I woke with an ache in my spine. It was familiar, and even more unwelcoming.

Frowning, I forced myself up onto my elbows to peer around the bedroom. Asra was gone, as always, the space beside me long since warm. I inhaled sharply as I forced myself to sit, a sharp pain stinging down my spine. My elbows fell to my knees, hands running through the mess of my hair.

Like a well-rehearsed choreographed movement, I slid myself from the mattress and ambled into the en-suite. My hands met the porcelain of the sink as I peered at the sorry-state of my morning face. Deep bags had formed under my eyes, as though I hadn't slept very well. I frowned, moving to tackle the wildness of my sunrise do. The brush snagged with every strand and it took me longer than normal.

What was I doing last night?

I don't remember an ounce of a dream or disturbance. As far as I was aware, I slept fine. So why did I look so unruly?

Did I sleepwalk?

Did a wolf maul me in my slumber?

Shrugging, I prepared myself for the sunny day ahead. I was starting to hate August outside of the mountains. I loved the weather in Evermore, and despite the thinness of the air, it was a manageable heat. So why was it so damn humid down here?

Did Asra have some deal with a sun god?

Slumping into the elevator, I caught sight of my face again. It looked better. The make up I had pampered on my eyes and cheeks had given the illusion of a decent sleep. The redness of my eyeballs had gone, caressed with a brown mascara. I found too much darkness around my face made me look like a weird-ass demon. My pale skin did not suit dark eye makeup.

The death box rattled slightly, and my eyes widened with fright. White-knuckling the railing, I charged out of those doors the moment they opened. Only to crash right into a person.

They caught my wonderfully clumsy self, their arms wrapping around my elbows as I clung to their biceps. Blinking up, I found Caleb. He lazily grinned at me, making sure I was steady.

"You alright, Luna? Looked like you've seen a ghost." Caleb mused.

"I'm fine," I breathed.

I grinned innocently, slowly forcing myself upright despite how much my back ached. His eyebrows furrowed slightly, and he didn't let go until he was certain I could hold myself.

"Are you certain of that?" He wondered.

"Yeah, why?" I cocked my head.

"I didn't miss the way you moved like a robot," He quirked a brow. "Everything okay?"

I swallowed, looking away from him. "I'm fine. I think I just slept funny."

He hummed, lips pursing as he looked down at me. I knew he was unsure, but I also knew he would have no other evidence. Asra wouldn't hurt me, obviously, so Caleb had no choice but to take what I said as the truth.

As if a lightbulb turned on in my head, a realisation dawned on me.

"I fought with Mya yesterday! I think it's just aches," I shrugged.

His eyes widened. "That is most likely it. Did you cool down?"

"Is the sky blue?" I rolled my eyes. "It was a long workout. I just ache."

"Did you bathe?"

"I showered, yes." I nodded.

He hummed again. "You should take some medication; Eliza has plenty."

I laughed, shaking my head. "I'm fine. It's fine, okay?"

Frowning, he eyed me. "Okay..."

I grinned innocently and sidestepped him. "Going now!"

I was aware of his eyes on my back as I scurried away, my back taught in my hurry. It was a little after eight, which was usually the busiest time for the dining halls. I didn't care, as long as I avoided Caleb's scrutiny. He would just blab to Asra, and then Asra would turn into a sniffer hound.

Entering the room, it was as I expected. I cringed at the hoards of people around the breakfast buffet. It was Saturday; Piper's favourite breakfast day. My lips quirked at the reminder of my friend, and I tried to remind myself to speak to her later on the phone.

A small greeting of 'Morning, Luna' met my ears as I stepped toward the buffet and grabbed a plate. I blushed softly, greeting them back politely. A few of them even forced me ahead of them, telling me to go first. I, of course, told them it was fine, but they insisted.

What else did you do when someone gestured you to go first?

Say yes and jump at the chance?

Awkwardly, I served myself, aware of a few eyes falling onto me as I helped myself to eggs. I was becoming more aware of my duties as the luna as the weeks went on, studying the books and texts of past leaders. One of those things was having an heir. Little did they know that wasn't happening anytime soon.

Why should I bring life into the world when I was so unprepared for it myself?

The small reminders of my naivety and lack of experience made my reservations about motherhood more cemented.

"Morning, Luna!"

I looked up at the chirpy voice, frowning at the overly cheerful morning face of Mya. She grinned lazily at me, a plate of food in her grip.

"Hello."

"Feeling fresh this morning?" She wondered.

"I'm fine, thanks." I smirked. "How's the loss settled?"

She scowled at me, sticking her tongue out. "I am fine."

"Just a bruised ego, right?" I grinned.

She scoffed. "Being cocky is bad for karma."

I laughed, grabbing a carton of juice as I passed her. "Who said I was being cocky? I was just asking questions."

I heard her follow, and soon after I sat down, her plate clattered onto the table opposite me. She was still frowning at me as she took a seat, crossing her arms in front of her plate.

"Why the make-up?"

"I fancied it," I scowled back. "Why the long face?"

Mya rolled her eyes. It was all it took for the tense teasing to diminish into idle chatter. Nobody else disturbed us as we ate and my back relaxed the more I realised she would not pester me with questions anymore. When I finished, I started the conversation again.

"Have you seen Eliza lately?" I wondered. "I saw Caleb this morning, and no Eliza."

"I saw her last night in the kitchen," Mya shrugged. "Cravings I guess."

At least someone was having a baby. Maybe it would be a great distraction from me.

So I laughed, leaning back in my chair. "What did she get?"

"It was dark, but I think it was just a bowl of ice."

"No food?" I wondered. "That's surprising of a pregnant person."

Mya snorted. "I'm just glad I won't ever have to go through with all of it."

"Why not? You could still have a child." I pointed out.

"First, I don't want one. Second, if I ever found a partner, they can have it." She smirked. "Simple."

Rolling my eyes, I tidied up my side of the table. "Yes, makes complete sense."

She grinned despite my teasing tone and stood from her chair. I was half-way standing when she did so and glanced down at her clutter with a frown.

"Take it away," I tutted.

Mya dramatically made a show of grabbing her plate and coffee cup. I snickered as she took it with her to the kitchen and disposed of it into a dishwasher.

"Making me do chores," she muttered.

I laughed. "It's one plate compared to however many they have to tidy up."

Mya dismissed me with a roll of her eyes, smacking my ass as she parted ways with me. I scowled at her retreating form, glancing at the clock. I still had two hours until work, and I was unsure what I was supposed to do.

Since it was still only morning, the air wasn't too hot. Asra had air conditioning inside, but for now, outside would be nice and warm. Not too hot just yet. Maybe I could go for a walk? No, that wouldn't pass brain time enough...

I would go for a jog. I was already wearing cycling shorts and a t-shirt, so I would just have to hope the soft bra I wore was supportive enough.

Leaving the pack house, I let my legs lead the way. Time passed gently as I ran through the garden and into the trees. It was warm; the sun peeking through the cracks of the full shrubbery and treetops. The dirt was dry, and the sound of birds squawking their warning was a pleasant change. Whenever I was with Asra, they didn't make a sound.

It wasn't long before I neared the training grounds. During the summer, training started earlier to fight the early afternoon heat, and it was barely ten o'clock. I could hear the growling of wolves and the thundering of paws. That meant they were in furs today, and I braced myself for what I was going to witness.

I could see their large furry forms in the distance, my faster pace turning the blurs quickly into shapes. The Cardinal pack had a lot of dark furred wolves. The ones that came from far away were obvious by their lighter coats.

I spotted Caleb in wolf form, his dark brown wolf prancing around Everett's mahogany brown. I never noticed how colourful Everett's was in the direct sunlight, but it definitely had a hint of red. His socks, as always, were a dark brown colour, much like Arabella remembered.

The thought of my sister had my mind reeling. I wanted to see her.

I'll visit her after this. She's probably in the library. She's taken it upon herself to study wolf history to pass time.

Rio's wolf swirled past them all, charging through the hoards of wolves. His wolf was impressive, the lighter brown reminding me of autumn leaves. His muscles bunched as he ran, paws swiping out to trip the other wolves up.

I did not know what they were doing, and slowed my run to a walk as I approached.

Something drew my attention away from the mass hysteria, and I locked eyes with my mate. I had to suck in a sharp breath. The immediate effect of Asra's bare skin always did something to me. I may be on birth control now, but that didn't mean my inherent need to climb him like a tree didn't go away.

Asra crossed his arms at his chest, muscles tight and firm. His tattoos swirled across his biceps, wrapping around his pecks and dipping into his v-line below. His sweat shorts hung low, showing off the band of his boxers hidden beneath. He was barefoot too, covered with mud and grass.

Asra locked eyes with me, holding my gaze as I neared. He stood on the other side of the commotion and I stopped at the circle painted on the ground. It was just chalk paint, and I kicked it to make sure I would not interrupt any weird voodoo-magic.

The grass yielded to my will before returning to its original state, like it had never been disturbed.

Grass doesn't get the recognition it deserves sometimes. It truly was some hardy shit.

Looking up at Asra, I found him smirking at me. I narrowed my eyes at his cockiness, watching as he gestured for me to walk around the entire of the circle. It wasn't a small circle, and he expected me to go the long way round, to give in. It had to be at least half a football pitch wide, and by the smugness on my mate's face, he thought he had me trapped.

I knew that if I crossed this line; I was willingly inviting myself into the dominance pact. They forced the caught-out wolves to sit on the sidelines, huffing and whining as others got to play.

It surprised me to find Caleb trot over to me, his head bowed low as he approached. I raised my hand to greet him, finding his beast rather cute looking. His fur was a lot thicker than I expected, something I got to experience when he forced his snout into my hand. Caleb and I were becoming what I could consider friends. The conversations we exchanged had picked up in quantity the past month.

Scratching the top of his head, he soon plopped down onto his haunches beside me.

"Out already?" I teased.

He huffed, glancing at me from the corner of his grey eyes. It barely lasted a second, his gaze so sharp as he studied the wolves before us.

"If I step over that line, do I have to join in?"

His tongue darted out to lick his nose, before he dipped his head with a yes. I hummed, following his gaze back to the craziness. Asra once again caught my attention, the man having moved, so he was directly opposite me. He narrowed his eyes with what looked like agitation, and I grinned lazily when I realised it was because I still had my hand in Caleb's fur.

I couldn't help it, he was so fluffy!

Caleb even whined when I withdrew my hand and I laughed softly.

"If I go round, it's going to take forever." I commented.

He snorted a wolfish laugh.

"If I enter..." I drifted off, smirking.

If I enter, I will win so many gold stars. I could wipe that cocky grin right off of Asra's face. However, would I be their leader in that mass? Or just another wolf to knock to the floor?

That's what it appeared they were doing. Whoever got caught by the throat with teeth for three seconds, or pushed over the line, was out.

My mate raised an arm and pointed for me to walk around the circle. I cocked my head, mocking a confused frown. I could feel him try to enter my mind; the faint nudging of communication I recognised as his.

I enjoyed playing dumb. It riled him up so badly.

"Well, guess I'm playing too!" I cheered.

I felt the brief graze of Caleb's teeth on my shirt as I moved. He made a strange whine-squeak sound, but I already side-stepped him and stepped into the circle. Asra's eyes dropped into a glare, but I didn't have time to react as the wind gushing around me forced me to take a leap to the side when a wolf barrelled past.

Boy, these dogs were fast.

And big.

I felt like a thorn in a pile of sticks.

Small with pointy edges.

But also, being a thorn had its advantages.

I could hide and wait for my next victim.

Mwa-ha-ha!

No, too evil.

Just cross the damn circle, Ailia.

*********

would you cross the circle or would you go round?