Moonset

“They’re here, Alpha.” The serious tone in Sam’s voice let Aidan know he was talking to his father instead of him. Aidan followed his Beta’s gaze out the window in time to see a large, black SUV pull in front of the house.

Although Aidan was in fact an Alpha, his father Gabriel was the Pack Alpha. This meant that even though he was Gabreil’s son and successor, Aidan was not the True Alpha of the Pack. It didn’t mean that he didn’t have any authority. All of his pack treated him the same as Alpha Gabriel, given that he would someday take over as True Alpha.

“Thank you, Sam.” Alpha Gabriel’s hulking figure rose from his chair and motioned for the surrounding warriors to follow. Aidan was so unlike his father, it was dumbfounding. While Gabriel was a thick, muscled man with a quick temper, Aidan was a slender, tall man with a long fuse. Truly, most Alphas were jacked with angry tempers and power lust in their eyes. Aidan was muscular, but his figure- hidden under an almost OCD-like proper dressing fashion- made him look tall and angular.

His emotions were so far under the surface that his father almost always mistook it for boredom or contempt. This strained their relationship, or what little relationship they did have. He attended his father’s meetings, listened to his briefings, and almost always took the opposite side of his father. Not under any pretenses however; it was just that his father was usually wrong. This put them at odds most times, and without his mother well enough to diffuse the situation, things had become increasingly tense between them.

This arrival was tense for all of the Pack. Mage’s had lost a lot of trust among their two groups. The Moonrise Pack had lost faith in Healers ever since Aidan’s mothers health had worsened under their care. Five years ago, Alpha Gabriel had banned the Mages from the Packlands for the failure to cure his wife of her disease. His mind had changed recently when his wife had fallen into a coma under the care of the Pack’s own Healer.

Her disease wasn’t getting better, and Gabriel had turned to his Luna’s old connections in the Mage’s Order for help. Or rather, he had been contacted by them when he most needed it.

“Silas.” Gabriel still couldn’t shake his distrust for Mages as he stared at the familiar Healer’s shift. It was marked with the symbol for The Order- a lion.

“Alpha Gabriel.” Silas said respectfully, bowing low.

Another figure produced itself from the car, walking around the back and standing behind Silas. The figure was draped in a long, hooded purple cloak of The Mages. The face was entirely obscured by a black, lace veil.

“Who is this?” Alpha Gabriel said, tensing at the unexpected stranger.

“Forgive me, Alpha Gabriel, this is my apprentice.” He motioned to the stranger, and Gabriel saw them bow slightly.

“What is your name?” Gabriel came closer, his hand looming toward the veil.

“Ah,” Silas raised his hand to intercept the Alpha’s. Growls of the pack resounded lowly around him, and he lowered his hand gingerly. “Her veil is for your protection.” Silas said softly, gearing the conversation toward a peaceful tone. “She has shown adept skill for healing from a young age, and so she has become my apprentice. However, she has been cursed by a strong magic, and her veil is charmed to contain it. We must not look upon her disfigurement, lest we fall victim to its curse.”

Aidan almost rolled his eyes at the scene unfolding before him. The way the old man spoke was like something out of Shakespeare. The pair seemed to have been pulled from another time, cloaked and dressed in ludacris garb. However, a veiled stranger in their midst didn’t seem like such a good idea. Considering the distrust the Pack already had for their kind, he didn’t think his father was making the right call letting them in.

“Let me see her face.” He said calmly to the old man. He felt a pulse of power coming from their direction. The girl’s cloak was trembling.

“Aidan.” His father’s tone was low and chastising. He felt redness creep into his cheeks, not for his own embarrassment, but for his Father’s. How could an Alpha let some stranger of an already distrusted Order into their folds so easily. “I apologize for my son’s intrusion. . .” his father smiled meekly. Aidan sighed in disgust. “But I must be firm on the matter. My Pack and your Order are not on the best of terms. And I cannot allow a stranger amongst us without seeing her face.” The old man’s face fell at this, and Aidan was taken aback.

No sooner had the words left Gabriel’s mouth than another black SUV came speeding down the driveway at them. Aidan felt his Pack tense. Someone growled in the back of the mob. The SUV slowed and pulled in front of the first. The engine cut and out stepped another Mage in the same purple cloak.

“Olivia. . .” Silas trailed. Aidan saw the surprise in The Healer’s face. He saw the girl turn to look at the newcomer from behind her veil.

“Olivia.” His father echoed Silas’ words. The woman pulled off a pair of dark designer glasses. She was far from the Shakespearian world of the other two.

“Alpha.” Olivia smiled as though Gabriel was an old friend. “I apologize for my lateness, but I had other matters to attend to.” She eyed the Healer and his apprentice. “I’m also apologize for the surprise of the apprentice. And on that, I must speak with you privately. If you don’t mind.”

“Of course,” Aidan’s father smiled at the Witch with what seemed to be genuine affection. It put a knot in the young Alpha’s stomach.

The pair walked a little ways to the front of the house. Aidan tuned his wolf ears to pick up their conversation, as he was sure all of his Pack was doing at the moment. However, the conversation was garbled at best, which was unusual for the distance and the power of his hearing. Unless, he thought, someone was using magic to block out unwanted ears.

He gauged what he could from the facial expressions and gestures of the two. His father seemed troubled and angry, but The Mage seemed just as stubborn-if not as powerful in her demeanor. Occasionally, she would point to the girl and his father’s expression changed to a darker one. When the conversation stopped, his father and the Mage rejoined the ranks.

His father walked over to where the girl stood, still trembling and head held so low, Aidan wondered if she was sleeping. He turned to his Pack to address them.

“These Healers are here to help our Luna.” He started with a strong tone. “This Healer is one of the best the world has to offer. For this help, The Order asks for something in return. . .” He trailed off and looked at Olivia. She nodded and gave a meek smile. “The protection of this girl.”

A few cries of surprise and anger rose from the Pack, but were quickly silenced by the stare of the alpha.

“As your Alpha, it is my duty to keep you safe.” He nodded to the group. “However, it is also my duty to know things you do not need to know yourselves. I trust you will see that as Alpha, I have The Pack’s best interests at heart.” Without another word, he motioned for some of the lesser Gamma’s to lead the Healer and his strange apprentice to their quarters. As others unloaded their luggage, Aidan eyed the Mage getting back into her car. As the two SUV’s left together, Aidan wondered what his father had just gotten them into.