Chapter 1: Crescent Moon - Josephine
“Kade! Kol! I swear to the Goddess….” I yelled after my sons as they sprinted through the kitchen.
“Listen to your mother.” August appeared in the doorway, his deep voice immediately silencing the toddlers.
“Yes, daddy.” They said in unison before walking out of the kitchen. I sighed, placing my hands on my hips in frustration. August smirked at me before covering the distance between us in a few long strides.
“Hello, my love.” He said before pressing his lips firmly against mine.
“Your sons need a nanny.” I grumbled against him. He chuckled,
“Why are they my sons when they’re in trouble?” I tapped my finger tip against his cheek,
“Because you’re the reason we had them 10 months apart.” I said accusingly.
“It’s not my fault that you’re so irresistible.” He nipped at my neck as I ran away, giggling. August followed after me,
“How’s the party planning coming along, Luna?” He asked.
“Everything’s on schedule for this weekend.” I replied, heading towards my office.
“The wolves are chomping at the bit. They all think they’re going to meet their mates.” August laughed, I shrugged,
“They might. All the neighboring packs have agreed to come. It’s the largest gathering on the East Coast since before my father became the Alpha.”
“And you’re the best Luna to pull it off, not to mention the most beautiful.” I rolled my eyes at my mate. Before I could reach my desk, I felt August’s hands on my hips as he spun me around. I giggled under his touch as he backed me up against the desk, his hands finding their way under my shirt.
“I have lots of work to do, August.” I moaned as his kisses trailed down my neck.
“So do I.” His husky voice warmed my skin. I grabbed his face and brought his lips back to mine. I felt his fingers trace his mark that rested on the base of my neck, sending a shiver down my spine.
“You’re a bad influence.” I teased him, pushing against his chest. He growled but gave up on his pursuit.
“Fine, you win, for now.” He grumbled. I straightened my shirt and sat behind my desk.
“Have you heard from Ethan?” I asked August before he could leave.
“He’s in Maine somewhere, last I heard. Mayze said some of her sister’s coven migrated there.” The mood in the office immediately changed at the mention of Ethan’s name. I sighed,
“Is he coming back for the party?”
“I don’t know, he’s having a really hard time.” August looked at me sadly.
It had been over two years since our pack’s battle with Victoria and her coven. Two years since our first son, Kade, was born. And two years since Ethan had first laid eyes on his mate.
Once the pack had settled, August sent patrol after patrol out after the witch who Ethan was mated to with no success. Mayze, who had stayed behind to oversee Victoria’s disbanded coven, even tried some location spells to hunt her down. No one was able to find her. For the first few months, Ethan put on a brave face and kept up with his Beta duties. But, anyone could see how much pain he was in. After the birth of our second son, Kol, August and I decided to give Ethan our blessing to step down from being the Beta in order to find his mate.
Ever since then, Ethan has been on the hunt for her, running up and down the east coast in an attempt to find her. Hayden took on the responsibilities of Beta and my brother, Jared, temporarily took over the title of Gamma until Ethan was ready to return. After April gave birth to their daughter, they decided to move back to the pack house. Jared wanted to be near me and April wanted her daughter to be around her family and her culture.
As if he heard me thinking about him, Jared appeared at my door.
“Alpha, Luna, we have some visitors.” Jared announced. August and I exchanged a look of confusion,
“Who?” We asked at the same time.
“Elder Jacob.” August let out a groan.
“Isn’t that the elder who ‘visited’ after the witch attack?” I asked August.
“Unfortunately.” He grumbled, “Let’s go see what he wants.” August held out his hand towards me. Elder Jacob was sitting in one of the oversized chairs in August’s office.
“Alpha August, I must request a meeting.” Elder Jacob demanded.
“I wish you would have sent word, Elder Jacob, we could have prepared for your arrival.” August said plainly, walking towards his desk. I followed him, standing behind his chair. The elder eyeballed me,
“Allow me to introduce my Luna, Josephine.” August said, gesturing between us. I bowed my head towards the Elder,
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, welcome to our home.” I replied nicely. Elder Jacob’s expression remained stern,
“Thank you, Luna, I’m sure you have other matters to attend to.” The Elder said. I looked over at August,
“Did he just dismiss me?” I mindlinked August.
“The Luna is fine right where she is.” August answered sternly, grabbing my hand and pulling me down on his lap.
Four years ago, I would have been appalled at this public display of affection, especially in the middle of a meeting, but I’ve grown used to it. Elder Jacob sighed, crossing his legs and pressing his lips together in distaste. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes.
“What brings you here, Elder?” August asked, eager to get this unpleasant man out of our house.
“It has come to our attention that your Beta has not been fulfilling his duties.” August and I shared a shocked expression. Ethan’s whereabouts really brought on the attention of the Elders?
“He’s on a personal leave of absence. My Gamma has taken over his duties and Luna Josephine’s brother has stepped in as Gamma, temporarily. Is there a problem?” I could tell that August was struggling to keep his composure. I placed my hand on his shoulder and gave it a comforting squeeze.
“We understand that it’s been nearly two years now.” Elder Jacob replied.
“That’s correct.” August grumbled.
“We view this lack of respect and loyalty for his pack appalling.” Elder Jacob said, matter-of-factly. I felt the tension grow in August as he clenched his hands into fists.
“Ethan is one of the most loyal members of this pack. I will not have anyone question that.” August’s Alpha voice crept out.
“We know that the Beta is on a fool's errand.” Elder Jacob added, hardly phased by August’s tone.
Now we see what this is really about. It was my turn to speak up.
“Searching for his mate is hardly a ‘fool’s errand’. He knows she’s out there and it’s torture. We could not condone the kind of pain our Beta was in, so we encouraged him to go after her.” I said defensively.
“A witch cannot be the mate of a wolf.” Elder Jacob said, looking offended that I dared to speak.
“Anyone can be anyone’s mate. Interspecies mating is not uncommon.” I snapped, defending my own mate bond.
“Not a witch-werewolf pairing, that is not the Moon Goddess will.” Elder Jacob responded candidly. I nearly growled at the old man sitting across from me.
“Well you better have a talk with the Moon Goddess because she’s breaking your rules.” I said, crossing my arms across my chest. August stood up then, planting himself between the Elder and I as he sensed my rising anger.
“No one has the right to stand in the way of a mate bond, no one.” August said.
“Werewolves and witches are banned from interacting.” Elder Jacob stood from his chair, hitting his cane against the floor like a toddler stomping his foot.
“The mate bond overrules the council. Ethan is a member of my pack, and I will deal with him and his mate how I see fit. When he finds her, they will both be given a home here. Now, that’s the last I want to hear of this.” August’s voice left no room for argument as he opened the door and ordered Jared to escort the Elder out.
“We will be in contact, Alpha.” The Elder spat before exiting the office.
“It’s getting worse, August.” I sighed, looking up into my mate’s eyes.
“I know. I’ll have to email the others and fill them in.” August frowned, worry lines creasing his forehead.
Ever since the Council intervened after the attack, we noticed several other packs facing the same unwanted visits from the elders. August decided to reach out to the Alphas of these packs and created a community email to keep in touch. It’s been a long four years of conflict and raising irritation amongst the werewolf packs.
There was a quiet knock on the door before Kasey entered the office cradling a screaming infant. I laughed at her exhausted expression and took our newborn daughter from her arms. I shooed Kassidy, patting her back until her sobs quieted.
“That is not a baby, that’s a beast.” Kasey grumbled just as her mate and our acting-Beta, Hayden came up behind her with a comforting hug.
“I can’t imagine why you and Hayden don’t have any children yet, Kasey.” August snorted, kissing the top of Kass’s head.
Kasey rolled her eyes just as August’s office became even more crowded. Logan and Wyatt barrelled in with a chorus of laughter.
“What are you idiots doing?” August grumbled at his younger brothers.
“We saw Jared hauling an Elder out the front door and we wanted to see what Alpha Auggy did this time.” Wyatt cackled, earning himself a shove from August.
“I’ll leave you three to it.” I shook my head at the trio and left the room with Kasey and Hayden in tow.
“Logan thinks they’ll find their mates at your party this weekend. Wyatt threatened not to go to avoid her.” Hayden smirked as we walked away from the office.
“I hope to the Goddess that they find their mates and they mellow those two out. I swear, they’re no better than my toddlers.” I shook my head in defeat.
Speak of the little devils. Kade and Kol raced down the hallway in front of us, nearly taking out Kasey and a few staff members in the process. I called after them but that just succeeded in making Kass scream her head off. Kasey looked terrified and scurried away while Hayden laughed hysterically at the chaos. I ignored all of them and focused on comforting my daughter.
