t doubt that.”

He stands up from his chair, face coming dangerously close to mine and I hold my breath, frozen in anticipation.

He reaches around me and grabs a file.

With a smirk loaded with mirth and haughtiness, Luke leans back and opens the file, the pen in it tells me he’s been working on it.

I gape at him. That bloody bastard!

“Something the matter, Hazel?” Luke raises an eyebrow, giving me a fleeting glance before looking at his file again “You look flustered.”

“Not at all,” I narrow my eyes at him

His lips quirk upward “I believe you.”

I will my thoughts to shift from plotting revenge and towards the newly acquired file. The title catches my attention.

“What’s this file for?”

“Selecting a day for the execution.”

I nod “Oh, that’s understandable— What?!”

Luke looks at me as if there’s nothing wrong with that “The men at the second lodge, they were warriors from Goldstein’s pack, sent there to ambush the participants. When we reached this mansion, I found out where they were staying and had some of my men retrieve them.”

I gape at him “So you’re just going to get them killed?”

“They violated the Hunt rules,” Luke says casually “There’s no saying they wouldn’t try to avenge their Alpha later.”

“Luke, no.”

“Excuse me?”

“This isn’t their fault,” I say vehemently “They were just following orders!”

“Following orders to kill us,” Luke points out

“Whatever it was, Luke.” I say, my voice softening “They don’t deserve this.”

“You want me to send them back to their pack?” He asks dispassionately “Where they would tell their new Luna that Goldstein was planning to attack the participants and got himself killed?” 

“Why would that matter? He was the one who did wrong.”

“Zoya Goldstein is as witty as her brother was, if not more.” Luke says “She’s going to use this against us.”

“Just because Alpha Goldstein was a horrible king doesn’t mean you have to be like that too,” I say

“I’m not a king, Hazel.” Luke says coolly, leafing through the file “I’m a leader. And I cannot lead those unfaithful to me.”

I resist the urge to throw my hands in the air. Indeed Luke Winters is a stubborn man, set in his ways.

“Luke, would you really kill all those men for being loyal to their Alpha?” I take his face in my hands, turning it to meet my eyes

His gaze softens as he sets one of his hands atop mine “I cant just send them back, Elise.”

“Maybe not,” I say persistently “but it doesn’t mean you have to get them executed. That’s what they’re expecting you to do. If you show them forgiveness, they will be forever grateful. They will be loyal to you.”

I can almost see the gears in Luke’s head moving, his eyes calculating, a storm of thoughts brewing in them. A gleam settles in the deep blue as he cocks his head to a side.

“Perhaps,” he says slowly “I can make as exception this once.”

I know he has something in mind other than sending them back to their pack, but at least they’ll live.

“See?” I say, a smile lifting at my lips “If you just move your head from the rigid pathways, things can work out pretty well.”

But Luke only stares at me, eyes thoughtful. I can tell his mood has shifted from scheming by the way the tautness of his face is replaced by a little smile.

“You’re going to be a great Luna, Elise.” He says, a hint of pride pinched in his voice “My Luna.”

“What can I say?” My lips curve in a smirk “I’m known to be pretty amazing.”

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