Page 84 of Forever My Siren Luna
The man picked himself up by his bootstraps and built the greatest pirate fleet the seas have ever seen while recovering from his own grief. Pity is something I can not feel for that man. Yes, what his pack and mate went through was tragic and unbelievably horrid, but we all have stories such as his. He wouldn't allow any of us to drown ourselves in pity. I don't see why I should allow him to do it. I'm not going to enable his behavior. Not at the moment.
The bastard told me I was crossing the damned line. Screw his line and his pathetic attempt to put me in my place. I've had enough of it.
Maybe little Joe discovering him at his worst will wake him up a bit.
I am walking towards the stables without much conscious effort.
Horses don’t frustrate me or make me want to pull my own hair out like a certain pirate captain does. I also have very little chance of running into the pirate bastard in here too. There is too much foot traffic and not enough liquor in the stables for that man. No Ela to pine over at the moment either.
Why the hell can he not fucking get his damned act together? Ela had never shown any sign of wanting him. She never led him on in the slightest. She’s a little naive and clueless, but she doesn’t flirt or present herself in a way that would even be able to be misconstrued as being open to anything with him. She isn't open to anyone.
I’ve only ever seen her affected by one man, and that is her mate.
Her mate.
Her very strong, devoted, Alpha mate.
Jack might have stood a chance of getting between them if it was anyone but her mate, but he couldn’t battle affections and fate combined. His opponent was much too strong in this case.
He acts as though it was the end of the world. It's like he didn't have other options. I have made it abundantly clear where my feelings stand, and I thought he was starting to feel the same way.
He’s just a dreamy-eyed idiot, with more muscle than brain.
In the stables, I headed for a mare in the left stall that I had seen Ela riding on occasion. The mare is a sweet girl, with an easy temperament, which is probably why the pack’s alpha assigned the mare to his wife. He lets Ela think she is running things, but on matters that concern her safety, oftentimes I see him and that Delta whispering on the sidelines, secretly setting things in place for my naive friend to be as safe as can be. Ela got a splinter once from grabbing a rough spot on the railing around the sparring field. She simply pulled the splinter out and continued on with her training, but not before the Alpha saw what had happened. The next morning, he was out hours earlier with a group of warriors sanding down every inch of the fence so it wouldn't happen again.
Ela is surrounded by so much affection from her pack and her mate.
Jack, that damned fool. Pathetic, pathetic, pathetic.
“What are you doing in here, lass?” The accented voice of the delta makes me just as he, the Beta and a few other warriors enter the stables.
“Jeez,” I held my hand over my chest to start my racing heart. “Warn a girl before you surprise the life out of her like that.”
Even the horse is jerking its head up and down, startled the same as me.
“That’s what I was trying to do,” he chuckled. “Are you going for a ride? Want me to saddle her up for you,” Delta Cherum nods towards the mare.
I pursued my lips, wishing I could. I don’t think it’s the right time to ask Ela if I can borrow her to fulfill my anxious curiosity about what it would be like to ride one.
“Better not. By the time I get your Luna’s permission to borrow the mare I probably will lose interest,” I shrugged my shoulders, trying to make it seem like I was already losing interest.
“Nonsense,” the Beta waved his hand dismissively at me. “Our Luna wouldn’t care nor tell anyone they needed to ask for her permission to ride a horse.”
“Ela and the Alpha are a bit preoccupied at the moment anyway,” Cherum snorted. “No one will be asking them anything for at least the rest of the day.”
“I bet we won’t see them for 3 days at least,” the Beta chuckled.
“A week,” another warrior suggested, then a few others pipe up, making bets on the matter.
Cherum must notice my confusion so he clarifies, “Ela told the Alpha she was ready to mate.” The redness in his cheeks suggests the big red-haired warrior was shy about his Luna’s possible sex-life.
Good for her. I’m happy at least one good thing came from pathetic Jack’s attempt to throttle their bond. Seems all he really did was push her further into her mate’s arms.
“I’m glad,” I smiled genuinely. The alpha loves Ela. Anyone could see that at first glance. His eyes are only for her. I’m confident that, despite their messed-up past, he can give her the future she deserves.
“We’re all glad,” the Beta huffs like he’s been waiting for this forever himself. “Our Alpha is insufferable without her.”
He and his men had begun the task of saddling up their mounts, which made me wonder what they were doing. Breakfast at their packhouse has yet to even be served but they all look like they are preparing to ride off into battle. Cherum is still dressed in his scant clothing from training, but the rest are in gear with weapons around their waists and supplies in their packs.