These Broken Wings

new luna

Carissa leaned down, adjusting her son’s tie. Then she ordered her daughter to stop fidgeting in her dress. Her husband was a lost cause. His shirt was wrinkled and she was fairly certain he was already drunk despite it only being a little past lunchtime.

“I don’t see what this fuss is about,” he groused. “It’s just Dixon coming home. He’s only been gone a few days.”

“He met his Luna,” Carissa explained for what felt like the hundredth time. “He’s bringing her home. We need to greet her with the proper respect.”

“What’s she like,” Lillian asked, picking at a string on her dress even though her mother told her to stop fidgeting. The girl looked up at her Uncle Dominic, since he was the only one that seemed to know anything about the woman.

“I don’t know,” he admitted. “All Dixon told me was that he found her. She’s the alpha’s daughter or granddaughter or something. Dix seemed pretty damn excited so I bet she’s hot.” Carissa sucked in a breath, letting out an exasperated sigh and giving her brother the dirtiest look she could muster up. That was not the proper way to speak about their future Luna. Especially not in front of her children.

“I can’t wait to see what her dress looks like!,” Lillian exclaimed. “I bet she’s going to look like a real princess.” The girl’s brother was less enthused.

“How long do we have to stand out here?,” he asked. “I want to go in and play my playstation.” His dad got a quick chuckle in before the boy’s mother hushed him up.

“Here they come,” she said, pointing towards the black SUV that was pulling down the drive. The car pulled up, parking sideways in front of the small group. Not only were the ranked members outside, Carissa had all the omega’s that worked in the packhouse outside too, lined up in their freshly pressed uniforms. Everyone was glancing towards the SUV with anticipation, waiting for their new Luna to step out so they could get their first look at her. But to Carissa’s surprise, only her brother’s guards stepped out. And they all seemed to be glancing down the long drive, waiting for something. Carissa heard it before she saw it. A motorcycle came purring down the driveway, going a little faster towards them than what seemed safe. The driver pulled in, bringing the bike to a halt by sliding it sideways. Now that it was closer, Carissa could see there was also a passenger on the bike. The man was wearing a helmet with a face shield, so she didn’t realize it was her brother until he pulled the helmet off and set it on the back of the bike. The omega’s all bowed their heads at the sight of their alpha. The driver of the bike pulled her helmet off next, shaking out her long blonde hair as it spilled out and tumbled down her back. Then she took Dixon’s extended hand and let him help her as she swung her leg over the bike. She shrugged her leather jacket off, tossing it over the bike seat. Then she took her place at Dixon’s side.

“Holy s**t,” Dominic cursed under his breath. He guessed from his brother’s behavior that his mate was going to be attractive. But he hadn’t prepared himself for what just arrived. The tattoos, the motorcycle boots, the sexy tousled hair, her body, he wasn’t even sure where to look first. She couldn’t be more than mid twenties. She was of alpha blood. And she was looking at Dixon like he was some sort of s*x god on wheels. His brother didn’t just find a mate. He struck f*****g gold.

“That don’t look like no Luna I ever saw,” Carissa’s husband Geoffrey announced.

“Shut up right now, both of you,” Carissa hissed. She elbowed her twelve year old son, who no longer seemed interested in getting back to his video game. Instead, he was staring at the woman next to his uncle with his mouth hanging wide open. “Shut your mouth Justin,” his mother said, trying to keep her voice low.

“I’m right there with ya buddy,” Dominic told the boy, ignoring his sister’s warning for him to keep his big mouth shut.

Dixon stepped forward, holding his mate’s hand in his. She smiled as she clung to his hand and let him lead her towards his family. They stopped about halfway between the bike and the small crowd of people.

“I’d like to introduce all of you to my future Luna,” he announced, stopping to glance at the woman with obvious pride. “This is Erika King, my fated mate and alpha heir apparent to the Blood Moon Pack.”

It makes me wet every time he says that.

“Not the time, Jade, not the time,” RickyJo warned. She could hear a few hushed murmurs of shock rippling through the small crowd. But overall, people seemed more curious about her than anything else. A man stepped forward first. From his obvious resemblance to her mate, RickyJo assumed he must be Dixon’s younger brother and beta. Though they favored each other in looks, RickyJo could already tell they were less alike in personality. Where her mate was quiet and serious, this man seemed more friendly and outgoing.

“Dominic Blane,” he said, offering her his hand. “Should I call you luna or alpha or…”

“RickyJo,” she said, giving his hand a firm shake. She felt Dixon’s body go stiff. This man was his brother. But he was also an unmated male who was touching his unmarked mate. She quickly pulled her hand back and offered Dominic a smile instead.

The rest of the introductions went fairly smooth. Other than Dixon’s sister looking at her like she had a third eye the entire time. RickyJo made sure to greet each one of the omegas and ask them their names. She wasn’t sure if she was going to be able to remember all of them. But she was going to give it her best try. Dixon had a gamma as well as a beta. But he was in the former Little River pack, trying to sort out some of the problems that were going on there. Dixon assured her she would meet him and his mate soon.

“Would you like a tour or just to relax a while...,” Dixon asked. RickyJo was looking around the packhouse, but he noticed she was sticking close to him.

“Can you show me around the territory a little first?,” she asked. He nodded. Of course he would show her around the territory. He would show her anything she wanted. This was her pack now. Even if it wasn’t official yet.

“Can I go too?,” Justin asked. Dixon eyeballed his nephew, wondering where the boy's sudden interest in something other than a video game screen had come from. Justin’s eyes were locked on RickyJo, trying to edge closer to her. Dixon had to fight back the urge to growl at the boy.

“He’s just a kid,” Dixon told his wolf.

He’ll be wolf chow if you don’t get him away from our mate.

“Sure,” Dixon said, “...why don’t you go get one of the golf carts out of the garage and you can drive us down to the pack village.” His nephew didn’t respond. The boy was too busy staring at his new luna’s breasts with his mouth hanging open again. “JUSTIN!,” he hollered.

“Huh?,” the boy huffed. “What?”

“Go get the golf cart out!,” Dixon ordered, pointing the boy towards the garage and away from his mate. RickyJo bit her lip, burying her face into his chest as she shook with laughter.

“He’s just a kid,” she chortled. His chest vibrated with a low growl, making her laugh harder. He kept his arm around her the whole way outside. They climbed into the back of the cart together. Justin hopped behind the wheel. And Dominic joined them at the last minute, making the whole cart shake as he leaped into the front passenger seat.

RickyJo leaned into her mate, resting her hand on his thigh. His brother kept up a steady stream of conversation without much help from anyone else in the cart, pointing things out to her that he thought she might like to see. They were only a few hours away from her pack’s territory. So the terrain didn’t look that much different from home. Blood Moon territory was a little more flat. Silver Mountain backed up into an actual mountain. So it was a little more rocky, with more inclines and declines than home. They passed through a small downtown area first, with the expected small shops and businesses. RickyJo pointed at the bakery as they approached.

“Can we stop?,” she asked. Justin was quick to pull the cart over, parking it outside the bakery. There was a teenage girl behind the counter and her eyes went wide when she saw both her alpha and beta approaching the bakery case. She also recognized the boy with them as her alpha’s nephew. But the woman was a stranger. There were all sorts of rumors flying around. Her cousin was mated to one of the alpha’s personal guards. And she said their alpha met his mate at Blood Moon. The girl watched the woman closely, and when she grabbed their alpha by the hand and leaned her head on his shoulder, the girl almost died of excitement right there on the spot.

“Are you her?,” she asked. “...our Luna?” The woman nodded. And then, to the girl’s absolute and total shock, she approached the counter and stuck her hand out, introducing herself and asking the girl her name.

“Uh …it’s Sarah,” she stammered, shaking the woman’s hand awkwardly across the counter. Wolves thrive on physical affection. But they didn’t often get the chance to touch their ranked members. The most Sarah had ever done was bow to them as they passed by her. She was surprised by how rough and calloused the woman’s hands were. The rest of the interaction passed her by in a daze as she retrieved a few treats from the case for them, taking their money, and then getting mad at herself for making them pay.

“Is everyone we meet going to get that worked up?,” RickyJo asked with a laugh as she climbed back into the cart.

“They’ll settle down eventually,” Dixon assured her.

“Until you get pregnant,” Dominic added, “...then they’ll get wild all over again.” RickyJo swallowed hard, the bit of cupcake in her mouth suddenly turning dry. Dixon rammed his knee into the back of his brother’s seat, hoping the man would take the hint and shut the f**k up. Dominic turned around in his seat, looking back and forth between Dixon and his mate. Dixon was looking anywhere but at him. And RickyJo’s cheeks were bright pink. Dominic’s eyes widened.

“Wait!,” he said, “...you two haven’t f****d yet? Are you f*****g serious? How is that possible?” Dixon rammed the seat with his knee again, harder this time. He linked his brother, telling the man to mind his own f*****g business. “Okay, geez!,” Dominic huffed, throwing his hands in the air and turning back around. He was surprised the woman wasn’t marked yet. But he had no idea how they hadn’t done the deed yet. Shadow must be going totally bonkers.

“Here’s the new community housing, this is all from the last ten years,” Dominic announced in an obvious attempt to change the subject and ease up the awkward tension that had formed inside the cart. RickyJo leaned forward, checking out the small offshoot roads that were lined with small modern houses. They passed by the school and the pack hospital. And then through a slightly more wooded area. When the trees started to thin out, she could see the mountains looming up ahead. At the base, there were more houses. They were nestled into the side of the mountain and looked years and years older than the first neighborhood they passed. There was a large ancient looking castle.

“That was the original packhouse,” Dominic explained. “We just use it for parties and ceremonies now.”

“No one wants to stay there,” Justin added, “...it doesn’t have any wifi.”

The adults in the cart laughed, though even they would be hard pressed to live without any technology. There was a cool breeze blowing in from the east, bringing with it the smells of the forest and all the goddess’s creatures that dwelled within. RickyJo perked up, closing her eyes and letting the sensations wash over her. It was hard to pick out the individual scents with her mate beside her. But Jade was sure she picked up on the smell of deer close by.

“We should go for a run before dinner,” she suggested, squeezing Dixon’s thigh with the promise of wicked animal acts in her eyes.

“Uncle Dixon, my mom says she thinks I’m gonna get my wolf on this next full moon. She says I’m showing all the signs,” the boy announced. “I wish I had it now,” the boy lamented, “...then I could go for a run with you.”

“Maybe next time,” Dixon said, gesturing for his nephew to pull over near the edge of the woods. He watched RickyJo as she leaned forward in the cart and sniffed at the boy. He looked a little young for his first shift, but from what she could tell, his mother was right. Jade could smell a wolf there, just under the surface.

“I think Jade could help you shift now if you really want to,” she said, looking at her mate to see what his opinion was on the matter. Dixon thought it over. He called his pack to shift on the full moon runs. Or if they were under attack. All alphas did that. He never really tried it any other time. But he remembered the feeling when Jade called her warriors to shift during training. He never felt anything like it in his life. He bet she could call the boy to shift if he was as ready as he said.

“...think about how cool it would be for him to have his first run with his uncles and the new Luna,” Dominic interjected. He not only thought that would make his nephew the talk of the pack, he also was curious as s**t to see what his brother’s new mate could do. His wolf Aspen could sense her aura even in her human form. Her wolf had to be powerful.

“I guess it wouldn’t hurt to try and see if it works,” Dixon said. Justin practically barrelled out of the car, heading for the woods and looking behind him to make sure everyone else was following. They walked far enough into the trees that anyone just driving by wouldn’t be able to see them. Then they stopped and started to undress. Dixon made sure to position himself so that he was blocking his mate’s body from the view of his brother and nephew, growling slightly at the boy when he caught him trying to lean sideways and get a peek. Dominic laughed at him. And then laughed harder when RickyJo skirted around his brother and approached the boy. Her hair was long and it fell forward to cover her breasts. But the rest of her was on full display.

“Okay Justin,” she said, placing her hand on the boy’s shoulder. “Close your eyes and try to relax your body as much as you can.” Justin nodded, closing his eyes and rolling his shoulders. Dominic could tell the boy was tense with excited anticipation. He flexed his hands a few times, then stretched his body out a little, trying his best to do as he was told. RickyJo’s eyes lit up, glowing a brilliant emerald green. And then she leaned down and shifted into a massive white wolf. She was by far the biggest she-wolf Dominic had ever seen. And she was probably even bigger than most of the males in their pack. When she tipped her head back and howled, Dominic couldn't ignore the call. He shifted, instantly transforming into Aspen. His wolf was a dark smoky gray, close to the same color as Shadow. But he had a white stripe down the middle of his forehead and white patches on his stomach. When he looked again, his nephew had also been transformed. There was a small light brown wolf facing the giant white one. Justin’s wolf had the Blane family signature black eyes. But his coloring was his father’s. Since he had no idea how to control his mind link yet, Dixon and Dominic could both hear his excited thoughts.

I’m a wolf! I’m a wolf! Look at me! I have a tail and paws!

Jade rose up on her hind legs, transforming back into a woman as she rose into a standing position. She ran her hands over Justin’s tawny brown fur. Then she turned her back to the boy and started counting back from sixty. Dominic watched his brother, who was still standing in his human form. He was the only one of them that was able to withstand Jade’s call to shift. Dixon leaned down, shifting into his wolf in a hurry.

“What’s she counting for!,” Justin asked.

“She’s giving us a head start,” Dixon chuckled through the link.

“What are we supposed to do?,” Justin asked, looking at the naked woman curiously.

“If I were you,” Dixon told the boy, “I’d run!”

Dominic watched as his brother, the most feared alpha in the state of Montana, hauled ass off into the woods running from his own f*****g mate. Justin tore after him, all giant paws and too long puppy legs. Dominic sat there for a moment, taking one more look at the woman that just alpha commanded him to shift and barely broke a sweat. Then he took off into the woods, chasing after his brother and nephew.

When RickyJo shifted, Jade let out a warning howl. There was no hide and seek this time. She wasn’t going to circle around and wait, like she did to Shadow the last time. This was a race. She took off at full speed, catching up to her prey in no time. Justin’s little tawny wolf was pulling up the rear and she nipped at his flanks before she leaped over the smaller wolf and took off after her mate. Shadow heard her coming and darted to the side. She turned, barreling into him in a flurry of fur and teeth. When Shadow got to his feet, Jade rolled over in front of him, baring her tender underbelly in submission. He nuzzled into her, licking at her face. When they realized they had a small audience, she leaped up. Shadow and Aspen wrestled and play fought while Jade played with Justin, letting him tackle her to the ground a few times even though it was obvious she could take him down at any time. Dixon and Dominic watched them for a while, laughing at Justin’s antics.

“Can you take Justin and our stuff back in the cart?” Dixon asked his brother. “We’ll meet you at the packhouse later…”

“Want a little alone time with your mate? Maybe Shadow can get the job done?,” Dominic teased. Dixon growled. “Just relax, I got you.”