Parker

With much reservation from both sides, I set off early this morning to meet with Rylan of the Lunar Sky Pack. It's not ideal but it's to save the treaty between our packs. Due to the stunningly successful uprising of the rogues, the packs have become worried that their safety is out of their own hands.

They're not wrong.

Things were already at a heightened state because of Rylan's ridiculously contrary attitude towards the idea of a treaty but adding this sudden change in the status quo breeds a new level of distrust. The fact that the brother of our Alpha is leading the insurgency is problematic.

Especially to Rylan.

When Akira, Eliza and I arrive at the Lunar Sky pack lands, we become quite aware that the scouts are out and about. Akira and Eliza are immediately on edge but show a resolve that I'm having trouble projecting. The two, as well as Kohl, have warned me to be assertive. They told me to mean what I say and say what needs to be said to survive.

That didn't frighten me at all.

As we pull up in the black Landrover, I find the pack's house to be similar to ours. Theirs is made of huge logs and it appears to be older than ours. The whole pack looks much the same yet it's oddly different. It's surprisingly vacant. The three of us exit the car as Rylan approaches the car with three wolves trailing him.

The first wolf has darker orange hair with a longer beard. His eyes are bright blue with specks of grey. I can see faint traces of freckles on his face. His large body, I'd wager, has more of the same.

The second wolf has darker skin. He appears younger than the other two. His brown eyes are colder. The wolf has trouble fitting into his small shirt.

The last wolf, a woman, is wearing a small black dress. Her dark her cascades down her shoulders and she looks kinder. Her green eyes seem softer than any of theirs. I watch as she moves with a grace I could never move with.

I peg them easily.

Caul the Beta, Neid the enforcer and Liara the Luna are standing in front of me.

"Welcome to the Lunar Sky pack lands!" Liara says with a gentle smile as she bypasses her husband and throws her arms around me, "It's so wonderful to have you here!"

I pull away and smile politely at her. She's not what I expected. She's the opposite of her husband and I find it disturbing. She then greets Eliza and Akira. The three seem to know each other well and I note to ask them about it later.

"I was hoping for your mate but you do seem the more competent of the two." Rylan says, "Welcome, Alpha Parker."

I stifle my annoyance and repeat to myself that this is for the good of the pack. I have to keep telling myself that.

Parker

As the day progresses, we are shown around the lands. He makes an effort to show us the local clinic where a few of his best warriors reside after the attack. I feel bad for the wolves. I've seen this kind of brutalization first hand.

McKennon and Ania have to be stopped. I may not have much say in any of this but we have to band together to stop this. I don't know what Ania is or even what she's doing but it doesn't matter. As much as I detest Rylan, neither he nor his pack deserve to be attacked like this. None of the packs do.

I stop in the middle of the street as I watch a woman scrubbing blood from the sidewalk. I stop, causing the wolves to stop as well. I feel uncertain. I should be more interested in what Rylan is saying but this seems significant. This woman is in pain. I can't stop myself as I break from the pack. I walk over to the woman. She barely pauses before she begins to scrub the blood away.

I bend down next to her, "Someone died."

"I'd heard humans were perceptive," The woman says with more venom than I like. I take a deep breath and she speaks again, "Humans are not meant to be here. Not permitted. Yet here you are."

"Here I am."

"Your pack may tolerate—it may condone all of this but my boy is dead. The treaty was supposed to make us stronger." The woman says through tears.

"I am sorry."

"Are you? Will your sorry or this treaty bring my Son back?" She asks, "Will your apologies make us stronger? Will it make your presence on our ancient lands okay?"

I look around her to see a bucket she's been using to wet the sponge. I see another sponge. Someone else was here. I ignore her protests and roll up my sleeves, grabbing the sponge. I dip the sponge, wetting it.

"My husband couldn't finish." She says.

"Well, good thing I'm here."

I quickly begin wiping away at the blood. There is so much that it soaks the sponge immediately. Cassandra was right. I must be better. I must understand that wolves live separately from humans for a reason but the two are not different. We live, we fight and we bleed. If the roles were reversed, would I not feel the same? I can't answer it. I'd hope I wouldn't but it's different when it happens to you.

I just know that a mother lost her son.

And right now, she needs help.

Kohl

It's been at least twelve hours since Parker left and the worry is seeping into everything I try to do. I trust Parker but I don't trust Rylan. His aversion to our treaty makes this a long shot. If he decides that he doesn't want to continue the treaty, Parker and two of my best enforcers are in his land.

The thought that I'd be fighting the Lunar Skys as well as the Rogues is becoming very real. I'm only prepared to fight one at the moment and I don't trust my emotions when it comes to Parker. He's the better part of me.

I had to get out of my office. I found my way to a bench outside. I watch the kids as they play in the streets. They all seem to be having fun. I laugh as I see a mother chasing a cub. The cub can't be more than five months. She's fast for a toddler.

"Remember when we thought about having a few cubs." Leah says as she takes a seat next to me, "Seems like only months ago."

"Yeah, a whole lifetime." I say politely.

Leah and I have a long history. I would venture to say she was the longest relationship I've ever had. With that being said, our relationship was never solid. Leah was always interested in becoming the Luna one day. I doubt she realizes it fully but the two of us aren't especially suited for each other. Her jealousy is complicated. I can see a certain amount of jealousy being fair but she seems to want to stake her claim.

But she has no claim to stake.

"Where is he? Your mate."

"Why do you care?" I ask.

"Just wondering, Alpha." Her voice turns slightly sultry, "I just thought we could reconnect. We haven't spoken in a while."

I know her game. She is up to something. Leah never understood that her looks won't get her everything. There are some things that she cannot win. My heart is one of those things. She doesn't have a mate bond and, therefore, doesn't know how strong it is. She doesn't understand that there is nothing she can physically do to make me stray from my mate.

"We should speak when my mate returns. I think you owe him quite a few apologies."

"Me?" She asks innocently.

"Leah, whatever you're up to, stop it. He is your Alpha now, as well. If you disrespect him in any way, you'll be disrespecting me as well. You don't want to disrespect me. Am I clear?"

"Crystal." Leah says with embarrassment. She stands, "I apologize for any disrespect I showed towards you or your mate."

"Sure you are, Leah. Sure you are."

Leah huffs as she storms away from me. I can't help but not care about her feelings. The safety and well-being of the pack is my business. Her feelings about my mate are not my business.

Parker

After I help the woman, Theresa, wash her Son's blood off the sidewalk, she explains that he was a teenager, just out of high school and joined as an enforcer. It was his second time encountering the wolves and he saved a little girl as well as his parents.

He was a hero.

Rylan and his group take us back to the pack house and lead us through what appears to be a decadent hallway into a rather extravagant office. The office is large with very modern glass furniture, including his desk and curio sets. I find the painting of he, Liara and two children a bit disturbing. Usually, you hang up influential people from the past.

He's a tool.

"That was a very kind thing you did." Liara says breaking the silence, "Theresa and Cary had one child. He was their everything."

"Yes, it was quite altruistic." Rylan says with disbelief, "Oscar-worthy, even."

"You can't think he did that for show." Eliza says in shock.

"Of course he didn't." Rylan says with a bored tone, "He did it because he's such a good little human."

"Little human? He's our Alpha." Akira shoots back.

"My husband speaks—"

"Quiet Liara." Rylan says turning his attention on me, "The boy's death is on you and your pack's hands. You had that psychopath in the palm of your hands and he wriggled away, just as I said he would."

"That's not on our hands!" Eliza says angrily.

"Elli." I say calmly.

"Had your inept mate killed him, my pack would be intact! I knew this treaty would be the death of me but never did I imagined it would be the death of my pack as well!" Rylan shouts, "And now he sends a human? Yes, your Alpha, a human! A filt—"

"Okay, I gave you a minute to rant. I gave you your opportunity to speak. Are you done?" I ask.

"I failed to protect my people because I trusted your pack."

"You failed to protect your people for the same reason everyone else did right now. You, like all of the rest of us, underestimated the Rogues." I continue calmly, "You want to blame Kohl? Or me? Or Gaius? Fine. Let's just say that it's our fault. You're going to pull out of the treaty, the first treaty in centuries, just to spite us?"

"My people are dead!"

"And if you go it alone, more of them will die." I say angrily. I take a deep breath, "Those people out there, your subjects, Mr. Royalty, are people. I didn't stop and help that woman so I could impress you. I stopped and helped her because she lost her son. She was washing his blood off the sidewalk. I was helping one of your subjects. I didn't have to. I don't want anyone else to die."

"You came to my lands and tell me about my people?"

"Yes, the human is on your land telling you that if you continue down this path, the Rogues are going to murder you. Then all other isolated packs." I say angrily, "Rylan, hate me. Hate Kohl. Hate Gaius, if you have to but please don't do this out of spite. You don't like us. Truth be told, I'm not crazy about you but I don't doubt your ability to lead, as you have done to every Alpha in my pack."

"You're so good with words. The same way you got the others to sign on with you."

"I'm not good with words. I just mean what I say." I take a deep breath, "I came here to ask you to stay in. I'm not sure how you came to hate my pack but what I do know is that we have an opportunity to survive and thrive together. Wolves are pack animals."

"I'm aware."

"Why not be an actual pack for once? One big pack."

"Who would lead it, you?" He asks.

"You're missing the point." I say with annoyance, "You know, you think about it. Think about the kid on the sidewalk and his parents. Think about those warriors in the clinic. Think about the future of your pack. If you can honestly say that you're better off without the treaty, fine. But if you can put aside your petty issues and just help be the solution, we can win this. Come on, guys. We're leaving."

The three of us turn and leave the Lunar Sky pack to debate. I'm tired. I know I'm supposed to do what it takes to keep the treaty alive but the treaty cannot work with such disharmony. I'll just have to tell them I failed, as much as that is going to sting.

We're heading down the drive to the Landrover when the door to the house opens and Liara marches towards me. Eliza and Akira stir behind me but I gesture for them to stay where they are. Liara stops directly in front of me.

"Rylan can be an asshole." She says with a stunning amount of grace, "He's always had a very contentious relationship with your pack because it used to be my pack. There's a lot of history between our packs and it was nearly war when I mated with him."

"We really need to find a new word for it."

"You have our support. You have shown that you are in favor of unity above all. That is what the packs need. The Moon Goddess sent you, a human, to show us the way." Liara smiles to me, "Sometimes, you have to remind the Alpha of who they are. As a Luna, you must always remember that just because the Alpha is the more dominant of us, he is not necessarily the stronger. Not when we have them by the balls."

I chuckle as does she.

"But we must stop the Rogues and it must be done soon. There is no way for all of us to join together with them out there."

"I promise you, Liara, the Rogues will not be a problem for much longer. One way or another." I say with a nod, "Thank you."

"Be well, Sequel."

I chuckle to myself as I turn back to the Landrover. I quickly hop in the car and wait until we're moving. Eliza and Akira applaud me but I feel like the easy part is over. The hard part is just beginning.

At least I can hold this over Kohl's head for the rest of our lives.