Defy The Alpha(s)-Chapter 788: Seminar For The West pack

West Pack Territory...

Nancy knew being Ezra’s mate came with responsibilities. But overseeing the West Pack in the absence of her husband? That was a whole lot of chaos on its own.

Ezra had been away for a few days now, all thanks to the emerging zombie virus in Aster City. It was crazy out there.

And crazy in here.

"Here, Luna," her lady-in-waiting, Olivia, or as Nancy preferred to call her, her assistant, led her toward the ward.

At first, Nancy had objected to the idea of having an assistant. It felt excessive and dramatic. But when the responsibilities of being Luna to an Alpha King came calling, she had embraced it with both hands.

To think she once assumed these wolves had nothing to do except live, hunt, and howl at the moon while their Alphas tried to keep them in line.

But now she stood in the position of leadership, Nancy realized something very quickly. Governing living beings, not to mention an entire territory full of them, might just be the toughest job in existence.

There was a situation.

Last night, they had a case of domestic violence.

The woman had been brutalized by her husband all because the soup she made for him "didn’t taste right." It was the intervention of the neighbors that brought the incident to light.

The husband had been locked up and the

woman brought to West Pack General Hospital. Hence Nancy’s visit.

The doctor was still examining the woman when Nancy stepped into the private room, and the atmosphere shifted immediately.

"Luna Nancy!" The victim practically lunged from the bed, intending to prostrate before her.

"No, don’t, please!" Nancy rushed forward, mortified, trying to stop her.

She didn’t deserve that. She wasn’t even truly the West Pack Luna. Once Asher returned, she and Ezra would go back to their small pack in the city, and things would settle into normal again.

Moreover, how could she, a mere human, be bowed to by a wolf? It was still overwhelming, even months after she had been acknowledged as Ezra’s mate.

Olivia quickly helped the woman back onto the bed while the doctor straightened and dipped her head respectfully.

"Luna Nancy."

Nancy inclined her head in return. "How is her condition, doctor?"

The doctor, a female wolf with sharp, assessing eyes, adjusted the stethoscope around her neck before replying, "For a wolf, I’d say it’s a quick recovery. She had two broken ribs likely from repeated kicks to the torso. One of them grazed close to the sternum. Her split lips have already sealed, and the swelling from the blow to her face is going down. Wolves heal fast after all."

Nancy’s gaze shifted to the woman’s face. The bruises along the side of her cheek had turned a sickly yellow, fading at the edges.

Had she been human, it would still be a glaring bluish-purple mess, swollen and raw.

The doctor continued clinically, "However, I ran a full body scan and this wasn’t the first incident."

At that statement, Nancy’s stomach tightened. Of course, this wasn’t the first time. Violence over something so trivial didn’t begin in a single day.

"There are older fractures. A hairline crack along the forearm that shows signs of prior trauma and her left femur..." the doctor exhaled deeply as if this was too much even for her. "It healed at a slight angle and probably why she has a limp."

An ominous silence descended in the room like a guillotine as Nancy’s eyes dropped to the woman’s legs. She hadn’t noticed it until now.

"And there are missing teeth," the doctor added. "Blunt force and certainly not recent."

Nancy felt something cold slide down her spine and didn’t even realize when her hands balled into fists at her sides.

Back in her old trade, violence was something constant but this was someone’s husband. Someone who had made a sacred promise to love and protect his other half for as long as he breathed. So how did he become the monster who brought her nothing but pain and misery?

Nancy saw nothing but red.

So when the frail-looking woman whispered, "It’s not what you’re thinking. Fred can be gentle at times. Yesterday was my fault..."

It was safe to say that Nancy was a hair’s breadth away from slapping some sense into her.

Not that she could blame the poor woman. Most victims of abuse were brutalized and gaslighted to the point that they believed their abusers were right and they were the ones in the wrong. They were broken down until submission became second nature and they had no self-esteem left. It didn’t help that this wasn’t the first case.

Women in the West Pack, especially the married ones, were treated like objects. Like property belonging to their husbands. And unlike Patricia, Nancy definitely had plans to change that.

For starters, she could deal with the asshole. Perhaps she would cut off his hands so he’d never raise them against his wife again.

No.

Nancy immediately objected to the thought. The poor woman would only suffer more seeing her husband in that condition.

She would think of something more creative.

The asshole would learn never to raise a hand again in his life.

That much, Nancy decided.

She smiled sweetly, making no effort to disclose her plans for dealing with the woman’s useless husband.

"Recover first," she told her gently. "We’ll deal with this matter later. I’ve made arrangements for the best meals to be served to you. If you feel uncomfortable in any way or need anything, don’t hesitate to bring it to my attention."

"Thank you for your care, Luna." She bowed her head in respect.

Then she ruined it.

"But Luna... what about my husband—"

Perhaps it was the sudden tightening of Nancy’s lips, or the glacial look in her eyes — or both — but the woman didn’t dare finish the sentence. The words died in her throat.

"Thank you, Luna," she mumbled quickly, lowering her gaze.

Nancy’s deadly stare lingered on her far longer than necessary before she finally turned away.

"Let’s go," she said to Olivia.

The both of them left the ward with Nancy practically striding ahead.She was so pissed her head was already throbbing with a headache.

To think that even in that situation, the woman’s first concern was still her husband.

Ugh.

How could some women be so blind?

That was it. There were going to be seminars. Retreats. Camps. Whatever it took to change the mindset of the women here else she was going to lose her mind.

They drove back to the packhouse with Nancy stewing in frustration, mentally drafting wildly ambitious plans to educate the women of the West Pack.

She was so absorbed in her thoughts that she didn’t even realize they had reached the foyer. So when arms suddenly wrapped around her, she screamed and reacted.

It was seconds too late for her to recognize the scent. Nancy headbutted the stranger on instinct only to spin around and find her husband groaning in pain, clasping his nose.

"Ezra?" Her eyes widened to the size of saucers.

"Yep..." Ezra grimaced, his voice muffled as he held his face. "I forgot surprises aren’t your strong suit."

"Goddess above, " Nancy was mortified as she tried to help him.

"Don’t worry," Ezra told her. "It’s just a small wound. It’ll heal." He wiped the smear of blood with the back of his hand.

Nancy scowled. "You didn’t tell me you were returning."

"Yes, I wanted it to be a surprise. But now? I’m never trying that again." He said it with a toothy grin.

Nancy rolled her eyes before placing her hands on his arms. "Come on, babe. Let’s get you cleaned up."

Just like that, Nancy led him to their private suites where Ezra cleaned up.

Just because Ezra had temporarily taken over the Pack didn’t make him Alpha, and he made sure to avoid the Alpha’s quarters.

That was Asher’s right, as far as he was concerned. Nor did he plan on developing an appetite for the position.

Nancy waited at the foot of the bed.

Not long after, Ezra stepped out of the bathroom shirtless and all the blood in her body rushed straight to her head.

Okay, maybe she understood why some women lost their minds over their husbands.

Oh, shut up. That is not the same.

She mentally smacked herself for even thinking it.

She rose to her feet as Ezra approached, his gaze smoldering as he stared at her like she was the most beautiful thing in his life and she forgot how to breathe.

Ezra stopped right in front of her. "How are you, my love?" he asked softly.

"F–fine." Nancy cursed herself for the tremble in her voice.

One would think that months spent with her mate would diminish the crazy attraction between them. But that wasn’t the case. If anything, the more time she spent with Ezra, the more she couldn’t get enough of him. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

Ezra smirked.

That knowing lift of his lips that told her he was fully aware of the effect he had on her.

Then he reached out and grabbed her waist, pulling her flush against him until their bodies aligned.

Nancy blushed.

"I missed you as hell." Those were the only words Ezra muttered before he crashed his lips hard against hers.

And then Nancy was falling.

Her mate had pulled the rug from under her feet and right now, she was tumbling straight into the abyss of him.

Nancy whimpered softly, tilting her head to give him better access as she opened for him, his tongue sliding in without hesitation.

For a moment, nothing else existed. Not the pack or the responsibilities waiting outside that door. Just them.

Until Nancy stiffened and pulled back.

"Did you hear that?"

"What?" Ezra rasped, eyes dark with hunger.

Nancy frowned slightly. "I thought I heard voices."

"It’s probably nothing..." Ezra muttered urgently before capturing her lips again, this time kissing her harder and more possessive. Almost as if he was determined to erase any distraction.

And then, Ezra heard it clearly.

"Violet, love, does this stuff have a shield or something where we can wait out your mother and her mate trying to have sex before us?"

Ezra froze.

Slowly, he turned.

And there they were.

"What the—"