Chapter Seventy-Seven
Chapter Seventy-Seven
Phoebe hesitantly stepped into the dining hall. Her face immediately warmed as the scant crowd turned their attention to her. By now most probably knew about the confrontation between her and the princess as well as the king’s ultimatum. She hadn’t even been among them for a year and she was already bringing danger to the pack. Yet as she studied their expressions she didn’t see any resentment or anger. Rather they all seemed hopeful and happy
“Over here,” Lucille waved
Nervously Phoebe crossed the room and settled in the seat across from her sister and mother-in-laws. They both smiled with knowing grins making Phoebe’s face heat up again
“We were beginning to wonder if we were going to have to call the fire brigade,” Lucille teased
“S-sorry we worried you,” Phoebe mumbled
“Lucy,” Norah admonished before reaching for Phoebe’s hand. “How are you dear? Your first heat after being marked can be quite overwhelming especially with wolves as synced as yours and Jason’s.”
“What do you mean?”
“When you are as in tune with your wolves as you two are they often come forward and, in some cases, take over. So don’t be surprised if there are gaps in your memory.”
“Oh.” Phoebe nodded. Yes, she did notice her memory was a bit fragmented over the last few days and what she did remember blended
together so it was impossible to separate one day from another. “Will all
Chapter Seventy-Seven my heats be like that?”
“Yes and no,” Lucille shrugged. “This was your first and we’re in the middle of a stressful situation so I’m sure that contributed to all the chaos
It probably won’t be as overwhelming next time but with Jason being Mister Possessive Alpha, who knows?”
Phoebe nervously glanced around the room to see many were watching her. She didn’t feel any hostility. They remained curious and eager as if waiting for her to give them some sort of command
“Why is everyone staring at me?”
“Because they all want to know if you’re pregnant,” Norah chuckled. “ It’s been almost twenty-five years since pups was born to a high-ranking wolf and this one will be an alpha so everyone is excited. Don’t be surprised if they start following you around and offer to complete whatever mundane task they can for you.”
“You'll never have to lift a finger again,” Lucille chuckled
“I don’t need them to do that,” Phoebe shook her head
“That won't matter,” Norah said, “you’re their Luna, their very pregnant Luna. You'll be treated like a queen.”
“I don’t even know if I am.”
“You will soon enough,” Norah chuckled, “and Lucille isn’t wrong. You will be waited on to ensure the pup develops properly so don’t be surprised when the kitchen staff starts changing up your meals.”
nae “He lives!” Ben exclaimed as Jason stepped into his office
Jason growled as he faced his Beta and Gamma. One was bad enough
and here both of them were waiting to ambush him. His cheeks tinged pink, “I suppose asking you two to drop it won’t do any good.”
Chapter Seventy-Seven
Luke rolled his eyes gesturing for him to sit, “Come on, Jace. Sit.”
With a sigh Jason moved to the couch. Smirking Ben poured him a drink as they sat across from him. They shared amused looks at how uncomfortable their Alpha looked
“So, how are you doing, really?” Luke finally asked
Jason scrubbed his hands down his face. He suddenly lurched forward, grabbed his glass and downed it in one swig
“That well, huh?” Ben said as he refilled Jason’s glass. “Come on, be honest. We know you adopted Blake and Emma and you’ve been honing those daddy skills. But really, what’s it like knowing you have a bun in the oven, hmm?”
Jason sighed looking at his glass before he finally spoke, “I think it’s the most electrifying and terrifying feeling in my life. I can’t decide if it’s the best or the worst timing.”
He looked up at them his gaze reflecting his elation, fear and awe. It wasn’t simply worry for the new pup. With the threat from the royal family hanging over them it was a much more complicated situation
“Hey, take it easy,” Luke reached over and squeezed his shoulder. “ You're not alone. There isn’t a single wolf in this pack who wouldn’t lay down their life for their Luna. We'll all help you keep Phoebe safe.”
Jason nodded letting out an uneasy breath
“That’s right,” Ben agreed, “We should hear something soon.”
“How soon?”
“Very. You know how my sister likes to work.”
Jason nodded struggling to recall the she-wolf he hadn’t seen in years
He remembered a rather serious woman who had very little time for young male antics, even if the male in question was her brother: or rather
Chapter Seventy-Seven he
step-brother. Christina’s mother, Dolores, had been part of a different pack
She was another nameless cog like Phoebe and, like Phoebe, had been mated to her alpha
Rather than rejecting the mate he thought unworthy of him the alpha instead kept her chained in the pack’s prison calling for her whenever he needed to satisfy himself. She was repeatedly raped and tortured for years, forced to endure his infidelity as he liked to keep multiple partners
Somehow she managed to conceive and give birth to Christina who grew up in the same prison cell her mother lived in
When Christina turned ten her father set his sights on her ready to give her the same treatment as her mother. Despite her weakened state Dolores’s protective instincts flared and she leapt to defend her daughter
He might have killed them both if Ramon, Jackson’s Gamma, hadn’t been touring the prison. Having only just lost his own mate in childbirth, he and his wolf became enraged
After beating the alpha to within an inch of his life Ramon forced him to accept her rejection before sweeping both mother and daughter away and into the protection of Blue Moon’s pack. It took months of patience and dedicated nursing to heal both mother and daughter. But the greatest balm for Dolores’s wounds was an infant Ben who was in desperate need of a mother. In the end Ramon took Dolores as a chosen mate and fully accepted Christina as his own
Though they were only chosen mates there was no denying the deep abiding love existing between them. Her previous abuse and malnutrition prevented them from having more pups but they devoted themselves to Christina and Ben. Ramon treated Christina like a princess and Dolores was the only mother Ben ever knew. They were so closely bonded most were surprised to learn the blended nature of their family
Chapter Seventy-Seven
Unfortunately the abuse Dolores suffered had lasting effects on her health. Her wolf was underdeveloped. She struggled with seasonal maladies and a weakened heart. Still she managed to hold on long enough to see both her children mated. Ramon followed shortly after unable to bear the loss of two mates
Jason thought Christina took the loss of their parents much harder than Ben. She found it difficult to stay in the packhouse and the Gamma suite where so many memories dwelled. Instead she elected to travel, eventually becoming something of a spy for Blue Moon. She had a wealth of contacts and informants at her disposal. If there was something she didn’t know she knew how to find it
Jason never asked Christina or her mate, Emily, how they got their information or why so many owed them favors. Some things he figured were best left unsaid
“Jenny I’ve got your number, I need to make you mine, Jenny don’t change your number, eight-six-seven-five-three-oh-nine!” the infamous eighties hit erupted from Ben’s phone causing him to almost spill his drink
“Really? That’s your ringtone?” Luke scoffed
“What? It’s a classic.”
Luke and Jason shared a look as he answered the phone
“Chris? Hey, I’ve been waiting for your call. Yeah? Oh, wait. Jace is here. Let me put you on speaker,” Ben tapped the screen and set the phone on the table. “Go ahead.”
“Hey Mister Alpha, how are you doing?”
“Hi Chris, we missed you at the Luna Ceremony.”
“Sorry about that. We couldn’t get a flight out in time.”
Chapter Seventy-Seven
“Yeah, my mom rushed it so it could be on the blue moon.”
“Sounds like her. How was it?”
“Eventful,” Jason said not wanting to go into details. “So, Ben says you have news?”
“Straight to business. Right now Em and I are in Mercantour National Park chasing down a lead.”
“Mercantour? Why there?”
“We picked up a rumor about the king consulting with witches.”
Jason shared a confused look with Luke and Ben. Unlike vampires, werewolves and witches shared a more amicable history. While wolves praised the Moon Goddess, witches invoked a separate deity though they also recognized the Moon Goddess. During werewolf-vampire conflicts witches maintained a neutral stance though some covens openly supported wolves and a limited few vampires
“I’m pretty sure I heard the king state how much he hates witches,” Jason said with a frown. “Why would he consult with one?”
“Well, not our current king, one of his ancestors,” Christina explained
“The problem is there is virtually no record of it outside of rumors which means it was considered top secret, if it’s true. We think we might have found the coven though.”
“IT see. What about silver wolves?”
“lll let Em explain that.”
“Hey Alpha,” a new voice chirped
“Em”
“So l’ve been through just about every book on lore and history I could find and...nothing.”
“Nothing?”
Chapter Seventy-Seven
“That’s right, or just about. I’ve found maybe two or three references to silver wolves. I mean we know they exist and that they are rare but almost nothing else aside from the prophecy of doom thing. Which is super weird, right? You would think that if there is a wolf out there that is going to bring about the end of werewolf society we would know everything about them.”
“So, we're at square one,” Luke sighed
“Not quite. Remember the old saying history is written by the winners? The problem with history book is whoever writes them has a bias which skews their perspective. Anyway, let me ask you this...who writes werewolf history?”
Jason’s brow furrowed sensing where she was going
“New Moon,” Emily supplied the answer they expected. “I have a feeling they’ve been hiding the truth about silver wolves. The question is why?”
“So how do we find out the answer?” Luke asked
“You can ask them. They want to meet you, you and Luna.”
Jason let out a growl
“Jace, it might be the only way we get answers,” Ben reminded. “What are their conditions?”
“Only that they can talk to both of them. We can choose the time and place and any conditions you want to impose. What do you think,
Alpha?”
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