"What the hell, Jace?" I yell at my Beta, staring at the little goddess behind him.
In the short time, she has been in his company, the girl has put all her trust in Jace. She counts on his protection as she takes all the time to examine me. Jealousy bubbles up in me.
“Hi Alpha, my name is Mercedes”, she suddenly speaks up, her innocent marbles still pointed at me. Her voice is hoarse and soft, I could listen to that all day long.
I get down on my knees to get a better look at her. “Mercedes. What a beautiful name you have. You can call me Zane, okay?”, I whisper to her. She gives me a beaming smile and steps out of her hiding place. “Would you like to come with me to the packhouse, Mercedes? I want to ask you some questions about how you got here," I say still softly. "And you must be hungry."
She nods furiously, looks down for a moment and then back into my eyes. “But I don't have a wolf. Can I ride yours then?” she asks, clearly delighted at the prospect. "What's your wolf's name?"
“My wolf has Jax. And he really wants to take you on his back”, I let her know. I get up and look at the men around me. There is incomprehension on Jace's face and when I look at my Head Warrior Cleo, she is also uncomfortable with the situation. “Come with me to my office. I have some announcements to make. We leave here in wolf form”.
I quickly shift again and Jax lays low for our mate. Deftly she climbs onto his back and holds on tightly. Obviously, she's done this many times before, I'll ask her more about this later. Jax makes a bigger detour to the packhouse, enjoying the pup's joyful cries. Her hair is blowing in the wind, she is urging him to go faster by hitting his flanks with her legs. But he wants to keep her safe and probably also wants to have her longer on his back and holds a moderate stride.
Half an hour later we reach the packhouse.
Once Mercedes is off Jax's back, I go behind a tree to shift and get dressed. When I get back, I offer her my hand which she accepts without hesitation. Jace and Cleo disappear for their own shift. We wait for them to return and walk to my study. I put Mercedes on the couch and sit next to her. Jake and Cleo both take a one-seater.
“Jace here is my Beta, Mercedes. Tell me everything you told him. What is the name of your pack and how did you end up in the woods?” I ask in a low voice, all smiling. I don't want to scare her into holding back. “I don't know, Zane. I had fallen asleep and when I woke up, I saw Jace looking at me," she says smoothly. “I was in the woods behind the packhouse in my pack, I was playing with Marco and the others”. Her big innocent eyes stare into mine, and I am immediately convinced that she is telling the truth.
"That is good. And what are the names of your parents and your Alpha?” I ask her now. “Mommy's name is Selin and my daddy is Marc. They are the Beta of Alpha Ahri”, she replies fluently again. I look up to Jace, so her father is his colleague. The Betas in the region also stayed in contact in a W******p group chat, so he could easily trace this information. He nods and grabs his phone.
“Who did you last see when you fell asleep in the woods?” I ask her. I take her hand in mine and press it encouragingly. She still stares at me as she shakes her head. “While we were playing, I tried to hide in the woods. Marco didn't come to catch me, so I laid down on the ground to wait. I haven't seen anyone," she says again.
I understand that there is nothing left of her story, whoever kidnapped her has ensured that he remains unseen. But even then, the question remains, why someone would snatch a pup from her family?
“Tell me, Mercedes. How old are you? Are you going to school yet?” I now ask her with interest. She smiles wider, the school probably has good memories. "I am ten years old. And yes, I'm in fifth grade. My teacher is Alyssa and she is very sweet”, she chirps. “She says I'm adorable too. She often gives me fruit that she brings from home. She says it's healthier than chocolate."
I nod in agreement. “That's absolutely true. And if Alyssa gives you some of her own fruit, you must be her favorite student,” I compliment her. The smile couldn't be better, her eyes sparkle now.
“Mercedes, would you like to come more often in my pack? During the school holidays or when you don't have homework on the weekends or something like that”, I ask her carefully. As my mate, I must have her with me as often as possible. She's underage, so I know I'll have to wait until she's eighteen to claim her and officially make her my Luna. My biggest problem is my pack, Midnight Moon. Not only am I the most feared Alpha in this region, but I am also widely respected. The news that my mate is only a teenager isn't going to hit the pack well. And I will have to make it clear that I am by no means a pervert.
By announcing my mate at her early age, the Moon Goddess prevented me from waiting too long for her and succumbing to the temptation to take a chosen mate and Luna.
I look back at Mercedes, who can't take her eyes off me.
Carefully I stretch out my hand and stroke her head. She doesn't flinch back from my touch, which means I’ve already gained her trust. That's the perfect start. Now I need to talk to her parents and the Alpha about this exceptional situation.
“Yes, Zane. I'd like to live in the packhouse with you. But I have to ask my mom and dad first," she replies...
And then I remember my mate is hungry, she definitely didn't eat after she went missing. I take her hand and we all walk out of my office to the huge dining room. Fortunately, Jace had already mind linked the cook that we have a pup with us that needs to be fed. When we step inside, the smell of warm pancakes and syrups hits us. Mercedes lets go of my hand and runs to the table, clearly starving. I take her to the seat that has been vacant since I became the Alpha of this pack. I pick her up and place her in the Luna seat. Jace and the chief warrior watch with interest, holding their breath sharply but I don't pay attention to them at all. When I sit in my chair at the head of the table, I grab a plate and place a pancake on it. “Tell me, Mercedes, what syrup do you choose for your pancake? There is strawberry, caramel and pure honeybee”, I ask her. Delightful she eyes the pancake on the plate, I think my mate is a real foodie. “Honey, Zane. My mother always puts a l
Jace clears his throat and takes me out of my musings. “Zane, I've reached Beta. He says his daughter has been missing since yesterday. She was indeed in the woods playing with some other pups when they couldn't find her anymore,” he tells me. “He is on his way here with his mate to pick her up himself. They'll be here in two hours." "Shouldn't you let Alpha Ahri know about this?" he asks. Yes, I forgot about all that. The bliss of finally having my mate here has completely consumed my attention. I grab my phone and search my contact list for the number I need. “Alpha Ahri, Alpha Zane from Midnight Moon here. You must have heard that we found your Beta's daughter near our border," I let him know. The man on the other end of the line growled. “Alpha Zane. Yes, my Beta informed me. This matter should be thoroughly investigated. A pup cannot run miles in a day. There is more going on here.” He doesn't sound exactly indulgent as I expected. "That's for sure. I discovered the scent of
"Zane, Mercedes' parents have arrived." Jace entered my office, where I wanted to get some work done while my mate was asleep. I nod and get up from my chair. Together we enter the elevator to the Alpha floor. When we step into my bedroom, we see Mercedes sleeping like an angel on my bed. Seeing her like this fills my heart with so much love for her. I immediately swear to myself that I will always protect her and make her happiness my number one priority. Elise has fallen asleep next to her but is up as soon as we arrive. “She was drained. While bathing her, she was already falling asleep," my sister whispers, not to wake Mercedes right away. She's slept for about two hours, probably not nearly enough to rest fully. But her parents are waiting, I have to convince them that their daughter is unharmed. I am well aware that I am under strict surveillance, everyone will want to know how I maintain the relationship with my mate. Carefully I sit down next to my mate. “Little one, you
Mercedes Three Years Later…“Clarita, I'm not feeling well. My head hurts terribly and I have cramps in my stomach”, I tell my friend who is sitting next to me in the classroom. “This has been going on since last night. This morning I took some medication and thought it would be over by now.” I clutch my stomach again as a stab of pain pulls through. I can barely contain a cry.Clarita looks at my miserable self.“Go home quickly. I'll tell the teacher that you’re feeling sick”, she exclaims, already standing to help me out of my seat. Bending slightly forward, I walk out of the classroom. When we are outside the school building, Clarita looks around. “Is Zane coming to get you today? I don't see his car anywhere," she asks with interest.I look at her from the corners of my eyes.For a long time, I have suspected that she has a crush on my mate. Every time she mentions his name, I hear a longing undertone. At first, I thought I imagined it, but when I noticed she inquired about him a
Zane jumps out of his car and sprints to me.“Love, let me take you to the doctor quickly. Since this morning, I already felt that your body is changing," he explains, picking me up bridal style. I put my face on his neck and inhale his scent deeply. Just as I expected, the cramps immediately subsided and were not as painful anymore.Zane told me a long time ago that he can sense certain emotions in me. But once we are mated, that will increase. Because of the mate bond, I will also experience everything he feels, joy and anger, pain and sadness. But now he’s only able to perceive my pain and utter joy.He places me in the passenger seat and kisses me on the forehead. “Hold on, we'll be there in a minute”, he encourages me. Quickly he is back behind the wheel, turns the car nimbly and then we are on the road at high speed. Within a few minutes, we are at the pack’s hospital. He puts me on a bed and walks to the reception. “Can a doctor examine my mate? She has severe stomach cramps,"
The great hall of Silver Moon is bursting at the seams.The heavy base of the Afrobeat reverberates from the speakers, shaking everything on the pack land to its foundations. It's my sixteenth birthday, Zane has thrown out a big party for me. We have live bands performing on the massive stage and later in the evening, a DJ will mix the best songs all together to a powerful beat.The mood is top, never before has Silver Moon experienced so much bustle. Just for this day, Alpha Ahri permitted members of Midnight Moon entry to celebrate this day with me in my pack. This makes my birthday doubly special.And I’m telling you, everyone is present, young and old enjoy to the fullest. The drinks flow freely and the huge catering offers so many choices of dishes. The hall is also beautifully decorated, Zane has appointed a team responsible for the decoration and I must admit they did quite a successful job. This is the most lavish birthday party in my pack's history.I stand on
The party is lit. I dance in my mate's arms all night long, we grind, touch and kiss on the big dancefloor. Sometimes we are interrupted by new guests who still want to congratulate me, but we stay close to each other. In our relationship there is no room for third parties, we have enough of each other and remain true to our golden rule that the opposite sex does not come too close. Then we come close to Alpha Ahri, the old fox swings with a young werewolf, like he's in the old eighties. “Ahem, Alpha, are you having a good time?” I can't help teasing. Behind me, I hear a muffled laugh from Zane. Alpha Ahri looks up and when he sees me watching him, he turns beet red with embarrassment. Guilt is written all over his face. “Yes, yes”, he stammers while making frantic efforts to keep the voluptuous woman away. “Congrats Alpha, this party is amazing. Thank you for taking such good care of my pack member,” he turns to Zane, guiltily avoiding eye contact with me. Alpha Ahri clearly had no
Alpha Zane's POVThe expression on the rejected Alpha's face is priceless.I can barely suppress a grin. The boy clearly didn't come with the intention of having an innocent dance with my mate. He has been following her with lusty eyes all evening. He has his sights set on Mercedes.If that’s really the case, he has underestimated me. I was well prepared for evil hawks like him.For years I've done research on girls' development through puberty. Look, I'm a man, I only have experience of how boys transform into men. So, I did some research, talked to the elderly, kept my sister busy and spent evenings on the internet obtaining information. That is inherent in having a young, up growing fated mate.I learned that girls experience hormonal changes early on and in their innocence, seek the attention of boys who are eagerly waiting for their first sex. Their attention to beauty and make-up, their insecurities, I immersed myself in all these factors and sought advice. I want a confident Lu