Sleeping With The Moon Goddess

Red River Pack

I woke up before we made it to Red River and stretched as best as I could for being in the car and mind-linked Ian.

‘Hey, how are you feeling?’

‘Hey baby, I promise that I’m doing fine. Damien told me how impressive you were at Blue Mountain. I wish I could have been there with you.’

‘I wish you could have too. Alpha Leo and his mate are very nice. So, I guess one down and two more to go.’

‘I know you got this baby, just please be careful.’

‘I will. . . I love you, Ian.’

‘I love you too, Camille.’

We stopped at a little diner to grab something to eat before we headed back on the road. After about another hour of driving, we finally made it to the Red River Pack.

As we made our way into their town, the homes were small but still beautiful. Everything had a comfortable, warm vibe to it that seemed very welcoming.

“Alright baby girl, we’re here. I don’t know much about Alpha Marcellus other than he took over as Alpha two years ago when his father died. He doesn’t really attend any meetings or gatherings outside of his pack, so I don’t really know what we’re walking into.”

“Yeah, I couldn’t really find out any information about him either.”

We pulled up in front of a beautiful house that looked almost like a cottage. Getting out of the car, we saw a man walk over to greet us.

“Are you the Alphas from Blood Moon?”

“Yes, I am Aiden, this is Damien and our mate Camille.”

“My name is Jayce, I am the Beta of Red River, would you please follow me? Alpha Marcellus is waiting for you all inside.”

We all followed him inside and sat down at this large round table. A young omega came in and brought us all some water to drink and stated that Alpha Marcellus would be in shortly. Beta Jayce took a seat across from us, I’d swear at times I thought he was staring at me.

After a few moments, a young guy walks into the room and introduces himself as Marcellus. Although he was probably only 19 or 20 years old, his body was already well developed and muscular. He looked so young but at the same time, he carried himself like he had lived a hard life. As he came closer to shake our hands, I noticed a large scar that ran down the right side of his face. It started over his eye and came down his cheek, leaving his face disfigured.

I quickly tried to gather myself so I wouldn’t stare. When he reached me, he paused momentarily before accepting my hand. He apologized for his tardiness as he went and sat next to his Beta letting the conversation begin.

As Aiden and Damien talked over the next 25 minutes, rarely did Marcellus look away from me, nor did he say anything. He simply remained quiet and listened. When Damien stopped talking after making their offer, he asked Marcellus about his willingness to align with Blood Moon and his thoughts on the matter.

Without breaking eye contact with me, Alpha Marcellus stood and made his way around the table taking the empty seat next to me. “Can you prove to me that you are as special as they claim?" He turns and gestures to the disfigured side of his face, "Can you tell me how I got this scar?”

Aiden and Damien were getting a little annoyed at his obvious avoidance of them and his unexplained fascination with me. “With all due respect, Alpha Marcellus, she is not a mind reader.” Aiden said with a more than slightly annoyed tone.

He paid Aiden no mind as he raised his eyebrow up at me in question, waiting for my response.

I wasn’t sure what he was getting at, but I could tell that even at his young age he cares deeply for his pack. I wasn’t sure what to do but I thought I would try something. I reached out and placed my hand on his cheek over the scar and I asked the Moon Goddess to help guide me.

Horrendous images flooded my mind, even though it was only a few seconds. Tears built up in my eyes. “Your father, he did that to you. You were so young.”

I could see the surprise and the pain in his eyes simultaneously at my mention of his father. He immediately pulled his face back out of my hands and began to pace. I wasn’t sure if he wanted me to, but I continued.

“Your father trained you hard since you were a little boy, he wanted you to be even more ruthless and cold then he was.” Now everyone in the room was staring at me. “The day he gave you that scar, is the day you killed him, the day that your father . . . .”

I didn’t get to finish the sentence before Alpha Marcellus had grabbed me and pinned me against the wall by my arms.

I immediately put my hands out to stop Aiden and Damien, who were on their feet ready to rip him by the throat.

“Please don’t, . . .” Alpha Marcellus said in a low voice, “Please don’t say it.”

His grip on me loosened and he hung his head in sadness. After a moment he raised his eyes to look at me, “You look so much like her.” His eyes were misted over as he was fighting back tears from haunted memories.

I reached my arms around his shoulders and hugged him, catching him by surprise. “I am so sorry.” I whispered as I held him tight.

He returned my hug and, after a few moments, released me. “I am so sorry if I scared you, Luna, I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

“You didn’t, but I think you scared them more than you did me.” I said as I nodded towards an upset Aiden and Damien standing right over his shoulder.

He turned facing them directly, “My apologies Alpha’s, I don’t know what came over me. Please know that I would never hurt your mate.”

They both looked at me before responding and I nodded to them both, pleading with them to go easy on him.

“Very well, but I think an explanation is in order,” Aiden said rather harshly.

“Of course,” Marcellus returned to his original seat and so did his Beta, who had closed in on us with all the excitement.

“You see, my father was a cold-hearted son of a b***h. After my mother died when I was young, he turned cruel, taking his frustration out on me and anyone else who would get in his way. He was the kind of man who didn’t care about his pack, they could all starve to death as long as he had a full meal in his belly. Anyways, I was barely 18 when I met Sarah,” he smiled as he said her name and then looked down with a hurt expression on his face before he continued.

“She was everything that I ever could have imagined in a mate. You remind me so much of her that the moment I first saw you it pained me.” I could see the sadness in his eyes and the realization of why he stared at me so much. It was starting to make sense.

“One day, I was late to meet my father since I was out with Sarah. He felt that I disrespected him and that having a mate was clearly going to be a weakness for me; so, to teach me a lesson, he killed Sarah in front of me. I couldn’t save her. I managed to slice his throat wide open, but not before he left me with this.” He said, gesturing towards the scar on his face.

The looks on Aiden and Damien’s faces were one of pure horror. I can’t imagine witnessing the death of your mate so young, let alone at the hands of your father.

“I am so sorry; we had no idea,” Damien said.

“Of course, you didn’t. No one knew what truly happened to my father except for me and Jayce, but if I’m being honest, I don’t think anyone cared, they were just happy that he was gone.”

“Now I will gladly accept whatever it is you are proposing. Silver Creek has been threatening me and my pack ever since I took over as Alpha. Every year they take more and more and every year they pay less and less. I wanted to refuse, but I was not willing to risk my pack's safety because I know that we don’t stand a chance against Silver Creek. Alpha Ronan is just like my father, he thinks he is entitled to take whatever he wants. All I ask is that you take down Alpha Ronan. Do we have a deal?”

Aiden and Damien looked at each other for a moment.

“Done” they both stated, standing back up and shaking hands on it.

“Now, I know that it is getting late. We have prepared a place for you to stay the night if you would all like to follow me.”

We all got up from the table and followed Alpha Marcellus and Beta Jayce outside.

“So, it appears that you can read minds after all?” the young Alpha said as we walked.

“Not quite. I only know what the Moon Goddess wants me to know, but there is something else that she would like for me to do.”

He looked at me intrigued.

“Do you swear to the Moon Goddess that you will protect and honor your pack to the best of your ability? To give your life if necessary for the safety of your people?”

“Of course I would! I am not my father!” he said, almost offended that I would even ask

“She believes you” I said with a smile, “Would you like for her to take your scar away?”

He looked at me for a minute, unsure of whether or not to believe me.

“Is that possible?” he asked, still unsure.

“It could be. What do you choose?”

He thought again for some time before he shook his head.

“No, this scar reminds me of the monster of a man my father was, as well as the man that I never hope to become. It stays.”

“Very well, now would you and your Beta please shift into your wolf for me?”