CHP.16-Allies

My breath caught in my throat. Brother?

Zeke's body immediately tensed at the bombshell his brother just dropped. My gaze quickly drifting between the two. They had the same eyes. The light blue with darker under tones and small hint of flecks of gold. That must have come from their mother as I remebered Zeke telling me his brother had a different father.

It seemed this other Alpha recieved the rest of his genes from his father as the eyes were the only obvious similarities between the two of them. Zeke's 6'7 frame was a solid two or three inches taller than his brother. Zeke was also more built, he held more muscle and sharper facial features. While his dark hair was an obvious paradox to his brothers' sandy blonde.

"I haven't seen or heard from my brother since he was 16. Why would he come visit me now?" Zeke's voice was firm, he wasn't just going to welcome this wolf if he wasn't sure it was his brother. But I detected an undertone to his voice, the smallest hint of uncertainity that only I would be able to decipher. He wasn't sure. Which meant there was a slim chance this male was actually his half-brother.

"Can't I have just come cause I missed you?" His supposed brother replied, a smile dancing across his features as he stretched his arms open as if waiting for a hug. Zeke eyed him suspiciously before responding,

"Where's my birthmark?" I didn't even realise Zeke had a birthmark, and I had studied that mans delicious naked body numerous times over the past few weeks. The Alpha dropped his hands before looking at Zeke without a hint of humour left.

"It's on your left big toe, and it looks like a worm." Zeke's lips tugged up before he stepped forward to embrace his brother who met him halfway. Their foreheads touching for a few seconds before they broke away from one another. The tension between both groups seemed to dissapte dramatically as both leaders seemed to relax.

"Goddess you've grown into an ugly brute haven't you?" Zeke teased his brother while slapping his shoulders.

"I'd say the same but you were already ugly when I left." His brother knocked his shoulder into Zeke as they continued their teasing. A small smile crossed my face. I felt glad for Zeke, I knew he missed his brother deep down and I was glad to see them reunite. Even under questionable and not understood circumstances.

A small ghosting of sadness went across my frame as I remembered all the siblings I had lost. The years I had lost with them. I would never be able to tease my brothers or call them ugly or gross. I would never be able to watch my sister grow into the beautiful she-wolf I knew she would've been.

"Cecil, come forward. This my brother, Titus." And just as quickly as my saddened thoughts arrived they dispersed from within me as Zeke's voice called me forward. I lifted my chin and walked across to shake Titus' hand.

Titus grasped my hand firmly, as he leaned closer to inhale my scent more deeply. His eyes quickly darting to his brothers in an emtion I couldn't quite recognise before he stepped away from me. His gaze running the length of my frame as he spoke,

"Lovely to finally put a face to the name, the famous 'Luna of the South'. I must admit when I heard my brother had immediately marked the only female who had been seen in a number of years I can't say I was suprised." I quirked an eyebrow as I tried to unpack his words.

"And what are you implying with that?" I responded quickly, the urge to defend my mate blossoming inside my chest. He chuckled at my defensive tone.

"I mean, Zeke has always been one to put the pack first, he gains quite alot by having a Luna, or the only female around currently depending on which angle you want to look at it. And considering he was never one for the same sex I'm sure he's also enjoying something to stick it in that's not his right hand." I released a snarl at the implication that Zeke was only using me for leverage or gain. I could feel the gold bleeding into my iris's as my wolf surged forward. How dare he make those assumptions about my relationship with my mate.

"Enough." Zeke spoke before I could move, his frame rigid as he positioned his body infront of me slightly. His positioning sending a number of messages, the first being directed at me, I needed to reign it in. While the second being directed to everyone else, I was his, he would protect me and would not take kindly to having me undermined or challenged.

"You will stop sprouting this nonsense to my mate, brother." Zeke growled, the deep sound a clear sign of aggrivation. Titus' eyebrows raised slightly as he peered around Zeke's large shoulder to look at me.

"Interesting, very interesting. I'm assuming you mean Goddess given and not a bond mate?" Zeke nodded in affirmation. Titus' eyes moved from me to just over my left shoulder, landing squarely on Serenity, his eyes darkened as if seeing her for the first time since he got here, and his face quickly morphed into a smirk before he recconnected with my glare.

"Cecil-" I quickly cut him off, "Luna Cecil." The corner of his lips twitched upward before he continued,

"apologies, Luna Cecil, you haven't introduced me to your she-wolf there." I snarled at his statement, he would not touch Serenity. She was my she-wolf. Not his.

"She's mine." Titus raised his hands in surrender.

"Ofcourse, I would never disagree. I would still love to meet her though." My sight shifted to Zeke, who obviously saw the uncertainty in my eyes as he nodded at me in reassurance. I turned to look at Serenity, she was nearly trembling from the attention on her. Anxiety rolled off her in waves and were we in wolf form I'm sure her tail would be tucked between her legs. Diesel radiated aggression next to her. His distaste for the Northern Alpha obvious.

I held my hand out to her and she eagery reached forward to grab it, seemingly feeling safer in the comfort of her Luna, the way most she wolves did. One of the many reasons it was beneficial to have a Luna in a pack. I turned back to Titus.

"This is Serenity." Titus smiled down at her, making sure to not show teeth as he reached for her hand and smoothly placed a kiss on her knuckles.

"Beautiful," he hummed, "I'm assuming there are no other females lurking around that you have yet to tell me about." His question obviouly directed at Zeke or myself even though his sight was still firmly trailing Serenity's body. His penetrating gaze had been focused on her for too long, begining to become disrespectful as she had not given him permission for an inspection. But he knew she would not tell him to stop, if her trembling figure was any giveaway to her submissiveness as a female.

I wanted to growl at him, tell him to stop gazing at her but it wasn't my place, I could not speak on her behalf for something like this, and telling him to fvck off would almost guarentee to aggrivate him. Something I'm sure Zeke would not appreciate cosidering it seemed our truce was already on rocky ground.

"I'm sure you have travelled far, why don't we go inside and get something to eat?" My suggestion broke him from his staring at Serenity as he looked back over to myself and Zeke. The emotion behind his eyes quickly switching from predatory to kind. The change so quick I was almost sure I imagined his gaze being so... vicious.

"Ofcourse, I'd love to have lunch with you, it's been a few years since I've just been able to sit down and eat lunch with my brother, hasn't it Zeke?" Zeke smiled in response, a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.

"For sure, let's go eat."

****

Our two groups were seated in the dining hall as copious amounts of food was placed on the tables. A whole Boar had been roasted as welcome feast for the Alpha and his party. Zeke was seated next to his brother as they laughed and joked with one another. A heavy relief from the solemn and serious Alpha I was used to seeing around his pack. His warriors seemed to think the same as many were often throwing curious glances before quickly looking away. Not wanting to be the one that possibly might soil his mood.

I was seated opposite them on the table between Serenity and Dion. Just enjoying the atmosphere. It was rare for situations like this to arise during these times. Most people were just focused on surviving.

"It's weird isn't it? Seeing him laugh and joke around so much, so openly in front of his pack memebers." Dion spoke inbetween each bite of roasted boar he shoved into his mouth. I rolled my eyes at his monstrous way of eating before replying.

"I don't think I've ever seen him so joyous to be honest." I wasn't sure how I felt about it. Maybe sad I hadn't been the one to draw this side out of Zeke, or happy that he was so.. happy.

"I've been that mans bestfriend since we were 9 years old and the only time I've ever seen him so happy is when he's with you, or when him and I climbed to the top of this massive oak tree when we were 15 and so very drunk. Even when he claimed the Alpha title from his father he wasn't happy, he was solemn." Dion seemed to shrug off the conversation as he shoved another massive piece of boar into his mouth. Obviously also uncomfortable that he rarely brought out this side in Zeke, and they had been best friends for over 10 years.

It was strange. I was glad Zeke was so happy but something about Titus just didn't sit right with me, he didn't seem stable.

"What are you thinking about Luna Cecil?" I looked over to Serenity who had barely touched the mountain of food on her plate that had been dumped in front of her by Diesel. It seemed the man was trying to stuff her with as much food as possible as soon as possible.

"Oh nothing, just how great the food is." I smiled at her, not wanting to voice my ridiculous thoughts out loud. She leaned over toward me before whispering gently in my ear.

"I don't like him either." I giggled at her, a real smile crossing my face.

"Men," we were drawn out of our giggling by Titus' voice booming across the hall, "and of course, ladies. I just wanted to take this moment to say how excited I am to finally be reunited with my brother, and to announce my pack willingly coming to you, Alpha Ezekial, with a pledge of loyalty. And that I hope we are able to build a strong alliance to allow for the biggest powerhouse this werewolf world has ever seen!" Titus' lifted his mug of ale as the wolves in the room sounded their approval. Zeke standing up to touch foreheads with his brother.

My hands clapping occured on autopilot.

They didn't need an alliance, there is no rival wolf pack even close to the size of their wolf packs, and together no one would even be able to compete with them. This alliance wasn't done for safety reasons, it wasn't even made for political reasons. What could Titus even gain from this? But more importantly what could Zeke loose?