Packhouse on the second territory

Rob POV

As the cars stop in front of my old packhouse, I can't stop feeling irritated. Some time ago, I thought it was a building worth praising; now, I see mostly unnecessary luxury. However, it doesn't look as glamorous as it did many weeks ago.

From what I heard, my previous Luna and Alpha live here now with only one housekeeper, so there is nobody to clean the windows or cut the grass, and the time for regular fancy parties is also over.

Patrick, the Gamma, is standing at the entrance as the cars are parked. I barely know the guy, he was Mikkeli's Gamma for many years, and now my previous pack members call him a stubborn formalist.

Dalton and I were riding together; now, we step out of the car alongside three other men. In total, our Alpha has just brought here around 15 trackers and ten warriors, officially, for training. I know what's at stake, pledged my loyalty, I know what must be done but still, I'm not too cheerful with the fact I'm going to lie to those who were my neighbors for my whole life.

I take a glance at Kyle, who, of course, was riding with the Alpha. I don't want to think that I am going to spend the upcoming weeks so close to him because I honestly don't know anymore what I want, what I feel. Bond intensifies. Day by day, I want him more and more, and day by day, I hate myself for this more and more. Renan didn't deserve this kind of treatment; he deserved loyalty and revenge. I doubt I will be able to give that to him.

Maybe that's why I'm now so acknowledged as a warrior in Black Moon, my foul mood keeps me training and working like crazy, and getting focused on my duties day by day makes me somehow go through the day. Makes me think about Kyle only once every minute, not once every second.

We all enter the packhouse. Trackers and warriors are taken by the housekeeper to their rooms but Alpha, Dalton, and I go with Gamma to his office.

Ryan is waiting there with his wife alongside five others who I recognize instantly; one of them is my father, and the others are previous counselors of Ryan. And just like him, they all lost their power and say in anything when packs merged. The new rule has come and I wasn't surprised that most didn't have problems accepting it.

Mikkeli accepts the bows from the present in the room, and we sit.

"What do you want?" he asks.

"We wanted to welcome you again to my house," Ryan says. "I wasn't informed in advance that you coming."

"I don't have to inform you; this is no longer your pack," Mikkeli spits.

"We have some questions," my father says, and I see Gamma sights irritated.

"I am aware of your questions, so I will answer them now," Mikkeli answers." First of all, this is my pack, I don't have to, or my Gamma doesn't have to explain any decisions, not to you, not to anyone. Patrick is in charge; none of you is in charge anymore since you failed before. When the exchange of warriors will end, Patrick will be back in the first territory, and I will appoint another Gamma to stay here permanently. But it won't be you, Ryan. You are granted with staying here because of respect for our joined fighting in the past. But make no mistakes. You are not my friend. All of you are now pack members under my rule and protection."

"Why are you here, Alpha, if you don't mind asking?" one of them says.

"To train with my trackers, I want them to get familiar with this land; I want to get familiar with it too. We will probably stay for three weeks. In the morning, I will be running around the woods with them; in the afternoon, my office will be open to every single member of the pack who wishes to speak, so if you want to ask more questions, get in line. No leave; we will be busy."

Mikkeli's voice is stern; I can feel his alpha's dominance. My father and others have no choice but to submit, but they look not happy when they leave the office.

"Don't be too harsh on Ryan; the others pushed him to complain and come here," Patrick says.

"Is he calm?"

"I'd say he is sad, and his wife isn't well. They lost their only daughter..."

"And Marc lost his only son, and I lost my best friend. Many more died, and everybody lost something because of their daughter," Mikkel responds. "But I got your point; I'm not here to argue with Ryan. Have you done what I asked?"

Patrick nods, and soon five people enter the room; one of them is Roseanne. I'm not surprised. I've heard how much recognition she got from Gamma. Including me in the room are eight people from my pack. Mikkeli asks us to sit and starts.

"You all are here because you were recommended by Beta or by Gamma. What I'm about to ask you can be crucial for the future of the Black Moon pack, but it will also demand that you keep a secret from your friends and family. Am I clear?"

"Yes, Alpha."

After he finishes explaining the situation we all leave the office. My sister and I slowly walk towards the exit, ready to go home and face, for sure, an extremely foul mood of our father. That's when I spot Kyle once again, but he is not alone. To my surprise, Dickson, a friend of my father is talking with him, or more likely, gripping his arm to stop him from walking away. I frown and walk faster to get closer.

"I did wrong, I know that," Dickson whispers with quite a panicked voice. "But I got punished; your father punished me for it. Kyle, please, I don't want to die. Please don't tell the Alpha the truth of what I did because he won't banish me; he will rip my heart out of my chest!"

"I won't say, but stay away from me," Kyle says before yanking his arm away from Dickson and entering the house.

He doesn't spare me a single look, and as much as I don't want to, my chest tightens because of hurt and worry.

Celia POV

"You know Hank likes you?" Danny says.

I blink, not sure what I should say to his statement. Danny and I are sitting on the porch of the packhouse and watching Kathy playing with twins in their wolf forms.

"Don't talk nonsense," uncle David  says in a stern voice.

Marc, who is in charge of keeping an eye on my uncle, gives him an annoying look but says nothing. I appreciate in Marc that although he is the one who usually listens to our private conversations, he not even once has made any comment.

Although many days passed since that time when Alpha attacked me, well, actually, he didn't attack, he got close to me yelling and made a move to touch me, but Hank stopped him. Still, I was so scared at the moment that I almost went into a panic attack. It didn't happen because Hank not only protected me but also comforted me. Strangely staying in his arm was very calming. I kept avoiding Hank touching me since the day I was brought here, but to my surprise, it wasn't that bad. At this very moment, for the first time, I felt that I can trust him.

He openly disobeyed his Alpha to protect me, and that meant something.

Alpha and Hannah apologized for his outburst soon after the incident, but honestly, I understand them. He, after all, was almost sure that I had killed their baby. I should consider myself lucky that I managed to get away unscratched.

"I'm sure Hank likes her," Danny repeats, but before my uncle has a chance to say something, Marc intervenes:

"You are almost healed, hunter, so I think you should start right now."

"What?" my uncle asks but doesn't look happy.

"Training, you will be training combat with me; I wish to know more about your fighting style and the way you hunters think when you fight. You shouldn't oppose. After all, this pack is feeding you."

Marc goes in the direction of the training ground, motioning for my uncle to go with him, which he does. He is in no position to refuse, after all.

"Hank really likes you."

"Danny, I heard the first time," I sigh. "You are a kid, you shouldn't pry into others' business, plus it's complicated."

I may sound a bit harsh since Danny immediately lowers his head. I gently wrap my arm around him.

"It's okay. I'm not mad," I say.

"I like it here; it's safe here. Kathy is happy here. I don't want to leave."

"We are not going to leave Danny, at least not soon," I say, and he also hugs me.

Kathy comes to us. Her eyes are sparking; Danny is right; she is happy here.

"Mommy, will my wolf one day be as big as James's and Jason's?" she asks, giggling.

"I'm sure she will" I gently pat her head. She pulls Danny's hand and goes with him back to play.

I think about what Danny said. At first, I was focused on how much I was scared that I avoided getting into any interaction with Hank. He was the enemy, the man who hurt me, so it was reasonable not to engage in any sort of interaction with him. I put as much distance as in my situation I could, and to my surprise, he respected it. He respected my boundaries, he let me find my comfort zone, he was always nothing but polite, and he protected me, protected Danny from his Alpha and his pack. And he had absolutely no reason to do so. Even if because of us being mates,  he can't kill me, that doesn't mean that he has to take care of me, and yet he does.

Greyson is another thing. When I first saw him in a bathroom, at first  I was frozen, but soon I felt some sort of attraction towards him, curiosity. I didn't feel intimidated, and for sure, I felt much more relaxed than when I was around Hank.

And my first ride on him was for sure one of the best moments in my life. It's like finally, after so many years, I had a chance to be relaxed; I had a chance to rest.

And one last thing, my nightmares. Since I came here, I haven't had any of it. Previously, when I was living with Kathy alone, they used to hunt me regularly, but now there is none. I don't understand why but somehow, here, my mind has seemed to find some peace finally.

The pack members also seem to slowly accept the fact that I'm not going to go anywhere. In the beginning, I was faced with clear hostility. Now, it was mostly polite indifference. Mostly, I think as I pass two werewolves in the corridor going into Hank's office. They glared at me, but just two of them; the rest doesn't pay any attention, and one actually smiles at me.

I take a big breath as I knock and enter Beta's office. He looks at me as I come closer to his desk. He seems tenser, and I also shift uncomfortably. It's quite funny how nervous we seem to make each other.

"Please, sit down," he points in the direction of the chair.

I'm quite familiar with his office; after all, I was spending here half of every day in the beginning.

"I want to ask for a favor," I say shyly. "Kathy's birthday is coming, and I promised her I would take her to the jumping area in the city we lived, and she reminded me about it today. I still want to take her there."

He smiles at me, but I don't smile back. I still don't know if showing any sympathy towards him will be for my benefit or not. Subconsciously I know that Hank means no harm, but still, I try so hard not to accept from him too much for fear of him demanding something back. I guess my faith in receiving something without a bill disappeared years ago.

"We can go next Saturday; I think we should also go shopping. You've all been here over two months and still wear only borrowed clothes."

I avert my eyes, I'm not comfortable with him offering me more than I ask for.

"Why do you care? I can accept that Kathy is your responsibility, but Danny or I am not, so why are you..."

The flash of hurt is in his eyes, so I stop my question and stuck my eyes on the floor. He stands and slowly comes closer to me. I don't dare to move; I don't dare to look at him as he kneels in front of me. I inhale sharply as he puts his hand on my shaking hands.

"Kathy is mine, you are mine, and Danny is also mine since I chose it to be my responsibility. Just like you, Celia. You chose to look after him and care for him. Why did you do that since he wasn't your responsibility?" he asks gently.

"He has no one else; I want him to be safe," I whisper.

"So do I, I can make a home for him here; it's not pity; he just needs help. But with you, it's..."

"If you feel guilty..."

"I do feel guilty," he interrupts me. "I will feel guilty about what I did for the rest of my life. But it's not why I care, Celia. You were my mate, the greatest gift given to me by Moon Goddess. I'm sorry that you had to suffer because it took me so long to understand that. But I don't believe in coincidences. I believe in destiny. I believe that Moon Goddess blessed me with the chance  to atone for my sins, and this time I'm going to cherish her blessing with all my heart."

I feel his hand slowly caressing my face as he pulls strings of my hair away from it; his fingers slowly intervene in my hair as he pulls my head towards him so he can place a soft kiss on my forehead.

I don't flinch when he does it.