The Defiant Luna
Chapter 19

Jay- la POV

It was good to feel normal for once, since being here inside the pack, her. confusion with Nathan as her Mate, was moved to the side, as she walked about with Stephen. It was actually really nice, a bit like the old days, she realised. They were chatting about Suzy for the most part.

Jay- la thought that having him spend time with the triplets would be good for him, considering the news, which had saddened her, might help him. The triplets loved Suzy, and seeing as they spent more time with her than she did.

They had many more things to impart to him about her.

She got to watch him become all smiles and go back to being happy, enjoyed talking to the triplets about his Mate. Who at this point had no idea who he was. What she had noticed about their interaction with Stephen himself was that, they smiled right at him right away. Either he was good with children, or they understood it had been Stephen who had helped her to calm down.

The snow had finally let up and stopped falling and they were outside walking about. It was a little on the brisk side but the children were rugged up, so it was okay. Stephen walked her and the children down into the pack’s small street mall. She had seen his eyes glaze over a few times though.

He’d shrugged it off and stated, “Nathan is curious as to where you are.”

Each time.

She didn’t really say anything, and it didn’t appear that Nathan was going to come strolling out here to find her. They all sat down inside the Bakery, which had its own little café eatery, got the children a snack to eat. It wasn’t quite lunch time yet.

She saw Stephen frown as he was mind- linked to, for the fourth time in the past hour, and then shake his head as though he was confused. “That was a little odd, Nathan would like you to head to the pack hospital and donate b***d.

“What for?” she asked, frowning.

“Any misadventures, where you might need to have a transfusion.” He shrugged.

Raised an eyebrow at him and sighed “I don’t go getting into fights on purpose.” She muttered.

“And as the pack’s Luna, you’d be inside the locked-down pack-house with the women and children if there was something to happen.”

She didn’t see a need to get up and go and Stephen didn’t make her “

Why’d he ask you to ask me?”

“Who knows, perhaps solely because I am with you.”

“Probably thinks I would say no to him.” wasn’t wrong on that account, after their words this morning, she was more than annoyed with his accusing her or seemingly, of, sicking the council on him.

“Do you want to? I’m not going to make you Jay-la.”

Didn’t get a chance to answer him as a shiver shot through her body and she felt herself connected to a full, pack wide mind – link, had forgotten how it.that had felt, the weirdness of the sensation as people were brought into

Then she heard Nathan’s voice inside her mind as he addressed the entire pack at once ‘I, your Alpha, am instating a mandatory b***d donation for all pack members with wolves. All pack members will present themselves to the pack’s hospital to donate b***d over the course of the next three days…While I have your attention, I would like to take a moment to announce to you all. I have been blessed with a Mate by the Goddess Selena herself. I would like you all to make her feel welcome. Jay- la has returned home and has accepted me as her Mate. Havoc and I could not be more delighted to have her back within the pack and for her to be our Mate and Luna. Unfortunately, as you are all aware, it was my fault that our Jay- la was gone so long from us. Please help me to make Jay-la feel at home once more within our pack.’

She nearly sighed when he cut the link, Stephen just smiled at her. “Well, that was a long time in coming.” He murmured.

“I just figured he wasn’t going to.” She shrugged.

“He just has a lot going on, Jay- la. I’m sure he didn’t mean to forget.

She nearly stated that the man had only done it because his mother had gone and told him to, but held it in. “I guess everyone is giving b***d.”

“Looks like it.” Stephen nodded. “I’m sure he would want you to give b***d today, why we knew, before everyone else.”

“Guess we should go and get it over with then.” Smiled a little “Eric was big on his employees donating b***d.”

“How’d you get out of that?”

“I told him I wasn’t allowed, was iron deficient and enimic.”

“Good thinking.” He chuckled.

They were headed for the pack hospital a few minutes later, as were many others. She was addressed many times as she walked “Luna.” They stated and bowed their heads to her slightly, that mark of respect that was given.

Heard a very large growling of her name, and whipped her head around, found Stephen’s hand on her arm near instantly, only to see Brad running towards her. Smiled at seeing her brother, she felt Stephens’ hand drop from her as Brad yanked her into a big bear hug “I missed you little sister.”

She hugged him back. “I missed you too.”

“I was not happy, with what mum and dad did. Did not agree it was the right thing at all.”

“I know, you didn’t even try to lie to me.” She stepped back and looked up at him “You look so much more like dad.”

“Ah, shucks.” He bumped her chin playfully with his fist, just the way her dad would do sometimes. And they both chuckled “Now, Victoria and I, will want to have a meal with you. You’ll love her, she’s such a sweetheart.”

“She’s not with vou or coming?”

“No, she’s at work. Going to be a chef, loves cooking, is obsessed with it. So is doing an apprenticeship at the pack restaurant in Rochester. She is there today.”

“Oh,” she chuckled “You’re going to get fat, you love food.”

“I do and she feeds me well.” He grinned “We find ways to burn it off.”

Saw him wink at her and knew what he meant. “May I walk with you?”

“Of course, why would you even ask me that?”

“Because of what I just heard.” He was frowning a little now.

“Oh,” she’d heard her father state he’d not spoken to Nathan sinde her banishment. “You’re my brother, so it’s fine.”

Saw him look at Stephen and nod “Gamma.”

“Bradley.”

It seemed there was a bit of tension even there, she realised.

“Now,” Bradley stated, “who are these three little pups I see.” He hunkered down. “That I had no idea about.”

Saw the three of them start laughing, and then the girls state “We’re not puppies.”

“Oh, yes you are.” Brad chuckled and then his wolf Brawny was on the surface and growling all playfully at them. Much like Kora did with them, saw him feint at them and the kids run off and then he was suddenly off chasing them all over the place, with them squealing happily at being chased about.

Saw him snag Rosalie around the waist and continued to chase after Lillv and Nate.

She was just standing watching with Stephen still next to her, even he was smiling at what they were seeing, saw him get Lilly next as Nate ran away laughing. “He’s an agile little pup ain’t he.” Brad grinned at her as he walked towards her, she watched as he started doing arm curls with the girls, and heard them both burst out laughing as he started stalking Nate.

He was so much like their dad, she could recall him using the two of them as weights at times, strolling around the house, doing just what Brad was doing right now, they too had thought it was fun and laughed about it.

“You’ll never catch me. ” Nate was laughing.

“Oh, yes I will, little pup.” Brad grinned right at him, put the girls down and was then off to get him. Jay- la watched Brad actively dodge the boy to make it look like Nate was getting away from him, when really he was just letting him get away.

There were a few pack members standing around watching on, laughing. A few of them even got in and actively blocked Brad and told Nate to run. The girls were also yelling at Nate to run, they were bouncing up and down on the balls of their feet, squealing happily when he was nearly caught, but somehow just managed to get away from their uncle.

Kora was up inside her mind and Jay- la could feel the happiness in her, as she to watched the children really play for the first time here inside the pack.

Like she and Jay- lay would play with them at the beach, could also feel her talking to Havoc, wanting him to come and see how happy their pups were right this minute.

Jay- la reminded Kora that their dad had told her Brad and Nathan didn’t get along, felt Kora huff a little in annoyance, and then dismiss her concerns.

Her only need right this minute was for Havoc to see how happy they were.

Saw Stephen lean down to the girls and say “Why don’t you two go and help your brother out, go tackle your uncle, win the game and sit on him.

She saw both their eyes light up and then they were off yelling “We’ll get him for you Nate.”

Saw Brad look at them, fiend devastation, let them grab onto him and even fell down in the snow and let them climb on him and hold him down and yell for Nate to come and get him.

She was laughing as she saw the three of them pile on top of hir yelling they win, bouncing on him excitedly as Brad fiend them being too strang for him to get up. Then he just burst out laughing and his arms were around the three of them and he hugged them to him “Ha, I got you all. I win.” He was grinned with pure cheek.

It was really good to see them all so happy. Her brother hadn’t changed one bit, it seemed, and she’d been so focused on the children playing with Brad that she jumped as a hand slid through her arm. “Who’s that?” it was Rae-Rae.

“My brother Brad.” She smiled at Rae- Rae.

“They like him, and he’s fun, I see.”

“Always was, even with me.” She smiled, saw Brad get up and pop the children down.

They were all yelling “again, again.” Did love being chased around, typical of wolfen children.

“T’ll give you a ten count, go.” Brad smiled.

Heard them all giggle and watched as they ran off away from him. He really was going to make a good dad one day, shame Victoria wasn’t here to see this.

He was so much like their own father, yet had that mischief streak of their mother just like she did.

“Why’s everyone standing around watching?” Rae- Rae asked her a

moment later.

“Because it’s the first time they have seen Nathan’s children out playing like this.”

“And that’s a big deal because?”

Jay- la smiled at her, that was a bit harder to explain to a human with no wolfen knowledge. The pack was seeing their future Alpha running about all happy and excited to be here, for the very first time. Likely for most of them it was their very first time interacting with the children, why they were getting in Brads way and talking to the children.

As she stood and looked at the pack members themselves, she could see that they were all happy and smiling, enjoying not only what they were seeing but their small interaction with the children as well.

“They’re happy, they want the children to be happy here. Also, it’s the first time most of them have seen them.”

“How do they all know who they are?”

“They just do, it’s a close- knit community.” She shrugged, couldn’t explain to Rae-Rae that each of these pack members would be able to smell Alpha b***d on the children, everyone here knew who they were, just by their scent alone.

Brad brought Nate back, and was using him as a weight, doing overhead press’s with him. “I got him Jay- la.” He grinned at her, as he strolled towards her, Nate was laughing the whole time, as were the girls as they ran along with him trying to keep up with his long strides.

She saw Brad’s happy smiling facial expression change and he rolled Nate down and put him down on the ground. She frowned at his sudden change of mood and turned to look at what he was looking at. Nathan was walking this way, though he was smiling and seemed happy watching what was going on, as were both Jackson and Ethan, who were with him.

Turned back to Brad, he leaned over and hugged her gently. “I’d better go.

” He murmured. Then he looked down at the children. “Uncle Brads gotta go,

I’ll chase you lot again soon.” Then he just turned and walked away from them.

Jay- la heard Stephen sigh out loud and looked at him. His eyes were on her brother as he walked away.

‘Need to fix that.’ Kora huffed at her.

“Not ours to fix Kora.’ She’d heard they didn’t speak ever, not since

Nathan had banished her, hadn’t spoken a word to the man, as far as her father knew, they were going to have work that out themselves ‘we have enough to deal with Kora.’ Heard Kora huff again inside her mind.

Felt a hand touch her face, knew it was Nathan from the sparks that touched her skin, “I’m sorry to have interrupted, Brad and I…”

“T heard.” shenodded.

“I’ll try and fix that, might take a bit.” He told her as she looked up at him,

“It was really good to see you so happy Jay- la.” He smiled down at her.

She nodded again, she had actually been truly happy for the first time in a long time, hadn’t thought about anything other than the interaction she’d been watching between her brother and the triplets.

“May I walk with vou?”

“You’re giving b***d?” she asked curiously.

“Everyone is.” He nodded “That includes me, mum and dad too.” He smiled “Though they weren’t overly happy about it.” he shrugged as his hand slid down her arm and his hand into hers, “I like this suit on you, looks

good.”

“You picked it.”

“I did.” He nodded “Seen you wear something similar that first time I saw you on TV. It hugs all your curves.”

Raised an evebrow at him.

Saw him smile “It’s very sexy on you.” He told her.

She turned and looked at her children who were all suddenly giggling, even heard Nathan chuckle himself, it sent a shiver down her spine, it was rich and deep.

“You might want to get used to hearing that, children.” He told them “I’m likely to say it a lot.” Then she found herself tugged along towards the pack hospital “Why is everyone suddenly giving b***d?” she asked him, was very curious about that, it wasn’t something this pack did “Is trouble brewing?”

“No,” he shook his head, smiled at her “Just a bit of prudent planning isall»

Jay- la shook her head, didn’t understand that, but got to watch him roll up his sleeve even before she did, and sat to give b***d. As did his whole unit, even Rae-Rae opted to give b***d, seeing as everyone else did.