Will you choose fate?

Time.

The night came and went. Mina slept as well as was expected in a strange house, in a bed that wasn’t hers. The sounds of the woods outside her window jolted her from her light sleep countless times. She was up and out of bed as the rays of light filtered through the curtains, beginning her routine which consisted of a steamy bath and the arduous task of taming her hair. She sighed, looked at the wet waves in the foggy mirror and almost felt the urge to put her hair in a ponytail. The knock on the bedroom door caught her halfway through applying some hair oil to her hair tips. "Coming!" she called out from her bathroom, quickly wiping her hands on her towel, she walked back into her room and made her way to the door. Opening it she smiled at the shocked Omega who had come to inform her that breakfast was ready. Realizing she was wearing just a robe, she told the young woman she’d be right out as she pulled the robe tighter around her body. The Omega bowed her head and left quickly. Putting on some brown high-waist dress pants, a white button-up shirt and black ankle boots, she looked at herself in the mirror and figured that would be appropriate attire for breakfast and the formalities of the day.

The hallway was deserted, bright rays of sun illuminated it through the glass of the high palladian windows at the end of the hallway, towards where Thomas' room was. She stepped onto the dark brown, polished wooden floors, with a long, emerald and brown rug that almost resembled the forest floor, running through its center, and made her way to the stairs. Portraits in intricate, gold colored frames adorned the creamy walls. Mina stopped in front of one of them, her focus an immediate bullseye to one face in particular. It was the current family's portrait. She could easily recognize a young Thomas, standing proudly and smiling from ear to ear, auburn hair perfectly combed to one side, a front tooth missing, wearing little grey dress shorts and a vest to match, with a dazzling silver bow around the collar of his white dress shirt. He was holding a miniature hand that belonged to a toddler, probably no more than two years younger than him in the exact same outfit, but while Thomas was the epitome of joy, the child at his side had no expression. He stared blankly ahead. His deep brown eyes had no warmth like Thomas', his black hair combed to one side as well. Their parents, a younger version of Maximo and Charlotte were seated behind them in their Alpha and Luna chairs, each with a hand on the boys' shoulders, smiling proudly. Mina couldn't help but stare at the boy next to Thomas, something about his gaze made her uncomfortable, made her shudder. Quickly she tore her gaze away from those eyes and continued her walk towards the stairs, hoping she wasn't making the rest wait for her.

She saw Thomas at the bottom of the stairs scrolling on his phone, wearing gray sweatpants and a black t-shirt that clung tightly to his toned body. He had just come back from training with Orion and already had messages to answer. His lips pursed together in a fine line. The day would be exhausting for him.

‘He looks good enough to eat. Is he on the menu for breakfast?’ growled Loure.

‘Woah, woah, keep it in your pants. This is strictly professional,’ Mina joked.

‘I know. But you have to admit, he's got the looks and clearly the brains. Look at him working so diligently this early in the morning. Shame he isn’t our mate.’

Mina rolled her eyes at Loure and called out to Thomas. “Good morning.”

Thomas looked up from his phone and smiled, “Good morning. Thought I could take you to the dining room. Yesterday was too late for the grand tour and I wouldn’t want you getting lost and missing out on Celia’s delicious french toast.”

“It really does smell delicious,” she said as she sniffed the air, getting hints of cinnamon, vanilla and nutmeg. The two walked to the dining area, greeting the pack members that they encountered on the way, Thomas pointing out the study, the ballroom and the library as they made their trek. His parents were already seated at the end of a long dark, wood table, eating fresh fruits, they greeted them as they stepped into the room, Charlotte more enthusiastically than Maximo, he didn't look up from his plate and only seemed to grunt. It seemed the previous alpha wasn’t too keen on her but it made sense seeing how their families had been feuding in the past. Celia, the pack chef, a sturdy looking gray haired woman, strolled in with a dining cart and the bountiful breakfast.

"I hope you like the breakfast Luna. If there is ever a dish you want let me know. Our staff is well versed and, not to toot our own horn, but all our dishes are divine," she told Mina with a wink as she served her a plate of fresh fruits and placed a platter of fluffy, golden french toast in the center of the table for all to enjoy. Mina thanked her and told her she would take her up on the offer.

'Luna.' That one word felt heavy in the air. Of course, the rest of the Two Moons Pack knew of their marriage, but Mina didn't feel the title suited her, much less belonged to her after spending less than twenty-four hours on the property. 'Maybe in time...' she thought.

As they ate, Thomas explained to Mina the duties she would take after the intimate ceremony they would have to formalize the marriage. It was only meant to be symbolic and to establish her as the pack’s new Luna, they had agreed that though they may share wedding vows they would not mark each other. They both understood and hoped that their union would be temporary, just until the war ended and they could find their mates.

That afternoon they signed their wedding contract with only his parents present. There were no tuxedos or wedding gowns, there was no big ball to celebrate or even a pack dinner at that, it seemed out of place with the current situation. Mina spent the rest of the day following Thomas around while he attended meetings and video conferences with the elite members of Two Moons and the other packs. Now and then he would ask her questions or ask for her opinion, mainly to gauge how she would handle difficult situations and how good of a diplomat she was. He wasn’t surprised with how well she carried herself, and was more than glad to have her nearby and help out with some of the tasks. Thomas would find himself staring at her and wondering if that was what it would be like when he found his fated mate, he caught himself smiling at the thought more times than he would admit. He liked having a woman like Mina around, she was certainly more than capable of handling her duties and that made his job easier.

Weeks passed like that, Thomas and Mina attending meetings, Thomas helping to train the new wolves who would protect the frontlines since their borders were the closest to the war, Mina beginning her studies as the new Luna under the tutelage of Charlotte. They would discuss pack matters, which included Crescent Pack and Two Moon’s Pack matters. The Alpha King or his advisors were also part of the daily meetings and the regular updates they received on the war painted a picture of them having a full tactical advantage over the rouges. The rouge army seemed to be dwindling in numbers but the toll on the packs could be felt.

After the meetings Thomas would even leave her for a few minutes after everybody else had hung up so she could talk to Asher and the rest of her family, something she was extremely grateful for. It lessened the pain that the distance caused her. Sometimes he would even stay and be part of the conversation. Her family saw how Thomas treated her and his actions made it clear he cared for her, at least to some degree.

“You’ve been there a while now Mina. But it seems like you don’t miss us too much. The fifteen-year-old you would have been calling us everyday at least three times a day!” said Asher.

Mina laughed, “Yeah, probably, but I’m twenty-five now. What kind of a Luna would I be if I were to blubber home every time I felt lonely? Besides I rarely have time for it. Thomas and Charlotte keep me busy with activities, and they’re always making sure I’m doing well and adjusting.”

“I bet. Especially Thomas, huh? He seems more than a bit concerned for your well-being,” Asher teased as he lifted an eyebrow. His comment had been meant to be taken as joke but his face turned stony once he saw Mina’s redden. He couldn't help it, it was time to be the jealous older brother, there was no way some strange wolf was going to steal his little sister away for good. “Mina?”

“Uh, yeah. I have to go. Sorry, say hi to mom and dad and Lena for me!” she slammed the laptop shut, ending the videocall. What had that been about? Why did the mention of Thomas taking any kind of interest in her make her heart flutter? She had to be confusing things. Staring ahead at the book lined shelves of the study she felt her eyebrows knit together. It was clear that they got along well and they spent a good part of their days together. Thomas had become a great friend in that short while, nothing more.

'Nothing more,' she reassured herself.

Asher never brought up the topic of Thomas and her again, he figured that the less it was said out loud, the less likely that it would come true.

Slowly her worries of being wed to a stranger began to evaporate, everybody in the pack was accepting of her, they helped her and seemed genuinely interested in her wellbeing, even Maximo had begun to soften his prickly attitude once he saw how hard she worked for their pack and just how much of a liking his son had taken to her. He had even invited her out on his evening strolls in the garden. They would walk in silence, but it was comforting for her to know they were getting along. Just like that Mina was starting to feel like she was at home. She had found her family away from home

Days passed, followed by weeks and months. Luna Mina, now more accepting of the title, and Alpha Thomas grew closer, they would spend most nights in the sitting room talking about everything and anything. Mina told him about her family, about her brother, her parents, her best friend and the various adventures and misadventures she had as a child. In turn Thomas opened up and told her about his brother, Edward, who happened to be his Gamma and how he was worried for him after Edward had decided to enlist in the war as soon as it started, which was why he wasn't home. Mina remembered the portrait upstairs, finally putting a name to the face. She always did her best to avoid looking at that one painting, every time she glanced it she could feel her heart clench.

Those talks had become part of their routine. A small escape from their usual duties in a setting where they were free to be themselves, no titles, no responsibilities. To the rest of the pack members it was normal for their Alpha and Luna to get along so well, a lot of them even began to speculate that they might be in love.