Tonya above

Tonya POV

I stand in front of the big mirror admiring my gown; Goddess, let me have a bit of vanity, I think. I like laces, and that's why my gown is mainly made of black laces.

Today I am the Alpha of the Black Moon Pack; I can't have any flaws on this fucking party with all these important Alphas.

"This suit is very uncomfortable," Noah says, entering the room.

"You are my Luna; you can't go for this event looking like a thug," I say, smiling and coming close to him to fix his tie. He smiles and reaches to my lips, and I don't protest. We kiss for quite a while when Kathy knocks and enters the room.

"We really should go, or we will be late," she says, giving us a look.

Charlie, my parents, and Rosie are waiting for us in the corridor. We all look rich and fancy and, in the case of Charlie, delicate. He is pregnant and wears simple black trousers and a silk shirt. For a while, I considered leaving him at home, but he is my Luna, too. I know that rumor has it that I'm mated and marked, so I can't offend the Council by hiding my mates from them.

I glance at my sister as my mother asks her if she is alright? She is right, though. Rosie seems very fatigued, and I'm unsure how to put it, agitated a bit. And yet he says that everything is all right. Kathy passes her without any word or glance. I wonder how long she intends to keep that cold attitude towards my sister, especially since I have known her long enough to be sure that she is very unhappy with the present situation and only pretends to be indifferent.

The ride to the event is silent. As Noah sits on my other side, and I hold his hand, Charlie is lying with his head on my lap. My father talks with my mother; Rosie and Kathy are dead set on sticking their eyes on the opposite car's windows.

I'm far from being relaxed; Silver and I are still livid with the fact that Shane was so close to my mates. I'm actually worried that we may bump into him again during the party, but to my utmost irritation, I couldn't deny attending it.

Both my father and I honestly are not big fans of this tradition. Despite what Chandler suspects, the Werewolf Council members don't reside in New York all the time; they move around to a different city every three years. It's traditional for the Alphas from different packs to attend the event they host every time they prepare to move to a new city, which is happening today.

My father was livid because the Council was more interested in preparing today's party perfectly, probably to convince every Alpha attending that nothing had been happening, and the Council stayed strong as always. I actually agree that we don't need the panic and spreading the news about the treaty, and the creatures should be handled carefully, but at the same time, postponing essential decisions to get their traditional fancy party is ridiculous.

The car stops, and we leave it. Only the Alpha and Beta of the pack and their closest family can enter; that's why I couldn't bring the Trio with me.

The Council has rented the whole third floor in one of the hotels, once again too fancy for my liking. The party is luscious; there is live music in one of the rooms, and a massive buffet is in another. Different guests, all dressed perfectly well, are talking and moving around. It's crowded; at least a hundred persons are here, and more can come.

My parents and I are quickly separated; he has obligations, and I wish to be left alone. In the light of crystal candelabras, we found a table for ourselves. Rosie and my mates go toward the buffet because Charlie is hungry, and Kathy and I exchange greetings with some of the allies of our pack.

I know that my reputation is a bit down because I was out of reach for almost five months, and James had to take care of everything. I'm sure rumor has it that I skipped my duties as an Alpha. One of the Alpha who comes to talk to me has the audacity to suggest that the Alpha's duties overwhelmed me and it's understandable considering how fragile the women are.

Silver growls lowly in my mind, she wants to use the cocky prick as her chewing toy, and honestly, this may not be a bad idea.

"I heard that you have a mate, so now you can step away from the Alpha position," he says.

"Why would she?"

Noah's strong voice makes him look behind him, and I smirk. The Alpha glances at my mates as they come closer.

"My mate Noah and my second mate Charlie," I say, presenting them. "You remember my older sister, of course."

He gulps suddenly, looking unsure, but I know it isn't because Noah intimidated him. He looks at Charlie and then back to me. I know what he thinks about three people mating together is rare, but the fact that I had two mates suggests the strength of my wolf since mates are a perfect balance.

Noah smirks quite challenging, and sits next to me.

"Why would she resign as an Alpha? Black Moon is her legacy," he states.

"I know, just women in general are too emotional."

I snort as my sister rolls her eyes; I motion for Charlie to sit on my lap and hide my nose in his neck. When I raise my eyes, the other Alpha moves a bit away since I let Silver out a bit. I let him smell my anger and my dominance, he leaves us alone very quickly.

"Good that he didn't shit himself," Kathy states, grabbing her fork, and we all start eating.

Kathy and Noah talk, and Rosie is breathing a bit hard. I ask her what's wrong, but she keeps saying it's just hot in here, which is true. I spot my parents talking with Damon by the corner of my eye. Charlie follows my eyes and moves uncomfortably; I hug him closer since he is still on my lap.

"Don't think of him. He is a sick son of the bitch and nothing more," I whisper to him.

"But unfortunately, he is also quite important in the werewolf world and has some connection in the Council. But I doubt they are bigger than your father., Kathy states. "Just endure two more hours, and we will be able to leave without making anybody feel offended."

"You don't like gatherings like that?" Charlie asks me, and I nod.

"Most of them come here to show off and congratulate each other that they are the masters of the world," I say ."The Werewolf Council likes to preach, but when problems get serious, they usually love to take the post of watching bystanders. That wasn't that bad a decade ago, but now they resolve issues by ignoring them and waiting for someone to step in and fix them in their state. And even this annual parade of pride and sweet talking about nothing but who is more prosperous, stronger, and so on is... waste of time."

Time passes slowly; my father disappears somewhere with the council members; Damon is smart enough not to get close to us. Some people talk to me and congratulate me on finding my Luna, and so on. Noah looks bored,  Charlie tired, and honestly, I want to go home as soon as possible.

My sister wants to say something but struggles to do it. Instead, she takes a glass of water and downs it.

"Are you all right?" I ask her, and she shakes her head.

"Something is wrong. I don't know what, but it's so hot. I feel like I'm suffocating; it's just so hot." She pants.

And that's when I finally realize how badly I fucked up.

"You are in heat," I whisper, and my mates and Kathy look at me,  surprised but also scared. 

Shit, how could I miss this. Noah and Charlie are mated, so their wolves haven't reacted to the change in her scent, and Kathy and I are women. But still, I, her sister, and her Alpha, I've noticed that her scent changed, but not drastically; I ignored it. And Rosie is a newly shifted Omega; she could be oblivious to the first signs of heat.

I exchange looks with Kathy, and next, we look around warily. And I notice that some Alphas start sniffing around slightly; mated ones are not the problem, but the rest...  Soon, they will smell her, their instincts may take over, and something extremely unfortunate may happen; we have some time, and we must use it wisely.

"Kathy, we will take her out by the back stairs. Noah, stay with Charlie. I'll be back soon".

And that's what we do. Kathy takes my sister and carries her as I walk in front of them fast, releasing as much dominance as possible. People look at us wary; one is stupid enough to try to approach us when we are near the door leading us to the emergency stairs. I'm a bit surprised that nobody is guarding it; I guess the Council is sure they are safe here in New York.

When we are very close to the entrance to the alley, Rosie whimpers, and her eyes shift. Kathy holds her strong because her instincts may take over soon, but she whispers she can do it.

"You can't leave, and we can't ask here the Trio since they are unmated," Kathy states." I'll take her to your parents' apartment and make sure she won't do anything stupid."

Rosie whimpers as Kathy, and I help her inside the stopped cab, and I nod. We are out of any different solutions for now.

I mindlink my father to tell him what happened as I return, but he answers that he is on floor six talking with the Council members and can't leave. I really wish him good luck; at the end of today's evening, I want our treaty granted.

But soon, I sense fear, Charlie's fear, and I run upstairs like crazy, cursing in my mind that I can't shift because the human employees of this hotel can pass me any moment. I burst through the door, and that's when suddenly the security makes themselves known, but I growl so lowly that they don't dare to stop me. I walk fast toward the slowly growing crowd that has gathered in the corner of the room. I can clearly hear the angry voice:

"I want justice for my son; those two are..." someone states, but I interrupt them:

"Those two ARE MINE."

My dominance is dripping as the crowd steps aside a bit, letting me through. I spot my mother and Charlie standing behind Noah. Charlie is trembling, and Noah is angry and wary.

Perfectly understandable because of Shane standing in front of them. There is a lady next to him, probably his Luna, and the fat guy in a suit, for sure the Council clerk who raped Charlie. I take a big breath. Silver is pushing forward; she wants out to sink her teeth into Shane and watch him scream in pain.

Shane doesn't look at my mates anymore; he looks at me as if considering his options. He may not know who I am, but he definitely feels my furious wolf and Alpha status.

Charlie's grip on Noah's arm strengthens; I can feel his discomfort, his desire to disappear, and his relief that I'm so close.

"What do you want, Alpha?" I say coldly, blocking their way a bit and coming closer to stand between my mates and this pathetic excuse of Alpha.

Shane growls a bit, his Luna looks at us with hatred.

"I want justice for my son; those two are..." Shane states, but I interrupt them:

"Those two are my marked Lunas. You can whine as much as you want; THEY ARE MINE."

I watch them as they start considering their options; many people look at us with curiosity, and we manage to grab their attention. My eyes are shifted; I can feel Silver close and think that letting her loose is not a bad idea. They should pay for everything they have done.

"You may brag as much as you want and threaten me as much as you wish. But the law is clear; they are marked, so they are mine." I say lowly, and Shane looks intimidated.

"As parents, we have deserved..." his Luna starts, but I interrupt her again:

"You better pray you and your mate would never get what you deserve. Including you," I glare at the clerk standing beside them, and he has enough shame to avert his eyes.

"They are murderers; they killed my son. I will never let it go." Shane pulls himself together.

"What about my pain as a mother? Daniel was my baby," his Luna whispers

"Did you consider the pain of his first wife and sons when you convinced him to get rid of them? Did you consider the pain of all parents from Shadow pack who came to you, and you denied them medicines or food because that meant too much spending." Noah hisses, and she gives him a furious look.

"How the hell the trash like you got such a strong mate! You girl should be disgusted, especially with that cheap whore!"

In the flash, he is on the floor, cradling his hands to his ripped chest. It won't kill him, but I'm sure it will be very painful. Something I found out a long time ago, probably because of my immunity to silver, is that the wounds I inflict with my claws are usually more painful and difficult to heal. I stand above him, relishing my dominance.

"So, are you challenging me? You may challenge them, but I have a right to represent them as their mate. So Shane, please challenge me; just let me sink my claws in you, and believe me, nothing will get me more satisfaction than sending you to meet your son."

I know I drip with my dominance; all werewolves that watch us become more wary and Shane becomes less and less sure of himself, and yet he composes himself and yells:

"I challenge you; I have a right according to Bloodline Law! I, Alpha Shane of Shadow Pack, challenge you!"

"And I, Tonya Blackwood, Alpha of Black Moon Pack, accept your challenge!"

Silver is content with this outcome. I'm pleased with this outcome, but only for a very short moment. I hear the sounds of struggle, turn my head to look in that direction, and to my utmost surprise, I see Chandler standing from where I came just a moment ago.

"Run now, hunters are here!"

And that's when the sound of the explosion and strong impact sends us all in different directions, and for a moment, everything goes blank.