Chapter 12

I demanded answers, and Grayson knew I wasn't going to let what happened today go until I had them. He led me through the packhouse to a room that was nestled in a back corner, I hadn't been down to this area before. The room looked like it was Grayson's home office. The interior was rich, dark in colour while the room itself smelled of genuine leather, mixed with Grayson's scent. 

As I plonked down on a black leather sofa, Grayson poured himself an amber looking drink. He gestured towards the bar, making it known I could help myself. I declined, I was anxious to hear what he was about to tell me but I wanted my mind to be clear as I took all of the information in. 

Grayson sighed as he turned to face me, his eyes were serious and held no emotion as he once again retreated behind his walls. 

"What do you know about the current animosity between our two packs".

I stared at him, placing my own walls up. For a brief moment, I no longer felt like I was talking to my mate, instead I felt as if I was about to betray my entire pack, and worst of all, my own family. Amara brought me back to my senses, filling my thoughts with memories and images of tender moments between Grayson and I. Grayson may have once been the enemy, but he's now my mate. If I really want to bring peace to our packs I need to be honest with him, and I really have nothing to hide. I take a deep breath to calm myself before I take down my walls and look into my mates eyes, projecting an air of sincerity. 

"Honestly, not a lot... And neither does my Father. We noticed your men patrolling close to our borders, but then they started to come closer and looked as if they were scouting for weaknesses in our defence patrols. My father intensified our training as he thinks you're planning a war. He has no idea why you would want to start such a war, and he has kept this knowledge between himself, my family and our beta...I've felt danger coming like the wind has been trying to warn us of something evil that's on its way...".

I studied Grayson's face, praying that he could feel my earnestness and place his trust in me, but he gave nothing away.

"Please... Please don't harm my family. I know our packs are enemies, but we are a kind people... I've felt danger coming like the wind has been trying to warn us of something evil that's on its way. I'm not sure if that was a warning straight from Goddess herself and that's why we were mated to one another, to stop this before it takes away the lives of countless wolves, but I won't stand by your side if you choose to go up against my pack".

I swallowed hard, trying to ignore the lump forming in my throat. Tears were stinging my eyes and my hands were shaking as the realization that I may have to leave Grayson sunk in. I had grown far too attached to him to simply walk away, our bond had deepened over the past few days and I was developing feelings for him that went beyond the mate pull. 

"Little mate", Grayson said softly. He cupped my face in his hands and sent soothing waves through our bond to calm me, his eyes had softened and his walls were crumbling down. 

"I believe you, and I believe you feel your father knows nothing. But I need answers. Members of my pack are being attacked. I've had to bury innocent wolves and console their families...My own father was shot straight in his heart by a silver bullet, Alpha Slade of the Shadow pack further north has also lost his father and many men in this way... Someone needs to pay for this, and I have reason to believe your pack is behind it. While your father may or may not be involved, someone close by is. And I intend to find out who so I can punish them myself".  Grayson's soft eyes had turned stone hard as his eyes began to swirl, his wolfs pitch-black gaze taking over his emerald green.

"What if I spoke to my father? He has no idea your pack is being targeted! We could work together to figure out who is behind this, it could be rogues! ... But if it is a member/s of the Crescent pack, my Father will not hesitate to let you have those who are responsible". 

Grayson scoffed, though his eyes began to return to their brilliant emerald colour. 

"I need to investigate further. No one from your family or pack will be harmed until I have proof they are involved. Now, let's move on from this discussion for today. Tonight we will be attending a party and I won't have my mate meeting members of her pack with raccoon eyes". 

"Hey!", I poked Grayson in the ribs. "I don't have raccoon eyes! I call it my 'cry of passion' ", I said as I wiped under my eyes self-consciously.

"Well, I much prefer your other cries of passion", Grayson said with a smirk.

It took a minute for me to realize what he had meant, and by the time I had figured it out, Grayson had me in his arms and was carrying me to our bedroom. I was desperate to feel his soothing touch after such a tense moment, I was only relieved he felt the same. 

An afternoon full of passionate cries from us both came to an end as the sun began to set. While I put on my best puppy dog eyes and begged Grayson to let us stay home, he insisted we still needed to attend the party. I pouted as I would much rather stay in bed with him, his hands were truly blessed as they knew just how to please me and I wondered if I would ever tire of their touch.

"Who is this party even for?", I asked as I sat up against the soft pillows. 

 "Someone in the pack. And as Alpha and future Luna we need to show our respects by attending. Now, no more questions". Grayson once again cradled me in his arms as he took us to the shower. An hour later we emerged, our skin glowing from the combination of the hot water and our hands being all over one another. Once I had dried myself I put on a lacy black top and paired it with a short black skirt and heels. I straightened my long black hair and applied burgundy makeup that enhanced my caramel eyes. As I stepped out of the wardrobe I sighed as I took in Grayson before me. He was freshly shaven and his hair was still dewy from the shower. He was dressed in a pair of black jeans with a black suit shirt tucked in. He watched me with hungry eyes as he took in my own outfit, and I giggled as I realised we were dressed coordinately. 

"Great minds think alike", Grayson chuckled as he took my hand in his and led us through the double doors and towards the stairs. 

As I climbed into Grayson's black sports car, I couldn't help but feel a twinge of anxiety. Would anyone else look at me with such hate, like the stranger from earlier today? Or would they slap on a fake smile and whisper about me behind my back...

"Snap out of it you negative nancy!", Amara yelled. She'd been begging for us to explore while Grayson went to work and now we were about to meet some potential friends she was all but too keen to go. "What if, everyone is like Beta Jaxon and is friendly? And if not, fuck them! You are the future Luna and once they get to know you they will love you! Just try thinking positive thoughts, you might be surprised". 

"Why are you so wise?", I asked, feeling myself calm at my wolves words of encouragement. 

"Aww shucks", Amara pretended to shy away from my compliment. 

I held onto Grayson's hand as he drove down the long driveway and into the night. After 15 minutes he turned down a dirt road that had been lit by delicate tea light candles. I steadied my breathing as Grayson parked the car amongst a hoard of others and waited as he walked around to open my door. 

"Are you ready?", he asked, giving my hand a reassuring squeeze. 

"More than ever", I smiled back at him, and I meant that. I was ready to meet my new pack, and begin my quest to earn their trust. 

(Authors note: Sorry the next few paragraphs may seem pretty bleh, I had written this chapter out and poured my soul into it, actually envisioning myself here... But I lost half of the chapter when the site crashed so I was pretty bummed to rewrite it, especially when what I had written was so perfect in comparison to this... I'm sorry I tried to create that energy again but I let the disappointment sink in too long... Sorry again!)

As I stepped out of the car my ears pricked as I could hear the sound of distant music. We walked down a path lit by more tea lights, hand in hand. I felt safe with Grayson by my side and could no longer feel the sharp tug of anxiety I had before we left. As we continued down the path the earth beneath my feet began to thud along to the beat of the music and I could hear laughter. We walked into a clearing and I gasped as I took in the sight before me. 

Lanterns and fairy lights were dangling all around, linked to several large, beige teepees. A DJ booth had been set up and was surrounded by people dancing sensually along to the music. As I continued to take everything in I could feel myself visibly light up as my attention was suddenly drawn to the numerous food trucks that were parked up and seducing my senses with their intoxicating aromas.

"Well? Aren't you glad we didn't stay home now?", Grayson said, his tone and expression were amused as he watched my face light up in awe of my surroundings.

"Oh, the food trucks were definitely your ace in the hole buddy... But seriously, look at this place! It's amazing!", I gushed as I turned around to take another look around. 

"Well, I'm glad you like it. I remembered you preferred low key events like your birthday BBQ, but I thought such a night deserved a proper celebration", Grayson said, his eyes shone with pride as he looked down at me and his smile was simply breathtaking.

"Wait... How did you even remember what I said about my birthday? And what do you mean?".

"This is all for you Laila. Welcome to the Dark Moon pack...Welcome home". 

As I looked up at my mate I felt a rush of emotions overwhelm me. He had organised this for me? I sent waves of gratitude towards Grayson, amazed that he had remembered my irrelevant story of my BBQ and how he had gone out of his way to make me feel welcome in a place I would never in my wildest dreams seen myself living in. He wasn't just earning my trust, he was earning my heart as I felt it flutter when I looked up at his smiling gaze.

I failed to notice that we had captured everyone's attention from the moment we had arrived. I looked ahead, embarrassed to see everyone's faces looking back at me, I swallowed hard as I tried to read their body language but as I began to scan through the crowd a familiar and very friendly face appeared.

"Alpha! Laila! You guys finally made it!". 

Jaxon beamed at us as he made his way through the crowd. He greeted Grayson with a firm handshake and scooped me into a bear hug. Grayson couldn't help but let out a low growl as he watched me embrace his beta. 

"Hey, relax Gray. You haven't marked her yet so it's technically open season", Jaxon said with a playful wink. 

I rolled my eyes as the two continued to poke fun at one another. As if Jaxons welcome was a sign that it was safe to resume partying the music was turned back up and the dancing had resumed, though many people were still stealing curious glances my way. A few members of the pack remained close by to welcome me, their warm smiles made me feel like less of an enemy and more of a member of their own. 

I danced with Jaxon playfully while Grayson spoke to a few of his men. I felt like I would at any event back home. There was no animosity in the air and everyone seemed to forget who I was, or maybe they just didn't care. I wondered how much knowledge they had in regards to the deaths, but decided to brush away any negative thoughts for tonight. I tried to coerce Grayson into dancing with me, but his face remained emotionless as I tried to tempt him. 

"No", was his reply as I all but begged him to join me. 

"Come on!", I cried, "Is the big, bad, Alpha too cool to dance with his mate?".

"No. The biggest, baddest Alpha refuses to participate in this grinding mosh pit for his pack to see... But I will be expecting a dance from you later tonight", he smirked and continued to sip on his cool drink.

"Fine. I'm getting dessert, and lots of it!". I could hear Grayson's chuckle behind me as I stomped off. 

I stood in front of the dessert trucks, and I found myself at yet another very serious crossroads for the second time in my life... WHAT THE HELL WAS I GOING TO GET. There were so many options, how could I possibly choose?

"You could just get one of everything", Amara laughed as she found my situation hilarious.

"That's very true".

Werewolves didn't need to worry about their weight, we were naturally athletically built and as I liked to stay as active as possible I allowed myself to indulge every now and then. As I continued to survey the menus I felt a presence next to me. I turned to face the stranger but my smile vanished as quickly as it appeared. It was the stranger from the packhouse, and he looked just as venomous as he had earlier today. 

"What are you doing here", he spat.

"I-"

"You listen here, bitch. You don't belong here. Your kind is going to pay for what they've done don't you worry about that. Alpha Grayson can't protect you forever, I'll make sure our pack knows just what you've done, and then even he can't save you". 

I felt a shiver of ice shoot down my spine as I looked into his hate-filled eyes. Amara was coaxing me on, to take him down a notch and show him he can't speak to his future Luna in such a way. I opened my mouth, unsure of what was about to come out when I felt a large hand snake it's way around my waist. Grayson.

"You have precisely 5 seconds to walk away and never speak to my mate again before I tear you limb from limb and burn you in front of everyone here". 

I could feel the heat radiating off of Grayson's body, it was different from the heat I felt when we were being intimate, this was a heat that was so intense it was almost icy. The strange man sneered as he lifted his hands in defence, he backed away slowly and disappeared into the surrounding woods. 

"I'm sorry he ruined your night, I'll deal with him in the morning. Make no mistake Laila, he will pay for disrespecting you". Grayson said with venom in his tone. 

"He hasn't ruined my night. Sure I would have preferred to have not had that encounter, but I certainly don't regret being here. Everyone else has been surprisingly friendly and welcoming, I'm shocked. By the way, thank you for tonight. Thank you for everything", I said as I turned around to face Grayson. I stood on my tiptoes and planted a soft kiss on his cheek. I sent waves of affection towards my mate as I wanted him to know just how much I appreciated him.

"Well, I could think of a few ways you could show me how appreciative you are, starting with that dance you owe me. That is if you're ready to go home", Grayson smirked slyly. 

I linked my hand into Grayson's and gave him a sly smile of my own. As we walked towards the car I could feel the energy between us simmer. Our sparks were constantly igniting with each touch, never growing weaker no matter how much time we had spent with one another. As I sat back in my seat I smiled to myself as I thought I may have a better chance of bringing peace to our packs than I had initially thought. As Grayson buckled his seatbelt and began to reverse out, Jaxon ran up to the car, forcing us to stop.

"Alpha", he started, his eyes full of concern and anger, "It's the mutt who spoke against Laila, He's left... He's gone rogue".