Their Mate And Luna

CHAPTER 47

CHAPTER 47

The moment the visitors left the pack grounds, Alpha Drake initiated a mindlink to all his members. The link was immediately bombarded with questions from his people, their minds buzzing with curiosity about the nature of the meeting.

“You will find out at the meeting,” he replied them all and swiftly closed the link. Not that his reply would stop them from speculating among themselves.

He primary concern was the safety of everyone under his leadership. “ I am doing this for all of us to be safe,” he reminded himself.

“I can’t wait to see what’s going to happen,” Malia giggled beside him.

“Hopefully, nothing but the best,” he replied with a smile, pulling her closer. They both stood together, observing the lawn as it was cleared by Mabel’s staff. A frown materialized on his face when he noticed Torin engaged in a conversation with Mabel. .

Earlier, Alpha Zane had sought permission for the witch to remain behind.

“He looks harmless,” Malia commented, noting his worried frown.

“Let’s hope so.”

The setting sun cast a warm glow over the pack grounds, creating long shadows that danced across the grass. The air was filled with a mix of anticipation and uncertainty as the pack members prepared for the upcoming meeting.

Savvy and Tim exchanged frowns upon receiving the link from their alpha while having a late lunch at Tim’s place, seated in front of the TV in the living room.

“What do you think?” Savvy asked.

Tim shrugged. “Dunno,” he replied, turning away to glance at the door as it opened.

Vince and Vance entered and casually occupied the seat opposite the two. Savvy rolled her eyes at their behavior.

“Hi, guys. Thanks for not knocking before entering,” Tim scolded them

“Whatever,” Vince replied, rising and snagging a piece of meat from Tim’s plate.

“Hey! That’s mine. Go get yours from the kitchen,” Tim complained.

Savvy covered her plate with her palms as Vince reached toward it. “Don’t even think about it,” her blue eyes glaring at him.

Vance turned to Tim and grabbed a piece of meat from his plate.

“Hey!” Tim yelled, smacking his hand away, though too late to prevent the theft.

“How are you supposed to be our Beta if you’re this slow?” Vance mocked him, popping the meat into his mouth.

“You wouldn’t want me to attack my alpha, right?” Tim sneered mockingly. “What’s with the long faces?”

The brothers exchanged looks.

“Let me guess…” Tim started, looking at Savvy, who narrowed her eyes at him, silently warning him to not involve her in their conversation. “She is still not talking to you.”

Vince looked at Savvy. “Can you help to speak to her? Savvy?”

“Why would I do that? You don’t even deserve to say her name, ever,” Savvy retorted, shoving a spoon of food into her mouth.

“Savvy, we made a mistake and we want to make amends,” Vance chimed in.

“Well, I am the wrong person to tell that.”

“She won’t listen to us.” Vince growled out in frustration. “We have tried to make us hear us out, but she won’t listen.”

“Like she should.”

“Stop being so difficult, Savvy!” Vince growled heavily, kicking his chair back in annoyance. “Everyone makes mistakes and deserve a second chance.”

“Like you both gave her a chance when you discovered she was your mate?” Savvy rose to meet his height. “If my cousin decides to not listen to you two, then so be it.”

“You think you’re so perfect? That you can’t make mistakes?”

“Not mistakes like this. We all know what a mate means to our kind. There are better ways you could have rejected her. You could have told her when you found out.”

“She was fifteen, Savvy. How could she have accepted?” Vince chipped in.

Savvy looked at him. “Then you could have told us, my parents, your parents, and we would have found a way to tell her. You could have even rejected her after she got her wolf, not while she was transforming. You broke her on an important day in her life.”

“We know what we did,” Vince said

“You think you do?”

“We do,” Vance whispered, huffing out hard. “I can assure you that for the first time in my life, I am afraid of losing her. We are afraid of losing our mate.”

“Because she’s getting attention from someone else,” Savvy mocked, taking her seat. She heard about the scene with the other alphas. Good to know that these two faced off rivals. She hoped more will spring up to give these two an idea of what being rejected feels like.

“Mock us all you like, we deserve it. What we need is help on how to get her forgiveness. Can you help us?”

“The only help I am interested in giving is to Nicole. On how she will get her life back.”

Vance growled. “She will get her life back with us!”

“Guys…can we not fight over this,” Tim intervened, calmed his mate with a soothing touch. “Babae, you can’t deny that they are sorry. Look at them.” He nudged her to look at the alphas. “When have you ever known Vince to ask for your help about something? Or even hear Vance say he is sorry or scared? Look at them.”

Savvy glared at the two. “I know.” she said reluctantly.

“And guys, you need to understand why she’s like this. You know Savvy and her parents are the only family Nicole has.” Tim scolded the alphas.

“We know, but she has us now,” Vance said, making Savvy scoff heavily. “Too.”

“Unbelievable,” muttered Savvy.

“Do you know why, alpha called a meeting?” Tim asked, steering the conversation to another topic.

Vance shrugged. “Don’t know but, he’s pretty excited about tonight.”

Away from them, in the fading light of the evening, Nicole and Mira trudged home after the meeting.

“What time are you coming?” Mira asked.

“Coming where?”

“The pack meeting. Alpha sent a link to everyone.”

Nicole sighed deeply. “I didn’t get a link. I lost that after the rejection.”

“Nikki!” Mira gasped, stopping in her tracks. “I am so sorry.”

“It’s okay,” Nicole pulled her hair back. “What’s the meeting about anyway?”

“He didn’t say. Just that we should all be there.”

“Well, you can fill me in tomorrow. I am not going.”

“Why? He wants us all to be there”

“I am tired and will use that as a perfect excuse.” She was already missing her bed. Her entire body yearned to hit her soft mattress and crawl under the duvet.

And hide from the green-eyed stranger who had been following her around with his eyes.

As they walked through the pack grounds, the atmosphere carried the weariness of the day's work. The distant sounds of wolves mingled with the rustle of leaves, creating a symphony of nature's evening routine. The sky painted in hues of orange and pink as the sun dipped below the horizon.

Nicole's exhaustion was palpable, her steps dragging as if each one carried the weight of the rejection she endured. Mira, sympathetic, walked alongside her, providing a comforting presence.

At the stroke of ten that night, Drake ascended the stairs to the podium, facing his members. His gaze over their curious and anxious faces. A genuine smile brightened his features as he took in the diverse emotions etched on each face.

His anxiety and excitement flowed out into the atmosphere, creating a ripple effect that heightened the curiosity and anxiety among his people.

His sons, shot him questioning looks. Their emotions different from the rest. He could feel the sadness and fear rolling off them. The lingering distress caused by one person—Nicole, and she wasn’t here.

He could feel their auras tinged with sadness and fear. And he knew who was the cause. And she wasn’t here.

Beside them sat Oscar, Mabel, Savannah and Tim—people who would play pivotal roles in the events to come next.

He frowned, and promptly sent a mindlink to Savvy. “Where’s Nicole?”

“Sleeping,” Savvy replied. “I guess working today exhausted her.”

“True,” he nodded briefly. Realising that she didn’t get the link because of the issue with her wolf. He shifted his attention to the assembly behind them.

The Ashton girls and their mother occupied their seats with an air of sophistication, knees crossed and dressed impeccably. Dean still remained under alpha command not to leave the house. Drake glanced over the girls, silently appreciative that his son had severed ties with Billie.

“Thank you all for coming,” he declared, puffed his chest out, raising his head high, and straightening his shoulders. “I called you all today because I have an important announcement to make.” Locking eyes with his mate. Only she understood the weight of his decision.

“Some alphas have to fight to gain leadership of a pack or inherit it from their parents. Fortunately for me, my father handed the pack to me and it was a dream come true for me.” Scanning their faces. “Being your alpha has been a wonderful experience— being a part of your lives. From birthdays and births to witnessing mates discover each other, engaging in mating ceremonies, training and fighting together to protect our pack and territories. I have seen many of you grow from pups to mature adults. That’s why it’s with a heavy heart that I have to make this announcement. As much as I love leading you, I think it’s time to pass the baton to my sons.”