Dead Luna
Chapter 74

Jackson's

POV

Amy, as usual, is singing in the car along to the radio. I have no idea how she seems to know the words to every song, but she always does. Normally I enjoy listening to her sing, but right now it's actually grating on my nerves just a bit.

I close my eyes, and think about that kiss from earlier today. At the time it had felt almost magical, and then when she unexpectedly deepened the kiss I could almost imagine she was kissing me because she really wanted to. It was like being in heaven! But thinking about it hours later, I know in my heart that she didn't enjoy that kiss in the same way that I did. Which is disappointing to say the least, and kind of changes how I feel about it now.

Amy said she thought I'd like my mate. Who knows, maybe I will? But she won't ever be Amy, and I hope my mate will understand that.

Sky is getting very restless the closer we get to Bull Run. Can't you get Glen to drive any faster? He drives like an old man! Come on, you slowpoke human, pedal to the metal!

"What's going on with you?" I ask him, starting to feel a bit restless myself. I'm itching to shift and run the rest of the way, the only thing stopping me is that I realize that I don't want to show up naked to a pack of unknown wolves.

Amy must have noticed that I was having trouble sitting still, and asked if I was alright.

"Sky is making me feel restless. He wants to go for a run as soon as we get there," I say, and then I see Amy and Glen give each other a knowing look. What do they know that I don't? I refuse to ask, though.

And then we finally get there, Sky pacing back and forth in my head like a caged beast. Glen rolls down the window and gives the guards our credentials. The time it takes for them to verify our identities and wave us through seems to drag on forever!

Glen drives slowly through the pack territory, on purpose I believe, looking for the best place to park. Sky actually starts growling with impatience, wanting to rip out of me right there in the backseat of the car as Glen is finally parking and turning off the car. I'm practically ripping the seatbelt off me, and hopping out of the car immediately as Sky is going crazy and sniffing at the air looking for something elusive that feels just out of reach.

"Jackson," Glen starts to say something, but I cut him off. I have zero patience left in me to deal with whatever he was going to say.

"What?" I snap at him, "I'm busy!"

Glen pats my shoulder in a friendly manner, confusing me. "Good luck, son."

Ok, I pause. I was not expecting that. Both Glen and Amy laugh at the confused look on my face.

"I think what you're looking for is that way," Amy says, pointing towards some huge tents that are in the process of being raised to host the mating ball that starts tomorrow.

That is all Sky needs to shift, ripping straight thru my clothes, and running towards the tents at top speed. He seems to know exactly what he wants, so I just let him go for it. It felt so good just to be out of that car, that I didn't really care what Sky was doing. Once he reached the tents, he started sniffing around, like he was on some sort of mission to find something. "What are we looking for?" "Im not exactly sure, but I'll know it when I find it."

While sniffing around the tent stakes, we finally come across the smell I think we are looking for, but it's very faint. We move on to the next stake, and it smells a little stronger. Like coffee, hazelnut, and... chocolate, maybe? The next stake smells even stronger, but the next one I don't smell anything that I'm interested in. We double back, and find the smell is heading off in the direction of another huge tent that is still in the process of being set up. There are several wolves working on it, and I see one that is busy pounding some stakes into the ground.

She stands up to move on to the next stake, and I notice immediately how tall and statuesque she is, with wide shoulders, a trim waist, perky little breasts, and muscular arms and legs on display since she wore very little clothing in the heat of the late afternoon in August. She is built like a warrior woman! Her long dark hair is in a loose braid that reaches down to the middle of her back, her light brown skin glistening from sweat. I see the she wolf look my way with her chocolate brown eyes, and she seems to recognize me, although I've never met her in my life.

She takes a hesitant step in my direction, then looks back at the half raised tent, and then looks back at me again. I slowly walk closer to her until I am absolutely certain those amazing scents are coming from her.

Mate!

"Mate?" She asks me with such a musical voice, I'm sure she must be an angel! Then she is touching my fur, and Sky licks her face which makes her laugh. "You have the most amazing eyes, wolf! They remind me of the sky on a clear afternoon." If Sky wasn't completely covered with fur, she might have seen us blush at that praise. I think she likes me!

"I'm Danika Lopez, by the way." She tells me. What a beautiful name, we agree!

"Hey, Jackson!" Glen calls out, and I growl in frustration. Can't he see that I'm spending time with my mate? I turn and look at the old buffoon, ready to bite him for interrupting us, but I see he is holding out a pair of shorts to me. "Amelia thought you might appreciate this."

Ok, maybe Glen isn't such a bad guy, after all.

"Amelia?" Danika questions, sounding rather jealous suddenly as she takes the shorts from Glen. Then she looks at me rather sternly. "Who is Amelia?"

Oh, boy, I'm in trouble! Maybe I should slink away and forget all about ever having a mate?

"No worries! Jackson here is Amelia's Gamma. She's like a little sister to him!" Glen says, smoothing things over far better than I ever could have done. "Well, I need to get back. King Alexander has just arrived. It was nice meeting you!" "Oh my goddess, I'm mated to a Gamma!" Danika squeals happily, and turns back to me. "I've always dreamed of having a Gamma for a mate. I feel like they have a better idea of what a woman really wants, and are more in touch with their feminine side than your average werewolf. Come on, let's go get to know each other better!"

I look at the shorts in her hand. She smirks as she informs me I won't be needing these for a while. Then she is leading me to her room, pointing out the major sights along the way, and stopping by the kitchen of the warrior barracks to grab some snacks. She whispers in my ear, "So we don't have to leave my room for a while."

Beautiful, strong, and smart! I love this woman!

As soon as we are headed out of the kitchen, we run into the Bull Run Delta, Malcom.

"I thought you were helping with the tents?" The Delta mentions. "Who is your friend?"

Danika mentions the details of our meeting and gets permission to spend the rest of the day with me. She will be required to help tomorrow with the festivities.

We enter her room at last, and the door closes. Danika sits on her bed, and we stare at each other.

"Are you ever going to shift?" She asks, and I realize I'm being a complete dunderhead. I drop my head in shame. "Are you shy? Would you like me to close my eyes while you shift?"

I come close and lay my head on her lap, and stare in her gorgeous chocolate colored eyes. It was so sweet of her to worry about me.

I decide I better get it over with, and shift, my head still in her lap. I then sit on the bed next to her and wrap my arms loosely around her waist, enjoying the feel of the mate bond sparks as I touch her. We stare into each others eyes for several minutes. "Hey." I say, finally breaking the ice. "Nice to meet you Danika. My name is Aaron Jackson Ames, but everyone just calls me Jackson."

"Hey," She says while smiling back as she takes a long appraising look at my naked body, apparently liking what she sees. She touches my face, and I close my eyes at the pleasurable sparks I feel on my skin. "I was starting to think you must be ugly or embarrassed about your appearance for some reason. But you're not ugly at all. You're gorgeous!"

"You are perfect!" I say back, truthfully. I touch Danika's face gently, and then run a finger along her rosy lips. She opens her lips in response and licks my finger. Then she gives it a tiny playful bite. Thank you, goddess! I believe I hear the musical voice of the moon goddess in my head whispering back, "you're welcome."

And then Danika and I finally kiss.