Chapter 33: Unexpected Connections

'Please excuse the simple meal,' Jelsie said to Ran. 'There'll be food later at the Gathering so we don't usually eat much before.'
'Don't worry about it,' Ran replied with a polite smile. 'In Eridanus, we don't eat before the Gathering so this is a treat.'
Caph pulled out an ornate chair and sat her in it. He sat on one side of her.
His third brother, Cam, sat on her other side.
After a moment, Caph's two older brothers and Celphus entered the dining room, arguing. They stopped as soon as they saw Ran.
Celphus greeted her warmly, his muscular hand swallowing hers whole as he shook it. He introduced Ran to his other sons. Cast, the oldest, also the pack Beta. Covi was the second son, the pack Delta. Cam was the third, just one year older than Caph. He was a Gamma leader.
She was not surprised to find that Cassiopeia retained the traditional pack hierachy agreed upon at a Red Moon Summit so ancient it was called the Red Moon Fellowship at the time. In the past, all the packs were structured the same way: the Alpha's children were given ranks within the pack to train their leadership. These ranks were passed down from one Alpha's family to the next.
In these modern times, werewolves didn't have enough children to fill all these roles so it was decided that these positions should be given to the best and the most capable in the pack instead.
Ran mused that she wouldn't have had to work so hard to become Beta if she had been born into Caph's family.
As they began to eat Jelsie's 'simple meal', she became aware of the wordless conversation taking place between Celphus, Cast and Covi. The three men were exchanging meaningful looks with one another, averting their eyes from her so she wouldn't see what they were discussing.
Ran had no intention of prying, so she decided to keep her eyes on Caph who was dipping his mother's home-baked bread into the venison stew. His blue eyes felt her gaze and smiled at her.
'You're the only one with blue eyes,' she said to him. All Caph's brothers and both of his parents had feral yellow eyes and pale brown hair.
'I'm the freak of the family,' he replied. He gave her a self-deprecating smile.
Cam snorted and clapped Caph on the shoulder. 'What do you mean by that, bro? You got your blue eyes and red hair from our great-grandfather, the Great Alpha Rexus.'
Ran's eyes widened. 'He's your great-grandfather?' she exclaimed. The rest turned their heads to look at her.
'He's ancient history,' Caph grumbled.
She frowned at him. 'But this is Alpha Rexus we're talking about! He's one of the legendary warriors who led our kind to victory in the Human-Werewolf War.'
'You know about Alpha Rexus?' Cam asked through a mouthful of bread.
Ran's coal eyes blazed with passion. 'Of course I do! I've read the records of the War my father kept. He's the coolest! He wiped out a whole battalion on his own before the Confrontation.'
'Your father has records of the War?' Cam asked, leaning closer out of curiosity.
As Ran and Cam's excited conversation about military heroes from the Human-Werewolf War continued, Caph felt a pair of accusing eyes on him.
Celphus looked away when he stood up to get another helping of venison stew.
Just as Ran was arguing with Cam about the ethics of humanity's use of werewolf strength which was the issue that started the Human-Werewolf War, a lithe female burst into the dining room and hurtled straight at Caph.
'You're back!' an excited and high-pitched voice squealed.
Nusha embraced her childhood friend tightly and climbed into his lap.
She gazed up at him with adoring yellow eyes, flinging her arms around his neck. 'Where did you go? You left so suddenly. We were—'
'Nusha,' Caph interrupted, prying her hands from him and pushing her off his lap. He glanced worriedly at Ran.
The Beta of Eridanus stared at Nusha, wide-eyed.
Nusha turned to Ran as if noticing her presence in the room for the first time. She smiled and sat back down on the decorated arm of Caph's chair. 'Is this your fiancee?'
'I didn't know you had a sister,' Ran stammered, bewildered by the girl's ostentatious appearance.
Nusha leaned into Caph again, her brown hair fanning out over his chest. She gave him a sad puppy look. 'You didn't tell her about me?'
Before he could reply, she wrapped her arms around his neck again and introduced herself, 'I'm Nusha. Caph's childhood sweetheart. We're each other's bonded mates.'
She smiled sweetly at Ran but her gaze was sharp, piercing like daggers.
Ran's gaped at her.