Chapter 16

Harvey

Everything happened in the blink of an eyes. I thought she would successfully make it and pass Elliott's test. But then I heard her screeching cries. She was in an absolute pain. A horror that she probably couldn't imagine.

"Arghh!"

I panicked and quickly dashed to her. She collapsed and fell to the ground. Shortly after, her wold form turned back into a human. But she was already passed out. Losing her consciousness because of that unbearable pain she just had.

"Alice!" I screamed and took her into my arms.

She stayed still in my embrace. Her chest was heaving slowly while her eyes shut closed. But oh boy, her lips were trembling in pain. I could hear her silent sobs although she was unconscious in my arms.

I caressed her cheek carefully and tried to check up on everything. I saw no injury on her skin, but I believed the reaction she just showed was no lie. Transforming into wolf form was always painful even for us. We just got accustomed to it as time went by so it didn't feel hurt that much anymore.

But it was different with Alice. It was the first time she transformed since I turned her into a werewolf. And the amount of torment she felt must be extremely excruciating. Her agonizing cries told me everything.

I couldn't even handle seeing her crying, let alone being in this much pain. A wave of worry, panic, and anxiety surged inside me. I tried to wake her up but my effort yielded no result.

"Wake up, Alice. Baby, please open your eyes and look at me." I muttered under my breath.

I glared into Elliott who stared at her in a disapproving look.

"It was too much, Elliott! You almost killed her!"

He shook his head and stared at me for a while.

"I do it for the pack, Alpha. A Luna should be strong enough to protect us. And if she can't tolerate this little amount of pain, how can she endure the harsh training of becoming a Luna?"

I sighed. I couldn't even complain nor argue with Elliott now. His words were right. All of them word by word. Our Luna should be a tough she-wolf who would survive in the cruelest war. A she-wolf who would be the shield for her kids. And a she-wolf who would bear the burden of being the pack's mother.

No matter how hard I tried to swallow the fact, I must admit that Alice was far from this. She was indeed very weak and had no experience in this role. Definitely insufficient to fill the shoes.

But I wouldn't even back off from protecting her. Not even a step. I would do everything I could to be her mate - to protect her, to keep her safe, and to ensure that she didn't have to bear those duties alone. I knew it was wrong to act like this. Shielding her from her obligation would only make everything more complicated.

And always putting her in a glass box because I was afraid she would get harmed wouldn't help either. It is only a matter of time for Alice to step up and fully accept her role. As the Luna of the Sableclaw pack.

"Keep your hands off her, Elliott. I will train her myself. Let me be the one who takes care of this thing." I said in a serious tone.

I could see that Elliott tried to hold back his anger so hard. I was indeed a little bit crossing the line. But I couldn't hold myself back either. I was so furious with the fact that Alice become the victim of Elliott's crazy obsession about building the strongest pack in the world.

"You can do as you wish, Alpha. But I have one condition for you to fulfill." He said.

I stared at him asking for a more thorough explanation about what he meant.

"Tell me that condition."

"We, the elders, will give you six months to make Alice into a proper candidate for our Luna. You can do whatever you want. Train her, hypnotize her, or even drag her to the camp. Anything you want."

Six months? A pretty long time. I believed it would be enough for me and Alice. But I didn't think a lenient deal was all of Elliott up to. I should know everything related to this deal.

"And what will happen if I can't carry out our deal?"

Elliott let out a stressed exhale. He stared at the wood for a minute before glancing his eyes back at me.

"Then the elders will make an appeal to replace the Luna."

***

I was in deep trouble. How could I agree with that nonsensical deal? Alice is my mate. Our Luna. No matter how insufficient she was, I wouldn't replace her with anybody. And it wasn't because of my loyalty that went thinner. The sole reason was simple I loved her so much and I couldn't imagine living without her.

With that thought in my mind, how could I easily exchange her with another woman?

My heart wouldn't allow me to do that kind of betrayal for her.

And once again, I was being placed between two choices. A dilemma that urged me to pick between my love and my pack.

I gazed at Alice. She had been asleep in our bed for the past two hours. I didn't know whether she tried to forget her pain by sleeping through it. Or she simply hadn't regained her consciousness yet. But one thing was for sure, I couldn't feel at ease until she woke from this condition.

"Please wake up, Baby. We need to talk about this matter." I whispered.

But I got no answer. I sighed and stroked her cheek softly. A bitter smile appeared on my lips. Why is there always something that would possibly hinder our relationship?

Dear Moon Goddess, could you at least help me with this one? My head felt twisted ij confusion and dilemma. And it was hard for me to make any decision.

Ah, life was sure has its own plan, right?