About Tradition

DAMON

"What really happened, Emma?" I asked, confused.

As soon as I got home, I found Harper with a pale face. She was huddled in the corner of the room with her knees bent. Her gaze was blank, but as soon as I entered, she smiled at me but didn't speak.

"I said she could do whatever she wanted today, so why is she pale and feverish now? What happened to her?" I pressed Emma.

Luther was meeting with the other betas, discussing the division of surveillance tasks for the next blue full moon. So, I didn't get a satisfactory answer. Even when I mindlinked with Luther, he only asked me to ask Emma so that I could satisfy my curiosity.

"I'm sorry Alpha Damon, but I thought Beta Luther had already helped solve this problem."

"What kind of problem exactly?" I asked firmly.

"Didn't Beta Luther tell you anything?"

"I asked you and Luther to keep an eye on my wife, and if I asked you should give me the reports I needed, isn't that how it works, Emma?"

I emphasized my voice. Emma had been intimidated by my wolf aura since earlier, but she still hesitated to answer my question. She took a deep breath.

"I'm sorry Alpha Damon. So, Miss Harper…."

Emma told the story without missing anything. My face became blank to hold back the emotions that were on the top of my head. I wasn't sure, but I also expected something like this to happen.

"So, Luther just stood there, as Harper dragged Piper into the she-wolf pack."

"No, no, no. It's not what you think Alpha. As a Beta, of course he's looking for a fair solution. He asked Piper before they went there, and Piper agreed."

"Why? Now that sounds so ridiculous." I clenched my fists

"Because Piper asserted her position as your wife! As the Luna of this pack, so I think she did that to protect your pride as the Alpha."

My wolf growled at that. Whether Piper meant it for me or not, I couldn't bear to see her hurt. I knew what Harper was thinking and didn't mean to blame her. As the leader of the she-wolf pack, she could have reasoned that she was doing this for the pack's sake.

But, the ritual that they usually do from year to year, they can't do it to Piper. That's wrong because they should know that Piper is human.

I saw Harper sitting relaxed with her friends, enjoying a chat on their porch. One of them glanced at me and automatically made Harper look at me.

"Hi…" she greeted me. "What brings you here?" she asked.

Harper lives apart from her parents, and I admire how she has been independent since she was 16. But now, she has changed quite a bit. Or it's just me who doesn't know her very well anymore.

"What did you do to my Luna?" I said.

My voice was heavy, loud enough for Harper's friends to hear. They lowered their heads after looking at me and should have realized what they had done by now.

"What do you mean? I just did what we were supposed to do. You know what I mean? It's about tradition," Harper replied as if she didn't feel guilty about doing that.

***

In my pack, some groups initially created habits that eventually became traditions our flock recognized. As long as it does not violate pack rules, it is still within reasonable limits and has been approved by the elders.

"You know, she's not a she-wolf, and you can't force your ridiculous traditions on her, Piper!" My voice was filled with anger.

Harper glanced at her friends, saluted me, and walked away. "Let's talk about this calmly, and don't act like you're going to kill me now!" said Harper.

I clenched my fists. It wasn't just about my emotions but also my wolf's emotions. We didn't want our mates to get hurt. Piper was my second chance mate, which meant her soul was even more tied to mine.

Moreover, I had rejected Harper before. My position as Alpha was almost weak, but Piper's arrival changed everything. I needed to claim my family's inheritance. If my parents had visited, they would have seen my life's changes.

"She's not a wolf, she doesn't have a wolf. The tradition you forced on her only applies to shifters. You want to kill her? You forced her to drink moon water, and hoped her body would turn into a wolf huh?"

Harper suddenly smiled in satisfaction; her lips curved up. It was a pride-filled smile because she had found a huge difference between herself and Piper.

"That's why, if you know that. Why did you say she's our Luna? Since she doesn't deserve to be in that position at all."

"She deserves it, since she didn't cheat on me with a lowly man! I married her while she was a pure woman untouched by any man!"

Harper's eye circles were perfectly round; her face turned red. I knew my words hurt her pride, but I didn't care. I respected her as a member of my pack and my childhood friend because of her parents and our past relationship.

"You damn don't understand, right? There's no guarantee, this damn girl will cheat on you too!" she said

"It's none of your business, I'm giving you a stern warning. Don't do anything silly again, or you'll have to leave this pack, because it's dangerous for my Luna!"

"What? What the…."

I didn't wait for Harper to reply to my words. Without hesitation, I just walked away from her. But my wolf said that Harper's wolf pride was deeply hurt. She cried, even though we felt sorry for her. That didn't matter now.

Towards evening, Luther returned. I waited for him in my office at the housepack.

"If I did something wrong, I am ready to accept the punishment," he said. He stood at the door, clasping his hands together. He knew what I meant, and it was clear he would take responsibility for it.

"I'm going to take some time off, I want to hang out with Piper for a while."

"Where are you going?"

"To a place that can make my wife's soul a little calmer!"

"You know, that's not what he needs!" Luther said flatly.

***

My wolf, Iris, and Luther stared at each other. "Just for this one thing, Damon! Just for this one thing, I have difficulty accepting your decision."

"You know who Piper is to me!"

"But she's human, that doesn't make sense. Have you checked again? Do we need to go to the moon temple to make sure?"

"Do you doubt the moon goddess' decision for your Alpha?"

"You know, that's not what I meant!" he said firmly.

I took a deep breath, stepping closer to him. Okay, I should calm my ego a little. Luther and I grew up together. As my beta, he was the best. He would always choose me.

That's true. He never complained about any decision I made. We've been through a lot. My pack grew for a reason, and so did my business to support our economy.

"You know, I already consider you my brother. We considered many things together. But, Piper is my second chance mate. It just happened, and I can't live without her. So, do you want me to be weak?"

Luther's face stiffened; I could see his shoulders drop momentarily. He was trying to lower his ego a step.

"Of course not," he replied calmly.

"I hope it's just about time for you!" I patted his shoulder once more and walked away. Luther understood me more than anyone else in the housepack; he was the second family I had.

Emma said Piper was improving, so I met her in her room. Piper was lying in bed, but she quickly got up when she noticed me.

"It's okay, just lie down," I approached her. Closing the distance between us. I rubbed her forehead.

"Sorry, they tried to kick me out and…."

"Shhh, I know!" I replied with a thin smile. I couldn't bear to see her restless like this: "Sleep early today, so you have the energy to go out with me tomorrow."

"Go with you? Where?" she asked confusedly.