Magic of Moonlight

Chapter 6 - School Drama

Sebastian sighed, once again waiting for Ember to appear by his side so they could go back to the Dark Moon packhouse together. For the past three days, she had come to school with him only to vanish without a trace once they were inside the gates.

"I don't know how she does it," he said to Caius who was waiting with him. "One minute she's there holding my hand and the next she's gone and I'm holding nothing but air."

"Practice…" Caius replied softly. "Lots and lots of practice." Sebastian stared at him confused. "You don't know about Ember's problems at school…"

"If my mate is having problems," Sebastian growled irritably at finding this out now. "You better tell me regardless of if she wants me to know or not."

Caius sighed. "Ember is an outcast at school. Many wolves believe she's not worth anything. She's the Alpha's daughter but doesn't stand to gain a title. Whoever her mate is will gain nothing from being with her. Because of this she gets bullied a lot… told she's worthless and that she should kill herself to save her future mate the embarrassment of being with her." Sebastian was growling angrily. “That time you saw her get bullied wasn’t the first time… or the last.” Sebastian was livid at that. All he wanted was for her to smile and be carefree, not afraid and hide. "She disappears because she fears the backlash she will get if wolves, particularly she-wolves, know she is your mate."

"She told you this?" he asked sadly. She hadn't mentioned to him at all about how she was treated at school. “That she purposefully disappears, I mean.”

"No…" Caius smiled softly. "I just know my sister. Also… There was an incident a few years ago where some she-wolves beat her up for talking to you. This was after the incident you saw. That's why she always vanishes. You just haven't noticed it as clearly as you do now. Everyone knows she comes to school and goes home with us so they can't do anything about that but if she lingers is when she receives backlash for it."

"It's time to change that," Sebastian said. He purred slightly smelling Ember's apple cinnamon scent appearing at his side.

"Please don't," she replied softly. "As soon as you two graduate they will intensify the bullying if you change anything now."

"They won't because by then you will be marked and officially Luna of the Shadow Runners pack," he purred and wrapped his arms around her before making a very loud and deliberate growl. "Mine!" He tightened his grip and nuzzled his head against her neck before repeating himself even louder, making it clear to those around them who Ember belonged to and the consequences for hurting her. "MINE!"

"No way!" A nearby she-wolf cried. "Ember's your mate? She's not even sixteen yet!" An outcry spread across the wolves still in the school courtyard.

"She is my mate," Sebastian lifted his head up to look at the wolves near him. "I've felt proof of it." He growled even louder. "And I will personally make sure every wolf who has or will hurt her will feel the full force of the future Alpha of the Shadow Runners pack." he lowered his head again breathing in Ember's scent to calm himself down. "Mine," he whispered in her ear.

"Yours," she whispered back before nipping his ear with her lips. "Mine!"

Sebastian chuckled deeply. "Yours."

Caius rolled his eyes. "Come on love birds. Time to go home."

***

The next day, Sebastian made it his mission to have Ember at his side whenever she wasn't in class. By lunchtime, she had exhausted herself so much trying to avoid him that she didn't put up a fuss when he pulled her onto his lap for a hug while they waited for the other future alphas and her friends to join them.

"Idiot…" she whispered before snuggling in and drifting off to sleep.

Sebastian chuckled at her small act of defiance. He took his jacket off and wrapped it around her. She could barely be seen over the neckline. "I'm your idiot so it's ok," he replied watching a very small smile spread across her lips.

"You babysitting?" He looked up to see one of the senior cheerleaders, Chelsea, standing over him. "That's good of you."

"Not babysitting," he replied warily. Chelsea had often tried to trick him into marking or mating with her. "In case you haven't heard…"

"Oh I heard," she replied sitting very close to him. "I just don't believe it to be true. You cannot possibly know that Ember is your mate as she's underage. She doesn't even have her wolf yet." She flipped her hair away before leaning over, ensuring to accentuate her breasts, before adding "I may not like Ember for hanging all over you and her brother, but even I know she doesn't have what it takes to be a whore."

Correct. The only whore here is you. Sebastian thought causing Griffin to howl with laughter in his head. How dare she insinuate the only way Ember could be with him as if she was a whore. He was insulted on many levels and even insulted on Ember's behalf.

"Are you saying," he asked trying to keep his voice even. "That the only way someone could be with me is by being a whore?"

Chelsea looked shocked. "Not at all," she replied quickly. "What I'm meaning is that for a fifteen-year-old to find her mate before she came of age, she would have to of been whoring herself out to multiple wolves so she can feel the mate sparks on orgasm. Ember is too timid to be a whore and Caius is too overprotective to let her fuck anyone, not even his best friend. So, logically that leaves one conclusion. The announcement that you are her mate is false." She leaned into him. "I also know you won't have sex with anyone and don't appear to have any wish to have your first time with anyone but your mate. So again, another reason why that announcement was false." She smiled smugly as if she had caught him in a lie.

"First of all," Sebastian said turning on his alpha tone, his anger rising with each second that smug look was on her face. "Get off me. I don't like or want you and have never had any wish to be close to you in that way." He watched her back away with a look of pure shock on her face that he had used an alpha command on her. "Second of all, you don't know anything about me so don't claim you know what I will and won't do." He lowered his head to take a strong intake of Ember's scent to calm himself down. "Thirdly, and this is purely for you and all the eavesdroppers nearby," he said calmer and with a gentle smile. "My first and only love is Ember. I decided long ago that my first time would be with my mate. But if Ember came to me, with clear feelings of her own, and asked if I could take her first time… that I would." He brushed Ember's hair gently. "I'm so lucky that my first love is also my true mate."

Chelsea stared at the scene before her. She was the Beta's daughter and her mother had told her she would one day be Sebastian's mate. She never thought that she wouldn't see that become a reality. She thought she would feel the bond when she turned sixteen, but nothing happened. She thought if she made herself appealing that he would take her as a chosen mate, but he rarely paid attention to her. And now she knew why. His feelings were already taken by Ember.

"Your father won't approve," she said trying to place a stain on their growing bond.

"Dad already knows and approves," he replied placing a kiss on the top of Ember's head.

"None of the ranked members or even the pack will approve," She started to feel desperate. Her lifelong vision was crumbling before her.

"Beta Daniel and Gamma Noel already know and approve," Sebastian replied. "As for the pack, I mate someone who I love. Not someone who the pack loves. Besides, as an alpha's daughter, she is more than qualified to be my mate."

"Daddy… approves…?" Chelsea was stunned. She knew her father never told her the same things her mother did. He always told her that he hoped her future mate would be worthy of her and worthy of the title of future Beta.

"Of course he does," Sebastian gave her a strange look. "A mate bond between true mates is sacred. Why wouldn't he approve?" he frowned at her. "Were you expecting me to have a chosen mate because I had not yet found my true mate? I would have considered that option if I was thirty. I'm only eighteen. Why would I consider that now?"

"For the benefit of the pack," Chelsea could feel tears starting to roll down her face. He was very clearly denying her and her efforts.

"Why? Mum and Dad are still in their late thirties and have years of life still in them. They told me to take my time finding my mate. There is no threat or imperative need for me to have a Luna so quickly." He sighed and stared directly into her eyes. "You will just have to accept that it's not you and never will be you."

Chelsea bit her lip and stood up. "I hope you're happy with your choice and you won't come to regret it in the future." She turned and left, her eyes narrowing with each step, determined in her decision. I'll make you regret you didn't reject her and choose me.

"What did the Ice Bitch want?" Sebastian turned his head to see Raven, Logan, and Caius standing near him.

"The usual stuff," he sighed and waved for them to join him. "She tried to get me to say I was lying about Ember being my mate. I set her straight though."

"A lot of wolves have the same mindset as Chelsea," Raven said getting his lunch out of his backpack. "Not many believe you are telling the truth about Ember and some even believe you are using her as a cover to keep pesky she-wolves away."

"Seriously?" Sebastian couldn't believe the level of blindness and wishful thinking at the school.

"Yeah… Seriously," Logan deadpanned. "I was bombarded by she-wolves in my math class asking if you were using Ember as a cover for your true mate. They wanted to know who your mate was and when I said Ember they didn't believe me. They believed I was 'maintaining the cover' for a fellow future alpha." he added using air quotes as he spoke.

Sebastian sighed and looked down at Ember's petite form curled up under his jacket. She was still smiling, oblivious to the frustration that now plagued him.

"You know…" Sebastian jumped at Violet's voice so close to his ear. "There is something you can do." He motioned for her to continue. "Get Ember to mark you… publicly."

"What?" All four future alpha's looked at her like she had grown two heads.

"Yeah," Rita smiled and raised her finger with a smile. "While you cannot mark Ember without her wolf, she can mark you. It would mean that her half of the bond would be active. She would be able to mindlink you and you would be able to sense where she is and how she is."

"Then when she's sixteen," Toby added mimicking Rita's raised finger with his opposite hand. "You can mark her and your half will become active."

"It makes sense," Caius agreed. Raven and Logan nodded as well. "The only way to dispel the rumours is by letting her mark you."

"Hmmm…" Sebastian smiled internally. With her half of the bond active, he would be able to go straight to her if she was in trouble. Hell… I would know if something happened before she said anything.

"I also have another suggestion," Violet said. She glanced at Rita and Toby, who nodded at her, before continuing. "Do it as all four of you introducing your mates."

"But we don't know who our mates are," Raven replied a little incredulously. Rita giggled at his statement and smiled at him. "You suggesting we lie?"

"Not exactly," Rita replied. She glanced at the other two. "Ready? Please don't hate us. We did this for a reason…" Violet, Toby, and Rita removed their necklaces.

Caius, Logan, and Raven stared at them for a moment before Logan yelled. "What the fuck!"