“Jason…Jason!”
He grunted, jerking awake as the voice intruded. Beside him, Phoebe slept. A half-moon shaped mark on her neck was still red and slightly inflamed. It would heal quickly, leaving only a perfect pink scar. Jason leaned close, breathing deep. Her lilac and sage scent was stronger than ever, but now also carried an undertone of dogwood. Now that she was marked, she would carry his scent regardless of how often they were together. She was truly his and only his.
“Jason.”
He sighed, “Yeah, ma.”
“Finally! I’ve been calling and calling.”
“I was asleep. It’s not even…six yet.”
“Yes and you are usually up by five.”
“So I slept in a day. I’m entitled.”
“That’s not the point. I almost woke Phoebe to find you.”
“Don’t. It was a big night.”
“What does that mean?”
“…I’ll tell you when I see you. Are you in the kitchen?”
“Of course.”
“I’ll be out in a moment.”
Jason slowly disengaged from Phoebe, careful not to wake her. He stood and stumbled, suddenly light-headed. Placing a hand on the wall, he paused as he regained his equilibrium. His mind was swirling. It almost felt like he was drunk, though he hadn’t imbibed a thing except her. Lobo remained oddly silent, as if in a deep sleep, almost as deep as when he was still dormant.
Making his way to the bathroom, Jason splashed water on his face to try to drive the vestiges of sleep away. Relieving himself, he ducked into the closet for sweatpants before stepping out. Phoebe still slumbered. He checked her once more, burying his nose in her thick mane of brown hair and breathed deep before stepping out and heading to the kitchen where his mother enjoyed her customary tea.
“Mom.”
“Morning sweetie. What’s that?”
“What?”
Norah was on her feet in an instant, pulling his arm and turning aside his head to get a good look at the red mark on his neck. Jason grimaced.
“You’re marked!” she exclaimed.
“…Yeah. That’s what mates do.”
“Jason! You were supposed to wait until the Luna Ceremony! It’s tradition!”
“A tradition I never liked,” Jason leaned against the counter. “Other mates mark themselves in private, but I’m an alpha, so it has to be a spectacle?”
Norah frowned. Jason had always been private by nature. Though everyone knew of his longing for his fated mate, no one knew the lengths he went to ensure that when she was found she would never feel insecure or wonder about his devotion. From the way he organized the closet, to the way he arranged for a private room for her to explore her hobbies, whatever they might have been, everything was made ready for her.
Currently, that room was undergoing renovations to be turned into a library a fact that everyone struggled to keep secret from Phoebe. Jason sacrificed a lot for his pack, but his dedication to his Luna was not something he would ever compromise.
“Besides, you know Phoebe’s self-conscious about all of this.”
“Yes, I know.” Norah sighed.
Phoebe was everything Norah hoped for in Jason’s mate. She was intelligent, kind, strong and gentle. But she also bore deep scars from her rejection. Whether Phoebe knew it or not, she had built walls to protect herself, opening up to very few. Jason patiently scaled those walls and was now taking them apart brick by brick. Norah couldn’t be prouder of how much care he showed his Luna. And part of that stemmed from his desire not to repeat his father’s mistakes.
Jackson had been a strong alpha and a devoted mate. He never betrayed her once they were together, but their first meeting was not an image she could forget.
What hurt more was the fact he kept the she-wolf around. While Norah usually remained at home, Blanche traveled with Jackson when he attended meetings. Whenever she brought it up he’d only shrug and said Blanche was a good warrior. She never felt the pain of betrayal, so she knew he was faithful, despite the fact Blanche flaunted their private time together.
Norah still recalled one meeting in particular Blue Moon had hosted. The visiting alphas and lunas had been surprised to learn Jackson had found his fated mate. Several shot her sympathetic looks, clearly believing he was cheating on her. It was almost as if she was the mistress rather than his Luna.
Ashamed, she had taken the only revenge available to her and shunned his romantic advances. She made herself a private bedroom and refused to share his bed, even going as far as to contact their pack doctor to find a means of alleviating heat pains medically. Denied access to his mate, Jackson flew into raging fits followed by depression. Norah waited for the betrayal pains, but they never came. Jackson remained faithful.
It was Blanche who lost her patience in the end. If the warrior had simply challenged Norah for her title, it would have been one thing. She was confident she could hold her own in a fair fight, but Blanche never played fair. The warrior incited two of Jackson’s previous partners to attack their Luna together, nearly killing her. If not for the gamma’s intervention, she certainly wouldn’t have survived.
Jackson, or rather his wolf, flew into a rage upon hearing of it. At the time, Norah had been surprised he even left Blanche behind, since he always took her on his trips. Only later did she learn his Beta convinced him to do so. Apparently, the Beta overheard several wolves talking about how much they pitied Norah because of how he flaunted his affair in front of her. Only then did Jackson begin to understand the image he created by keeping Blanche close.
It was the first time he left the warrior behind and it was enough to incite Blanche to seek revenge on her Luna. Norah still remembered how potent Jackson’s anger was the day he found her in the hospital, under guard, as she recovered from the attack. After hearing the story, he rushed to the cells to deal with her attackers. She thought he was going to kill them. It would have been better if he did. Instead, he let them live and stay in the pack without further punishment, as if a few nights in a cell were punishment enough.
After that day, she lost faith in him. Once she was out of the hospital, she hand-selected two guards from the elite warriors, making them swear loyalty to her above all, including their Alpha. She refused to go anywhere without them. She neither trusted her mate nor her pack. Discord wormed its way into the pack’s unity, weakening their bonds. Jackson begged and pleaded for her to reconsider. She gave him two options: one, banish her attackers from the pack or; two, reject her and take his slut as his chosen mate instead.
He refused both options and they proceeded with the Luna Ceremony, but it was a joyless affair much to his parents’ disappointment. Norah knew her duties and performed them, but she allowed herself to feel no love for the pack biding its time to kill her. Jackson needed an heir and she complied, but no amount of coaxing on his part awakened her passion. Her wolf, in pain from denying their mate bond, agreed with her.
The only love she and her wolf allowed themselves to feel was for the pup growing within. It was their only joy and even that was almost taken away. Once her pregnancy was confirmed, Jackson doted on her, desperately trying to build the bridge he burned, and Norah was very close to accepting him again, even considered getting rid of her bodyguards. Thank Goddess she didn’t.
Blanche came at her again, this time with a silver blade intent on not just killing her, but the pup as well. Norah was almost full term, if not for her guards, who knew how the attack would have played out. Nearly losing his mate for a second time as well as his pup, Jackson’s wolf took over completely and killed Blanche without hesitation. But it was too little, too late. Norah’s faith was gone. Only her pup mattered.
All the love she denied her mate was given to Jason. She doted on him and carefully raised him as well as Lucille, whose birth was quite a shock and the result of alcohol, suppressed passion and her heat.
By the time Jason was ten, the pack’s bonds were beginning to fray. Infighting was becoming commonplace. Sometimes it seemed like they were all dancing on a powder keg. Without his mate, Jackson’s wolf deteriorated and Jackson himself seemed to age faster than normal.
When Jason’s wolf awakened, Lobo was already dominant. At sixteen, it was clear Jason had already eclipsed his father and the pack bonds began to knit around him. Jason took on more and more duties, further solidifying his rank and drawing in the pack as only a true Alpha could. There was only one thing missing…his Luna.
There certainly was no shortage of she-wolves vying for his attention. Females were naturally attracted to strong males. Jason turned them all away. Jackson worried his son was putting too much pressure on himself and Jason did not appreciate his advice. Just as there was a disconnection between Jackson and Norah, there was also a disconnection between father and son. It was a wound neither managed to heal before Jackson’s inevitable passing. Jason hadn’t even bothered to say goodbye. Norah and Lucille attended Jackson’s final moments without him.
Lucille had been torn apart by her father’s passing. Jackson doted on her like a princess, so they shared a strong bond. She probably still didn’t understand the gulf that existed between Jason and their father.
* * *
Norah sighed, pushing away her thoughts. Jason was pensive and probably thinking over the same memories as she was. It did neither of them any good to dwell on the past.
The pack had been reluctant to accept Phoebe, fearing a repeat of their previous Alpha and Luna’s tepid relationship. Norah was quite certain Phoebe had no idea what the reason was behind the cool welcome if she noticed at all. Regardless, she quickly won the hearts of her new pack with her motherly tendencies and her fiercely protective nature.
As much as the pack tried to remain aloof, her influence seeped into their bond. A new sense of calm and reassurance pervaded their wolf souls. It was like a shift in gravity. Instead of revolving around a single star: their Alpha, they now revolved around two.
Norah sensed and saw Phoebe’s insecurity, though she was good at hiding it. Perhaps due to her low rank in her former pack, or maybe her rejection, Phoebe doubted her ability to lead despite being a natural. Norah saw it again when Phoebe visited the daycare.
She helped the she-wolves reorganize supplies and the space to create areas for certain activities: reading in one corner, arts and crafts in another, a place for schooling and a mat for games and napping. Prior to her arrival, the she-wolves largely let the pups free-play with occasional attempts to educate them using workbooks some ten years old. Phoebe created a daily lesson plan for the she-wolves to follow.
The pups now had designated times during the day when they have lessons, reading time, snacks and nap time, as well as free-play. She ordered new, up-to-date workbooks with various ages in mind as well as requested a set of computers and educational software. Though some wondered how the pups would cope with the changes, they adapted faster than the adults.
Even without her Luna authority and influence, Phoebe’s higher education and expertise would have given her all the necessary clout to make the changes she desired. Werewolves didn’t often seek education beyond primary school, but Norah had already heard several wolves discussing the possibility of applying to the pack for financial aid to allow them to attend college courses.
Human financial aid was unavailable to werewolves, vampires, fae and other supernatural species, another reason werewolves generally didn’t seek higher education. Though packs were often quite well-off, individual wolves rarely had more wealth than the average human, a fact most humans didn’t understand. However, that also meant there was plenty of opportunity for packs to support their members and aid their educational goals.
Usually, packs only concerned themselves with medical and technological advancements, investing in those whose interest and expertise was in those areas. Phoebe made it clear just how neglectful packs were to their members. Who knew the untapped potential residing among wolf packs’ lower ranks?
It was a crime that most packs didn’t set up such funds, not that Norah had any right to criticize them. Like most high-ranking wolves, she was guilty of walking around her pack with blinders as much as any other. While high-ranking wolves took it upon themselves to protect and secure the pack’s safety, they didn’t pay much attention to the lower ranks and nurturing them. But Norah had a feeling all that was going to change.
Jason was going to have to put serious thought into a scholarship program and standardize a method for pack members to apply for educational funds. Norah knew he had been playing with the idea for a while, but if he wanted to keep up with his Luna, he would have to get the ball rolling soon. Blue Moon could prove themselves a leader for other packs to follow.