As Nox leaned back in her seat, digesting the new turn of events, she had a sinking suspicion that this was only the advent of an incoming storm.
She hoped that for the sake of both the Midnight and the Oriol packs, her suspicion was just that; a suspicion. The message put her in a pensive mood, a mood that was noticed by both her mate and her best friend. Aylin linked their hands, stroking her thumb against the back of Nox's hand, an action seemingly done to calm her.
"Geez, Scar, there's no need to be so gloomy about it, we were only in a fix without your help. It's all smooth sailing from here." Marcus shrugged. Nox frowned in response.
"In case you haven't noticed, we have a lot more at stake now in the event of a war, taking our newly found mates into consideration." Nox began, shutting Marcus up; "They have not assimilated into the packs yet, much less been officially announced as the Lunas of our respective packs. This is not the time to play cat and mouse with a few pests, Jack." Nox said, pointing out the facts of the situation.
"I agree, but other than making the necessary precautions, I don't see what we can do until we gather the relevant intel," Delilah said, surprising them all, since both she and Aylin had left themselves out of the conversation.
"I'm with Delilah on this one, because I don't think anything can be rushed at this point, as I assume we have to undergo some sort of training before our announcement as Lunas, right?" Aylin said, shrugging as well.
"This is a matter of safety, rather than anxiety. You two have yet to fight in a war and thus are unaware of the scale of danger. Jack, we need to gather the packs, as well as all our allies. We especially cannot take any chances this time round, as kidnapping is not exactly unheard of." Nox sighed.
"Add to that the fact that we are unaware of the scope of the enemies' intel, we cannot afford to take liberties here. We'll have to sort out the Luna announcements either before the skirmish or after. This will depend on what the Cethins have uncovered. I have a bad feeling there's gonna be a war very soon." Nox said.
Marcus flinched in response. He could not afford to joke around now. From the two centuries or so that he had spent by Nox's side as her best friend, he knew one thing. If there was anything that could be trusted, whether on the battlefield or off it, it was her intuition. He had no idea why it was, but Nox's intuition was on par with divine revelations or oracles. It was scarily accurate, so if she said she could sense a war, there was a war coming without a doubt.
"Well, that changes everything. Looks like we'll be painting the earth red pretty soon, Scar." He said, smirking devilishly at the thought of killing those vermin once more.
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The morning following their meal found both Nox and Aylin in the air, with about an hour of flying left before they landed in Aspen, where the Midnight pack was located.
Aylin had been asleep for most of the flight, while Nox had been staring at her with a fond smile on her face for most of the flight. As she gazed at Aylin, she decided to mind-link her Beta.
'Balor.' she began; ' I'm bringing my mate home with me. I'm sure you've began preparations already though, since I believe Dale already informed you of this.' She smirked.
'Of course, Alpha. The preparations are complete. When should the pack announcement be held?' Duncan asked.
'You know what's going on Balor. I can't say for certain but hold off for now. You may inform the pack members but the official announcement may have to wait. That aside, are the Cethins back yet? They have an important task to take care of. ' Nox said, already feeling a headache coming on at the thought of the incoming drama.
'They came back last night Alpha. What are your orders?' He spoke.
'Tell them to continue their investigation on Whiteshore, as well as keep track on all their movements, including what packs they communicate with. That includes open communication as well as those in the shadows.' Nox said.
Duncan felt a chill go up his spine. He had a bad feeling about this, like a sinister version of déjà vu.
'Correct me if I am wrong, Alpha, but do you suspect them of planning a war?' He tentatively asked, fearing that his premonition was right.
'That's just it; I have a feeling that war is imminent and I can't shake it off. We're better off being prepared just in case, especially with the werewolf council holding a ball for all Alphas in two weeks.' Nox said, the irritation in her voice evident.
'Yes Alpha. Should the Luna's tutors should be assembled just before your arrival?' Duncan asked to confirm.
'Exactly. Have them ready to teach immediately. We cannot afford to be lax right now.' Nox spoke, breaking off their link when Aylin began to stir.
She focused her full attention on her mate, watching as the long lashes parted, revealing the beautiful emerald orbs, like the unveiling of a treasure.
The lids only opened halfway, the adorably misty eyes and cute pout giving Nox the urge to spoil this cute creature rotten.
"Are...we there... yet?" Aylin asked, still trying to release her body from the throes of sleep. In her defence, the flight was long, and she was not prepared to sit in one spot for that large amount of time.
"Almost." Came the short reply. Aylin glanced up to see her Alpha and flushed at the sight. Scarlett was looking at her with a soft, fond, loving look, a look that nearly brought tears to her eyes due to it's sweetness.
She found herself thanking the moon goddess profusely, an action that was quickly becoming a habit, for gifting her the perfect mate.
Soon enough, they had landed. Aylin was stunned by the beauty around her, of the expansive mountain range, topped with beautiful, luscious greenery. The crisp, cool air that swirled around her made her feel free.
'We should take the chance to run here as often as possible' Aruna spoke, to which Aylin agreed wholeheartedly. She was more than open to the idea, and was inclined to coerce the Alpha beside her to join in on the fun as well.
However, she had a feeling that she wouldn't be seeing her Alpha as often anymore, a suspicion that was proved right as soon as they reached the pack.
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The pack territory was huge, basically a nation in itself. Aylin could feel the pulse of power as they crossed the pack border. The pack buildings combined a feeling of old infrastructure, such as the square, arena and meeting hall, as well as villas dotted around the area, with modern infrastructure like the large pack house that resembled a high-end apartment-like estate; and that fascinated her.
They stopped at a large, Mediterranean style Mansion with three floors, that stood just before the apartment complexes. Noticing Aylin's curious stare, Nox spoke.
"This building contains the pack offices, though my Betas and I have home offices as well." She said, gesturing in front of them, where Aylin finally noticed the two men standing at the door.
The two men headed in their direction before stopping at a respectable distance from both her and Scarlett.
"Greetings, Alpha, welcome back." They chorused bowing slightly then standing up once more. Nox acknowledged them with a nod before turning to Aylin.
"Sweetheart, this is Duncan Balor and Gideon Haynes. They are the two Betas of the pack and are going to take care of you whenever I'm caught up in pack duties. If you need anything, ask them for it. You should be able to access the pack link now." Aylin nodded, now realising that there was a buzzing of different voices in her mind. Huh. How had she not noticed this link forming? She shook the thought from her head as she looked at the two men before her.
Duncan, who stood on the right, had jet black hair and royal blue eyes, and had lean muscle while not hiding the dangerous aura he emitted. The man on her left, Gideon, had a less dangerous aura, the same lean muscle, but his was paired with light brown eyes and dark brown hair. Nox turned to the two Betas before speaking.
"Balor, Haynes, this is my mate and your future Luna, Aylin Dunamis. Treat her as you'd treat me, though I'm sure you don't need the warning." She began, continuing; "Balor, we'll head to my office after I've met the future Luna's tutors. Haynes, I want you to stay with and keep the future Luna safe, I trust I don't need to repeat myself." She spoke, grabbing Aylin's hands and taking her inside.
"Tutors?" Aylin asked, staring at her mate in curiosity. Nox nodded, holding her hand tighter and glancing in her direction and walking forward.
"Yes, tutors. You will be taught diplomacy, etiquette and combat. You are to be the Luna of the Midnight pack, Aylin, it's a role that comes with a list of responsibilities that's a mile wide. Combat is the most important, as etiquette and diplomacy are only so that you avoid indirectly triggering an interspecies war. The rest is not for you to worry about, since this pack is worth It's weight in gold."
She spoke, a proud smile on her face before adding; "You will also learn the history of the pack and its founding, but it's a short history, so it shouldn't be too hard on you." Nox finished, now looking at Aylin for her reaction as her mate digested the onslaught of information. Aylin slowly nodded, looking up at her mate before speaking.
"Why so soon?" She asked, looking up at Nox with shining, puppy-like orbs.
"The council is holding a banquet of sorts for all Alphas of the region. Normally, I'd make up an excuse and avoid it, but since they treat me like an honorary council member, I have to attend. I didn't wish for the treatment, but I had no choice in the matter." Nox shrugged, leading Aylin through the foyer of the mansion into a large sitting room, where three people bowed in respect at her arrival, the Betas flanking the two on each side. Aylin barely had time to nod in understanding before being introduced to the three, two men and a woman.
"This is Veronica, Hayes' mate and the best warrior in our pack besides Balor and I. She'll teach you combat. The man with coral red eyes is Theron. He's the one in charge of your etiquette training and is a vampire but one of our pack members. The last one is Conroy, and he will be in charge of your diplomacy and history." She then turned to the three.
"This is Aylin Dunamis, my mate, and your future Luna. Treat her as you would me, and we'll have no unnecessary complications." Nox spoke, the warning in her words clear. The three bowed respectfully to Aylin, and Nox nodded in satisfaction.
She turned to Hayes, nodding once, before turning her attention to Aylin. Nox caressed her cheeks gently, before she kissed her sweetly on her forehead and spoke.
"Sweetheart, I have to attend to what we discussed with Marcus. I will do my best to finish everything by dinnertime, but if I get held up, Hayes will take you to my villa, and you can wait for me there. Is that alright?" Nox asked, her tone sweet and soothing, shocking all the other occupants of the room, who could not believe the side of their Alpha they were seeing at the moment. Truly, a mate changes a wolf, they all concluded, watching the scene before them with disbelieving eyes.
Nox pecked Aylin's lips lightly, wanting to savour the feeling but knowing she didn't have the time to do so, before walking back out of the door with Duncan in tow., leaving Aylin with her new tutors, who stared at her in thinly veiled curiosity.