“I can’t believe it,” Felix mutters under his breath as we walk to Beta Vincent’s jeep. I spent the whole morning telling my mate over and over about what happened. He was understandably stunned, and it took a while for him to accept the whole tale.
“Are you ready?” Vincent asks. “Because the little princess here has been waiting long enough.” The little princess is Faye, and she wasn’t waiting so long because we ran late, but rather because she was so excited about the trip that she was ready half an hour earlier than everyone else.
Vincent himself is a fun man of middle age. He looks scary with his many tattoos and his shaved head, but he has that spark in his eyes, a kindness. His eyes always look like he is smiling. Meanwhile, Beta Edward is calm and composed – a funny contrast to Flora. He and her gamma have to be amazing if she chose them to be by her side. Felix once told me that it was a long process for her to find someone she trusted enough to become her protectors.
“We are really taking your jeep?” Felix asks. “Isn’t that overkill?”
“Not really.” Vincent grins. “If someone is after us, we can just roll over them. Besides, Marius and Celine will return with us later today, for – surprise – yet another meeting.”
They are probably hoping that Arden will have found something by then.
“Then we certainly need the big car,” Felix agrees.
Everyone forces me to take the passenger seat, while the others find their places in the back rows. Once done, we set off for Celine and Marius’ pack – Moon Blood. It’s said to be a verylush pack, with lots of nature around it. Smaller than Silverlake and Red Claw, and a normal wolf shifter pack, but they have a strong reputation.
It’s not a long drive. “That didn’t take us half as long as I expected,” I admit.
“Moon Blood is closer than you imagine,” Beta Edward explains. “They are one of our allies who are close by, like Red Claw and the twins’ pack. You met Henry and Tony, didn’t you?”
“I did. So, they are all pretty close in distance,” I muse.
“Makes it even sadder that Finn is pretty far away,” Felix says.
“It’s not just the distance. He is also swamped with work,” Vincent explains. “Rebuilding his pack was a huge task.”
Edward nods. “Now that things there have progressed, I am sure he will visit more often.”
Finn is the only sibling I haven’t met yet. I have heard stories. Everyone seems to like him and his mate. Hopefully, they will be able to visit soon.
Soon enough, we pass the pack borders of Moon Blood, and like I was promised, I am greeted with a beautiful, idyllic forest and broad fields. However, I also notice a surprising number of pack members running around.
“Something is going on,” Vincent mutters while he parks the car. “Be careful, everyone.”
fifty-two
Faye’s Place
*GWENDOLYN*
Vincent is right, something feels off. Why is everyone here looking so stressed? The first horrifying thought that comes to my mind is that they are being attacked, but then, wouldn’t they fight or defend their borders?
No, it has to be something else.
Vincent, Edward and Felix shield Faye and me, all of them looking deeply worried.
“Vince, Edward!” A man comes running towards us. “I apologize; I couldn’t greet you properly.”
“Garret!” Edward takes a step forward. “What’s going on?”
“Who is he?” I whisper towards Felix.
“That’s Garret, he is the gamma of the pack.”
Garret rubs his temples. “We have a bit of a situation at the moment.”
“What kind of situation?” Edward wants to know. To the outside, he looks completely calm, but I notice how his body tenses up slightly.
“There is a small pack closeby,” Garret explains, his voice annoyed. “Their alpha has been harassing Alpha Celine and Lune Marius about a deal for over a year now. You know, with her being a woman and all, he thinks he can just walk over her.”
