193
Lucy
We rode together back to the White Moon Pack house. As the sun began to dip below the horizon, casting a warm, golden glow over the Hecate City. Lucian, Duke and I climbed out of the car. David had been dozing off on the ride.
“Still haven’t returned the jacket, hm?” Lucian asked as we headed inside.
“Leave me alone!”
Duke and Lucian laughed as we entered. The scents of the Pack House enveloped me. It had become almost a second home for me, a place of belonging and family. Duke walked beside me, his steps confident and easy. Lucian had said that he had an announcement to make, so everyone was there. As we entered the Pack House, the hum of conversations and laughter filled the air. It was heartwarming to see familiar faces. I spotted Jessie across the room, engaged in a lively conversation with a few others.
We made our way over to Jessie, who turned towards us with a bright smile. "Lucy, Duke, you made it! You two look terrible. Magic training?"
I nodded. “We got to watch a level 5 class today.”
“Was your boyfriend in it?”
My face burned as Duke started cackling. I went to the kitchen to get something to snack on. Others chatted among themselves as I grabbed a snack. The atmosphere in the house seemed to buzz with a mix of anticipation and excitement. I couldn't help but wonder what the announcement was going to be about. Lucian had mentioned that it was something important, but he hadn't given away any details.
Soon, the chatter in the main living room began to quiet down, and all eyes turned towards the front of the room. Lucian stepped forward, his presence commanding everyone's attention, grinning.
"Thank you all for being here," Lucian began, his eyes twinkling. "I have an announcement to make – one that signifies a new chapter for the White Moon Pack and probably the start of a fight."
Some people laughed. A hushed anticipation settled over the room as we waited for him to continue. I exchanged a curious glance with Duke and Jessie, both of whom seemed equally intrigued.
Lucian's gaze swept over the crowd, his eyes holding a mixture of pride and determination. "After much deliberation and preparation, I am proud to announce that the White Moon Pack will be participating in the upcoming Crescent Moon Festival."
A murmur of surprise and wariness rippled through the room.
“I know we have our reservations about interacting with the rest of the werewolf community, but we need to go to establish ourselves as a formal pack. I’m not asking everyone to go. It’s mostly for appearances and, hopefully, a chance to build some bridges.”
“There’s one more thing—the more important thing, at that. We have a liaison and a healer. They’ll be here shortly, so behave yourselves.”
He chuckled. “Though I guess you all couldn’t do anything to be as bad as their last pack.”
The doorbell rang, and Lucian went to get it. Dagon and Yvonne were standing in the doorway with big, beaming smiles.
"Dagon!" I exclaimed, my surprise turning into a wide smile. Duke and Jessie also turned towards him, looking surprised.
Dagon grinned, his eyes twinkling with mischief. "Well, well, look who's all grown up. You look like you’ve put on some muscles and grown a few inches."
I playfully rolled my eyes at his teasing. It had been a while since I had seen Dagon in person, but it was heartwarming to know that he was here. I hugged him, and then I hugged Yvonne, who looked even more pleased than he did.
"Dagon, Yvonne, it's so great to see you both," I said. “What are you two doing here?”
“We’re your official liaison and healer.”
My jaw dropped. “But… Blue Moon?”
“They hate us almost as much as we hate them.” Dagon paused. “Well, most of them, but I’m sure we’ll talk about that.”
Lucian frowned. “Why do I feel like I’m not going to like this?”
“Oh, because you probably aren’t. Blood Moon either. Introduce us?”
As Yvonne and Dagon mingled with the rest of the family, I could see how easily they fit in. The atmosphere was filled with laughter, stories, and the genuine joy of reconnecting. We had dinner together. It was nothing like being at Blue Moon, and I could tell that Yvonne was a great deal happier here.
After dinner, Duke and I made our way to a quieter corner of the pack house, where we found Dagon lounging and on the phone, deep in conversation. He noticed us approaching and gave us a nod.
“Hold on.”
He pressed a button. I exchanged a curious glance with Duke, wondering what Dagon was discussing. As the call ended, Dagon leaned back in his chair and offered us a warm smile.
"Hey, you two. Everything going alright?"
I nodded, sharing a look with Duke. "Yeah, we were just going to start some homework. What about you? Who were you talking to?"
Dagon chuckled a hint of amusement in his eyes. "Oh, just Matt. Checking in on him."
Duke's eyebrows shot up. "Matt? As in Tony's brother?"
Dagon nodded, his expression turning serious. "Yeah, that's the one."
I couldn't help but feel a bit nervous. “Is it… about you leaving?”
Dagon hesitated for a moment as if debating whether to share the details. Then he looked at me and seemed to come to a decision.
"Actually, you know what? I think it's better if you hear.” He lowered his phone and pressed a button on the screen. “Go ahead, Matt.”
My stomach churned as he started to talk, but it didn’t last long. He sounded tense, his words coming in quick succession. His voice was soft, too, like he was whispering into his phone.
"Dagon, I know you're busy, but I don't know where else to turn. Things are getting worse with Oren. He's spiraling faster than I thought, and Tony's being pulled along with him. I can't just stand by and watch it happen."
I exchanged a concerned glance with Duke. Dagon's expression grew more serious as he responded. "You’re sure you’re not being paranoid?”
“I have good reason to be!”
“You’re not wrong, but you need to be careful. Are you sure you’re not just being paranoid?”
“I-I don’t know. I don’t trust myself, honestly. It feels like I’m seconds away from—Well, I’m pretty sure Tony is trying to talk to me about something, the thing, probably. Or something.”
“Slow down. You’re not making any sense.”
“I couldn’t sleep. I tried, but I just kept waking up fighting shadows. I think… There are more memories popping up. A-All of them. It’s not ending.”
“Where are you?”
“Not in the house. I’m in Hecate, well, just outside of it. I didn’t want to chance them tracing my car and finding out…”
I frowned, and my heart lurched as I realized that Matt had to be able to get through the barrier. What did that mean?
“Oren is a wildcard,” Dagon said. “Just keep a low profile, alright? Take the potions I gave you as instructed. Go spend the night at a hotel, and if you don’t think you can handle it any longer, you know where to go.”
There was a brief pause before Matt's voice came through again, his frustration evident. "I don't want to leave Tony, but I also don't want to end up dead because of his recklessness."
Dagon's voice held a note of reassurance. "Listen, Matt, you did the right thing reaching out. If things start to take a turn for the worse, I want you to get out of there. Find somewhere safe. Anywhere but there."
I was a little surprised. The Matt on the phone wasn’t the same Matt from before. What was happening in Blue Moon? I winced. Should I care, given everything that had happened? I didn’t know, but I didn’t think anyone deserved to sound that scared in their own home.
As the call ended, Dagon gave me a wry look.
"Matt's not the worse jackass in the world," Dagon said. "Surprisingly.”
Duke nodded in agreement. "Sounds like he's really worried about his brother."
Dagon sighed his expression a mix of weariness and determination. "Yeah, he is. We're all worried about the situation brewing in Blue Moon, but for now, there’s nothing really to be done."
“Is it really that easy?”
“Easy?” Dagon scoffed. “Haven’t you learned that nothing about the werewolf world is easy yet?”
I worried my lip. “Are you going to tell me what’s going on?”
“Not before your alpha,” Dagon paused. “Alphas?”
My face heated. “Don’t you start teasing me too!”
Dagon got to his feet, and he pat my shoulder. “Don’t go rushing into battle just yet, alright? There will be plenty of time for that.”
I nodded, and he walked away. Duke stared after Dagon, a little dumbstruck. I nudged him.
“You have a crush on Dagon?”
He scowled at me, his face bright red. “You’re not funny, leave me alone.”
I grinned and stood up to go find Jessie. “Duke’s got a crush!”
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
