163
Tony
I sat at my desk, surrounded by stacks of financial documents and reports, trying to focus on the numbers and calculations before me. But it was hard to concentrate with Oren sitting across from me, oozing an air of superiority and arrogance.
He hadn’t taken over my office, but every time I was in it, he would waltz in, sit down and act as if he belonged there. , yet not saying a word. His presence was a constant reminder of the turmoil and tension that had recently taken over the Estate with his return. I couldn't understand why he was so insistent on asserting his dominance, especially when Tony and I were the rightful alphas.
Matt wasn’t interested in starting a fight, but I wasn’t going to let him act as if he could just step in and take over. We hadn’t talked about Ginevra. Dagon had taken her to the Council Hall sometime in the night. Oren had been a little pissed off at breakfast, but even he wasn’t crazy enough to try to take on the dragon shifter.
Having him around had changed some aspects of the pack for the better, and I wanted to know the truth behind his actions years ago, why he had killed our pack members.
With a sigh, I decided to break the silence.
“Why are you here?”
"I'm just making sure things are being handled properly,” he grinned. “Don’t you like having dear old dad around to answer questions?”
I clenched my jaw, trying to keep my temper in check. The last thing I needed was a confrontation with Oren, especially when there were more pressing matters to attend to. But it seemed that he had other plans.
“I think I’ve been doing just fine all these years.”
He hummed. “That’s not what I hear. Lucy was kidnapped from within the Estate. Escaped from an event? A mating ritual you couldn’t even make stick?”
He tutted. “Floundering. The poison thing? As if such a thing would have ever happened before I had my little vacation.”
I bristled at his words, but I refused to let him get under my skin. Instead, I chose to focus on the task at hand - handling the pack's financial affairs.
Then, he started whistling.
Just as I was ready to lung at him, my phone rang. It was the Council contacting me, and I could tell by the seriousness of the call that it was something important.
"Tony, we have news," the Council representative said solemnly. "A White Moon child has been found, and we will be transferring custody to your pack at the end of the week."
The news hit me like a thunderbolt, and I felt a mix of emotions swirling inside me. A White Moon child beside Lucy? Were they closely related? If so, could I use the child to lure Lucy back? She insisted that she didn’t want children, but if she had to care for one, she would change her mind. She was a woman, a female werewolf. She wanted children and the protection of a strong alpha.
I glanced at Oren who tilted his head and looked at me strangely.
"Thank you for informing me," I replied, trying to keep my voice steady. "We will ensure that the child is taken care of and protected within our pack."
Oren’s eyes lit up and he sat forward, tapping the speaker button.
“What about the kid’s relatives? How old is this child?”
“Alpha Oren?” The man cleared his throat. “A pleasure to be speaking with you again. I’ll get that information pulled up for you.”
Oren’s eyes glinted with a challenge and smugness. I didn’t growl. I just watched him. It was odd to see him interested in something. Odd to hear him asking about something like this. Maybe, I’d get some insight into what his real motivations were. Then, the man started to list off genders and ages. I listened to Oren's excitement as he heard a strange feeling started to stir in me. I realized that I was oddly excited too.
“Are they all rogues and refugees?”
“Yes. Two of them have official ward status, one with Hecate and the other with Blood Moon.”
He growled in distaste. “Blood Moon…”
“There is, of course, no problem with transferring him as well.”
“They’ll all be transferred,” Oren grinned. “It is where they belong. White Moon rejoining us at last? It’s like something out of a fairytale.”
He seemed overjoyed. I couldn't help but feel cautious. It was a sentiment I couldn't fully understand. I knew a bit about our history with the White Moon pack, but his expression seemed to imply that it was more complicated than I first imagined.
“I’m evoking the Bonds of the Moon. They will all be transferred into my care by the end of the week. That silly suit the Lucy girl has should be dealt with accordingly.”
I frowned. I had never heard of such a thing.
“Don’t look so surprised.” He chuckled. “It’s an old thing. I hadn't expected to have to tell you about it until I was on my deathbed."
I furrowed my brow. “What is it?”
And why keep it from me now? If this could have cleared up the suit Lucy had, I should have known about it ages ago.
“I’ll get the documentation together and submitted. All ten of them will be transferred into your care. Hecate City will be expecting you to pick them up at the end of the week.”
Then he hung up.
I met his gaze. “You still haven’t told me what the Bonds of the Moon are.”
He chuckled. “It’s a very old law, predates the Council. Before we split, we made a pact that if at any time the White Moon Pack members wanted to return to us, to our protection, they would be granted that without question. In fact, it binds them to return to us if they are no longer a pack of their own and would override any oaths they’ve already made.”
He chuckled. “We provide them with protection and care, and they have to pledge their loyalty and service to us, including upholding our traditions.”
“What sort of traditions?”
“Ah, the alpha chooses his luna as he wishes…” He hummed. “Then, the other alphas of the pack pick in order of strength and rank… Anyone left after that are made into breeders for the pack, to help replenish the numbers.”
“Breeders…”
“Male or female,” Oren said. “A Blue Moon and a White Moon wolf’s child would be stronger than both parents. Well… as long as they’re an actual White Moon wolf.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“The White Moon pack had a lot of branches. Not all of them were very pure, mingling with humans and whatever,” he wrinkled his nose. “A lot like Blood Moon in some ways.”
I swallowed. “This would force them to come here?”
He nodded. “And there isn’t a damn thing they can do about it.”
“What if they reformed a pack?”
He laughed. “They have one person old enough to fill out the paperwork, and Lucian isn’t the type to lead a pack.”
“And if they join another pack?”
“They can’t,” he said, grinning. “That’s the beauty of the Bonds of the Moon. They’re binding. A magical compulsion.”
Why would the White Moon pack do that? It seemed like something that didn’t benefit them at all. I found myself torn. Part of me was relieved at how easy it seemed, but something seemed to be lurking beneath the surface of this law. I frowned and looked at Oren who grinned.
“Go on, Tony. What’s on your mind?”
“This wasn’t their idea.”
“Of course not,” he snarled. “Our ancestors knew better. We let them leave the Blue Moon Pack. It was a game. Let them go off and see how hard it was, but the deal was that they’d always be back. I’m pretty sure they didn’t expect it to last so long, but no one can predict the future.”
He jumped to his feet. “I’m going to get the rooms together. I don’t think the breeder rooms have been used since you were a kid! They’ll probably need some cleaning…”
He left then, leaving me with my thoughts and the distinct feeling that he didn’t care about the rest of the way the pack functioned, about what having ten extra people on the Estate would do to us financially, given all the issues we’re facing because of Lucy.
But… if this really did make the case go away, I had to smile. Imaging the look on David’s face when Matt and I brought her to the Crescent Festival, hopefully pregnant by then, made me smile.
Maybe Oren was crazy, but he did seem to have some useful information. I left my office for lunch to see the servants of the house hustling around. Oren was in the hallway barking orders.
I found Matt in a parlor downstairs with Quillan playing with blocks.
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