Chasing His Kickass Luna Back

Chapter 0262

Karl

The front door creaks loudly as I push it open, the sound echoing off the walls of the foyer to my all-too-

quiet house.

I’ve just come home from the city, with Abby’s words still fresh on my mind. Mistake. Shouldn’t have

happened. Never happening again. It feels like tiny knives being stuck under my skin over and over

again.

All I ever did was try to make her realize that I still cared—that I still loved her. And yet, no matter how

hard I tried, she pushed me away.

I toss my keys onto the small table by the door with a sigh. My wolf stirs inside of me, like a persistent

nudge in the back of my mind. He wants me to go back, but I won’t. Not now, at least. Maybe not ever.

God, I don’t know.

But right now, I don’t have time to think about Abby. My pack needs me. When I step into my office,

there’s already a pile of papers waiting for me on my desk. It’s a welcome distraction right now, and

before I know it, I’ve been lost in paperwork for hours.

By the time I even look up from the pile of papers sitting in front of me, the afternoon light has already

waned. It’s the tail end of sunset now, with nothing but a few golden rays peeking out over the pink

horizon.

Suddenly, there’s a knock at the door. Sharp, insistent. I know who it is before he even speaks. Marcus,

my Beta. A man who knows me almost as well as I know myself, maybe better in moments like these.

“Karl?” His voice is muffled through the wood, but I can already hear the concern in his voice.

“Come in,” I call out, more curtly than I intend.

The door swings open and Marcus steps inside, his eyes quickly taking in my disheveled state.

“You look like hell,” he says, never one to mince words. He takes a seat opposite me, his eyes

scanning the pile of papers on my desk.

“I feel like it, too,” I admit with a wry chuckle, leaning back and letting out a breath that I didn’t know I

was holding.

Marcus is silent for a moment, his gaze steady, before he speaks. “The pack’s talking, Karl.”

I bark a short, humorless laugh. “What else is new?”

“You’re distracted. It’s Abby, isn’t it?” He isn’t asking; he knows.

I look away. “I’m fine. It’s over with Abby. That’s all there is to it.”

He nods, accepting my words at face value, but I can see the gears turning behind his steely gaze.

“Listen, Karl,” he says, his voice taking on that tone that I know all too well, that tone that says that I’m

about to receive some counsel that I—more often than not—sorely need. “With the Alpha party coming

up, it would be a good look for you to show up with a date.”

A date. The word hits me like a ton of bricks. Abby was supposed to be my date, but now, I’m not so

sure.

“And why would I need that?” I ask, cocking my head to the side.

He sighs. “Look, with your brother on the verge of waking up, you want all the strength in your approval

ratings you can get,” he says. “And, as draconian as it sounds, an Alpha with a family on the horizon is

going to be better off than one without. And given your recent ratings, I think you’d want that edge over

him.”

Marcus watches me, waiting for a response, but I remain silent, unsure of what to say. He’s completely

right; if I want to hold my position as Alpha over my brother, then I need what my brother doesn’t have.

A family.

But my family was supposed to be Abby. Look, I know I fucked up, but I thought I made it up to her.

And yet, after everything, she’s still pushing me away.

“Just think about it,” Marcus urges as though sensing my trepidation. “It would be good for you, good

for the pack. Your approval ratings are slipping; this could bolster them.”

Without another word, Marcus stands and slips out of the room. I watch him leave, then wince slightly

as the door clicks shut behind him.

Approval ratings. Politics. None of that should matter when it comes to something as profound as

family. But Marcus has a point. As Alpha, my personal desires have to take a back seat to the needs of

the pack.

I have responsibilities after all, and perhaps it might just be time to meet them head-on.

…

A couple of days go by, and I can’t get Marcus’ words out of my mind.

Finally, by the third day, I’ve awoken with a new resolution in my head: I might not be looking for a

family just yet in Abby’s wake, but I do need a date to the Alpha party. And if that’s the case, then I

might as well go with someone who could possibly fill that role down the road.

Far, far down the road. But down the road nonetheless.

Despite my wolf’s protests, I reach for my phone without a second thought. Marcus picks up on the first

ring.

“I need you to find me a date for the party,” I say before he can even get a hello in. It’s direct, perhaps

too direct, but there’s no need to be subtle right now.

There’s a beat of silence on the other end before he speaks. “What changed your mind?”

My wolf bristles at the question, and I push down the instinctive annoyance. “Not so much that my

mind’s changed. More like…”

“Duty,” he says, finishing for me.

“Right. Listen, just make a list,” I say with a newfound conviction. “Good prospects only.”

“Alright, boss. I’ll get right on it.”

Later that day, I’m ensconced in more paperwork when Marcus slips into my office, a stack of papers in

his hand.

“This the list?” I ask, holding my hand out.

He nods and hands it to me. “Twenty of the pack’s most eligible bachelorettes. Heiresses, all of them.

And attractive, too.”

My wolf snarls inside of me. “What about their merits?” he asks. “Are they intelligent? Dedicated?

Accompli—”

“Enough,” I reply as I scan the list. “It’s not important right now.” Draмaոovеls.cом Original from NôvelDrama.Org.

“But Karl—”

“I said, enough.”

“Interviews, Karl?” His eyebrow arches in surprise. “This isn’t a job opening.”

“Thank you,” I say, and as he turns to leave, organizing yet another of my demands, I try to ignore the

hollowness that expands in my chest.