Chapter 27

"Oh my god my innocent eyes!" The shouting startles me awake, but in my groggy half asleep state I can't figure out where it came from. Maybe it was in my dream. Resting my head back onto Quentin's chest I listen to his heartbeat hoping it will lull me back to sleep.

"What the hell is going on? Oh!" My head spins as I stumble out of bed trying to figure out who is in our living room yelling. Gripping the nightstand I grab my phone checking the time only to see we overslept. My family is downstairs excepting decorations to be set up but it's a bare living room and kitchen. I bend down to grab my shirt off the floor but my hand comes into contact with nothing.

"Shit!" I yelp remembering exactly where my clothes are, scattered across the living room floor. Quentin shoots straight up his hair sticking up in all directions as he scans the room with sleep filled eyes. Ignoring his quizzical expression I sprint into our closet and throw the first shirt and shorts my fingers come into contact with. Quentin still hasn't moved as I race out of our bedroom nearly falling down the stairs.

"I'm sorry!" I yell as I frantically pick up both me and Quentin's clothes feeling hot from my head to my toes. I'm just thanking the Moon Goddess that we waited until we were upstairs before tearing off our underwear, but either way there's no doubt that my family knows exactly what went down. "We accidentally slept in." I stand up reluctantly turning to face Della and family. During any other moment I would have rejoiced seeing Emeric and Melody tagging along, but the way blush is coating her cheeks and he's holding in laughter it doesn't feel appropriate.

"Clearly." Della scoffs in utter shock but with a hint of playfulness. Her words are what does Emeric in and he doubles over with laughter causing my ears to burn in embarrassment. This isn't exactly how I envisioned this morning happening. To make matters worse Quentin chooses this moment to walk down the stairs in nothing but sweatpants while rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"You might want to put those away before your dads show up." Aidan clears his throat pointing awkwardly to the clothes in my hand. Thankfully he doesn't look angry, not that he should be considering I'm an adult, but I still feel bad that they had to see this. Victoria looks stunned and hides partially behind Della to hide her wondering eyes that are glued to Quentin. Troy on the other hand still has a hand covering his eyes like he's a toddler.

"I'm sorry." I hurry up the stairs and past Quentin who looks like he's finally processing what's happening. Dropping the clothes on the bedroom floor I slump down on the end of our bed burying my face in my hands.

"Don't be upset. It's going to be okay." I feel the familiar sparks as Quentin pries my hands away from my face. His eyes are full of worry as he wipes the single tear from my cheek. I'm not really upset but more so extremely embarrassed. "I'm sorry." He apologizes even though none of this is his fault. I take his hand off my face kissing his palm.

"It's not your fault. I'm just embarrassed that my family saw the remnants of our adventurous night." I snort bitting back my smile as a smirk spreads across his face.

"It could be worse they could have showed up last night as a surprise instead." My eyes widen and my cheeks burn at the mere thought of that possibility. "But seriously how are you feeling?" He runs a hand down my arm taking my hand in his. "Are you sore?" He lowers his voice just in case anyone is lingering by the door, but I highly doubt that after the whole  shit show downstairs.

"Nothing I can't handle." I admit truthfully. Sure I'm a bit sore but it's worth it. "Thank you." I lean forward placing a gentle kiss against his lips savoring this one last quiet moment before our day of chaos.

"For what?" He pulls back tilting his head slightly to the right with curiosity swirling in his silver eyes. It's moments like this when he's care free with a hint of innocence to his demeanor that fuels me to end the council once and for all. If it wasn't for them Quentin's parents would still be alive and a part of him that died with them would too.

"Everything." I whisper leaning my forehead against his enjoying the peace and quiet of our own little bubble. His touch calms my nerves and eases the darkness around us. No matter how much we've both gone through and will go through I know my heart is with him in the same way his is with me. I grew up watching my dads encapsulated what being the perfect partnership of mates looked like, but nothing prepared me for the emotional attachment I would feel for my mate. All the times as a child I would wonder why mates seemed restless when apart, and now after having met Quentin I can't imagine my life any other way.

"We better get downstairs before they think we're going for another round." With his sassy smirk he catches my wrist before I can smack his arm for the naughty remark. "Tessa!" He moans with a wicked expression adoring his face. I tackle him covering his mouth with my hand to silence his fake moans and groans all while praying to the Moon Goddess that my family can't hear him.

"You son of a bitch." I pant struggling in his hold as he flips us over so he straddles my waist.  "Truce!" I yell putting my hands up in surrender at the same moment his fingers meet my sides ready to tickle me. He slowly stands back up catching his breath before holding a hand out for me, which I gladly accept since I'm still a tad sore.

"Get dressed. I'm going to grab all the decorations from the office." I brush the non-existent dirt off of my pants and turn to head for the door, but Quentin wraps an arm around my waist pulling back to his chest. He leans down capturing my lips in a delicate kiss that sends a shiver down my spine.

"I love you." He licks his lips as he pulls away only far enough to look into my eyes. "Now let's enjoy today and hope your dads don't  murder me after Emeric opens his big mouth later." He jokes chuckling as he walks into our closet. Emeric does not know when to keep his mouth shut.

Slipping into the office down the hall I walk over to the corner where the bags are that hold the balloons, streamers, birthday banner, and a few other miscellaneous decorations. Thankfully I already wrapped the presents we got for him a couple nights ago, but now I'm thinking it's not enough considering what he had to see this morning. Before I can think too hard about it the phone on my desk rings.

"Hello?" My voice comes out higher than I intending because I'm scared of who could possibly be on the other line. My dads are already on their way, and Oliver and Emma should be here any second. Carl on the other hand isn't coming until later because he has warrior training in the morning but will come over right after.

"Hey it's me." Jasper is lucky I've gotten used to the sound of his voice over the phone because otherwise I might have had a heart attack. "Sorry to call so early." I set the bags down next to the desk and sit down in my chair.

"You're good I've been up for a bit. What's up?" Jasper and I call regularly to check in and make sure nothing is going on, but lately it's been sparse because of the meeting blow up. To say he isn't happy about being told to stay out of it would be an understatement.

"I just wanted to make sure you all are okay." He sounds exhausted and I'm pretty sure I heard him yawn.

"We are doing better. Today is Troy's birthday so the clan is coming over to celebrate. You should come." I feel bad for not inviting him sooner but I've been a bit preoccupied.

"I don't want to impose plus I didn't exactly get anything for the birthday boy." His dismissive chuckle doesn't fool me. I can hear the small twinge of pain in his voice, but I'm not sure why although I do plan on finding out.

"Please come." I beg reading myself to annoy him until agrees. "We all miss you." I add tapping my foot against the floor anxiously waiting for his answer. Talking over the phone just isn't the same as in person, and it feels like ages since I last saw him.

"Okay, I'll come." Jumping up in my chair I nearly drop my phone in excitement. "See you soon." We say our goodbyes and I pick the decorations back up and meet everyone in the living room.

* * *

"What time is he coming?" Della and I stand in the doorway of the living room watching the arm wrestling matches ensue. This is the exact type of thing that happens when you leave Troy and Emeric alone for more than a minute. Of course it didn't take long for Emeric to boast how he can beat Ryder which lead to Troy starting a bracket list of who beats who, and now they aren't stopping until one person wins.

"He should be here any minute." I glance at the clock for the hundredth time in the past few minutes. He's only a few minutes late but it still worries me.

"You said he runs his pack. What happened to his parents?" If it were anyone other than Della asking me the question I would have found a way to change the subject. Jasper's story is his to tell, but I trust Della to keep the information to herself and it's been something that's been eating away at me.

"He told me he doesn't ever remember his dad being in his life, and his mom wasn't always there. She left a few years ago and he hasn't seen her since. Apparently she was the one who started the pack as a safe haven for those who were on the run. I didn't pry so I never got any names." I shrug feeling a bit uncomfortable revealing all of that without his permission. She nods staring back at Fletcher and Aidan struggling in a match both fighting for the upper hand. I grin at the hardened stare they both send each other. The competitiveness mostly due to both of them having Alpha blood running through their veins, but some due to the competitive nature that runs in this family.

Suddenly a knock at the front door gains everybody's attention including my dad's who mistakenly let his guard down giving Aidan the opportunity to slam his arm down on the table winning the battle. "That doesn't count!" Fletcher shouts angrily, rolling my eyes I speedily make my way to the front door.

"I missed you so much." I don't give him a second to process my words before I yank him into a bone crushing hug. A sense of calm washes over me now having almost everybody I care about here. If only Asher could have made it.

"I missed you too." He relaxes in my hold letting out a sigh. "Sorry I'm late I had to pick out a gift." He steps back holding up a wrapped present in his hand. It's sweet that he went out of his way to bring a gift even after I said he didn't have to.

"When it's your birthday I'm throwing you the biggest party." I throw my arm around his shoulder which looks a little awkward considering the height difference between us. He isn't quite as tall as Quentin or Aidan but I would say he's getting close to Emeric's height.

"Then you are going to be waiting a while." He laughs as I close the door behind us.

"When was your birthday?" I can tell by his words it was recent but I swear to the goddess if I missed it because he didn't tel me I'm going to murder him.

"A couple months ago." He admits stepping out of my hold and walking into the living room, leaving me fuming in the hallway. That little shit didn't even hint about his birthday. Why didn't he tell me?

"I'm so glad you could make it." Della is the first to greet him, and shock me by pulling him into a hug. They've only seen each other a couple of time so it threw me off until I remember that Jasper was the one who saved Troy the day of their attack.

"Sorry I'm late." Jasper stands behind the couch looking around the room at everyone but doesn't move.

"No problem, but you need to hurry up and get over here because you have a lot of arm wrestling matches to catch up on." Troy pats the seat of the floor next to him. I take the present from Jasper noding for him to join the group.

"Don't let them win." I wink bring the gift into the kitchen and setting it on the table with the rest of them. I nearly jump out of my skin when arms wrap around my waist, but Quentin's familiar scent surrounds me putting me at ease.

"Don't think you can hide from your turn." Quentin teases kissing up the side of my neck. I insisted I didn't want to be included in the game, but Troy gave me the "it's my birthday" excuse so now I've been avoiding my turn by busying myself with different things. Turning around in his arms I link mine around his neck.

"I don't want you to get upset when I beat you." I sigh dramatically pretending to sound worried. His eyes darken with a naughty glint stirring my desire deep within me.

"I think we both know who ends up on top." He leans in closer his nose brushing my own. Much to my disappointment he stops only a millimeter away from my lips teasing me. "But if you want to try again." He starts to pull away but I yank him back smashing our lips together. The kiss is needy both of us taking what we want ignoring everything around us.

"The clothes were where!?" Ryder's roaring voice cuts us off from the living room. Groaning I lean my head against Quentin's chest cursing the Moon Goddess for not giving Emeric the ability to keep is fucking mouth shut.

* * *

"Thank you." Troy beams up at my dads after unwrapping the new running shoes they got him. He's been getting into running ever since Aidan and Della let him take a small patrol slot during the day. After the attack they stopped letting him, yet it hasn't stopped him from going on regular runs as part of training.

"Next is Jasper's." I announce handing Troy the small box wrapped in plain brown paper. Jasper squirms a bit now that the attention is on him but stays seated next to Troy. They haven't left each other's side since he got here, and it warmed my heart earlier when we were having cake hearing Troy thanking Jasper for saving him. Troy takes the box shaking it lightly next to his ear trying to decipher what's inside without actually opening it.

"Curiosity killed the cat." Jasper jokes leaning against his back against the couch. Emeric snorts from his spot across from us.

"Then it's a good thing we are wolves." Emeric remarks with a cocky attitude. Ryder scoffs picking up a crumpled up piece of wrapping paper and launching it right at Emeric nailing him on the side of his head. "Ow!" He glares at Ryder while rubbing his temple as if the paper could have actually hurt him.

"A cat would have dodged that." Jasper laughs pushing his hair out of his face. It's almost inaudible but I still catch Della's small gasp from her spot on the couch next to me. Turning to her I see her staring down at Jasper examining him almost. It takes a few minutes for her to look away and when she does I send her a questioning look. The reassuring smile she sends my way before cuddling further into Aidan's side doesn't convince me.

"I'm going to go to the bathroom." I whisper into Quentin's ear so he loosens his arms from around my waist letting me get up. Sneaking out of the room wasn't too difficult considering the bickering going on between Ryder and Emeric. Hurrying in the bathroom I nearly scream as I open the door seeing Victoria standing right in front of me.

"What wrong?" I ask once her light green eyes connect with my own. She looks fearful, terrified in a way, and she won't stop looking over her shoulder.

"Can I talk to you?" I nod my head grabbing her wrist and pulling her into the spare bedroom closing the door behind us. Victoria isn't one to get spooked easily so for her to act this way isn't good.

"What's wrong?" I repeat my question watching as she shakily reaches into her pocket pulling out a single folded up piece of paper.

"This is for you." Her voice trembles along with her hands as I take the paper from her unfolding it. The handwriting isn't hers and I don't recognize the elegant cursive penmanship. My stomach drop reading the contents of the note.

"Who gave you this?" This isn't something she just stumbled upon because it's addressed to me.

"She didn't give me her name, and she just said to not give it to mom or dad. You are the only one who can know." She whispers eyeing the door again. Whoever gave her this wasn't apart of Black Moon Pack because otherwise Victoria would know her name, which mean she's been sneaking out of the pack territory.

"You can't be sneaking off anymore! We are in the middle of a revolution involving rogues! They will snatch you up and use you against us! Do you know what they would do to you?" I angrily whisper scolding her for being so reckless. I know she struggles with the pressure of being the Alpha and Luna's daughter, but taking walks outside of pack territory just isn't safe anymore.

"I'm sorry." I pull her into a hug as tears begin to stream down her face. It's easy to forget she's still technically a child based on her intelligence, and I'm more angry at whoever forced her to deliver me the note. Pulling back I wipe away the remainder of the tears on her cheeks.

"I'm sorry too. I don't want you worrying about this I will handle it, and this will stay between us." I hold up my pinky smiling as she wraps hers around mine sealing the promise. We don't take pinky swearing lightly in this family. "I mean it though no more rogue walks until this is over." I have bigger problems than to sit here and yell at her for something I know she's been doing for years. It's not her fault someone gave her a note with the council's next target. But it is my problem that this unknown person says I'm the only one who can warn and convince them to side with us before the rogues descend upon their pack.

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Song: Can You Feel The Heat Now by Tommee Profitt and Fleurie

I wanted to give you guys a chapter that wasn't as nerve wracking as the past few. I also want to thank everybody because this book has hit 6,000 reads! It's insane to look back and compare where Rogue To Luna was when it was at 27 chapters. Speaking of chapters I'm planning on having 36 chapters plus an epilogue in this book just like the last one, but if that changes I'll let you guys know. Don't worry because there will still be a third book! A few days ago I posted that I was starting to edit this book, just spelling errors and grammar, but I decided to wait until it's finished because that's how I did it with the first book. Still feel free to point out any errors you notice because it helps me later when it's time to edit. Sorry that this note is all over the place I'm half asleep. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and if you did don't forget to vote and comment! Stay safe, healthy, and home. Until next time.

~Stella Gordon