The Rising Moon Pack

Chapter 15

Jake POV

We finally left the bedroom, dressed ready for a day of meetings ahead. Maria's Mom had an omega bring a few of Maria's clothes from her bedroom, and she had chosen to wear a simple, elegant white mid-length dress that had navy blue floral print around the hem of her skirt. She pinned her fiery red curls back, and they flowed down her back, hugging her waist. I truly was a lucky man.

We ambled down the stairs happily, hand in hand, chatting about her childhood. The way she spoke had me mesmerised, and occasionally her eyes would flash between green and silver, letting me know that Bella was joining our conversation. When we finally reached the bottom of the stairs, we came face to face with my Beta, Noah. He was leaning up against the wall, smirking, arms folded across his chest.

"It's not good for an Alpha to be late." He smirked at me.

"Noah, knock it off." I answered, noticing the panic in Maria's eyes.

"I'm sorry, Luna." Noah said, also noticing. "I was just fooling around. We're on time for breakfast, if that makes you feel better!" He smiled at her kindly.

"Maria," She said."Please call me Maria. "

"Alright, Maria. I'm Noah, it's nice to finally meet you!" He answered, smiling broadly.

I watched in amusement as Maria studied him curiously. I wasn't threatened by the way she stared at him, nor in the way he stared back. I watched as her eyes took him in, occasionally flashing silver. It seemed as though Bella was taking him in, too.

Maria POV

Staring at Noah, it felt almost as if I was staring at someone I already knew, although I knew I'd never met him before. He was tall, almost as tall as Jake, but not quite. His dark hair was slicked back in a side part. He wore a dark bluebutton up shirt, with dark grey suit pants. He had deep grey eyes, but there was something behind them. A secret maybe? Maybe Bella would know.

"I knew him." she spoke up, and my eyes widened.

"How did you know him?" I asked her.

" I can't tell you." She said.

"Wait." I began putting pieces together frantically.

"Did he kill you?" I asked her.

"No." she answered. "It wasn't him."

I breathed a heavy sigh of relief, and noted Jake staring at me, clearly amused by my assessment of Noah.

"Bells, you said we're a blessed wolf. Can you tell me if he's going to harm me, or Jake?" I asked her, pleading for honesty.

"No; he won't harm you." She answered. "He will one day protect you with his life. You will one day be one of his greatest friends, and you will love one another greatly."

"Does that mean he is going to die for me?" I asked her, worried.

"Yes. Though, that won't be the end of him." She answered, cryptically.

She closed her link with me, trying to avoid answering anymore questions. I sighed, and decided to make the best of the time I had left with Noah, and pulled him into a fierce hug.

"Woah, careful Squeak!" he said to me, taken by surprise.

"Squeak?" Jake asked, chuckling. "Why squeak?"

"I don't know, man, maybe because she's so small and fierce like a mouse! Have you ever seen a mouse? They fight hard!" Noah answered, hugging me back.

"I'm not a mouse!" I looked up, indignantly.

"Alright, Squeak. You ready for breakfast?" Noah patted my back gently as he released me from our hug.

The scent of blueberry pancakes floated from the dining room and I moaned out loud. Noah looked at Jake before laughing and shaking his head. Jake looked at me proudly, before stating

"My girl loves her food. Let's eat! "

Jake POV

We walked into the dining room together, and found that several extra tables had been assembled for the visiting alphas and their betas. However, I was pleasantly surprised to see that Luna Kate had reserved extra seats at the main table beside her family for myself and Noah to sit. Looking around the room, I saw hundreds of wolves sat with their families, smiling, happy faces. The sound of laughter and chatter filled the air, and omegas came and go, bringing breakfast plates and mugs of tea and coffee in and out.

I looked up at the long main table, and saw Henry seated to the left of Maria's brother, Jase. Next to him set the pack's Gamma, Henry, with his family. Maria led Noah and I up to the table, and offered me a Sapphire Blue seat with "Jake" carved into the backrest. I stared at it in awe, and heard Noah gasp as he saw his own chair, electric blue and silver, again adorned with his name in the backrest.

I turned to Maria who smiled at our reactions.

"We can have them altered, if you don't like them." She told us. "It's Rising Moon tradition. We each get our own seat at the table."

"This is awesome." Noah gasped. "How did you know what colour to paint them?" he asked her.

Maria shrugged. "Mr Davies is a very skilled carpenter. Seeing as our pack grows by the day, he always has a few spare chairs laying in the workshop. He's super talented, all I had to do was describe to him how Jake described you."

I looked at her in awe. "When did you even have chance to do this?" I asked her.

"Last night, before I passed out in the bath." she grinned. "Bella told me to try linking my mom, to see if my power had come in yet. She was right, it had. So I asked my mom to sort out your chairs in time for breakfast. The energy that first link took must have drained all my remaining energy." she finished, shrugging.

I pulled her into a hug and kissed her forehead. She was perfect.

" Thank you, Luna. This is so special to me. " Noah sniffed, and I laughed at him.

" Come on man, you can't be crying over a chair?" I wiped tears of laughter from my eyes.

"It's not about the chair!" he defended himself. "It's about what it symbolises. We're about to become a sister pack to Rising Moon, and they've already incorporated us into their family."

I shook my head, amused.

"Is that something you'd genuinely like, Alpha Blue?" Jase appeared, and asked.

"Being a sister pack?" I asked, clarifying.

"Yeah, that." Jase answered.

"I don't know, honestly. It's not something I've had time to consider, I didn't know I would come here and find my mate." I answered honestly.

"It's something you should definitely discuss at the meetings today." Luna Kate popped up out of nowhere and interjected.

"Is there a trapdoor somewhere I don't know about?" I asked, chuckling.

"Oh, plenty!" Luna Kate laughed. "But none that would let me sneak up on you with grace!"

She turned and addressed the room.

" Good Morning, Rising Moon." she spoke and the room fell silent.

" Good Morning, Luna." they responded in unison.

"Good Morning, Alphas, Betas, and our remaining guests. We hope you slept well last night."

"Good Morning, Luna. Thank you." The Alphas and company replied.

"Today commences a week long discussion to unify the packs, strengthen our bonds, and unite our allies. We will be building connections so strong that nothing will break us. The Alpha, Beta, and Gamma will be leading these meetings along with our Future Alpha, Beta and Gamma. Our wonderful guests will be in attendance, so I ask all pack members to please keep this in mind when working on the business floor this week. We will, of course, be understanding of the work the omegas must do to keep this house running, but please be mindful and respectful of our guests, and the meetings being held. "

" Yes, Luna. " they all answered, nodding.

" I hope you all have a blessed day. Please enjoy the breakfast prepared by Mrs Davies. There will also be left over birthday cake being packed up for families today. Please report to the kitchen staff for your family package."

"Thank you, Luna." they answered.

Alpha Ben chose that moment to make his grand entrance, clearly coming in from training. Pack warriors filed in behind him quietly and took their places at their seats.

"Good Morning Rising Moon. Good Morning Alphas. Sorry I'm late, we've been working hard out in the field. I'm sure Luna has filled in perfectly for me, so I'll quieten down now and allow you to eat peacefully!" he called out cheerfully.

"Good Morning, Alpha." they all bowed their heads in respect.

Just then, a tiny boy who couldn't have been more than 18 months old, leaned back too far in his chair, and the leg snapped in half. As quick as a flash, Alpha Benjamin turned and caught the boy as he hit the floor. Maria rushed over, her green eyes glowing. The boy was screaming and crying in shock, his forehead bruised, a lump forming.

"Dad, let me. Bella needs me to do this." she said quietly to him.

He handed the boy over, and the boy's mother stood up, afraid something was seriously wrong.

"Hey, honey." Maria cooed at him. She saw his mom stood by, crying. She took her hand, and cradled the boy close to her chest. Her eyes closed, and she began to hum a beautiful melody. The whole pack stopped and watched as Maria calmed the baby. She held his mom's hand in her own, and placed her hand on the baby's back. She hummed for a few minutes more, and a calm, serene peace washed over the entire room. After one final back rub, Maria opened her eyes. The bruise and lump had evaporated from the boys head, and he played with Maria's hair quietly as she cuddled him.

A gasp rippled through the crowd, and Maria looked around the room. Her eyes were luminous, glowing emerald orbs. I looked at her proudly.

She was definitely a blessed wolf.