'Human! Wake up!' Rain yelled in a panic tone.

What...?

Suddenly, screams and yelling awoke me fully. Another shatter of something shook the entire pack house. My eyes blinked, trying to get used to the lit room. Who the hell screams this loud early in the morning? I rolled over, nearly falling out of my bed, but Rain kept pacing inside my head, growling. She kept whimpering out, 'Go to mate. He needs us. Go.'

With no questions asked, I obliged and wrapped myself in a robe due to the morning's chilly air. Stepping from my bed, I walked into my bathroom and washed myself quickly before heading out the door. Scanning my surroundings, I looked for my mate, who wasn't in his room.

Strange...

Without warning, another crash sounded throughout the hall in his office. Fear struck me, not knowing what was happening and what was in his office. I feared the worst. Tip-toeing myself to the door, I found myself peeking through the doorway. There, I saw a woman who seemed haggard and reeked of alcohol. Scrunching my face in disgust, I couldn't help but gag that she hadn't showered in probably weeks.

She was holding a broken bottle, yelling a bunch of profanities to god knows who. It seemed like she was talking to herself, but I knew she wasn't. Why was she here?

Glancing further into the room, I only see my mate in the corner, cowering in fear. The room was a mess. The desk was flipped upwards, with files lingering all over the floor. A bunch of broken glass littered the once beautiful wooden floor with some spilled liquor.

The woman walked one step closer to my mate before pulling him by the collar, and I could see him gasp in fear before she suddenly slapped him. Hard. "You damn bástard, I should have aborted you when I had the chance! This is all your fault!" Before she raised her hand again and, this time, hit him with the broken glass bottle. I could hear a whimper escape from my mate as he continued to take her abuse.

The smell of blood grew more substantial.

Seeing this made me outraged as Rain growled louder, overtaking my skin. A snarl escaped from me as my claws grew. Before she even had the chance to throw another hit, I grabbed her wrist. The woman turned around quickly, shocked that someone was behind her. Her expression changed from surprise to a sneer. Dropping Kronos, she threw him to the side with a thud. Another whimper from my mate escaped.

"Who are you?!" She slurred, struggling against my grip on her wrist. Eek, her breath reeks of alcohol.

My eyes narrowed, swirling with anger. "I'm the Luna of this pack. Who are you, and how dare you touch my mate." I seethed, my claws digging into her skin until I drew blood. I wanted to break her hands entirely.

The woman's face morphed into a scowl, upset with my wording. "You? Luna? I'm the Luna of this pack!! Do you have any idea who I am? I am Luna Gaia! HOW DARE YOU --"

Letting go of her wrist, I lashed out at her, my hand lunging out for her throat, slamming her onto the ground. My wolf wanted blood, more importantly, hers.

My fangs were out, outraged that it was this woman that damaged my mate. "Luna Gaia, you said? That's a good story, but in what chapter do you shut the fuck up?" I hiss out.

If this was Luna Gaia, it didn't seem like it. She was more graceful and beautiful the last time I saw her, many years ago, and she looked like a completely different person. I scoffed and tightened my grip around her throat. Gaia struggled, gasping for air.

"Get off me, you bitch! It hurts! Let go!" She screamed, partly shrieking. Her voice was like nails that were scraping across the chalkboard. She desperately started to claw my arms and grabbed whatever she could to smash my head, but I paid no mind. Compared to Kronos's pain, this was nothing.

Just the thought of it only pissed me off even further, making me dig my claws into her neck to the point where she passed out. Gaia went limp, but I could hear a faint heartbeat.

Rain kept encouraging me to end her, but I held back. I would have gone into the pack jail if I had done so, and I wasn't sure if Kronos would still like me to be his mate if I killed his mother in front of him. With her limp body beneath me, I slowly got up.

I winced. My arms hurt like hell. I touched the side of my head, only to feel the wet drops of blood. The smell of copper filled the hall and could soon alert the whole pack house—the mixture of their alpha's and Luna's blood. I needed to act fast.

Turning my attention back to my mate; he was shaking in the corner. I carefully avoided all the materials or whatever was left of his office and crouched to his level. There were some cuts and bruises that littered his body, and from what I can tell, they were recent.

Hesitantly, I reached over and tried to touch Kronos. He only started to shake harder, slapping my hand away in fear. The contact echoed in the room, and Rain howled in pain, wanting to help him. I only felt hurt for an instant, but I knew it wasn't his fault.

He's scared.

"Kronos... I promise I won't hurt you. I'm only here to help. Let me help, please." I pleaded, tears pricking my eyes once more. It felt like he was rejecting me, and it hurt so much to be helpless for the people you deeply care about.

My mate, a 6-foot male, looked terrified and uncertain, deciding whether or not to trust me. To my surprise, he slowly reached out his hand, and I quickly pulled him in for a hug. At first, he tensed at my contact, but after feeling the sparks, he relaxed before falling into broken sobs.

I held him there, knowing that he needed me more than ever. It felt comforting to envelop him entirely in his arms even though I was there for him. Eventually, he stopped sobbing and resolved into sniffles. I could only kiss his forehead and caress his back. Whispering, "It's going to be okay."

After some time, Kronos, who had his head buried into my neck, leaned back and looked at me. Gosh, even after all that crying, he still looked so breathtaking. I blushed suddenly, realizing that I was sitting in his lap when I was comforting him. He tilted his head, confused yet thankful, before touching my cheek.

This only made me feel more red.

I'm going to die at this rate if he keeps getting closer. Not wanting to be the only one embarrassed, I hurriedly wiped away a stray tear from his face. The sparks flew, making Kronos shy as he also realized where my position was. I could have sworn I felt something suddenly poking my hip.

It didn't last long before our peaceful silence was ruined.

"Jesus Christ, what the hell happened here?"

Turning around, it was Azrael who I heard. Taking a guess, I ask directly, "Are you the Beta now?"

Azrael nodded at my question, standing still at the doorway. He then looked down, seeing an unconscious Gaia. "You could have just taken out the trash fully. I would have done it myself if I had known she had gotten out," he muttered, seeming unsatisfied.

I rolled my eyes, "Is that all you have to say? Get the pack, doctor."

"He's already on the way. More importantly, Alpha, are you alright?" Azrael said, concern laced in his voice.

Kronos, who was pretending to be my chair, nodded, still shy.

Clearing my throat, I sat up from Kronos's lap. He followed suit, his facial features morphing into disappointment.

Smiling, I patted Kronos before I looked to Azrael, who wanted answers.

"So, care to tell me what just happened?" He asked, now in front of us.

I mutter sadly, yet irritated. "His mother happened. I put her fucking ass in place. That's what she gets for laying her hands on my mate," I pointed, her unconscious body lying on the ground.

He seemed to be in deep thought before turning to Kronos. "Shouldn't you tell her, Kronos? Your mother escaped because the guard wasn't doing his job properly. Fucker took some alcohol she offered and passed the hell out. I don't know how she bribed him, but he just turned 16 years old and was excited to drink with Luna. He snuck into the cabinets full of alcohol in the pack and gave it to her. It seemed like she promised him that she would make him alpha or something if he let her have some alcohol. Since he is a new guard, he must have grown greedy. He's that rogue we took in a few months ago. We figured he finally got our trust. Guess we were wrong." He sighed.

I frowned, "And I'm assuming since he knows she's the Luna, he thought he had a chance of being alpha if he mated with Gaia... and since she only requested alcohol, he made another assumption that she was stupid and easy. Seeing that he had little chance to lose and was a rogue originally, he just went along with it. I mean, getting alcohol is easy, but obtaining the title of Alpha is difficult. Probably thought this was too good to be true but did it anyways."

"Exactly. I had to interrogate him since he was the one in charge of watching her. Letting him in the pack was my fault, so I'll deal with him. I thought everyone deserved a second chance like how Coco gave me, but it wasn't meant to be with him."

To further explain, Gaia was still Luna because the ceremony for me becoming Luna hadn't occurred yet. When the offspring of an alpha finds their mate, the title from the old couple finally gets removed from them and placed onto their offspring and their mate. This is why Rogue thought he could become alpha if he had just helped Gaia get some alcohol. He guessed that if he got on the good side of Gaia, he would have a better chance of being Alpha.

You cannot become alpha or Luna yet without your mate by your side.

Drifting out of my thoughts, I again focus on my injured mate.

Kronos, who was in a daze, only nodded at Azrael's and my words, permitting Azrael to tell me whatever I needed to know after this. Just then, the pack doctor came running in. He seemed shocked by the mess but cleared his throat. He took his stethoscope and some bandages out of the bag before standing before Kronos.

He tended to our injuries and helped us take Kronos to bed.

In his instructions, Kronos needed a day's rest before all the wounds healed. We're werewolves, so fast healing abilities are something we're blessed with.

I returned to my bedroom afterward, Azrael trailing along behind me.

"Ready to hear about Kronos?" Azrael cautiously asks, taking a seat on one of my chairs in the room.

I nod, anxious.

Taking a deep breath, Azrael starts.