Chapter 42: Visitors

Marcus

Smiling with pride, Marcus looked out at his pack, gathered to watch the trials and celebrate their collective strength. This day always reminded everyone that the guards worked and trained hard to ensure the pack stayed strong and safe. In front of the crowd, the competitors stretched and readied themselves while the cubs ran around releasing nervous energy.

Today also marked a major change in the pack; the first female competitors stretched and readied themselves on one side of the crowd. Looking over at them, Marcus was shocked to see the sheer number that had come to compete. He smiled as he saw many of his childhood friends getting ready to try for a place on the Lunas Guard.

They were initially concerned that few women would try out, but their numbers nearly doubled that of the male competitors. He just hoped that they would be able to keep up; if they failed, it would be a struggle to get more to compete in the future.

With his left hand tucked tightly in Marcia’s, he lifted his right, a signal for silence and attention. Once a hush fell over the crowd, he began to speak. “Since the inception of the Blue Moon Pack, we have asked the strongest and bravest men among us to prove their worth and join the ranks of our guard. Everyone would give their life for the protection of others, and there is nothing more I could ever ask of them. At the trials, they show us their strength, determination, and willingness to dedicate themselves fully to the cause. This trial will be different from any we have had before." The crowd chattered amongst themselves until Marcus held up his hand for silence.

"To start, I would like to welcome a visitor to the pack who will watch, and if willing, assist me with the presentation of the winners. Please allow me to introduce King Dmitri Popov of the Lycan Kingdom.” There was a silence at these words, and slowly the crowd sank to their knees, heads hanging, having not known who the man was, with his aura suppressed. The King raised his hand in acknowledgment before stepping back without saying a word.

“Next, we have the new Captains of Luna’s Guard, Mackenzie and Makayla Sharpe. I have asked them to sit out of today's challenge because these two women have proven to possess the same strength and skill as their father, Captain of the Guard, Travis Sharpe. By protecting their Luna at risk of their own lives, they have shown their skill and character, and I am proud to call myself their Alpha. They will be the ones grading and tracking the scores of our female participants.” The crowd cheered as the women each stepped forward.

Watching the crowd, Marcus noticed a look of awe on many young girls' faces. This sight alone was enough to convince him that they had been derelict in their handling of the females in the pack, a fact he intended to change moving forward.

“Finally, the woman who will officially be your Luna this evening is Marcia.” Marcus kept the introduction intentionally brief as they planned to let the pack know about her true name this evening. The crowd howled as they honored the woman they had all come to love.

Initially, many hesitated at the idea of a human Luna, but her sweet nature and unwillingness to back down proved her to the pack, and they had long since claimed her as one of their own. Now they all waited for the ceremony where she would dedicate herself to them and forge the pack link between all. Many wondered if she would be able to link them or if they would feel the connection to her, but everyone was excited to find out.

Traditionally, Marcus would be walking among the competitors, sizing up their excitement and fear, but today he would stay on the dais with the King and Marcia. He knew that if he walked among them, the competitors would immediately detect the change in his scent, and he would distract the competitors. They had discussed the matter and decided that it would be better to announce his change to the pack once the day's events had come to a close. Leaning sideways, he stole a quick kiss from Marcia, much to the amusement of the crowd, many of whom whistled and cheered, before calling out to the assembled competitors.

“Welcome to the first event of the guard trials. This test is designed to measure your ability to use your senses for tracking. Please line up, men to the right, women to the left, and choose your scent.” Each participant selected a piece of cloth that had been worn by the person who hid their prize. They were divided into difficulty ratings from easy to hard, each with its own point value.

By the time this had been completed, there were forty-seven competitors lined up ready to start tracking. Fourteen males and thirty-three females.

Watching from above, Marcia smiled when she saw the smallest she-wolf of the pack, Cassandra, select from the hard pile, choosing her scent. She already knew that many would underestimate this she-wolf, but Marcia had been watching her train and knew that many minds would be changed today.  She was shocked to see Amy, another of the females she had complete faith in, taking an easy selection, having expected her to try for more points on the first event. Most of the she-wolves were counting on the tracking and race events to make up for any points that they might lose in the battle rounds.

Marcus began speaking again, drawing all eyes back to him. “You will have ninety minutes to return with your prize to be awarded points for this event. Those who do not succeed in the designated time frame will be asked to step out of the competition and try again next time. May the Moon Goddess bless you all with the best of luck and safety throughout this day. Competitors, you may begin.” As soon as the word left his mouth, the participants shifted, turned, and entered the woods.

Wrapping his arms around Marcia's shoulders, Marcus turned to the King.  “We will need to announce her identity this evening, as well as address the changes in me. If they discover by scent, we will lose their trust.” The King looked resigned at these words. He knew what the Alpha said was true, but also knew that it would put his granddaughter in danger once again. Royalty would always be a target, but the white lycan would draw stronger adversaries. Thinking it over, he slowly nodded his head, agreeing with the statement.

“I agree, by then my team will be here for added protection. We can have them work with Travis and the girls to cover every possible route of attack.” The Alpha stiffened at the mention of the clean-up crew and the danger that his Luna faced. Like all Alphas, he hated the idea of them being on the pack lands because he knew that if they wanted to hurt his people, he had little chance to defend them.

In his mind, he heard Dax speak. “Human, you forget, we are no longer a wolf, we are a lycan. Yes, the team is a threat, but so are we. We will never allow anything to happen to our pack or our mate.” The tone in his voice made it sound as if Dax wanted to challenge the team himself. These words lightened his heart as he realized that he was not as helpless as he originally feared.

Marcus knew he could not ban them from entering the pack, but he dreaded their arrival. Before he could respond, there was a mind link from the guard at the entrance to the territory. “Alpha? There are four visitors here who say they are expected. I am not sure who or what they are, but they are not wolves.” The fear in the man's eyes was enough to tell Marcus who they were, but they were expecting ten, not four. It was clear that they were attempting to get the jump on the pack in one way or another.

Not wanting to cause the guard unnecessary stress, he linked back instantly, “They are expected, send them through.” The link was cut off by the guard again, “Make that eight, Sir. They left the woods like ghosts. I could not smell them or sense their presence until they wanted me to.” The guard sounded as if he was trying to hold his composure, and not doing the best job of it.

Marcus smiled and motioned to Travis and the girls, who had been watching the woods intently. “We have some visitors, the King's men are here, but the gate guard only mentioned eight. I suspect the other two are checking our defenses. Why don't the two of you take a little run around the pack house perimeter and the pack lands and see what you can find? Do not attack or provoke them in any way, but also show them we are more alert and ready than they seem to think we are.”

Mackenzie and Travis both grinned, their expressions bordering on madness. With a glance at Makayla, who merely nodded, they took off at full speed without a word. Makayla laughed, knowing she would stay to grade the trial. While she was excited to see the King's forces, she knew that her father and sister looked at them as gods among shifters and would do anything to pit their wits against them.

Turning and looking at the bemused expression on the Alpha's face, Makayla felt the need to tell him and the King her suspicions. “You do realize that they are going to go right to the edge of your orders, and if given the chance, will take the chance to pit their brains and brawn against these men.”

The King and Marcus looked at each other before bursting out laughing. This was not something that surprised either of them. It was the reason that Marcus chose them to go; their egos would become involved, and they would function to the best of their abilities. They both secretly wished they could witness the first interactions between them.