My shoes scrunched against the white blanket that covered the forest ground. Both Edria and I wanted to lay down into the snow and wave our arms and legs until we marked a permanent shape. However, the fact that we weren't alone and the sacred location where we stood, had me burring even the mere thought of it.
Less than ten steps away from me loomed a giant monstrosity known as the werewolf castle. The exterior was carved with too many windows for me to check if anyone was secretly peeking down on us, but that didn't stop me from trying.
"State your names."
A cold male voice pulled my eyes from the castle's soft brown shade to the scowling warrior stationed in front of a gate twice my size.
"Jansen, Alpha of Red Moon," Blake, who stood in the front of our little group, pointed at Ren, who was standing right beside him. "And the scowling she-wolf is the Luna of Red Moon."
"Tate, Alpha of Black Moon." Hunter followed next and then glanced in my direction. "And this is myâ"
"Molly Braxton," I cut in. "I'm here in place of Alpha Braxton of Blue Moon. And these are the Beta and the Beta Female of Blue Moon."
I think our mate wanted to introduce us, Edria whispered, despite no one but me being able to hear her.
I could feel Hunter's eyes boring into the side of my face from where he stood, half a step to my left. I turned to him and shot him a quick smile before I turned back to the warrior positioned in front of the wooden gate.
"Welcome to Silver Moon." He nodded and pulled one side of the large gate open.
With Ren and Blake at the head of our little group we entered what looked like a roomy stone courtyard. My eyes were immediately drawn to the new angle of the castle looming above of us, and I once again found myself scanning the windows for any peeping eyes.
I was the only one who spared our surroundings a fleeting glance though. The others all headed to the left corner of the courtyard, where a staircase began. With me now in the back we ascended a letter L shaped staircase, until we reached another snow-covered courtyard.
And I thought the lower one was big, Edria whistled. Look at the size of the empty space. This would be a perfect spot for some combat training.
I was about to agree with her when my eyes landed on two figures standing close to the stone railing overlooking the lower courtyard. Both of them radiated power, however, while my eyes skipped over the average looks of one, I found myself forgetting how to breathe at the sight of the other.
He... He's... Edria was strung speechless.
Less than fifteen steps away from me stood a towering man, with broad shoulders and the darkest eyes outside a werewolf in wolf form I had ever seen. As he stopped talking to the other man and turned toward our group, I felt like my heart was about to stop.
He's really here, Edria whispered. It's really him.
I couldn't blame Edria for acting more star struck than on the first occasion we met our mate. This was, after all, our first time seeing the Alpha King, Theodore Hanim, in real life.
Even without the rumors I've heard about him and the descriptions Naia provided me with, I would have immediately recognized him. He radiated such a massive force of dominance, that the moment he moved his eyes onto our little group, my face sank down to my chest.
"Welcome to Silver Moon." He had a strong, confident voice; just like I expected from the leader of all werewolves.
"It's a pleasure to be back," Blake said.
"Alpha Jansen," the Alpha King greeted him. "Luna Ren."
Ren nodded at the Alpha King, but even for him she didn't bother to open her mouth.
"Alpha King." Hunter nodded his greeting, while Blake pulled Ren aside for the rest of us to have a chance to greet the Alpha King.
"Alpha Tate." The Alpha King's jaw twitched, but it disappeared a second later.
This made me sure that I had only imagined it. After all, what could the Alpha King possibly hold against Hunter or Black Moon?
Instead of greeting the Alpha King first, Dyson and Sasha moved a step to the side, and suddenly it was my turn. My feet moved on their own, until I stopped a respectful distance of two steps away from the Alpha King.
"Alpha King."
Once again I lowered my head, until my chin bumped against the meeting point of my clavicles. Then after a second I finally dared to lift my head again and look up into the dark eyes that looked like they could see right through my skin.
"My name isâ"
"You must be Molly Braxton," the Alpha King said. "Alpha Braxton informed me of his Luna's condition, and that you would be coming in his stead. And I'm guessing that the couple with you are Blue Moon's Beta and Beta Female. Welcome to Silver Moon."
"Tha... Thank you... sir."
"I've heard about your incredible speed." The Alpha King caught me off guard as he continued to pierce me with his dark eyes. "Some say you could even outrun me."
"No." I quickly shook my head. "There is no way I could be faster than you. It's just pointless rumors."
"I've also heard you're an official warrior now. Silver Moon could use someone like you. You have my permission to take a look around the castle and the rest of the pack, and see if you can find your mate here. I'll let you immediately join my pack."
Before I could even open my mouth, Hunter positioned himself right in front of me. With his back painfully straight he looked the Alpha King directly into his eyes.
"That won't be necessary."
While the Alpha King only glanced from me to Hunter with a raised eyebrow, the other man, the one who had been keeping quiet in the background, squeezed in front of the Alpha King.
"How dare you use such a tone with your Alpha King?" Despite him not being an Alpha, he radiated almost as much power as Hunter. He was definitely the Beta of Silver Moon.
"It's okay, Yasin." The Alpha King clasped his Beta on his shoulder and forced him to retreat. "I would have reacted even worse if someone offered the Luna Queen to meet new males. I apologize, Alpha Tate. I wasn't made aware that she's your mate."
Hunter's only response was a court nod. I elbowed him into his side and tried to wordlessly tell him that this wasn't enough, but he only glanced at me with a raised eyebrow.
"I'm sorry, Alpha King." I gave up on Hunter getting my silent message and turned to the Alpha King. "We're new mates, so I hope you can overlook his mistake. He meant no disrespect."
"It's no problem." He waved it off. "I remember the time when the Luna Queen was yet unmarked. I would have snapped the head off any unmated male even daring to suggest going near her."
"There's a peck member waiting for you inside the castle to lead you to your assigned rooms," the Beta said, wordlessly telling us that our audience with the Alpha King had come to an end.
Once again we began moving with Ren and Blake at the head of our group, but yet again we didn't make it far. Just as we began ascending another staircase, a young woman appeared at the top. Her curly hair bounced with each step she took, while she held her chin high up in the air. Her cold eyes skimmed over Blake, who greeted her as the Beta Female, and briefly stopped on Ren, who outright ignored her.
Despite the power she now held, I would have recognized her anywhere. We had, after all, spent our entire childhoods and teen years stuck together as best friends.
Former best friends, Edria corrected me. I still want to sink my teeth into her flesh for daring to harm our Luna.
While my human side struggled to continue to despise someone I had once been so close with, Edria had no problem with holding a grudge. She was determined to hate Elena for the rest of her life because of what she had done to Naia.
The moment my eyes landed on her, I froze in my spot still below the stairs.
Elena was yet oblivious to my presence while she passed by Hunter who politely inclined his head in greeting. When she had only four stairs left, her eyes landed on the couple whose tense shoulders looked like they might snap at any moment. Elena's eyes widened, and she froze in the middle of her step.
I could only see Dyson's back, but I had no trouble imagining the black color of his eyes. After all, all members of Blue Moon shared the hatred for the she-wolf who thought she could harm our Luna and fill in the position next to our Alpha.
Luckily, Sasha had no wolf inside her mind to pacify. This was probably the only reason why she was able to grab Dyson's hand and pull him away.
Elena, on the other hand, continued to watch their retrieving figures for another second and then descended the rest of the stairs. She glanced in the direction of her mate, who was now scowling at Dyson and Sasha.
Only when Elena descended the last stair, did she notice that there was still one person left.
Me.
The moment she stopped less than two steps away from me and our eyes met, the memories we had shared snapped through my mind. While Naia had already told me about her position as the Beta Female of Silver Moon, this was the first time Elena and I stood in the same place after she had left Blue Moon.
"Elena?" The Beta called her name, but neither of us moved.
Scratch her. Edria was fighting against the restraint I was forcing on her. She needs to bleed for what she had done to our Luna.
Yet all I did was continue to stare into the eyes of the one person I had once thought was my best friend.
"Molly." Elena's soft whisper had my throat squeezing shut.
I felt my eyes darken, until I could taste Edria's power on my tongue. One simple swing of my nail and I would have her bleeding out on the floor beneath my feet. Even with the Alpha King and the Beta standing less than six steps away from us. They were no match for my speed. It would be done before they registered what was going on.
"Molly?"
Hunter's voice broke through the dark fog clouding my vision, and I pushed Edria into the back of my mind. Without sparing Elena another glance I hurried up the stone steps and stopped only when I was right beside my mate.
"Do you know the Beta Female?"
Instead of answering, I grabbed his hand and pulled us both inside the castle. My eyes locked with Dyson's the moment we rejoined our group. We shared a wordless nod; both of us knowing what we wanted to do, but never could.
To avert my attention from Hunter's curious eyes, I focused on a petite she-wolf holding hands with a human. They were making their way down the long hallway cushioned with a red carpet, to where we were standing in the middle of the entrance hall.
"What about the hunters?" the human asked.
"It's just rumors," the she-wolf whispered just before they came to a stop in front of us. "Welcome to Silver Moon. My name is Zara and this is my mate Robert."
The said human eyed the three males in our little group, but then allowed his jaw to unclench once he noticed that all three of them had females sticking close to their sides.
The she-wolf's aura didn't radiate any note-worthy dominance and her physic didn't point at a position of a warrior. This made me conclude that she was nothing but an ordinary pack member.
"I'm guessing you'll be needing three rooms?" She smiled at us.
"Four." I was the first one to respond. "We'll need four rooms. I'll be staying on my own."
Don't be a baby, Edria whined. We have a mate now. We should share our room with him.
"No, you're not." Hunter's final tone had my eyes snapping over to him. "It's not safe for an unmated female to stay on her own."
"Are you already forgetting that I'm an official warrior of Blue Moon? I can take care of myself. And if things really get so desperate, I can outrun anyone inside this castle."
"She can stay with us," Sasha chipped in before Hunter could respond.
No way, Edria shook her wolf head. If we're going to share a room with anyone, it's going to be our mate.
We're not sharing a room with anyone.
Yes, we are. Edria narrowed her wolf eyes at me. Or I'll take over your body when you're asleep and move us into Hunter's room. Either way we're staying with our mate.
"Fine." I gave in with a sigh. "Hunter and Edria win. Three rooms it is."
Not a moment later our little group split apart. Because the system of distributing the rooms was based on the layout of the packs, the other four had neighboring rooms, while Hunter and I were led down a different hallway.
Our guide was the human, but he didn't say anything other than point out our assigned room and then left without a backward glance. Then again, I didn't care who he was either, so I couldn't blame him.
The room we entered was more specious than my own bedroom back in the Blue Moon pack house. My eyes glided over a small couch next to a double window, until they stopped on a king-sized bed that took up most of the space. Or more exactly, the fact that there was only one bed inside the room.
"I'll take the couch." I took a step closer to the said furniture before either Edria or Hunter could voice their opinion. "You can have the bed. Okay?"
When I was about to take the second step, Hunter's tall form materialized in front of me and blocked my path.
"We're mates."
He's right, Edria was already siting with him. There's nothing wrong with sharing a bed with our mate.
"I know we're mates. But that doesn't change the fact that we met only yesterday. We still hardly know each other."
"We're mates," Hunter repeated, staring down at me with unmoving eyes.
This time, however, I refused to bow down to his and Edria's wishes. They got their way with the room, so now it was my turn to get my way.
I was sleeping on my own tonight.
***
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