As dawn cracked through the curtains, the twin alphas stirred, sleepily yawning and stretching until they heard their vertebral joints popping in protest of waking up so early. Mitchell groaned at being nudged awake that he turned away and tried to pull Alisha towards him.
Alisha jumped out of bed not wanting to repeat the drama from the other day. Markian also tried to get Alisha to stay in bed with them." No! Stay in bed!Its not even morning Alisha....Why do you always wake up so early?" grumbled Markian trying to pull the blanket over his head to steal a few more moments of slumber.
"Its become a habit of mine to wake up early. Don't worry about me. I will dress and go downstairs for breakfast. Join me when you wake up, okay?" she asked happily as she couldn't wait to start her day. She was so used to being up at the crack of dawn so that she could finish her chores before starting her work as a babysitter to the little cubs in her previous pack, that it made her stop short to realise that she might be the only one awake in the packhouse now.
Alisha had noticed that the wolves who were in charge of cooking breakfast would usually start at six-thirty every morning as they had to cook for everyone in the packhouse. Alisha decided to make amends for running out during breakfast two days ago that she would make breakfast this morning, for the pack, as a "thank you for having me as your Luna" gesture so she went in search of the kitchen that was located on the ground floor of the packhouse.
She realised that she was taking on a huge feat this morning by making breakfast for everyone by herself but she thought that if she was going to be the Luna and take care of the pack, she had better start somewhere. Alisha thought that she would wow them this morning, with her famous cheese omelette and hash browns. It was her mother's recipe and she had made it many times at Moongazer and had all loved it. It was up to her, to make sure she didn't insult her mother's memory, by making it badly for her new family.
Alisha got the eggs and potatoes out of the pantry and the bacon out of the freezer. She quickly laid all the other ingredients that she would need, to make a mean cheese omelette on the countertop.
She started by separating the eggs and subsequently whisked the whites into soft peaks. She added the pepper and a pinch of chilli powder to give the mixture a little kick. She raided the fridge and found some gooseberry jam."Perfect! Just what I needed" she said happily as she continued mixing the ingredients into her egg concoction. Slowly delicious omelettes and crispy bacon rashes began taking their place on the countertop waiting for the buttery hash browns to accompany them
A waft of savoury eggs and bacon with hot buttered hash browns trailed into every nook and corner of the house. Its tendrils snaked into Mitchell's and Markian's sleeping noses as well." Mark! What is that heavenly aroma, that I smell" asked Mitchell pulling down the blanket from over his head and sniffing at the air. He quickly jumped off the bed and opened his bedroom door. Mitchell opened his eyes wider seeing many of his pack mates crowding the stairwell, everyone rubbing sleep from their eyes but following their noses to find out where this delectable smell was originating from.
Seeing that the steps were impassable, Mitchell jumped over the bannister falling two floors down and rolled as he landed expertly on his spread-out feet. The pack members gasped and then laughed as they realised that their Alpha didn't even realise he jumped two floors down, as he just lifted his head and followed his nose to the origins of the smell which he noticed came from the kitchen. He pushed through the bodies that were all trying to go in as well
"Move away! Let me see what's happening in the kitchen" he growled. He already knew that Alisha was somehow responsible as he could smell her scent luring him into the kitchen as well. Like the way Moses parted the red sea, the wolves in front of him parted revealing his mate standing at the stove, stirring a saucepan filled with eggs.
"Good Morning Mitchell!Glad to see you up finally!! Would you like to try some of my famous cheese omelettes and hash browns?" she asked coyly pretending that she didn't notice him coming in into their kitchen inhaling the aroma that most surely permeated the entire house.
"By the Goddess Alpha Mitchell! You have to try some of this!! Its .... it is sublime!" said a tall burly wolf standing across the island where Alisha was cooking on while he stuffed his mouth with about three rashes of bacon and a large helping of the cheese omelette. He closed his eyes and began to hum tunelessly as he chewed."Luna Alisha!You.Are.The.Greatest!!I love your omelettes!! And...and the bacon!Oh!Can you please teach my mate and I, your secret, please?
I could have this for breakfast every day for the rest of my life" the young wolf continued with devotion shining in his eyes. Alisha blushed as she looked at the young wolf who was praising her and smiled shyly at his mate who was seated next to him. Alisha laughed when she saw him smile and hand her his empty plate, to be filled again.
Mitchell growled loudly at the young wolf who was unabashedly flirting with Alisha for a plate of food"Enough Samuel! You forget that as my Beta, you need to watch what you eat, lest you become too slow to catch the rogues who attack this pack. Anyway, why are you here, instead of at your home, with your mate?"Mitchell walked toward Samuel and tried to take away his plate that Alisha had graciously filled.
"Alpha! You are my leader and I will give my life for you....but if u come between that plate and my stomach....all bets are off!" growled Beta Samuel watching his Alpha advance purposely towards the plate
"Luna Alisha! Tell Alpha Mitchell to get his own plate and stop cavorting mine!"Beta Samuel whined like a little boy who saw his favourite toy being taken away.
"Now boys! Stop this bickering! Stop your whining Samuel...Mitchell is not going to take your plate. Now Mitchell, can you please go and wash up first then come down again so that we can all enjoy the breakfast that Alisha has cooked for us"chimed Luna Melody who was sitting at the dining table eating her breakfast with gusto. Mitchell turned to look at his parents and the rest of the pack members sitting down at the large dining table eating what looked to be dozens of rashes of bacon and large spoonfuls of omelettes.
Mitchell looked down at himself and blushed as he realised he was only wearing a pair of shorts and was shirtless. The young she-wolves of the pack were staring at his chest and practically drooling." Uhm...I...Alisha...Just a minute." he stammered trying to fight a blush that had already stained his face a deep red in colour. The crowd again parted as he rushed up the stairs and into his room. He could hear many snickers as he rushed passed the group of wolves on the stairs. He banged the bathroom door closed as he jumped into shower speedily washing up
Markian opened his eyes at the sound of the door crashing closed." What the heck is your problem, Mitch? What's all the commotion downstairs about?" he said while yawning loudly. He sniffed the air and exclaimed with surprise"What smells so good, Mitch?And where is Alisha? What are you grinning about brother-o-mine?" he asked while clambering off the bed as he followed Mitchell into the bathroom.
"Alisha made us breakfast! It smells crazy good. I am going down as soon as I can"Mitchell exclaimed hurriedly as he finished his shower and pulled a towel off the rack to dry himself off with
"Alisha cooked for us?! Oh wow! Wait for me!" murmured Markian as he raced to get washed up and dressed.
As both young Alphas finished dressing, they ran downstairs racing each other, to see who would reach the kitchen first. Mitchell noticed that the crowd had significantly reduced and Samuel, his Beta was not there anymore. Alisha was sitting beside Luna Melody drinking a cup of hot cocoa. It was good to see that Alisha was so comfortable with Luna Melody.
"Ah! So you finally decided to make an appearance, I see...You should thank Alisha, as she made sure she kept some breakfast for you. The way some of the wolves were eating it, I was surprised she had any to keep" said Alpha Xander putting his cup of coffee down as he saw his two sons come into the kitchen sheepishly.
They sat down at the table serving themselves from the large plate in the centre of the table. The smell of bacon tickled their noses making their mouth water in anticipation. The soft eggy richness of the omelettes was filled to the brim with the salty but creamy taste of cheese and finally, the icing on the cake was the hash browns which were perfectly seasoned with butter and spices that danced on their palates with glee. As the twin shovelled the cheese omelettes, the bacon and the hash browns into their mouths, Alisha could see, that they were, without a doubt, enjoying their breakfast.
Alpha Xander pushed his chair back with a groan." Alisha!The best breakfast I have ever had in my life!I am so glad you are my son's mate so that we can have this again" he said while grinning happily. Luna Melody hushed him gently as she came to stand beside him
"What my husband means is... Alisha, welcome to this family of ours. We hope you shall be happy here and be blessed by the Goddess always"Luna Melody chuckled while linking her arms into the crook of Alpha Xander's elbow and walking towards the door.
"Now why don't the three of you go outside and work off this food. Show Alisha off to the pack. They have all been begging me to catch a glimpse of their new Luna. We must have the Ascension soon before the pack becomes uneasy." said Alpha Xander thoughtfully as they walked out of the door. The young Alphas could already hear Luna Melody's voice as she called out a warning to an unsuspecting wolf
Alisha looked at Xander with puzzlement in her eyes. She had never been to an Ascension and did not know what it entailed. Her parents had been rogues so there was no such thing as an Ascension for them while Alpha Wayland had become the Alpha of Moongazer long before she arrived and still had many years to go before he was succeeded by his heir so Alisha had never had the opportunity to witness an Ascension before.
Markian who had been quietly finishing the last piece of his bacon looked towards Alisha and smiled."An Ascension is when the old Alpha and Luna step down and a new Alpha and Luna take their place in the pack. As the sons of the present Alpha, Mitchell and I will take over from dad while you, Alisha, as our mate, will take the reigns from Luna Melody, our mother. The pack already calls us Alphas, so our part in the Ascension will only be a formality. Your part Alisha, be the main event" he mindlinked to her while he licked the crumbs off his fingers
Mitchell nodded in agreement as he stood up and continued the mindlink "So far, you can only hear us and vice versa, as we are your mates. After Ascension, you will be able to hear anyone in the pack as long as you opened a link while thinking about them"
"All of them?! Do you have the pack in your head all the time as well? How do you stand the constant conversation?" she asked while looking horrified at the prospect of having more than seven hundred wolves talking to her at one time.
Markian and Mitchell laughed at her expression."Don't worry Alisha. That's not how it works. You have to think about that wolf and imagine he is in front of you. A link between you and the other wolf will form if the other wolf accepts the relay of thought. So if you don't accept the relay, you will not hear what the pack members are saying and vice versa" explained Mitchell as he realised that Alisha had never had a mindlink experience other than what she had now with her mates.
"Didn't the Alpha of Moongazer ever accept you into the pack? You would have been able to talk to him and the rest of the after that"Markian asked looking very confused at Alisha and Mitchell as he uttered the question that had burst out when he realised that mindlinking was a foreign concept to his mate
"Gamma Nicholas did ask Alpha Wayland something about an initiation but we never ended up doing it. After a while, we forgot about it completely...I didn't know that I would have been able to talk to my pack through the process of mindlinking after initiation so I didn't push it either. I was just glad to have a home after....after..."Alisha suddenly remember the circumstances of her reaching the Moongazer pack and bit her lip in despair as her eyes welled up with tears
Markian rushed to her side and hugged her hard. He didn't know what had made his mate so sad and he was not going to let her shut him out again. He would find out what it was ...and he would find out now.
"Tell us, Alisha! Please! We can't stand the fact that you are crying. Please tell us what is wrong" begged Mitchell as he came close and hugged her as well
Alisha turned to look at her mates with forlorn eyes. Her heartbreaking again into a million pieces remembering the tragic details of her early life. She knew that it was time to share her story with her mates and the burden of her tears would lighten with telling Markian and Mitchell the details about her parents' life and death. So that's what she did. She talked and talked and the twins listened, neither of them stopping her as she poured out the details of her life. telling her mates about Lawrence, her father, the ex-beta of the Black Raven pack and his fated mate, a human girl called Jasmine. Alisha's tears flowed freely when she talked about the love her father had for her mother and how he had defied Alpha Thomas by choosing his mate rather than his pack.
The day wore on and still, Alisha continued. She told them of the times she went fishing with her father and their life in the forest. She had often felt lonely as she didn't have friends in her age group but her parents had always reminded her to be careful as they knew that they couldn't be rogues for long. Lawrence had found his mate in Jasmine and soon Alisha would also need to find her mate. Alisha could remember overhearing her parent one day praying to the Moon Goddess to ensure Alisha's mate would not be from the Black Raven pack.
As evening drew to a close, Alisha had come to the end of her story. She had told Markian and Mitchell about how she hid from the Black Raven assassins as well as what they did to her parents. She had cried non stop describing how they had killed her parents and left them to be eaten by the wild animals in the forest and how she had buried her parents as best she could and even planted flowers over their graves
She finished her story by telling them how Gamma Nicholas took care of her in the pack hospital and how Alpha Wayland had entrusted the care of the Moongazer cubs to her where she befriended Alex and Alia.
Markian and Mitchell stared at Alisha, shocked at how she handled the atrocities in her life and still remained loving and optimistic about the future in general. They didn't know if they would have the strength to do the same if something similar had befallen their parents. The Alpha twins said a prayer to the Moon Goddess, that they would never have to endure what their mate had to go through in her young life
Alisha was exhausted by the time she finished her story. They had adjourned to their room during the initial part of the story. Alisha had sat down in the middle of the bed with a pillow on her lap while the Alphas had stretched out on either side of her. Slowly the alphas had positioned themselves such that she was leaning back on Mitchell and her legs were on Markian
Both the Alphas vowed to help her get her revenge on the Alpha of Black Raven ie the infamous, Alpha Thomas. They promised to make Lawrence, their father in law, proud to have sons-in-law like them. Alisha closed her eyes to fall into a deep slumber while the twins whispered and plotted how they would bring Alpha Thomas to his knees for what he had done to their precious mate