#2 When the Moon Turns Red

Chapter 17: Noah

I was sitting in a boring meeting with some of the pack elders. My father was to my left and my Beta and Gamma were on my right. This meeting was useless, a formality about the status of the border controls. It was the outcome of the rogue attack. People were worried about our ability to protect the borders.

And by people I mean the old goons who think they still control the pack. My father and the previous Beta and Gamma of the pack being the ring leaders. My father also named his younger brother as his Beta and his best friend as his Gamma. His best friend being Sawyer’s father.

I really wasn't needed here. Greyson took care of the border patrol, that was his job as the Beta. I was merely here as a formality and at the request of my father. I was texting my mate the entire time, and I wasn’t stealthy about it either. My father and I still weren’t seeing eye to eye about Evie, not that I cared one bit about his opinion. I could feel him and the elders glaring at me across the table as I typed away on my phone, but I didn’t care about that either.

I was the Alpha, by default I had earned their trust. Requesting this meeting, or, more accurately, demanding it, was a breach of that trust. They were trying to make me look weak, trying to question my actions and force me to take their advice. They wanted to backseat drive this pack and I was not having it. My distaste and dissatisfaction with them clearly written on my face and displayed in my body language.

Besides, I had much more important matters to attend to. Everleigh.

I enjoyed teasing my mate and I knew that she liked it, too. I was careful not to go too far, to keep it light and flirty. I knew she needed her human time, she needed us to slow down and do the whole “dating” thing. Even though I was ready to mate, mark her, get married if she wanted, and get her pregnant with my pups. I had to do what was best for her, and that meant taking the scenic route.

Suddenly it was like an elephant had fallen from the ceiling and landed on my chest. I slapped my hands down on the table, trying to shake the pressure I felt. It was building from somewhere deep inside me. I looked around the room, trying to find the danger that was causing Remi to yip and pace in my mind. I realized in an instant that the emotions weren’t mine. They were Everleigh’s.

I jumped up from the table and started punching her number into my phone. My father grabbed my arm before I could retreat from the room,

“Where are you going?” He dared to growl at me.

“My mate needs me.” I snapped back at him, barely looking up from my phone.

“Your mate?” I heard the murmures from around the table.

I hadn’t yet formally announced my mate to anyone other than my father, my brothers, sister, and Sawyer. I wanted to give her more time to adjust before the elders and pack members started descending on their future Luna. It didn't matter if they knew about her, I wouldn’t let them near her until she was ready. I wouldn’t let them force her to do anything or be anything that she wasn’t ready for.

“We’re in the middle of a meeting.” My father said with a horrified expression on his fate.

“I don’t care. She needs me.” I shoved passed him and out the door.

“Something else, Noah. Just drop it.” She snapped at me furiously after I nearly yelled at her over the phone. She scared me half to death.

I was two seconds away from letting Remi take control and get us to our mate as soon as possible. Remi nipped in my head and I realized what Evie was trying to say. She wasn’t feeling panic or scared, she was feeling needy. She wanted me in a way she wasn’t willing to admit, and the text messages were making her lose control.

I pinched the bridge of my nose, finally recognizing the feelings that were crashing into me like waves. I leaned my forehead against the wall and took a deep breath, trying to control myself and Remi at the same time.

“Everleigh.” I purred, my voice dripping with desire.

I felt her embarrassment and….that can’t be right….shame? She said my name defiantly and tried to end the conversation, but I couldn't let her. There was no way I was going to let her sit alone in her house feeling ashamed of her emotions.

The last thing I wanted to do was explain to her what being in heat was like or the animalistic urges that came with being mated, especially to an Alpha, but I had to do something. I delicately explained as much as I could without going into detail. It was just enough to let her know that she wasn't wrong for feeling what she was feeling, and she certainly wasn't alone.

I could tell she was beyond uncomfortable with the entire conversation. Eventually, she sighed and forcibly said goodbye, promptly hanging up on me. I slipped my phone into my pocket and clenched my hands into fists of frustration. This woman would be the death of me.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” My father’s voice boomed down the hall. I was so not in the mood for this. I turned towards him and glared.

“What the hell is wrong with you? Talking to your Alpha like this.” I growled at him. He stopped walking and looked at me in surprise.

I didn’t often pull rank on my father, mostly because I didn’t have to. But, no one, no one, questioned my authority or my leadership.

I was the Alpha, this was my pack, and I would not have my decisions questions. I would not have my Luna questioned. I wasn’t known as one of the most feared and effective Alphas in North America for no reason. I led my pack with a strong hand. They respected me and were loyal to the pack, but they also feared me. I loved them, provided for them, and earned their submission.

“It’s only been a week and this human is already clouding your judgment and taking away your focus.” My father argued.

“The next time you address your Luna as anything less, I will remove your tongue and render you mute. She is my mate and your Luna. Nothing will change that. I will not push her away, I will not reject her, I will not choose another. She is MINE and if anyone questions that decision, they will find themselves earning a very long stay in the dungeon.” I felt my eyes turning black as Remi’s words started slipping out of my mouth. I let him have the reins. I was just as pissed off at my father as he was.

My father couldn’t argue with the powerful voice of an Alpha. He jerked his head in a resisted bow and turned away from me, vanishing down the hall. I was worried that this wasn’t the last time I would hear about it.

Toby Landry was never someone who worshiped the mate bound. My mother wasn’t his destined mate. He rejected his destined mate because she was an omega, a rankless wolf. He then took my mother, the daughter of the Beta of a nearby pack, as his chosen mate. She was a great mother, but a lonely woman and a neglected wife.

Six years ago she traveled to a pack in Florida to settle a peace treaty among some of the Lunas when she met her destined mate. She rejected my father, left the pack, and mated with the man the Moon Goddess made for her. She was banished from our territory and from her children.

I couldn’t blame either one of them for those choices. My mother lived half a life, an empty life. Now that I have my own mate, I can’t fathom how she ever lived with someone who wasn’t destined for her. I couldn't judge her for leaving to be with her other half.

My father had to banish her. She was his Luna and she rejected him, embarrassing him, weakening him, and disrespecting the pack. She couldn’t be allowed to come and go on pack land after her discretion. Still, I allowed my siblings to speak to our mother whenever they wanted to as long as it wasn’t on this land. As for myself, I hadn’t seen my mother since the day she left.

But, I did blame my father for the way he treated my mom. He drove her away. I blamed him for creating this entire situation. If he would have accepted his destined mate, we all would have had a much different life. I wouldn’t make the same mistakes as him. The pack needs a strong Alpha and a strong Luna, that's only achieved through a destined mate bond. I wouldn’t let my father, or anyone else, talk me out of making Evie our Luna.

Sawyer came out of the room then with a concerned look on his face.

“Is everything okay with Evie?” He asked.

I still wasn’t completely okay with how friendly he was with my mate, but I was getting there. The Gamma’s job is to protect the Luna, so I needed Sawyer and Evie to be comfortable around each other which was probably why Sawyer was drawn to her in the first place. At least, that's how I rationalized it.

“Yeah, she’s fine.” I sighed.

“Well that room isn’t.” Sawyer jabbed his thumb towards the meeting room door.

“Oh I’m sure my father made a scene.” I grumbled, rubbing the back of my neck.

“You made a scene, dude.” Sawyer said.

“What was I supposed to do, Sawyer? My mate needed me.” I nearly growled at my Gamma.

“Oh, I’m not blaming you, Alpha. You did the right thing. But, you need to get back in there and smooth things over. The Elders didn’t even know you had a mate.” Sawyer explained,

"And, yeah, your father definitely didn't help any." He added with a lazy shrug of his shoulders. I sighed, smacking Sawyer on the back before heading into the meeting room.

I stood behind my chair and Sawyer followed me, standing behind his own chair. I wasn’t going to waste time with sitting.

“I know my announcement of finding my mate wasn’t exactly conventional. I was planning on giving a formal announcement when the time was right. But, yes, I did find my mate and this pack’s future Luna.” I said without emotion.

“Why is she not here?” One of the Elder’s barked. Remi growled in my head and I clenched my jaw, struggling with my composure.

“She’s not ready for that yet.”

“Not ready? Is she going to reject you?”

“How is she not ready to be the Luna?”

“Is she weak?” The Elders talked over each other. I gripped the back of my chair, resisting the urge to jump across the table and release Remi on the old fools.

“My mate is not weak but she is a human.” Now that really sets them off. I let out a thunderous growl and silence fell on the room.

“I will not have this conversation again, so listen carefully. My mate is human, yes. She’s unfamiliar with our world and our culture so it’s taking some time to make her comfortable. But, she will not be questioned. She will be the next Luna of this pack and anyone who has a problem with that can leave.”

I knew that my pack would rejoice in the fact that I found my mate. They would love her just as much as I do. They wouldn’t care if she was human, as long as she was loyal and kind and good for me. I had gone too long without my mate and the pack had gone too long without a Luna. These old idiots were the only ones who had a problem with it and I would not stand for it.

“We only want what’s best for the pack, Alpha.” One of the elders finally spoke.

“She is.” I answered plainly,

“This meeting is finished.” I stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind me.