1: THE RED MOON

XAVIERA

This was the calm before the storm.

 I stood in the gallery, dressed in a red dress, my hands resting on the balustrade, while I watched the throng of bodies move sensually below. It was the Red festival of the Red moon pack, and everyone was in a celebratory mood. From my vantage position, Zee, my elder sister, was giggling like a schoolgirl in the arms of her mate, Luca, while the latter seemed quite satisfied with the woman in his arms. 

Our father, Alpha Wayne sat on his dignified cushion chair decorated with crystal gems, flanked by the chief Gamma, Sir Adrian and his Beta, Felix. 

My mother, Luna Anne, stood in the circle of the court ladies, who were also wives of wolves of ranks exchanging hot topics, or as Zee would call it, “Red gist” —over glasses of white wine. My other siblings were scattered around, and about having fun. Every other person appeared all loved up, the goddess had blessed all the werewolves of Red Moon who were of age either with a mate, or their wolf just a month ago. 

I had been blessed with both. However, I couldn't enjoy the ceremony. Not after what I'd heard earlier tonight. 

My gaze strayed to Collins, my mate, who stood out in the midst of the festivities like a sore thumb. His fingers were firmly wrapped around the base of a glass of wine that had swiftly succeeded several others. He was drinking a lot tonight, and I didn't understand why. 

“It's high time you put the young man out of his misery, don't you think?” The hoarse timbre of Asher's voice interrupted my line of thoughts, as he joined me in the gallery. 

I took a swift whiff of his scent, quickly detecting the contrasting strawberry scent that clung to him in a tight embrace. “Does he look miserable to you?” I asked, cocking my brow playfully at him, taking him in a careful glance. His auburn hair appeared a bit ruffled, like fingers had raked through and pulled, and his dark green eyes looked satisfied—a look that had been a constant thing, “And what's that —”

“It's Kaya” Asher interrupted me smoothly with a knowing look. 

“That wasn't what I was going to ask,” my eyes narrowed suspiciously. 

“You were going to ask anyway,” he shrugged. 

“I wasn't,” I denied. 

“Well, you didn't have to. Your face did the asking” he chuckled humorously. “For a Delta wolf, you surely are too easy to read” he remarked. 

“So Kaya changed her perfume, heh?” I prodded casually. Not that I believed Asher capable of cheating on his wife and mate, who was also his first love—fortunately—but…

“Amongst other things. You wouldn't believe what pregnancy could do to a woman,” he remarked, his eyes lighting up dreamily. 

An absolutely finished man.

“She woke up this morning, and decided to smell like strawberries. And, I combed through several perfumeries for the right type of strawberry fragrance. It was nerve-wracking, but I got my reward just few minutes ago, cause added to weird cravings and desires, is also her powerful need for sex” 

Oh god!

“Please, stop” 

“I mean, the sex between us is magnificent, but this pregnancy has taken it to the highest echelons of desire.” He prattled on, quite elated with the prospect. “You know, there's this —” 

“Okay, enough Asher,” I interrupted him, embarrassed on his behalf. If I let him continue, he might just frustrate me with traumatizing details of his sex life.  

“Don't be a prude, I caught you sucking faces with Collins the night before” 

What?! 

I was certain I looked as mortified as I felt, quite embarrassed by Asher's exaggeration of what was supposed to be a first kiss—an action thwarted by his cockblocking. 

“Our lips barely touched!” I defended myself.

“Good. You just saved a man's life,” he said, titling his head arrogantly. I scoffed at this, my attention returning to the party below. 

“He's my mate, in case you missed the memo” My eyes swiftly swept through the crowd searching for Collins who had stood right there a few seconds ago. He was nowhere in sight. 

Where did he go?

“Doesn't mean you should start fucking,” Asher retorted, successfully shocking me into a near heart attack, and unbelievable embarrassment. 

“Oh my goodness!” 

“What? You don't like the act of fucking?” He taunted, his lips curling into a satisfied smirk. 

“Asher!” I gasped. 

“You shouldn't be scared of fucking though” he continued. 

“Oh, please, shut up!” I chuckled, the thought of my body and Collins’ in an intimate position, settling on my mind for a little while. I liked the prospect. 

“Oh you like it!” Asher continued his taunts, at my giggle, he sighed. “Definitely going to murder that fucker” he said between gritted teeth.

“Like Kaya's brother murdered you?” 

“Oh please,” he scoffed. “ I am going to be Alpha someday, he loves me.”

“Ah!” 

“Ah, yes,” he agreed. “But seriously though, why are you up here keeping guard instead of down there, enjoying the festival?” 

My thoughts drifted back to the conversation I'd eavesdropped on tonight. I debated telling him about what I'd heard our parents and the military gammas discussing an hour or so, but I didn't have all the details. I knew as much as I had heard and seen, and for all I knew, it might not be our pack. 

“I'd rather watch” I decided.

“You're not on duty, Veera. There's enough time to stand guard, so tonight have some fun” he urged me gently. Collins walked through one of the doors that led outside the ballroom to the courtyard. He seemed calm, his glass was gone, and his hands settled in his pants pockets as he casually strolled through the crowd. He seemed more relaxed than earlier. 

“I know,” I offered offhandedly, my eyes trained on my meandering mate. There was something new about him, an aura I couldn't really fathom. 

“Xaviera, what is it?” Asher asked, following my gaze. Just then, Collins looked upwards, towards me. His gaze was quite intense, and unlike my shy mate. The sound of glass tore through our little intense stare, I broke gazes first. A man led a drunken woman out through the crowd, then I caught Luca pulling Zee out of the room, a mischievous look on his face, and my sister's lunatic giggling trailing behind them. “What is it?” Asher asked again. 

“What do you mean?” 

“Okay, I don’t buy your bullshit. None of it. You've been uneasy all evening, your energy is all hyped, and that stare down with Collins? What the fuck is going on?” 

“What—” I began to deflect, but a rapid movement caught my eye. A Delta officer, three ranks above mine, trudged in, his face contorted in a grimace, with an aura of urgency that meant only one thing to my already hyped senses. He bent, muttered something to the Chief Gamma, Adrian, who sat by my father's left, and the man in turn whispered something to my father, whose eyes widened in shock, then shifted to dread. A chill slivered down my spine.

My father whispered to his Beta, both of them got up in a fluid movement, swiftly walking out through the door, a host of the council behind them. Chief Adrian approached my mother, who had been watching the exchange.

“Xaviera!” Asher called, tapping on my shoulders.

“Something's wrong.” I whispered to him. 

“What?” 

“Get Kaya, Zee and everyone to safety” I moved away from him, heading towards the stairs. 

“Okay, fucking slow down and—” he said behind me

“We barely got time, Asher. Go!”

“What in the—”

“Now!” I howled. He nodded in understanding, turning away from me. I descended the stairs, heading for my mother who was struggling to stay as comported as her gingerly secured auburn hair. The guards gathered my other siblings. Curious gazes fell and rested upon us, as I joined them.

“What's going on?” Kaya asked, pushing forward with her protruding stomach. She smelt of strawberries, and the scent of her perfume made me uneasy.  

“Just follow the—” My mother began to say, when a loud sound burst through the night, halting the jolly sounds in one powerful explosion. Another one followed suit, hitting closer to home, shaking the foundations of the mansion. The chandelier above us staggered in effect, then dropped, the sound of shattering crystals sent the whole room into full panic mode, which was greeted by another explosion. 

“Quick! Follow Chief Adrian!” My mother shouted, amidst the ruckus. 

“Xaviera!” Collins called, joining us. He pulled me into a hug, then ran his hand up to my neck. He was shaking visibly, but I couldn't blame him. I was the fighter, Collins had always been too soft for issues like this.

“Hey, it's alright. We'll get to safety” I assured him, running a hand over his hair in reassurance. 

 “What's going on?” he asked shakily.

“We are under attack!”