Chapter 5

I was to meet the future Luna of my pack today. She was a few feet away, seated at the dais with Father and the Alpha of the Skylarron pack. The clash of a sword against mine reverted my focus back to the brown haired wolven in front of me.

“Are you going to come at me or what, pretty boy?” Jason taunted, his knees bent and spaced in a fighting stance.

We’d been circling each other on the sand for seconds now, both of us assessing what tactics and techniques the other would use. Alpha Loren, my father, had organized a sort of entertainment to welcome Alpha Reuel. His daughter and Luna were also coming.

The thought of it made me want to scoff, as I dragged the sword against the rough ground, the edge of the blade clashing with the concrete. Jason stared down as he circled me, his sword up and pointed at me. He was a bigger man, more muscular and rougher. I'd trained with him a few times in the past and he hadn't taken…a liking to me.

Now, I was to somehow defeat him.

The corner of his mouth lifted in a smug smile. He didn't look at me as much, but that wasn't enough for him to let his guard down. Especially in front of a different pack alpha.

An eyebrow lifted at the question he asked me. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes and bit my tongue to push down whatever vile words I wanted to spit out.

Jason charged.

His sword raised above his head as he aimed at me. I stepped to the side with refined grace, dodging the blow and making him stumble a bit. He quickly recovered, tossing out his leg to sweep me off my feet. Skipping over the pack of tendons, flesh and muscles, I turned to face him again.

Pieces of hair fell over my eyes, my sword still pointed down. I watched him rub an elbow over his mouth, revealing a dirty smirk. “Trying to draw this out, are you?”

“Was I that obvious?” My head titled.

Jason let out a frustrated breath as he moved to strike his sword at me. Again, I dodged it. Barely, as I felt the tip graze the corner of my cheek.

“Is that all you do? Run away with your blonde little tail behind your legs?” He sneered, tossing the sword to the ground. He charged at me with mesmerizing speed, throwing multiple punches at me. I let the sword in my hand drop to the ground with a clang as I met him head on. Dropping to a crouch to evade a fist he flung at me, I swept my right leg out to throw him off. He landed with a grunt.

I didn't give him a second to recover. My left hand wrapped around the front of his brown tunic, and I felt that tiny ember of rage. Letting loose, I threw my fist at him. Once, twice, multiple times. His face was a messy blood pulp by the time I was done.

Whistles blew from around us, cheers erupting from the tiny crowd that had gathered to watch the combat. Pulling a hand across my face, I made my way to the dias where the both Alphas available sat, with company.

“You look like shit, brother,” Keyleth murmured, tossing me a white rag to clean my fist with. I'd forgotten I had Jason's blood over it, not stopping to clean before I presented myself before the Alpha of Skylarron and my future Luna.

Father and Alpha Reuel were seated side by side, a couple of chairs beside them and occupied by wolvens I assumed to be Reuel's wife and daughter. Keyleth stayed a seat after father’s, occupying the farthest chair, and leaving the one closest to me.

Fucking great.

“Oliver,” Father's voice carried a tone of authority. Deep and commanding. His arms extended to the wolven beside him, “ Meet Reuel Jalara. The Alpha of the Skylarron pack.”

My gaze flew to the red haired wolven seated beside him. He too, carried an atmosphere of authority. His ember eyes locked on mine and I noticed his jaw tighten as he looked me over. A slight nod of his head in my direction, that he acknowledged my strength and my physical features, was the only thing he gave away. “You are a fine young man, Oliver.” Alpha Reuel stretched his hands, offering a hand shake. I held my right hand out and let it clasp with his. “Valeras is in good hands from what I saw earlier.” He said, referring to the combat that happened minutes ago.

“Ofcourse,” the corner of Father's lips curved up. He directed his hand to the both female wolvens beside Alpha Reuel. “And this is the Skylarron’s Luna, Elena and their daughter, Stella.”

“Pleasure to meet you, Oliver” Elena waved her hand to stop me from bowing my head to her. “I must say the description about your…beauty do not do you justice.”

I faked a smile, hoping it doesn't come out as awkward as I felt. Elena wore a smile that brightened her face warmly. Her dark hair was swept to the back, braided and held with pins. “The pleasure is mine, Luna Elena.”

My gaze swept over Stella, her eyes—ember like her father's—bored holes into me. When she noticed I'd stopped in front of her, the ground looked oddly appealing to stare at. “Hi?,” she croaked.

Lips twitching, I noticed she had the same colour of hair and eyes like her father’s. Her hair had been braided to the back and pinned like her mother's, freckles sprayed over her pale skin. She stared at me and I…I stared back. She was stunning.

“It's a pleasure to meet you…Stella.”

The center of her cheeks tinted pink, pieces of her red hair that hadn't made it into the braid sprawling just above her eyes. I lifted my gaze from Stella, mistakenly catching my appearance on the transparent glass that was placed behind the dais. The muscles on my back bunched, my lips pressed in a thin line as I quickly averted my gaze. I looked the same, the same golden boy. Pale skin in contrast to that of Father and Keyleth, and my hair, a shinny pale blonde. The biceps on my arms looked ripped enough in the sleeveless brown tunic I'd chosen to wear, I'd managed to hone them to a standard over the years. But still, they couldn't compare to father's. He was bigger, stronger, more…masculine.

My jaw clenched as I struggled and failed to not compare myself to the alpha of my pack. The ember within me fizzled and swished, the same time my fingers flexed and curved into fists.

“I think that would be a lovely idea,” I heard father's smooth voice as he held conversations with Alpha Reuel. I, on the other hand, was dwelling on the result of what would happen if the ember in me suddenly rose to the surface.

“What do you think Oliver?” My eyes shot to Father's, brows furrowed in confusion.

“I figured it would be a good idea for you and Stella to become…of acquaintance with each other,” his brows smoothed out, the same time his fingers relaxed and covered the handle of the chair he sat on. “She'll be living with us for a while.”