Claimed by the Alpha Luna’s Awakening (Carmine and Theo) novel Chapter 14

Chapter 14
The way Scarlet hugged Theo made Carmine uncomfortable. She couldn’t put her finger on other emotions that swirled in her mind. She averted her gaze because she was obviously not a part of this inner circle that was clearly out there. Theo, Winn and Scarlet. There was a flicker of surprise on Scarlet’s face which Carmine noticed, but it went away so quickly that Carmine thought she had imagined it.
“Mommy?” Thor whispered, hugging her thighs and hiding behind her. She put her hand on his hair and ruffled them. “Can we go home?”
“Sure, love,” Carmine replied and picked him up in her arms.
“I missed you,” Scarlet repeated as she embraced Theo. When Theo’s brows furrowed,
she stepped ha. “I know it is stu pid of me,” she shrugged with a smile. “But I can’t help
it. We’ve been together for pretty long,” she added, glancing at Carmine.
Theo gave her a tight nod.
Winn said, “There is something I would like to discuss with you, Alph-”
Theo cut him off. “Winn, I will take Carmine to her house. After that I will talk about
business.”
Winn jerked his head back in surprise but controlled himself immediately. “Sure!”
“But there’s a very serious business to attend,” Scarlet interjected in a soft voice. “If it is okay with you, I will drop Miss Carmine to the house. I wouldn’t have insisted if there weren’t injuries.”
Theo’s brows furrowed to dark slashes on his face. “Injuries?”
Scarlet nodded. “Yes. Winn can fill in the information while I show Miss Carmine her
new home?”
Though Theo didn’t like the idea, if the wolves were injured, there was surely something very serious happening. He turned his gaze to Carmine. “Scarlet is going to take you to your new home.” He dug into his coat’s pocket and took out keys that were in a keychain that had a gold moon and a few stars hanging from it. “These are for your new house. Your other boxes will come in a few hours.”
Carmine’s lips curved up. “Thank you so much, Theo. It was indeed a pleasure to do business with you.” She shook his hand. Why was he gritting his teeth and why wasn’t he leaving her hand? “See you around.” She pulled her hand away.

As she left with Scarlet, Theo took a ragged breath. If she thought he would not come back and this was a last goodbye, then his mate was very wrong. He would come back as soon as he finished his business in the p ack. Maybe in an hour. He watched her and Thor drive away with Scarlet and only when they were a blur on the horizon, he walked to the car waiting for him, with Winn inside.
“She is beautiful, Alpha Theo,” Winn remarked with a smile.
Theo got jealous of his Beta’s remark.
Winn realized it immediately. “Hey, it was just a compliment!”
Theo gritted his teeth because he was already missing Carmine and Thor. He sat in the car and they drove off.
Scarlet slipped her goggles back on her eyes. She was extremely silent for a long time, but she would keep glancing at Carmine and Thor once every while. Carmine also spoke little. The awkward feeling was thick in the air.
“How was your journey?” Scarlet finally asked in a crisp voice.
“It was good,” Carmine replied..
“Theo informed me you will set up your wedding boutique here?”
Surprise was evident on Carmine’s face. How did this woman know so much about her? Was she very close to Theo? “Yes.”
“Good,” Scarlet chuckled. “I would need a wedding gown soon.”
Carmine smiled. “That’s nice. You are getting married?”
“We will give a party to announce it first, so I would need a dress for that,” Scarlet replied with an air of arrogance. “Do you have something like that?”
“My boxes aren’t open yet, but I think I have something like that. Once my boxes are open, I will inform you. You can give me your number.” Carmine shifted Thor to the other side to open her purse and fish out her phone.
Scarlet gave her phone number. “You should also come to the party.”
Carmine grinned. “I won’t be knowing anyone…”
“Well then, all the more of a reason for you to come. Wouldn’t you want to see who I am getting married to?”
Carmine scratched the back of neck sheepishly. “I would love to, but…”
“It’s decided then. You are coming to the party. We will hold it in a few days. I will text you the invite.
“Okay..” Carmine said reluctantly.
The drive to her When she got down, she was
new home ended in forty-five minutes thrilled. “That’s our new house, Thor,” she said excitedly.
Scarlet scoffed. “Theo gave it to you in peanuts!”
Carmine swallowed down her saliva. “Yeah, he said he was in a hurry to sell it.” From the corner of her vision, she saw the driver opening the car’s trunk and pulling out the luggage.
“Hardly!” Scarlet rolled her eyes, ignoring Carmine’s shock. “Anyway, I am leaving now. Keep your doors closed at night. There are many wolves roaming this area.” Why was there an underlying threat in her voice?
Her entire b*dy trembled, but Carmine clenched her jaw hard not to show that. Scarlet sat in the car, slamming the door, and drove back in a hurry. Carmine was left with the keys, a few of boxes and Thor. She took a ragged breath, realizing she was alone now. Her eyes landed on the cottage. Nestled amongst the tall pine and cedar trees, it had at shingled roof. Various flower boxes adorned the exterior, bursting with vibrant blooms.
As she pulled her luggage inside the small cottage, she noticed that there were two well- manicured gardens separated by a cobbled path in the middle, in the front. Four steps led to a porch where a swing hung with chains. She jammed the keys
the lock. and opened the door. Scent of pine and mist washed over her and she inhaled it like she was filling her lungs with it.
“Mommy, this is beautiful!” Thor chirped as he ran inside the house and jumped over from one sofa to the next with plush, oversized cus hions to sink in. In the middle of the living room was a cus hioned rug in which you could sink your toes. Adding to the coziness were the red and white drapes over the windows.
Wooden beams stretched across the ceiling. A fireplace on the right added to the charming decor. Freshly cut logs were piled on the side.
She walked to the kitchen, that was equipped with all the essentials she hadn’t even dreamt about. Did she pay too less for too much? When she rustic table and chairs in the dining area, she felt like she had ripped off Theo.
There was another room at the back of the kitchen, which Theo must have said that she could use as the wedding studio. It was large, running the entire length of the side with floor to ceiling glass wall in the front. There were various shelves and wardrobes. She couldn’t help thanking Theo for how nicely he had thought it out for her. It was as if the cottage was made for her.

A small round stairwell led upstairs to two snug bedrooms, complete with a fluffy duvet, soft lighting and windows that opened to the nature outside. She stopped at the window to notice a rolling hill a few hundred meters away. This was perfect for Thor when he grew up. His wolf could lope in these forests casily with no one knowing of his heritage.
“Mommy!” Thor yelled. “I am hungry!”
Though she had a lot to do, but Carmine rushed downstairs and hurriedly prepared noodles for both of them. As Thor had them, she kept wiping his face with a napkin. He threw in a lot of questions at her and she answered them all. “Mommy, I don’t like Scarlet,” he announced as if he had assessed her correctly.