Chapter 4

SASHA POV

"Father, I am flying in planes owned by us," I groan as he nitpicks at something else.

Roland laughs as he watches my Father, but my other parents and Luis are patiently waiting him out. I guess they figure he has to run out of complaints eventually, but I know him. He is trying to get my flight delayed. He knows that even though we own the plane, it is still on a schedule with air patrol.

"He isn't going to stop," Ethan mumbles from next to me.

I sigh loudly, "I know."

"How are you holding up Bub," I ask Ethan as I tear my eyes off of my insane Father.

Ethan shrugs before kicking his foot at an invisible rock. He barely glances at me before the first tear falls. I immediately wrap my arms around my brother.

"I'm not going to be gone forever," I say as his emotional dam breaks against my shoulder.

My shirt is getting wet, but I don't mind. Ethan and I have always been close. This separation will be hard on both of us.

"I know. But you will be gone close to a year, Sasha. There are so many packs in North America," Ethan sobs into my shoulder.

I rub his back as I think over the time I am about to be spending away from my family. I should be gone for 46wks, and that includes travel time. I never thought about the fact that it was close to a year of being away. When I return, Ethan will be almost 14, and I will 19. I will be celebrating my birthday away from my family for the very first time. That thought turns my stomach a bit, but I push the feeling down.

"Ethan, the time will fly by. Besides....I'm always a phone call away," I say as I place my hands on his shoulders and move him away from my soaked shirt.

He wipes his face and gives me a watery smile.

"I love you, sassy," Ethan says lowly as his cheeks begin to tint from embarrassment. I smile at the old nickname.

"I love you, little minion," I say back as I ruffle his styled hair.

He groans and playfully smacks my hand away.

********

"Doing okay, Sasha," Luis asks as he looks over from his seat.

"Yeah, why does everyone complain about flying? It is so cool," I practically squeal as I stare out my tiny window.

Luis grumbles under his breath, and Roland's loud laugh barks out.

"Wolves aren't supposed to enjoy being this high off the ground. You are so weird," Roland says as he laughs. I playfully throw my empty soda can at the back of his head, and he laughs even harder.

I return to looking out the window. The flight to White Crest isn't a long one, only two hours. Father acted as if I would be in the air for over a day. He had voiced how much he despises flying several times before we took off forty-five minutes ago. He had me dreading this experience, but it isn't bad.

I look down at my red dress and straighten the hem. I hope sitting down for over two hours doesn't put too many wrinkles in the soft material. I spent so much time getting ready this morning. I put loose curls in my hair, and I did a full face of makeup, which is something I rarely do. I can only hope my efforts pay off.

Although Alpha Ben is called cousin by my dads, he technically isn't family, and I don't want to make a negative impression.

ALPHA BEN

"You look fine, Chels," I say as a laugh rumbles out from deep inside my chest.

"Laugh at me all you want, Ben, but I refuse to look anything less than perfect. This is the princess, for crying out loud. Her mother is next in line to become our Goddess. Her Fathers are over a hundred years old. Not to mention the trio killed Lord Stefan," Chelsea says as she reapplies a different shade of lipstick.

I stroll across our large room and place my hands on her shoulders. Her brown eyes meet my blue ones in her mirror.

"You know I helped defeat Lord Stefan also," I say while giving her hair a gentle tug.

She swats me away and stands up. She grabs her heels before turning towards me.

"Yes, but you aren't royal," Chelsea says mockingly while slipping on her black stilettos.

I place my hand on my chest and fake hurt as we both head for the bedroom door. She stops me right before we exit. She grabs my collar and pulls me down towards her.

"Oh hush," Chelsea says before placing a quick kiss on my lips.

She wipes the lipstick off my bottom lip as I open our door. I smack her butt as she passes me, and she giggles softly. I smile internally, knowing I successfully distracted her from feeling nervous.

No child raised by Jackson and Jason would ever be a snob, but Chelsea is still worried. I can tell she expects Sasha to be over the top and demanding, but I know my cousins wouldn't tolerate that behavior no matter how much they love her. Plus, our pack is just a smaller version of Riverstone. My great grandfather prided himself on establishing in-pack businesses. So Sasha should feel nothing but comfortable.

Beta Vince- Crossing into our territory now, Alpha.

Ben- We shall see you soon. Quick question what is your take on our visitors. Your Luna is driving me crazy.

Vince- (laughter) Nice group. One guard is more serious than the other, and the Princess seems professional but on edge. All three are polite and respectful, though.

Ben- As I expected, but you know Chels. She worries. Plus, she has never met the twins, so she imagines some stuck-up snob visiting.

Vince- Maybe.....if she had been raised only by Jackson, but Amelia would never tolerate her behaving that way. Our queen is amazing.

Ben- slow down there, lover boy. She is taken.

Vince- and I weep over that fact daily (laughter)

I cut Vince's link while chuckling. Chelsea looks at me expectedly, and I place a hand on her lower back.

"Vince is driving up the drive now. Let's meet them on the porch, Love," I say, and she nods while biting her lip.

I tilt her head up, and I stare into her eyes.

"Calm down. You are a fantastic Luna. We have nothing to worry about with this visit. Sasha is here to find her footing in the big world before touring the other packs," I say gently.

Chelsea nods. She closes her eyes and takes a couple of deep breathes before opening them once again.

"I'm ready," she whispers, and I give her my biggest smile. I lace my fingers with hers and exit our packhouse.

**********

As Vince pulls up, I straighten my spine and stand at my full height. I place a calm but welcoming expression on my face and wait. The back doors open first, and Chelsea stiffens next to me. I rub my thumb over her knuckles, but she doesn't adjust her posture. I want to groan and shake her by her shoulders.

Her worry tends to mess with my calm, joking demeanor constantly. And while that is usually an outstanding balance, I don't need it at the moment. We are meant to ease Sasha's nerves, not feed those uneasy emotions.

As the passenger door opens, Ace begins to pace in our mind. I quickly scan my eyes over the visible male. I look for any possible threat, but all I find is a calm-looking wolf. He is bulky and average height for a male. He has black hair and deep brown eyes. Nothing about him should be making Ace uncomfortable.

Ben- Ace settle down.

But before Ace can reply to my snappy order, an intoxicating scent hits our nose. Sweet birch and pine assault me as Princess Sasha makes her way around my black SUV.

She looks as if she just ended a photoshoot with a high-end magazine. She is in a tight but modest knee-length red dress. She has wavy blonde hair that reaches the middle of her back. Her legs are long, and her bust is full. She might be young, but her body is all woman. Someone clears their throat, and my mind snaps back to attention.

"Welcome to White Crest, I am Alpha Ben, and this is Luna Chelsea," I recite the line before meeting Sasha's big brown eyes.

Ace- MATE

Ace screams the word in our mind as Sasha takes notice of my hand that is clasped in Chelsea's. My stomach rolls as I realize what I just said in front of her. But she only pauses for a moment before snapping into a professional attitude that makes my heart sink.

"Hello, thank you for allowing us onto your territory. I am Princess Sasha, and these are my guards. Luis and Roland," She says evenly without a hint of emotion.

"Shit," I shout in my mind. But the damage is done. I have no idea what to say to my mate now.

"We are so happy to have you, Sasha. Please follow me. I will show you to your rooms," Chelsea says while quickly releasing my hand and opening the packhouse's front door.

The dark-haired male nods his head in my direction as he passes, and the blonde male, who I am just noticing, allows my mate to link her arm with his. She avoids my gaze, and I clench my fist as I try to maintain control over a furious Ace.

Ace- he is touching her. Stop him. Why are you just standing here?

Ben- I announced Chelsea as my Luna, Ace. Our mate is upset.

Ace growls and paces even more.

Vince comes to my side and gives me a questioning expression, but I don't answer his unspoken curiosity. Instead, I shake my head and follow my mate's scent into the house. I want to beat my forehead against a wall. Not only was I completely wrong about my mate being deceased, but she is also in the home that I share with another female.............and to put a cherry on top of my shit sundae......her fathers are going to kill me.

*******

I wipe my sweaty palms on my slacks as I make my way to the dining room. So far, I have successfully hidden in my office, but it would be rude not to attend dinner with our guests. So I must make an appearance.

"There he is," Chelsea states pleasantly as I walk into the room.

I force a smile onto my face as I look at her.

"Sorry, I'm late. I was catching up on some orders," I explain as I take my seat at the head of the table.

Vince draws his eyebrows together because he knows I already finished with our orders this month, but he keeps his mouth shut. Chelsea nervously glances towards the male visitors, so I grab her hand in mine.

The action is so second nature that I do it without thinking. Ace growls loudly, and my eyes quickly dart to Sasha. Her face says neutral, but her eyes scream sadness. The rope that has been constricting my insides since her arrival tightens as I examine her expression.

Sasha's blonde-headed guard shifts uncomfortably and clears his throat a bit. I shift my gaze to his, and I am surprised to see that he is staring at me with an openly hostile expression. I instantly realize that Sasha must have already confided in her guards.

"We would like to go over Sasha's schedule," blondie states in a matter-of-fact tone that makes Ace growl in our mind.

Vince becomes tense, and he slightly growls at the disrespectful tone in the guard's voice.

Ben- easy, Vince. There is a very good reason for his tone.

Vince- I believe as your best friend, I am owed an explanation after dinner.

Ben- you will receive one

"Very well," I say, releasing Chelsea's clammy hand and picking up my utensils.

"Roland let's eat before we begin ironing out the finer details, please," Sasha says with a clear voice that makes Ace and I want to purr.

"As you wish, Princess," Roland says, and an awkward silence falls over the table.

After about five minutes, Chelsea is unable to remain quiet any longer.

"So Sasha Ben told me that this is your first time outside of Riverstone," Chelsea says with a friendly smile.

Sasha's sad eyes dart to me before she morphs her face into one of happiness. She nods and gives Chelsea a big believable smile.

"That it is. I am extremely excited to finally venture outside of my home pack. I have envisioned meeting more werewolves for years," Sasha answers politely.

"I would be happy to take you on a shopping trip tomorrow. Our pack has an amazing shopping mall," Chelsea says, and Sasha's cheeks tint ever so slightly.

"Maybe closer to the end of our stay," Sasha finally answers before lowering her eyes and returning to her food.

My stomach feels sick, and my heart pinches as I watch my mate. How she can remain so polite and sweet is beyond me. If I were in her shoes, I would be committing murder.

Her deep brown eyes meet mine, and Ace howls sadly at her expression.