At full moons, he would follow her at a reasonable distance, just to keep an eye on her and to also make sure his wolf wouldn’t do anything crazy. So long as he followed his wolf and gave him what he wanted, there was never any backlash.
This was why his father’s line of men worked as the alpha. They didn’t fight their turning. They embraced every single part of their turning and their wolf. They weren’t two separate beings, but one united together.
He came to the edge of the clearing and collapsed back into that of a human. Taking a seat, he stared up at the sky. The full moon had already passed, but the sky was still beautiful.
“I thought I would find you out here.”
Decker didn’t need to turn to see Blueberry approaching. “What brings you here?” he asked.
They were good friends. He’d asked Blueberry to keep an eye on Misha. If there was ever anything his mate needed, all Blueberry needed to do was ask.
“I wanted to talk to you.” Blueberry took a seat beside him and glanced up at the sky. “It really is so majestic, isn’t it? The full sky. The power of a single moon.”
“What do you want, Blueberry?”
The woman rarely used small talk with him. She was always direct, to-the-point, and observant.
“Misha is unhappy. She believes you will find another mate very soon, and when that happens, she doesn’t want to be responsible for what happens next.”
“Does she think she will try to defend my honor?” The thought of Misha fighting for him, well, it made him very happy, but he knew deep down that he shouldn’t be smiling. This wasn’t a happy day.
Misha shouldn’t do anything.
“You know Misha is in love with you.”
“That is the mating talking.”
“I know what you think, but I don’t agree with you. Some of what she is feeling is the old power of mates coming together, but this is something more.” Blueberry sighed. “You need to either take her as your mate, Decker, or you will have to let her go.”
He shook his head. He could do anything but let her go.
The few times he got to see her were the best moments of his life. “She’s not leaving the pack.”
“And you’re not taking another mate.”
“Exactly. Tell her that.”
“Just how long do you think you can keep it up?” Blueberry said. “I’m not going to lie to you, Alpha. Three years is a long time for anyone, and we both know what happens when a wolf feels like it is losing.”
“I’m not going to lose. Nothing is going to happen. You need to stop worrying, and just help Misha adapt.”
“Misha wants a family, Decker. She wants to fall in love, get married, have lots of babies. She was all alone. You know her story. Everyone knows her story.”
“Does she talk about her family?” he asked.
“The only family she has ever known is this one right here. She has no interest in anyone else. She wants to be a mother, and we both know she’d make a good one.”
“I’m not going to claim her, Blueberry.”
“Then to speak frankly, Alpha, you’re being an ass to her. She deserves the chance at happiness. So if you’re not going to be with her, set her free and allow her to find someone who will love her for her.” Blueberry got to her feet, brushed off her backside, and stormed off.
He couldn’t let Misha go.
Decker had spent way too long stopping everyone from getting close to her. He wasn’t going to allow another male to take what was his.
Chapter Three
One week later
“You look way too smug,” Blueberry said.
“I am not smug. I’m simply enjoying working in your shop. I don’t have a clue what half of these things are,” she said, picking up a bounded unit of sage.
“And you have no desire to hear about herbal medicine. What did you do?” Blueberry asked, taking a crystal from her hand and putting it back on the shelf.
“I didn’t do anything, okay?”
“It’s a Friday evening. You’ve been at my shop every single day this week. Has the diner not needed you?”
She shrugged.
“The town hall?”
Another shrug.
“I have a bad feeling about this,” Blueberry said.
“You’re not going to ask about all of the other jobs I do.”
“Now, you do surprise me, Misha. I didn’t think you saw the life you live with the pack as a job.”
Misha groaned. “I don’t, okay? You know I love helping everyone. It’s why I don’t have one specific job. I like to be available to help everyone and everything.” She loved the pack and had from a young age. Even though, when she was younger, some of the caregivers hated kids, and hated them, she had still loved everyone else. “I need to leave.”
“Why do you have a sudden desire to leave? You’ve stayed for three years with no real issues. Where is your passion coming to leave?”
She stared at Blueberry and went to her. Taking hold of her hands, she smiled at the older woman.
“I know you have sworn off relationships and all men, Blue, but believe me, I … I want to have a family. I want to fall in love and to know what it is like to bear a child.” She dropped her hand to her stomach. “Living here, waiting, watching. No one is willing to ask me out on a single date.”
“You’re twenty-one years old.”
“I know, and I don’t want to miss a single moment of my life. I’m getting older, and I want to have children. I want to be a mother and help raise children with my mate.” She let Blueberry go and stepped back. “No man wants me here. My time of watching Decker, of waiting for him to change his mind, is just too torturous to me. I’ve got to move on somehow, and if that is by making his life uncomfortable, then so be it.”
“How will you not doing your jobs around the pack make his life uncomfortable?”
“Because, without my help, they have to go to the alpha for his help and advice. There is only so much he can do, and well, with you needing my help, there’s not a whole lot he can do.” She shrugged.
“I believe you’re playing with fire,” Blueberry said.
“Fire or not, it’s what I have to do. He will have no choice but to let me go.” Even as she said it, the very thought of being let go, of being abandoned, was enough to make her sick to her stomach. She didn’t say that to Blueberry.
Part of her wanted Decker to let her go. To finally cast her out of the pack, and the other part, the part of her that hoped and prayed he would finally mate with her, didn’t want to leave.
No, the truth was that she wanted Decker to finally come to his senses and to see that they could be good together. Better than good.
“Are you okay?” Blueberry asked.
“Yes, I’m fine.”
“I’m about to close up for the night. You know I have to take additional rests after each full moon.”
Misha didn’t argue with her friend. She gave Blueberry a hug, grabbed her bag, and left the shop.
The sun had been high up the sky this very day, and it had made for some really hot weather. She loved the heat. She loved the rain and the snow. There were many things about life she loved.