Preparations and Celebrations

ALLIE

Danielle shrieks and throws her arms around my neck. “I’m going to help make this the best mating ceremony that any wolf has ever had.”

“Thanks, but I think Eleanor has it in hand. It doesn’t have to be anything special.”

“Are you kidding? You’re mated to a powerful alpha and about to become the luna of two packs! Of course it does.”

“I’ve never been to anything like a mating ceremony, never mind been the center of attention at one of these kinds of events,” I admit. “I don’t think I can do it.”

“Of course you can. You took on Ryan and his rabid wolves and won. This will be easy in comparison.”

“I don’t think so. An army of rogues is so much easier to deal with than a pack of wolves who expect their luna to know what she is doing.”

“Look, they aren’t going to judge you. You’ve already proven how strong and caring you are. The Red Moon Pack loves you already.

“I can help make the mating ceremony a bit more you,” she offers. “I know you better than James’s mom. I can help you add some more personal touches.”

“Okay, that doesn’t sound so bad,” I agree grudgingly.

“It won’t be. It will be so perfect. I have so many ideas. Let’s start planning now,” she says as she drags me away.

JAMES

I’m sitting in my office with Chris, getting an update on what has happened at the Red Moon Pack while we have been away. Thankfully, things have been fairly quiet.

“All the wolves who fought in the battle have been discharged from the hospital. The pack is returning to normal, as much as it can. All the repairs have been completed.

“We are, of course, still supporting the wolves who lost loved ones during the fight, but the pack, in general, is healing.”

“Good,” I say. “We need to start planning to put the pack governance onto a more normal footing.

“I’ve been spending all my time here, but now that the threat has lifted, we need to put in place a structure that will be more sustainable.”

“What are you thinking?”

“I’d like to promote some of the wolves who have proven their ability and loyalty over the last few months to senior positions.

“I want a group of ranking wolves—a Red Moon Pack beta, gamma, and head warrior to take over the day-to-day running.

“Let’s meet tomorrow and discuss the potential candidates for the roles.”

“Sounds like a good idea. I’ll prepare files on suitable candidates for you to review this afternoon.”

“Is there anything else you think we should discuss?”

“Yes… I’ve found out a bit more about Allie’s mother.”

“It isn’t as important. Allie is my mate, and her background isn’t important to me, but I suppose it’s worth hearing what you have found out.

“She doesn’t know anything about her mother’s background or seem to think it’s strange not to know.”

“What I have uncovered isn’t conclusive,” Chris explains. “It’s based on circumstantial evidence and some supposition on my part.

“But if I’m right, it would go some way to explaining why Ryan was so interested in her.

“Seventeen years ago, the mate of the alpha of the Midnight Moon Pack vanished.

“The Midnight Moon Pack is very secretive and doesn’t engage with other packs, so no one knows exactly what happened, but it seems Alpha Cormac’s mate fled, taking their infant daughter with her. Ryan was still in the Midnight Moon Pack at this point, so he will have witnessed what happened.”

“And you think that the daughter was Allie?” I ask skeptically.

“Yes, the timings match,” Chris replies. “I haven’t been able to find any photographs of Cormac’s luna, though.

“Hell, he didn’t even allow people to take photos of himself—he’s that paranoid—but I did manage to track down an old member of the pack who knew her.

“He was expelled some years ago and now lives as a loner in the Greenstone Forest. He described the former luna to me, and… Well, she does sound very similar in appearance to Allie.

“It might explain some of Ryan’s interest in her. The daughter of his old alpha would have been quite a prize.”

“True, but it’s still not conclusive proof.”

“No, it isn’t, and I don’t know how far you want me to go to corroborate what I’ve found out.”

I think carefully. What should I do about this? Should I ask Chris to keep digging? If he carries on and she’s Cormac’s daughter, we could inadvertently alert him to her existence.

Would he want a relationship with her? Would she want one with him?

Her mother had left her mate for a reason, and I didn’t want to do anything that could put Allie in danger. Not again.

“No.” I decide. “Leave it. Tell no one what you have found out. Keep an eye on the activities of the Midnight Moon Pack from a distance. I want to know if they start to show any interest in my mate.”

“Will you tell her about this?”

I consider this. What is there to tell? We have no real proof that she’s his daughter. I don’t want to worry her. She has shown no real curiosity about her past or desire to find out who her father is.

At the same time, I know how angry she would be if she realized that I had kept important information from her.

I make my decision. “I think I’ll have to.”

He nods in agreement. “I’ll tell my contacts to keep me updated on any developments but not to actively investigate.”

I quickly close the meeting. I want to see Allie.

I find her in our room, lying on the bed.

“How are you doing?”

“Okay, just a bit tired. I’ve had an exhausting time with Danielle and really need a rest. Who knew that this whole mating ceremony thing could be so involved?

“She has me picking decorations, talking about food, and has a whole regimen that she wants me to go through to get ready for the big day.

“Supposedly, I need to be primped and pampered within an inch of my life if I’m to look the part.”

“Well, she’ll have competition from my mother.” I laugh. “She will be determined to make this the best possible mating ceremony and luna inauguration that has ever been held.”

“Oh no. Do you think the two of them will fight about it?”

“I doubt it. They’re more likely to gang up on you to make sure that you make the most of your time in the limelight.”

“That really doesn’t make me feel any better about this, you know!”

“Don’t worry so much about it. It’s going to be the perfect day. All that matters is you and me declaring our love and formalizing the bond we share in the presence of the moon goddess.”

“That sounds truly special,” she says, pulling me into a kiss.

After a few minutes, I pull away and ask, “Now that you’re joining my pack and becoming luna, are you ever curious about your mother’s pack? Where you came from?”

She looks thoughtful before she answers, “No. I know I must seem strange for not wanting to know, but my mom hated packs. I don’t think hers can have been very good.

“My dad abandoned us, and although she didn’t like talking about him, she made it pretty clear that we were better off without him. He wasn’t a good wolf.

“If I have any other family, if they were worth knowing, then they would have been in my life. I was always happy with it being just the two of us.

“Now, I just want to concentrate on my friends and our pack. They’re enough for me.”

“I’m glad you feel that way, but there is something that I need to tell you. When I first realized that you could be my mate, I asked Chris to investigate you.

“I had to make sure you wouldn’t be a threat to my pack.”

“Because you’re paranoid, and you hated loners,” she interrupts me. Her words sound harsh, but I’m relieved to realize that she has no anger in her voice. She moves on. “So what did he find out?”

“Nothing conclusive but… the alpha of the Midnight Moon Pack’s mate and infant daughter vanished seventeen years ago.

“The Midnight Moon Pack is very secretive, so it would be difficult for us to find out if you are their alpha’s daughter without speaking to them directly.”

“Which you don’t want to do,” she guesses.

I nod.

“Wait… I’ve heard of the Midnight Moon Pack. Danielle mentioned them. They’re Ryan’s old pack!”

“Yes.”

She shudders. “Well, in that case, I definitely don’t want to know any more. If they’re Ryan’s old pack, I understand why my mom chose to run away.”

I’m relieved that she doesn’t want to take this any further.

I want as little to do with the Midnight Moon Pack as possible, but if she wants to find out if the alpha was her father, I would do everything I could to help her.