Blood Moon Rising

Chapter 7

Jenny had given the twins a tour of the castle, they were taken a back by it's enormity. She had explained that the Gamma's and Omega's of the pack live in the stone buildings surrounding the castle. The Omega's work around the castle for a good wage but Alpha Konrad does not condone slaves. Kassidy was relieved to hear this, the very thought of slaves made her stomach churn. When they walked back into the kitchen area, Konrad and Karla were waiting for them.

'Shall we go up to my office? We have much to discuss'

He nodded graciously towards Jenny before stalking out towards the corridor. Karla smiled at her children.

'I still can't believe you're really here, you're finally home'

Both Kassidy and Kade wrapped an arm around her shoulder and they proceeded to follow Konrad.

His office was large and quite gloomy. A dark mahogany desk stood in the far left corner surrounded by huge filing cabinets and a smaller matching mahogany unit containing glasses and a whisky decanter. A black leather sofa sat along the right hand dark red wall. It was rather minimalistic.

'Please, take a seat' he motioned towards the sofa while he approached the chair behind his desk. Kade and Kassidy exchanged glances, unsure of what to expect next. The last 24 hours had been a whirlwind.

Karla perched on the edge of Konrad's desk to be close to her mate.

'Okay, now I know you both grew up living human lives, I don't expect you to know much about our culture so I'm arranging some sessions with Jeremiah, he's one of the Elders.' A smile plays on the edges of his lips. 'A werewolf class if you will'.

Kade and Kassidy nodded, Kassidy was quite relieved, she knew next to nothing about being a werewolf and she had the added pressure of being the Alpha's daughter.

'We'd also like to discuss with you your roles within the pack and what your return means to our future'

Konrad and Karla exchange nervous glances before he continues.

'You were hidden for your own safety, the prophecy claims that you are stronger than any other wolf. Our rival packs were already scared of the power your mother possesses and we have faced many attempted attacks over the years. Now that you're back, once word gets out to other packs, I'm expecting them to attack again. Not just packs though, there are rogue wolves out there that would love nothing more than to destroy our pack' Konrad sighs, his face pained with anguish at the thought of losing his family.

Karla takes the opportunity to speak.

'It's important that you never leave the castle grounds unaccompanied. There could be wolves lay in wait to attack and I couldn't bear to lose you again' tears pool in her eyes, she blinks them back before they escape.

'We have asked Marco and Jax to train you up to fight, they are two of our best warriors and they will be able to teach you how to defend yourselves, Marco in wolf form and Jax in human form'

Kade asked the question in both of their minds.

'Why is Jax training us in human form, are we not stronger in wolf form?'

Konrad nodded slowly as he contemplated the question.

'That is true, but until you've truly learned how to control your wolf, you'll be stronger in human form. Also Jax is only 17, he hasn't shifted yet.'

Kade and Kassidy nodded at each other, that made sense they guess.

Karla rose from where she was perched.

'We also wanted to discuss your birthday, it's only just over a month away and we want to take the opportunity to invite our allied packs to join us in celebrating the occasion with a party. It will give you the chance to meet other wolves and potentially find your mate' she grinned.

Kassidy's eyes widened, she hadn't considered this until now, she knew nothing of mates or how it worked.

'Don't worry my child' Karla reassured 'It's not as scary as you may be thinking. The mate bond is something that occurs in wolves, you will know instantly when you've found your mate, their scent will smell like home to you, their touch will be electrifying and you will no longer want to spend your days apart from them.' she smiled as she walked around to where Konrad was sat.

' The Moon Goddess pairs up wolves with mates that she deems suitable, we do not question the sanctity of the mate bond or the Moon Goddesses choice of mate pairs. However it is usual for powerful wolves to be equally paired, you will not find an Alpha fated to an Omega so we expect your mates to be strong blooded wolves, possibly Alpha's of other packs'

Kassidy wondered about her parent's pairing.

'So if you are an Alpha, how were you paired with a witch?'

She gulped, now hearing the question aloud she realised how offensive it might have sounded.

'Yes, I am a witch, but I am also the granddaughter of a powerful Alpha. My mother is a witch, my father is half witch and half Alpha blood. The Moon Goddess deemed me worthy of your father and I count my blessings every single day that he did not reject me due to my heritage' she squeezed a hand on his shoulder.

'Wait, that can happen?' Kassidy gasped 'Your mate can reject you?'

Konrad and Karla nodded remorsefully.

'Yes, in some cases it has been known, but it can have a detrimental effect on both parties, they are never quite the same again, a part of them dies with the mate bond.'

Karla shifts uncomfortably, bracing herself for the question she knows is coming and it came from Kade.

'You said that you count your blessings that he didn't reject you due to your heritage, so that might happen to us with our mates because of our witch genes?'

Karla's face fell and a stray tear rolled down her face onto Konrad's shoulder.

'I'm so sorry, but the reality is that not all wolves are as accepting of witches and the magical powers they harbour as your father'.

'But there is hope' Konrad interjected. 'Sometimes the Moon Goddess grants second chance mates. It usually happens if there is an innocent party, if they are rejected by their mate or if unfortunately their mate has died, the Moon Goddess will recognise their devotion and loss and grant them a second chance mate.'

Karla sighed.

'Right, enough of the heavy. How are you enjoying life here?' she asked, with a hopeful smile on her glowing face.

'It's awesome!' Kade shouted enthusiastically. Kassidy nodded.

'We've been made to feel most welcome thank you, every one has been lovely'

Konrad nodded once and smiled.

'Okay, I've printed these off for you, it's a schedule of your classes with Jeremiah and your training with Marco and Jax. You'll also have magic lessons with Karla to learn how to control your abilities. You start tomorrow'.

Kassidy gazed over the timetable, each day had atleast four hours worth of activities.

'This will only last a month and then you'll go back to normal school lessons. We'll have a few teachers come in house to tutor you rather than risk your safety out in the school. I've got a few things to catch up with Graham on so you may leave if you want to'

Kassidy stood and went over to hug her parents. Konrad stiffened at first but then relaxed into her squeeze.

'I'm sorry, I guess I'm still getting used to being a dad' he stifled.

'Well you're doing good so far' Kassidy whispered to him, he squeezed her tighter in relief.

The twins left the office and went in search of other pack members to better acquaint themselves with.

They ran into two red head teenage girls in the corridor opposite the recreation room.

'Oh Hi, I'm Bailey' one of them giggled as she zoned in on Kade.

'And I'm Briana' the other one joined.

'I'm Kassidy'

The girls looked her up and down and turned their attention back to Kade.

Wow, rude much.

'I'm Kade' he smiled nervously.

'Oh we know exactly who you are handsome' Briana slurred as she ran a hand along his shoulder and bicep.

'Leave the poor guy alone' a familiar voice boomed from behind them. They scattered as Jax approached.

'Unmated females' he exasperated with an eye roll. 'You're the next Alpha, they'd do anything to bag you' he explained.

Kassidy roared with laughter.

'And there's me thinking it was your face they liked the look of, not your title'

Kade's smile dropped which made Kassidy laugh even harder. Kade's efforts at feigning angry were short lived and he succumbed to the laughter that surrounded him.

'Low blow Sis, low blow' he said shaking his head.

'I heard I'm training you guys up from tomorrow, I hope you're ready for an a*s whooping' he teased.

'Oh god, go easy on me big fella' Kassidy grimaced. 'I've never been in a fight before' she admitted.

Jax's smile grew wide

'Don't worry Princess, you'll be fighting like Xena the Warrior before I'm through with you' he winked.

There was something about Jax that she both liked and despised, she hadn't quite decided in what quantity though.

'Smells like they're serving dinner' Jax mumbled before patting a hand on Kade's shoulder.

'You coming? I'll introduce you to some more of the guys'

They followed Jax into the kitchen where they were greeted with the aroma of Lasagna and garlic bread. Kassidy's stomach rumbled, she loved lasagna, it was one of her favourites. Jax scoured the room and saw 4 guys sat at a table towards the back.

'Grab a plate and come sit over on that table at the back' Kade looked in the direction Jax was pointing and nodded. They joined the queue of hungry pack members until they all realised who was stood behind them. One after another they bowed and offered for the twins to skip ahead of them in the line.

'Thank you, but that's really not necessary' Kassidy smiled graciously.

'We will wait in the queue just like everyone else'.

Speak for yourself, I'm starving

Kade mind linked to Kassidy. She elbowed him in the side.

Shhhh

They moved patiently along the line until they were served by Lisa for the third time today.

'Evening, so lovely to see you again Lisa' Kassidy grinned.

'Hiya guys, would you like Lasagna or an omelette?'

'Lasagna please with lots of garlic bread' Kade was clearly ravenous.

Lisa giggled as she went to plate it up.

'Two lasagna's with lots of garlic bread' she presented them with plateful's of food. They thanked her and joined Jax on the table at the back.

'You went for the lasagna, good choice' Jax commended. 'Guys, I'd like you to meet a few of the Deltas. We have Dan, Liam, Brody and Josh'

They all looked around the same age, neither one was bigger than the others. Dan and Josh were olive skinned with dark hair and eyes whereas Liam and Brody were paler with mousy hair and freckles.

'Hey, how are you doing? ' the twins said in unison, the table erupted into laughter.

'That's so freaky you guys, do you have any other twin things?' Dan asked.

Kade and Kassidy looked at each other.

'Well, we can mind link. We were able to before we were initiated back into the pack' she explained.

'Woah, that's pretty cool' Josh added.

'Twins are so rare for our kind' Liam piped up. 'I've never heard of any others'. The guys nodded in agreement as they scoffed lasagna.

'Well one of them is going for a swim this evening' Jax joked. Kassidy froze, she had forgotten all about it.

'Only an hour to go Princess'.

The guys around the table looked from Jax to Kassidy in confusion.

'I lost a game of pool' she groaned.

'Rookie mistake' Brody laughed.

Jax rose from the table with his empty plate.

'See you by the lake' he called as he took his plate back to the Omega's on duty while Kade chuckled into his garlic bread.