Blessed To The Luna

“Mr. Andrei!” The voice gets louder, and Sage giggles.

“Jonah likes you,” she points out, her lips twitching.

“He can’t help it,” I sigh as I roll my eyes at the unexpected visit of what I assume is now my new best friend. And yet as annoying as it is, I know it isn’t the boy’s fault, and I can’t blame him for anything.

Children, especially orphans, are drawn to auras they feel to be safest near. However, why he gets that from me is beyond me. I am far from approachable, even

I know that.

I get up, move to the window to wave him off or spot someone to tell him to go away. Only when I toss back the curtain, he is at the window, nearly making me jump out of my skin as he balances on the ledge on the second floor. Sage shrieks, scrambling to cover herself with the blanket.

“Jonah, what the heck are you doing? How did you get up here?” I demand, both terrified and amazed at the same time. This little brat is something else.

“The ladder,” he says, and I look out the window for a ladder but don’t see one.

My eyebrows furrow as I return my gaze to the boy. “What ladder? What are you doing?”

“This ladder?” He asks, pointing to the side, and I look where he is pointing. I shake my head and pinch the bridge of my nose with my fingers.

“That is a drain pipe, Jonah. Not a ladder. Now, get down from there, you don’t look through windows,” I scold him, and Sage giggles behind me like this kid didn't just become the biggest cock-block ever.

He grins at her. “Hi, Miss Sage,” he chirps, waving a little too enthusiastically as he leans too far back.

My heart nearly leaps out of my chest, and I step forward on instinct. My face smashes against the window when he nearly topples backward. A horrified shriek leaves Sage behind me before she exhales in relief when Jonah manages to catch himself.

I rub my nose and glare at him. Pain and initial panic aside, I’m glad the boy didn’t fall. “Jonah, enough. Now climb back down,” I snap.

Little shit is going to give me a heart attack. When his voice reaches my ears again, I turn as I watch him shuffle back to the drainpipe. “Mr. Andrei, I’m scared,” he whimpers. I roll my eyes as I watch him walk back to the window.

“You climbed up here, you can climb down,” I tell him as he clutches the drain pipe. He shakes his head, looking at the ground. He places his foot on the drainpipe

bracket, clinging to the pipe with his hands. The boy freezes and looks back at me.

“Climb down,” I repeat myself as I motion for him to go back down, but he shakes his head.

I can’t and don’t bother to hold back the growl of annoyance that leaves my lips. I was so damn close, so damn painfully close, and now, I have to deal with this. His little green eyes peer back at me pleadingly, and I roll my eyes at him.

“Fine, just hang on,” I growl, turn around, and stomp out of the bedroom, and down the steps. I unlock the door and march around to our bedroom window. Jonah is still clutching the drainpipe. I suppress the next growl that threatens to escape me.

I very much want to snap at the boy, at least for his recklessness. Didn’t he fucking think before he decided to use my house as his playground? He could get bloody hurt.

“Jonah, can you get down or not? That pipe will not hold my weight,” I warn him, shaking the thing gently. Maybe that will encourage him to get down. Worst-case scenario - he will understand how unsafe it is to cling to that thing and at least try to climb to somewhere safer.

Rushed footsteps echo behind me, so I look over my shoulder. “Jonah, I told you to leave the Alpha alone, what are you doing up there?” Malik growls at him.

“I’m stuck,” Jonah cries out, looking down at us. Malik facepalms himself right as a very frustrated sigh leaves his lips.

Me too, pal. Whatever you feel right now, I feel it too.

“I’m so sorry, Alpha. I told him to steer clear of here,” Malik apologizes.

“I wanted to tell Mr. Andrei about his packages,” Jonah whimpers, and by now, tears are rolling down his cheeks.

“Alright, that’s enough. You will be sitting in the naughty corner when you climb down!” Malik scolds, and I raise an eyebrow at him.

His head snaps in my direction. “What? That's what my mother did. It is better than getting the wooden spoon on my backside,” Malik shrugs.

I chuckle, and shake my head, looking back at Jonah. “Jonah, you had enough of playing around, and now, you climb back down,” I tell him, but he shakes his head.

I can’t fucking believe it. The little shit is actually going to make me climb up there and get him down. I wonder where he is hiding that massive audacity.

“Ah, God damn it, just hang on,” I tell him.

I test the pipe looking at Malik, who is obviously judging me for the slip-up that escaped me. “Should hold,” he says.

“Feel free to volunteer,” I tell him, and his eyes widen in horror.

Malik is half of my body weight, if not less, so the chance of him getting up there uninjured is far bigger than mine. However, he is terrified of heights and would rather bite off his own leg than climb anywhere higher than a damn stool.

I mutter a slew of curse words under my breath, and Malik snickers as I clamber up the pipe. It shakes as I climb up, and the thin metal brackets groan under my weight with complaining creaks as I dig my toes into them, pulling myself up to Jonah.

Once I get close enough, I grab the back of his shirt. Jonah turns to look at me, with tears streaking his face, but he is quick to act as he turns his body and clutches my shoulders.

Sage watches me from the window, wearing nothing but that skimpy dressing gown of hers. If there has ever been a moment I hate seeing a little more of my mate’s skin, it has to be this exact moment. How am I supposed to save a life, or I don’t know, a few bones if I’m distracted by the view?

However, once I notice how concerned she looks, I push aside every lustful and filthy thought that is trying to run through my mind. I had my chance, she insisted, and here I am, climbing a darn pipe.

As I try to take a step down, the bracket snaps under my weight, and the pipe pulls away from the wall. I feel myself fall backward, as the rush of adrenaline hits me, and courses through my veins.

Acting on instinct, I let the pipe go, gripping Jonah and shoving him to the center of my chest. I have to fight my instinct to turn and brace my hands out to break my fall. Jonah screams bloody murder, he is so loud that my ears ring right when I smack into the ground, landing on my back.

The impact smashes the air out of my lungs while the little shit is winding me further as his knees smash into my stomach as he lands on me.

I blankly stare at the sky—everything aches. My entire body is experiencing some sort of pain, and I don’t know where it starts or ends. For fuck’s sake, I’m pretty sure even my skin is throbbing, which I thought was impossible before this accident. My head throbs to its own beat as I smack it on the grass.

“Oh,” Jonah murmurs as his face comes into focus. Something warm and wet puddles on my stomach before dripping across my abdomen and sides. Donnie howls in my head with laughter, and Malik snorts out a laugh. I glare at him as he leans over us. “I think I peed a little,” Jonah whispers.

Malik erupts with laughter while I am not only fucking sore, but also drenched in piss. Just to make matters way better, it’s not even my own. Hell, I’d rather piss over myself than experience this, the kid just marked his damn territory on me.

Sitting up I groan, it’s not even just a little pee. The little brat lied. I feel like I could fill a jug if I twisted the piss out of my clothes.

Finally, Jonah scrambles off me. He glances over his shoulder, possibly to assess the damage of the bent pipe. As he does, he confirms my suspicion - I might be covered in his piss, but at least I’m not the only one drenched in it. So is he.

I groan and roll on my side right when Sage comes rushing out of the house. Her eyes are wide, even wild, and she looks like she is just about to have a panic attack. A look of relief crosses her face as I stand up, and her eyes dart between Jonah and me.

“Did you see Miss Sage? I flew off the window and didn’t even get hurt, not a scratch,” Jonah brags. I can’t believe it, but the little shit is actually grinning and acting like he’s some kind of a superhero, and this was merely some stunt or attempt at flying.

The only reason why Jonah didn’t get hurt is that I took the fall for him. In return, I get to watch him brag about his adventures to my mate. While I’m the one who is in pain, has some serious hearing damage, and on top of everything, I now can walk around smelling like a piss factory.

Malik is still laughing and tries to contain himself as he motions for Jonah to come to him. “That was very naughty, Jonah. You don’t climb houses, and you peed on the Alpha,” Malik adds, chuckling at the last part, and I growl at him.

“I need to shower!” I snap at no one in particular and stomp off back inside the house. No way am I letting them have a laugh at my expense.

Sage follows in my steps, snickering as if this situation is amusing her. I stop and turn to glare at her, and finally, she stops.

“Are you okay?” She asks, and she bites her lip, trying not to laugh.

“You think this is funny?” I ask, raising an eyebrow at her. Sage forces her lips together in a line and shakes her head, but I can feel her amusement.

Somehow, she manages to forget that since I marked her, I can feel her emotions. Let’s see how long her amusement lasts. I reach for her and wrap my arm around her waist to pull her towards me. Her heart rate spikes up, and her breath hitches when I press her body against mine. Sage shrieks and pushes on my shoulders.

I lean down to hide my face in the crook of her neck and inhale her scent. Sage relaxes in my arms. Just what I need so I can go in for the attack. I guide my tongue up her neck until my lips reach her ear, and I whisper. “Not so funny anymore now that you are covered in piss, too.”

Sage squirms in my hold, desperately trying to break free from my grip on her. When I finally take pity on her and I let her go, she chuckles. “It’s a little funny,” she admits weakly.

If I weren’t the one being peed on, I might manage to see the humor of the situation. Or at least what everyone else deems amusing, then I would watch from the side. But right now, in my situation, nope, I don’t see the funny side of what happened.

Instead of escalating the situation and providing more laughing material for my mate, I rub my ass and hiss under my breath—each step I take hurts. I’m literally aching as I walk. I feel like an old goddamn man. “My ass hurts,” I groan.

Maybe my beautiful mate will forget about what happened and will have enough decency in her to pity me a little. Only a little, after all, I saved that little shit, and he got a chance to pretend to be a hero at my expense. It’s about time I get some good words too.

“You’re not seriously jealous of Jonah?” Donnie snickers. I huff in annoyance, choosing to ignore him.

“Want me to rub it?” Sage chuckles, as she locks the door after us. She undoes her dressing gown and lets the fabric slide down her arms until she catches it. My eyes are drawn to her like a moth to a flame as I slowly drink in her body.

A smirk spreads across my lips as my eyes focus on her plump ass as Sage brushes past me. Since coming here, she has filled out nicely, with no more frail skin and jutting out bones. She turns and tosses her dressing gown in my face. I scrunch up my face in disgust as the smell of piss invades my nostrils and destroys the fantasies that are already building up in my mind.

Sage laughs at me and darts away. “I call dibs on showering first,” she squeals, racing up the steps.

I growl, toss the gown on the floor, and take off after her. She skids in her haste when she reaches the top step. My heart nearly stops as she slides across the floor. Sage corrects herself and giggles while I feel like I’m having a fucking stroke. That woman. What if she hurts herself?

Sage clearly uses my moment of hesitation as she takes off toward the bathroom door. I pick up my pace, and as she reaches out for the door handle, I catch up to her and snake my arms around her waist. She shrieks and quickly turns in my grasp.

“You weren’t about to lock me out, were you?” I accuse her.

Sage grins at me and wraps her arms around my neck. I swear, she has changed so much compared to how she was the day we met. Her confidence has grown, and she seems so much more relaxed these days. I enjoy every moment we spend together, even if she’s in the mood to tease the living hell out of me.

I reach around her, grip the door handle, twist it, and walk her backward into the bathroom with a growl. Sage realizes she hasn’t given me an answer, so she wiggles her eyebrows and whispers, “maybe.”

I lean in and nip at her lips.

Chapte Three

Andrei

As soon as we finish showering, to my displeasure, Sage leaves for training. I have a couple of things on my mind as my hands slide over her body in the

shower, but I suppose we have enough time to fulfill those fantasies later.

“Patience, Andrei, we’re still on thin ice with her,” Donnie snaps at me out of nowhere. I can’t say I am surprised by this, so I don’t react to his words.

I am aware of this fact. I know she needs time, and so do I, at least in a sense. Besides, I shouldn’t feel worried about anything; we marked each other. Now, our forever after begins.

While my amazing mate is busy learning new skills, I walk outside and head to check the packages that the couriers have dropped off.

Recently, we have had to order a few new traps. Of course, Sage disagreed with it when I brought the issue up, and she isn’t very supportive of the fact now that they have been delivered either.

But, she swears up and down that she understands that safety precautions are highly necessary, regardless of the amount of pack members we have. Plus, now we have these kids here, so she seems to be a little more lenient about the traps.

To be completely fair, I wouldn’t bother ordering any if it weren’t for the fact that someone stole the traps along the river a few weeks back.

Finally, the order is here, and I want to sneak them out to the forest before Sage gets back from training with Casen and Malik. I am not lying to my mate, just to be clear. I am being a tiny bit secretive not to worry her. Some things can stay as my business, so she can worry about Luna stuff.

Since Zane decided to have the day off so he can spend it with his mate, I suppose this task lies on my shoulders alone. Walking across the grass oval to the small post office, I see a few people about and nod to them as I pass by.

Today is turning overcast as the storm clouds roll across the sky. I look up at the clouds and hum to myself. I still should have plenty of time to get out there, and back in time.

As I pass by the huge old willow tree that sits dead center of our small town, I see Jonah facing the trunk, his chin propped on his hand and glaring at the tree as he plays in the dirt.

Ah, so this is where Malik ordered him to sit for a time out. And here I am, thinking his words are nothing but an empty threat. I guess I should be happy he didn’t go for that wooden spoon he mentioned earlier.

I shake my head and keep walking toward the post office, it’s not the right moment for me to get distracted and waste more time. Besides, Jonah kind of deserves that time out. If not for pissing all over me, which is disgusting, then at least for pulling off such a dangerous stunt.

I get it, the kid wanted to tell me something and be the first one to deliver the news, but let’s be real, he went too far with it.

As I get closer to the post office, some uncomfortable thoughts assault me. The small red and white building is the only one that wasn’t ruined during the attack. I can only assume it is because it was the only place that didn’t house anyone.

We use the building for more than one purpose. Aside from the post office, it is also a general store for backup and emergency supplies if the trucks are running late.

Everyone in the pack has their key to get in now that Martha, the lady that used to run it, is no longer with us. Yet another casualty of Jackson's pack and band of rogues.

As I grip the key and unlock the door, I find two medium-sized plastic tubs. I stack them on top of each other before grabbing them. Walking out, I am about to lock the door when I look over my shoulder at Jonah. Damn that little shit for looking so sad.

I groan and decide to grab him a juice box from the fridges in here. My eyes snap to the rows of dry foods, fuck it, we’re not missing much, so I add a small packet of chips. He experienced the scare of a lifetime, and even though it’s only him to blame, he’s still just a kid.

I place Jonah’s treats on the plastic tubs, step out of the building and lock it up. Grabbing the bottom tub by the handgrip, I head back across to the house, detouring slightly to the willow tree.

Right as I near the boy, Jonah looks up at me with a big, toothy grin splitting onto his face. “Malik said I have to wait here until training is over,” he says and then pouts. Jonah crosses his tiny arms in front of his chest and juts his bottom lip as if he is genuinely offended by the punishment. It amazes me how the boy makes it look like he’s suffering and it’s not his fault to begin with.

I huff as I place the tubs down and hand the juice box to Jonah. He smiles, jams the straw in it and slurps away before I hand him the salt and vinegar chips. “Now behave. I will be back soon to check on you,” I order, grabbing the boxes.

“Can I help?” Jonah perks up, sounding a little too eager for my liking. If I have to think back to the last time he tried to help someone it ended with some rather unpleasant experiences and a sore ass. Big, massive fucking pass on that.

I look over my shoulder and shake my head at the boy. “Nope, now stay here. You better be here when I return,” I tell him and walk off toward the house.

I skirt around the back to the treeline and place the boxes on the ground. Quickly, I scan the surroundings and then open them. I grab the traps out by the chains so they are easier to carry and stomp into the trees, heading for the river.

It takes me a good hour to hide and set up the traps. Placing the last one down and setting it, I stand up to stretch my back when I hear the chink of metal. Donnie excitedly jumps around in my head. He is wondering the same thing I am. Has something fallen prey to our traps? He urges me to investigate.

I creep back toward the last one, but it is still fine. But I stop dead in my tracks when I see Jonah standing there. The trap has been set at his feet, and he is trying to pry a large stick from it. The end snaps off, and he nearly falls backward on his butt.

I suck in a deep, very fucking frustrated breath as my lips press together in a thin line. Jonah spins around and jumps when he spots me standing behind him. “Jonah, what are you doing? Why did you leave your spot at the tree?” I demand answers from the boy.

At this point, I am struggling to keep my cool. I get it, he’s a kid and all that crap on top of it, but for fuck’s sake, he seems to be adamant to go above and beyond to ruin my day. Not to mention that he ignored what Malik told him, and now, he’s clearly ignoring commands from an Alpha.

“I wanted to help, but I kept finding these traps, so I set them off,” he boasts.

“How many have you set off, Jonah?” I ask through gritted teeth.

He thinks for a second and looks at his hands to count on his little fingers. “This many,” he says as he proudly holds up both hands, and then adds another finger.

I suppress the growl that really freaking wants to escape me as I keep reminding myself that I am facing a child. Jonah is only a child. Annoying little shit, but a child that doesn’t know better. “So, eleven?” I ask him, running a hand through my hair in obvious frustration.

Jonah nods. His eyes light up like he just did me an excellent service instead of making me waste an hour of my life setting them up.

“You were told to wait by the tree.” I remind him.

The boy averts his gaze to his feet and his shoulders slump. “I just wanted to help, and then I saw the traps when I was following your scent.”

“Why would you set them off, Jonah? You don’t play with bear traps,” I lecture him. I’m not sure if I’m that annoyed anymore since I think I’m a little concerned for the boy’s well being too. Anything could have happened to him.

Fucking hell, his leg might have been caught in one of those traps and he is still too young to heal without a wolf, so the process would likely take an immense amount of time and pain. Reckless little shit.

“Because someone left them out, and I didn’t want you to step on one. I was careful, I used a stick. My dad showed me how to set them off.” Jonah explains as he holds up

the stick he is clutching in his tiny hand. I can tell it has been chomped down considerably from the traps.

I rub a hand down my face, annoyed at this small creature and his troublesome ways.

“You can’t really be mad, Andrei, he thought he was helping,” Donnie prods me, and I sigh.

I give up. My wolf has a point. “Come on, it will rain soon,” I tell him.

Jonah jumps excitedly and immediately leads the way back. He runs off, which results in me jogging to keep up with him. I spot eight traps he has set off on the way back.

“Come on, Mr. Andrei,” Jonah waves as a playful giggle escapes him.

I roll my eyes and pick up my pace to catch up with him. All thanks to my goddamn luck, I step on something that is not ground.

The damn trap catches my leg, and the pain ripples across the lower part of my shin. “Mother fucking bitch ass fucker,” I swear as I drop on my ass to see my foot, caught in my own trap.

This day couldn’t get any damn better anymore. One goddamn adventure after another, all thanks to a little shit. He wants to help me? Help my ass, Jonah! I look at the trap, tightly trapping my leg and cutting into my flesh.

I punch the ground, furious at myself and the entire world. Jonah comes skipping back to me a few seconds later. He stops, freezes in his step, and stares at my leg. The boy’s face turns a little green at the sight of the blood, and I pray to the gods to save me from the risk of getting puked all over. Piss was enough from this boy.

On the bright side, as bright as it fucking gets, my leg isn’t broken. Sill, it fucking hurts like an ass fucking bitch, and right about now, I really want to strangle the life out of my little, oh so innocent helper.

“Jonah, are you sure you counted correctly? And why is this one moved?” I ask through gritted teeth.

“I found that one first, and I didn’t have a stick, so I moved it between the trees,” he murmurs as his little eyes widen in pure horror.

I push the springs down on either side of the trap, the jaws open up enough for me to get my foot out before they snap shut again. I look at my leg, fighting the urge to curse him out or whoop his bloody ass. My leg slowly starts healing and I carefully try to move it.

Everything seems fine, especially since I can still move it and there doesn’t seem to be too much damage, except for the blood loss, but then, I hear a soft thud.

My eyes snap in his direction. Jonah seems to be weak to the sight of blood. The boy has passed out on the ground, face down.

As I haul myself to my feet, I curse every living and dead creature for the luck that I have been having today. Of course, no one but me would have such damn luck - literally.

Although I think about leaving Jonah in the forest, just to teach him a lesson about what can happen to someone when they keep ignoring commands and try to escape the punishments they earn, but I can’t. Thunder rumbles across the sky, the storm is approaching us quickly, and Sage would kill me if she knew I left the little worm here.

I groan, bend down and grab him by the back of his shorts and shirt in my fist.

“Andrei, he is not a bag for you to fling around,” Donnie says disapprovingly as I trudge back toward the house.

I can already hear everyone frantically racing around, securing everything for the storm. Jonah comes back to his senses as I step out of the treeline.

“Weeee!” Jonah squeals, holding his arms out to his sides like a plane.

I chuckle at him, of course, he would think being wedgied and carried like a piece of luggage is fun. I get a few stares as I step between the houses. Jonah is waving at everyone when Malik spots us.

Malik’s mouth falls open and his body tenses. He takes a few seconds to recover from the initial shock, but once he’s back to his usual self, his lips purse with determination, and he marches over to us. “Jonah! I have been looking everywhere for you. Where have you been?”

I place Jonah on the ground, and he scrambles to his feet, looking up at an angry Malik. “I was helping Mr. Andrei,” Jonah beams as he points his finger at me like I’m some animal.

I scoff and Malik's eyes dart to mine nervously. He sighs, rubbing his temples, looking just as over and done with the tiny trouble maker as I am.

Malik opens his mouth to say something, but then closes it and shakes his head. He takes another moment to think before the mask of anger slips back on his face. It looks like he is fighting his own emotions on this one.

Malik groans and points his finger back at the house he shares with the twins without saying a word to him. Jonah hangs his head, looks at his bare feet, and walks to the house.

“And I thought Casen and Vince were a damn handful. That boy,” Malik grumbles and shakes his head. His eyes focus on me. “Any idea when you will put a call out for any family?”

I raise an eyebrow as I cross my arms in front of my chest. As fun as it seems to everyone watching from the sidelines, I am more than ready to get over this mess. We have had enough accidents around here already. “The Alpha meeting, but I will ring Kat and ask if she can send her doctor out to collect blood to see if anything comes up in the blood banks database.” I tell him.

“Yeah, hopefully, he wasn’t born a rogue, or they may not have any records or matches,” Malik sighs as he watches Jonah walk closer to the house. Lightning cracks, streaking across the sky, and the wind picks up.

“Sage?” I ask him.

“Casen took her home. I see you finally marked her.” The look on his face changes completely as Malik grins and nudges me with his elbow.

“Yeah,” I say, unable to contain my happiness. Even my lips tug up.

“So, what happened to your leg?” Malik points his finger at the blood-stained leg and raises an eyebrow at me.

I groan at the reminder of the adventures in the forest and run a hand through my hair. “Jonah happened, it’s fine. He thought he was helping, and it has already healed.” Right as he parts his lips to speak, it starts to rain. I look up at the dark sky, everyone has finished securing everything. “You should head in, Malik. It looks like we are in for it with this storm,” I tell him. He nods, pats my shoulder with his hand and

jogs home.

I head inside myself. I can hear Sage upstairs doing something, but instead of joining her, I head to the kitchen to retrieve my cell phone from the counter where I left it.

Taking it off charge, I dial Kat’s number. I need to ask her some questions about Jonah and the upcoming Alpha meeting that is supposed to happen in two days.

Besides, as much as I hate to admit it, I also want to know when my father is coming back. Hitting call, I listen to the phone ring.