As they thought this, Nox stood on the podium, silently gazing out at her pack. The wolves had all shifted to human form and stood, murmuring among themselves. Nox tilted her head down to whisper into Aylin's ear, though, the action was only for intimacy, as the pack could hear her anyway since her voice was low but clear and audible.
"Take a good look, sweetheart. They are your new family, your pack to protect, your wolves to lead. Never forget that duty and never forget that bond you share with them. As you lead, don't forget that they are not your subjects, but individuals who can both guide you and aid you." As Nox spoke, the wolves stared at her, the pride they felt at her words of praise for them swelling in their chests.
They had no idea that this was what their Alpha felt about them and were both surprised and happy at the revelation. They stood, watching their Alpha, who had borne the burden of leading them at the forefront alone for three centuries, and some of them felt tears in their eyes at the thought that their Alpha finally had a partner to share her burden with.
Aylin nodded at Scarlett's words, listening to the Alpha with absolute attentiveness. She wanted to support her mate with everything she had, and that was why she never voiced a complaint about her Luna crash course, which was essentially what it was. Nox let a small smile grace her face when she sensed Aylin's determination from their mate bond. She'd have to personally thank the moon goddess this time around, that deity knew how to pick a bride.
Nox straightened, stepping forward and raising her hand. The pack immediately fell silent, eagerly looking up at their Alpha and waiting for her to speak. Nox's gaze swept over them for a moment before she began.
"Wolves of the Midnight Pack, greetings." She began, pausing before continuing. "I'm glad to see you all doing well, as your Alpha, and as a warrior who walked among you for as long as I have. I am always grateful for the support you all have continuously shown me, even before we became the Midnight Pack. Now, I'm sure there is neither wolf nor pup that does not know this already, but a week ago, I found my mate." She paused, turning to Aylin and pulling her to her side, turning back around to the wolves with an arm firmly placed on Aylin's waist.
"This beautiful omega beside me is Aylin Dunamis, my mate gifted to me by the Moon goddess; and the new Luna of the Midnight Pack." She spoke, a proud smile on her face. The Midnight Pack wolves, who saw this coming, erupted in cheers, chattering and smiling up at their Luna, who was surprised to see the warm reception before her.
"I told you, they're your new family." Nox chuckled, amused at the shocked look on her mate's face. Partly because she wanted to tease her mate, Nox spoke once more; "Why don't you give them a speech, Luna?" She spoke; a teasing smirk donning her face.
Aylin tuned to her mate, shock and panic clear on her face. She was unprepared and had no idea what to do. She pouted as Scarlett nudged her, an aggrieved look on her face as if she had been wronged. She could see that her mate was struggling to hold in her laughter and decided to think of what to say. She felt pride swell in her chest, as she watched Scarlett showcasing her joy in front of the pack, happy that her mate could be this unrestrained. She took a deep breath, mimicking what Scarlett did, raising her hand for silence, and the wolves fell silent immediately, wanting to hear what their new Luna had to say.
"Wolves of the Midnight Pack, greetings." She began exactly as Nox did and Nox raised a brow, amused. "I stand before you as your new Luna, and I am thankful for the warm welcome you all have given me here tonight. I had no speech prepared, as you can imagine, since I was only aware of the hunt." She paused, smiling gently at the wolves present before continuing.
"As your new Luna, I only have one expectation from you all, and that is Honesty. I have never had such a huge responsibility in my hands before, but now that I am here, I know mistakes are inevitable. Thus I only ask that you air your grievances with me honestly, no matter how petty or grave. Most of all, thank you for allowing me the opportunity to support my mate in safeguarding you all, as well as our homes and territories. I promise to do my best, with your well-being as my priority." She finished, not at all expecting the thunderous roar that rose from the wolves. She stood, a dazed smile on her face, her mate's arm around her waist, surprised but happy at their response.
The wolves themselves had never expected what Aylin had said at all, since she had every right to be arrogant, considering her incredible skill on the training grounds. They soon felt ashamed at their thinking though, since they knew their Alpha's personality. If the moon goddess had chosen the omega before them as a mate for their Alpha, then there was no way she would have the personality the Alpha hated most.
Just like that, the semi-formal announcement and introduction to their new Luna had been finalized.
-----------------------------
The room was dimly lit, the single, worn-out bulb barely illuminating the people present. The figures all sat round a rectangular table that took up most of the room's space. The single, small window did nothing to ventilate the area, despite it being opened, exposing the full moon of the night in all of it's exquisite glory.
It was a small room , but it served it's purpose. The figures all sat round the table, the darkness obscuring their features. There was a door to the outside world, but it laid there, firmly shut, with two figures in front of it. They were in charge of listening out for intruders.
A large man sat at the head of the table, his features discernible only to those whose eyes could pierce clearly through the darkness, a trait which none but the two figures at the door had, as he had come with them. He had an irritated expression on his face and his body was as wound up as a coiled spring, tense and taught.
"What did you manage to find?" He asked the figures before him. They began to whisper among each other before one of them spoke up.
"Nothing, the tracks lead to a dead end, and all the leads are a bust." The figure spoke, the voice sounding distinctly male. The large man bristled. What did that creature just say? Nothing?! He expended manpower for a total of nearly three decades and this was all they had to show for it? Nothing?! He was livid, but his anger mainly stemmed from anxiety. He slammed his fist on the table, the wood splintering and leaving a sizeable dent in the shape of his fist on impact.
"You had better pray to whatever deity you worship that I heard you wrong. Did I?" He asked again, as if daring the quivering figures before him to repeat the same statement. The man who had spoken prior shook his head, shrinking into his seat in fear. There was nothing more scary than his angry boss, he'd much rather be mauled to death by a pack of wolves than get him angry on usual days.
However, this was not a normal day. What did the man expect him to do? He couldn't present something that did not exist. Honestly, if he died today, he would welcome it with relish. He was done risking his life for the most foolish of things. After all, how could he begin to explain that he had nearly died more times than eaten a meal in the last twenty five years? Who would believe such nonsense? He was an informant, for crying out loud, yet he lived his life like an enemy of the state! He regretted not choosing a stable career like his mother warned him.
He wanted either retirement or death, whichever came first. It was this very notion that had made him speak up in the first place. He had nothing to lose anymore; no family, no friends, no spouse or kids. Therefore; no attachments. It was a sad situation, but he could only make the best of what he could. He therefore stopped shrinking on his seat, regarding the man with an apathetic gaze.
The man, now known as the boss of the figures present , sighed, his earlier frustration mitigated by the apathetic look of his subordinate, which was a look of fear a few seconds prior.
"Explain." he stated simply, and another figure spoke up. Its voice was feminine in nature.
"Yes sir." the voice said, pausing first. "Sir, we followed the trail the woman left before before she left, and noticed that she went to the human lands. Up until then, we were easily able to keep track. However, when she arrived at the human lands, she seemingly vanished into thin air. We have had our men searching everywhere they could without arousing suspicion, but it was fruitless." The man ran his hands on his face in frustration. This could not be happening, not now. The client who asked for this would kill him! They had to find something!
" Have you checked the packs around the area she disappeared? Actually, have you checked all known packs and even rogue bases?" He asked, hoping they found something.
"Yes sir, there was no sign of her." The woman said, her voice faltering slightly. The boss paused, staring intently at his subordinate. There was something that was missing from the report. Otherwise, why would his subordinate falter like that?
"You're hiding something from me." He stated more than asked, and the woman swallowed audibly.
"We were unable to scope out some packs because of their security." She said. His eyes narrowed, thinking for a moment. Aah. He could see now . That's why she was afraid.
"The Midnight Pack." He stated, watching as his subordinate's face paled at the mention of the both famous and infamous pack. He could not blame them, that pack was deadly with a capital D.
"Yes sir" She finally spoke, relieved that he only sounded amused.
"Any chances of our target being in that pack?" The boss asked, and all figures in the room shook their heads.
"The pack is too far away from the point of disappearance, and what's more, the pack was in the middle of a skirmish with Whiteshore Pack due to some disputes over territory." The man who had spoken first affirmed.
The boss nodded in response, quietly contemplating the news. That ruled out one of their biggest threats, thankfully. The numerous years of life he had lived had taught him that there were battles to pick and battles to avoid. This one, was the latter.
"How about the Oriol pack?" He said, a shiver running down his spine at the mere mention of it. Every creature that was in the paranormal realm knew of the close friendship of the two pack Alphas, and knew that if one provoked the Dark Valkyrie, the Blood Demon would awaken, and vice versa. One was bad enough, but two? He'd rather lose his soul to the Grim Reaper just to spare himself the trouble.
"It's the same as with the Midnight Pack, sir." The female spoke.
The room went silent. The boss had lost his fury completely when he learned who was almost on his suspect list. He was not stupid, and thus he decided to end the meeting there, they would reconvene later to discuss their options.
Hopefully, by the time they were to meet again, he would have come up with a plan that did not involve invoking the wrath of the Sadistic Demon and The Bearer of the Reaper's Scythe. Those were two sleeping dragons he could live without awakening, that much was certain.
People may call him cowardly, but everyone knew that it was the cowards who lived to see another day.