"Who's 'her?'" I asked softly, tears streaming down my cheeks. My mate is mute... I can't believe it. Damn hormones are making me cry.

Kayden extended his hand to my cheek, gently wiping away more tears. His touch caused a pleasant tingle, making me smile at his warmth. This, indeed, confirmed that we were mates. Zadie was howling, overjoyed with being touched by our mate. Kayden then continued to write on the notepad's page, and wrote, 'My mother.'

His mother? Wasn't that Luna Yvette? If my memory served me right, she was the sweetest Luna I remembered. The pack only grew strong and powerful under her rule alongside the Alpha.

"Why would she do such a thing?" I asked, growing increasingly worried.

This time, though, he didn't answer. Based on his body language, he didn't want to. Kayden seemed slumped, his shoulders hunched over in shame. But why? After a series of attempts, Kayden still refused to answer my questions about his mom. Deciding that it was useless and that I would probably be doing more harm than good, I changed the subject to getting to know my mate more.

"Did you choose to be mute, or is it because your mother did something?"

He quickly wrote, "She did something."

I nodded, asking, "What's your favorite color? Mine is actually not a color; it's a shade. It's black."

He gave a small grin and wrote, 'White.'

Gosh, his smile is so adorable.

"Age?" I asked, curious.

He replied in writing, '22.'

The rest of the evening played out like that, and I absolutely loved it. Besides Zadie being amorous, everything was perfect. He was perfect. I never thought having a mate could be this enjoyable, and I wished it would never end.

Or so I thought.

...

That evening, I joined the pack for dinner and took a seat next to Kayden. Despite some initial surprise from the pack members, they welcomed me warmly. However, there was one she-wolf, Macy, who seemed to harbor resentment.

If my memory served me right, Macy was Kayden's ex. Their relationship had been short-lived, but it appeared she was struggling to let go. Was she jealous? I couldn't be certain without asking. I caught her whispering to another pack member, criticizing my appearance and claiming I wasn't fit to sit next to Kayden. Seriously?

Growing tired of the disrespect, my wolf wanted to confront Macy and find out why she was glaring at us.

"Do we have a problem, Macy?" I demanded, my authority clear in my tone.

The room fell silent as the pack members turned their attention to the unfolding confrontation. Macy's glare softened for a moment before narrowing further. "No, Luna. Everything is just peachy," she spat out, clearly annoyed.

Disregarding her disrespect, I was determined to understand her grievances. As the new Luna and a motherly figure to the pack, it was my duty to address concerns.

"Is that so? Then would you like to explain why you keep glaring at me?" I asked, my hand under my chin.

I wanted to spend more time alone with Kayden, not assume Luna duties right away. But circumstances had changed overnight.

Macy snapped, standing up and slamming her hands onto the table in frustration. "I keep glaring at you because you don't deserve to be Luna! You just appear out of nowhere and act like the pack house is your kingdom!"

I frowned, taken aback. "Excuse me?"

Her eye twitched. "Exactly as I said! Do you even know why the Alpha is mute? Were you even there when he needed you most? Huh? Or are you that oblivious to what's going on around you?"

Her words left me speechless. I didn't have all the answers, and I lacked the knowledge of what had truly happened to my mate besides the fact that it had something to do with his mother. Macy was right in some aspects, but I couldn't let her words slide.

"Ladies and gentlemen, this is our future Luna. This is who we're entrusting the pack with. If it were up to me, I'm more qualified to be Luna. She doesn't even know a thing about our al-"

A loud bang cut through the air as the table shook. I turned to Kayden and saw his eyes pitch black, not in arousal but in anger. His wolf was trying to surface, wanting to protect his mate.

I reached out and ran my hands along his arms, attempting to soothe him. Sparks ignited between us, and warmth filled my body. He flinched a bit at my touch but gradually calmed down.

He clenched his jaw, his eyes clouding over. I realized he was using the mind link. Judging by Macy's reaction, with her biting her lip and eyes clouded over too, he was communicating with her.

Macy looked down in shame and apologized to me. I accepted her apology, but her words continued to echo in my mind.

Dinner was silent and uncomfortable, prompting me to finish quickly before retreating to my room. I felt heartbroken, and although I understood Kayden' reasoning, I wanted to help him.

"I'm so useless," I whispered, and Zadie reassured me, 'Don't bring yourself down like that, girl. He will tell us eventually.'

I nodded, trying to find comfort in her words.

A knock on my door made me jump, and I quickly composed myself before opening it to find Kayden with a concerned gaze.

I allowed him in and asked, stumbling over my words, "Something you need? Do you want me to stay with you?" I blushed at my own words. I needed to filter myself. This was embarrassing.

Zadie seemed eager, but Kayden blushed and shook his head, tentatively caressing my cheek as if asking, 'Are you okay?'

Offering a half-smile, I replied, "I'm fine. Thank you for coming to see me and for what you did back there. I was going to say something, but you beat me to it."

I thought he would leave right after, but he held out a hand-picked rose he had hidden behind him and offered it to me. My eyes widened in surprise, and my heart squeezed tight. It was clear he had hurt his hand a little since roses have thorns. It seemed he had never picked flowers before.

"Is that for me?" He nodded, rubbing the back of his head shyly.

Overjoyed, I impulsively kissed him on the cheek. Kayden froze at the direct contact but a small blush formed on his cheeks, making me giggle. He was so adorable.

He took out his notepad and started writing quickly. Turning it over, it said, 'I will tell you someday, but not now. I'm sorry.'

I smiled sheepishly, "It's okay. You don't have to apologize. Tell me when you're ready."

Kayden left my room after that, leaving me puzzled. Why wouldn't he want me to sleep next to him? Typically, mates would mark each other on the first day they met. However, Kayden was different. He kept me at an arm's length, as if cautious of me.

The real question remained: What had Luna Yvette done to make my mate mute?

"Human! Wake up!" Zadie urgently shouted.

Startled, I jolted awake to a cacophony of screams and crashing sounds. The pack house seemed to be under attack. Blinking to adjust to the light, I scrambled out of bed, Zadie's urgent pleas echoing in my mind. "Go to mate. He needs us. Go," she whimpered.

Without hesitation, I threw on a robe to ward off the chilly morning air. As I rushed through my morning routine, the commotion outside intensified. My mate wasn't in his room, adding to my growing unease.

The chaos led me to his office, where a disheveled woman reeking of alcohol was unleashing a tirade of profanities and violence. My mate cowered in the corner, a victim of her wrath. Enraged and fueled by Zadie's growls, I felt my wolf instincts taking over.

The woman advanced menacingly towards my mate, brandishing a broken bottle. Acting on instinct, I intervened, gripping her wrist to stop her assault. The woman, Luna Yvette as she claimed, slurred in protest, reeking of alcohol.

The metallic scent of blood grew stronger, fueling my outrage. Zadie's growls reverberated through me, and I could feel the transformation taking place within me, claws extending. Swiftly, I intercepted the woman's next attack, seizing her wrist. She turned, shocked at my sudden intervention, but her surprise twisted into a sneer as she dropped my mate, Kayden, to the ground.

"Who are you?!" she slurred, struggling against my grip, her breath reeking of alcohol.

My eyes narrowed with anger. "I'm the Luna of this pack. Who are you and how dare you touch my mate," I seethed, digging my claws into her skin, drawing blood. I was consumed by a desire to punish her for the pain she had inflicted on Kayden.

Her scowl deepened, protesting her innocence. "You? Luna? I'm the Luna of this pack!! Do you have any idea who I am! I am Luna Yvette! HOW DARE YOU—"

Releasing her wrist, I lunged at her, aiming for her throat, slamming her to the ground. My wolf wanted blood, and hers seemed the only appropriate retribution. "Luna Yvette, you said? That's a good story, but in what chapter do you shut the hell up?" I hissed.

This woman bore little resemblance to the graceful Luna Yvette I remembered from years ago. I scoffed, tightening my grip around her throat as she struggled for breath.

"Get off me, you bitch! It hurts! Let go!" she screamed, her voice grating on my nerves.

I wanted to succumb to my rage, to let my wolf have its vengeance, but I knew the consequences. Killing her would condemn me to pack jail, and I couldn't risk losing Kayden's affection by committing such an act in front of him. I held back, allowing her to fall unconscious but still alive.

Zadie urged me to end her, but I resisted. Slowly, I got up, my body aching from the struggle. Blood trickled down the side of my head, a reminder of the brutality we had just faced. I knew time was crucial, the scent of our blood could alert the pack.

I winced, feeling the pain shooting through my arms. The injuries were throbbing, and the gash on my head was bleeding. The scent of copper filled the air, a stark reminder that time was of the essence; our mingled blood could alert the entire pack house.

Shifting my attention back to Kayden, huddled in fear in the corner, I cautiously approached, avoiding the debris strewn across the floor. His body bore recent cuts and bruises, evidence of the brutal encounter.

"Hesitantly, I reached over and tried to touch Kayden. He only started to shake harder, slapping my hand away in fear. The contact echoed in the room and Zadie 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.

"Kayden... I promise I won't hurt you. I'm only here to help. Let me help, please," I pleaded, tears welling up once more. His rejection hurt, but I understood the trauma he was facing.

Despite his apprehension, he tentatively reached out his hand, and I pulled him into a comforting embrace. He initially tensed, but as he felt the reassuring connection, he let out broken sobs, finally allowing his vulnerability to surface.

I held him close, offering the comfort he needed. It was a relief to be there for him in this moment of pain and fear. As he slowly calmed down, he leaned back, his eyes meeting mine. He was still breathtaking even after the emotional release.

I blushed at the closeness, realizing I was sitting on his lap. Feeling self-conscious, I quickly wiped away a stray tear from his face, sparks flying between us. The tension of the moment was broken by Blaze's arrival.

"Jesus Christ, what the hell happened here?" Blaze's voice disrupted our peaceful interlude.

Assuming his new position as Beta, Blaze looked down at the unconscious Yvette. "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, dissatisfied.

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

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

Kayden, who had transformed from my 'chair' to a shy figure, nodded. I tried to divert my thoughts, realizing that the earlier awkward position on his lap had changed. Zadie's playful comment made me blush even more. The chaos seemed to settle, but our journey to recovery was just beginning.

Clearing my throat, I sat up, realizing Kayden seemed disappointed. I was puzzled; he had been shy just moments ago. What had changed? Shrugging off my confusion, I turned my attention to Blaze, who was waiting for an explanation.

"So, care to tell me what just happened?" he inquired, standing in front of us.

Frustration and sadness welled up within me as I recounted, "His mother happened. I put her fucking ass in place. That's what she gets for laying her hands on my mate," I gestured towards Yvette's unconscious body on the ground.

Blaze appeared lost in thought before turning to Kayden. "Shouldn't you tell her, Kayden? 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 apparently just turned 16 years old and was excited to drink with a 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 week ago."

I frowned, connecting the dots. "And I'm assuming, since he knows she's the Luna, he thought he had a chance of being alpha if he mated with Yvette... and since she only requested for 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 anyway."

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

To clarify, Yvette was still the Luna because the ceremony for my becoming Luna hadn't taken place yet. In our werewolf tradition, when the offspring of an alpha finds their mate, the title shifts from the old couple to the new one, placing it on their offspring and their mate. This rogue thought he could become alpha if he helped Yvette get alcohol, assuming that aligning with her would give him a better chance at the alpha position.

Drifting out of my thoughts, I refocused on Kayden, who seemed lost. He only nodded at Blaze's and my words, granting Blaze permission to elaborate further. Just then, the pack doctor rushed in, a mix of shock and concern on his face.

He tended to our injuries and advised Kayden to rest for a day for the wounds to heal. Werewolves were blessed with fast healing abilities.

After helping Kayden to bed, I returned to my bedroom with Blaze following.

"Ready to hear about Kayden?" Blaze cautiously asked, taking a seat in my room.

Anxious, I nodded, signaling him to begin.