2

Eve and her mother sneaked into the dining hall through a side entrance just a few minutes before six o'clock, being very wary of the Alpha's stringent timeline. After finishing up in the kitchen and ensuring that all of Joanne's tasks from them had been completed, Eve and her mother entered the dining hall. They moved quickly to locate the seats that had been allotted to them at the far-left end of the room, at the end of one of the four long tables that extended the length of the structure.

Warrior pack members and essential pack members sat closer to the front of the room, while lesser-ranked pack members such as Eve and her mother sat at the rear of the room. The further one sat in the room, the lower one's rank. It was considered a privilege to be seated in close proximity to the pack leaders and their families. For this reason, the most powerful members of the pack were assigned seats at the head of the long tables. There, they would occasionally engage in conversation with the pack leaders and offer their input regarding the management of the pack. The leaders took their places at a separate, longer table that was arranged perpendicular to the other tables. This allowed the Alpha to survey the rest of the group from a higher vantage point. However, given how far back in the hall she was sitting, Eve had her doubts about whether he would be able to see her well.

The children of Luna and Alpha were also present, and they took up seats at the head table among the other guests. They were joined by the Alpha, his family, and the three most powerful warriors in the pack, who are in charge of organizing the patrol schedules and the training programs respectively. Eve did not put in a lot of effort into her training because it was not considered important for her to be able to fight given her low rank. In the event that an assault did take place, it was anticipated that she would take refuge in the dining hall with the other members of the pack who held lesser ranks, the old, and the younger children. She had no problem with the arrangement at all; she simply could not fathom intentionally causing someone harm.

As the Alpha and his Luna entered the room from a door located on the side of the enormous table, an immediate silence descended upon the assembly like a heavy blanket. They climbed up to their seats together, hand in hand, so that everyone could see them from their somewhat elevated position so that everyone could see them from their seats. They were followed by the Beta and his mate, as well as the three head warriors and their mates, with one of the head warriors' partners holding a newborn child in her arms.

“My pack. My relatives. I'm sure that every one of you is wondering why I summoned you all here with such short notice, and I can understand that feeling.” The powerful voice of the Alpha resounded throughout the whole auditorium, catching the attention of each and every person there.

“This is a cause for great celebration. My son, the one who will become the Alpha of our pack, along with our future Beta and our future Luna, has returned.” As soon as the Alpha finished speaking, there was an outburst of raucous clapping, and hoots could be heard reverberating across the building due to its high ceiling. As soon as the announcement was made, everyone was beyond thrilled.

“Yes, I too am ecstatic to hear this piece of news. I have no doubt that every one of you will greet them with open arms when they return home.” The Alpha spread his arms wide and pointed to the entrance on the side of the room that he had used to enter the room only a few minutes before the arrival of the three people. As they took a few steps forward and were more visible to the audience, an uproar of enthusiasm could be heard from the throng. While the three figures proceeded to stand next to the present Alpha, the future Alpha took a step forward and raised his hands to hush the commotion that was occurring in the audience.

“After spending the previous year looking for my other half, I can finally say, 'It's great to be back home.' Ariel is going to be my soulmate. Please welcome her. I sincerely hope that you will grow to like her as much as I do. Not only does she complement our group well, but she also has the potential to become an outstanding manager. Therefore, could you kindly make her feel at home here?” It caused yet another round of applause to reverberate throughout the auditorium as he put his arms around the tall and strong woman who was standing to the side of him.

“I just cannot wait to take on the role of your Luna at Blake's and to assist the pack that he cares for so deeply. I will do all in my power to live up to the name of Luna that you have given me. If you see me out and about, please do not be bashful about saying hello and introducing yourself; I am extremely eager to get to know each and every one of you.” Ariel stated this as she flashed a grin at the assembly that was in front of her. It was obvious that she was going to earn a lot of respect and adoration from the pack.

Eve, who was standing at the back of the room, was not paying complete attention to the words that her future Alpha and Luna were saying. She had her attention fixed on the third member of the group, who would eventually become the Beta. He maintained a calm demeanor while standing still next to his buddies and kept a straight expression, giving the impression that he was unaffected by the enthusiastic welcome home. Eve was not shocked by the lack of emotion displayed because it was how the current Beta portrayed himself; he was rigid, lacked feeling, and was certainly threatening. On the other hand, in contrast to the present Beta, Eve was unable to tear his gaze away from his son. She was perplexed as to why she felt this draw toward the tall blonde, when in the past she had struggled to communicate with the current Beta on several occasions owing to his high rank and imposing demeanor. She was baffled as to why she felt this pull toward the tall blonde. She shook her head and tried to focus on what the Alpha was saying.

“Soon, I will turn the reins over to my son and his mate,” the father said. “I have no doubt that each and every one of you feels the exact same way as I do about this. However, for the time being, please take the time to savor the dinner and make it a point to express your gratitude to the kitchen crew for producing such a delectable meal in such a short amount of time.” When the Alpha had completed his remarks, he sat down, and shortly thereafter, members of the kitchen crew entered the hall with big dishes of roasted vegetables, heaps of meat, and a variety of other delectable things. Eve sat calmly with her mother and conversed with the others at her table as they waited for the meal to be carried to the back of the hall. There was no question that it would be a wait because the food was served from the front of the hall to the back. Eve held out hope that it would not have become cold by the time it reached them.

While she waited, she couldn't help but cast her eyes toward the front of the room, where the leaders appeared to be having a riveting discussion with future Luna Ariel. It appeared as though the leaders were all interested in having a conversation with the newest member of the pack. Once more, Eve's gaze locked onto Adrian, and a scowl formed on her face as it did so. The blonde raised her head to look in her direction. Eve could only describe the expression on his face as one that was on the verge of wrath. His expression flashed quickly with shock before being replaced by it. She hurriedly moved her head away from him in order to resume participating in the discussion that was taking place all around her. On the other hand, she caught a glimpse of Adrian leaving the dining room out of the corner of her eye.

Weird, she thought. She shrugged before turning to contribute her opinion on what was the best cake flavor to a debate her mom was having with another middle-aged woman named Cindy.