Matt was impatiently waiting for his Alpha outside his office. Yes, he was 15 minutes early but he was starting to get a headache from all the imaginary scenarios cooking in his head. He started walking anxiously in front of the office. What has the Alpha decided? Will he allow a human to stay in our pack and then die while shifting?
His Alpha was unpredictable. Matt became the Beta two years ago when the former Beta died. This wasn't his birthright. He originally belonged to the family of Gamma, but the positions in his pack were decided on the basis of abilities and not birth. He competed for the position and he won. Theo, on the other hand, belonged to the family of Betas but lost the competition for the position of Beta. However, he won the one meant for the position of Gamma. Matt had to put his 200% in every task so that his position doesn't get questioned. Although he has proven himself as a competent beta, he still felt insecure. Even after two years of working as a Beta, he still felt like he didn't belong in this position.
Matt stopped abruptly as he sensed his Alpha climbing the stairs. He quietly walked towards the door of the office and positioned himself with his hands behind his back. He gave a curt bow to his Alpha as he came into his view.
Azraiel nodded at his Beta and entered the office. Instead of sitting on his chair behind the desk, he walked towards the window and positioned himself on the couch.
Shit, Matt thought. Alpha always used that couch to discuss matters that involved his personal life. All pack businesses were strictly conducted on his chair behind the desk. Matt was even more confused now. He walked behind him and sat on a chair in front of his Alpha.
"Whatever I am going to tell you shouldn't leave this room, Matt. I am going to tell you something that is personal as well as pack business." Azraiel was looking directly at Matt.
"Yes, Alpha." Matt replied quietly. His ears were perked up to hear everything and anything.
"Firstly, I am sure that the girl lying unconscious in our medical wing is my mate." Azraiel said it with the very blank face he has mastered over the years.
A silent gasp left Matt's mouth unwillingly. He could feel his heartbeat quicken at the excitement. That human girl was his Alpha's mate. So, he wasn't mad to want her alive, to protect her. His wolf had sensed it much before he could even imagine such a thing. Now, he knew what his wolf was trying to tell him. The Blue Orchid pack has found his Luna.
He looked at his Alpha and uttered a joyful congrats. He was happy. He truly was. Their mother Luna has arrived.
Azraiel acknowledged him with a curt nod.
"Secondly, I don't want anyone to know who she is," Azraiel said in the same tone as before.
What...Alpha didn't want anyone to know about his mate....but why? He asked the question aloud.
"Because right now, the most important thing is to keep her safe. If our enemies come to know that the Blue Orchid pack has found its Luna, the mate of a trueblood, they will try to harm her. She already has to deal with her shift. I don't want to endanger her life. No one apart from you and I will know about her true identity." Azraiel explained. This time his eyes glazed over with concern for his mate and Matt noticed it immediately. His Alpha was a fun-loving, caring man who loved his pack but he had a habit of keeping a poker face while speaking.
Matt nodded slowly. That makes sense. "Yes, Alpha. No will find out about Luna's identity, but will your wolf be able to control himself for 2 months?" Matt asked the most obvious question.
Azraiel released a deep breath. "He has to Matt, he has to. If he wants his mate alive then he has to control himself for 2 months and maybe even after that." Azraiel had thought about it. She was a human, even if she successfully turned into a werewolf it would take her some time to get accustomed to their lifestyle. As an Alpha, his wolf would be more than eager to mark his mate; especially if there is a chance that she might be in danger.
His Alpha has thought this through, Matt realized.
"Ask Kira to increase the security on pack borders. No one and I repeat no one should be able to breach our defenses. Increase the number of men on night patrols. Ask them to keep an eye on other supernaturals; especially witches. Once she wakes up, I'll start training her for the shift she has to endure. I'll make sure that she is ready for the shift and that she completes the shift. When I am not with her, you are supposed to be with her. From today you are not only mine but her Beta too. You have to make sure that she is safe at all costs at all times." Matt saw his Alpha speak with so much intensity for the first time. His eyes shone with a sparkle of hope and determination. The hope that his other half will survive and the determination that he will not let her die.
"I promise that as long as I am alive, no harm will ever come to her Alpha. I will protect her at all costs." For the first time in his tenure as a Beta, Matt felt a surge of purpose in his veins. It was like a wrong piece in a puzzle has been removed and replaced with a correct one.
"Good. Organize a pack meeting in the evening. Right now, the only person outside our pack that knows about her is the Head coordinator. His pact with our pack forbids him to share this information with others. So, there is no one outside this pack that could possibly know and spread the news of her arrival. I don't want her news to travel outside this pack. No one will speak a word about her to anyone outside the pack." Azraiel was feeling better now. His plans were starting to take shape.
"Yes, Alpha. As you say." Matt nodded along. Alpha has really thought about this in an hour, he thought.
"One more thing Matt, I know the right thing to do would be to form a committee to search about her. But I don't want you to do that right now. It just feels wrong to investigate her while she is lying unconscious in the hospital. My wolf too gets anxious and angry at the thought of someone investigating his mate. I'll ask her whatever I want to know once she wakes up." Azraiel let it out. It was nagging his mind since the moment he left the medical wing. If she was conscious, then he would have asked her everything right at the very moment he found her. But now, he has to wait for her to wake up to even know her name.
Matt left the Alpha's office after discussing the security and their Luna some more. He was both overjoyed and worried as well. Their Alpha deserved every bit of happiness after everything he has endured. He has lived for the pack from the moment he stepped up as an Alpha. Now, it was time for him to live for himself. But, his Luna was bitten. If anything was to happen to her, his Alpha would be crushed. He wouldn't even get to know his mate before losing her. Matt closed his eyes briefly and uttered a silent prayer to the Moon Goddess to protect his Alpha and Luna. The Blue Orchid pack has been without a Luna for the past 11 years. It was now their time to finally have their mother.
*********
Charlotte had just finished the inspection of the ballroom when Azraiel mindlinked her.“We need to talk.”She exhaled a breath of relief. Finally…!The subtle tension that had been curling in her chest since yesterday loosened a little. She’d been waiting for this moment—hoping he’d stop keeping whatever it was from her. Her boots clicked against the polished wooden floor as she turned, ignoring the flurry of activity still unfolding behind her.“I’ll be home in 5 minutes.” She replied quickly and broke into a swift jog, her heart oddly heavy despite the anticipation.Outside, dusk had begun to settle over the horizon. The sky was painted in muted tones of lilac and charcoal, streaked with wisps of cloud that blurred the edges of light. The hum of enchantments being woven into the pack’s outer walls pulsed faintly through the air. Wolves passed by her, nodding respectfully, some too busy stringing fairy lights or placing magical runes to pay her any mind.When she reached home, the l
24:00 Hrs before the Ball The packhouse was alive with noise and purpose. Footsteps echoed off stone floors, voices called out over comms, and faint music from the rehearsal in the ballroom drifted through the halls. Everyone had something to do. Everyone had a task, a role.Charlotte wandered through it like a ghost.Katya’s glamour spell had hidden the burns well—no one could tell by looking at her that the silver flames had nearly torn her apart from the inside out. Her skin looked smooth, even radiant. Her eyes, though ringed with faint shadows, glowed just enough to pass for rest. The magic was perfect.And yet, she felt like a lie walking among the living.The halls bustled around her. Warriors ran logistics, witches reinforced protection charms, and the kitchen staff prepped for the dozens of dignitaries expected at tomorrow’s ball. Kira was busy near the southern border, scanning old journals from her mother between shifts. Katya was in the east wing, working on reinforcing Az
Azraiel sat still as stone on the chair beside Charlotte’s bed, his hands clasped loosely together, elbows resting on his knees. The soft beeping of the monitors filled the quiet room, a rhythmic reminder that she was still breathing.She was still here.But gods, it didn’t feel like it.His golden eyes were fixed on her face—peaceful, pale, too still. Her body was wrapped in healing bandages, the angry red and blackened burns visible in the few places the linen didn’t cover. Even the smell of charred skin hadn’t fully faded.His throat tightened.It reminded him so vividly of the day he first saw her. Unconscious. Her face just as pale. Her breathing just as faint. And him…sitting just like this, staring at her like she was the center of his universe.Back then, he hadn't known who she really was. But now...Now, she was everything.And she was hurt.He reached out slowly, delicately taking her hand in his. Careful. Reverent. Like the slightest pressure might shatter her completely.A
1234...5678...1234...5678Charlotte tried to calm herself.They wouldn’t hurt her...All the people standing in front of her—they were her. Weren’t they?Yeah... she tried to summon some courage.They really couldn’t hurt her. They needed her to survive... right?She shoved aside the fear curling tight in her chest like a coiled snake.As if the wolf sensed her inner struggle, it nudged her leg again—gentle, insistent."Fine. Fine..." she muttered under her breath.Drawing in a shaky breath, Charlotte stepped forward.She stopped barely ten steps from the woman—herself, yet not. Every nerve in her body buzzed. She could feel the power radiating from the group around her, the thick, charged air crackling with supernatural energy.She poured all her focus into neutralizing her expression, forcing calmness into her tone even as her heart pounded."Are you...?" she began, voice wavering slightly.The vampire cut her off, lips curling into a smirk."Yup," she said casually. "We are You."C
Charlotte’s head feels like she has been hit with multiple hammers a thousand times over. A sharp, pulsating pain courses through her skull, making her groan softly. Her throat is dry, her limbs feel like lead, and her eyes itch as she struggles to open them.What the hell is going on?Where is she?The last thing she remembers is an angry voice screaming “RAVEN!”, and then… nothing.She puts every bit of strength left in her body into forcing her eyes open. It takes effort, but after a few agonizing seconds, she finally manages to pry them open. The first thing she sees is the vast expanse of tree leaves above her, their thick canopy allowing only thin slivers of sunlight to pierce through. She barely catches a glimpse of the sky in between the dense leaves.Great. More trees. That narrows down the place, she thinks sarcastically.A groan escapes her lips as she tries to sit up. Every movement feels like she is dragging a boulder attached to her body. Her limbs protest, but she pushe
Azraiel leaned back into the sofa, letting out a loud sigh, his frustration is evident in the way his shoulders slumped. Ayleen sat beside him, her small hand lightly clasping his. She knew her touch offered him no real solace, but it brought her a sense of grounding she desperately needed. People often saw her as delicate, a young woman barely stepping into adulthood, sheltered and untainted by the harshness of life. They were wrong. What they didn’t see—what she kept hidden behind her soft smiles and quiet demeanor—was the weight of grief she had carried for years. She had witnessed heartbreak and loss, endured the kind of pain that left invisible scars, and yet here she was, sitting strong and steady beside Azraiel. Her fragile appearance was a mask; beneath it was a will forged by fire, stronger than most in their world. She tightened her grip on his hand slightly, as much for her own reassurance as to remind him she was there—not weak, not afraid, but ready to face whatever came