I can already smell him, Edria purred inside my head. He smells delicious.
I shook my head at her words, but was unable to stop the smile that crooked the corners of my lips. No matter how ridiculous her words sounded, I thought the same way. Our mate smelled exquisite.
Half a minute later I dug my toes into the frozen earth. I stopped three steps away from the lone figure standing in the middle of an otherwise empty forest. To a human his position might have come off as funny, but I knew exactly why he was standing there.
Half a step away from the Blue Moon border.
He extended his arms to catch me, but I stopped before that would be necessary. I straightened my spine and didn't even try to stop a sunny smile from spreading my lips even wider apart.
"You're back." His shoulders slumped and the smallest of smiles tugged at the corners of his lips.
"Of course." I glanced to his left and right, and even behind him, but there wasn't a single sign of anyone else there with him. "Where are Ren and Blake? Did something happen?"
"Ren thought the Blue Moon Luna might come with you, so they left. She said, and I quote 'I'd rather face a legion of rogues then be around her'. Is your Luna not a kind person?"
"What? No." I shook my head, while trying to stifle the grin still eating at my face. "Naia's a wonderful Luna. She and Ren are even good friends. Something I never understood because Ren isn't the kind of person I'd imagine Naia to bond with."
"Then why is Ren avoiding her?"
"Our Luna is with pup, so her hormones are all over the place. Things aren't all that bad, but she cries more often now. And since you're familiar with Ren, you already know how she and tears work."
"Yes." He shook his head. "Ren avoids tears like wolfsbane."
"Exactly." I wanted to reprimand myself for continuing to smile like a simpleton, but I couldn't bring myself to. "Anyway, I talked to my brother. As the Alpha of Blue Moon, he gave you permission to enter our land."
Hunter nodded and without wasting another second he crossed the border. Or more exactly he diminished the distance between us and stopped less than half a step away from me.
"You changed."
His warm breath tickled my skin, while his eyes traveled from my white pullover, to the pair of green pants and my thick winter boots. On his way up, however, he stopped at the black jacket that was nestled in my hands.
"Yes." I handed him his jacket and watched as he snuck it back on. "Naia's maternal instincts have already kicked in. She refused to allow me out of the pack house before I changed into something warmer."
"Did you tell them who I am?"
"Yes." I grabbed both sides of his open jacket and pulled them closer together. "They know you're my mate. It's why Jared wants us to immediately come to the pack house. He's eager to meet you."
On my third tug against his jacket I finally realized what I was doing.
"Sorry." I let go of him and clasped my hands behind my back. "I saw the open jacket and thought you might be cold. I don't know what came over me."
"It's okay."
He took me by even more surprise than my move as he slid his fingers down my right arm and pried my hand from behind my back. Then he wrapped his warm hand around mine.
The electrifying sensation that ran up and down my arm made me feel like my senses had been asleep up until now.
"Let's go."
Without a peep I allowed him to pull me forward. We walked side by side, with our hands linked between us. As a warrior I knew I was supposed to keep an eye on our surroundings, but my eyes refused to budge away from his smiling profile.
Focus, Molly. Even Edria wasn't able to keep the wolfish grin off her voice. Eyes straight ahead.
Yes, mam. I mentally saluted my wolf and then pried my eyes off my mate.
I managed to stay focused on the empty forest in front of us for less than three minutes before I found myself glancing back at him.
"So, tell me. What's Black Moon like? Is it far from here?"
"It's a day's run in wolf form from Red Moon." The same proud smile I had seen my brother wear so often, when talking about Blue Moon, curled his lips. "Member-wise it's a little smaller than Red Moon, but we have a bigger territory. I don't have a separate house from the pack house like Ren and Blake do, but if you want we could build one."
"No." I shuddered at the thought of living inside a silent house. "I've lived in the pack house my entire life, so I'm used to the ruckus. How big is the pack house?"
"I don't know the exactâ" He glanced away from my eager eyes and stopped. "I'd say it's a little smaller than yours, but not by much."
I turned my eyes forward to find the pack house already looming in the distance. For once, I didn't like the speed us werewolves were used to move with. I wanted more alone time with my mate.
For the first time in my life the pack house was void of its usual splash of life. The only sound that reached my ears was the occasional distant whisper, and only if I strained my ears.
Without having to ask, I knew that the cause of it was our bull-headed Alpha. He was pushing the dominance to radiate off him in knee-weakening waves, while he stood straight like a statue in the middle of the entrance hall.
I narrowed my eyes at him the moment I closed the front door. Jared, however, didn't even bother to glance in my direction. His eyes were focused solemnly on my right, where Hunter stood.
I couldn't help but glance at him as well. After all, werewolves didn't take lightly to being so openly intimidated by someone else, especially an Alpha.
As expected Hunter's eyes had darkened into a midnight black, which matched the shade of Jared's eyes. Yet he wasn't exhibiting the range of dominance I expected him to. Hunter's circle spread only three feet around him. He was admitting that everything on this land belonged to Jared.
Everything but me.
"Cut it out." Naia walked around the corner and stopped beside my brother. "I'm not even a werewolf, and I can feel the tension inside the room."
Opposite to Jared, Naia first shot me a warm smile and then turned her eyes to my mate.
"It's nice to see you again, Hunter," she said. "If I'd known that Molly was your mate, I would have introduced the two of you during one of your previous visits."
"Luna Naia." Hunter nodded at her. "I'm just happy I finally found her."
"But you've yet to prove, if you're worthy enough to keep her." For the first time since we entered Jared's eyes flickered over to me, but a second later they snapped back to Hunter. "I heard you were betrayed by your own Beta, and that you declared war on Red Moon. You really think I'll let my sister join a pack like that?"
Betrayed by his Beta? War with Red Moon? Edria was as lost as I was.
"I never thought I'd be the one telling you this," almost soundlessly an older woman rounded the corner and descended the stairs, "but stop acting like your father."
Despite the number of years she had been inactive, she still radiated the grace and the aura of a true Luna. Even her hair, that was once supposedly the same shade as mine, listened to her order and stayed perfectly straight.
"Aren't you going to introduce him?" Just like Jared she had eyes only for Hunter.
"This is Hunter, the Alpha of Black Moon." I said, despite knowing that everyone inside the room, and maybe even the entire pack house, already knew who he was. "And my mate. Hunter, this is Irene Braxton, or Mom, like I call her."
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Braxton," Hunter said.
"Not another one." Mom shook her head at Hunter and then winked at Naia. "I don't need another of my pup's mates to call me that. Just call me Irene."
"We're not pups." Jared and I both shot out.
But as all mothers do, she ignored us. "I'm happy to see my daughter is mated to an Alpha."
My entire body stiffened at her words, which earned me a sideways glance from Hunter. I ignored him, however, and kept my eyes on my mother's polite smile.
Of course, she would be happy that I was mated to an Alpha. It was what she had always wanted. Long ago I had thought that after Dad passed I would finally be able to start my official training to become a pack warrior; something I had dreamed off ever since I had first seen Jared train for his future Alpha position. Mom, however, turned out to have the same old view on females being warriors.
We still did it, Edria whispered. Don't ever forget that.
"I'm not sure you noticed, but Molly isn't only an Alpha's daughter in this pack," Mom continued. "She is an official pack warrior, which is why I hope you'll take her abilities into consideration. I know she'll make a wonderful Luna, but she can also help protect your pack."
The lower half of my mouth slipped an inch down as I stared at her. All of our fights about my training played in front of my eyes, and then one by one they faded into the background of her proud smile.
"Don't worry, Mrs.âIrene." Hunter wrapped his hand around mine. "I grew up with Ren as one of the strongest fighters in our pack. Female warriors are more than encouraged in Black Moon."
*
I shook my head at Naia's fierce eyes, while Edria grumbled about her hands, which were still wrapped around Hunter's hands. The fact that she was mated to my brother, currently still my Luna, and one of my closest friends, made no difference to her. She didn't like anyone but us touching our mate.
"Promise you'll take good care of our Molly. She's a very important person to all of us."
Before Hunter could even open his mouth, a lanky male wrapped his arm around Naia's shoulders and pulled her a step backwards. If he were anyone else Jared would have torn his arm off for daring to touch Naia, but with Larry he only rolled his eyes.
"Stop talking like this is the last time you'll ever see her." Our most cheerful pack member shook his head and then shot me a pointed look. "Right, Molly?"
"Of course," I said, while Edria cringed at the first sight of tears lubricating Naia's eyes. "You're still my family. Nothing is going to keep me from being here when my first niece is born."
"Or nephew." A grinning witch stopped on Larry's other side.
As always she had a purple pouch strapped to her hip, which rattled every time she moved. She arched her prominent eyebrows at Naia and leaned over Larry's side to get a better look.
"You still don't feel what gender the baby is?"
"Things don't work like that with us." The Beta of Blue Moon, Dyson, said as he exited the pack house.
He was carrying a duffle bag in each hand and walked past our little group without glancing at anyone other than his mate.
"Then I'm glad I'm neither a human nor a werewolf." Sasha's eyes followed him as he headed to the black SUV parked a few feet away. "A witch feels it in her bones what the gender of the child will be, even before he or she is born."
"Well, I guess we'll just have to wait until you're carrying Dyson's pup then." Larry wiggled his eyebrows at her.
A loud round of coughs erupted from behind my beck. I turned around to find Dyson struggling like he had swallowed a poison.
"Are youâ" His eyes looked like they were about to pop out of his head.
"No." Sasha waved her hands in a big x. "Spirit, no."
"But I bet it's not going to take much longer," Larry murmured, which earned him a fierce glare from the Beta couple.
"We're leaving." Dyson stalked off to the driver's seat.
"Right now." Sasha nodded and all but flew to the passenger door.
I shook my head at the Beta mates, while Hunter wordlessly nodded first at Naia and then at Jared. I intended to follow right behind him, however, a tight grip on my forearm prevented me from taking another step back.
Naia's pale hand was wrapped around mine, and before I could even open my mouth, she pulled me into a tight hug. Well, as tight as her round belly allowed.
"Promise you'll come visit." Her voice shook from the tears I knew were spilling down her cheeks.
"I promise. You're not getting rid of me this easily. I bet you'll be sick of my frequent visits even before my first year is over."
Once she let go of me, I was even more shocked to find Jared taking her place. He was no stranger to hugging ever since he met Naia, but this is the first time he had ever initiated a hug with me.
"If you ever need anything, remember that you still have a family here."
I didn't trust my words, so I only nodded. Then I pulled away from him and hurried over to the car. I was surprised to find Hunter still outside the vehicle. He wordlessly held the back door open for me and waited for me to slide across the chairs before he slipped in as well.
"Let's go," Sasha said the moment Hunter closed the door behind him.
As the SUV lurched forward, I couldn't stop myself from craning my neck around. Through the back window I could see Naia and Jared still standing in the same spot, with Larry right beside them. All three were waving at us, so I raised my hand as well.
Don't be sad. I'm sure we'll see them again. Edria tried to soften the harsh ping in my chest as I watched them wave goodbye.
"You okay?" Hunter ran the tip of his fingers across my cheek.
"I'm fine." I tore my eyes off the back window and focused on the road ahead of us.
Right now I had something else to worry about. I needed to survive a meeting in the werewolf castle. A meet-up of all Alphas, called by no one other than the Alpha King.
We were going to Silver Moon.
***
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