Travis POV
I decided to stay out in the woods a bit longer to think about how I wanted to plan my next actions. Things were getting serious and I knew sooner or later the pack was going to be involved in this matter, plus the annual pack Yule tide hunt was supposed to be on the same night I have dinner with Nia. Now would be the best time to come out with the truth I've found my mate, she's human, and I will have to move the hunt to Sunday night instead.
That last part had me nervous, how would my pack react to me changing activities for the sake of a human, then again she would also be their Luna, so they should understand the importance of this situation.
I went up to the South ridge overlooking the town, seeing all the Christmas lights in the distance, and could only imagine all the couples walking around town hand in hand looking at the light displays together, shopping for special ornaments in the little gift shops, and grabbing a cup of hot cocoa to drink under the stars. I wanted to have that same experience with Nia and telling my pack about her was a necessary step in that plan.
I decided now would be the best time to reveal the news to them, so I sent out a pack-wide mind link telling everyone to meet in the feasting hall.
"Attention all members of the Hagen pack, report to the Main hall immediately for important news regarding the hunt and other pack matters," I commanded before cutting the link.
I ran back home and changed into some clothes before going down to the hall where I could already hear a lot of chatter. When I entered, I saw basically everyone in the pack was there except for the warriors that were out on patrol. I took a deep breath before walking up on stage and facing the crowd that stopped talking and turned their attention to me.
"Good evening everyone, I'm glad you all have come to this important meeting regarding our pack. As you know, the hunt is scheduled for Friday night which is a couple of days away but instead, I will have to move it to Sunday night."
I could see confusion and frustration on some of their faces, so I just went on with the explanation hoping they will keep an open mind.
"The reason for the change is because recently, I have found my mate and have not yet revealed to her what I truly am or the pack's existence. On Friday night, I will be taking her out to tell her the truth of who I am and hope she accepts me."
The look on their faces said it all. I could see many were happy while others still had a surprised look.
"I also need to mention that she is not a wolf but a human from town, who is unaware of the existence of werewolves."
Now I could see some of their faces held a bit of concern. It was a great thing for an alpha to announce that he found a mate but for that mate to be human, would mean accepting a total outsider into a tight-knit wolf community where they're unfamiliar with the customs and behavior of the pack.
"I know some of you are wondering how a human being the Luna could work but remember that our mates are a gift from the gods, whether they are wolf or human. Those few of you who do have human mates should know how I feel when it comes to the wolf and human relations. I and the pack have been very open and welcoming of your mates and I just ask that you all be very open and understanding of mine. Those who don't accept their Luna will be seen as traitors and a threat to the pack, who will be either exiled or killed if the situation calls for it," I said in an alpha tone.
At my last statement, I could see the understanding look on their faces at the gravity of this situation, which let me know that they were willing to accept her if she accepts me.
"Everyone seems very understanding of this, hopefully, mate will be just as open when we have dinner with her," my wolf said.
My mind was now at ease knowing my pack was all in favor of having a human Luna for the first time in the pack's history. The only one I knew who was still against it was Garrett, who stood in a back corner with a scowl on his face.
It was plain to see that he was not only against my mate but starting to go against the cohesiveness of the pack as well.
Nia POV
After having a hot cup of herbal tea to relax, I was finally able to fall asleep. I lay there in bed feeling myself slipping into unconsciousness when I heard a sudden loud howl in the distance.
The only difference this time was that I started to feel what felt like a gravitational pull that made me sit up and look towards my window. The howl rang out again and with it, the pull got stronger to the point where I found myself standing at my back door looking up at the full moon above. All of my actions at this point seemed to be made unconsciously but it still felt right to go along with them.
I opened the door and stepped out onto the cold dirt path ignoring the night winter air. Something out here was calling to my spirit and I just let my spirit be led to it like an unseen beacon in the night that I had to find.
My trance was broken when I heard a branch snap under my foot making me realize that I had walked out of my house, all the way to the forest edge. The freezing night air on my bare shoulders, my feet that were covered in the dirt along with the goosebumps forming on my skin.
"What's wrong with me, it's like I don't have control over my own body. It doesn't feel like a bad thing but it's got me walking out to the woods in the middle of the night," I thought before turning back and going into the house.
After I cleaned the dirt off my feet, I got back in bed trying to pick up where I left off when trying to sleep. It's obvious being in this small town is starting to affect me in the weirdest ways and I need to find out what it is before it puts me in a dangerous situation.
The next day
After a busy morning at the market, I walked down the street to a little cafe for a lunch break. It was a cold windy day so instead of being on the patio, I went inside to get a table by the fire. Luckily Stacy had the same idea because she called me over to a table when I entered.
"Hey Nia, there's so much we need to talk about, especially how things went between you and Travis yesterday," she said excitedly as I sat down.
We ordered our food and I just decided to start with what I had to say.
"Um Stacy, I don't know how to say this but since I've been in this town and especially after meeting Travis, I've been having these weird feelings. Yesterday when I met him at the festival, it was like my soul was overjoyed to see him and all I wanted was to be around him. Then a little later I accidentally cut myself on one of the ax blades and when I got a tissue to put on the cut, he stepped up and held my injured hand in his gently while applying steady pressure.
I looked up into his blue eyes like I had before and felt myself forgetting where I was until the weirdest thing happened where both of his eyes clouded over in a foggy haze that freaked me out and made me break my gaze and pull my hand away."
I looked up at Stacy and saw her turn away from me a bit with a look of embarrassment at my last statement, which I didn't understand.
"After we left later on and got back to my house, walked me up to my door before asking me out to dinner tomorrow night."
"Did you say yes?" she asked, eager for a positive response.
"Of course, I said yes, the way we've been connecting lately, going out on a date just felt like the next best step to take."
"Wow Nia, I can't believe it, you've managed to capture the heart of the most eligible bachelor in town and also go out on a date with him," Stacy cheered before taking a sip of her soup.
"I can't help but wonder, did you feel the same way when you met Jesse or is it just me that's having this type of experience around here?"
Stacy reached forward and took my hand in hers while giving me a soft look.
"No, you're not the only one to go through this. When I met Jesse, it was like everything around us didn't exist and we were the only two beings there. We started hanging out and got to know more each other until he wanted to make it official by asking me to be his girlfriend, which made me the happiest woman around. I just know you and Travis are a perfect match but you have to remember that the more you get to know each other, the more things you'll find that you might not understand at first but in time it will make sense."
She was right, I need to learn to relax and just trust him on this next step. He didn't seem like the kind of guy that would switch up on me but I guess only time will tell.
After we finished our lunch, Stacy said she would come by tomorrow and help me get ready for my "date" as she put it and there was no way I was going to refuse her help since she's been through this before. I just hope everything I've gone through up to this point is worth it.