He held the message with trembling hands. He read and reread its content almost incredulously, fearful that it was all just a dream.
His heart was racing, and it was becoming harder by the second to control the beast of his essence.
He was no longer a teenager; he was an alpha nearing twenty six years old, leader of a pack, whose youngest member was over eleven.
It was hard to measure the joy that this news would bring to the entire pack and not just to his nature.
Beta Eli watched his friend and leader with his head down, kneeling on the ground, as the imbalance of the aura emanating from the Alpha left him apprehensive, even terrified.
Dérik was one of the most powerful alphas in existence, one of the few to have reached the third form.
Beta Eli feared that his pack was in danger, which would explain his leader's anxiety while reading the urgent message sent by the search group led by General Gamma Adanir.
— Alpha, are we in trouble? Do you want me to alert the army?
Dérik turned to the bewildered Beta, having momentarily forgotten his presence.
— Eli, gather the pack at the beach. Order the females of the harem to prepare a feast!
The Alpha's words did not surprise him more than the exuberant voice tone he used.
— A feast? — The Beta asked, confused. — But… Forgive my insolence, may I ask the reason for a celebration amidst a war?
A war between species that was close to leading the wolves to extinction, with the growing scarcity of Lunas.
— Isn't the arrival of my Luna enough reason to celebrate, my friend? — The Alpha replied with a rare smile on his face.
Beta Eli's eyes widened, and he stood up smiling. It was a miracle! For years, he and his mate begged Hecate to send a Luna. His chest felt like it would burst with joy. Finally, his pack would thrive, he and his mate would fulfill the dream of having a family.
Finally, the pack would be complete!
— What? Sir, did Gama Adanir really find our Luna?
— Yes! He said he found her and is bringing her to us. — The Alpha's smile became contagious. — His beast recognized her as soon as it saw her. He says in the message that, by instinct, he won't leave her side and won't let anyone get close. He also said that I would understand when I see her. Look at what he wrote!
Alpha Dérik showed the message to the Beta, who congratulated and hugged the Alpha.
— I will order preparations for our Luna's arrival right now. We will have the greatest celebration of all times! Congratulations, Alpha! May the gods bless you with many pups!
— So be it, my friend! So be it!
*****
The Black Wolf pack was in celebration, certain that the gods were favoring their territory. When an Alpha find his soulmate, the future of the pack is guaranteed. The fertility of the females depends on the connection with the Luna.
Excited males and females were rushing back and forth, preparing for the long-awaited female's reception. Alpha Dérik stood at the beach, anxiously looking at the horizon, where the small image of a ship was forming.
Beta Eli was embracing his female, who smiled hopefully, her hand on her empty belly, dreaming of the promise of life developing in the future.
Dérik placed his hand on his chest as he felt a faint connection beginning to form. His last fear, that the Gama might be mistaken, faded away. He lifted his head and released a powerful howl of confirmation, and his pack followed.
He could feel her approaching, the connection between soulmates growing stronger.
The ship was approaching the dock; soon he would have her in his arms.
There was music, the sound of animated conversations, plans for the offspring, laughter. The clan was in a frenzy of joy.
In a distant corner, however, the female leader of the harem watched the scene with bitterness.She was not happy with the Luna's arrival, and she wished with all her heart that something would happen, that everything was a farce, that no female dared to interfere with her plans...
The universe was conspiring against her, her betrothed, the former Beta, was killed in the war before he even marked her. The loss of her mate made her one of the women in the harem. From female Beta, Hira was reduced to a servant, and the resentment in her heart grew with the news of the Luna's arrival.
Hecate was the Mother Goddess of all Lunas, the most worshipped in the pack, but Hira had so much resentment for the goddess that she became devoted to Sargat, the goddess of death and despair, the only one who accompanied her throughout her life. With her eyes closed, she prayed for Sargat to act at that moment and to enforce the servitude she had offered her.
In response to her prayers, the sound of an explosion preceded a funerary silence. Dérik tilted his head, his focus on the ship in the distance.
Soon a thick smoke formed over the ship.
Another explosion brought with it the terrifying sound of the crew's screams. Without hesitation, Dérik threw himself into the water; struggling against the waves, he swam hurriedly toward the ship, but the distance was still too great for him to arrive in time.
The cries of pain and fear grew louder as he approached. All he had in mind was that he needed to save his female. The gods could not be so cruel as to take her away without him at least seeing her face.
He was Dérik, one of the strongest alphas that existed; if he could not protect his female, how could he lead a pack?
The connection was felt, and despite the sea spray, the scent of his female reached his nostrils. She was in that direction, where the fire consumed the ship with greater fury. He leaped from the water onto the hull, but another explosion hurled him back into the sea.
Determined, he gathered all the strength he had, ignoring his injuries, and began to swim again; however, a sharp pain in his chest paralyzed him.
At that moment, time seemed to stop, and a cold current coursed through his spine. The connection was broken, the scent extinguished.
The excruciating pain caused the third form to take over his body, but darkness took his eyes.
It was too late...
He would never see her face…