6, You will lay waste to those who oppose you

Tite

‘Let’s talk,’ my brother mindlinked me and I saw him walking towards the door leading into the pack house.

“Gus, Ulf needs me,” I called out.

“Well, fuck. Sure thing Shorty, just leave me fucking alone. I will manage,” he called back. I heard he wasn’t upset, it was just his way of expressing himself.

“Love you too,” I yelled as I headed out the same door as Ulf. I saw him walk into our father’s office and I followed.

“Really, Tite?” he asked before I even had a chance to close the door.

“What?”

“Don’t what me. What was that shit about you volunteering to go with the humans?” he asked.

“It does make sense,” I defended myself.

“I don’t give a shit about making sense. You almost gave dad a heart attack,” he told me. I scoffed at the idea.

“You can drop it, Ulf. You know just as well as I do that our father has no clue about what I do or don’t do and he has even less interest in finding out,” I told my brother. I was having a shit day and I failed at keeping the hurt and bitterness out of my voice.

“Tite.” His voice had gone soft and he walked up to me and placed his hand on my shoulder.

“Don’t, Ulf. Don’t defend him, don’t try to explain it. It just is what it is. This time it’s something good. It means I can go on this mission and you can stay here with Amber.”

“You know what you said in there isn’t true. The pack needs you,” Ulf told me. I smiled at him. He was a good brother. None of this was his fault. I mind linked Amber and asked her to come by.

“The things they need me for are things I do to pick up the slack from Mara. The pack is used to her slack by now, and in a while Amber will take her place anyways and she will do amazing,” I said.

“What is it I’m going to do?” Amber asked as she walked into the room. I saw how my brother's face relaxed into a smile and how he walked up to her and kissed her. My heart hurt. I tried to tell myself I didn’t want that. I didn’t need my mate to look at me like I was his entire world.

“You are going to be an amazing Luna,” I said. Amber looked away from my brother and smiled at me.

“Thank you Tite. Coming from you, that is high praise.” I smiled at her. “So, is that why you asked me to come here? To praise me?” Amber asked.

“I wish, but no. I need your help making my brother see sense.” I gave her the quick version of what had happened.

“You don’t even know why they need help,” my brother said.

“Does it matter? I know it’s bad enough for our father to send someone with them. I’m guessing he is worried there is something from our world going on and he needs someone who can figure that out and report back. Am I right?” I asked. My brother just looked like he was sulking. Amber nudged him.

“Yes! Happy? Yes, we need to see if their issues stem from something supernatural or if it’s just a human squabble,” he answered.

“Thank you Amber. Well, I should be able to handle that. It shouldn’t take more than a week,” I said.

“This is not like going over to Alice’s pack for a month. There are bullets flying in the air on this one. You would be the only supernatural creature there,” my brother pointed out.

“Yeah, got it, thank you. As long as the bullets aren’t silver I will be fine.”

“You can’t let them know what you are, if you get hit and then heal overnight, they will freak out,” Ulf reminded me.

“Sure,” I agreed. Amber had been silent, watching me and my brother talk.

“There is more to this, isn’t there?” she asked. I froze. I was not ready to tell anyone about my mate. Not when there was no future between us. My brother would most likely kill him, even my father might have objected to his refusal to settle down.

“You’re right,” I said. “It’s a rehearsal. Luna Rayvin offered to recommend me for a transfer to the Mistvalley pack.”

“She fucking what?!” Ulf yelled.

“Keep your voice down, love,” Amber said.

“Well, she seems to think I have what it takes,” I told him.

“And you are thinking about accepting?” Ulf asked. His stare was on me, as if he could look into my soul and understand what I was thinking.

“I am. I will go on this mission to see if I have what it takes. I will come home and then I will call the Luna and ask her to contact her old Alpha,” I said.

“What does dad say?” Ulf wanted to know. I laughed, but it was an empty, dry laughter.

“I have been trying to talk to him since I got back. He doesn’t have the time for me, so I don’t give a fuck what he thinks.” It wasn’t true. I didn’t know if I would ever get rid of the young girl in my head, seeking her dad’s approval. But the adult me could push her back and do my own thing.

“Tite.” Again he had that soft voice. He always used it when he tried to excuse our father’s way of ignoring me. I was tired of it. I was tired of being the understanding one, the one who picked up the slack, the one who accepted that my father couldn’t deal with me because I reminded him too much of mom.

“No, Ulf. I’m done. I can’t do this any longer. I feel myself slipping away. Before I went to visit Alice, I can’t even remember when the last time I felt seen was. I take what Mara throws at me, because she’s the Luna. I take what Kendra throws at me because Mara is her mother. I pretend I’m not a witch not to upset the pack. I just want to find a place to be me,” I told him. Amber came up to me and gave me a hug. She would be a good Luna, she would be worthy to take my mom’s place.

“Tite, I know it’s hard on you, but if you hang in there a little longer. Dad will soon pass the pack to me, Amber will be Luna and things will be better,” Ulf said.

“No. She will go on this mission and if she feels the same when she returns, we will make sure she will get the transfer,” Amber said.

“Honey,” my brother objected.

“No, Ulf. It’s time someone listens to what Tite wants for once.” I loved my sister-in-mating.

“Thank you,” I told her. She smiled at me and gave me a squeeze.

“We girls need to stick together. And I see you, the real you. It’s time others see her as well. Because you will be brilliant. You will go out there, kick ass and lay waste to those who oppose you.” Ulf was about to say something but was stopped by a look from Amber. I giggled.

“You were born to be this pack’s Luna. They have been needing someone like you,” I told her.

“Well, I guess we need to tell dad,” Ulf said.

“I guess so,” I agreed.