Sold To The Alpha
The Cursed Luna Chapter 36

Justin and Hazel lay under the sheets, his arm underneath her body as she curled around him, idly drawing circles on his chest as he gazed at her lovingly, watching the small smile play around her lips as she rest her head against his shoulder, sighing contentedly. 'What are you thinking about?' he asked quietly, gently rubbing his hand down her arm as she gazed up at him, her happiness evident.

'About you' she confided shyly.

'Well I like that' he grinned pulling her closer and kissing the top of her head.

'You will make an amazing Alpha you know' she whispered softly 'I can feel it, the pack will be so happy when its announced' she said confidently.

'Are you ready to be a Luna?' he asked, his eyes drawing her gaze as he lent forward to capture her lip with his.

Nodding silently, Hazel held his gaze with her own 'I'm not sure how good I will be?' she confided softly but love my pack and I will do whatever I can to keep them safe' she said resolutely, her determination written on her face causing Justin to chuckle quietly. Looking up at him questioningly she asked 'whats so funny?'

Grinning Justin pressed his lips to hers again, 'Nothing baby, you are just too damned cute, I don't think I can deal with your gorgeousness' he said as his hands roamed her body hungrily.

'Don't even think about it Mr future Alpha' Hazel chided, pulling away from him 'we are already late for the meetings with the villagers, I am going to get washed up and then we are going to do help our pack!' she ordered, as Justin lay back on the bed, his arm under his head, looking at her with puppy dog eyes as he pouted.

'You so mean to me baby' he growled, his eyes twinkling as her naked body rose from the bed, heading to the bathroom door.

'I'm just keeping your head where it should be' she replied giving him a wink.

'I'd rather it was between your legs' he muttered as the door shut behind her.

'I heard that!' she called through the door as he laughed despite himself, pulling himself from the bed and walking over to the closet to replace some fresh clothes to wear, listening to Hazel sing softly to herself as the sound of running water started. Smiling happily to himself he murmured 'I really am the luckiest wolf there ever was'

Sticking her head out of the door, Hazel grinned at him 'Yes you are Mr future Alpha, and I am truly the luckest She wolf to have you all to myself' before ducking back into the bathroom and stepping into the shower.

Making their way downstairs they found Charity and Aaron already in the dining room, talking quietly

rick who was nodding intently as they spoke.

'What's going on?' called out Justin as he made his way toward them, grinning Merrick turned toward him, his hand outstretched,

'Dude! let me be the first to congratulate the future Alpha' he boomed, grasping Justin's hand in his own as e clapped him on the shoulder. 'Couldn't think of a better bloke for the job, and with this gorgeous young lady beside you to sort your a*s out when you get too cocky, well you can't go wrong' he grinned as Hazel blushed and Justin shook his hand, his small s

'Cheers dude' he replied, 'though lets be honest it was slim pickings for poor Char, I was the best of a bad bunch.

Merrick laughed as he released Justin's hand, 'too true too true' he agreed before sobering up, 'seriously dude, you are going to do a great job here, I am always happy to know you're on a mission with us, covering my a*s. Turning back to Aaron and Charity, Merrick asked 'should I call the first village member in Alpha? Luna?' before heading back to the door as they nodded at him.

As the four took seats on one side of the dining table a young scared looking young woman with dark hair stepped around the door, hesitating for a few moments until Charity beckoned her over with an encouraging smile.

The dark haired girl timidly walked over, perching in the chair opposite, biting her lip nervously. Charity decided to take the lead, 'Good morning, I assume you are here to discuss your future?' she asked encouragingly. The young girl nodded hesitantly, her eyes shifting between the four as if unsure that she should be there.

'Why don't we start with your name and age?' encouraged Charity

'My name is Katrina, I am eighteen' the girl replied, her hands rubbing together as they rested on the table in between them.

'My name is Charity, this is Aaron, Justin and Hazel' responded Charity kindly as Katrina bowed her head to each member as they were named. Smiling at Hazel who she obviously knew who gave her a broad grin back infusing her with some confidence. Straightening her back slightly, Katrina said 'I currently work in the laundry, I came here to ask you Empress, if you would consider me for training to be a warrior' she rushed out hurriedly.

Charity was slightly taken a back by the small girl in front of her making such a choice, 'That is a worthwhile endeavour, what is your reasoning for your choice Katrina?' she inquired softly.

'I want to protect my pack Empress' she replied simply, a look of determination crossing her face, 'females were banned from training, but my brother joined the guards and he would secretly teach me his training when he would come home each night. I can block all his advances, I am a quick study' she added her eyes looking beseechingly into Charity's.

Turning to Justin, Charity asked 'What do you think Jus?'

Justin looked over the young girl attentively, taking in her muscular arms that showed she had spent years in manual work but also had kept herself toned, implying dedication and stamina. 'I think Katrina would be an excellent candidate for our warriors' he replied smiling as the young girl sat shocked for a moment before squealing with excitement, jumping from her chair and grabbing each of their hands to shake them, stuttering her thanks.

'Out of interest Katrina' Justin asked smiling, 'who is your brother?'

'Nathan' she replied grinning, 'I can't wait to tell him, he always told me that I could be anything I want to be, he thought if he trained me enough that I could escape the elders and be able to survive outside the barrier' she said, sadness filling her face as her eyes met Justin's, 'please sir, don't punish my brother too harshly, he never wanted to join the warriors, not because he didn't want to defend the clan, but he didn't like their tactics, he knew though, that it was the only way to pass on the knowledge I needed to try and get out, he didn't want me auctioned off to a bad situation' she rambled.

Justin held up his hand to silence the panicked girl in front of him 'Katrina, we have no intention of punishing Nathan at all, I could tell he was a good man from my time here in the cells, he never joined in with my abuse, his face was an open book about how he felt regarding my treatment at the hands of the guards. I understood he could not interfere, but I had great respect that he refused to bow down and join in with something he disagreed strongly too' he said kindly.

Katrina nodded, her eyes starting to glisten, 'He used to come home after his shifts, he would break things' she whispered 'he was angry with himself for not standing up to his leader, not fighting for you when they treated you badly, he was in awe of you Sir, he always used to say when he calmed down that he hoped he could replace a mate to love as strongly as you loved Miss Hazel, he had never seen a werewolf stand and take the abuse you did, refusing to reject your mate no matter what.' she finished, her eyes never leaving Justin's, respect evident in her gaze.

Bowing to each in turn, Katrina smiled and left the room as Aaron turned to his mate, 'not Alpha material eh?' he asked softly as Justin looked at his hands, obviously affected by Katrina's words.

The day continued with a stream of people coming in and asking for positions ranging from chefs to gardeners, warriors to medical staff.

Just as they were about to pack up for the afternoon a small knock came from the door, 'come in' called Charity and the four turned to the door to see a woman in her thirties enter holding a young child by the hand. Making their way over to the table, Charity motioned for the two to take a seat, as she and her friends sat themselves down. Holding the woman's gaze, Charity gave her a cheerful smile, 'What is your name ma-am?' she asked 'and what can we do for you?'

The woman smiled back at the group, 'My name is Valerie, but it is not me that wished to see you Empress, I work in the allotments and I love my job, I have no wish to change if that is acceptable to you!' she replied

'Of course' Charity said slightly surprised before turning her gaze to the little girl who was looking at her in awe 'So what is your name? and how can we help you' she asked kindly.

The little girl beamed at her confidently, 'My name is Melissa and I am this many years old' she said holding up three fingers on each hand.

'Slx?' asked Charity smiling, obviously taken by the small girl in front of her.

Melissa nodded proudly, 'My mummy said that we can come here and ask you for something and you will think real hard about it and maybe let us have the thing we want' she said, her voice questioning, as if checking the validity of her mothers word. 'Your mummy is correct Melissa, what would you like from us?' she asked encouragingly.

'Mrs Empress, I would like to ask if we could have a teaching lady' Melissa blurted out, 'My daddy used to tell us about how in some places the children go to a building and a teaching lady helps them learn things! she said earnestly.

Charity looked toward Hazel confused, 'You don't have a school here?' she asked

Hazel shook her head, 'Females are not schooled, only the males and that is only in what the Elders deemed important. Some of the girls were fortunate, their brothers would come home and teach what they had learnt, but there are women here who cannot even spell their own names' she said sadly.

Justin growled angrily at her words causing the little girl to flinch fearfully, seeing her reaction his brow softened, 'I am not angry at you little one, I am angry at the bad men who took away your right to learn. Learning is very important for everyone' he said softly as Melissa relaxed again.

'I was lucky Luna' continued Hazel, 'My father was sent out of the pack for four years to study medicine, my mother held here to make sure he returned. Whilst at the university, he made it his mission to learn as much as he could, living in the library between his placements and studying, reading about history, geography, practicing mathematics. He returned to my mother and taught it to her, and then to me when I was born, though I was forbidden to tell anyone of my lessons. He convinced the Elders that he had to do his own supply runs to the town as he was the only one who knew what medicines we needed, he would smuggle in a book each time, hidden among the vials, for me. We must have fifty books hidden in our attic' she added smiling at the memory. 'Well that will be the start of our school library then' Justin growled as the little girl clapped her hands happily, jumping from her chair, racing round the table to hug each of them whilst her horrified mother admonished her 'Melissa! that is very inappropriate' Valerie cried worriedly.

Charity grinned at the woman as she accepted Melissa's hug 'it's ok, we always welcome a hug' she said.

Running back to her mother, she grabbed her hand, pulling her from the chair and starting to make her way to the door. 'Melissa' her mother reminded gently, 'what do we say to the Empress and the other leaders?'

Melissa stopped, turning to face them a serious look on her face, 'Thank you!' she shouted happily before pulling her mother again, turning to give an enigmatic wave as her embarrassed mother followed her from the room.

As the door shut, Justin looked among them, 'so with no actual knowledgeable females in the pack, how are we going to replace a 'teaching lady'? he asked, obviously still bothered that the females of the pack had been treated like objects for so long. Hazel cleared her throat 'umm, well I was thinking I could do it' she said apprehensively, 'is that crazy?' she asked looking around at them.

Charity grabbed her hand beaming 'That is an amazing idea' she agreed, 'To be taught by their Luna will bring the children closer to you, build their respect and love from the start. Also you already have a good knowledge, and we can easily sort out books etc for you so you can increase your own knowledge' she said happily.

'I also thought I could do a night class once a week for the older women, teach them at least basic reading, writing and mathematics' Hazel continued enthusiastically, her joy at the thought evident.

Justin pulled his mate to him lovingly, 'you my love, are truly awe inspiring, with you as our Luna we are going to be an amazing pack' he growled, his lips brushing hers as she blushed lightly, returning the kiss, her eyes shining.