Alpha Zy and Lykaon were talking about something important when the woman I saved and her baby followed me into my mate's office and started hiding, both of us in terror of the man we saw right outside the house. I knew when I saw him that he'd come into the house in search of my mate, but might catch the scent of one of us, so we hid in the only safest place there was: wherever my mate was, since he was the Alpha, not to mention the other alpha there too.
Lykaon let me cower under the desk as he stood up and walked over so he was standing right beside me, protecting me with his body while his desk provided a place to hide. I didn't know where my friend was, but I was too scared to try and look.
From somewhere behind me, I heard Zy say, "Am I missing something?"
My mate's only response was, "Get the girl and baby over here quickly." There was a shuffle of movement, a cry of fear, and then Lykaon stepped to the side and helped the woman down beside me, handing her the baby. "Stay quiet and don't move, no matter what," he whispers.
I nod and he stands back in place as I hear a knock. "Alpha Zy? What are you doing here?" I hear that deep, cruel voice say in a mocking tone.
"Same as you, I presume. The Luna ceremony to welcome Lykaon's mate."
There was a chuckle and then my mate said, "What are you doing here, in my house?"
"Alpha Aryn sent me ahead to ask you for a favor." He paused, letting the two alphas process what he said. "He would like to have dinner with you and your mate, as a kind of private welcome from him to her."
"That won't be necessary. He can just show up at the ceremony and welcome my mate along with the rest," Lykaon replied smoothly.
"Is there a reason he needs to see his mate before everyone else?" Alpha Zy asked.
I think the man hesitated because he was silent for a long time. "Personal reasons he does not share with me."
"Why can't he ask me himself?" Lykaon asked.
"See, that's the problem, isn't it? If he asked you, you'd snap back like you did the last time and kick him off your land. You've already stood him up once, Alpha Lykaon. It wouldn't be wise to do so again."
"He can't order me around. We are of the same rank!"
"With a slight imbalance due to mating reasons. He is—" he cut off and I hear nothing for a moment. When his growl shakes the room, it takes all my strength not to whimper. "Lykaon, I am going to ask you this once and once only. Who do you have in this house at this very moment?"
I saw my mate stiffen but reposition himself so he better protected us. "The three of us, for one. And my mate is somewhere, probably drawing in the library."
The man growled again and I heard the door slam shut. There is silence before another door slammed and we hear a muffled roar split the bright sky outside. From beside me, the woman is frozen, eyes wide and staring at nothing, seeming to be somewhere else. I wasn't sure she was breathing and waved my hand in front of her face, getting no response.
"Why in the hell was Vuk here?" Alpha Zy snarled.
Lykaon sighed and bent down, looking at me and the woman. "Opaline, can you take her baby real fast while I help her out?" he asks softly.
"What if he comes back?" I whisper.
"He won't. Not right now, anyways. Just hold her child while I help her out." I do as I'm told and watch as he pulls the woman out and carries her away. A moment later, he returns and grabs the child, handing it off to Alpha Zy before finally holding his arms out to me. "Come here, baby."
I wrap my arms around his neck and let him lift me out of the tiny space before sitting in his chair, settling me on his lap. "Lykaon, why is Aryn interested in your mate?"
"She's a Himalayan wolf," my mate said simply.
"Does he know that?" Zy hisses.
"I think he suspects it, but won't know for sure until she shifts, which isn't happening for a while."
Zy sighs and is quiet. "Who is she then? And why does she have a child but no mate? Why is she here?"
"That," Lykaon says, stroking my hair, "is something either to be revealed later, or to be shared with you by her. I have promised to not to speak of her identity or history."
I tighten my grip on Lykaon. "I can't have dinner with him. That rogue will be there, and probably finishing the job he started…"
"He won't finish the job, Opaline," my mate whispers. "He won't even get close to you or your friend while I'm alive."
"Lykaon, it seems I'm not the only one with problems," Zy observes. "I will help you tonight at the ceremony in any way I can."
Lykaon shakes his head. "No, you need to watch your mate. I have men set up to protect Opaline. I just need my guests in line until morning when they go home."
Zy sighs. "If need be, I will protect her. We are allies, we help each other. Besides, it'll be killing two birds with one stone if things go wrong tonight."
Lykaon kisses my head and says, "If you can have Gwenna come and help Nadine get Opaline ready for the ceremony, and you watch out for Aryn and Vuk so I know they don't get close, then I can do the rest."
"What about the other two?"
"I'll have to mask their scent somehow unless her mate has already caught it, then hide her."
"Where are you going to hide her and a baby?"
Lykaon shakes his head. "I'll figure it out."
I hear Zy's chair scrape as he stands up and then the door open. "The link is open to you and Klyn. I'll let you know of anything."
My mate nods. "Can you send my Beta up while you're at it?"
"Of course," Zy says and walks out, closing the door behind him.
I relax a little in my mate's arms and breathe in his scent while he does the same. "I need to make sure everything is ready for tonight; do you think you'll be okay here with the two girls?"
"Why is the rogue here?" I counter instead.
Lykaon makes me sit up and wipes my face before his eyes turn stormy. "Vuk isn't a rogue. He is a Beta to Alpha Aryn who wants to kill you."
My eyes get blurry with tears. "Why was he with the rogues then? What did I do that day to make him want to kill me so badly? How come Alpha Aryn doesn't know it was him—"
"Shh," he whispered. "Aryn is blindsided by his love for his mate that he is willing to listen to the first thing he hears, which just happened to be Vuk's words. Vuk lied to him to save his own ass from a punishment he knew would be worse than death. Because of his grief, Aryn did not see the lie for what it was. He wants revenge for his loss and is determined to get it no matter the cost. He doesn't care if it's the truth or not. Vuk is his Beta, someone he trusts more than other packs. The one person he'd believe more would be his mate, but even if she were alive, she'd be too afraid to tell him what happened for fear of the torture."
I leaned back on him, crying softly and trying to process what he told me. I wanted nothing more than to rip Vuk's throat out and rip his body limb from limb, torture him the way he tortured me and Aryn's mate.
A knock on the door had me tense and Lykaon allowed access. I look back to see Klyn with a beautiful black woman with striking blue eyes. "This is Luna Gwenna. She said she was sent to see you?"
Lykaon nodded and held me as he stood up, then turned and sat me in his chair carefully before kissing my head and whispering, "I'll be right outside the door. Just stay here, baby." I nod and let him go.
They were gone only a few minutes and came back in looking at me and the woman lying on the couch, fast asleep. "Alpha Lykaon, maybe the girl should rest. I can help Luna Opaline alone and watch her for anything that might harm her," Gwenna said softly.
Klyn shrugged and crossed his arms. My mate shook his head. "Nadine is on her way here along with her mate, Bertolf. He'll protect the four of you from danger and report back to me as soon as something happens. I just want you to worry about getting her ready and that the other girl is taken care of. Before the ceremony, like I said, Klyn will take Opaline and Bertolf will take the girl and the baby. Don't leave until Klyn is safely with the two of you. I can't have any mistakes tonight."
Luna Gwenna nodded and looked at me with a soft smile. "Are you ready, Luna Opaline?"
I look to Lykaon for permission, and he nods once, his gray eyes reassuring. "Go ahead, Opal. Nadine should be here any minute."
Standing up, I hesitantly walked towards the door, Gwenna right behind me. I pause at the threshold and look back at my mate. "I don't want to lose sight of you."
His eyes turn concerned and worried. "Don't worry, baby, you'll see me soon. This is only because of tradition that I can't stay beside you right now, but you can talk to me like this if you're scared."
I give him a soft smile and head towards our room, my heart in my throat and my body trembling slightly. Luna Gwenna goes to the bathroom and turns the sink on, wetting a cloth before coming back and making me sit on the bed, putting the cool cloth on my head. "Rest for a minute or two, dear. Everything is going to be just fine."
We hear two knocks and Nadine walks in with Bertolf holding the woman and child right behind her. She smiles at Luna Gwenna. "How are you, Luna?"
She nods. "I am fairing. I'm here to help you get Luna Opaline ready for the ceremony."
Nadine glances at me then goes to the closet. "I think Alpha put it in here, hang on."
I sit up and furrow my brows. "Put what in there?"
"Your dress, silly!" Nadine giggled.
I looked at Gwenna then glanced at Bertolf before I hear a squeal from the closet. Nadine pokes her head out and Gwenna rolls her eyes. "Let me guess…" she says as she walks over. There was a couple of gasps and excited whispering before I got irritated.
"Do I seriously need to have weird women help me dress for the ceremony?" I ask my mate.
He chuckles. "I know Nadine is weird, but Gwenna?"
"I think Nadine's weirdness is contagious somehow."
I feel Lykaon's humor as the two come out of the closet. "At least it's only a onetime thing, baby. "
"But I can't handle so much of this."
"You'll be alright, Opal," he says softly, soothing some of my tension. "I'll see you soon, okay?"
"When?"
"When Klyn escorts you outside to see me. Don't worry, I'm anxious about this whole thing too."
"Okay, see you soon," I say and focus back on where I am. "Where's the dress?" I ask, looking around.
"You can't see it!" Nadine said and had a scarf in her hand.
"Wait, why?"
"Because, you don't get to see it until Klyn starts to walk you outside. It's so we don't make second thoughts while dressing," Gwenna explained. "Don't worry, I had to do the same."
"Can you at least tell me if I'll like it?" I ask softly.
Nadine nodded emphatically. "You'll love it! Your mate picked it out after all!"
I blink. "He did? When?"
"When you were away seeing your family. He sent Jayene an order form, requesting it to be sent straight to this room and put carefully away into the closet."
My jaw dropped. I couldn't believe Lykaon did that while we were away, and he made it a surprise for me to wear tonight. My eyes filled with joyous tears and I quickly wiped them away. "Can I shower first?"
Both ladies nodded and said they'd prepare everything while I did so, and to not step out of the bathroom until I had the blindfold on, which Nadine handed to me. Rolling my eyes, I got into the shower, shaved, washed my hair and body with a sweet-smelling soap, then got out and dried myself off with a thick towel. Somewhere from my room, Nadine was talking to Bertolf about something while I heard nothing from Gwenna. I sighed and put on the blindfold, preparing myself for the worst to come. Finding the door handle, I unlocked it and stepped out into the chilly room.
"Good, you listened!" Nadine said cheerfully and grabbed my hands. "Okay, now all you have to do is sit in this chair and be still while we do the rest."
"I really don't feel like sitting, though."
"Too bad!" she said without a hint of sympathy. I felt her move away for a moment before she put something soft in my lap. "Put those on, Bertolf will look away." I feel around and find lace panties.
"Do I get a bra?" I ask as I stand and pull the thin fabric up my legs, then sit down again.
"No. This dress doesn't require one." That scared me a little, but I didn't argue on the subject. "Now, keep your eyes closed. I need to do your hair, and I can't with that on." I nod and she takes the scarf off and starts brushing my hair.
From somewhere in front of me, I hear movement and then feel a pair of hands on my face. "I know the perfect make up for you," Gwenna whispered.
I tensed as she began her work as well, hoping beyond reason that I wasn't going to look like a clown or something else. "They just started on my hair and makeup and I'm already tired of this!" I whined to my mate.
He chuckled. "Let them. You don't have to do a thing which is the beauty of the preparation for all Lunas."
"But I'm only in a towel and it's cold and they're too happy."
"Are they not supposed to be, baby?"
"I don't know!" I grumbled.
"You're their Luna, Opaline. Or, at least Nadine's. She's excited for you to finally be a part of this pack and her leader. She will see this as an opportunity to get a head start on making her Luna feel welcome. All of the pack wants that privilege."
"And Gwenna?"
"She's there to help with nerves you have. She's been through the same routine and understands how you might feel."
I hum as a way of responding and let my mind drift away, not paying attention to anything while the two ladies do their worst on me.