Alpha's Solace (Black Moon Saga Book 1)

How to Keep a Human

As the manager of a Solace Hotel and the Alpha of a pack that resides in a neutral territory, Adam has an obligation to inform The Council whenever something that could potentially threaten the privacy and security of the territory occurs. A human suddenly breaching the borders and not being deterred by the protective wards could certainly be viewed as such an event, though Adam does not see it this way.

To him, Kylie is not a threat. She is just a lost little girl who needs someone to take care of her and her brother.

Hoping to get ahead of the news, he wastes no time informing The Council about Kylie and Jonah’s situation. Hoping that they will allow her to stay despite being human, he makes sure to emphasize his certainty that Kylie is fated to be mated to an Alpha, likely his own son. Werewolf advisors to The Council agree with him, and so it is decided that she may remain in the town for the time being.

But just to be safe, The Council decides to send a representative to check on her and evaluate her threat risk anyway. Tian, the Council emissary in charge of their vampire presence, arrives at Spirit Moon only a few hours after Kylie and her baby brother do.

He and his partner have been assigned to managing The Council’s interests regarding the Spirit Moon territory and surrounding region for quite some time now, ever since Adam’s own father was Alpha here. Beyond that, Tian is one of many vampires who have the power to connect with the minds of others, able to review and manipulate their contents. If it turns out that Kylie has witnessed something that would make her suspicious about her caretakers, he will be able to wipe her memory and decide whether she needs to be removed from the neutral territory.

“I’m glad you agree that she is no threat to us,” Adam tells Tian after the vampire has concluded his search of the girl’s mind.

“I wouldn’t go so far as to say that she’s no threat,” Tian argues, “but I do believe the risk is minimal as long as you agree to contact me immediately if ever you have cause for concern. Hers is a rather inquisitive mind, Alpha. I suspect she will catch on to the truth, soon and often.”

“Quite honestly, I don’t fully understand why we can’t just tell her the truth and take advantage of the opportunity we have here. She will one day be Luna anyway, once she is mated to my son, so it only makes sense to spend this time training and preparing her for her future role. We would do the same if she were a young, high-ranking she-wolf.”

“To put it quite simply, Alpha, The Council does not share your certainty about her future. You must understand that a human being selected to mate with an Alpha is an exceptionally rare occurrence, and having it revealed this early is unheard of. In fact, it has never happened before, and we have no reason to believe with absolute certainty that it has occurred in this instance. Should the day ever come that we discover that she is not intended to mate with your son, the work I will have to do removing and replacing her memory at that point is much too costly and dangerous to be considered a risk worth taking at this time.”

“So, you’re saying …”

“I’m saying we must wait and see, proceeding with caution and awareness that there could be another explanation for her ability to pass through the wards and protections of this town unharmed. We shall allow you to keep her close, for now, but The Council reserves the right to revoke that permission at any time should further evidence come to light that would support doing so.”

Adam has grown used to the cool, professional demeanor void of all emotion that is characteristic of this ancient vampire, but it still unsettles him slightly that the man could gaze upon this precious child and not see what he sees. Somehow, Tian still seems to view her in terms of risk and threat, where when Adam looks at her, all he sees is promise and potential. Nevertheless, the answer he has received from The Council excites him. The children can stay, for now, and that is enough.

Adam’s elation over his new guests quickly fades, however, when he realizes that something is very wrong with Kylie. The morning after she arrives with her baby brother in tow, he sends the nanny to her room to wake her for breakfast. Moments later, the woman mind-links him in a panic, reporting that Kylie is in the bed burning up with fever and shivering violently. She can’t wake her, and when she tries to move her, the girl whimpers and cries from what she can only imagine is pain beyond what any young girl should have to experience.

Dealing with sickness and human frailty is something Adam has never experienced before. Kylie is the first human he has been around at any length, and werewolves never get sick. At first, he wonders if it is the magic of this place that only affects humans that is at fault, some sort of delayed reaction perhaps, but the pack doctor believes that the mysterious illness is not such a mystery after all. Humans are not as resistant to cold as werewolves, and Kylie was exposed to the cold for a few hours the day before as she walked the miles from home to the packhouse.

It is exactly what Adam feared when the girl first told him that she had walked here with her brother. The news crushes him, and he begins to wonder if taking such measures to keep humans away is really for the best. It has always seemed like the right thing to ensure his pack members and supernatural visitors maintain the privacy and discretion promised to them in this territory. But if she and her family had only been able to live within the town limits, then she wouldn’t have had to come so far for help. And if his guests and pack members weren’t so disturbed by her ability to walk freely among them and had been paying more attention to the state she was in rather than suspecting foul magic or ill intent, then they would have been more willing to reach out and help the poor child.

She should not have been stalked and monitored from a distance by his guards and patrols as they waited for her to collapse so they could sweep in and eliminate the threat. She was a child in need, not an invader here to expose all their secrets. He has always been proud of his pack and the exceptional opportunity they have been afforded to live in a place where they are always able to help those in need and do important work keeping the peace. But now, he is mostly feeling shame at their ignorance and guilt for playing a part in hurting a child, albeit unintentionally.

It takes Kylie six heart-wrenching days to recover from her illness. Despite the way she just lays there in the bed pale, listless, and glassy-eyed, Adam can’t help but admire what a beautiful and angelic child she is, and Marc seems similarly enthralled by her. The only bright spot through the whole ordeal is the way that the boy devotes most of his time to sitting at her bedside, keeping her company by telling jokes, reading her stories, and cuddling with her as she rests.

Adam is pleased by these early signs of his son growing up to be a devoted and nurturing partner and protector. Still, neither he nor Marc has ever heard a sound as terrible as the rattling cough Kylie struggles with for a few days, and both are anxious to see her well again.

Kylie’s fever breaks on the sixth morning of her illness and she is finally able to get out of bed and resume playing with Marc, her new favorite companion. Once he sees both children well and happy again, Adam can finally relax some and focus on figuring out what to do with his new wards. His hope is that he will somehow be able to arrange for Kylie and her brother to be more permanently integrated into the pack so that Marc won’t have to be separated from his new best friend and future mate.

Finding their parents is turning out to be neither a quick nor an easy task, so sending them back to their home outside the town is not an option. Though he considers just keeping them himself at the packhouse, he knows it is risky to house a human in a hotel where a myriad of supernaturals congregate regularly. It is also the place where pack business is conducted daily and where his own son needs to be trained and prepared to one day take over as Alpha, so Kylie will need to stay elsewhere so that she doesn’t happen upon anything she isn’t meant to see.

In the end, Adam decides it would be wiser to turn the children over to another home in town where they can remain close by but not jeopardize the daily operations of the pack and hotel. His next move is to search the pack rosters for mated couples who are childless and wanting to be parents, knowing there are more than a handful who for whatever reason seem unable to have children.

It is somewhat rare for wolves to be infertile, though it does happen, but more often conception issues are the result of the growing modern trend to reject one’s true mate or not wait around to find them before selecting a different mate. Chosen mates are often not as biologically compatible as fated mates and tend not to share the same s****l chemistry, making it less likely that attempts to get pregnant will be successful.

From the list of names in front of him, one couple stands out: Nathaniel Logan and his wife and chosen mate Elizabeth. Nathaniel is an exceptional warrior and the pack’s lead recruiter and trainer and Elizabeth is a teacher at the school in town who prefers to be called Miss Betsy.  They are well-respected in the community, active in the pack, and have struggled to conceive children of their own for many years.

Adam knows that if he calls the Logans, they will be excited by the opportunity to be parents, particularly since these children seem to be rather special. Surely, they will be thrilled to take in the irresistible baby Jonah with his chubby cheeks, bright cerulean eyes, and pleasant disposition. They would certainly be impressed as well by his precocious older sister who is a natural-born helper and caretaker and has proven herself to possess many traits wolves value such as strength, bravery, and a willingness to do anything it takes to protect those she loves.

After giving it some thought, he finally decides to make the call to the Logans. The phone rings only three times before Betsy answers, sounding out of breath as though she has just been running.

“Hello?”

“Hi, Betsy,” Adam greets her. “This is Alpha Adam. I hope I’m not disturbing you.”

“Of course not. You’re never a bother, Alpha.”

That’s not entirely true since the Alpha has been known to call or link her husband to help him with something pack-related at the worst times, usually when they’re naked and just about to get to the good part. But Betsy would never complain about that to him.

“I was wondering if you and Nate could come to my office soon to discuss something rather important.”

“Sure,” Betsy sounds concerned since the Alpha has never called them both to his office before now. “Could you give me a hint what this is about, though?”

“Nothing to worry about,” Adam tries to reassure her. “I just remember him telling me how much the two of you have been wanting to be parents, and I think I might have an opportunity that will appeal to you both.”

“Oh!” Betsy sounds excited now. “I’ll get Nate and we’ll be right over, if that’s okay?”

“That’s perfect. See you soon.”

Only twenty minutes later, Adam is in his office going over some financial reports when an omega sends a mind-link to notify him that the Logans have arrived. He has her usher them in, and they take the seats directly in front of his desk.

Nate has been here many times before, but this is a first for Betsy. She can’t help but look around in awe at the room’s décor. Not only does it appear to be expertly designed and coordinated, but she never would have pictured Alpha Adam to be such a collector of art and antiquities.

“So, Alpha,” Nate begins, “Betsy tells me you have something to discuss with us about having children?”

“I do,” Adam confirms. “I know you have been wanting some pups of your own, but I wonder, how would you feel about fostering and possibly even eventually adopting some children who are in need of a home?”

Nate and Betsy exchange a surprised, excited look between them that seems to serve as an unspoken conversation before Betsy responds, “We have discussed that possibility before and ultimately decided it would depend on the children and the circumstances. Raising someone else’s children is a huge responsibility and we would want to be sure that they would be a good fit for us. We are also a bit concerned about a fostering situation because what if we’re just getting bonded and attached to them and then they are taken away from us? I wouldn’t want to do that to the kids, and our hearts wouldn’t be able to handle it, either.”

Adam looks thoughtful as he considers this a moment. “Those are all good points, but I am still hoping you can help. How about for now I’ll tell you the situation and then you can take as long as you need to decide if you want to get involved. Just hear me out first.”

“Okay, fair enough. We can do that,” Nate answers.

He looks to his wife for confirmation, and she nods. Then he takes her hand in his as they wait for the Alpha to explain.

“About a week ago,” Adam begins, “A young girl carried her infant brother into town and into my hotel. You may have heard about this as I’m sure it made quite a spectacle for the gossips around town.”

“We have,” Nate chuckles, “though we haven’t heard details that make any sense.”

Betsy agrees, “My sister said it was a human girl, first of all. Her husband was on guard duty that day and he told her.”

“She’s not wrong. The girl is human,” Adam confirms. “I know that makes no sense to you, but all I can figure is that she’s an exception to the protective wards and there’s only one that I know of personally. I believe that time will reveal her to be my son’s fated mate.”

“Oh,” Betsy sounds mystified, but quickly recovers her bearings.

“So, have you informed The Council?” she wonders next.

“I have," Adam confirms. "They have agreed to let her stay here in town for now, but she cannot stay in the hotel. It is too risky to have a human live where we do business.”

Nate nods. “That makes sense. So is the baby human as well?”

Adam shakes his head. “No, the boy is a werewolf. If I’m being honest, there are a lot of mysteries here. We are not certain what happened to their parents or even the circumstances that led to the existence of the children. The man the girl calls ‘Papa’ is none other than David Wallace, who never registered any children with the pack. So, there is a lot we do not know yet."

"I can tell you what I do know, though," he continues. "This baby is perhaps the most cheerful, well-mannered baby I have ever seen. He seems highly intelligent and strong, even though he cannot even sit on his own yet. And the girl? She’s remarkable. She’s obviously strong and brave, carrying a baby all that way in the cold into a town of strangers. She takes better care of her brother and with more attention to detail than our professional nannies. She’s clever and intelligent, and her smile and laugh are contagious."

He smiles softly, picturing how he has seen Kylie protectively caring for her brother, stopping by the nursery to see him and check in on how well the nannies are attending to him as much as she can.

"Honestly, if I could, I would keep them both," he admits. "But since I can’t, I thought long and hard about who would be my second choice, and that’s why I called you here. I know you have reservations about a situation like this, but I hope you will at least give it some consideration.”

“We’re honored you think so highly of us, Alpha,” Nate responds with reverence in his voice.

“I agree, and I knew David a little bit,” Betsy adds. “I had no idea he had children, though he spoke of his wife sometimes. He thought the world of that woman, and I bet he felt the same about their children. And it’s no wonder the children are so smart. David always seemed to me like the smartest person in the world.”

“I guess I just wonder what you want from us, Alpha,” Nate questions after a moment to think and consider. “If the parents are just missing, are you only wanting us to keep the children until they are found?

“That’s the ideal outcome, I suppose,” Adam confirms. “It’s been over a week, though, and the investigators on the case, which now include Council experts, have not turned up any clues that have led anywhere. I don’t know how hopeful I am that their parents will be found. I do realize that this makes the whole situation very uncertain and that you will feel hesitant to take in children if you don’t know how long they will be with you."

He sits forward in his seat and leans across the desk, giving the couple before him an intense, serious look to draw attention to the importance of what he is about to say.

"What I want from you is this: Treat these children as your own, regardless of how long they might stay with you. They need a good, loving home and the safety and security of having parents they know they can count on to be there every day when they wake up. And in a years’ time, if we still have not located David or his wife Olivia, then we will move forward with letting you adopt the children permanently. Can you handle that?”

Nate and Betsy confer quietly between themselves for a few moments, and then Nate speaks to inform the Alpha of their decision.

“We can do that," he agrees with a smile. "We actually look forward to doing that. There is just one more thing we were wondering.”

“Sure, anything,” Adam offers.

“Can we meet the children today?”

Adam chuckles and smiles. “Of course. Actually, if you’re ready and willing, you can meet them and take them home today. I know The Council is eager for me to get the girl out of here. We have everything you will need to get started and can send supplies home with you.”

“Yes!” Betsy exclaims, practically leaping out of her chair. “That sounds perfect.”

Once the introductions are made, Jonah seems to take to his new caregivers immediately. He greets them with a happy smile and adorable baby gurgles, and Nate and Betsy take this as a sign that he approves of them. Once Betsy has the baby in her arms, she doesn’t seem to want to let him go.

Kylie appears to be rather fond of them as well, offering a painting she has just completed to Nate and advising Betsy about all of Jonah’s favorite things. Adam does not sense that there will be many issues with this new arrangement and feels certain that he made a good choice, though in his heart he does wish he could just keep the children himself.

It doesn’t take long for Nate and Betsy to adapt to parenthood, largely because Kylie is so self-sufficient and helpful with the baby. A home that only days before seemed overly large and empty is now filled with art projects, toys, and the sounds of a playful baby and an active little girl. The Logans had always felt neglected by the Moon Goddess because of their struggles with fated mates, but now they feel as though they have been selected for her greatest blessings.

Kylie’s new parents soon realize what an exceptional young girl she is and decide to enroll her in a private school about an hour away by car. Wixon-Kilcher Academy is a school for gifted children that welcomes humans and supernaturals from all clans, packs, and affiliations. The only requirement is the ability to pass the entrance and placement exam. Though up to this point her education has been informal homeschooling, her curious nature and ability to learn quickly and remember practically everything helps her test into an advanced program in the same grade as Marc, which makes her claim that she is nine rather than six years old that much more believable.

Though Kylie feels uncomfortable about lying to her friend, his dad, and her new parents, she isn’t sure how to undo the mess she created with that one lie or what consequences there might be if she comes clean. Maybe she won’t be able to go to her new school if anyone finds out that she is younger than she said, or maybe her new parents won’t want her anymore if they find out she’s been bad. Marc’s father seems excited about the two friends being the same age and in the same grade, and though they don’t attend the same school, he lets her come over to play and do homework with Marc every afternoon.

Not wanting to miss out on any of what pretending to be slightly older seems to have gotten her, she ultimately decides that it is a lie she can live with. It’s not like it’s hurting anyone or causing any problems.

As Jonah gets older, he is informed of what he is and that his sister is not like him, and thus the need for secrecy. He is put through the same training as all the other pack boys, with a bit of personalized training as well once Nate realizes that he is a powerful wolf and shaping up to be a promising warrior. He decides to groom him to one day take over his job training the pack warriors, thanking the Goddess practically every day for the chance to raise and bond with this boy who is everything he ever wanted in a son.

Though Kylie is exceptionally observant and curious and occasionally there is a slip up that threatens to expose the true nature of the town to her, for the most part her infallible trust in her parents, her brother, and Marc and his father can be relied on to put her mind at ease with simple rationalizations and excuses. And when all else fails, Adam calls Tian to come remove and rewrite her memories, effectively keeping her suspicions at bay and controlling her curiosity whenever it gets out of hand.

That’s the part he hates about keeping her under his wing. It would be better to let her naturally inquisitive mind follow its course and be there to answer questions and help her understand once she figures it all out. Better yet, he wishes he could just tell her outright. She has proven herself to be a loyal and trustworthy sort of person that would keep their secrets safe from the rest of humanity, and though young, she would certainly be an asset to the pack even now. But with his hands tied by The Council, all he can do is look forward to the day when she and his son are both of age, ready to mate, and all can finally be revealed.