Raising the Luna

The Intruder

I immediately held my breath and slammed my head back into my attacker. I knew that if I had any chance I had to act tactfully and quickly subdue my attacker. When my head connected, I found that this person was taller than me and I wasn't going to be able to break a nose by head butting. I picked up one foot and slammed it down on the top of theirs. Nothing. Not a sound, and the grip did not loosen. I went limp and felt myself fall. With only one hand on my face and one on my waist, I found myself free.

Once I hit the ground, I flipped around and jumped into a fighting stance. As I looked at my attacker, I found him smiling.

"Well, that was fun." he stated with a little laugh.

"Who the hell are you?" I screamed.

"Well, there is only one type of creature who can hide their scent. I am a Lycan. I've come to see if the security measures will be sufficient for King Astrin to attend. I'm assuming that there was word of a breach at the border, and the school has gone into hiding as would be recommended." he stated calmly.

That would make sense. If they had notified the school, they would have gone to the underground chamber we kept under the school. It was made from the strongest metal and once in there, you couldn't smell them. It was a safety feature my father insisted on when he built the school. But why hadn't they sent out a mind link to warn the rest of the pack who were not in the school?

"That still does not answer who you are. Lycan is your breed, not who you are. What possible reason could you have for attacking me?"

"Well, I didn't attack you. I simply wanted to see how you responded to being startled. As you know, if I wanted to attack you, your body would already be shredded. I am Trubel."

I stood there looking at him, wondering why the rest of our pack had not come to investigate. This is not how packs work.

"My father is the Alpha. He knows you are here. He simply wanted to test me."

"You are a quick study. However, you need to be more aware of your surroundings. I never should have been able to get that close to you. Now, I expect you to escort me to your father's office. I need to discuss my lodging for the next couple weeks."

I didn't respond. I simply turned on my heels and started marching back towards the pack house. He had no right to chastise me for not hearing him come up on me. He also masked his scent. Somehow, I still felt like a pup being reprimanded. He chuckled and then followed suit.

As we entered the common area of the house, everyone went silent. Everyone stared rudely as we walked through towards the staircase. A Lycan, was rarely seen in a wolf pack. They were far stronger and were the royalty of us wolves. They were always invited to the big community events, but rarely attended. Wolf packs only really communicated the financial status of the pack, if any attacks had occurred, or if they needed assistance. Many packs dreamed of an alliance with the Lycan packs. Few ever gained a permanent alliance.

"Welcome to Waning Moon pack. We are going to the 3rd floor. That is where my father's office is. As Alpha of the pack, he maintains the 3rd floor with his office, the Luna's office, and conference rooms. His assistant has a small office in the waiting room. We will stop there and be announced. If the Alpha decides he is willing to see you, we will continue forward to his office after that." I stated in my most professional voice.

"I appreciate your kind hospitality. I believe that he is expecting us."

As we waited patiently to be announced, I looked Trubel up and down, wondering how he got to be so tall. Lycans were known for their strength, good looks, and education. I was not surprised at the handsome face, dark eyes, or the muscles that you could see from under his shirt. But his height made me feel like a child again.

"Trubel! It's good to see you again, old friend!" My father's voice boomed.

"Same to you, Alpha. It's been far to many years since we have sat together. And we do have much to discuss. Your child, did not disappoint me at our meeting. However, if you expect me to convince our family to attend this "promenade", we do need to set up terms and discuss security."

"Of course! I wouldn't have it any other way. I had hoped to discuss this in the morning after you have rested, but we can begin that now if you would like."

"No Alpha. I would like to be shown to my room. I assume my luggage has arrived and has already been placed in the room. I'd like to have time to set up my equipment and shower before meal time."

And with that I saw my father get a serious face with a far-away look. I knew he was mind linking someone to come and escort him.

"I have an Omega on the way to show you to your rooms. I've put you in the best suite we have. If it is unacceptable, please let me know and we will do whatever we can to make your stay here more comfortable. I have business to attend to with the Luna to be, or I would take you myself." My father said as he bowed his head.

"I'm sure the accommodations will be acceptable. " He nodded and looked at the Omega who came into the room.

As they left, I turned and looked at my father.

"AND WHAT WAS ALL THIS ABOUT?" Pretty sure the entire pack heard me as I yelled in frustration and lack of understanding.

My father smiled and motioned for me to follow him into his office. I stomped my foot in protest. When he didn't turn around, I followed with my head down, showing my submission to the Alpha.

Whenever I see my father in his office, I always get a sense of pride. His office is painted in gray, with the trim being a muted blue. It is decorated with winter pictures of our land. The beautiful mountains, our river when it is frozen, and the beautiful trees that keep us safe and protected. His desk was neat and tidy, not like my own, if I must admit.

"Well, daughter, I see you survived meeting Trubel. He's been my friend since I was an un-shifted pup. We played together long before I became an alpha to this pack. My land bordered his back then. Before I met your mother, my mate, the woman of my dreams, and moved to her home land. As you know, I was third in line to be an alpha for my pack, so I was horribly under trained to take over as the Alpha. It took a lot of getting used to a new land, a new job, and a new set of skills." He paused.

As I respectfully sat looking at him, I noticed his eyes shifting away from me to a photo on his desk. The photo was of my mother. I could tell that he loved her more than I could ever love anything. He was genuinely my hero. It's almost unheard of for an Alpha to leave their pack and start over. That is why the female children of an Alpha, were taught how to handle change and be flexible with their surroundings.

"I hope that you will not have to face that challenge. Your mother and I decided to have one child, and that child would be the one to take over our pack. When you were born, we were over the moon. You were strong from the day that you blinked your little eyes at us. And as you know, you are only a year away from being able to take over. We need to start testing your ability to run the pack. Up to and including handling yourself as a lady. I've had you training with our top warriors since you were 14. It's not your strength that you need to focus on. Handling things that sneak up on you, handling new situations..." his voice trailed off as he looked at the door.

"I think I understand. You are testing me, teaching me how to do new things."

"Exactly. Tomorrow I will have a designer here. In the conference room. You will need to pick out professional clothing as well as your dress for the prom. If the Lycan king comes, it's likely that our pack will have some big opportunities offered to us. As you will soon be taking over the pack this is your best chance at making a good impression. Ultimately, the Luna schools are all doing these events now. I've avoided them for several years. It's now mandated and it puts our pack in danger. We have a lot of land for as small of a pack as we are. We don't have alliances. Our location makes it hard for other packs to come here. However, we may have need of them. So please, daughter, use the training that we have afforded you, to your advantage."

Woah. Here I had been thinking this whole thing was a set up for me, and in reality, it was a new mandated thing from the council for the schools. I never thought about the impact on our land and the stress it could really cause my parents. I needed to be a lot less self-centered.

"I understand. I will come to the conference room as soon as you send for me. I'm 16, 17 shortly. I am ready for this."

"I believe that you are. Now, go get ready for dinner. I have a feeling that there will be more people than normal wanting to see my dear friend in the flesh."

With that, I was dismissed and slowly walked to my room. I had so much to think about.