Prologue

Elder Richard P.O.V.

Iron Mountain pack 

“Papa?” I look up from the concerning papers on my desk to see my adopted son Allen in the door to my office, rubbing his eyes and hiding in the doorframe. 

“Allen, aren’t you supposed to be sleeping m’boy?” I ask, opening my arms for him. He runs into them, snuggling in close and sighing. I kiss his hair and close my eyes for a second, just relishing in his sweet child smell and the warmth of his presence. 

“I had a nightmare.” He whispers, his body trembling at the memory. I snuggle him closer, waiting for him to continue. It’s not the first time he has had a nightmare, and he always tells us what it is. 

This time though he doesn't seem like he is willing to tell me. Maybe he just needed to get some snuggles and see that whatever he dreamed is not real? 

“Alpha says we are going to war.” He says finally and I sigh. So that is what is on his mind. Usually it’s nightmares from his time back in Blackmoon, before Liam and Maddison knew he and his friends and sister existed. 

Allen, Amelia, Gendry and the twins Tim and Tom are all adopted by me and my mate Harriet. We also legally adopted their older siblings even though Gabriella and Oliver were 18 and Flora was 16, we asked them and they accepted our offer. It was a mouthful for me as I already had adult children I had not done so well with; Rick and Jessica. 

“Papa?” Allen’s voice brings me out of my thoughts. I smile down at him. He is a daddy’s boy for sure, and I love every minute of it. He and the others are my second chance at being a father and doing a proper job, as Harriet is my second chance mate. 

“I don’t know if we are going to war, little man.” I answer softly, kissing his forehead. He frowns. 

“Some say it’s because of Luna Maddie. Why is it because of her? She is nice. I like her and Alpha Liam.” I grin down at him. I know he likes Maddison and Liam. All of the kids adore their former Alpha and Luna. 

“Bad people will say anything to blame others for their own mistakes, buddy.” 

“But..” He stops a second. “Papa, can you tell me the story about Luna Maddie and how she became Luna?” I chuckle. He is stalling going back to bed. 

A noise from the door makes me look up and there are all the other kids and Harriet. She is smiling and looking at me with so much love. 

“Please papa.” Tim and Tom say together, making both Harriet and I laugh. 

“Alright. Come on.” I stand with Allen in my arms, leading them to the living room of our big house.    

“When Luna Maddison was a little girl she was accused of a crime she didn’t do and the evil Alpha of this very pack threw her out without cause.” The kids do not know that former Alpha is me, and they won’t know before they understand I’m changed and we have worked through those issues. I’m not proud of my actions back then, and would do everything different if I could travel back in time. 

“Luna lived in a cave and brave Azlela came to her with food, company and teaching. She stayed by Luna’s side, traveling back and forth between the cave and Iron Mountain, until the day the Alpha’s son took over the pack and he imprisoned her in another pack to hide her, and told the world she was dead.” The children gasp, although they have heard this story a million times. It’s their favorite. 

“Luna was heartbroken, but she pushed on and after her 19th birthday she met her mate; Alpha Liam.” All the kiddos cheer. “She was not going to just go with him so he had to work for it. He met her animal friends and convinced her along with his mother that he was different. Luna finally believed him and went back to Blackmoon pack to be with him, but evil Shyla didn’t like that one bit. Neither did Alpha Rick of Iron Mountain when he found out. He and his sister had killed a rogue girl years before to convince the world Luna was dead, so when she wasn’t he knew they were in trouble.” Gendry raises his hand and I nod to him with a smile. 

“And Luna met Alpha Balder again!” He says excitedly. I smile and Harriet continues with the story. Gendry is right though. Rick brought Balder, who was his Beta at the time, to the Blackmoon pack and there he met his sister again. They reconciled then and there and Maddison forgave him everything. Like she forgave me, her parents and everyone else who ever wronged her - except my children. They never changed, never realised their mistake and Rick even had her kidnapped and brought to the Red River pack, which does not exist anymore as all the members moved to either Iron Mountain, Blackmoon or their original hompack. 

Rick and Jessica tried one more trick, not willing to give up. They attacked Blackmoon along with the Forest Coven, which is living in peace in our packgrounds these days because their Mother and Maiden are living here. Lilliana, Maiden of the Forest Coven, is the Luna of Iron Mountain. Her half-sister Eileen tried to kill their mother and take the Coven by force, wanting to kill Maddison and all werewolves. Jessica wanted to kill Maddison and take Liam by force and Rick wanted to kill Liam and take Maddison by force. 

I don’t even know how I went so wrong with them, but I’m determined to not repeat that with these kids, and so far I’m doing good. 

After the fight at Blackmoon Jessica escaped. Maddison was furious, but we promised each other to keep an eye out for her, the former Alpha of Red River, Tywin, and the band of misfits we know they are trying to get together. The Elder Council promoted me because of all the good I’ve done and all the changes I’ve shown. Balder decided to keep me as the Elder of Iron Mountain, and I’m forever grateful to him for that. 

“Papa?” I smile at Amelia, zoning back in. 

“Yes, princess?” I ask, making her giggle. 

“Are you going to fight baddies?” She asks, her eyes wide. Baddies. That must come from either Lillie or Adria. I snort with a smile. 

“I will fight if it comes down to an all out way, sweetheart. But we are trying to prevent it. Do you know what that means?” She shakes her head. “It means we are trying to make it not happen. We are trying to find the bad people and take them down before it ends in fighting.” She nods. 

“Luna Maddie is a badass.” Gendry exclaims, his eyes blazing. Definitely either Lillie, Adria or Ilisa. Ilisa found Cassian in the forest the night Balder took his new Beta couple to Blackmoon to be introduced. She had felt him ever since the day he became of age, but her instincts told her to find him now. She did and it was game over for the Gamma boy. Ilisa is a panther shifter and a real badass, and takes less nonsense than Maddison. 

“Luna Maddison is a badass, son. But that is not something we say before we are at least 15.” I answer with a laugh. 

“Why would Jessica want her dead?” Allen asks, by far our most sensitive and logical child of all of them. 

“She wanted something that does not belong to her, son, and she will never get it. Luna Maddison is strong, smart, beautiful and resourceful.” I answer, Harriet smiling and nodding.     

“What if she did die, papa?” I take a deep breath. I’m not really sure Liam or Blackmoon would ever survive losing that woman. She is their everything, and Liam would most likely go down a very dark path, unless he can focus on their kids. 

“That would be bad.” I just say. Not wanting to think about it. 

“Papa.” Amelia asks, getting my attention. Her eyes are wide and frightened. “What happens if they both die?” I choke on air. Fuck! If both Maddison and Liam die. I don’t even want to entertain that thought. 

“They won’t, princess. They are both very strong, and Luna has magic on her side, remember?” All the children nod, and we talk about happier things, drinking a cup of hot chocolate before tucking them in again. 

I sit down with Harriet and she can see the haunting in my eyes. The ghosts of ‘what ifs’. She leans in close, putting her head over my heart, kissing my jaw. 

“You said yourself, dear. She has magic, and Liam would never let anything happen to her, the pack or their kids. They are strong, and so are we.” I nod, taking a deep breath. 

“I will talk to Balder in the morning nonetheless. We need a ‘what if’ plan in any case.” She looks at me. “There are people I don’t trust in the Council, and one of them has a particular interest in Blackmoon. He follows their every move, their every adventure to oppose bad Alpha’s and seems almost disappointed when Liam is back home safely.” 

“You never said.” I shake my head, kissing her nose. “No, because I don’t want to think it Harriet. But if they die, if they are no longer there to protect those kids from bad influence. Do you know how much damage Micha can do if he turns to the dark side?” She shudders. “Now think about Mirage and Layla, but Mirage in particular. You know she is stronger than even her mother. She is Azlela incarnated, they have not doubt.” Her eyes widened. 

“He wants..” I shrug. 

“I don’t know, but I am going to keep an eye on him. On everything.”