After updating everyone about the whereabouts of Lucifer and his followers, Nathan begins setting down boundaries for Katia and her sister. Her father was in complete agreement and told Selene she could not visit if she was not willing to listen to her brother-in-law and follow the rules.
This brought about the question of why does the grandfather not attack the girls in the other realm? Hyperion clucked, “Uranus is not man enough to go after my girls with me close by. He knows I will finish him off and have no problem doing it.”
Doc said, “Well, that explains that.” Then he sat whispering with his new mate, Coral. After a few minutes, Doc asked, “So Alpha, how long do you think your Luna is going to follow the rules and stay cooped up within the pack house?”
Nathan looked at him exasperated, “She will do as I ask. She understands that I am trying to keep her safe, along with her sister when she is visiting.” Nathan heard snickering behind him and spun to see Kane standing there. “You have something to say?”
Kane continued chuckling, “Nope, you will find out.”
Nathan dismissed them all to go about their assignments of making sure the pack was ready for a fight if needed, and he went to make some calls to other packs. He wanted to make sure he had reinforcements if needed. He knew Lorn would be here in another few weeks for the Yule celebration like he promised Katia. She was very adamant about Lorn coming for the celebration and meeting her family. Nathan thought it was odd his little mate was so excited over another Alpha meeting her family. Especially since he was the one that rejected her, but as long as she was happy, that was all that mattered to Nathan.
His Luna followed the rules for exactly two days. That was it. He caught her sneaking away several times now. Nathan had to post warriors just to watch for their Luna and bring her back to the house.
Right now, she was upstairs reading to some of the children in their bedroom. He was trying to get some work done in his office while she was occupied. Nathan had bribed the children to stay with her and to do whatever she wanted to do. The children and she could find all kinds of mischief inside the pack house. They usually play a huge game of hide and seek with all the places there are to hide in here.
Mark, Chip, Kelp, and he were taking a break from going over different strategies of defense. Mark asked, “How is the task of keeping your mate safe going?”
Nathan grimaced, “Just great! I am going to write a book when this is over. I call it How to Keep your Luna Safe.”
Mark snorted, “Oh Yeah. What’s the answer?”
Nathan answered with a growl, “Lock her in a windowless room and throw away the key.”
The other men laughed. Kelp said, “Come on Nathan, look at it from her point. She just found true freedom and what it is like to live without fearing torture or punishment, and now you are curtailing that freedom.”
“I am trying to keep her safe, Kelp! Her crazy grandfather wants to kill her because of something her father did years ago. Which is the most cowardly thing I have ever heard.” Nathan yelled.
Kelp narrowed his eyes at him and said quietly, “I understand Alpha. Her safety is the most important thing to all of us. We need her as much as you do. She is our Alpha Luna and without her, we are lost. Her light and goodness make us want to be the best wolves we can be. I am afraid of what we would be without her.”
Nathan apologized for losing his temper, “Sorry Kelp, the woman is driving me….” He cut off as he stared out the big window behind the other men. Turning, the others noticed two of the older children squatting down, duck walking past the window. As they past, another two came duck walking past, then another two as soon as those two went past. Finally, the last two children to duck walk past looked to be an older one with his teenaged sibling. Nathan’s eyes blanked as he was linking with someone and then refocused.
He jumped up saying, “I am going to kill her myself. The grandfather can get in line.” Just as they all made it outside, the children they had seen ducking under the window and going past had made it to the tree line. They all took off running without looking back. Their laughter could be heard floating back to the men on the wind.
Doc put his hand on Nathan’s arm, “Alpha, be careful how you handle this situation. She has lived through a lot of trauma, and you do not want her to regress. You do not want to trigger an emotional response that could set her back.”
Nathan was furious that she had put the children up to help her sneak out, “Doc. She must learn a lesson. She needs to understand how much danger she is in. I cannot keep her safe if she does not listen and follow the rules.”
“All I am saying is think before you act Alpha. Calm down first. You have warriors watching her and the children will be safe for a few minutes while you calm down.” Doc told him.
Nathan motioned for the others to follow him and gathered warriors along the way. As they entered the forest, he ordered them into stealth mode. They were hunting like their wolves would but in human form. Doc warned Nathan, “This is not going to end well. Nathan, stop now!”
Nathan ignored him and kept slinking forward. The children and the Luna could be heard right in front of them laughing while playing some game. Nathan put his finger to his lips hushing all of them. He linked, “if one of you does not do as ordered, then you will be punished. It is time your luna learns who oversees her safety and I mean what I say.”
Kelp glanced at Kane and linked, “Kane do something. This is not right. He is going to scare her and the children.”
Kane returned with, “He is not going to listen right now. She had pushed him too far. Even though we do understand, as her gammas. He does not. He may think he knows what is best for her, but he must learn for himself that a goddess who has been traumatized does not heal like a wolf would. It takes longer because they do not understand this world they created.”
“But Kane, this is going to destroy her. I can feel it.” Kelp replied.
Kane said quietly, “Me too.”
At that moment, Nathan and the warriors jumped out of the trees, grabbing the children. Nathan grabbed Katia. She wrestled and fought until she realized it was Nathan. She stopped looking up at him with those big purple eyes. “What mate? Do you think that I will not hurt you? Because I am your mate, and you know me I will not hurt you, so you stop fighting me?” He asked her.
She just stood there staring at him. He continued, “Your grandfather knows you. He is your family. Do you think he would let you go if you did not continue to fight? Do you think you could fight him off?”
Katia tried to step backwards away from him, and he tightened his grip on her. “Tell me, little one, what would you do to help those innocent children you enticed into helping you escape?” She started struggling again. She feared him now.
“Show me Katia. Show me how you would fight off your grandfather or, better yet, one of his men that was trying to rape you.” Nathan yelled at her. “What would you do if one of them tried to rape one of those children. What would you do if they killed those children? It would be your fault. You would be the reason I would have to go to their parents and break the news that their child would never come home again. You are their Alpha Luna or whatever the fuck they all call you.”
Doc stepped up and screamed, “Nathan enough!”
Staring into Katia’s eyes as tears ran down her face, Nathan said, “No, it will be enough when she realizes the danger, she has put them all in. The rest of you take the children home and return to the pack house. We will follow shortly.”
Kane finally said, “Nathan, please, you do not want to do this. You really don’t.”
“Kane, cousin to the moon goddess or not, I suggest you do as I ordered. Do not make me Alpha command you all.” Nathan said furiously. Why could they not see this was for her own good?
They left and Nathan was still staring into her watery eyes. “What are you going to do, mate? Come on, fight me off. You obviously think you are stronger than whoever would attack, and you do not need to be kept safe.”
She just stood there. She was completely still and quiet. She was not linking him. She was not trying to speak to him. She just stood and stared. He realized then that she was not looking at him. She was looking past him at something in the distance. Nathan became even mor furious and reached down, tearing her leggings with a claw. He then reached between her legs, stroking her.
“Stop me mate. I am one of the people that want you dead or think you deserve to be beaten, tortured, and raped. So, stop me.” He taunted her.
She still did not respond. He could see her wolf flashing in and out of her eyes. They were going from purple to white constantly. Kalen spoke up, “Nathan, I suggest you stop. The consequences are not worth it.”
“What would you have me do, Kalen?” Nathan asked. “Katia and Aza have to learn.”
“Nathan, I am telling you to stop. Aza is telling me you will not like the outcome, and you will have no one to blame but yourself.” Kalen told him.
“Duly noted. She will learn to listen before we return to the others,” Nathan reiterated. He reached his hand up, grabbing at her breast and squeezing hard. He noticed Katia left out a small cry of terror and regained her composure. She immediately returned to her nonresponsive self. He pushed her further, “What would you do if I just took your body without asking? No pleasure for you at all. Showed you what rape was like, and he was acting as if he was going to truly show her. He was going through the motions of taking her against her will in the middle of the forest.
“Look at me Katia.” He ordered her. No response. Just her eyes flashing with her wolf and returning to normal. Nathan held her against a tree and unzipped his pants. He noticed her watching as he acted like he was going to free himself from his jeans. He looked at her face and realized he had gone too far. Her wolf was in control, and before he knew what happened she shifted. The next thing he knew, he was furiously mauled by her small wolf and flying across the little opening into a tree across the way. Damn, her wolf was fast and fierce. Hitting the tree, he was knocked unconscious.
When he came to, Nathan did not know how long he had been out. He looked around, remembering what he had done. Goddess, what had he done? He looked for Katia. Calling her name, he did not get an answer. She was gone. Shifting into his wolf, he ran for the pack house. He ran past everyone staring at him and up to their room. She wasn’t there. He went back downstairs and searched. Where is she? What have I done?
Finally, Kane took pity on his Alpha and said, “Nathan, Katia is gone. She said she never wants to see you again. You are no better than the others.”