Soulbound

For most werewolf packs, the New Moon celebration is a night to remember. Every month, as the moon vanishes from the sky, we take the opportunity to thank the stars for watching over us, for keeping our packs safe. For the Crimson Star pack, it was Antares that guided us. Along with the Moon Goddess, of course. But she cared for all werewolves. Antares was ours. I smiled to myself as I leaned on the hard metal railing that protected my personal balcony. The celebration would begin soon – the last remnants of sunlight were fading, and already the sounds of people laughing and preparing food were drifting towards the house from the courtyard. ‘You look a vision, my dear,’ came Michael’s voice from the door. I spun on the ball of my foot, my skirt flaring around my legs. ‘You think so?’ I asked coyly, lifting my chin upwards so I could look the Alpha in his warm, dark eyes. ‘You always do,’ he crooned, kissing the tip of my nose playfully. Michael, the Crimson Star Alpha, my mate. He was tall and broad in the shoulder with reddish-brown curls and a scratch of stubble on his jaw. ‘Flattery will get you nowhere, sir,’ I grinned, poking him in the tummy. ‘Flattery will get me everywhere,’ he countered, offering me his hand. I’d been officially his mate for just over a year, my nineteenth birthday approaching fast. He’d taken the Alpha position at the young age of twenty-one after his father passed away, but Crimson Star was small and close-knit, so any inexperience had been made up for in effort. Other packs left us alone, mostly. Except for the first full moon of every year. Now that was a party. I found a soft shawl to wrap around my shoulders to protect me from the cold before joining my mate and the rest of the pack in the courtyard, while Michael waited with a patient smile. As we walked down the hallway from our room, however, a tall man with dirty blonde hair was standing at attention. ‘Dash,’ Michael greeted. Dash was the pack Beta, second in command. He was a proud, strong man, mated to Carmel, my closest friend. ‘Alpha, Luna,’ Dash replied, greeting us both in turn as tradition dictated. At first, being the Luna of the pack was uncomfortable and overwhelming. But I’d grown more confident in the role, and now I could stand beside Michael with my head held high. ‘There’s a scout from another pack waiting to speak with you,’ Dash continued. ‘He refuses to leave.’ My mate’s eyebrows creased. ‘Which pack?’ ‘Won’t say, sir. I don’t recognise the scent.’ Michael looked down at me curiously, and I squeezed his bicep. New Moon celebration or not, we had an obligation to meet new guests. ‘We’ll meet them now,’ Michael told Dash. ‘But just in case, send someone to check the borders. Packs are rarely out and about on the New Moon unless it’s an emergency.’ ‘Understood,’ Dash said simply, then he half-jogged to the stairs and out of sight. ‘You will join me, my love?’ the Alpha asked, and I nodded. ‘Of course,’ I said. ‘If any wolf makes a comment about what I’m wearing, I’ll give them a piece of my mind.’ Michael chuckled, and arm in arm we made our way to the receiving room. Dash had been right in that the newcomer didn’t smell of any neighbouring pack, which immediately had me on edge. He was small and weedy, probably an Omega, with scruffy brown hair and an attempt at a moustache on his upper lip. He bowed nervously as we entered. ‘Alpha, Luna, thank you for seeing me.’ ‘I am Michael, Alpha of the Crimson Star pack, and this is my Luna, Sofia.’ ‘My name’s Chet,’ the newcomer said. ‘I represent my Alpha, Ash Preston. He seeks an audience with you this evening if you’re agreeable.’ Michael and I exchanged a look. ‘It must be an emergency if your Alpha is disrupting the New Moon celebrations,’ my mate suggested, his voice easing in formality. We could talk as fancy as we liked, but we were still barefoot in preparation for the festivities. ‘I’m afraid the Alpha has not disclosed his reasons to a mere scout, sir,’ Chet told them, a little bitterness creeping into his voice. ‘Are your pack close?’ ‘Yes sir, I can have them here within the next half an hour.’ Discomfort settled in my belly – a whole pack that close to ours, one we didn’t know. A quick look from my mate confirmed that we were on the same wavelength. ‘Please excuse me, gentlemen,’ I said sweetly. ‘I have to check on the celebration preparation. Can I get you any food or drink, Chet?’ ‘No, thank you Luna,’ he said, voice wavering slightly. I kissed my mate on the cheek and excused myself. As soon as the door snapped shut behind me, I sought out Dash. ‘Anything from the scouts?’ I asked as soon as I located him. ‘Nothing yet,’ he replied. ‘Jase scented something unusual, but it didn’t cross the territory line.’ ‘There’s a foreign pack nearby and they’re all going to be here in thirty minutes,’ I told him, and even though he was in human form I could almost see the wolf in him, ears back, hackles raised. ‘Don’t panic,’ I continued in a soothing voice. ‘Pick a few strong wolves to accompany us, and get Jase to keep everyone else together in the courtyard. He nodded in acknowledgement and disappeared into the crowd, leaving me with my thoughts. ‘What would eighteen-year-old Sofia say if she could see you now?’ I laughed and found my best friend Carmel beside me. She was beautiful, her lips a perfect red pout, her jet-black hair loose around her shoulders, and the slightest baby bump showing under her dress. ‘She wouldn’t believe it,’ I replied warmly. ‘It’s getting easier.’ ‘Please,’ Carmel said with a roll of her eyes. ‘You’re a natural. You were born to lead this pack.’ ‘Antares knows what will work, I suppose,’ I shrugged. ‘How’s my niece or nephew?’ ‘Hungry,’ Carmel grumbled. ‘Next time you can have the kid, and I’ll stay cute and tiny.’ Heat crawled up my neck. I hadn’t explicitly told my best friend, but me and Michael were… thinking about it. Not that I had the time to think about it now. ‘I need to go get changed,’ I mumbled to myself. ‘Stay here in the courtyard until Dash tells you it’s okay.’ A white cotton dress and bare feet might be okay for a scout, but another Alpha meant that I needed to wear something more appropriate. Michael found me struggling with the zipper of a dark navy dress, his hands knocking mine gently out of the way. Gooseflesh erupted on my skin as he pressed his lips to my bare shoulder, taking his sweet time with the zip. ‘We have places to be,’ I said with a smile. ‘We’re an Alpha and Luna in our own home,’ Michael told me. ‘We can do what we damn please.’ I spun in his arms and stood on tiptoe to kiss him on the mouth. ‘See to this problem,’ I began, smoothing a wrinkle on his lapel. ‘And we can come back to this.’ He held me tight and kissed me once more, fierce and possessive. A knock at our door had him grumbling against my mouth, and I laughed. ‘Your guests have arrived.’ The shift in my mate’s demeanour as we left our private quarters and made our way to the receiving room was immense. Michael’s shoulders were squared, his chin high and his usually warm and gentle expression had turned hard. I’d thought to add a quick coat of lipstick, and with my hair wild and my dress flowing, I felt the perfect image of a strong Luna, supporting her Alpha. He allowed me to enter the room first, and I immediately took in the scene. Dash and a handful of our stronger wolves were positioned around the room, flanking the strangers. They were all in human form, which eased a little of the nerves in my chest.  The visiting Alpha was huge. He had a shock of pale blonde hair, steely blue eyes and an unimpressed pout on his coldly handsome face. His arms were held in front of him, but he exuded confidence. He didn’t tear his gaze from mine until Michael introduced himself. ‘Alpha Michael Woodruff, of the Crimson Star,’ my mate said, extending a hand. ‘Alpha Ash Preston, of the Silver Moon,’ the newcomer replied. I felt a bolt of shock go through me, and I noticed a few of the others flinch as well. The Moon Goddess watched over all of us, every werewolf. To claim her as the patron of a pack was… well, taboo. Our patron, Antares, was named for a star, a bright red one that we could see on some clear nights. ‘Pleasure,’ Michael said diplomatically, squashing any hint that he was uncomfortable. If Ash or the other Silver Moon wolves noticed our discomfort, they said nothing. ‘How can I be of service? I’m sure you’re aware of the New Moon celebrations taking place,’ Michael said, gesturing for Ash to take a seat at the table as he sat in the high-backed chair beside mine. ‘I am aware that some packs do celebrate, but ours does not,’ Ash said in his gravelly voice. ‘I apologise for interrupting, it simply slipped my mind.’ Well of course they wouldn’t celebrate it, I thought to myself. Why would they celebrate the nights where star patrons were visible - not overshone by the Moon Goddess - if they didn’t have a star patron? Ash looked too large for the chair, and he angled himself to one side in a lazy display of contentment, wholly unworried about the Crimson wolves. ‘I am seeking permission to spend time in your territory,’ he continued. Something in his voice told me that he wasn’t seeking permission at all, rather telling us that he’d be spending time on our land. ‘And why is that?’ Michael asked, running his finger slowly around the rim of a tall glass before taking a sip. ‘Our territory has nothing that you need.’ ‘Well, we don’t know that for sure,’ Ash replied, his lips curling in a patronising smile. ‘Forgive me if I don’t tell you what it is that we’re looking for, lest you hide it from us or keep it for yourselves.' Michael exchanged a look with Dash, one of amused disbelief. ‘Mr Preston,’ he began, reaching across to take my hand. ‘If you think we’re going to allow you to just… run rampant in our territory without even knowing why, then I’m concerned the New Moon might have gone to your head.’ Ash just smiled that same cold, patronising smile. ‘It would seem I have not been clear enough,’ he said, leaning forward slightly. ‘This item is of utmost importance to my pack, and I have a very small window of time in which to find it.’ Michael quirked an eyebrow. ‘In short, Mr Woodruff,’ Ash said, getting to his feet. ‘I am not asking.’