"Unfortunately, yes, son. Queen Luna Elizabeth Stevens, your great-great-great-grandmother. She went through the three-day trials. Justice. Loyalty. Submission." Alpha Elijah says with a grim expression.
-"Naomi has to prove she can be kind and just, kill for the pack, and submit to you as her Alpha." Alpha Elijah adds.
-"The Trial of Justice - Luna Naomi's decision-making will be tested in this trial. She will face two situations where she has to show kindness and fairness. This trial is the easiest of them all." Elder Raymond breaks down the first trial. He is sitting next to Elder Theo, who is on the left side of the conference table.
-"The Trial of Loyalty - Luna Naomi has to take a life from someone who wronged the pack or attempted to hurt a pack member." Elder Blake spoke thi
***Matthew's POV***The morning had started chaotic, and the afternoon wasn't going to be any quieter. More events were happening in the last two days than in the previous two years of my life.A disaster. The meeting had been a complete disgrace. Everything that could go wrong went beyond wrong. Elder Theo was a pain in the ass like he always is. If I could, I would have replaced him, but once a member is elected to be part of the Elders, they are selected for life. I can't kill him either because if I do, the Elders will charge me with treason and strip me from my title as Alpha.Goddess knows why, Elder Theo had made Naomi his primary target. He enforced on her our admission trials, which we didn't even do anymore. I was livid. My wolf and I wanted to
**Naomi's POV***Matt and I lay in his bed, both panting, after our intimate moment. He pulls me close to his chest in a tight warm, and caring embrace.-"That was, by far, the best sex I ever had." He says as he kisses my forehead.Did he really have to say it like that? This was much more than justsex to me. It is a connection that makes complete. Matt claimed my wolf Artemis and me as his, making us whole. Artemis had instructed me to claim Matt too, and I did it in the spur of the moment. Tracing my fingers over the mark, I inspect the damage I caused. Matt has his eyes closed, but he offers me a gentle smile as I trace circles on his neck.The wound is fully healed. But, the us
***Naomi's POV***Matt walks away, and I enter the room, dying to wash my muddy feet and warm up my body that has gone cold from my damped clothes.Stripping off my outfit, I dump the dirty clothes in the nearby hamper as I walk to the shower. I turn on the water to the cold setting; hot water on my cold skin right now would feel like a burn, and I don't need any more pain. Adjusting the water settings as my skin adapts to the temperature, I replay in my head everything that has happened in the past couple of days.A rescue mission gone wrong. Wherever Nina White is right now, I hope she is hanging in there. What Morgan and I experienced was horrible, and I wish that on no one. I will have to ask Matt if he has anyone from Crescent Moon tracking her
***Naomi's POV***-"Naomi," a soft hand tries to shake me awake.After laying all my cards on the table last night and getting through Matt's thick wall of pre-formed sexist concepts, I managed to establish my position within the pack. We had also set some relationship boundaries, allowing us to reduce the mate bond influence over our actions and grow closer emotionally, not just physically.However, let me say one thing, I regret setting up the no skinship rule the moment I realized I couldn't fall asleep without his warmth next to me. I tossed and turned all night, wanting to crawl into Matt's comforting arms. The number of times I physically stopped myself from turning the doorknob of Carl's bedroom door is insane. My body had a mind of its own.
***Matthew's POV***Morris and I are currently sitting in my office going over our allies' reports regarding the rogues and trying to find a pattern about their attacks when we came across one from Blazefur dated a few months back. Their Alpha and Luna were slaughtered in front of their pack, along with whoever refused to join the rogues. The fear and horror of the Blazefur's messenger are still etched in my mind. He had been sent by the rogue's Alpha, only to succumb to his wounds minutes after delivering the note; it revolts and disgusts me to the core. Unfortunately, Blazefur was not the only pack that suffered against the rogues' self-proclaimed Alpha's tyranny. Just how far is he willing to go for power? Whoever he is, he needs to be stopped; and it will be by my own hands. As the Alpha King, I do not tolerate this behavior, and I will not be idle while someone is m
***Matthew's POV***After returning from patrol, Morris and I go our separate ways. I entered the manor through the kitchen and headed for the closet by the hallway. I picked out navy-blue beach shorts and wore them before returning to the kitchen. Mrs. Garcia was in the process of preparing the picnic basket I mind-linked about. She has been with my family since I can remember. She is the female figure I look up to after my mother's passing.Mrs. Garcia can cook just about anything, and she makes the most delicious Portuguese custard tarts (Pasteis de Nata) there is, my favorite. I asked her to add it to the picnic snack list, along with some Caprese Sandwiches (juicy tomatoes, creamy mozzarella, and fresh basil sandwich), Baba Ganoush, and fresh pita bread. The weather is supposed to be a bit chilly tonight,
***Unknown's POV*** Deep in the woods, where no one adventures, stands a forgotten house aged by time and weather adversities. At first glance, it might appear inhabited, but if anyone were brave enough to wander inside, they would witness its hidden secrets yet to be discovered. Darkness loomed the forest as night was at its peak. A mysterious figure wearing a black hooded jumper, concealing the person's identity, walks through the overgrown vegetation, making way to its destination. Loud creaking sounds disturbed the silence of the night as the stranger, who was no stranger to the house, took steps up the aged wooden-floored front porch under the dim moonlight. A hand once tucked inside one of the midnight trousers' pockets made contact with the door to knock. An owl hoots in the distance as the front door
***Naomi's POV***Running as fast as possible, I sprint through the woods around the Alpha's mansion in my human form. With the dawn as my background, I let the earthy footpath guide me through the pine trees. Matt has yet to show me the pack borders before I adventure off-trail, further into the woods.Pack warriors in their wolf forms were patrolling the area. They would stop and lower their front paws, showing me their respect as I passed by. I acknowledge them with a smile and continue sprinting past them. After twenty minutes, I turn back, running towards the manor, not wanting to be late.Yesterday while we browsed through the lingerie store, I asked Charlotte to mind-link a couple of females interested in basic self-defense and have them meet me at 6 a.m. for ou