Jace clears his throat and takes me out of my musings.
“Zane, I've reached Beta. He says his daughter has been missing since yesterday. She was indeed in the woods playing with some other pups when they couldn't find her anymore,” he tells me. “He is on his way here with his mate to pick her up himself. They'll be here in two hours."
"Shouldn't you let Alpha Ahri know about this?" he asks.
Yes, I forgot about all that. The bliss of finally having my mate here has completely consumed my attention. I grab my phone and search my contact list for the number I need. “Alpha Ahri, Alpha Zane from Midnight Moon here. You must have heard that we found your Beta's daughter near our border," I let him know.
The man on the other end of the line growled. “Alpha Zane. Yes, my Beta informed me. This matter should be thoroughly investigated. A pup cannot run miles in a day. There is more going on here.” He doesn't sound exactly indulgent as I expected.
"That's for sure. I discovered the scent of your pack on my territory. That means that some members of you have entered my country improperly," I tell him. “That is punishable. I look forward to including this in your research.” He puffs something but doesn't respond to my words. I decide not to push things through, my position is highly sensitive now that I am at the mercy of his decision in my personal affairs. “There's something else I want to discuss with you as well. It's unusual, but nobody knows the deliberations of the Moon Goddess”, I try to introduce him carefully to the matter. “Mercedes is my mate”, I drop the bomb.
"What!!" he shouts into the speaker. “Dare you to put a finger on the pup and I'll make dogmeat of you! You pedophile. I'm coming for her with my warriors. And make sure she's safe and sound at the border. I'll kill you!" he rages on. His breathing rasps through the phone, I can sense that his anger has reached the top.
“Alpha Ahri, I can assure you that I am by no means a pedophile. And Mercedes' parents are on their way and will get their daughter back safe and sound”, I say calmly. “I don't intend to claim her yet, I know the Were laws too. I want to discuss this issue rationally and come to an agreement with you all.”
"Agreement? About what?" Ahri sounds aggressive. I sigh deeply. “Listen, Mercedes is my fated mate. The Moon Goddess has decided this and I accept that. All I want is to be able to visit her in your pack and have her here with me, so she gets used to my presence and the pack. After all, she is the future Luna of the Midnight Moon pack”.
I hear him swallow hard a few times, the news is clearly not easy for him to digest. But then there are two, I too have to get used to this unusual situation. “Alpha, you know the Were-laws too. It is forbidden to keep mates apart,” I remind him. "I can assure you that she is safe here, my Beta makes sure that she lacks nothing here".
On the other end of the line, I eventually hear him take a deep breath, frantically trying to calm himself. Ahri is known as a hothead, it takes a lot to rationalize him. In the past Alpha meetings, he has made himself known as lightheaded, and few want to get involved with him. But I have no choice since my mate is from his pack.
“Her parents are on their way. Talk to them and if they agree, I'll expect you in my pack within two weeks to discuss this matter further," he finally concedes. “But I think this is an extraordinary case. First the girl is missing, then suddenly she is miles away in your pack and now she is your mate”. He pauses to enforce his words. “Are you sure you have nothing to do with the kidnapping of the pup?” he asks suspiciously.
Goodness!!
Can this man think logically? Even Mercedes does a better job here than her Alpha. And patience isn't exactly my forte. I suppress my annoyance, I have more time to lose on this jackass. “Then explain to me what my motive would be? The girl is my mate. If I knew that beforehand, I would have just gone to her parents and then to you, as I do now," I explain to him as if I were talking to a toddler. “Why should I take the trouble to kidnap her first and then appear suspicious?” The Alpha notices my irritation and decides not to take it.
"What do you mean to tell me?" he sounds tight. “Why wouldn't that be possible? Nowadays people do everything to get what they want. Who tells me you are an exception?”
No, no, no, I'm not going to waste my time on nonsense. “Listen Alpha. As agreed, I will discuss the matter with her parents and be with you in a week. I'll let you know in advance when I arrive. I also hope to hear the results of your research.” Before he can say any more, I end the call.
Jace and Cleo stare at me pityingly. “Yes, this reaction was expected. The man is not known for his high IQ.” sighs Jace. "I can tell he was ready to declare war even before he had enough information about the situation."
“That would be a wrong decision on his part,” Cleo adds sarcastically. “Underestimating Midnight Moon and acting against the Were laws will be his end one day.”
I walk to the liquor cabinet and take out my most expensive wine. There are now plenty of reasons to throw a three-man party. Midnight Moon has found its Luna and I have a mate.
Maybe not quite the way I would like, but that doesn't affect my happiness.
I give my friends a glass and toast each. “To a new beginning for Midnight Moon. With a Luna, we are much stronger, invincible”, I say in a fiery Alpha tone. Jace and Cleo nod. The bubbles from our glass rise while we look at each other confidently....
"Zane, Mercedes' parents have arrived." Jace entered my office, where I wanted to get some work done while my mate was asleep. I nod and get up from my chair. Together we enter the elevator to the Alpha floor. When we step into my bedroom, we see Mercedes sleeping like an angel on my bed. Seeing her like this fills my heart with so much love for her. I immediately swear to myself that I will always protect her and make her happiness my number one priority. Elise has fallen asleep next to her but is up as soon as we arrive. “She was drained. While bathing her, she was already falling asleep," my sister whispers, not to wake Mercedes right away. She's slept for about two hours, probably not nearly enough to rest fully. But her parents are waiting, I have to convince them that their daughter is unharmed. I am well aware that I am under strict surveillance, everyone will want to know how I maintain the relationship with my mate. Carefully I sit down next to my mate. “Little one, you
Mercedes Three Years Later…“Clarita, I'm not feeling well. My head hurts terribly and I have cramps in my stomach”, I tell my friend who is sitting next to me in the classroom. “This has been going on since last night. This morning I took some medication and thought it would be over by now.” I clutch my stomach again as a stab of pain pulls through. I can barely contain a cry.Clarita looks at my miserable self.“Go home quickly. I'll tell the teacher that you’re feeling sick”, she exclaims, already standing to help me out of my seat. Bending slightly forward, I walk out of the classroom. When we are outside the school building, Clarita looks around. “Is Zane coming to get you today? I don't see his car anywhere," she asks with interest.I look at her from the corners of my eyes.For a long time, I have suspected that she has a crush on my mate. Every time she mentions his name, I hear a longing undertone. At first, I thought I imagined it, but when I noticed she inquired about him a
Zane jumps out of his car and sprints to me.“Love, let me take you to the doctor quickly. Since this morning, I already felt that your body is changing," he explains, picking me up bridal style. I put my face on his neck and inhale his scent deeply. Just as I expected, the cramps immediately subsided and were not as painful anymore.Zane told me a long time ago that he can sense certain emotions in me. But once we are mated, that will increase. Because of the mate bond, I will also experience everything he feels, joy and anger, pain and sadness. But now he’s only able to perceive my pain and utter joy.He places me in the passenger seat and kisses me on the forehead. “Hold on, we'll be there in a minute”, he encourages me. Quickly he is back behind the wheel, turns the car nimbly and then we are on the road at high speed. Within a few minutes, we are at the pack’s hospital. He puts me on a bed and walks to the reception. “Can a doctor examine my mate? She has severe stomach cramps,"
The great hall of Silver Moon is bursting at the seams.The heavy base of the Afrobeat reverberates from the speakers, shaking everything on the pack land to its foundations. It's my sixteenth birthday, Zane has thrown out a big party for me. We have live bands performing on the massive stage and later in the evening, a DJ will mix the best songs all together to a powerful beat.The mood is top, never before has Silver Moon experienced so much bustle. Just for this day, Alpha Ahri permitted members of Midnight Moon entry to celebrate this day with me in my pack. This makes my birthday doubly special.And I’m telling you, everyone is present, young and old enjoy to the fullest. The drinks flow freely and the huge catering offers so many choices of dishes. The hall is also beautifully decorated, Zane has appointed a team responsible for the decoration and I must admit they did quite a successful job. This is the most lavish birthday party in my pack's history.I stand on
The party is lit. I dance in my mate's arms all night long, we grind, touch and kiss on the big dancefloor. Sometimes we are interrupted by new guests who still want to congratulate me, but we stay close to each other. In our relationship there is no room for third parties, we have enough of each other and remain true to our golden rule that the opposite sex does not come too close. Then we come close to Alpha Ahri, the old fox swings with a young werewolf, like he's in the old eighties. “Ahem, Alpha, are you having a good time?” I can't help teasing. Behind me, I hear a muffled laugh from Zane. Alpha Ahri looks up and when he sees me watching him, he turns beet red with embarrassment. Guilt is written all over his face. “Yes, yes”, he stammers while making frantic efforts to keep the voluptuous woman away. “Congrats Alpha, this party is amazing. Thank you for taking such good care of my pack member,” he turns to Zane, guiltily avoiding eye contact with me. Alpha Ahri clearly had no
Alpha Zane's POVThe expression on the rejected Alpha's face is priceless.I can barely suppress a grin. The boy clearly didn't come with the intention of having an innocent dance with my mate. He has been following her with lusty eyes all evening. He has his sights set on Mercedes.If that’s really the case, he has underestimated me. I was well prepared for evil hawks like him.For years I've done research on girls' development through puberty. Look, I'm a man, I only have experience of how boys transform into men. So, I did some research, talked to the elderly, kept my sister busy and spent evenings on the internet obtaining information. That is inherent in having a young, up growing fated mate.I learned that girls experience hormonal changes early on and in their innocence, seek the attention of boys who are eagerly waiting for their first sex. Their attention to beauty and make-up, their insecurities, I immersed myself in all these factors and sought advice. I want a confident Lu
With eyes full of disbelief, my woman stares at the car.I hold the keys in the air, but she won't take them. Mercedes takes my hand and pulls me with her to this exquisite model, I was also very impressed when I first saw it. At the vehicle, she runs her finger over the body while making a round. I follow her like a puppy, observing her closely. She is clearly happy, I think I passed here too.“Do you like it, love?” I inform to be sure. She raises her eyes to me and then I see the tears. "Did you really get this for me, Zane?" she whispers in awe. "I've just learned to drive, aren't you afraid I'll wreck it?" I smile. “It's yours, my heart. You can do whatever you want with it. But I know that you take good care of the things you love.” A broad smile comes over her face, with a jump, she is in my arms.“Thank you, Zane. I love you too. You made this day so special for me,” she screams aloud. She lets go of me again and walks to the passenger's side. Even before she gets in, she shou
Carefully I place her on the bed full of roses. I take off my jacket and unbutton my shirt halfway. My mate watches all my movements, I can hear her breathing a little faster. I spread her legs with a knee and slowly lay over her, propped up on my elbows. I give her all the time to get used to the new situation, I know that after tonight our relationship will be completely different. “Zane,” she whispers expectantly. My hand runs over her thighs and pushes her dress up. She helps me pull it over her head and throw it in the corner of the room. And then she lays before my eyes in sexy lingerie. Aahh, my mate had her own plans for tonight too. Just as I thought before, if I didn't intervene in time, she would drive me mad, to the point where I wouldn't be able to control myself anymore. Mercedes knows she's my weakness, seducing me would be a piece of cake for her. I was able to resist her previous attempts with so much difficulty. When she came naked into my room at her parents' ho