Chapter 1 My Mate
Even before I am fully awake, I know that this is going to be a day from hell and I have had enough of those in my life.
If just one more thing in my life goes wrong, I am out of here and I will never set foot in this territory again.
“Did the bond form?” I ask Charna, my Lycan. If it did, it would make my day better, or at least I hope so.
“It did form.” She replies, but her tone tells me something is wrong.
I turned eighteen a week ago and found a connection with the future Alpha, Nico, one of the people on my list for hurting me over and over again.
No, he never hit me and neither did anyone else.
Okay, maybe I need to explain something to help you understand what I am talking about.
On my sixth birthday, I had been at the lake with my Father, who is our Pack’s Beta, and the Alpha and Gamma families. I had gotten bored with the games they were playing, and I had wandered off into the forest; most of our territory is forest.
I knew to keep an eye out for the markings that tell us where our borders are, and I had been picking wildflowers as I walked around. A soft whimper had gotten my attention and being the curious little Beta, I had gone looking for the source.
If only I had known that I would come to hate my sixth birthday one day, I might have walked in the opposite direction.
I had found a girl in the forest. Later, it turned out that she was just a little older than I, and I had taken her to our Alpha.
Her name was Lucy, but she couldn’t tell us how she had gotten here or where she had come from. She did know that her birthday had just been a few days ago or would be in a few days, and that had been the first time that she had gotten something that was mine.
“You have so many dolls, why don’t you give one to Lucy?” my Father had asked and as I had thought about which doll to gift her, I had nodded my head.
My Father had grabbed my favorite doll from the picnic blanket and as I had objected to it, my Father had already given it to Lucy.
I had tried to explain to my Father that I didn’t want to part with that specific doll, but he had just said that I was being selfish, and he had placed Lucy next to him on the blanket.
Lucy had lived on the first floor with the Omegas for about a week, when my Father had moved Lucy to our floor. He had said that Lucy didn’t like living with the Omegas, and she had asked my Father if she could come live with us.
I doubt nowadays that she used the word “us” back then, but I wasn’t there when she had asked and therefore I can’t be sure.
Lucy overshadowed every birthday I had; my Father always told me that she didn’t have parents to throw her a party, and I could just share my party with her.
This happened again and again, not only due to my Father but also due to the Alpha and Gamma families. Nico was the worst, and he would always remind me that Lucy was much prettier than I was, at least in his eyes.
So, now you might understand why Nico is on my shit list.
I train every single day because I have to, because I am the future Beta. Well, I was the future Beta, and now I am going to be the future Luna.
Nico had been as surprised as I was, but he wanted to form a bond with me. After all, the Goddess had made the connection, and we needed to respect her decision.
Lucy hadn’t been too happy with it; she had been trying to get Nico’s attention for almost a year now and had failed miserably. She even went out of her way to make sure I knew that she would never accept me as a Luna and I had just laughed in her face.
Being Nico’s Mate will make me the Luna, and Lucy cannot do anything about it, even though she might try.
I have gone through my morning routine and am rinsing the dishes I used for breakfast. I hardly ever eat breakfast in the main dining room, because I usually train during that time.
I see that the door to the master bedroom is wide open, which means that my Father is already downstairs, probably having an early morning meeting with the rest of our leadership.
“Why are you so quiet?” I ask Charna, this should be a joyous day for both of us.
She doesn’t answer me, but the moment I leave the Beta floor, she starts pacing in my head and forces me to head up to the Alpha floor. I enter the floor using the code I was given after I turned sixteen, and I am met with complete silence.
It seems I was right about the early morning meeting, and Nico is using it as an excuse to sleep in, just like he does every time his parents are preoccupied or absent.
I hadn’t made any plans with Nico, even though we knew that today would probably be the day that our Mate-bond would be completed. Charna doesn’t understand why we didn’t make any plans, and to be honest, neither do I.
My steps falter as I stand in front of Nico’s bedroom door and I am glad that our bond hadn’t formed earlier. If it had and we had accepted one another as Mates, I would be in excruciating pain right now.
Because the Asshole is fvking another female, the sounds coming from his room don’t leave any room for errors and I am not sure what to do right now.
“Is this why he didn’t want to tell anyone just yet?” Charna asks me and I think we both know that that is precisely the reason.
“Ohh, Lucy. That feels so good.” I hear Nico groan, but it is the name he called that has made me furious and I can barely manage to keep myself from bursting in. I need to find a way to expose those two, and slowly, I make my way out of the Alpha floor and back to my own room without shedding a tear.
I am going to make them pay for what they did and everyone will know about our connection, but it ends today.
Chapter 2 New Life
I walk into my bedroom and grab my suitcases from the back of my closet, placing them on my bed to start packing the remainder of my belongings. There are only a few sets of clothes left in my closet, and only the daily essentials remain in the bathroom.
Most of the things I want to take with me are already in my suitcases. I made the decision to leave Shadow Valley Pack at my Sweet Sixteen party, and I already know where I am going.
I will be going to the Elders to learn everything I need to know to become the best Beta I can be, and I will find a Pack that will appreciate me for who I am.
My weapons are stored in the trunk of my car; I retrieve them every time I need them and return them to the trunk after cleaning. All that is left is my luggage, and then I will ensure that everyone understands who is responsible for my departure.
Okay, let’s get introductions out of the way. My name is Dallas, I am eighteen years old and my Lycan, Charna, showed up a year ago. My life hasn’t been a bed of roses and the only reason I stayed this long is the hope of finding my Mate.
Well, we already know that it didn’t go as planned. I am officially done with the people in my life and the leadership of this Pack.
I walk back up to the Alpha floor, and to my surprise, Nico and Lucy are still at it, but I no longer give a damn.
“Nico, harder.” I hear Lucy moan. “Put a Pup in me, I want you to com inside me.” I can hear Nico groan before he yells that he is coming.
I slam open the door, and Lucy drops to the floor when Nico pushes her off his shaft, startled by my presence. Both make a mess of themselves and the bedroom.
I don’t wait for him to respond; I just turn on my heel and walk down the hallway to the door.
“Please, Dallas. Stop. This is not what it looks like; it just happened.” Nico says, hopping on one leg as he tries to pull on some sweatpants.
I don’t say anything; I just keep walking down the stairs, and I know that Nico and Lucy are right behind me.
Everyone in the main dining room goes quiet the moment they see me walking in, and I can hear a few whispers the moment Nico and Lucy walk in behind me; everyone can smell the scent of sex in the air.
“I, Dallas, reject you, Nico, as my Mate.” I say after I have turned around to look at him.
“I don’t care if you accept it or not. Just know that it won’t stop me from finding my own happiness and you will have to suffer the consequences of not accepting my rejection.” I state.
“Dallas, why are you rejecting our Son?” Alpha Leon asks and I turn around to look at him.
“Because, as usual, Lucy wanted what is mine and got it. Your Son fvked Lucy, even though he knew that our Mate-bond was nearly complete and now I know why he didn’t want us to tell anyone.” I say as I look into Alpha Leon’s eyes.
I turn back to Lucy and Nico, he is still staring at me and his hands are pressed against his chest. I don’t feel any pain, but that might change if he accepts my rejection.
“You wanted him; you can have him. You can have everything that was once mine. I hope that the two of you become very happy together, and I hope that you enjoy your victory.” I say to Lucy before I walk past her and out of the main dining room.
“Stop, you can’t leave. You are my Mate.” Nico says and I turn around to see him standing in the doorway.
“I am no longer your Mate. You chose to sleep with her, and now you can deal with the consequences. You have always put Lucy before me, just like your family, the Gamma family and even my own Father. You never failed to remind me that you thought that Lucy was prettier than I am.
Our Mate-bond would have made you see that you had been wrong, that you had hurt me with your words, and I would have forgiven you because of our Mate-bond. What I can’t forgive and what I will never forgive is that you chose to fvk another woman.” I say in a calm, cold voice.
The entire dining room is quiet, and everyone is waiting for what is to come next.
“Dallas, there might be a perfect explanation…” But I don’t give Alpha Leon the chance to finish his sentence.
“What kind of explanation can your Son have for being buried balls deep in Lucy? Where in this damn universe could this have been an accident?” I growl in his direction.
More Pack-members have gathered in the dining room, all of them curious about the drama unfolding in front of them.
My Father finally gets up from his chair and I am damn curious about what he will have to say.
“Dallas, you are the future Beta. You already have status within Shadow Valley Pack; why not grant Lucy the status of Luna?” My Father says.
Charna is growling in my head, but she keeps to the back of my mind. Neither one of us wants him to know that we already shifted or that we know that he lied about our Mother.
“HAVE YOU LOST YOUR FVKING MIND? YOU WANT ME TO GIVE LUCY MY MATE, JUST LIKE YOU GAVE HER THE LAST GIFT MOM GAVE ME OR THE FAMILY HEIRLOOM YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO GIVE ME ON MY SIXTEENTH BIRTHDAY.
GET A FVKING GRIP ON THAT DAMN BRAIN OF YOURS, I HATE YOUR FVKING GUTS.” I yell at my Father and I take advantage of his shocked state.
“Nico, this is your last chance to accept my rejection. Once I walk out the door, you might never get the chance again.” I state, looking at Nico and it seems to sink in that no one can change my mind.
“I, Nico, accept your rejection.” Nico says, knowing that I will never forgive him.
I walk out of the Pack-house without looking back; I get into my SUV to finally get out of this place and start my new life.
Chapter 3 At Fault
Dallas’ p.o.v.
Six months later
I took my time to travel to Scarlet Crescent Pack. I needed time to myself, and I wanted to take time to write down all the questions I have had for years.
I arrived at my destination after traveling for almost a week.
Charna enjoyed running around in unfamiliar territory and neither one of us felt sorry for ourselves.
It is almost as if there never was a bond between me and Nico, no pain after he accepted our rejection and no sense of loss for us.
I arrived at Scarlet Crescent Pack in the early morning, and I am glad that I had the letter from the Elders printed; it saved a lot of trouble at the gate.
A Squad Captain was waiting for me at the main building, the building that houses the Elders and where I will get my education.
I was given a schedule for the first week, and then he showed me the territory we would be staying in.
We might live within Scarlet Crescent territory, but we can’t enter the territory that surrounds the Palace at least not with permission from the Elders or at the request of the King.
I had the rest of the day off and used it to get settled; my room is located on the top floor of Building A. It is a hell of a lot bigger than my room back home and I even have a small balcony.
I placed my laptop on the desk next to the balcony door, I unpacked my suitcases and then I went looking for some breakfast.
My first real day with the Elders consisted of tests to establish the level of my knowledge of the Laws and my skill level in combat.
I aced every test they gave me, and that left the Elders with a challenge: where do you place someone who hardly needs basic training?
After consulting with the Squad Captains, I was assigned to one of the Squads and a custom-made study plan was devised.
My studies were more focused on Pack-laws and the consequences they could have for a Pack. It was something I wasn’t taught in Shadow Valley Pack; I didn’t even know that an Alpha could make his own Laws within his territory.
Those Laws can’t break our main Laws; they are usually a stricter version of our main Laws, and I was going to need to learn all of them.
I found a few surprises along the way, and I actually enjoyed my studies; they were very educational.
Today, I will become a fully pledged member of Captain Jordan’s Squad, and I will be allowed to go on missions with the Squad. My main priority is to ensure we are familiar with the Pack-laws of the territories we are sent to.
“Good morning, Dallas.” Captain Jordan says as I walk into the living room of our Squad house.
The other Squad members greet me with a smile or a wave and I walk over to the coffee machine to make myself a Latte.
Captain Jordan slides a file in my direction after I have taken a seat not far from him, and I reluctantly open it. I know what is in there and hate it whenever he hands me a file like this.
Captain Jordan was the first one who found out about my past; he had found me cussing and swearing at a phone that was lying on the desk in my room.
It was on my third day as a part of his Squad and I hadn’t come down yet, so he came looking for me. I had finally turned on the old phone with my SIM card in it and I had many text and voice messages from my Father.
None of them was an apology for the way he had treated me. No, each of them was telling me that I was childish, selfish, and immature.
Captain Jordan took the phone from me, and once a month, I receive a file detailing the types of messages I have received, along with the names of those who left them for me.
My Father still leaves messages telling me I am being childish, selfish and immature. Nico is begging me to come back, to give him another chance and so are his parents. The only one who hasn’t reached out to me is Lucy, and I hope she never does.
My eyes widen when I read a different message from my Father, and I hear Charna laughing in my head; I had completely forgotten about this.
“Something funny, Dallas?” I hear Captain Jordan ask and I need a minute before I can answer him.
“Sorry, but it is the last message from my Father.” I reply and I hear a few growls around me.
“I had forgotten that I had changed the password to the program for the Pack funds. I never informed anyone about it, and it slipped my mind that it is the annual fund meeting in a few days.” I explain, but apparently, I am not making any sense.
“Every Pack makes an annual budget for a variety of Pack-related issues; I have been making them since I turned fifteen, and my Father would pass them off as his own. He never needed access to the program, so he never needed the new password and now the only ones that can get access are Alpha Leon and his Mate.” I explain.
Captain Jordan has a dumbfounded look on his face and looking around, I can see he isn’t the only one.
“Can’t your Father ask Alpha Leon for the password?” I hear Elder Jensen ask.
“And tell Alpha Leon that he hasn’t done any of the financial tasks he was supposed to do?” I ask in return.
I hear almost everyone laughing around me, understanding that this would mean losing face for a Beta and no one would want to lose face in front of his Alpha.
“Besides, my Father would never admit that he was at fault. No matter the evidence against him.” I say.
Chapter 4 Our Mother
Daxton’s p.o.v.
“Good morning, Daxton.” I hear Carl, our future Alpha, say. I doubt it is a good morning if he is standing behind me; he only comes looking for me if someone told him to go and get me.
“Who sent you?” I ask him as I turn to face him. I want to look into his eyes when he answers me; it will tell me if he is aware of why he was sent here.
“Our Luna, I believe it has to do with an invitation from Shadow Valley Pack. Between you and me, I think our Alpha might order you to go.” Carl answers and I know that he is telling the truth.
I am forty seven, and I still haven’t found my true Mate-bond; I never met a woman my Lycan felt a connection with. I have been waiting for twenty nine years to find that connection, but so far, I haven’t been able to find her, and I gave up on finding her years ago.
The people around me are still hoping that I will find her one day; they want me to go to other Packs to look for her. I did that for over a decade with no results and now I no longer want to go through it.
“I am sorry, Daxton. Pearl wants you at the Pack-house for lunch on the Alpha floor.” Carl says, and I know that he is sorry; our entire future leadership understands me.
None of them has found their true Mate-bond yet and they have to attend as many events as the Pack gets invited to.
I reluctantly follow Carl to the Pack-house; there is no point in shooting the messenger. I am not sure how this lunch will go, but something tells me I will have given everyone a piece of my mind before it ends.
Chatter is coming from the dining room and I can already hear my Mother’s voice above the others.
“If he doesn’t find his Mate during that Alpha Ceremony, he will need to take Daniella as his chosen Mate.” Mom says and even though I am not in the room, I know the smirk Daniella will have on her face.
“I will never take Daniella as my chosen Mate. If and that is a big IF, I take a chosen Mate, I will decide who becomes my chosen Mate. You don’t have a say in it, Mother.” I say calmly, knowing that this annoys the hell out of her.
Not just my tone of voice, but also the fact that I use the word Mother instead of Mom.
No one says a word as I sit down across the table from my Mother and Daniella; both of them have an annoyed look on their face. Carl sits down in the seat that was meant for me, next to Daniella.
“What is this I hear about an invitation, Luna?” I ask, ensuring everyone understands I know why I was summoned.
“Shadow Valley Pack will get another Alpha in about seven months; we got invited to attend and to bring along some of our unmated Pack-members.” Our Luna answers and I know there is no way I am getting away with refusing to go.
“I didn’t know that Nico had found his connection yet and why does Alpha Leon think it is smart to hand over the Pack so soon?” I ask the question that is probably running through everyone’s mind.
We had all met Nico over the years and he didn’t strike me as the most competent for the Alpha position, not to mention the woman who was always with him. If I am not mistaken, her name is Lucy, but we never found out what her rank is or who her parents are.
The last time Nico was here was about four months ago, and we all felt that something was off that day. We never figured out what was wrong, but the guy had been jumpy throughout the entire visit and he had eyed every woman in the Pack with suspicion until he was able to see their faces.
“None of us knew he had found a connection until the invitation arrived, that is. As to why Alpha Leon is so eager to step down, any guess could be a good one.” Our Luna answers.
Usually, when a future Alpha finds his connection, his parents make it known to every Pack and not just the allied Packs.
For his parents not to make it known immediately can only mean a few things. He could have gotten someone pregnant who isn’t his true Mate-bond, he could have taken a chosen Mate for an alliance, or he could have broken the connection to his first Mate for whatever reason.
“Why don’t you accompany Daxton to the Alpha Ceremony, Daniella?” My Mother asks, but luckily, our Luna quickly shoots that idea down.
“Sorry, but we have chosen the unmated Pack-members already. Daniella is still young and has all the time in the world to find her connection. We will be bringing Pack-members that have been waiting at least five years to find their connection.” Our Luna responds and I can tell that she is telling the truth.
“We did that on purpose, Daxton.” She tells me through the mind-link, and for once, I am grateful that our Luna can be conning from time to time.
Unlike most, our Luna isn’t afraid to talk back to my Mother. My Mother knows that most still consider her this Pack’s Beta female and that means she gets away with a lot of her behavior. However, even my Mother isn’t stupid enough to go against our Luna.
Our Luna has the final say and no one is going to argue with her about it, not even me.
My Mother and Daniella don’t seem to be too pleased with our Luna, but my twin Brother, Darius, has a damn smirk on his face and hell breaks loose the moment he opens his mouth.
“You seem eager to have her as a Daughter in law. Why don’t I take Daniella as my chosen Mate?” Darius says with a smirk on his face.
Yeah, leave it to my twin Brother to piss off our Mother.
Chapter 5 Missing Something
Darius’ p.o.v.
The moment the invitation came in, I knew it would mean trouble between my Mother and my twin Brother.
And yes, I say my Mother for a reason. Daxton might be my twin Brother, but she always treated him less than me, and for the first ten years of our lives, we even believed that we were separated by a whole year.
It wasn’t until our former Alpha overheard a conversation between me and Daxton that we were told that we were twins.
It explained quite a lot of things to both of us, and Daxton has pulled away from our Mother ever since; there was even a time he refused to acknowledge that she was his Mother.
We still don’t understand why she favors me over Daxton and we both doubt that we will ever find out.
I listen to the words my Mother speaks, but I don’t respond and I don’t have to. Daxton can take care of himself, but I am starting to get agitated by Mother’s relentless quest to get Daxton to take a chosen Mate and preferably Daniella.
None of us likes Daniella; it goes back to our childhood, and she hasn’t given us a reason yet to change our minds.
Daniella is the Granddaughter of a former Elder and she was always after Preston. No matter what anyone told her, she kept going after him and we thought she might trick him into a chosen Mate-bond.
Daxton, Rayden and I would always be with Preston and we have seen Daniella try a few desperate things to get into Preston’s bed, but thank the Goddess that she never succeeded. It would have been this Pack’s downfall and one of us would have been charged with murder.
Mother stares at me when I suggest that I take Daniella as a chosen Mate; I know she doesn’t think Daniella is good enough to be a Beta’s Mate, and she will object to my suggestion.
“Darius, that is ridiculous. Daniella is not cut out to be a Beta’s Mate; she would never be able to support you the way you need your Mate to support you.” Mother replies and I see a devilish look in Rayden’s eyes.
“Then she isn’t suited to be Daxton’s Mate either; after all, they are twins, and that makes Daxton also a Beta.” Rayden states and I usually would say that no one can argue with that, but I know how my Mother feels about Daxton and Beta in the same sentence.
“Darius is Silver Eclipse’s Beta; Daxton holds no title. Daniella can be his chosen Mate, but not that of my little boy.” My Mother growls and I know Rayden is going to spill the beans.
“What do you mean by Daxton holds no title? I thought that twins always shared everything, their Mate and their rank.” Ruth, Rayden’s Mate, asks.
“Nice save, Rayden.” I hear Preston say over our mind-link.
I would like to hear how my Mother is going to get herself out of this pickle; either she acknowledges that Daxton is also a Beta, or she has to tell a lie.
Daniella has had a disgusted look on her face since Ruth mentioned that twins share a Mate; it seems like she hadn’t taken that into consideration.
“You are right, Ruth. A twin usually shares a Mate and a rank, but Daxton made a mess of his life at the age of twenty. It is a shameful period and I don’t like to get reminded of it. I told Preston that Daxton’s status had been damaged and that only Darius had a right to the Beta of Silver Eclipse Pack.” My Mother answers Ruth.
Ruth looks at Daxton for a very long time and I know that he is getting uncomfortable by the way she is looking at him.
“I’m sorry for staring, Daxton. I am just trying to see the monster because only a monster wouldn’t deserve his rank or a true Mate-bond. I will let you know when I have found that monster, even though I have a feeling that I am looking in the wrong direction.” Ruth says.
Daxton is trying to hide his laughter, but I am not even trying. Ruth knows what to say and when to say it; she always manages to lighten up a tense situation.
“Ruth, I don’t like what you are implying…..” My Mother starts to say something, but Ruth just raises her hand to silence her.
“I am not implying anything. It is simply a result of the information you provided; the only conclusion I could draw is that whatever Daxton did must have portrayed him as a monster and nothing less. I can’t see that monster in him and I doubt his Mate will.” Ruth replies and I see Daxton shaking with laughter.
Our Mother isn’t used to someone interrupting her or telling her how they feel about her, and Ruth doesn’t have a problem doing both.
“Daxton will never find his connection after all these years; it is time he accepts the fact that he will never have a true Mate-bond.” My Mother says and I have to grit my teeth to keep quiet.
“Okay, let’s see if I can get this straight. You believe that Daxton will never find his Mate, but that also means that Darius will never find his Mate. Because Daxton will never find his Mate, you want him to take a chosen Mate and that means that Darius needs to find a chosen Mate too.
They are twins, and that means sharing a Mate; maybe Daniella is willing to take two Mates. Oh, hold on. Her face tells me enough; she is disgusted by the idea of having two Mates. This leaves me with one last question: why settle for the twin that has no right to a high rank according to his Mother?” Ruth states, her eyes locked with those of my Mother.
Damn, that woman is good. She managed to ask a question that has eluded me all these years.
My Mother is looking a little pale, and Daniella looks as if she is about to throw up; why does that deduction from Ruth unsettle them so much? Have I been missing something all these years?
Chapter 6 Goddess' Gift
Dallas’ p.o.v.
Okay, this is not what I had been expecting. I don’t believe anyone in our Squad had seen it coming and I am still a little baffled.
Captain Jordan announced his retirement at the ceremony that would make me a fully pledged member of the Squad, but it turned out to go a little differently after his announcement.
Elder Jensen had appointed me as the new Squad Captain and everyone had started cheering for me, but I had been unable to say a word. I have been here a little over six months and now I have my own Squad.
I know there have been a few others who made Squad Captain within a year of arriving, but I am not sure if this is what I want or need in my life at the moment.
I mean, it is an honor that they believe that I can handle this. There is a downside to it, though. I might have to visit Shadow Valley Pack, and I am not sure if I am ready for that at the moment.
“Captain, Elder Jensen wants to see you. He is waiting in your office.” Joshua, my second in command, says and I wonder why Elder Jensen didn’t link me. “You have your block up, Captain.”
I smile at Joshua as I walk out of my room; I didn’t just take over as Captain; I also got Jordan’s room, and that means living on the other side of the top floor. Joshua follows me to my office on the first floor and everyone we pass slightly bows their heads, a sign of respect for my position.
“I wish they wouldn’t do that; it makes me feel uncomfortable. I am still the same person as before, and now the same people who ignored me suddenly show me respect.” I say to Joshua as another woman slightly bows her head.
“It will become even worse; they will start to talk to you.” He replies teasingly and Charna is laughing her ass off.
I softly growl at Joshua, and he is smart enough to create a little distance between us. He is one of the few people in our Squad who knows about what other members of other Squads have said to me, each and every one of them implying that I was Jordan’s lover.
It wasn’t until someone said that I had to go and find my own true Mate-bond, that I lost control of my patience and Charna. That fvking Idiot is still in the infirmary and once he has fully recovered, he gets sent home.
No one has dared to make a similar remark to me ever since, but I have gotten enough death glares and I prefer it that way. My Squad members know that I got where I am because of all the hard work I put into it, and none of them question my ability to lead this Squad.
“Elder Jensen, I apologize for having my block up. I was just finishing up for my last exam and I didn’t want to get distracted.” I say as I sit down behind my desk.
“No worries, I knew you were studying. I wanted to do this personally and in private; I know this will be difficult for you, and it might not.” Elder Jensen says.
Joshua and I are looking at one another. This guy is talking in riddles, and I don’t think I have the patience for it today.
Elder Jensen holds out an envelope for me and after a slight hesitation, I take it from his outstretched hand. I recognize the Pack emblem and my first instinct is to throw it back at Elder Jensen, but my curiosity wins.
We are proud to announce the Alpha Ceremony for our Son, Nico, and the Luna Ceremony for his Mate, Lucy.
I don’t bother reading the rest of the card. I close the card before putting it in the envelope, and I hand it back to Elder Jensen.
“We both know that Nico and Lucy don’t have a true Mate-bond and that causes an issue for the Elders, but we also want to send out a message to every other Pack in the Kingdom. So, we will wait until the Ceremony, and you will get the honor of telling them that the Alpha Ceremony is canceled.” Elder Jensen says.
Joshua looks at me for a moment before he seems to understand why I am getting the honor of disrupting an Alpha Ceremony.
“How long do we have?” I ask Elder Jensen, I need to prepare myself mentally.
“You have over six months to prepare; you know the rules for an Alpha or Luna Ceremony cancellation. Also, make sure that there is a trial date for Alpha Leon, just in case he is willing to fight our decision in front of the King.” Elder Jensen replies.
“Okay, Joshua. Let’s get this Shitshow on the road; I want the cancellation forms filled out. Alpha Leon will ask for them and he will ask for a trial to overturn their own Pack-law.” I say as I show Elder Jensen to the door.
I open the door to let Elder Jensen out and I see my third in command, Jesper, waiting outside the door.
“Get in here, Jesper. We have more than enough to do, and fortunately, a whole lot of time to do it in. I do need some answers, though, and maybe you can help me with that.” I say as Jesper walks into my office.
Joshua hands him the envelope and I softly growl at the mere sight of the Pack emblem on it.
For a few moments, it is quiet in my office, but then Jesper starts laughing his ass off.
“Let me guess, we get to break up the happy shindig?” He asks and starts laughing even harder. Someone seems to be happy to be a party pooper and I actually have to giggle.
I decide to tell both of them why I get the privilege of dealing with the cancellation and both men growl loudly.
Jesper went through a similar situation and Joshua had his connection broken before there was a chance to form a bond.
Why Nico chose Lucy over me remains unknown; however, Jesper and Joshua both know why they were turned down. Neither of them had a high enough rank; both women wanted an Alpha.
Well, good luck. Most Alphas are arrogant, obnoxious, and rude; they genuinely believe that they are the Goddess’s gift to women.
Chapter 7 Divine Intervention
Ever since Dallas walked out of the Pack-house, the atmosphere had gone downhill.
Most Pack-members had witnessed the events in the dining room and those who had been busy with other tasks had seen the footage. Some had recorded the events and disseminated them across the territory, ensuring that everyone was aware of what had happened.
Alpha Leon had given his Pack-members the order never to discuss what happened with outsiders, but he knew he had a loose cannon in the form of Dallas. He had been too stunned to react quickly enough, and when he realized he needed to stop her, she had already been gone.
No one had been able to find a trace of her; pinging her phone had also failed, and there was no bank account in her name. It was as if she disappeared into thin air.
They tried to find her browser history, but that had been wiped clean. Not a slight trace was found of Dallas or her ever having lived within the territory, because her file had also been lost.
Alpha Leon had a suspicion that Dallas had been planning her departure for a long time, but no one had an answer for him. Not her Father, not his Son and when he tried to find any of her friends, he found out she had none.
The only thing he could find on Dallas was her training schedule and her patrol reports. That girl had been his top Warrior and he had never known about it.
Her Father had been surprised to hear about her status within the Pack, but it hadn’t impressed him much. After all, she was a Beta’s Daughter; she had to be a strong Warrior.
After two months of trying everything to find her, Alpha Leon finally gave up. At least on a large scale, but he kept an eye out for any news on a female that came across his desk.
Slowly, life went back to some sort of normal in Shadow Valley Pack, but most Pack-members didn’t like what Nico had done to Dallas.
The connection that can lead to a true Mate-bond should be respected and Nico made Dallas believe that he did respect it, only to betray her with Lucy.
Lucy hadn’t been seen much by the Pack-members; it seemed that she was avoiding them. Every time she did show herself, she could hear the whispers and they weren’t friendly words she heard.
She had always wanted everything that belonged to Dallas and she had always succeeded in getting it, but now Pack-members were starting to take Dallas’ side. Even though she wasn’t here to see it, Dallas didn’t know that more and more Pack-members were taking her side.
Lucy swore to herself that she would make them pay. She wasn’t going to give up on her dream of becoming a Luna, and once she was their Luna, they would have to show her the respect that she believed she deserved.
Nico knew that Pack-members were talking about him behind his back; he could also hear the whispers, and like Lucy, he thought there would come a day when they would have to show him the respect he deserved as an Alpha.
None of them had given the Pack-laws any thought, none of them anticipated that the Ceremonies they were planning would be for nothing.
Another two months passed without a word from Dallas and they started to breathe a little easier, thinking that Nico’s actions would have no consequences for Shadow Valley Pack.
The invitations had been sent out to every Pack and the Elders; it was going to be a huge Ceremony with as many guests as they could hold within their territory.
The decorations had been picked out, but the current Luna wasn’t happy with them. Lucy was a very demanding woman and she knew how to get her way, how to manipulate Nico into giving her everything she wanted.
It wasn’t the cost of the party that the Luna worried about; it was the decorations that worried her and she didn’t know how to bring it up with her Mate or her Son. Nico didn’t want to hear a bad word about Lucy and her Mate always chose the side of their Son.
Lucy had turned down every suggestion the Luna had made on the decorations; she didn’t want the black with golden-accented tablecloths or any of the other items in their Pack colors.
Everything was in bright pink with black accents, from the tablecloths to the candleholders and the more the Luna looked at it, the more she realized that this would make them the laughingstock of the Kingdom.
“Let’s just hope that the King doesn’t show up.” The Luna had thought to herself that she would hate it if the Royal family saw this.
When it came to Lucy’s Luna training, well, there wasn’t any. Lucy didn’t believe she needed to know what the duties of a Luna were. She had dismissed every attempt of the current Luna to train her, and once again, Lucy had managed to manipulate Nico into agreeing with her.
Instead of fighting her Son on his decision, she accepted it with a soft smile. Lucy would soon fall out of character, and then Nico would realize that he had made a colossal mistake. A mistake the Luna hoped he could still rectify.
Too bad for Shadow Valley Pack that they were being watched; if only every Shifter would have realized that they are constantly watched and that everything they do would eventually have consequences.
There was no hope for Nico to mend his mistake, and there was no hope for Shadow Valley Pack to stay a strong and wealthy Pack.
Lucy’s scheming had already cost too much; she had robbed Shadow Valley Pack of the one thing that had kept them so strong and wealthy. But Lucy wasn’t the only one to blame; others within that territory were responsible.
Dallas will find her happiness; she is the key to this Kingdom’s survival. Without Dallas, this Kingdom is doomed; without her, this Kingdom will perish. A divine intervention is being plotted.