Page 104 of His Fated Luna

“We’ll talk about it tomorrow, Rose. It’s been… a long day.”

Rose gave me a look that had me spilling everything.

“Dylan’s an alpha,” I stated.

Rose blinked, like she was trying to understand what that meant.

“Dylan’s an alpha, and his body’s started rejecting being in the pack under me. The land doesn’t accept his scent anymore—it’s driving his wolf wild,” I explained. “When alphas are born, they’re usually first sons. Sometimes a second alpha is born, but they can’t stay in a pack unless their own father is alpha. Otherwise, when they hit eighteen, they end up either challenging the current alpha or renouncing the pack entirely. We’ve contained it for now, but the older he gets… it’ll be impossible to stop his instincts.”

“So you came back for Dylan,” Rose deduced.

“There’s a ritual that might allow him to stay. The territory is marked with my wolf’s scent. And it’s driving his own wolf insane. The land can only carry one scent. But there are myths,legends of two alphas able to reside within the same pack. I spoke with the Council of Elders. It’ll take a lot of research…” I trailed off.

I was unsure about asking for help.

“You know I’d do anything for Dylan,” Rose said steadily. “I’ll get to work in the library.”

I exhaled with relief. Just talking to her about it seemed to ease the weight in my chest.

“Dr. Danvers gave him relaxants, and says it’s manageable for now—he might just be irritable and rebellious for a while” I rubbed my face which was etched with weariness. “If Dad were still alive… we wouldn’t even be having this problem.”

“Does Dylan even want to stay in the pack?” she asked. “Have you asked him?”

“Don’t be silly, Rose. Of course he wants to stay. Where else would he go? Why would he leave us?”

Rose gave me a pointed look. “At the risk of repeating myself—you should ask him. This isn’t about having no other options. It’s about giving him enough respect to include him in decisions about his own life. We might think we know what he wants, but it’s better if he feels like he has some control in a time where everything must feel like it’s slipping away.”

There was a moment of silence as her words sunk in. She was right.

“You can’t keep making decisions for everyone and expect them not to feel demeaned when they weren’t even consulted,” Rose added.

“Including you?”

“Including me,” she replied simply.

I exhaled slowly, the realization clearly dawning on me.

“I’ve been an ass, haven’t I?”

She smiled. “At least you admitted it.”

“Because you made me,” I muttered, a reluctant grin tugging at my lips. Then I stepped closer, crowding into her space, breathing her air. “Are you happy here? Do you want to leave? Do you even want me to mark you after your turn?”

“Why would I want to leave? Why wouldn’t I be happy? You’ve made sure I don’t want for anything,” she replied, and then she added, “But I think we need to talk about the marking. Is it what you want? I don’t want you to do something you don’t want to do.”

My eyes darkened and the next moment, my gaze dropped to her neck, the spot where my mark would go.

“I want to.”

And I was astonished at how deeply I meant it. It wasn’t just about protection anymore. It was about claiming her, keeping her by my side forever. And keeping her far, far away from Jake.

“It’s not reversible, Aiden. It’s not... you wouldn’t be able to be with Lexia... well, unless…” She trailed off with a shrug.

“Rose, I’d really appreciate it if you stopped bringing her up at every turn,” I grunted. “It’s getting annoying as hell. That chapter in my life has been closed for a while.”

She was quiet and I hoped she understood what I was too chicken to say out loud.

Rose's POV