The Imperial Triad

Chapter Seven

Carter POV

The ride to the pack house was silent. Jana and I seemed to be the only ones not at odds with each other. Guilt was written all over Tobias' face as he drove. Lip sat silently and stared out the window in the passenger seat. Mikhailo and Amelia had spoken since last night. I actually found him asleep on the couch this morning. I could tell Jana was worried about her friends.

We had the best night after her shift. We talked for hours and cuddled in bed until the sun came up. She wanted to accept me as her mate. She talked about how excited she was to have a home where she could feel safe. I promised her I would spend the rest of my life providing her with the life she wanted.

She had planned to tell her friends this morning about her decision to become gamma female, but it quickly got pushed to the side. I felt sad for my mate. She wanted to be here but I knew her feelings were conflicted now that her friends were at odds about staying.

“I hope they make up.” Jana whispered to me.

“They will.” I whispered back.

I planted a soft kiss on her forehead as she laid her head against my shoulder. After what seemed like an eternity, we finally arrived at the packhouse. Our mates gasped as the pack house came into view. I couldn't help but laugh at my mate. She looked like a child as she stuck her face to the window. I could see small smiles stretch across Mikhailo’s and tobias’ faces.

They’re going to be just fine. Kassius said confidently.

I think so too.

They will be. Their mates are stubborn, but they are fated. The moon goddess makes no mistakes.

She definitely didn’t with ours.

She’s quite the prize.

The small smile grew across my face as I continued to watch my mate. My wolf already loved her. I already loved her. I couldn't wait to mate and mark her. I will spend the rest of my life showing her the love she deserves.

________

AMELIA POV

I stared out the window during our drive. The pack lands were like a hidden world as it laid in the shadows of the tall hills. I heard gasps around the car as a large house came into view. We drove towards a medieval cobblestone castle covered in vines that had flowers hanging from them. It was so vibrant against the green of the earth. The flowers looked almost magical from the car. “Holy Sh*t!” the three of us exclaimed.Our mates laughed at our outburst.

It was the first vocal thing we had heard since getting in the car. I looked back at Mikhailo, who was now staring at me. He smiled softly at me and reached for my hand. He brought my hand to his lips and placed a soft kiss on my knuckles.

“I’m sorry,” He said.

“It’s okay, We’ll talk about it later.” I responded softly and squeezed his hand before looking back out the window at our new home.

“One more thing..” Mikhailo says. “You’re about to meet our parents.”

“WHAT?” I screeched in response. “I haven’t even accepted you!”

“I know.. But they’ve been dying to meet you all.” My face grows red. I was not expecting to be meeting his family so soon. “Only our families know you’re our mates. We haven’t announced it to the pack yet.”

We pull up to the front of the pack house. A large castle door hangs open and seven people are standing on the front steps. The car is stopped and we file out of it. I can feel my hands shaking and I suddenly feel less confident in all this.

Mikhailo grabs my hand and walks to the individuals. A small pale woman breaks into a huge grin as she runs up to me. She throws her arms around me. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, dear. Thank the goddess you're okay.” She pulls away from me. The same muddy ocean blue eyes as Mikhailo’s peer back at me. A tall man walked up to me. I realized he was an older version of Mikhailo, except for his brown eyes and slightly darker complexion. He reaches out his hand. “My name is Micheal, this is Inessa. We are so glad to have you here.” He smiles the same crooked smile as his son.

Carter's parents, Issac and Johannah, introduced themselves to us. As well as his two younger brothers, Rowan and Morgan. I realized they were identical twins and also mini versions of Carter. We were told that Tobias’ parents were unavailable. Lip threw me a side eye. Something told me there was more to that than they were saying. Teagan linked arms with Lip and I and steered us through the castle doors.

“I’m so excited you all are here!” Teagan screeched.

We walked into the castle doors and were met by wine-red curtain-covered walls. They’re pulled away from the tall windows and a soft light seeps in. We tour the bottom floor as a group. First taking us to the right of the door. A long formal dining table sits in the middle of the room. A fireplace sits against one wall. A small seating area sits on the far side of the room, basking in the sun. We went back across the foyer to the kitchen. The kitchen looks like its own little cottage. Vines cling to the cobblestone around the window. A small dining table sits in front of it.

This is beginning to feel like more of a fairy tale… I thought to myself.

It’s your fairytale dear! Rhiannon beamed.

I forgot you can hear me! I laughed. I heard her giggle in my head. I was still getting used to having someone share my body, but Rhiannon was so cool!

We met some of the kitchen staff and were introduced to Mr. Weatherbee, the head of the kitchen. He was a round old man with a full face. His eyes were very sweet as he welcomed us to the home. He beamed with joy as the boy told us we were their mates.

“Thank the heavens!” He shouted. “We’ve been waiting for so long for the boys to find you all! Maybe you can tame their eating habits!”

“Come on, Mr. Bee. We’re not all that bad, are we?” Carter whined.

He rolled his eyes and laughed. “I hope you three are miracle workers.”

If only he knew.. Rhiannon argued.

I couldn’t help but laugh at her comment. By the time we finished touring the bottom floor, I was exhausted. I didn’t sleep at all last night between shifting, fighting with Mikahilo, and trying to sleep in an unfamiliar place. Thankfully, Mikhailo notices and decides to end the tour. We said our goodbyes to the boy's family and promised to see them later for dinner. Mikhailo leads us to the stairs in the foyer.

“What floor are we on?” I asked.

“The third. Alpha on top, betas are on the second floor, Gammas on the bottom. Each floor has 20 guest rooms and 18 bathrooms. The ranking member offices and conference room are on our floor as well.”

Just then Teagan came running up to us in a hurry. “Hey!” She yelled. “I forgot to tell you that all of your clothes had come in! I had a few omegas help me put everything away in your closets.”

Jana, Lip and I looked back and forth between each other. “Try on haul?” Lip asked. “Try on haul.” Jana and I agreed in unison.

“Do you want to come with us?” Lip asked Teagan.

“EEEKK! YES!” She screamed. “Who wants to go first?!”

“ME!”

Mikhailo laughed behind me. “Teagan, will you show her to our room then?”

“Let’s go!” Teagan chirped as she linked an arm around Jana and I.

Mikhailo grabbed my other arm and pulled me away from Teagan before she could drag us up the stairs. “We have to get some work done. Our offices are on our floor at the end of the hall if you need anything. I’ll come find you before dinner.” He said softly and kissed my forehead.

“Gross! Can I just have her for five minutes?!” Teagan whined.

________

LIP POV

I stood at the bottom of the steps as my mate's sister dragged my friends up the stairs. Tobias stayed with me and told the boys he would meet them in the office. We awkwardly stood together. He kept his gaze on the floor and wouldn’t look me in the eyes.

“Show me to our room?” I asked.

He kept his eyes on the ground but nodded and started to walk up the stairs. We walked up the first flight and took a right down the hallway. I followed him to the end of the hall as my mind raced. Ares had been yelling in my head all morning. It was taking everything I had to fight for control. He was ready to tear down the house until he got answers.

We reached his bedroom, or our bedroom? Honestly, I wasn't sure how this was going to work out. The room was larger than the one at the lake house. A king-sized bed sat at the far side of the room against the large stained glass windows. Emerald green curtains hung from the canopy of the bed. It had a medieval feel to the room. I sat at the end of the bed as Tobias awkwardly stood in the middle of the room.

“I think you owe me an explanation,” I said. Trying to keep my voice calm.

He nodded and walked over to the bed to sit beside me.

“I accepted an arranged marriage the week before I met you. My father has a business partner who is a high level omega in this pack. His daughter, Emmeline, has been trying to climb into my bed for years…..”

He stopped as a growl radiated from my chest. Having a wolf was proving harder to control than I thought. Every mention of another person having Tobias, nearly sent me into a frenzy.

“I planned to take her as my chosen mate to please my father. I never thought I would find you.. Or accept you even if I did.”

“WHAT?!” That was it. Ares has control and he wasn’t going to give it back. “So what? You’ve just been toying with me the last few days?! IS THAT IT?!” I was foaming at the mouth at this point. I was on my feet and mere inches from my mate's face.

“Wait.. Let me finish.” He said softly and stroked the side of my face. Ares let out a deep breath and took a step back from him.

“I’m not going to reject you.. Yes, I had planned too. But….. Now that you’re here, I can’t. I’d rather die than reject you. From the moment I laid eyes on you, I was yours. I know this is all so messed up but, I promise I will spend the rest of my life making it up to you.”

“And what about your fiance?” I sneered.

“She doesn’t matter anymore. I’m sure my father has informed them I have found my mate. She never mattered to me. Please Lip, let me prove it to you.” tears filled his eyes as he looked up at me.

“How could you not tell me this?”

“I was ashamed. I was still angry about it. I just wanted to enjoy my mate without having to deal with the baggage from my father. I’m so sorry…”

Ares moved to him in a flash and wrapped our hand around his throat. I pushed him into the bed and climbed on top in one swift movement. “YOU. ARE. MINE.” He roared.

Tobias didn’t even flinch at my actions. He softly stroked the side of my face again and whispered to me “Only yours”. He brought his lips up to mine and placed a heated kiss. It finally calmed down Ares enough and he gave me back control. When I opened my eyes again, he smiled softly at me. “There’s my mate,” he said.

“I’m sorry I don’t know what came over me.”

“That’s part of having a wolf. It takes some getting used to, but it’s okay. You have every right to be mad. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner.”

“It’s okay”

I brought him in for another kiss before climbing off the bed. “I should get up to the girls before they come looking for me.”

“I’ll take you up to them. I need to go to my office anyway.”

________

Mikhailo POV

We spent the rest of the day in my office going over pack business and attending the business we neglected while we were with our mates. I had just finished working through payroll for the omegas who worked around the castle when I heard a knock at the door.

Teagan came in with our mates behind us. Amelia was wearing a new set of clothes that she had ordered online. Black trouser style pants with a graphic tee shirt tucked into her sports bra. The small amount of midriff accentuated her waist while the flowy pants made her legs look a mile long. Thorin became antsy in my head. He couldn’t wait to get his hands on our mate. She was breathtaking in anything she wore, but she sure knew how to dress for her figure.

“Mikhailo, close your mouth.” Teagan yelled at me.

My mate giggled from behind her. A small blush crept across her face. I moved to her in an instant and pulled her into my arms. “You look amazing.” I said to her,

“Thank you,” She said softly and broke my gaze. “Teagan finished showing us around the house, but Mr. Bee said it was time for dinner.”

I looked down at my watch that read 6:30. “Actually we’re a bit late for dinner. We had better get down there before my mother comes looking for us.”

I grabbed her hand and let us out of my office. We walked hand in hand down the stairs as the rest of the group followed. “What do you think of the packhouse?” I asked her,

“Are you kidding?! This place is amazing! It’s like straight out of a movie!” She beamed.

“Haha, I’m glad you like it. What about your closet? Did you get everything you needed?”

“Needed, wanted, and so much more! Thank you so much for everything!”

“Of course, this is your home now. Anything you want, all you have to do is ask.”

She smiled in response as we entered the dining room. Carter's family and my parents were already seated and waiting for us at the table.

“Finally!” Rowan yelled and ran up to us. He punched me in the arm as he got close.

“OW! What was that for?!” I shouted. Acting a bit dramatic and holding my arm.

“Mom wouldn’t let us eat until you got here!” he sneered.

Carter came up from behind me and scooped his brother up. He threw him over his shoulder as he walked back to the table. He plopped him down in his seat next to Morgan.

“What did I tell you about hitting everyone?” He glared at his brother. He playfully messed up Morgan's hair, who just gave him a dirty look in response. And said hello to his parents before taking his seat. We sat in a formal order. I sat at the head of the table with Amelia to my right. Tobias sat next to her with his mate to his right and Teagan sat beside Lip. Carter sat to my left with Jana beside him. Johannah made Carter's father switch her seats so she could fuss over her new daughter-in-law.

The table roared in conversation and laughter as our parents bombarded our mates with questions of their own. Rowan was delighted in interrogating Amelia. He seemed pleased with her sarcastic nature as she answered all of his questions. Morgan sat quietly and ate his meal beside him. He was never one to talk much. He was the broody one of the twins and often kept to himself.

“So Mikhailo,” My mother said, pulling my attention from Morgan. “When will the Luna ceremony be taking place? I need to start planning!”

“Luna ceremony?” Amelia asked.

“Yes dear, the Luna ceremony is where we formally introduce the new ranking member to the pack. You three will take an oath in front of the entire pack and then participate in a pack run. It symbolizes your commitment to your mates and our pack as leaders.”

“Mom, we haven’t even marked out mates yet. Let’s give them some time to settle in first.”

“Well, what are you waiting for?! This pack has waited long enough for a Luna! And besides, I want some grand pups!” My mother argued.

Carter’s mother chimed in at the mention of grandkids and the battle was on. I understood where they were coming from. This pack had waited over 7 years for the rest of the ranking members to join. We were all ready to mate and mark our fated mates but the situation made it difficult. They didn’t even know they were werewolves until a few days ago.

“How long will it take you to plan the ceremony?” Jana asked.

“We could have everything ready within a week dear.” My mother answered.

Jana nodded her head and looked at my mate. “I’m ready when you are.”

“What?” Amelia asked, a bit shocked at her friend.

“I was going to tell you two this morning, that I will be accepting Carter as my mate and taking the gamma title. But it just didn’t seem like the right time with everything else that was going on.”

The table erupted with joy from our families. Carter held a proud smile on his face as he looked down at his mate. Our mothers started to dive into the details of the ceremony. Including what we would serve, what colors we would all wear and everything else. Amelia looked squeamish in her seat.

“Wait, wait.... Jana, I’m afraid we can’t have the ceremony until the Luna is ready to take her place.”

“I’ll take the title,” Amelia chirped.

“What? Are you sure?” I asked her. The table fell quiet as all eyes fell on her.

“I’m sure. This is the first place I’ve felt remotely at home since I was a child. You have all been so welcoming. Mikhailo, we have a lot to learn in our relationship, but I have a duty to this pack. A few days ago I was terrified about coming here. I was terrified to lead beside you. I didn’t even believe in the moon goddess until she showed herself to us. I can do this.”

“Moon goddess?!” My father gasped. “Selene showed herself to you?”

Our mates nodded. “Yes, she came to us when we shifted. She is magnificent actually. She told us we were mated to these men for a reason and that we must take our place beside them. I have a duty to this pack and I will do my best at it…. Inessa, I don’t really know anything about werewolves, or pack laws. Will you help me?”

My mother's eyes filled with tears as she stared back at my mate. She got up from her chair and made her way to my mate's seat before pulling her into a tight hug. “Of course my dear, you are going to make an amazing Luna.”

My chest swelled with pride. My mate, my Luna, accepted her role in this pack. I couldn’t have been happier with her. After all this time, our pack was finally going to be complete.

_____