Alpha's Blind Luna



My eyes roamed up to the voice and the cigarette dropped out of my mouth between the rocks. Hector was standing before me. Cigarette between his fingers, brought up to his lips. He was thinner, gaunt. A look in his eyes that said he was far away, a pain I saw when I came back from the BloodHunter Coven but then so much more. His hair was cut short and he was completely clean shaven. Getting up, I threw my arms around him and hugged him. He chuckled awkwardly but did pat my back a couple times before letting go.

"You've been missing for almost a year! What the hell happened?"

He sighed, smoke coming out as he did. "It's a long story. One probably best left for everyone to be present for."

I nodded, still taking in that he was here. "Are you hungry? We can get some food set up. Something to drink?" I glanced down at the duffle next to him. “You're room is untouched. So you can drop your stuff off."

There was a moment of silence before his eyes finally met mine. "Right now, I'd like a cigarette or two and look over the sea."

There wasn't anger or irritation in his voice but it also held no emotion. A complete lack of. No smile and no frown. The only thing that was even a hint that there was still something left to Hector was his eyes. Screaming in pain, screaming that they had seen too much and wanted nothing more than to close. I pulled out a second cigarette and lit it, standing next to him quietly. We both stared out, listening to the waves crash against the rocks. "Why would you say Auri was going to slap you?" His question filled the space between us.

I pulled the cigarette from my lips. "Vale wants to have pups. We talked in passing about it but never concrete. Till he handed me a folder today with two little orphan twins, pups from a pack that their parents died. He wants to adopt them."

"You don't?"

My foot dug into the ground. "I do. I want a family with Vale more than anything."

"But..."

"Between the shit storm happening out in the world right now and...and after reading Auri's theory on the Alpha King conception, I don't want to end up being left alone. Left alone with pups.❞

Hector hummed for a moment. "You're right. She would slap you."

I barked out a laugh. "See."

"You can't stop doing what you want just because of outside factors. It's always going to be something, Zeke. It's going to be the BloodHunters, the High Council, a war, the mafia, extremist groups, storms, drought, drugs...you name it, it can happen. There will always be an excuse to find." He took a drag of his cigarette. “But there won't always be time with your mate. Being parents, having kids, is scary. It's not easy. We are talking basss, nursery, cribs, diapers, bottles, clothes, toys, first aid stuff for rashes, sickness, nose issues, ear issues. The list goes on. Then realizing you are the one who these children are looking up to and you have to literally teach them everything they know."

He pulled the cigarette out and his eyes glossed over for a moment. "It's scary to think that either one of you may get run over by a car when crossing the street or we end up fighting on the front lines of a war that was never our fight to begin with. It will always be scary. But the point is right now, you can provide those kids something they don't have. Something that you and Vale share. Something that will stand the test of time and even past death."

My eyebrow rose. "Money?"

Hector grinned for a moment. "Love, Zeke. Love is the one thing that you can provide that, right now, those orphans don't have. Something that you and Vale have an abundance of. If you're willing to share it. It makes things less scary, less lonely." His words trailed off and he looked back over the sea, lost in his own world.

Putting his cigarette out in the ashtray I had set out by the edge, Hector reached for his bag and slung it over his shoulder.

"I guess I have to face the music. You don't mind if I make something while we get everyone in?"

I shook my head. "It's your home, Hector. I would be happy to help."

"We need to call everyone. So I don't need to repeat myself multiple times."

"The whole crew it is. Though Morgan I don't know about and Pipsqueak...well..."

He followed me back up to the house. "We can leave those two out. I'm assuming they're up to date. All things considered."

My head turned to look at him but he gave away nothing in his face. I opened up the door and we came face to face with Vale. Originally, I had shut down the bond so I could think in peace but now, irritation, anger, with a fair bit of worry wove through him.

"Where the hell have you been?"

Hector didn't even flinch at Vale's tone. "As I said, I don't feel like repeating myself six times so we can wait till everyone is here."

Vale put his hand on shoulder. "Hector, we were worried. You should have checked in. Something. The only thing we knew was that you weren't dead."

“Even that's debatable at this point." Hector chuckled and turned into the kitchen, ducking out of Vale's grip.

Vale looked at me and I just shrugged. I mind-linked Bryan, Simon, Lucy, Jax, and AJ who were all in town today doing different things. They questioned if it was immediate and I said it was. I knew they were all mid-projects but the information that Hector could have was important. We watched as Hector moved around the kitchen seamlessly. Pulling out different ingredients, even reaching in the very back of the cab for some. Once he had a multitude of spices, some chicken, stock, and vegetables, he pulled out two pans and got to work on turning up the heat. Hector started throwing in a ridiculous amount of spice into the mixture with the stock and even some cream. My eyebrows rose and so did Vale's. "What? You're tongue numb now?"

There was a moment of pain that flashed on his face. "I can't take bland food anymore. Spent some time in India and learned what real spice meant." "I think I'm going to pass on this snack." I made a face. My tolerance for spicy did nothing but drop after everyone left and I ended up doing a lot of the cooking myself.

"We will need to work on that then." Hector flashed me a smile but again, it's hollowness made my spine shiver.

Vale disappeared after a few minutes taking a phone call but I watched Hector work in the kitchen. It was different; he was different. His actions smoother, quicker, no effort wasted. It was a delight to watch in the kitchen and I wondered if he was the same in fighting. He looked younger. The sound of his voice, his words, and his eyes showed a man much older than even Bryan and his hair still had the peppered grey in it. But there was something else, less lines in his face. Not to mention when I hugged him he seemed larger but I couldn't remember the last time he had actually been back. At least a year, maybe more.

The room started to smell amazing and I smiled, sitting on the kitchen stool. The front door opened and I leaned back. AJ and Jax walked in, taking a moment to sniff the hair.

"Goddess, what is that smell and can I bathe in it?" AJ groaned and laughed.

Jax was quiet but nodded his head with his brother. He was far more quiet now. What happened with Auri broke him and he wasn't the same. Then, while him and I were out on a mission, he found his mate. She was engaged and intended to be a chosen mate for an Alpha. At first, she was completely smitten with Jax. She was Jax's salvation out of the depression he'd fallen into. Until the day she was supposed to come back with us. I'd never seen a rejection in person and I never wanted to see one again. I remember him just falling to his knees while she had a smirk on her face, taking the hand of the Alpha she was chosen for. Since then, Jax turned into a quiet introvert.

He was an amazing Beta and never lost his touch but his demeanor changed. His personality and his joking nature with even AJ was lost. I felt like him and Hector now may be able to find some common ground. AJ and Jax froze, staring into the kitchen at Hector who had thrown a kitchen towel over his shoulder as he stirred the pot of spices.

They both turned to each other before glancing back. Bryan was walking in, follow by Simon and Lucy. Everyone must have met up before walking across the highway down the driveway. Bryan sniffed the air and shook his head, while Simon smiled wide.

"Reminds me of my days in India. Damn, that's authentic."

AJ and Jax walked over to me. AJ put his hands on my shoulders. "Fifty bucks says he punches him."

"Hell no. I know he's gonna get punched." I looked up to see AJ smirking.

Bryan walked in and looked in the kitchen, his face hardening to straight anger. "Hector?"

Hector looked up from his pan and a slight smile before pulling the kitchen towel off his shoulder. He set the spoon down gently and squared his shoulders as he faced his best friend.

"Fuck, did he get bigger?" AJ whispered.

With him not hunched over or slumped, Hector took up a lot of the kitchen. My initial thought must have been right. He was somehow bigger now. That fact didn't seem to detour Bryan though.

"You mother fucker!" Bryan yelled at him, striding forward and taking a swing at Hector.

My eyes watched Hector's hands as they came up slightly but they stopped. Bryan's fist connected with his face but Hector didn't even budge. A second hook came around and hit him on the other side, still he took it passively, not moving. Bryan was huffing, his face flushed red.

"Feel better? Or you need one more?"

Bryan growled. "You fucking dropped off the face of the earth and you think two hits are going to make me feel better! You little cunt!"

I bit my lip to not smile. Hector was the youngest of the trio before Auri had shown up. Auri described the three of their friendship beautifully and it showed here.

"If I could have, I would."

"Oh yeah? What the fuck kept you so tied up you couldn't even fucking give us a location?"

Hector turned picked up the wooden spoon and turned back to the pot, stirring it. "I was imprisoned by the BloodHunter coven."

Suddenly the smirk on my face dropped. We all looked at Hector's back. The only sound was from the wooden spoon along the bottom of the pan. Vale came down from upstairs but the look on his face said he heard everything. Hector walked to the pantry, rifling through until he found some bread that he deemed okay.

"There should be enough if everyone wants to try some." He turned around, slicing the baguette into slanted pieces. "Normally, I would toast it in a pan but that's way too much work right now."novelbin

"Want me to grab the toaster for you?" Jax spoke up and I was actually surprised. It wasn't like him to initiate a question.

"Would you? Floppy bread isn't good for scooping up."

AJ chuckled but Jax headed around, pulling out the toaster from one of the cabs. All the while Hector pulled out bowls for for everyone. Jax plugged it in and started to put the sliced of bread in it. Hector put a hand on his shoulder.

"Sometimes things work out for the better. Don't allow someone to change who you are. It's hard. It hurts. But allowing them to change who you are is not the way to live."

Jax's eyes widened and he looked at Hector. "How did you know? I didn't..." Jax looked at everyone else in the room.

"I can tell, Jax. Don't let it define you like you are now. I'll call you out on it every time." Hector gave him a small smile and for the first time in a while, Jax genuinely smiled back.