White Fur

Chapter 24

Skyler’s POV

We drove through the town until we made it to the giant mansion. If it were made of stone, I would have assumed it was a castle due to its size. We pulled up towards the front doors where five people were waiting. Kanto stopped the car right in front of them. He scooped my hand and gave it a kiss before getting out of the car. I took a deep breath and turned to get out, Kanto was already there about to open my side. I grabbed the hand he offered and stepped out of the car.

“Thank you.” Kanto gave me a big smile.

“Alpha.” The man at the end of the line took a step forward and gave a slight bow. Then he turned to me slightly and bowed again. “Luna. It’s good to finally meet you.”

“Skyler, this is my Gamma, Jack.” Kanto said slowly wrapping an arm are my waist possessively. I gave a warm smile towards the man in front of me. Compared to the others, he was pretty large not quite Kanto’s size but very bulky. He had short, almost buzz cut, black hair, dark brown eyes, and dark skin. His posture gave me the vibe that he was a strict commander of sorts, which would make sense since he’s the Gamma.

“It’s nice to meet you too Jack.” I started to return Jack’s bow but Kanto’s arm prevented me from bending. “I’m Skyler. I’m sorry if I’ve been taking up too much of Kanto’s time recently.”

“You have nothing to apologize for Luna.” Jack said. “We are all very happy that our Alpha finally found his mate.”

“Do you have a mate?” Kanto’s grip tightened a little bit around my waist.

Jack chuckled picking up on Kanto’s slight jealousy. “Yes I have a mate, she is currently visiting her parents at a different pack but she should be back tomorrow. She can’t stay away from the pups for too long.”

“Awww you have pups, they must be so cute. When she gets back I would love to meet them all.” I was excited to hopefully make a new friends and puppies are always a welcomed sight in my book.

“I’ll introduce you soon then.” Jack had a smile of pride on his face, but only for a moment until he switched topics. “But unfortunately today there are some matters that need to be discussed.”

“Rogues?” Kanto’s expression was serious but his grip around my waist was still tight.

“Yes Alpha.” Jack said but it looked like he still had more to say. He and Kanto were giving each other the same look. It must be that mind-link thing that Kanto talked about the other day.

“And you think they are becoming more of an issue?” I interrupted there internal conversation.

“Yes, it’s possible.” Jack replied.

“Gamma Jack, what do you duties usually entail?” I asked.

Jack straightened his posture, which I didn’t think was possible since he was already standing perfectly straight. “My main job is being charge of pack security as well as training and overseeing the pack warriors. I also take on other pack related tasks but that’s not as often.”

“Excellent then you are just the person to answer my question.” I was happy that I wouldn’t have to hunt down Jack but Kanto let out a small growl. I knew we needed to continue this conversation somewhere else. “Calm down Kanto, I definitely need you to answer me too. Should we move inside or something?”

That’s when the four other people stepped forwards and gave a slight bow. “Oh I’m sorry I didn’t introduce myself, my name is Skyler.” I gave them a warm smile since Kanto was still gripping onto my waist.

The man next, but slightly behind Jack began to speak. “Hello Luna, my name is Michael.” He pointed to the others in the line. “That’s Dylan, Amy and Minnie. We are here to help move your stuff.”

“Oh I can handle it, it’s only a couple of boxes.” I started to insist.

Kanto gave a low laugh and loosened his grip on me. He took his keys and tossed them to Michael. “The boxes are in the trunk, you may take them to my room. You don’t have to unpack them.” His voice had a strong tone to it but wasn’t too demanding, more like a boss delegating tasks.

Before I could protest, I found myself in Kanto’s grasp again walking towards the mansion. “Thank you!” I managed to get out before making it to the front door.

Jack open the door for us and I was once again speechless. My eyes were instantly draw to a huge wooden staircase the wrapped from the left side to the right and spun up. I followed it until I finally saw the crystal chandelier on the ceiling hanging far above us. As my eyes moved back down the blue-grey walls, I caught the small silver and white accents that made the room feel more modern. When I was finally staring back at the first level, I noticed the three different, wide hallways, the one directly in front of me was the largest. The wooden floors matched the color of the stairs but had a white rug with a grey pattern on it that tied the room together. I really appreciated that Kanto and Jack let me have a moment to take this all in before walking with me to the staircase.

On the second floor we walked down the hallway until we reached a big wooden door. Kanto pushed it open to reveal an office. One of the walls was covered with books only to be separated by a fireplace. On the other side was a small couch as well as a tv. A large wooden desk was in the middle of the room with a beautiful view of the mountains behind it. I walked in and took one of the chairs in front of the desk. Kanto sat in the bigger chair behind the desk. Jack started to take the chair next to me but Kanto shot him a slight glare, so Jack stood a couple steps away. I couldn’t help but giggle a little bit.

“Alpha.” Kanto turned his gaze towards me as I formally addressed him. “I moved to the pack house for my protection from outside threats. You also mentioned that there has been activity recently near the pack lands that has caused you to be more anxious about the possibility of an attack. In the goal of being protected, I would like to be trained on how to fight.”

“No.” Kanto said.

“Why not?”

“Your are safe in the pack house and Colton and Dalton will protect you if need be.”

“I don’t want to be babysat and I don’t want to be a burden to this pack. Besides what if something happens to Colton and Dalton while they are protecting me and I’m stuck by myself.” I could feel a bit of anger bubbling in me. I wasn’t understanding Kanto’s logic.

“That won’t happen, there is always someone in the pack house who could help.”

“Are you truly expecting me to stay cooped up in the pack house all the time?”

“No not all the time.” Kanto hesitated at the next part. “When you are with me we can go other places.”

“No. No way. I didn’t come here to be trapped like a bird in a cage only to be let out when my owner is around. I’ve told you before, this relationship is a partnership and you have to treat me as an equal.” I took a deep breath to try to calm myself.

“Skyler, I don’t want you to get hurt. You’re a human going against werewolves. The odds are stacked against you.”

“I may be a human but that doesn’t mean I’m useless and weak.”

“I never said you were weak or useless. But if you were to fight against a werewolf you wouldn’t be able to keep up with their speed or strength.”

I needed a break from arguing with Kanto over this so it was time to bring in reinforcements. “Gamma Jack, you are in charge of training the warriors as well as security. What do you think of my idea?”

Jack stared at the floor for a moment. By the way Kanto was looking at him, I could Jack was getting yelled at through mind-link. “I believe it would be best for the Luna to know how to protect herself.” Kanto let out a low warning growl. “Rouges have been spotted more frequently near our border, who knows why they are here or when they will attack. And as much as you want to, it’s insane to keep the Luna in the pack house. With all due respect, you did order that every pack member be trained in self defense. If she is to become a part of our pack, wouldn’t the command apply to her too.”

Kanto didn’t respond but I could tell he was at war with himself. I bet Zenith is battling him as well. I got up from my chair and walked behind Kanto’s chair. I wrapped my arms around him and rest my chin on his shoulder. “I’m not looking to go out and fight werewolves. I’m not asking to be on the frontlines of a war. I just want to know how to protect myself.”

I could feel Kanto relaxing in my arms. He lifted his hand to grab mine and leaned further into my embrace. “I just don’t want to lose you. I just found you after all these years and I don’t want you getting hurt.” He said softly.

“I know, but the best way to ensure my safety is to make sure I’m ready if needed. Prepare for the worst, hope for the best.”

Kanto took a deep breath and let it out in a long sigh. “Alright, but only Jack, myself and Beta Brett can train you. We will start in a week when Brett comes back.”

“Thank you, Kanto.” I wanted to start sooner but I didn’t want to push my luck. I turned my head and gave Kanto a peck on the cheek before releasing my grasp on him. “Alright I’m pretty sure you two have more you need to talk about. I’m going to explore the pack house.”

“Wait what?” Kanto seemed more shocked at me going to explore than by me asking to learn how to fight.

“Calm down, my big bad Alpha. I’ll just explore this level and if I get nervous or lost, I’ll do my best to come back here, ok?” Kanto’s face clearly said it was not ok with him. I gave him a big smile before sneaking out of the door and closing it behind me.

I walked down the elegant hallway taking in the decor. I made a mental note to avoid rooms with closed doors. I finally saw a room with a door half open. I knocked on it first to see if anyone was in before poking my head in. I was surprised to see that the room mirrored Kanto’s office. It also had a fireplace with bookshelves surrounding it. Also a couch and tv. But this office was more feminine in the color scheme and furniture. I was scanning the room again until my gaze was back on the fireplace. Right above it was a portrait with three people. A man with well-kept brown hair and an impressive jawline. He had an arm wrapped around a woman with long black hair, hazel eyes, and a warm smile on her face. Between them was a young boy, probably about 5 or 6, with wild dark brown hair, cute chubby cheeks and hazel eyes. The little boy was obviously trying to seem big and strong like the older man in the picture, it was cute.

“What are you doing in here.” I jumped and spun around to see who was behind me.

Kanto’s POV

“Alpha, can you please calm down? She’s only been gone for a couple of hours.” Jack said. We had been working on the recent rogue occurrence since Skyler left.

“I would if Zenith could stop yelling at me about letting her roam around the pack house.”

You shouldn’t have let her roam around by herself. We should be by mate’s side. Zenith repeated again for the thousandth time since Skyler left the room.

“She’ll be fine.” Jack said. “Everyone should still be training or doing things outside of the pack house. And if she is sticking to the second floor she shouldn’t bump into too many people. Besides no one in the pack would dare to harm the mate of their Alpha.”

Jack’s words soothed Zenith a tiny amount but he was still grumbling about it. I could still pickup the faint trace of her scent, focusing on that helped calm Zenith more. But it has been about 3 hours since Skyler left, maybe I should go find her.

Yes, you should. Zenith urged. Then take her to our room and mate and mark her.

And there it was. I let out a sigh and decided to bury my head back into work. What shocked me more was Jack sighing immediately after.

“We do have more work to do.” He was hesitating with his next sentence. “But I know where your Luna is.”

Zenith instantly perked up but I was slightly irritated that Jack knew where Skyler was and I didn’t. But how did he know? “And?” I asked.

“She’s in her future office.” And that’s how he knew. I immediately got up from my chair and headed to the door. Jack started to stand as I was in the doorway. A small smirk crossed his face.“Good luck Alpha.”

What is she up to this time? Zenith grumbled. I ignored his question and walked down the hall until I heard the most melodic sound. Skyler’s laughter got louder as I got closer to the slightly ajar door. When I pressed the door open I saw the two of them sitting on the couch looking through a big book.

“Hello Skyler. Mother.” I greeted them, Skyler’s face turned a light shade of pink.

“You finally decided to join us Kanto. I was wondering how much longer you could hold out.” My mother teased with a big grin on her face. “I told Jack I was with your mate hours ago, did he not mention it?”

“No he didn’t tell me until a minute ago.” I gave her a small glare in response to her teasing tone. I then shifted my gaze back to my mate and spoke smoothly. “What have you been up to this whole time?”

“Oh Luna Maribelle-“

“I told you to call me Mary, dear.” My mom sweetly said, gently tapping Skyler’s shoulder.

“Umm Mary and I were just talking about the childhoods of particular pack members.” Skyler said trying to suppress a grin. I took a closer look at the book in Skyler’s lap and instantly knew what book it was. It was my family’s scrapbook. I felt my face flush. Skyler could no longer hold back her laughter.

“Calm down son, I didn’t tell her anything too embarrassing.” My mom tried to reassure me but somehow I think Skyler learned a lot of embarrassing things about me today. “Your mate is absolutely delightful. We had a great time getting to know each other.”

“I enjoyed this time too and I can’t wait to learn from you about my Luna duties in the future.” My embarrassment subsided as I listened to my mate plan her future Luna lessons with my mom. Zenith and I were both proud of our mate and happy that she was adapting so well.

When Skyler and my mom finished planning, Skyler turned back to me with a mischievous smile. “Alright Sir Kanto, my knight in shining armor, it’s time you give me a tour of your mighty kingdom.” The embarrassment was back.

“Pretending to be a knight is a totally normal thing for a little kid to do.” I defended myself.

“Yes your right, but enlisting the whole pack to pretend with you was a little excessive.” My mother jumped in.

“Well I think it’s cute.” Skyler wrapped her arms around one of mine and got on her tiptoes to peck my cheek. “Besides this means you can protect me from any evil dragons or mean witches that we come across.”

“Is that so?” I smiled back at my mate, Skyler nodded. We walked to the office door and I swung it open. “After you, my queen.”

Skyler curtsied and headed out the door. I closed the door behind us and re-offered my arm to Skyler, which she gladly accepted.

I think she will make a fabulous Luna. My mom mind-linked me. And even more important, I think you will make each other very happy.

I smiled to myself about my mom’s comment, then I looked down at my mate. She had a pleasant smile on her face and her eyes were wide in wonder of the pack house. She isn’t just beautiful, she is thoughtful, kind, funny, empathetic, understanding, smart, sassy, bubbly…she’s just absolutely perfect. And I’m the luckiest man that gets to stand beside her.

Skyler shifted her head to look up at me and caught me gazing. “What is it?”

I smiled “Nothing, just thinking about how lucky I am to be with you.”

Skyler blushed and took a moment before speaking again. “Well Sir Kanto, I’m lucky to have such a charming knight to show me around the castle. There’s no one else I’d rather be with.”

“Right this way m’lady.”