Ye are Blood of my Blood and
Bone of my Bone.
I give ye my Body, that we Two might be one.
Celtic wedding ceremony.
Patric followed the lead cars through the enormous iron gates which marked the entrance to the Reiver pack house. They were accompanied by six Reivers in wolf form, three on either side of their little convoy. The wolves had stood across the road blocking the way about half a mile before the start of the territory. Alpha Henri had left his vehicle to talk to them and they had been alongside the cars ever since. Werewolves can be wary about attacks from other packs or rogues, lone wolves with no pack, but this display of strength seemed excessive to Annie. They had been driving through the territory for over an hour before reaching the gates and according to Patric, they still had a mile or so to go.
“This pack’s territory is something else.” remarked Sabine.
Annie could feel Sabine’s anticipation at a good run as soon as they entered Reiver territory. She had to admit, the scenery was stunning. The grey and purple hills sloped down to reach the dark green conifer forests, eventually flattening out to lush green meadows at the bottom of the valleys. The air smelt so clean, and so pure. Annie reflected that she had spent far too much time either inside the university, in the town or with her head in a book. The colours of the landscape seemed to shimmer and shift with the changes in the light as the clouds scudded across the sky. The thought of running through these valleys had Sabine quivering with excitement as she took in the views through Annie’s eyes.
Arriving at the pack house, the beauty of it almost took Annie’s breath away. Alpha Henri went to meet the wolves who had come out to greet them, their feet crunching on the gravel of the driveway.
“This isn’t a pack house, it’s a mansion.” she silently said to Sabine. Her wolf was already in love with the place, urging her on to look inside.
"Patience Sabine, we can't just walk in!" she playfully chided. “Let Alpha Henri make the introductions first.” She added, rolling her eyes as Sabine snorted with impatience.
The grounds themselves were stunning, topiary bushes and well-manicured lawns stretched for a least a mile. Annie could hear running water so there must be a brook or fountain somewhere. The house itself was a sprawling grey stone building which had the air of a fortress. There were towers with tiny windows poking up from the grey slate roof and actual battlements. To her right, Annie could see preparations for the night’s ceremony underway. A huge marquee had been erected on the lawn and it was being decorated with garlands of wood anemone and heather. Gold chairs were being arranged inside and carpets rolled out to make a walkway between the house and marquee.
“This is going to be a beautiful wedding.” sighed Sabine.
“We will be shown to our rooms now.” said Alpha Henri through the mind link.
Annie almost jumped out of her skin. It had been a while since anyone had mind linked her. Living without the mind link for so long she had kind of got used to not having it, it almost felt like an intrusion into her private place. Trying to cover how flustered she felt, she took her bags from Patric as he lifted them out of the car and followed her family up the stone steps that led into the mansion. The hallway was old fashioned but beautiful, oak panelling with the heads of stags adorning the walls. It culminated in the most dominant feature, a huge oak staircase carpeted in deep red which swept upwards past giant oil paintings. Annie studied them as they climbed to the first floor. There was a mixture of landscapes, still life and portraits of Reivers in both human and wolf form. Some looked really old, depicting what she thought were probably some of the original Reiver raids, others were more recent, some of the Alpha’s ancestors perhaps. Her attention was drawn to a giant of a man stood at the top of the stairs waiting for them. He wore a black suit, white shirt and red tie, all looking bespoke and very expensive. Even his shoes were perfectly shined and with his fair hair swept back almost 1940s style her first impression was that he was incredibly handsome.
“Welcome” he boomed, his Scots accent thick and strong as they reached the landing at the top of the stairs. “Great to see you all again..” he abruptly stopped, his eyes firmly locked on Annie.
Annie took a sharp breath in. Why did she feel scared? The Alpha waves coming from him were intense, almost crushing. Sabine sent soothing vibes to help Annie control her face and breathing.
“Everyone except you though, I don’t believe we have met before.” he boomed, his eyes narrowing.
Alpha Henri turned and gestured for Annie to walk forward. Annie stepped forward to stand by her Alpha trying to look calm and confident whilst her insides churned.
“If I may Alpha Armstrong,” Alpha Henri started “This is Annie Lovell, sister of the mother of the bride, so aunt to the bride herself.”
Alpha Armstrong then did something that took Annie, Sabine and everyone else completely by surprise. His arm snapped forward, grabbing Annie’s face with a tight grip, tilting her head from side to side so he could get a clear view of her neck. Annie winced.
“Stay calm Annie,” warned Alpha Henri through the mind link, the stress clear in his voice, “Please do not fight back, we are not here to start a war.”
As fast as he grabbed her, Alpha Armstrong let go.
“You are unmarked.” he announced, stating the obvious.
“Yes, I’ve been unlucky.” Annie was surprised how calm she sounded, though her insides were in turmoil.
Annie felt Sabine’s hurt, yes, after all this time it still hurt her wolf to think about what happened.
“How old are you?” he frowned.
“I’m forty- two Alpha Armstrong.” replied Annie, sincerely hoping he would just leave it there for Sabine’s sake.
“A real-life maiden aunt then I see,” he remarked. “I hope your rooms are to your liking, if you need anything please just ask my omegas, they are at your disposal.”
With that, Alpha Armstrong shook hands with Alpha Henri and strode off taking his overpowering aura with him.
“Wanker!” Sabine spat, fur bristling.
Annie was visibly shaken, but what else could she have done? Alpha Armstrong was the biggest wolf she had ever seen. This pack was known for their volatility and no one wanted to fight a Reiver. She thought the male wolves from her own pack were big, but he made Alpha Henri look small in comparison. Amelie laid a hand on her shoulder.
“You alright Annie?”
“Yeah, I’m fine.” replied Annie shakily.
“No we are fucking not,” spat Sabine “How fucking dare he, and where was our Alpha when we needed him, just standing there while a member of his pack was manhandled and humiliated.”
“Please calm down Sabine. Remember, Alpha Henri is probably too young to remember what happened to us. Also, we don’t want to start a fight, ok? Come on I’m fine, we’re fine.” Annie soothed. Sabine huffed and took herself off to the back of her mind.
“You did well there.” said Alpha Henri, letting out a breath.
Annie nodded managing a weak smile at her Alpha while taking a deep breath.
“Your rooms are this way.” said an omega who seemed to appear out of nowhere and seemingly completely un-phased by the actions of his Alpha.