DARK MOON

“Run faster.” The thought snaked through my mind and I ran faster and faster. My legs pumped at an unreal speed and I howled to let them know I was ahead of them. A twig cracked behind me and I ran behind a big tree to stalk whoever was coming after me. The fog was thick and I used it as a cloak to hide my silver fur. An auburn wolf burst into the clearing and I went down to the floor. I gave them no time to stalk me as I leapt out of my spot and attacked. My momentum propelled us deeper into the woods and as we landed, I held them down with my teeth in their throat. They whimpered and bared their neck into my teeth to show they surrendered. I could have bitten down and the thought ran across my mind briefly but I let it go. I shifted back into human form and bared a smile at the wolf. I watched them shift back too and it was Celia. Celia and her twin, Celius, were the same size in wolf form. Celsius was a little larger but unless they stood side by side, it was hard to know who was who. I could have cheated and decided to sniff them out but it was cheating. “You shielded again?” Celia asked and I nodded. If she was asking, it meant someone from home had been looking to talk to me and when they didn’t get me, they went through Celia. I even had a fair idea of who it was. We started walking back towards the pack houses. We’d find some clothes on the way because we were going to meet my parents. We were werewolves and that meant that we spent a lot of time naked. It was not a big deal here in our pack. “What does mother want?” I asked and she smiled. Before, Celia would have asked how I’d known it was mother but now she just let it go. We picked up some shirts and shorts from the sheds placed near the borders so that we could get dressed after a run or a training session. “She didn’t say. She just told us to get home as quickly as possible,” I nodded at Celia and we started a slow jog towards the pack house in the middle of the pack. The pack house was a safe spot for all wolves. It was a gargantuan building with four floors including the ground floor. As the Alpha and Luna, my parents lived on the third floor. The fourth floor was used by the enforcers and betas. The height was perfect for staking out and observing miles of land that no one could sneak up on us. The first floor held the pack kitchen, gym and a general area where everyone could stay. There were extra rooms and supplies for everyone. The second floor was where we held visitors, meetings and hosted parties. We entered the house and waved at everyone. Celia went to the kitchen to grab something to eat and I ran up the stairs. There was an elevator but I didn’t use it except in emergencies or if I was carrying a heavy load. Stair climbing was another form of exercising and I took those very seriously. I got to our floor and the door opened with a press of my thumb to the security pad. My mother, the Luna of Dark moon, was sitting on the chair with my father, the Alpha. They both smiled at me as I entered but I could see that there was a strain to it. What was going on? “Good morning, Mom and Dad,” I said and sat opposite them. They glanced at each other, and I knew they were talking in their heads. There was a mental link amongst every member of the pack. It helped us to communicate with each other at every time. It was like a live wire running from the Alpha and Luna to everyone else. It kept us connected and let us know if anyone was ever in trouble. There was a more special link that happened between mated pairs. They could feel each other and talk to each other without outsiders listening in. “Celia told me you were asking for me?” I made it a question but mom nodded. “You should stop shielding from everyone when you’re out of the borders. You know how dangerous that is, Anna-May.” Dad said and I nodded but the look on his face let me know that he knew I wasn’t going to listen. “Why were you looking for me?” I asked and they glanced at each other again. My dad nodded briefly at my mother and she turned to me with serious eyes. I had a feeling that whatever words came out of her mouth was going to leave me in a mood. “Rowan and his people are coming today.” Oh. well s**t. “Oh.” Six months ago, my parents had conveniently let me know that they had arranged a marriage alliance for me. I had blown out, rightfully, at them and it had taken three months to repair our relationship. I’d even temporarily moved out. It had been that serious. They had explained why they had done it and it was part of why I had forgiven them. I just wanted to have been involved but they told me it had happened unexpectedly. For decades now, a rouge group has been terrorizing all the packs that were in the Americas. Pack witches had tried to no avail to locate them. Our magical border kept intruders out but sometimes, some pockets failed and it let in people. Our neighboring pack faced the same problem but the witches had suggested that binding both packs together would make both safer because then we could pool our resources together and be stronger. Each pack would remain its own entity but our borders would be merged into one bigger, badder and better one. My parents had decided that I would marry the Alpha of the Mind Prey pack. Rowan was pretty new on the job, having spent about five years on the job but he’d done a great job. We hadn’t met since the marriage had been put in place, and now, it was finally happening. I didn’t feel anything now, I'd felt it all months ago and a part of me was eager to meet Rowan. He had a reputation for being ruthless but all Alphas had to be ruthless to keep their pack safe. Were we going to work? Was he kind? We had to work because the safety of our packs depended on the success of our joining. “There’s going to be a welcoming ceremony tonight and the joining will happen two days from now.” “Okay Mom. I don’t have anything to wear.” “Scenda has taken care of that already.” She said and I nodded. Scenda was my omega. We’d grown up together because she was mine. We had a connection that was unexplainable. I protected her and she took care of me. That was the dynamic between us and I wouldn’t trade her for anything else. I looked up at my parents and both of them were watching me with guarded eyes. I knew they were waiting for me to react. “You can both let your guards down. We settled this months ago. Remember? I know my duties and I would do them without complaint.” “We just want you to know that if there had been another option, we would have taken it. You believe that right?” My mother had already started to cry and I stood to hug her. Her and Dad were a mated pair and they’d always wanted me to have what they had. I never admitted it but I too wanted it for myself. A mated pairing was a rare thing and not everyone got one of those. There were also people who were together without being mated and I knew that being mated was just a way to up the ante. It wasn’t necessary to be happy together. I hoped that whatever way it went, Rowan and I were able to figure something out. We had never met before and it added to the irony of it all. We were going to be married in two days when we had never met. I trusted my parent’s judgment and it eased my anxiety towards it all. I had only hours before I was going to meet him and a part of me was curious. My wolf was too. I could feel her eagerness to have him chase us and catch us. Not many men could catch me and I wondered if Rowan would be able to. It stirred something deep inside me and I found myself anticipating seeing him. I whispered a prayer to the goddess that things went well today. The safety of the people I loved was dependent on it. And I knew I was going to do my best to make sure it went well. I just hoped that Rowan was willing to put the work in too.