A Long Way from the Heart

Glistening canines could be seen in the moonlit, grass filled area. A tall, blackened figure stood over another figure that was laying on its side, shaking. Whimpers, whines, and growls could be heard around the two figures, but no one dared to step in. She had lost, and there was no way she could keep going in this fight. “This pack, is MINE!” ~ ~ ~ Welcome to the Lunar-Moon Pack, a pack that is average in size. Not too many wolves, but just enough to ward off any rogues. However, the past few months, rogues have been testing the pack by crossing the boundaries and attempting to kill pack members. Some warriors and scouts say that they have even seen some rogue wolves working with and talking to the dark magic witches. Alpha Felix Brown has been more focused on his son’s return to the pack lately instead of focusing on the pack’s wellbeing. This left Sean Smith, the Beta to the pack, to care for the pack and manage what was going on that the Alpha could not “deal with” right now. All the she-wolves are excited with the return of the Alpha’s son. He just recently turned 20 years old, and rumor has it that he has not found his mate yet. “Kate, you need to get up! You will be late for work!” A groan could be heard underneath a pile of blankets on a full-size bed, the only sign of any living creature underneath the blankets was the lone bare foot that hung out at the bottom of the bed that twitched slightly. “I don’t want to,” a voice came out from under the blankets. Footsteps could be heard in the hallway before a woman, who was 5’ 8’’, opened the door and sighed when she saw that the pile of blankets was still covering the person she was trying to wake up. She tucked a piece of her dark brown hair behind her ear before she walked over to the bed and yanked off the blankets. The figure that laid on the bed flinched slightly to the new temperature and tried to scrunch into a tiny ball to keep warm. An eye opened and exposed a brilliant emerald, green orb that moved to look up at the figure next to the bed. “But mom… I still have an hour till I even need to be at work. Why must you wake me up this early,” the woman on the bed groaned. “Because the Alpha is wanting all wolves to finish their duties sooner today. His son will be here later this evening. He wants everyone to be at the party to… celebrate,” Kate’s mom, Tina, stated. A bit of annoyance could be sensed in her tone when she said the word celebrate. Kate sighed and went into a sitting position, running her fingers through her long brown hair. It was not as dark as her mom’s hair, just a few tones different. She scratched her head, “So what? Do we even have to go to this stupid party? I know you and dad are the Betas, but do I still have to go? Kira and I wanted to go adventuring this evening to a waterfall out North.” Kira was Kate’s wolf. She was very stubborn but loved to go on adventures. She was a warrior wolf and could hold her own in a battle, but she was itching to be let loose to go check out the waterfall that was mentioned by the scouts the other day. “You and Kira will have to wait. Besides, who knows? Maybe Mark will be your mate,” Tina smiled. “Blah,” Kate made a face, “Please, all the she-wolves are all practically drooling over him. Besides, who needs love anyways?” Tina smiled and shook her head before sitting next to her daughter and stroking her hair to try and straighten it out, “You know, your father was that way also. He didn’t believe in love at all, or mates, until he and I met at an Alpha meeting where we found each other.” Grabbing an elastic off the table next to her bed, Kate pulled her hair up into a ponytail before grumbling, “Plus mom, Olivia keeps telling everyone she is his mate. She thinks that when he walks through those doors, he will take her as his mate and make her Luna.” Tina stood up, knowing that she needed to get things done, she patted her daughter on the shoulder and began walking towards the door, “I would love to stay and chat dear, but you do need to go to work. But, I need you to stop by your grandpa’s and deliver these for me,” she handed Kate a basket that was full of banana bread. Kate’s mouth began to salivate, but she knew she needed to get ready and deliver these as soon as she could for her grandpa. He has been under the weather lately and a nice warm slice of banana bread would make him feel better! Kate quickly got dressed, glancing at the mirror at her reflection. She smiled a bit, she was not skinny by a long shot, but she did have some curves. She was taller than most she-wolves in the pack. Most of the males found it intimidating a bit. She zipped up her green hoodie, no longer exposing the black tank top that was showing. Grabbing her wallet, she shoved it into her right front pocket and slipped on her hiking boots. It was a little much for werewolf attire, but she knew she was not going to do a lot of shifting today, despite Kira arguing with her. “You can’t at least let me loose before we go to work?” Kate smiled, “I’m sorry, Kira. But grandpa does not live that far and then where I have to meet the patrol is not that far either. I can handle walking. Maybe after the ceremony tonight we can go explore that waterfall. I heard it looks amazing at night!” She could hear a sigh in her mind, “Fine, I’m going to hold you to it!” Feeling Kira go back into her mind, she grabbed the basket full of delicious bread and walked down the stairs. She glanced over towards the kitchen and could see her mom standing at the sink looking out the window. In her hands was a cup of green tea, her favorite. Her brown eyes looked tired; Kate could tell her mom’s health was not getting any better. Tina had been through a lot over the past 20 years. Her body was getting weaker, an illness that had sprouted and has been affecting her slowly. The doctors had not found anything that could be causing it, but they search regularly for any signs. Gripping to the backpack strap, Kate turned her head and walked out the door. It pulled on her heart seeing her mom this way. She just wished that the doctors would find something! Shaking her head, she began to make her way towards her grandpa’s house. He did not live far, just a few blocks away. Turning the corner, she smiled when she saw the dark brown house with a white fence around it. The grass in the front was as green as her jacket, the smell of roses and morning dew was still in the air. Opening the gate, she walked through and walked up towards the door and knocked. “Grandpa, are you home?” She listened quietly and smiled when she heard footsteps walking up towards the door. When the wooden door opened, she was greeted with shorter man. His skin was wrinkly, but tan from the days working in the sun. He did not have much hair on his head, but you could barely tell with the hat that was always on his head. Kate sniffed the air slightly and a grin was plastered on her face, coffee, and whiskey. Grandpa’s mornings go-to and wake-up remedy. When she was met with a pair of brown eyes, her smile almost grew twice as big and she raised the basket full of goodies up, “Mom told me to bring this to you.” Grandpa Ronald smiled, he shakily reached out for the basket, but Kate placed her hands on his gently and shook her head, “Let me take them in for you. Mom said you haven’t been feeling well, so I will bring them in for you.” A huff was made, “I get a tiny cold and you guys think I’m dying. It is just all in the brain! A long—” “A long way from the heart,” Kate smiled at her grandpa. “I know, but mom’s orders. Besides, it gives me a reason to not go to work yet.” Ronald shook his head and smiled as he walked to the table and looked at the loaves of banana bread. He grabbed his coffee and took a sip of it before stating, “Work needs to be done, it helps the pack you know.” “I know. I’m jus. ot excited about the Alpha’s son coming. Not much for celebrations,” Kate groaned and sat down across from her grandpa. “I don’t want to sound harsh, kiddo, but I hope you are not mated with that dog’s son. You deserve better,” Ronald growled, Kate could feel the hatred between him and Alpha Felix. But there is a good reason for it. Ronald Williams was the Alpha of the Lunar-Moon Pack. He was not born into being the Alpha but was the second chance mate to the previous Alpha’s daughter, Daisy Johnson. He was the second born in his family, his older brother was the rightful Alpha of his pack. So, he chose to move into her pack and become Alpha. He and Daisy never did have any children of their own, but he took her two daughters in as his own. Sadly, as fate would have it, Daisy had passed away just before Kate was born. Ronald was devastated at loosing his mate, that it made him grow weak. An Alpha without his Luna, can be extremely rough. Felix Brown, who was the Delta at the time, knew that Tina, who was the oldest would take the new position. Since she had found her mate, Sean, they would become Alpha and Luna. Angered by this, Felix had challenged Tina for the Alpha title. Sean was livid, but Tina had accepted. She was a well-trained fighter, one of the best warriors, you could tell she was an Alpha by blood and strength. However, that night, was when things all went downhill. She lost that battle but was lucky enough to keep a status of Beta. Felix did not have many friends in the pack and wanted to keep some peace with the pack without causing too much chaos against him. Ronald always believed that Felix had mingled with witches to make his daughter sick, resulting in her loosing that battle. But because he had won fairly, he became Alpha. He was too old to fight Felix, so he just lived his days as a retired-ex-Alpha wolf in his home. Placing the banana bread loaves on the counter and placing the basket in a spot where it won’t be in the way, Kate turned to her grandpa, “Well, thanks grandpa. To be honest, I really do not want a mate right now. It would be nice, but I am nineteen, it has been a year since I have been able to find my mate. He might be in another pack, who knows! But I agree, I hope it isn’t Felix’s son.” Ronald smiled and patted Kate on the shoulder, “That’s my girl. Stay that way. But you do need to go to work, and despite the hatred towards him, you should still go to the ceremony. You are the Beta’s daughter after all. You should at least be there for the rank.” Kate sighed, “Fine. Only if you say so. But I will see you soon grandpa! Enjoy the banana bread!” She gave him a hug and made her way to the door. She just hoped that work would go by fast! It was a sunny day outside, with just a few clouds in the sky. It bummed her out that she had to do pack duties instead of going out and adventure. ~ ~ ~ “Where were you? You are 10 minutes late!” Groaning and sitting on the grass, which was still slightly damp from the morning dew, Kate leaned back, “It isn’t my fault, Eliza, I had to see grandpa for a second and deliver some bread that mom made. Like it really matters that I am 10 minutes late.” Eliza rolled her eyes and playfully punched her friend in the arm, “I want to get ready for the ceremony. You were supposed to relieve me from duty. Besides, it just for a few hours before night shift comes to take over.” Rubbing her arm, Kate grinned, “Why, do you hope that the Alpha’s son is your mate?” Eliza blushed, “No, you know full well Olivia will punish any she-wolf who even looks at him or speaks his name!” Kate snickered, “Then why be all excited for the ceremony? It is just going to be a bunch of wolves getting drunk and chasing after the unmatted she-wolves. I don’t see the big deal.” “But it is the Alpha’s son, unmatted son! Maybe you are just playing cool because you hope he is your mate!” Kate narrowed her eyes and looked at her friend, “Ew, no thank you. You know full well what my family history is with the Alpha. I don’t even want to be seen with the Alpha’s son.” Eliza smiled and stood up off the ground, “Yeah, yeah. But you never know. The mother Moon Goddess has all sorts of ways. You can’t deny who she chooses to be your mate.” “I know. But let us hope it is not him, ‘kay?” “Sure, but I’m going to head out now. I did not see much activity on this end of the border. Just a bunch of rabbits and deer passing through.” And with that Eliza was off. Kate could tell she was excited about the ceremony. There were chances that mates could be found there. She was a bit older than Kate, by one year. Her hair was a dirty blonde, almost light brown. She had blue eyes and wore glasses that slightly covered the small freckles she had on her face. ~ ~ ~ A couple of hours went by, and nothing had gone too crazy. Kate came across a few deer and rabbits like Eliza did, but no signs of rogues. It was weird, they typically have shown their ugly muzzles around this time. She figured they would try and attack the pack at its weakest when the Alpha is distracted. She could hear footsteps behind her and turned her head to see a man, night shift. She gave him a nod and told him what she had come across. He nodded to her and went behind a tree to shift into his wolf. You could hear bones breaking behind the tree and within a few seconds an ash-blonde wolf came out from behind the tree. It glanced over to Kate with its golden eyes, nodded and went into the forest. “Well, I guess I better get ready for the ceremony,” Kate sighed as she looked at her watch. She had at least an hour before it started. She planned to meet with Eliza before then, but she wanted to just get home and check on her mother. Her father should be home soon, preparing for Felix’s son. “Hey, I’m home,” Kate said as she walked through the door. She was greeted to a taller man, just a few inches taller than her. He had a mustache that was brown like his hair, but you could see the edges were starting to get a tinge of grey. His eyes were a green blue, but mostly blue. He was skinny with a bit of muscle. He did not sport a six-pack like most of the male wolves had, but do not let that fool you, he could hold his own. “Hey kiddo, how was work?” “It was okay, dad. Not much rogue activity. How was work for you?” Sean grimaced and pinched the bridge of his nose, “I hope with the young Alpha’s arrival will get Felix back on track. I’m tired of doing all his duties and paperwork. It almost makes me want to go rogue!” “Ouch, that bad,” Kate flinched, “Well, hopefully like you said, once he shows up, everything will go to normal.” Before anything else could be said, Tina turned the corner from the kitchen, leaning on the wall. She was a bit pale and was wrapped in a blanket, “I’m sorry dear, I don’t think I’ll be able to make it. I want to go, and should go but…” Sean walked up to his mate and wrapped his arms around her, you could see the hidden sadness in his eyes at seeing his mate in this state, “Don’t worry love. Kate and I got this. You stay home and rest. I’ll be quick, once the party starts, I’ll come home, and we can be together for the night.” Kate looked at her parents, a hint of sadness could be felt in her heart. She knows her dad has been keeping his feelings locked up. With her mom’s health declining, it has been putting a lot of strain and stress on him. It was a part of the mate bond. You could almost feel what your mate felt. “Hey dad, I’ll meet you there. Eliza and I were going to walk together there. I’ll see you there.” He nodded and held his mate a bit longer before he took a few steps back, needing to get ready for the ceremony. ~ ~ ~ “Everyone, I am so glad you all could make it!” A room full of wolves, at least one hundred, all cheered at seeing Alpha Felix on stage. Kate stood next to Eliza; her green eyes narrowed slightly at the man on the stage. He had dark brown hair that almost looked black, and his eyes were a golden color. He was average built but did not sport any packs. You could hear some of the she-wolves sigh over him, which only made Kate want to throw up. He was mate-less, his mate had cheated on him with a neighboring pack. Which was probably why the Alpha has been slightly on the crazy side. “As you all know, my son will be here any moment. So please do wait until he comes. Tonight we welcome him back to the pack, and tomorrow will be his Alpha ceremony where I will be stepping down and letting him lead the pack!” All the wolves in the room cheers and yelled in joy. Kate wanted to make her way to the door so once the Alpha’s son was announced, she could leave the chaos before it began. Eliza grabbed her arm and shook her head, “Not yet! Please!” Kate sighed, “Fine.” A few minutes passed and everyone was whispering. You could hear guards up by the stage yelling. He must be close. Kate tried to get a better view, but her eyes widened at the new sensation she was smelling. It smelled of a rich evergreen smell with a mix of coffee. It smelled absolutely divine! She could feel Eliza pulling on her arm, but she was drawn to this smell. Where is it coming from and what is it? “Mate!” Kate blinked a few times at hearing Kira yell in her head. She had been quiet all day, but as the day turned to night, she noticed that Kira was pacing a lot in the back of her mind. She had ignored it all day thinking it was nothing. Walking through people, she had felt Eliza’s fingers loosen and soon disappear off her arm. She was agile and got by people smoothly while focusing on the smell. She got a few strange looks, but they seemed to almost let her by. She could tell the smell was getting closer, it was getting stronger, and it was becoming irresistible. She was about five people away to being close to the stage, she paused and became confused. Why would the smell be all the way up here? “Everyone, please give my son a warm welcome!” Her green eyes began to make their way up towards the stage. “Welcome home, Mark Brown!” And in that moment when she looked up, she was lost in the rich smell that tempted her to desire and was lost within a pair of sea blue eyes.