A/N: All cannon characters and settings belong to the brilliant mind of Patricia Briggs. The rest comes solely from my imagination. This is written merely for my own pleasure and the pleasure of others. Also, I tend to get long-winded, so some of my chapters may be long, no, not may be, will be. You have been warned.
P.S. As I have two other stories going, Taming the Beast Within and Healing the Winds of Time, over in the Alpha and Omega universe, updating will be slow, but know that I am diligently working on all of my fics and will not let them 'die'.
Now, without further ado, on with the story!
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Three months. That was how long it had been since she and Ben moved in together. Luna watched her mate as he sat hunched over a computer screen working on something he'd had to bring home from work. He did that sometimes, if there was a deadline on a project and he needed the extra time, and tonight was one of those times. When he did that she left him be and tried to be quiet, usually reading a book, because with their hearing even if she listened to music using headphones he would still be able to hear it and be distracted.
For the first few weeks, after he moved in, Luna kept waiting for him to realize she wasn't strong enough, wasn't dominant enough, to be his mate. She looked at the mated couples in their pack; Mercy and Adam, Warren and Kyle, Darryl and Auriele, and they were all similar personalities, all dominants in their own way, but she and Ben were opposites. When it really sunk in that Ben loved her, that he wanted her, she realized she didn't have to be strong or dominant because she was what he needed for him to find balance.
She thought about their position in the pack. A female took her position from her mate, so even though she was a submissive wolf, in the pack hierarchy she was seventh in the pack, next to her mate. What unsettled her the most about that wasn't that it put her so far up the hierarchy, since there were roughly thirty wolves in the pack, but that if he wanted to, Ben could easily be fourth or fifth. All it would take was a few fights. George and Alec, who were fifth and sixth, respectively, would be fairly easy fights for him. She knew in her heart that Ben was the more dominant wolf and he had more skill than either of them. Paul, their fourth, however was different. He and Ben were very, very close in dominance and she knew if Ben challenged him, that fight would be rough. She'd seen fights for dominance before, they were brutal and often deadly.
Luna shook her head. Why had she suddenly started thinking about that? She glanced at her mate, who was still hard at work. Sometimes things slipped through their mate bond. Was Ben thinking about challenging the wolves above him? Was that why she was suddenly thinking about it? She was reluctant to ask him in case he wasn't thinking about it because she didn't want to be the one to put the idea in his head.
It was Friday and they were getting together with Kyle and Warren for Bad Movie Night, which was why Ben was working furiously to finish what he was doing. At the start of the new semester at the local college Luna had started her new job, teaching the history of myths and legends, and she'd finished grading the tests she'd given her students that day while dinner cooked. They both really needed the night out and she was looking forward to it. It would just be the four of them because Adam was taking his wife out and Stefan, who sometimes joined them, had another engagement, most likely something to do with the local seethe.
Ben finished his work, shut his computer down, and lifted his gaze to his mate. "Hey babe, everything okay?" he asked at the odd look on her face.
"Mmhm, just enjoying watching you," she replied. "So, what genre do you think Kyle is going to go with tonight? Old black and white, new age horror? Maybe a melodrama?"
Ben laughed at the question. "Luna, sweetheart, you know how unpredictable he is. Besides, the last time you asked me that you talked me into a bet that had me washing dishes for a week," he said. "I'm onto you," he teased and moved to kiss her. "Whatever he picks, you know it'll be fun."
Luna stuck her tongue out at him and laughed. "True. Come on, pizza is done. Let's eat and get out of here." The first time she'd made pizza for him, from scratch, he'd sworn off ordering from a pizza joint. Her's was so much better.
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"Luna, darlin', you look like something's bothering you," Warren said later when they were between movies. The first one was an old black and white werewolf themed one the guys had made fun of. He'd noticed she'd been unusually quiet since she and Ben arrived and he was concerned. Kyle and Ben were downstairs getting refills on the popcorn and drinks so he took advantage of the opportunity to check up on her and patted the sofa next to him. "Come and unload whatever it is, I don't like seeing you upset," he added.
Luna thought about it a moment then moved closer to him. She was glad the kitchen was downstairs from the theater room because it meant Ben wouldn't hear her if she kept her voice down. "Ben is only a few positions down from you in the pack. When the thought first popped into my head I couldn't figure out why I would think about that, but now I think its coming from him, through our bond." She sighed softly. "I don't know, but lately I've gotten this feeling that he isn't satisfied with his position. Like, maybe he was settling before because he was new, but now he wants what he feels is his rightful spot. I've seen how violent, and deadly, fights for dominance can be and... I'm scared," she admitted.
"You're worried he'll start challenging those above him and he might die," Warren guessed.
"I am. Or that he'll win and like the killing too much, and lose himself to it," she replied.
Warren hugged her. "I wish there was something I could say to ease your worries but there isn't. I will tell you this though. I don't think he'll lose. I've seen Ben fight, first-hand, and I really don't think he'll lose." A shadow crossed his face as he remembered when he, Ben, Stefan, and Daniel, a vampire friend of Stefan's, were captured by a demon-ridden vampire and forced to fight each other. He'd been left for dead outside of Uncle Mike's and it had taken a lot of healing to get back on his feet. He didn't know if Ben had shared that particular nightmare with Luna. He knew Ben had lost control of his wolf, something he prided himself on not doing, and he'd not only killed Daniel, whom he'd befriended, but he'd partially eaten him as well.
"Maybe not if he challenges Alec or George, but.. Paul is a different story," Luna whispered. She wanted to ask about the look but decided against it. Something told her that was one story she didn't really want to hear, not right now.
"Not even against Paul," Warren countered. "That one will be tough as hell for him, but I've fought Paul, I believe Ben will win against him too. I also don't think he'll lose himself to killing because I think he'll accept a yield. He doesn't want anyone dead, he just wants to be where he feels he should be in the pack structure. There was a time when I might not have thought that, but now he has you and you mean everything to him."
Luna sighed softly. "Thanks. I just hope you're right," she said quietly. By the time Ben and Kyle returned she was sitting where she'd been when they went downstairs. She had to accept that the only thing she could do was wait and if he did issue a challenge, she had to support him even if it scared her.
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On their way home Ben glanced over at her. "You're worried about something," he said simply.
Luna stared out the passenger side window a moment before she turned to look at him. "You're right, Ben, I am. You're not happy, I can feel it. I don't mean with us but... in the pack. You've kept your dominance under wraps since you joined the pack, haven't you? You were a transplant from England, here under the suspicion of having assaulted several women, you just wanted to keep your head down. But you're not happy with that anymore." She sounded surprised even to herself. She'd gotten all of that through their mate bond.
Ben pulled over to the side of the road because he wanted to focus on her. "Ah, luv, I didn't want you getting all of that," he said. "You're right sweetheart, I'm not happy with the pecking order. I know I'm more dominant than Alec, George, and Paul, and it chafes my wolf to have to back down from them. I've seen them all fight, I know I could beat them, but I don't want you upset over a dominance fight."
Luna studied him a moment. Sometimes being mated meant supporting the other even if it upsets you. "If challenging any of them, or all of them, is what you really want to do, what you feel you need to do, you have my support, Ben."
He stared at her. "You mean that, don't you?" he asked in surprise.
"I do. I'm your mate. If this is what you feel you need to do, then I support it, even if it terrifies me."
Ben leaned over and kissed her. "Thank you, Luna," he murmured. He got them back on the road headed home and he knew, with Luna's support, he'd be issuing his first challenge soon.
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Several days later Luna was at Pack Central, aka Adam and Mercy's home, when Mercy approached her. "How are things going with you and Ben?" Mercy asked.
"Things are good. I still can't believe he's mine, you know? I mean, I know you haven't always been a fan of Ben's but... he's a good man."
"I know he is. He's come a long way since he first came here, and even more since you came into his life." Mercy paused a moment to think about how to phrase what she was thinking then went with blunt honesty. "Listen, I overheard him talking with Warren. I know he plans on challenging Alec this weekend. I have been where you are right now so if you want to talk, I'm here, okay?" Mercy told her.
Luna paled a little. "This weekend?" she asked. "I didn't... I knew he was thinking about it but I didn't know it would be so soon. What if things go badly?" she asked and her voice was tinged with fear.
"If, by some stroke of luck, Alec wins he'll let Ben yield and I know, for your sake, Ben will do it even if he doesn't want to. You mean that much to him, Luna," Mercy replied.
"I really hope you're right," Luna said softly.
Mercy didn't want to say this next part but Luna needed to be prepared. "Honestly, the only one you have to worry about is Paul, if Ben takes it that far. Alec and George, they'll be easy for Ben to take on but Paul... he and Ben are really close in strength, skill, and dominance, but Paul has his size going for him. He and Ben might be close to the same height but Paul is bulkier. If Ben goes after Paul's position in the pack, that will be a very tough, possibly brutal, fight. I don't want to scare you but you need to know."
"Warren said pretty much the same thing when I told him about my fears at Bad Movie Night," Luna admitted. "I've seen Paul in the dojo, I know he's... fast,"she added. "How do you do it? How do you stand there and watch your mate fight knowing he could die?" Luna asked softly.
"You do it because it's the only thing you can do, Luna." Auriele caught the end of their conversation and having been through it many times with her own mate as well, she felt compelled to comment. "I know that's not what you wanted to hear but its the truth. The only thing you can do is support them and hope for the best," she added.
Mercy nodded. "Auriele's right. It's hard as hell to do, but it's the only choice you have."
Luna closed her eyes. "I hate this but I know you're both right." She would have to be strong and when he finally faced off against Paul, because she knew he would, she would have to say a prayer that she wouldn't lose him and hope her prayer was answered.
