Alpha's Hidden Precious Luna-Chapter 90

Lucas POV

Today was my mating/marking ceremony with Vanessa Stone – Lily’s sister.

This was the only way I knew I could lure out whatever secrets Vanessa and her father were hiding. This way, I’d be able to help Lily and when she discovers the lengths, I’ve gone to get her, she would appreciate me more.

The pack gathered in the packhouse compound with a few visitors as guests. I had insisted I didn’t want anything flamboyant. Since the union will not be lasting, I wanted to make sure none of the guest would leave with an impression that what we had would be together forever.

The air was thick with the scent of freshly turned earth. I stood tall at the makeshift altar with the Moon Priest who would join us. My dark eyes scanned the crowd until they landed on Vanessa who was walking towards me. Her eyes were still puffy from crying as I had cancelled most of her last-minute add-ons. Still, she managed a smile.

She wore a simple white dress, her hair cascading down her back. She was beautiful but nothing compared to my Lily. I didn’t feel a pang of guilt for everything I’ve done so far. She and her father were not good people either.

When she finally reached, the Moon Priest began the ceremony. When it was time to say our vows, I reached for Vanessa’s hands, my grip firm but gentle as I smiled at her, making sure it masked my true intentions.

“I, Lucas Steele, Son of Gamma Steal and Alpha Heir to the Golden Moon Pack accept you Vanessa Stone as my mate. I promise to honour you, protect you, to stand by your side always. With my mar,k I claim you and make you mine.”

She beamed, her cheeks flushing a soft pink.

“I, Vanessa Stone, Daughter of Alpha Gregory Stone of Golden Moon Pack, accept you, Lucas Steele as my mate. I promise to stand by your side, guide you and rule alongside you. With my mark, I accept your bond and I am yours.”

The Moon Priest nodded, satisfied. “You may not mark you, mate.”

I didn’t hesitate. I leaned forward, reminding myself and my wolf that this meant nothing to me. My canine jutted forward grazing the soft skin of her neck before sinking in. Vanessa gasped, her body stiffening for a moment before she relaxed into my embrace.

Then she leaned forward too and marked me. Our bond sizzled, snapping into place as our minds connected together. For Vanessa, it was a moment of pure joy but for me, it was a tool – one that would allow me to exert my influence over her in ways that she wouldn’t realize.

~~~

Kai’s POV

“He didn’t have the decency to send you an invite for his mating ceremony, Lucas Steele is growing a lot of balls these days,” Liam scoffed as he scrolled through his phone. “He says it’s private but he had some of the Alphas in the region attend.”

“I wouldn’t have attended even if he had come to hand the invitation himself to me,” I said quietly scribbling my signature on the document in front of me. “I’m glad he didn’t send me any.”

“You’re still annoyed at him because of Lily?” Liam asked.

“Far from that,” I shook my head “Just don’t want to have anything to do with him, that’s all.” I closed the last file, stretching my body as I took a deep breath. “All done. Gosh, remind me never to leave unsigned documents for more than two days. I thought that would never end.”

“You’ve been busy dating with your mate. Everything going alright with you and with her?” Liam asked.

To say the truth, these past few weeks, I’ve been using Lily as an excuse to leave the Pack building on time. The lie was easy, we were going on dates and always he’d agree without asking questions. Instead of dates, I’ve been making a regular visit to the pack healer. And I’ve been doing all these things without his knowledge and I knew he could feel I was hiding something from him because of our bond, still... I didn’t want to tell him now until I was sure.  

“Yeah, we’re doing good. I have to hurry now; she gets mad when I’m tardy.

Some minutes later, I arrived at the healer’s house. Since I wanted the procedure to be super private, I couldn’t risk doing it in the hospital where anyone could easily locate it. 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

I sat on the couch in the living room as I watched the healer – Odin prepare the memory chair for my use. This was my sixth visit since I started trying to regain my memory and so far, all the sessions have not been going so well.

Each time, I told Odin to make the treatments more intense, and more invasive. For some reason, my thoughts were constantly preoccupied with the woman from my vision and I was dying to see her face.

What was worse, what started as fragmented images in my dreams were beginning to take shape. Each dream was becoming so vivid, and more persistent and a particular woman, whose face has been unclear to me up until now.

I would hear her laughter, see her back but not her face and she kept stirring something familiar deep within me, something I couldn’t explain.

“How are you feeling today, Alpha?” Odin asked as he set down a tray filled with some salves and herbs.

“Better,” I said quietly, though it wasn’t entirely true. “But the dreams...they’re getting stronger.”

“Still the same thing?” he asked.

“Yes!” I nodded. “Every time I sleep, I see her. She comes first to me like a shadow, but now...her form is clear, only her face remained blurry and I know that the more sessions I have, the more it will reveal her face. So, don’t hold back today.”

He sighed. “Your spiritual connection is disrupted, I think. I’ll try to take care of that with this session but after this, no more, Alpha. At least, you need to rest for a few weeks. Too much of this is not good.”

I nodded, deciding not to argue with him, yet.

He settled me on the memory chair and began to burn some herbs and incense. As the room got filled with the scent, he came closer to me.

“Close your eyes,” he instructed.

I complied.

Today, instead of seeing a shadow first, like always, her form was revealed and it was clear. She was running through a field filled with sunflowers, laughing beautifully. The sound resonated within me, creating deep longing.

Then she half-turned.

I could see her eyes now. Amber. No – golden. With flecks of green that seemed to capture the universe. They were intense. And then she turned fully to me, her blurriness that used to be on her face clearing up for the first time.

She smiled.

“Maya,” I whispered.

Immediately my eyes flew open. Healer Odin’s face had gone pale. “W-What did you say?” he stuttered.

“Her name is Maya,” I said excitedly. “I saw her face – high cheekbones, a beautiful smile, hair that seemed to shimmer between auburn and brown in different lights. She felt so real... gods!”

“Yeah!” he nodded, giving me a stiff smile. “I think the blockage has been cleared.”

“Still, I want to go back,” I leaned back in the chair. “I’d been so excited and came out of the vision. I need to see if she can speak to me and maybe I’ll find out who she is.”

Odin didn’t answer me, instead, he busied himself clearing the small table next to the memory chair.

“Odin, did you hear me?” I asked.

“I did Alpha but I told you earlier, there’s nothing that I can do for you, especially now. You have to wait a few weeks before you try it again. With the level you’ve gone, any more and it’ll break you completely. So... please wait until a few weeks.”

He had a serious expression on his face and was giving off the kind of attitude that read ‘I don’t want to talk’.

“Fine, but does the name Maya mean anything to you? This woman felt so close to my heart that I felt a connection. Perhaps...”

“No...” he shook his head interrupting me smoothing. “I don’t.”