THE PERFECT LUNA OF RED MOON PACK

Chapter 12

The Pack house was very busy with lots of people going in and out. Also, many of the Pack members who had come to welcome the Alpha were still around. Liana had thought it amusing that the loving members of Red Moon Pack came to welcome their leader home from his adventure to well, the borderline. But then their Alpha wasn't just any Alpha. He was the Alpha King. Along with these people, various other persons apart from the Alpha's immediate family occupied the Pack house, so there was always someone or some persons walking about at any given time, and there was wasn't a congested air from this. No. The Pack house was a very large building. At its first sight, Liana gasped. Now she hadn't seen a lot of Pack houses the only ones she had ever seen being the one back at her Pack and the one other, is of a Pack whose name she couldn't recall because she had gone there at a very young age. Shifters had very clear memories of their younger days but as one of the conditions of her very feeble non Shifter self, she didn't and so she did not have many options to compare the Pack house of Red Moon Pack to. After that one visit to another Pack, she had never been allowed to go any other. But Jake did, and she had found out later from him that the reason she had not been allowed to go with their parents, especially their father to another Pack was because their Alpha had expressively forbidden it. He did not it take it safe that Bilan carried his non shifter daughter to other Packs. 'A potential weakness' that what was she was called. Moreover, although she couldn't remember very much, she did remember from that visit, while she had expressively played with the Pack's children, she hadn't been able to relate with all of the cool werewolf stories with powers and beliefs they all couldn't wait to get a hold of once they grew. She remembered this particular part, because pain was something that took a long time to forget. Sometimes, it is not even forgotten, heals but never forgotten. Healing, maybe that was one thing she could get here, in Red Moon Pack. Already, she could see that it had a lot to offer, and very well a lot of people.

It was not until very late into the evening that the Alpha called for Jake and Liana. They were all going to have dinner on the first floor. The first floor boasted of the main room, kitchen, dinning area, and seven rooms. It was altogether a large room. Actually everything inside the Pack house was large. Very well decorated rooms were not at all a disappointment to the ostentatious look of the Pack house from the outside. Right at the centre of the Pack, the three floor building was massive and occupied a great land mass. On the second floor, there were ten rooms all lined up on a doorway with five rooms facing each other. It also had a balcony. The third floor was similar to the second in its construction. The main difference between the two floors was that the third floor had two balconies, with one facing the front of the Pack members while the other facing the back, provided a stunning view of the forest mountains and beyond. Also, as the floor serving as the rooms for the Alpha's family, the third floor had the best furnishings.

When they got to the Pack house, Jake was taken into a room to be treated by a woman everyone called the Caretaker of the Pack. Liana had stayed with him a while, but after some time, the herbs administered on him coupled with his tiredness had put Jake to a light sleep. Liana was also tired, but her excitement at being in a totally new environment not to mention with a lot of people had taken the better of her and so she had opted for a tour around the house which left her breathless and utterly enthralled. All of it served to remind her that she was at the domain of the Alpha King. Much later, when she returned to see Jake, she saw that their bags which had been kept by the door were gone. Also, Jake was awake, but before they could say a thing to each other, one of the men came to inform them to come have dinner at the Alpha's request.

Dinner at the table of the Alpha King was a grand affair. The table set very well by the Omegas bore even more delights on the plates atop. The table could seat up to thirty, but at the moment, only about ten to twelve persons were seated. The Alpha sat at the end, then Glenda at his immediate right. The seat on the left was empty presumably for the Alpha's son. The other persons seated at the table were the woman everybody called the Caretaker, a man with grisly hair but with a jolly good face. Liana had seen him earlier on her tour tending to the gardens. Four other men who she made out to be fighters were also seated at the table. And now Jake and her were coming to join them. Just as they sat, the Alpha's son came from outside to join them as well. What was his name again? Liana didn't know why she kept forgetting it. Maybe if she focused more on him than just his face and all together good looks! He was followed closely by the other guy. The blue haired one. Liana had been surprised at his hair, which she thought stood out more than her own. She wondered if it was his real hair or he just wore the colour. She did know his name though. She had heard it when Glenda called him at the border line.

As they came to sit, Liana looked on grimly as the Alpha's son came and sat right on the seat facing while Oberon sat on the next one. That was when it hit her. She looked back at the empty seat next to Alpha. Someone was missing, the Luna. Where was the Luna? The question burned a part from her underbelly up, to her throat and Liana had to bite her tongue to keep from asking it, out loud.

Sin walked in for dinner from his Safehouse. He tried to keep the frown from his face. He usually had his dinner at his place. One of the Omegas usually brought it to him. But today, he had been 'requested' to show up at the Alpha's request, and to make matters worse, Oberon had been the one to come call him. Oberon was his friend, a good friend, but sometimes, most times, he was really, really annoying. Also on bad days, he only served to remind Sin of the prophecy and his duties and today was a bad day. The new comers had him unsettled and he was eager to speak with Glenda again. He was sure, the tale she told of what happened to her was false or at the very least, it was missing some very necessary detail. He sensed she was lying about what really happened. The same way he sensed the newcomers were not all too right. He assured himself again, that whatever it was, he was going to find out, and right now was as good as any to start working on that, he thought as he took the chair right opposite the female of the new comers. As he lowered himself to the seat, Oberon who came to take the next seat, knowing Sin's intentions kicked his feet under the table. See, annoying. Though he took the seat facing the girl, this wasn't new. For a long time now, Sin sat away from his father at the head of the table. The empty seat by his father's left was meant for him. The absence of his mother meant he sat right next to his father. But Sin wasn't comfortable there, so he always made conscious effort not to sit there. He had hoped Lucia or her mate, Kendro would sit there, but no the Gamma and his mate did not want to sit there too. He looked at Lucia, apart from being the Gamma female, she was also the Caretaker and now that Kendro was yet to return from his visit to one of the neighbouring Packs, where he had gone to deliver a message from the Alpha King, she had to fill up for his position too. She must miss her Luna dearly too. Well, they all did. Sin knew at first that the empty seat painfully reminded everyone of the Luna, but he had to do it for his own sanity. Now, from seeing it everyday, everyone seemed to have forgotten its emptiness. But the newcomers wouldn't, he thought. Seeing it for the first time, they'd most probably wonder why that seat was empty.

"Jake and Liana, you must excuse us for the late dinner, we've all been very busy around here." The Alpha said warmly.

"Its no problem, Alpha." Jake said, with a slight bow.

"So what pack are you two from?" The Alpha asked again as they all settled down to their meal.

Jake answered, "Crystal moon Park."

"Oh! That's Alpha Leone's Pack and its a long way from here, what brought you two this far?"

"We left our pack." Jake replied.

"Yes, I see that, but why? Why did you two leave?" The Alpha asked, intrigued.

"There was a fight." Jake said.

"What? How come Leone didn't alert me or ask for aid?"

"It a sudden attack, we were all not prepared or ready for it."

"Then you shouldn't have left, you should have stayed back and fought for the safety of your Pack. We wolves are very loyal. The presence of even one fighter could change everything." The Alpha said again and all the fighters at the end of the table nodded seriously with acquiesced murmurings. But at this, this very concept. Liana agreed more. The food was suddenly heavy on her throat.

"Actually its my fault we left, I was the one who decided to leave. Jake only followed me because he wanted to keep me safe." Liana said and everyone grew quiet until Glenda said,

"You know, with the way you threw that knife, I wouldn't have pegged you as one to run away from a fight.

"What knife?" Sin asked, suddenly very interested. "I don't think I got that part of the story."