Page 36

After their kiss, Nathan and Paige sat together on the bench.

They talked comfortably and sat in silence comfortably.

The listened to the rest of his playlist which he had titled 'Moon Songs: Songs to dance to under the light of the moon'.

She saw the title and the list of songs which were almost all 1940's and 50's pop/jazz songs.

Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, Etta James, even Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald.

"Were you born a senior citizen? Or did you just come across this playlist and thought yeah that's good?" She teased him.

"I'll have you know that these are all classics and good music has no age limit. And also that I specifically curated this playlist just for tonight. These songs just all happened to fit the vibe I was going for."

"That's cute." She stretched up and pecked a kiss on his cheek and his heart flipped as she did. "Wait, does that mean you came up with that oddly specific playlist title too?"

"Oddly specific?" He looked down at her with a questioning smirk, daring her to comment further on it. She just laughed at him and he couldn't help but laugh along.

He took her home, walked her to her front door and stole a kiss, just like he said he would.

Paige handed back his coat, which he had given her to keep warm and went inside. He was walking back to his car when he heard a door open and close. He turned expecting to see Paige and was surprised to see her father, coming from the side door.

He hurried out to where Nathan was standing, "Alpha, I'd like to apologize for my daughter." Nathan kept his face passive, though confusion swept through him. "The way she has been conducting herself since she's arrived. It's inappropriate and I apologize. I'll have her on the next flight to London and you won't have to worry about her again."

Nathan rankled at his insinuation. "I see," he said, trying to keep his tone neutral. "And what exactly about her conduct has been inappropriate?"

"All her interactions since meeting you. She been disrespectful and insubordinate and I know she's been throwing herself at you. I just hope that when she leaves you don't let her behavior affect your regard for the rest of my family."

Nathan was shocked at the man's words, they were laced with distain for Paige. He had really been hoping that she was wrong. That her perception of her father was simply clouded by her past experiences with him and that he was actually the good member of the pack he appeared to be. Nathan tried to find a way to be diplomatic, to be the calm, cool, collected Alpha that he wanted to be. He had never wanted to be an Alpha that would react poorly to every slight against him. But this man before him was speaking ill of his mate. Malcolm was calling for his blood. He had to remind both Malcom and himself that this was Paige's father after all.

She may not love the man but his death would still cause her and her family pain.

When he spoke he struggled to keep the venom out of his voice.

"Do you really think so little of your own flesh and blood?"

"Sir?" He seemed taken aback. Like he truly expected Nathan to agree with him, even though he had just brought Paige home from a date. It wasn't like Nathan would go on a date if he didn't want to. He hadn't been on any dates in the last few years.

"Paige is one of the most incredible people I have ever met." He struggled to keep his tone even.

"Of course sir," he said it like he didn't really believe it and just wanted to pacify his Alpha. It became clear that's exactly what he was doing when he continued on, "But she's human. It's inappropriate for her to pursue you. She can never be Luna. You and the pack need a good she-wolf to help lead the pack."

Malcolm was raging in his head.

He wanted to tear this wolfs head off for speaking so disrespectfully about his mate.

The fact that he still used the term she-wolf was astounding to him.

Such a misogynistic phrase has all but been discarded by most packs.

Only those stuck in the old ways, too convinced of their own self importance ever used the term.

Nathan was barely keeping it together.

It was only the memory of her pressed against him, of the taste of her lips, and her own regard for her father that was keeping him from giving into his wolf.

He spoke in a low voice, slowly and carefully, barely keeping it together.

His tone was laced with danger.

"Who I choose to be my Luna is my decision and my decision only. How I spend my time and who I spend it with is my decision and my decision only." He spoke slowly, being sure that the wolf in front of him understood not only his words but his meaning.

Nathan may be a more lenient alpha but that doesn't mean that his pack members get to question him like this. Especially a pack member that he has no relationship with.

"Of course Alpha. I only meant-"

"To tell me who I should be spending my time with? To tell me who I should chose as Luna? To try and improve your own standing by putting down your own blood?"

"Sir!" Her father had a mix of shock and outrage on his face.

But there was also fear, Nathan's Alpha presence was seeping out. He kept it contained most of the time, preferring to have his pack follow him out of respect rather than fear. Using the Alpha's presence left no room to question, no room to do anything other than what the Alpha said.

It was scary to have your autonomy taken away like that.

Most werewolves accept this as part of living in a pack, but that didn't mean Nathan had to like it, or use it.

"There will come a time, when you will see your daughter for the incredible individual that she is and you will regret those words as you regret her birth. I hope for your sake it is sooner rather than later. That way you can mend some of the bridges you have burned here tonight."

Nathan didn't give the wolf room to say anything else, his presence keeping him silent and immobile until he got in his car and drove off. He sped out of town, he needed to shift and expend some of his energy. If he didn't, he'd go back and tear her fathers head off.

He drove out little ways and pulled off the highway.

Getting out of the car he stripped and shifted into his wolf.

He let Malcolm take over as he ran into the woods.

Malcolm would run off all this pent up aggression.

He let himself go to the pounding of his paws on the earth, to the feel of the night air in his fur, to the feel of the moon on his face. He just let go.

The false dawn was showing the transient early morning light when he arrived back at the packhouse.

He walked into the residence part of the pack house and headed up to the officers suites.

The residential section of the pack house was much like a dorm, with individual bedrooms and communal living spaces and kitchens.

It was mostly inhabited by unmated wolves who no longer wanted to live with their parents and warriors stationed in the main pack town.

The size of Moon Wind Pack was so great that they had towns all over their pack lands.

The majority of the warrior force was stationed here.

Once you were mated you were given a place in an apartment building in town.

Houses were for families and usually had multiple generations living in it, although there weren't many multi-generational homes left these days.

Pack officers had suites in the pack house for their private use.

There were three total, but with neither Nathan or Patrick being mated and Allen's mate being sick and them living on their own, Patrick and Allen just shared the one. The suites were really more like apartments. A couple of bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen, bathrooms etc. Patrick was standing in the kitchen when he walked in.

"Well, well, well. Look who's doing the 5AM walk of shame. Have a good night?" Patrick wiggled his eyebrows at him. Nathan shot him a glare. He was still upset about Paige's father.

"It's not what you think." He said as he took off his shoes.

"I don't think anything. I only know that you had a date last night. A date with your mate who you also have happened to be madly in love with for the last five years, and now you're walking in here at 5AM smelling like the forest. You could have just brought her here, dude. I would have cleared out."

"I dropped Paige off at midnight last night."

"Then why?"

"After we said good night her dad came out and said some fucked up shit." He kicked off his shoes and walked into the kitchen.

"About her?"

"Yeah, about her not being good enough to be Luna, and the inappropriateness of our relationship. I was so angry I had to go run so I wouldn't rip his head off."

"So you've spent the last five hours running? And not in the arms of your mate? Damn dude did you sleep at all?"

"Maybe an hour or so. I think Malcolm laid down for a while at some point." He yawned and reached into the cupboard, he was going to grab a mug for coffee but changed his mind when Patrick offered to handle the morning and grabbed a glass of water instead.

After showering he laid down in bed and tried to fall asleep.

The sweet memories of his evening with Paige kept getting interrupted by memories of her father and he got angry all over again.

He got up and grabbed the coat he had worn the night before.

It still had her scent on it.

He let that calm him and lull him to sleep.

When he dreamed it was of Paige and he slept with a smile on his face.