Under a Paper Moon

“So they gave you my name,” I told him as he let me go. I rubbed my throat, feeling the burn scars. I looked over at him as he sat down on my bed. He removed the hood and scarf that shrouded his face.

“Please just explain what’s happening to me,” he begged, “I can’t get you off my mind since I locked eyes with you the other night. I need to know.”

“I have no idea what happened,” I told him, “But you need to leave. My brothers will kill you for being here.”

“We’ll speak again another time,” he promised before leaving my room.

I went back to my packing and finished. Michael and Kyle came in and got my stuff out to Michael’s truck. Once everything was loaded, I got into the cab of the truck and Michael took me to Jack’s mansion outside town.

Thus began the worst thing to every happen to me in my life. I was not going to be happy while I was forced to be the bitch to the alpha wolf, the prince of the pack.
---
Miranda didn’t help me understand why I couldn’t stop thinking about her. Maybe I’m just thinking about her so much because I actually noticed her at the bar for a change. With this assignment, I had to keep my head clear. She’s a werewolf, my natural enemy. I needed to stop being soft to her.

“So I heard you got a recon assignment,” Rian, a fellow hunter commented as he and I sipped on beers by my pool as our girlfriends lounged in the pool, chatting about whatever it was girls talked about.

“I did,” I replied, “I have to spy on the local pack’s alpha and his new mate.”

“Sounds boring,” he sighed, “At least you’ll get us information to keep the wolves in check. So do you have an informant yet?”

“Yeah,” I replied, “I got one.”

“Who,” he really wanted to know.

“The alpha’s future bride,” I told him, “She works at the bar I play at.”

“Damn,” he took a sip of his beer, “You know that you may have to kill her, right?”

“I hope not to,” I told him, “I have a feeling she doesn’t want to marry him.”
---
Jack had me move into my own room with in his mansion. He had me in a different wing of his house. He wanted to give me a private place that I wouldn’t have to see him constantly. He wanted me to be comfortable. Even when I wasn’t comfortable with an arranged marriage.

I got lucky with my room, though. I had a balcony that looked out to the woods. There was ivy climbing the side of the building that looked sturdy enough for someone to climb up to my balcony.

For my room itself, it was all shades of grey. The carpet was a light grey, almost off white. The walls were a dark grey with white pinstripes along with white molding along the floor and ceiling. The bedding matched with a dark grey duvet, light grey flat sheet and pillows, and a white fitted sheet.

As I was hanging up my last dress, I felt a presence behind me. I turned around to find Jack holding a garment bag in his hand. He was dressed in a button down shirt with the collar open, black skinny jeans, and his black dress shoes. His hair was styled in its usual manner and his scruff was trimmed.

“What’s that,” I asked him.

“Your gown for this evening,” he replied, “We’re having the hunter council over to announce our engagement. We are not at open war with them yet, so we must be civil and hold dinners for them when important news occurs within the noble ranks of the pack. As is tradition.”

“Very well,” I took the dress from him, “Do you need me to do anything special to my hair?”

“No,” he replied simply, “Just have it nice and presentable.”
---
“Alex,” I looked up from my desk at the hunter’s library, hunched over some records on the packs in the area, to find Henry standing over me, “You’re needed tonight. Dress in a nice suit.”

“What for,” I asked him.

“The council is to attend the engagement dinner of the alpha of the pack,” he replied, “We’ll need some hunters to tag along for security. The wolves may attempt to start an open war with us again.”

“And you’re picking me since I’m to spy on the alpha and his bride anyway,” I added, “I’ll be there, but I want to obscure my face.”

“That’s why you’ll be allowed your cloak over your suit when you work security,” he replied, “Now be ready to escort the council.”
---
I was dressed and ready for the arrival of our guests. Jack had me on his arm as we waited at the top of his grand staircase. The guests would walk in and wait in the entry hall, and once everyone had arrived, we would be announced and allowed down the stairs to lead everyone to the dining room.

“Now as we’re eating,” Jack whispered in my ear, “I am going to be having our guests ambushed. There are wolves, turned and ready to strike. I know the hunters have their field agents with them as escorts.”

“You’re going to start a war,” I told him, “You’re endangering the pack.”

“That’s where you’re wrong,” he growled as he nearly crushed my arm, “I got the other packs to merge with ours. Now all the packs of Maryland are in our pack. We’ll be even more powerful than the hunters in the area.”

I was worried for the hunter that had confronted me. He was spying on us, using me for information. Hopefully during this dinner, I could find a way to send him word of what was going to happen. I didn’t want a war to break out. It’s much harder to keep our presence contained when a war breaks out.

Notes