Chapter 3

The Beginning

I was awakened by a small knock at my door. My eyes peeled open, and the sun was shining brightly through the window. I turned over trying to avoid the bright light. I heard the knocks again and finally rolled out of bed.

When I opened the door, a tall girl was standing before me. "Hi, I’m Hailey. You must be Zara?"

"Zaya. My name is Zaya." I said wiping the sleep out of my eyes.

"Sorry. I thought I heard someone say it was Zara. My apologies. The Luna sent me to tell you breakfast is served in thirty minutes."

"Thanks, but I’m not hungry."

She gave me a crazy look. "Someone also said you were human raised. Never been in a pack. But I didn’t believe it until now. It’s custom that we all eat together in the main dining hall every morning at 8 am. That’s in 29 minutes."

"Oh, sorry. I did not know. I’ll be there." I closed the door as she walked away without a word. I went to the restroom to wash my face. When I looked in the mirror, my eyes opened wide. I was still wearing the same clothes. I quickly started to undress. Tossing everything to the side. I jumped in the shower and rinsed off the stench of yesterday. I heard another knock and figured it was Hailey warning me of the time I had left.

I turned the water off, grabbed my towel, and wrapped my body. I looked around the restroom and groaned out loud. I never unpacked my clothes. Everything was still in bags by the bedroom door. When I walked out of the bathroom, I was startled by someone laying on my bed. I clinched my towel to keep from screaming. A man was laying at the edge of my bed. His back was flat on the bed while his feet were flat on the floor. He lifted his head when he heard me walking closer.

"Who is Luke? He called twice while you were in the shower." Alex asked with my phone in hand.

"W…what are you doing in here?" I asked out of frustration. I’ve had boys in my room before but not after meeting them a few hours ago. I looked towards the door. It was wide open for anyone to see us. Then I started to panic. What was the rule of boys being in girls’ room inside the pack? Was it forbidden or was it a normal thing?

Noticing the panic on my face Alex said, "Don’t worry. I’m not here to cause trouble for you. I just thought maybe you might need a guide to the main hall."

"Thanks, but I saw the dining room last night. I’m sure I can find it myself." I said with my hands still gripping my towel. I was waiting for him to leave but he hadn’t moved an inch.

"Silly one. The main hall is a building outside the Alpha’s house. There is no way the entire pack could fit in the dining room downstairs. That is strictly used by the alpha, his family, and the guest staying in his house." He looked at his watch. "You really should get dressed. Breakfast is about to start."

Just then, I heard footsteps in the hall. Godric walked by. He looked at Alex on my bed and then at me in my towel. With a swift head movement, he called for Alex to join him outside. Alex rolled his eyes and said to me, "I’ll be out in the hallway. Hurry now."

I quickly grabbed one of my bags and headed for the bathroom. I couldn’t help but notice the look in Godric’s eyes. They almost screamed disgust. As soon as I entered the bathroom and closed the door, I hit my forehead with the palm of my hand. Hoping Godric didn’t get the wrong idea of me and Alex. I quickly got dressed and joined the guys in the hallway. But only Alex was left.

"What happened to Godric?" We started walking towards the main dining hall. Picking up our pace as time was running out.

"He went ahead to the main hall."

"What did he want?"

"Nothing at all. Just being a dick." I looked at him with surprise. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"I thought it was forbidden to speak ill about the alpha and his family. Am I wrong?"

"Maybe a little wrong. While most people show the alphas family respect, The Alpha and Luna are the only two you must absolutely respect and obey."

"Got it. Now, where is this main dining hall?" I asked while looking around the property as we left the Alpha’s house. He pointed to a barn-like building down a side path. It seemed almost half a mile away. I sighed not looking forward to the long walk.

"You never answered my question. Who is Luke?" He asked again.

His question reminded me that I left my phone in the room. Luke is going to think I am ignoring him. "He is my boyfriend back home."

"Boy is he in for a rude awakening."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean what is he going to do when you find your mate?"

"My mate?" I asked. I never thought about having a mate because up until 2 days ago, I was enjoying human life.

"That is if the Moon Goddess blesses you with a mate."

I closed my eyes not wanting to think about what he just said. No matter how hard I try, my relationship with Luke was doomed.

We entered the hall just as the breakfast was being placed on the table. I saw at the end of a long table my mother’s arm raised. "Thanks for walking me over. Hope to see you soon." I waved to Alex as I walked off.

I hadn’t seen my parents since we arrive yesterday. I missed them terribly. I approached my mom and dad who were seated on the left of the table a few seats away from Alpha and Luna, who was seated at the head of the table. On the right side of the Alpha, the Beta was seated with his wife and daughter, Hailey. On the left side of the table, three seats were open. My mom and dad occupied the fourth and fifth seats. The two men seated next to my dad must have been healers also because they were having an intense medical discussion. My mom urged me to sit in the empty seat next to her.

Soon after I took my seat, Godric sat in the first empty seat and Alex sat between us. “Zane! Yalia! Have you met my other son Alex?” His voice boomed louder than anyone else at the table.  

"No, I don’t think I have. It’s nice to meet you." My dad said.

While everyone sat there talking, I was in a daze. I looked at Alex with squinted eyes and whispered. "You didn’t say you were the Alphas son."

He leaned into me and whispered back, "You didn’t ask silly wolf." He had a point.

I was about to challenge him but was interrupted by the pounding on the table. I looked up to see the alpha pounding his hand on the table. All at once, everyone else started pounding their fist with him. Once he stopped, so did everyone else. Only now, there was no sound at all in the room. All conversations stopped. The servants were standing still at the doors. And no one was holding food anymore. My father gave me a look when he noticed I still had a piece of bacon in my hand. I quickly put it down on my plate.

"Blood Moon pack! As some of you may already know, we are welcoming three new members into our pack. Please rise so everyone can see you." We stood up from our seats as he continued with his speech. "This is Zane, his wife Yalia, and their daughter Zaya. Please make them feel welcome." Everyone nodded and began pounding on the table and shouting. My father reached around me and our mother hugged us both. I’ve never seen him so happy. 

The Alpha raised his hands and the noise ceased as we took our seats again. "Zane and Yalia are healers and have extensive training. I have asked them to join us to help in our efforts of bringing healing to all our packs. This way, when a smaller pack is attacked, they do not have to travel to a larger pack to get help. We have lost so many soldiers this way."

I was confused by his words. How would my parents help with other packs? As if he was reading my mind, the Alpha said, "Zane and his wife will travel to all the packs to ensure their healers have special training. They will start with the furthest pack."

I looked at my father who already had sorrow in his eyes. "What? You are leaving?" I yelled. My voice almost reached over the Alpha’s words. The other pack members gasped and covered their mouths.