High Moon Academy

Chapter 5 - POV Charlie - MOM

Our Packhouse is awesome. My grandfather designed it himself once he struck big with his investments. It's six stories high, and has a finished basement. Below ground, there are laundry facilities and, of course, our strong hold that can hold and protect all of our non-warrior women and children, elderly and sick, in case we are ever attacked. This, thankfully, hasn't happened since my dad took over nineteen years ago, as my grandfather left behind a really good legacy and a strong pack that not many would dare to mess with. We have over three thousand adults, one thousand of whom are highly trained warriors, so even the rogues tend to leave us alone and concentrate on much smaller packs.

The first floor of the pack house has a large dining area and hall for when we host events and parties, as well as the kitchen and games room. Basically, anyone in the pack is allowed on the first floor, as we want people to feel comfortable in our pack to be around the pack house. The second floor and third floors are for all visiting wolves who come for various reasons. They are nice quarters, more like suites. They have multiple bedrooms with common living rooms and kitchens, each bedroom has its own bathroom, we always ensure our guests are comfortable, and the Omegas do such a wonderful job at keeping the place immaculate. We treat our Omegas really well. Some wolf packs don’t even pay their Omega’s. Here we not only pay them a good wage, but they are welcome to train with us and we provide cottage housing close to the pack house for their convenience and families.

Unmated quarters are on the third floor. These are similar to the suites. There is a boys' suit and a girls' suite. Any unmated wolves that want to come live in the pack house when they turn 18 are more than welcome to come and take a room there if they want out of their parents' places for a little autonomy. The fourth and fifth floors are for ranked members only. This is where Patty's family and mine live. Marissa's family lives here too, which is how I was originally able to be friends with her so easily without prying eyes like Piper. The top floor has a ranked gym only for training and Alpha, Beta, Gamma, and Deltas offices. We don't currently have a Delta as Dad's Delta died unexpectedly three years ago and Dad just doesn't seem to have the heart to replace him, and he had no children or mate. Sad really.

I walked up to my family suite and walked in, I found Jaymee on the couch with her friend Jeremy, Marissa's little brother. Sometimes I think those kids will turn out to be like Patty and I but just now when I looked at the way Jeremy was just checking out Jaymee, I now thought that Jaymee's bedroom door needs to be open at all times if they ever go in there to watch a movie like old times.

"Hey kiddo, is mom nearby?" I asked and saw Jeremy instantly avert his eyes. Yeah, that's right little boy, glad you’re showing a healthy dose of fear. I saw how you looked at my sister. I laughed internally.

"Um, yes, She is just in her office, she told me she is just working on the pack's finances. If I need anything, just knock." Ah yes, finances. How weird is that, out of all the hobbies in the world, my mom picks finances, who would think crunching numbers would bring her such joy?

"Okay thanks, you two enjoy the show", I then looked at Jeremy, "I'll be right back. It shouldn't be too long". I smile as I see his eyes looking everywhere but at me again. Ah, to be fifteen and in love, messing with him would be all too fun.

I walked over to my mom's room and knocked.

"Come on in." I walked into my mom's office. Her walls were covered in family pictures of us growing up. As well as a depiction of the moon Goddess. Her filing cabinet is open and she has papers strewn all over her desk. I can see her hard at work behind her desk, but with the simplest of smiles dawning on her face. My mom is in her happy place. She looks up and sees it is me and stops what she is doing. She gets a knowing look on her face as I start walking over to her and she moves to the couch by her desk and pats the cushion for me to sit. I now understand she expected this conversation. She grabbed a folder on the table beside the couch and placed it on her lap.

I decided to cut right to the chase. My mom was apparently the one who suggested the academy, so why did I feel like there was more to it than she let on?

"Mom, why did you only seem half happy for me, when dad told me about the academy and becoming a future Beta? You just seemed I don't know, almost worried about me or something." I asked, hoping this wasn't the case, but I've always been straightforward with mom.

"Oh Charlie, there is just so much about me and my family that you don't know." Well doesn't that hit the mark like, oh hey by the way, why don't we see our other grandparents or your old pack, blah blah blah. As if she sensed my next questions, she got the same look on her face.

"Charlie, you know I'm from the Shadow Moon pack. What you don't know is I was supposed to take over the Shadow Moon pack from my father. I was his only heir." Well, that just took the breath right out of me. My mom was to be the heir of the pack. Wow, she was meant to be their Luna.

"So why didn't you become their Luna and merge the packs' mom." I knew that even though we never visited anymore, that Shadow Moon pack really wasn't that far. They could have merged with us, dad would have been Alpha to two prominent packs. The look on my mother's face said otherwise.

"No, Charlie, I wasn't meant to be Luna, I wasn't meant to be their Alpha." My jaw dropped a female Alpha that would have been insane, also something I had never even heard of happening before. All of our history books have never mentioned a female Alpha. At least not in Silver Moon.

"Shadow Moon pack is run slightly differently than most other packs, both males and females can be Alphas there. My father wanted me to take over after I was done at the academy, but I met my mate, your father, and I wanted to be his Luna instead. My father understood and though it saddened him, he was supportive of my leaving. Just because you think you want something doesn't mean that is truly what you will always want.” She looked straight into my eyes with that sentiment. I knew what she was inadvertently referring to; my desire to be a Beta and my belief that it was my destiny. She carried on.

“I had every intention of being the Alpha of the Shadow Moon pack but when I met your father, I knew I was needed more as a Luna rather than an Alpha. I don't regret my choice to move here. Shadow Moon pack would never have gone for a merger of the packs so my father stepped down as Alpha and a new family took over that my father approved of. The Everwoods." All this information is a bit overwhelming. I can't believe my mother had the chance to be Alpha and gave it all up for a man. That is my worst fear in life and now I understand my mother's worried appearance. She doesn't want me to be disappointed in myself if I find love and choose love over my pack, I never would, of course, but I understand her to worry when I was being handed my dream.

Then it hit me, why wouldn't Shadow Moon pack merge? Most packs merge when two alpha families turn out to be mates.

"Mom, why wouldn't they merge? Why did your dad step down? Why did we stop visiting?" The questions were coming out like word vomit now, but I needed to know.

"Shadow Moon pack tradition is male or female may take the seat of Alpha and marry their mate who will also reign as Alpha. They can be co-Alphas or Luna if their mate should choose, with the stipulation that if you do not want to be Alpha then you follow your mate, and a new Shadow Moon pack, Alpha will be chosen by the retiring Alpha. They don't believe in mergers, but they do believe in equality to rule, and that the gender of an offspring shouldn't decide who leads." Everything she was saying sounded so off to me and yet I was enthralled as well. I loved the prospect of how progressive this pack was, but I still felt for my mom that she was pushed out, we didn't even see them, she must feel abandoned. Again, as if she could read my mind, she smiled warmly.

"They didn't leave me, Charlie. I left them. We used to visit when my parents were alive, but they were murdered in a rogue attack when you were about four years old." I saw the pain in her eyes as the tears slipped from the corner of her eyes. I too began to weep at the thought of these unknown grandparents perishing when I was so young.

"Their attackers were subdued and killed for their crimes, but it was too painful to go and visit my old pack anymore, so I concentrated on becoming the best Luna I could be, and raising you three kids. I miss my parents but I know this is where I'm meant to be. I hope that with you going to the academy you will also figure out where or who you're meant to be, without the overshadowing of this pack and its responsibilities." I leaned over and hugged my mom, we stayed like that for a while, she even grabbed the nearby folder and showed me pictures of me with my grandparents at their pack when I was younger. There were pictures of me and Damon hanging out with another little boy that looked our age.

“Mom, who is that boy with Damon and me?” My mom smiled

“That would be the new Alpha of Shadow Moon’s son, Max. When we visit your grandparents, you three would always play together. I guess you have forgotten, being so young at the time.” I smiled back. I don’t remember taking this photo but it did bring Iris and me joy to look at it, perhaps because Max was part of my past.

I had just been let into another layer of my mother that I would be forever grateful for. Her strength was admirable and it made me look forward to the academy and how it would help me grow.

Mom and I parted ways after a good girl crying session, one of the few I've ever had. I did make a comment about Jaymee needing to keep her door open when Jeremy was over and my mom just laughed with a knowing smile and asked how dumb I thought she looked. I laughed and I went to my bedroom to begin to pack for my next adventure, obviously giving a sly glance towards Jeremy, successfully making him look anywhere but at me or Jaymee and shift slightly away from Jaymee. Jaymee rolled her eyes at me and him, she clearly knew what I was doing.