#23

Evander POV

I returned with Aurora’s bag with her notebooks inside. As I was coming in the front, the other pair was coming in the back. Aurora smiled at me fondly. Even with her tired eyes, her beauty showed through. She reached for the bag setting it beside her on the floor. “Well,” Whinnie said. “Let's eat!” She shuffled into the kitchen and Aurora stood to help her. As they bustled in the kitchen, Diablo, or should I say, Blake? I wasn’t sure anymore what to call him. Sidled up to me as I stood near the small dining table. “So, Alpha, guess we’ve all been keeping secrets?” My brows raised as I eyed him. He was smirking. “Seems my sisters told you about the assumption of my birth,” I queried. “Something like that. Didn’t think I, as your Beta, needed to know that?” “Well dear friend,” I said looking over at Aurora as she collected plates and silverware for the table. “If I had told you, you’d still be hearing it from your mate. So, I think we are even.” I stated slyly smirking back as I went to help the girls. “Well played brother, tooshay” he chuckled following me.

Breakfast went wonderfully as we all teased each other and learned more about each other's childhood. It was mostly warm smiles till I realized how alienated Aurora had truly grown up protecting who she was. Though she smiled and seemed genuinely happy within this moment, sadness lurked behind her, teasing and laughter. It must be the link our souls shared now, as nobody else seemed to be able to tell. Every memory, no matter how light-hearted, prickled at something within her. Her stories always involved her brother, aunt, or parents. While Blake's wild escapades encompassed friends and coven mates. Formal school dances and awry science lab ‘experiments’.

After we finished eating, the dishes were cleared. She reached into her bag and pulled out the notebook that held their drawings, presenting it to her brother. “After all this time, you still have this!” he exclaimed with a grin. Whinnie looked over his shoulder taking in the pictures. “I wonder what your wolf would look like if you made that choice.” she glanced up at Aurora. She sat back with a shrug. “there's a lot to think about,” she said in response, the overwhelming weight of her circumstances obvious in her voice. "That brings me to this," she said pulling out the other journal.

Whinnie POV
As my mate flipped through the old drawings they had made as children, I realized how true his wolf drawing was to him. Animated, full of attitude, and handsome as all holey hell. Yeah, I could have a crush on a cartoon. Sue me! Looking at her drawings of the regal, graceful wolf I had to wonder and as I voiced it, she changed the subject to the next notebook, making me realize again this was all new to her and I remembered her brother going through this himself. I only hoped her transition could be made easier now that we were fully settled in Hallow Moon and that her brother was here among us.

I for sure just wanted to keep the light in Evander's eyes. The contentment wafted off him like a friendly breeze. The pack would thrive under the guidance of a happy Alpha and Aurora seemed to have a well-fitted temperament of a Luna. Having my husband's sister here was a plus. I had never had a sister and last night, wild dreams of instant friendship and bonding had danced through my mind. I could tell now that she was going to be a difficult nut to crack. He shed tears last night telling me of his sister, apologizing for not being open, and promising he had his reasons. I trusted it was all for a good reason because, as mates, I could feel his sincerity. He would come around with the whys later. I had my secrets too, so why would I begrudge him?

When she pulled out the leather-bound notebook, I knew something serious had happened. Diablo had something like it with him and to this day it was in a box on his nightstand. I had never seen inside it. He said it was sacred, but that for the time being, it needed to be laid to rest. I wondered sometimes if he lost a part of himself by becoming one of us and leaving everything behind. Honestly now though, I wondered if it was his conscience that weighed him down knowing he left her alone.

She pulled open a page and turned it to us, blushing a little. Evander's arm rested over her shoulders, his posture turned facing her, but his eyes facing us and the notebook. I inwardly gushed watching his possessiveness on full display. ‘My‌, my big brother, aren’t you feeling the bond?’. The way she instinctively leaned into him for comfort gave me hope she would stick around. As she showed us the intense scene at the waterfall pool, possibly a little embarrassed. “Sis, you, you did this?” my mate asked in awe. “She did,” Evander answered when his mate lost her voice. I bit my lip at the face my mate made towards my brother. ‘Oh, have the tables turned’ I inwardly chuckled to myself. Considering the naked woman in the pool was his sister, I couldn’t argue much, as there was a time Evander would have acted in kind. She flipped a few more pages slowly letting us take them in. “I think it’s a ritual. Evander knows most of the wolves. Blake, I need your help with the runes,” she said glancing up. He nodded, getting up for paper and pencil.

He sketched them out noting whose animal was designated to each. She flipped a page with birds. The Raven I was familiar with, as he was a frequent visitor to our home, like a pet free to roam. My mate had confided it was his familiar. The other bird was a dove with strange eyes. The word SPRING scrawled across the top of the page. I recalled their childhood drawings concluding the dove must be his sister considering their childhood drawings. “We have time. I just don’t understand what we are doing. Why here why us why this pack?” “Well,” I said. “Your both special.” I eyed Evander and looked up at my future Luna. “Whatever it is, will be amazing.”

Aurora eyed her mate sternly holding eye contact with the Alpha of Alphas and he shrunk a little, as she patiently waited for an explanation. I snickered inwardly seeing him squirm under her intense gaze. She looked like a small fairy next to his terminator bulk. “I never really chalked it up too much,” he confessed sheepishly, with pleading eyes. Oh, my, has he been deluded to total mush? I mussed to myself.

“There's this telling my mother's pack handed down but it only really vaguely states that a child born on my birthday will be the Alpha of Alphas and reunite his lost people with his Blessed Luna beside him.” Her head tilted side to side as she considered this. “Interesting.” She turned to the next page. “I suppose these are your lost people, the rogues Alpha.” It was a rough, far-reaching sketch of our valley and the surrounding lands that bordered ours. I could easily enough make out familiar landmarks. Scattered in that distance, were chaotic black masses. swirled harshly into the thick landscape of trees. She flipped the next page, but the dark masses were gone: a smokey raven and a misty dove in flight above the valley where the dark orbs of lost souls had been, now clear orbs were cradled within the foliage.
They were all cracked or chipped, but the darkness was gone.

She met us all in the eyes. “We have till spring to discover the ritual and prepare to bring them home.” She stated flatly. Evander's confession must have been the missing link in her divine and logical thinking as she pieced together who knows how all of this predestined information is supposed to go together.

My brain faltered a bit looking at the woman who would become our Luna. Could we bring these sad, broken souls home? I hoped so. Evander linked me then. ‘my priority is her, and she’s not mending anything or anybody until she's whole herself.’ He spoke those words with finality. ‘what do you mean, brother?’ I asked.

‘I think my mate is in dire need of a friend,’ he said. ‘What’s the matter?’ I eyed Aurora, who bore a contented but determined face. ‘She seems fine,’ I stated, confused. ‘There’s a deep sadness within her I don’t know why. Before we have her jumping hoops with whatever this is, I’d like to have her settled. I’d like the time for her to get to know everyone here and be at peace with what this is,’ I let her know. ‘Wait? You can already feel her feelings, but you haven't?’ I paused finding it weird to ask my brother about his non-existent sex life. As wolves, it was obvious though it was also obvious they enjoyed rolling in each other’s sent so to speak. ‘Yes,’ he cut me off. ‘I can sense her emotions. I guess our ‘specialness’ has already in a way linked us.’

‘OK? How can I help?’ I asked. I glanced at our mates as they were discussing witchy things I didn’t understand before looking back at Evander while taking a sip of my tea. ‘Well, you told her you wanted to steal her for a day. And she’s in terrible need of clothes that will actually fit her.’ ‘You’re, enlisting me to go shopping?’ I asked, dumbfounded. ‘Why are you even asking?’ He grinned at me. ‘Thought you would be on board! I guarantee she’d rather wear the hand-me-downs that are 3 sizes too big for the rest of her life than ever bother asking for anything. Besides, she needs to bond not only with me but with her Beta female. And your mate, who I fear, still has some explaining to do.’ I couldn’t disagree, I understood the secret but I didn’t know the full scale of how her life was as an orphan after he vanished.

‘I think they have starved her of friendship.’ Evander went on. He eyed my mate with some disapproval. ‘Yeah, I’m furious about it too, but I don’t want to bring her any more conflict, her life has already been changed completely. Also, I think our mates have a lot of healing to do over this. I’m trying not to judge.’ I reasoned with him. He nodded. ‘It’s settled.’

I just went right for catching everyone off guard with my forwardness to get my way. “Aurora, how about we go into town in a day or two and get you some things to get you settled?” I said breaking whatever pow-wow they had going on. I could tell Evander had linked Diablo to tell him to be quiet. It was his idea. My mate was not looking pleased in the least. Since we found out about the baby, he’d been insufferable.

“Oh, don’t worry about me. I’m fine with whatever we come across. I don’t need much.” She pushed back the notion. “It's no strain, sister”. I attempted to placate her. “There's an errand I need to go into town for a few things of my own.” I tried to appease her. She mulled it over. “Is there a bank?” she asked. “Yeah, there is, but don’t worry about money, dear.” She looked over at Blake biting her lip. “That’s not it. However, I don’t need the money.” Evander bristled but held in his growl when he caught my disapproving stare. “When Blake disappeared, they liquidated his trust into mine. I need to transfer it so that it's untraceable and the coven can’t gain access to it or track us down. Our parents left it to invest in our future. Our future is now here.” She spoke with finality. Evander was going through the rollercoaster effect of his woman telling him she didn’t need his money to her future is here with us.

“Well,” I said grinning, enjoying how my brother struggled to process his emotions. My gaze hit Evanders, who was now glaring at me with pits of fire in his eyes. He knew where I was going with this. “I just might know someone who can help with that.” He was that possessive he thought our yes, greedy brother. Would be some kind of threat. Little did he know, that Dominic and I spoke often. From Evander's eyes, I could see why this wouldn’t be preferable; it was the only way to keep our mates' whereabouts safe as well as the packs.