The villa in the hearth lands that his aunts occupied was an architectural work of art, designed by one of the several architects in the large pack. On the outside it was all modern architecture, sharp angles, bare stone glass and steel. The interior however spoke another tale. The furniture tastefully antique, pieces his aunts had owned in their long lives and couldn't part with.
Different time periods and era, merging in the home in a harmony that wasn't artificial but took decades to curate. The room they sat in had only glass walls. The floor bare stone, the chair metal arms with leather covering. It had no roof, open to the environments. The trees that protected the hearth rose tall, and giant above them. The occasions eave blew through the room, the ground littered with fallen leaves. The walls let a direct view into the forest, a little bit elevated. You were in the forest but also you weren't. A perfect tone to set for shape shifters whose other sides hunted in such deep dark woods.
"You have to go and find her of course, we cannot allow the Prime's mate to wander in the world unprotected. You will bring her here," Imelda, his oldest aunt, was saying. Nearing her second millennium, she was one of the shape shifter elders who sat in the denizen citadel as a council member representing every shifters voice, the oldest female shifter alive. She was wrinkled, not in the way human were. She was not fragile and bent, looking like she was near deaths doorstep, she did not look like a woman in her prime, her white hair attested to that, but she was still strong, and she sat on the couch with the coiled grace of the panther she was.
His aunt Katryna rolled her eyes, five centuries younger than Imelda she lived to antagonize the older woman. "Slow down Mel, this girl is human, her customs are not our own, she might not agree to come back here."
"She will have no say in the matter." Imelda said, as if even the thought of it was abhorrent to her. "She is very young, mature by human years but so young in ours, she will need to be taught our ways as those will be her ways now."
Katryna rolled her eyes again and threw him a look. "Do your research Mal, some women do like the take charge type that just bulldozes into their life and takes control. But some do not, do make sure you know which one your mate is before you try forcing her. There's nothing like a tight corner to make a woman show her claws." She wiggled clawed fingers to add effect.
He raised a hand finally putting a stop to their bickering. "I have heard you, I came to tell you to watch the pack while I am gone to get my mate."
His aunts sat up. "Of course, Mal, you didn't even need ask." Imelda said.
"Yes, we will watch and we will wait. Are your sentinels aware?" Katryna asked and he shook his head.
"I will call them the moment I leave here."
He left their house in beast form, padding on fours through the forest, pulling the shadows to him and covering his movement. Being the prime had its perks. Finally, he reached the place of choice, he climbed the boulder to its pinnacle, there an opening in the trees canopy let in a spot of moonlight, in the early hours of the morning, many of his pack members were already up and moving and so he knew his five would be as well.
He rose his great head to the sky and howled. After a few moments of nothing but the wind whispering through the trees, the first reply came. Eva's wolf, then Tolan's. Ezra's bear, Serafina's lioness and Camden's tiger.
He didn't have to wait long for them to come out of the shadows and surround him. The first to come was Serafina, her lion was the fastest among the five. She padded into the small opening on large feet and sat at her haunches.
~Prime~ she greeted
~Sera~ he replied and stepped down from the boulder as she came to rub against him. His creature dwarfing hers more than five times.
The others filtered in in quick succession, all from different parts of the pack.
~I have news~ he began. ~I have found my mate~
Ezra's bear chuffed in laughter. ~if you were expecting a reaction I am afraid you are too late, the rumor's already spreading through the pack. If I have heard it all the way from the North glade hundreds of miles from here, then be rest assured everyone's heard it by now. ~ the man's deep voice in his head was full of mirth.
He shook his head and sighed. ~then I will go straight to the point. I am leaving pack lands to go and find her~
~is that safe? ~ Eva asked, coming closer.
~I don't care, you are head of security you will make sure it is, all I want to do is find her~
She whined at the rebuke and bared her neck, He licked her snout and moved away.
~Tolan, you will do as you always do and watch the South glade lands for me, report every and any update. Ezra, you control the north glade, keep doing so. Report any major issues to me~ The bear nodded and Mallon moved to Camden, the silent tiger had not spoken to anyone in decades but he could hear just fine.
~Cam, you and your enforcers will watch and neutralize all threat, tighten security especially around the new territory~ His large heard nodded once and he reclined to lick his paws.
~Eva you will send your best with me but you must remain and keep watch of the hearth lands~
~but-~
~Are you questioning me again? ~
She was silent, then she sighed and retreated. ~No.~
~good. I trust you, my five to protect my territory while I am gone, do not fail me. ~
Their acceptance filtered into him through the pack bond, not with words but a feeling. And now that that weight was off his shoulders, he could now focus on finding his mate.