Asher

Brian and I left the girls, so they could bond. They, without a doubt, will go shopping. We headed to my office to meet up with Dr. Nale. Apparently, he has urgent news, that cannot wait another day. I found him patiently waiting on the leather couch, with his nose in a small leather notebook.

"Alpha," Dr. Nale greeted me. As much as I refuse, he insists on calling me 'Alpha'. He claims it shows respect. He doesn't at all mind that I'm almost half his age. He treats me as he treated my father.

Dr. Nale shut his book, but kept his thumb in between the pages. I sat on the seat across from him, as Brian sat next to Dr. Nale. "You needed to tell us something?"

"I actually would like to speak to the Queen, too," Dr. Nale stated.

I quickly shook my head. "She's got a lot on her plate. I don't want to stress her out too much."

He nodded. "This may sound a bit incredulous," he warned.

"Uh... smaller words please," Brian said.

I should buy him a dictionary for his birthday. I chuckled. "We might not believe him," I explained. Brian nodded in understanding, before motioning for Dr. Nale to continue.

"Well, I got a visit from the Moon Goddess," he said slowly.

Why would she visit Dr. Nale? "And?" I inquired.

"She gave me instructions and a message. Eve should have gotten the message before, but you weren't supposed to know about it yet."

So Eve kept a secret from me? I was pained at the thought, but I was being hypocritical. I didn't tell her about the witch that came by here. I decided to deal with it on my own, kind of. I asked Dr. Nale for help. I just didn't want to stress her out more. Why would she keep something from me?

"What was the message?" Brian asked, pulling me from my thoughts.

Dr. Nale opened the book and handed it to me. The left page was filled with crossed out words and scribbles. The right page only had words in a straight line, vertical to the page. I recognized Dr. Nale's writing. "Your ominous upbringings restore composure. He imbalances life drastically" I read aloud.

"Those are big words," Brian mumbled. He's no help at all.

I rolled my eyes. "This makes no sense. Ominous is like threatening, and composure is calm. How can something be threatening, but at the same time be calming? Its counteractive."

Dr. Nale shrugged. "I've been staring at those words since I woke up. Only the second sentence makes sense. He could be too evil, making the balance between good and bad uneven. But I had no idea who 'he' was."

Past tense. "Had?" I questioned, raising an eyebrow.

He nodded. "If you take the first letter of each word, it spells something," he explained.

That's why its in a line like that. I covered the letters with my hand, and read going down. I read it over a few more times before actually opening my mouth. "Your child," I said quietly.

"That's what the witch said right? 'He is your child'," Dr. Nale said. I stiffly nodded. My kid will 'imbalance life?'

"So what does this mean?" Brian asked.

Dr. Nale shot me an apologetic look. "Your baby will be in great danger."

*****

Genevieve

"Are you sure this isn't too much?" I asked while looking at myself in the mirror. I was wearing a blue dress that ended mid-thigh. It was tight on my torso, then loosens after my waist. It came with a thin black belt, and I still had my locket hanging from my neck.

Asher came up from behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist. "Its a ceremony. We're supposed to be fancy and stuff."

I chuckled and pecked his cheek. "But we're having a bonfire to celebrate. Isn't this too fancy for a bonfire?" I questioned.

"You can change after the ceremony," he suggested. I nodded in agreement and went to the closet. Earlier, the girls and I literally just threw my bags in here. I pulled out a pair of blue skinny jeans, a white v-neck, and my combat boots. I placed the clothes on the bed before walking towards Asher.

I wrapped my arms around his waist, instantly feeling the tingles. "You look very handsome by the way," I whispered. Asher was wearing his normal black t-shirt with dark jeans. I've never really seen him dress 'fancy,' but I'm pretty sure I'll see him in a tux soon enough. He probably looks hot in a tux.

"I look sexy in a tux," Asher corrected. I rolled my eyes.

"Stay out of my head," I huffed. Asher placed a soft kiss on my lips and leaned our foreheads together. "We should probably go. I don't want to be late for my own ceremony," I said quietly. I started pulling us out the room, but Asher tugged on my hand.

He looked nervous. "We have to talk," he stated.

Those are four words no one wants to hear. I froze and slowly turned around. "Talk?" I questioned. "About what?"

"About a few things actually. It can wait till after the ceremony though," he said reassuringly.

That didn't help with my nervousness. What if something bad happened while I was out with the girls? "Its nothing bad right?" I inquired.

Asher gave me a small smile before kissing my forehead. "Its bad news, but it doesn't affect us right now. Let's just have fun at the bonfire, and we can talk about it after or tomorrow," he suggested.

I sighed and nodded in agreement. At least I won't have to worry about it tonight. I pushed the thought to the back of my mind. Asher and I made our way out the room hand-in-hand. We made it to the backyard, and all conversation stopped. We walked onto the makeshift stage and Asher walked up to the front. I stayed near the back side of the stage as he addressed our pack.

"All of you know that I have met my mate. We have recently completed the mating process," he informed them. Cheers and hoots erupted in the crowd. "But," Asher said, making them quiet down again. "She is not a regular she-wolf. Many of you know that my mate is the Queen of werewolves," he paused, letting the information soak in. "I now present to you, your Luna, Queen Genevieve Burke," he said excitedly.

The pack was dead silent; you could hear a pin drop. I slowly walked forward and stood next to Asher. Please don't reject me. I chanted in my head.

I cleared my throat before speaking. "Hi," I croaked. I saw Belle and Peyton in the crowd, they gave me encouraging looks and thumbs up. "I guess I'm your Luna," I mumbled. They all just stared at me, like they didn't know what to do. The minutes that passed by felt like hours. No one made a peep.

All of a sudden, the whole pack bowed down. I stared at them wide-eyed as they slowly rose back up. "Queen/Luna Genevieve!" Asher shouted proudly. Unlike last time, the pack erupted in cheers. A smile spread across my face at the fact they accepted me. "Now it is time for the howling. Everyone is welcome to join us," Asher announced.

He took a hold of my hand and guided me into the forest. Our pack members quietly followed behind us. 'Asher', I whispered in the mind-link.

'That's my name,' he stated. I rolled my eyes. 'Are you okay?' he asked concerned.

'Why was the pack like.... frozen?' I questioned.

From my peripheral vision, I saw him bite his lip to stop himself from laughing. But this wasn't funny! They were probably having second thoughts. 'They didn't know how to react. They wanted to cheer, but they didn't want to look unprofessional,' Asher informed me. 'They were all going crazy in the pack-link. I had to remind them that you're their Luna as well as Queen.'

At least they didn't think I was crazy or weird. I'd prefer the cheering over the awkward silence. I nodded in understanding as we came to a stop. We were at a large clearing. The pack easily fit in a perimeter around the land, with the high ranks in the center. I stood next to Asher, Brian and Peyton were next to us, and another couple to the other side of us, I'm guessing that it's Asher's third.

The pack members all shifted at once, ripping their clothes in the process. We all shift by rank during the howling, so the third and third-female were next. Once their paws hit the floor, Brian and Peyton shifted. Peyton was a beautiful light blonde, almost white, wolf; Brian's wolf was a light brown. Asher and I shifted next. My white fur was glowing next to his midnight black wolf. He licked my face causing me to send him a wolfy grin.

Asher howled first. Then Brian and the third; I really have to learn his name. After the ranks howled- minus the females- the whole pack howled. Then it went back up the ranks. The third with his mate, then Brian and Peyton, and finally, Asher and I. We both howled, when we finished, we did a final howl with the ranks and the whole pack.

The ceremony was complete.

*****

I stood in Asher's room, wearing my blue skinny jeans, white v-neck, and black combat boots. I lazily put my hair in a bun before walking downstairs. Asher was waiting for me at the bottom of the stairs. He wrapped his arm around my waist and buried his face in my neck, inhaling my scent.

"I love you so much," he muttered against my skin. His breath blew against my shoulder, making me shiver.

"I love you too, Alpha Reed," I whispered. He groaned and pulled me tighter against him. "Come on, we have a bonfire to attend," I said while giggling at his flustered expression.

We made it to the backyard, where there was now a tower of wood. Brian was pouring gasoline on it. Once the bottle was empty, Asher pulled me towards it. He got out a box of matches and pushed it towards me to take it. I slid open the box and pulled out a match.

The pack surrounded us, waiting for me to light the bonfire. I skid the match against the box and it lit on fire. Asher smiled at me as I threw the match onto the wood. The pack erupted into cheers and started moving about.

Asher pulled my body closer to him and leaned his head down. I barely brushed his lips, teasing him. He groaned and kissed me. My hands instantly wrapped around his neck as he tangled his hand in my hair. I heard someone clearing their throat, but this was too perfect to pull away from. It was just me and my mate.

Suddenly, Asher was pulled away from me. Since his hand was in my hair, he pulled my hair. I shrieked and my hand flew up to my head. I rubbed the spot.

Asher growled. "You made me hurt her!" he shouted at Brian, who pulled Asher away.

Brian just rolled his eyes. "There's kids here. Get a room or something," he scolded us quietly. I flushed red causing Belle and Peyton to laugh at me.

"Maybe we will get a room," Asher informed him while winking at me.

"Yeah. Or not," I said pulling the girls away. We went into the kitchen, where a few girls, along with the third's mate, were cooking.

They looked up at me and bowed. "Your Highness," they muttered.

I awkwardly cleared my throat. "Please don't refer to me as Queen, or your Highness, or my lady, or whatever else people call Royals," I said with a small smile.

They nodded. "As you wish, Luna," a girl said respectfully.

I fiddled with my hands and made my way closer to them. "Please, just call me Genevieve or Eve. Since I am now Luna, this pack is my family; I will not have my family use formalities with me," I stated with a slightly awkward smile.

"Alright, Genevieve," the third's mate said. "I'm Tessa; this is Ariel, Lennon, Nadia, and Bea," she named off while pointing at the girls.

"It's nice to meet you guys," I said honestly. At least I know Tessa's name now. My phone was vibrating in my pocket, and I excused myself. I walked over to the living room that connected to the kitchen. Shawn's name was flashing on my phone. "Hello?" I answered.

"Hey, Eve," Shawn greeted me. "I know that you're busy, but Matthew wouldn't go to sleep without saying goodnight to you," he said.

I laughed. "Put him on the phone," I heard rustling as Shawn gave Matthew his phone.

"Eeeeeeeve," Matthew said while dragging out the 'e.'

A smile made its way on my face. "Hey, baby. Its bedtime; you're supposed to be sleeping," I told him.

"But I wanted to talk to you," he whispered. "I miss you," he sniffled, informing me that he's crying.

"I miss you too, sweetie. But remember what I said. Its only for a few days, Asher and I will be back soon," I assured him.

There was a pause before Matthew spoke. "Okay," he said quietly. He sounds so sad. I hate it. I feel like I need to be with him all the time. I don't want him to get lonely, and I want to spend as much time with him as possible. I almost lost him once, and I'll do everything in my power to make sure I don't lose him. 

I sighed. "Go to bed now; and I'll talk to you tomorrow. I love you."

"I love you too," he said before hanging up. I slid my phone back into my pocket and ran my hand down my face. I noticed that it was really quiet.

I turned around and saw that all the girls were staring at me. "Uh... Why are you guys looking at me?" I asked uncomfortable. They all looked at each other, then back at me. No one said anything. "So?" I said slowly.

Belle sighed and stepped forward. "You have a kid," she whispered.

"What?" I asked.

"A kid. You have a kid," Tessa stated.

A kid? I shook my head. "I don't have a kid."

Peyton nodded. "You don't have to lie." The rest of the girls nodded in agreement.

"I don't have a kid."

"Does Asher know?" Ariel questioned.

I sighed. "I don't have a kid," I insisted.

"We just heard you on the phone," Bea informed me.

"I don't have a kid!" I shouted frustrated.

"Who has a kid?" Brian asked. I turned and saw Asher and him walking in from the back door.

I face palmed. "No one has a kid," I muttered.

"I think Asher and Eve should talk," Belle announced.

This was getting really annoying. I ran my hand through my hair and stood in front of the door, blocking the girls' way. "Asher and I don't have to 'talk.' I. Do. Not. Have. A. Kid." I stated.

"Bu-"

"I was talking to Matthew," I said, cutting off Tessa. "Matthew is my little brother, not my son," I explained.

A chorus of 'oh's sounded around the room, followed by several apologies from the girls. "We shouldn't have jumped to conclusions," Ariel said quickly.

"It's fine, really. You didn't know," I said with a shrug. The girls nodded, and continued to walk out. Peyton, Brian, Asher, and Belle stayed behind.

"So...." Brian said, breaking the awkward silence. "You don't have a kid?" he asked.

I laughed. "I don't have a kid. It was just a misunderstanding."

"Babe. Can we talk?" Asher whispered. "About the thing I told you about earlier," he added. Oh yeah. The bad news that I wouldn't have to worry about til the future. I nodded. "Brian, bring Dr. Nale to my office please," he said.

Brian nodded and kissed Peyton before leaving. Peyton and Belle started a conversations as Asher and I walked to his office. It had a big wooden desk, a few shelves, a couch, and a few other seats. It was a standard Alpha's office. The last time I was here, was when I met Wendy in person.

I slowly made my way over to the couch and sat down. Asher followed after me and grabbed my hand, fiddling with my fingers until Brian came back. A familiar man came in after Brian. "Hey! You're the doctor that came when I was with Jacobs!" I exclaimed, not-so-professionally. I sheepishly smiled at the man.

"Alpha. Your Highness," Dr. Nale greeted us.

"Please, just call me-"

"He won't," Asher cut me off. "He hasn't stopped calling me 'Alpha.' And arguing won't stop him," Asher informed me.

I nodded. "Well, then I just ask that you call me 'Luna,' if you insist on formalities. You are part of my pack, I wish you would call me by my name, but if anything, just 'Luna," I rambled.

Dr. Nale chuckled. "Alright, Luna. I suppose Asher has told you what this is about?" he asked.

I shook my head. Asher was extremely vague. "He just said that it was bad news."

The doctor nodded. Brian began to walk out the room, but Asher stopped him. "You can stay. As long as Eve doesn't mind," he said looking at me for confirmation.

"I don't mind," I said slowly. Why are they acting weird?

After Brian sat back down, Dr. Nale started talking. "We know about the message."

"What message?" I questioned.

Dr. Nale pulled out a small notebook from his back pocket and handed it to me. "There is a bookmark," he stated.

I opened the leather book and saw the message. It was the same one that the Moon Goddess gave me. The one that was extremely cryptic and confusing. "Where did you get this?" I asked Dr. Nale.

"The Moon Goddess visited me. She wanted me to pass the message along to Asher."

I nodded. "Why? This doesn't make any sense," I said holding up the book.

Asher shook his head at me and grabbed the book. "Look at the first letters," he said while covering part of the words. "It spells 'your child," he informed me.

I stared at the page. It's an acronym. "What does it mean?" I asked quietly.

Asher sighed. "When I came back here, a few days ago," he started. "A witch was here. He cast some spell- wait. No. It was the same spell that was cast on you. When the rogues came, they brought a witch," he said.

I nodded. "I remember. It wasn't English though," I stated.

"Dát vám moc," Dr. Nale said. "It means 'give you power'."

I scrunched my eyebrows together. "A witch gave us power?"

Asher shook his head. "Not us. Our child."

"What does this have to do with the message?!" I asked exasperated.

Dr. Nale sighed. "I believe that your child is the 'he' in the message. That your child will be in danger."