Luna Ariel's POV still
When I wake up, I stretch my body to the max. That one hour of sleep was great. After my phone conversation with my mate, I jumped right into bed. But now it's time to get ready, I have an immense task to accomplish. I must succeed, the welfare of the Eclipse Howl depends on the outcome of today's calculations. First, I have to speak to the King and Queen, I have an appointment with them before the conference starts.
I freshen up and get dressed. Again, I keep it all very formal. I look in the mirror and am pleased with the result. Then I grab my briefcase and leave the room. The Head Warrior is waiting for me and we walk down to the main floor.
A lackey of the Kingdom approaches me.
"Luna Ariel? The King and Queen are waiting for you. Please follow me." The man opens a door and I see the royal couple sitting at a desk. Queen Rain comes up to us. "Luna, how happy I am to finally meet you. Alpha Gorgio spoke so proudly of you, he said you can explain the entire investment plan to us".
"My Queen, it is my honor to present all this to you and the King. When I have finished, I hope to convince you that the plan is mutually beneficial," I reply, squeezing her small hand. Then I turn to King Jasper and squeeze his hand as well.
"Luna Rain," the King sounds stern. "Let us begin at once. The meeting is about to begin and we don't want to be late." I can hear in his undertone that he is skeptical about what I am going to tell them. He is probably used to people imposing all sorts of proposals on him with little chance of success. But with me, he is in for a surprise.
A little later, I looked back confidently at the couple. They are clearly impressed; the Queen's mouth is open in surprise. Not only have I explained the whole plan in detail and calculated the figures accurately, but I have also answered their questions flawlessly. The benefits to both the Kingdom and Eclipse Howl were clearly laid out.
"Amazing," the King complimented me. "That was definitely professional."
"My king, you must also give credit to my mate and the experts of the pack. They prepared all this. I only stepped in at the last minute when it turned out that Gorgio could not make it to the conference," I inform them.
"That may be true, but you have completely convinced us with your presentation," King Jasper says in awe. "The documents will be signed and delivered to your pride next week. We agree with this concept." I can hardly hide my joy, success is so sweet.
"Thank you, my King and Queen. At the meeting, I will propose a project to the Alphas to build an integral business center to connect the packs. I hope to get their full cooperation," I state, paving the way for my next challenge. To my delight, they nod.
"We will consider it. And if it works out for the packs as well, I will use my personal power of persuasion to make it happen," King promises. "Come, we go to the main hall together. Your father, Alpha King Petric, presides over the meeting." I wait for them to get up and stroll behind them.
As we walk toward the hall, the Queen slows her pace, allowing me to walk beside her. We arrived at the main hall, where the meeting had not yet begun. Some Alphas were standing in small groups talking and when the Royal couple approached, everyone bowed slightly.
All eyes are now on me, and I know many are wondering what position I hold. I keep a polite but aloof expression on my face and as the protocol team leads the Royal couple to their seats, I deliberately stay behind.
"Luna, that was indeed impressive work you have done. The Alpha will be so proud when he sees the shots I sent for him," the Head Warrior whispers to me. Ooh Goddess, one more hurdle with the Alphas and I can run to my room to tell my mate myself how this all went.
A lady from the protocol team comes out and invites us all to enter the room as the conference is about to begin. The room slowly fills up, Head Warrior Alvin and I being among the last to enter. And then a breathtaking scent hits my nose, my eyes widening in horror.
I first caught a whiff of it months ago, when Gorgio visited my father, the Alpha King of the region, to discuss a peace treaty. It was the day we discovered that we were destined to be mates, and we have been inseparable ever since. I am now mated and marked, we have completed the mating process.
This cannot be true, I must be mistaken.
Shocked, I turn to the Chief Warrior, perhaps he has the answer to this.
"Alvin, do you smell that? Or is it just me?" I whisper worriedly. With a twitch, he turns to me and watches me closely.
"Are you all right, Luna? Want me to get you some water? You must be thirsty by now." I shake my head frantically. But this time I keep quiet. I don't want him to get suspicious.
I bow my head and take another sniff. And there it is again. The scent of a mate. Has Gorgio come here after all? My eyes scan the room, from the back, then to the stage.
And then our eyes collide, two gorgeous blue gazers almost knock me off my feet.
My heart thunders in my ribs as blood pounds in my ears. A wave of primal need surges through me. I can’t believe this is happening to me.
‘MATE. MINE!’ I hear Era roar in my head, trying to shift. I force her back.
'We already have a mate, Era. This is not possible. You are mistaken.'
'Ariel, MATE! I want to go to my mate, he's calling for us'.
'No! Gorgio is our mate. I don't want anyone else, and I promised him I would always be loyal to him.'
I tear my eyes away from the blue heavens and look at Alvin, who is still waiting for an answer.
"Yes, get the water while I go out on the balcony to catch my breath. I'll be right back."
Alvin and I each take our own direction..
Alpha Zane of Midnight Moon POV Claw has been restless all morning. He sniffs around, dances merrily and sometimes looks at me with his eyes flashing. He's clearly upbeat, and if I were a gambler, I'd swear I'd hit the jackpot today. But since he and I are one, his enthusiasm affects me very much. After days of hard work preparing for this conference, I could really use some positive motivation to start this day. So, I drain some of Claw's energy to fuel my human body.I am dressed to the nines as I leave my suite in the packhouse. My mood is at its best thanks to my wolf, and I know I am ready for anything that might come out of this meeting. All the Alphas are present, some of them having brought their Betas, against the rules. Alpha Gorgio is sending his Luna, Eclipse Howl is dealing with the humans who are about to destroy their forests and contaminate the sources of fresh water in their lust for the precious metal. T
Alpha Zane’s POV Even before I see her, I know she is on the other side of the door.Her scent hits me in the face like a warm blanket, I can't wait to see her face, to walk up to her and take her in my arms. My mate!I still can't believe that finally, after three years of waiting, she is here. With me, where she belongs. My pack longs for her, like my subjects, I want my fated and no chosen. A fated mate makes us much stronger, mentally and collectively. And tomorrow I will make them happy when I announce that the Luna has arrived. I know this party will last a whole week and Eric is already making preparations.Claw howled with joy to the wide door, waiting for her appearance to tell me the good news. She must appear quickly now before I suffocate here with my bated breath.'Zane, what's taking her this long? Maybe you should face her, this is taking too long,' my wolf complains. But Eric is right in front of me, obstructing my every mov
Still Alpha Zane's POV Desperately, I break the door open.I can't believe what Claw is telling me, we're mates and she needs to be with me. I need her, my pack needs her. "Eric, Claw says she's not here anymore, she's gone." I can't keep the frustration out of my voice. We run inside. The bed is neatly made, probably by the cleaners. In the walk-in closet were two complete sets of official clothes and shoes. When I opened the drawers, I saw underwear lying around. I take a blazer off the hanger and smell it. Yes, this is the scent I've been craving, she's my mate. Back in the bedroom, her toiletries are still on the dressing table, as well as a small jewelry box."Eric, she is definitely my mate. But I don't understand how I could pick up her scent so strongly when she's already mated to Gorgio. I can't imagine that she hasn't waited for me and accepted to be someone else's chosen mate," I explain pained. "She
Still Alpha Zane's POVWith the breath of the Council now on my neck, my position within my own pack is becoming increasingly stark.Never before in the history of werewolves has a fully mated wolf appeared to have a second mate. Once marked and mated, it should be final. But the Moon Goddess has clearly decided otherwise today, and everyone in this room will have to come to terms with that. Because if there's one thing I know for sure, it's that I'm not giving up on Ariel. Gorgio will just have to find another mate, but Ariel is mine, marked or not.So here I am, with the Council and the King and Queen surrounding me."She went missing from your pack, so it is your duty to inform Alpha Gorgio of what has happened. And avoid escalation, this conversation will not be easy," warns the Council President, Alpha King Petric, who is also Ariel's father. I put my phone on speaker and dial Gorgio's number. We have never been friends, even though the Council forced us to sign a
Stubborn AlphaStill Alpha Zane's POVI am by no means a coward. Gorgio will find in me a formidable opponent.But I cannot make the same mistake he did. In fact, I am taking advantage of his grave miscalculation to declare war on me now that the King and Queen are in my pack.And judging by the look on King Jasper's face, the Alpha will not get away with this shown disrespect so easily. I bolt from my seat and walk out of the hotel with great strides. I leap behind the wheel and Eric quickly throws himself in the passenger seat. At high speed, I race to the gates of my pack. Behind me, I see the Limousine with the Royal couple and some Council members, followed by the Alpha King in his Maserati.As I arrive at the gate, I see my Head Warrior Kensley waiting there. Concerned, he comes over to me, obviously unaware of what has happened in the conference room. "Alpha! Thank God you're here! There is increased activity just outside our border. It looks lik
Again from Alpha Zane's POV "You're a liar!"Gorgio yells in my face, hurling all sorts of accusations at me. Since we arrived in my office, his temper has been all over the place. He seems unable to control himself, and his wolf often gets the upper hand. It is the King's Lycan aura that keeps him from shifting. "You've been eyeing my mate for a long time, it seems. You're jealous of our relationship because you can't find a fated yourself. And this is your trick to steal her from me," he shouts furiously. "You know my wolf will weaken without her. And then you think this is your way into my land. But you are in for a surprise, Alpha Zane. Promised!"My confession that Luna Ariel is also my fated mate only meets with resistance from the man.He cannot fathom that he must now share his Luna with me. Many of my attempts to come to an arrangement as grown men failed. Alpha Gorgio continues to grumble, and the Alpha King and King Jasper become despondent. Qu
Alpha Gorgio's POVI can't believe an Alpha is trying to steal my mate.I cannot allow this, it must never happen. There must be something this scum has pulled out to manipulate my Ariel. Maybe he even hired a witch to take her away from me to weaken me.Never before has a fully mated wolf, still active in the relationship, been paired with another wolf. There are cases of up to three males having to share a she-wolf, but they were all unmated. Damn sure, Alpha Zane is playing dirty here. And I won't let it go on, I'll go to war if I have to. In any case, I feel that the King is not unwilling to understand me, he also loves his woman with all that is in him. Ariel! My only love.No man will ever touch her as I do. She is mine, all of her. Her heart, soul and body. The Moon Goddess sanctioned our bond at our joining ceremony and I will hold her to it. And I am sure Ariel will never deceive me, we are one body and soul and there is no room for a third mate. We don't need
Luna Ariel's POV Tears blur my vision as I make my way through the heavy traffic. I’m so unhappy. My betrayal of Gorgio holds my heart in a painful grip. How could I have allowed a bond to form between Alpha Zane and myself? This strong attraction, which I could hardly resist, I should only feel for my mate. And my mate is Gorgio and him alone. Just a few hours after I swore to him that my heart belonged only to him and that I would love him forever, I start to have feelings for another man. And not just any man, but Gorgio's arch-enemy, the Alpha who constantly challenges our pack. I have never met him before because my mate protects me from the evil world. Midnight Moon is bad news. Gorgio only allowed me to represent him at the council meeting because it was important for our pack. The deals I had to offer were lucrative, and it took a lot of persuading to get Gorgio to agree to let me go. And look where that got u