Mother of the Moon - Chapter 108 - A Handover
Zelena.
A few hours later I sat on the porch swing looking over the village, the sun has disappeared behind the trees and the summer air was thick with anticipation. Set up for the party tomorrow night was well underway. Some big brawly pack members were nearly done building what looked like a raised platform or stage, and long picnic tables were being laid out in rows before it. Big tents were being set up around the outskirts of the village, for the members of the visiting packs to stay in. A lot of Blue Moon members were coming, one of which is Marius, Tobias’s younger brother and Beta. He had become good friends with Gunner while I was in my coma. I don’t think Gunner knows about my first interaction with Marius and the comments that were made, hopefully he never will. After all, it was just innocent flirting. Nothing worth jeopardising a friendship and strong alliance over.
This afternoon I managed to catch parts of a tense conversation between Gunner and Cole. Apparently quite a few packs have been offered an invitation to the party, and almost all of them had accepted. I’m not stupid, I know that Gunner is hoping to cement a lot of new alliances during this party. As well as ensuring and strengthening the ones we already have. Some of those alliances are with the Waning Wolf pack and the Howlers pack. I heard them say a few other as well, but I don’t remember what they were called. Now, I don’t know much about either Waning Wolf or Howlers, except for what Nat has told me about the Howlers. Apparently, the pack members are nearly all male and they can get very rowdy.
Roe has been extra stressed with preparations, I think she is trying to make it up to Gunner by ensuring that everything is beyond perfect. Well that’s my assumption, but she said it’s because allied packs don’t usually come to Alpha ascension ceremonies. They are all coming because of me, because they want to meet the Triple Goddess. Being the centre of attention is still not one of my favourite things and my nerves were bashing at the roof of my sanity.
My talk with Gunner was still plaguing my thoughts. A traitor. A traitor here, in Tri-Moon. It doesn’t seem possible. We decided to keep that theory just between the two of us, for now at least. We need to work on finding out who it could be and who we can trust to help us find out. Gunner has completely stopped all communication with Cole, unless it was for urgent pack business, like security during the party. He hasn’t said it directly, but I can feel what he is thinking. He thinks the traitor could be Cole. I disagree. I just hope that I’m right.
Tobias walked over and plopped down on the swing next to me. The old wooden chair creaked and groaned under Tobias’ added mammoth weight.
“Hey little one, what’s got you all strung out?” he asked cheerfully nudging my side with his elbow.
“Oh nothing, I’m just enjoying the show” I said as I gestured to the hustle and bustle taking place in the large clearing.
“Yeh, tell you what, my ascension ceremony didn’t look anything like this” he said leaning back and crossing his arms over his chest.
“Are you excited to see your brother and pack members? You haven’t been home in a while”.
Tobias sighed and rubbed his hand over his bald head and scratched at the back of his neck.
“Yeh. I uh, I want to talk to you about that”
“Oh yeh?”
“I um, I... Ah fuck” he dropped his head and shuffled uncomfortably in his seat. He was anxious and struggling with something. Being my guardian, we share a bond and that makes us a lot more in tune with each other’s thoughts and feelings. Something is making him feel guilty.
“Tobias, breathe. Tell me what’s going on” I said placing my hand on his forearm.
“I’m handing over the Alpha position to my brother” he blurted out.
“You’re what! Why?” I couldn’t contain my shock. Being an Alpha is a huge honour, why would he give that up?
“I can’t run a pack when I’m not around. I’ve been spending all of my time here. Do you know how many times I’ve been home since the battle?” He paused but I didn’t answer.
“Three times, three times in nearly four months. My pack deserve better than that”
“Tobias, you don’t have to stay here, I don’t want you to feel obligated because you’re my guardian. I can look after myself, and besides I have a whole pack of werewolves here to look out for me” I told him, trying my best to sound sincere. But the thought that someone in this pack is doing the opposite, hit me where it hurts the most.
“No little one. I don’t feel obligated, being your guardian is the highest honour imaginable. I haven’t been able to go home because when I am away from you the world doesn’t feel right. When the Goddess first sent me to you, I thought she intended for us to Mate, but that wasn’t the case, clearly. She sent me to you to be your guardian, your best friend, your confidante, your big brother. She sent me to you to be your protector and I can’t do that from another pack. I love you Zelena and I belong here, with you”.
A breath caught in my throat at his last words. He loves me. Is he in love with me or just loves me? Because there’s a huge difference. There is no denying the bond that we share. When I am around him, I can breathe easier, think clearer and I feel calm and safe, right down in the depths of my being. I do love him. He’s like the brother that I never had, but the love I have for Gunner is unmatched in every way. Tobias has become extremely important to me and the selfish part of me warms at his words. But I don’t know if I can handle being the reason that he abandons his family and home pack. Could I live with that on my conscious?
“Tobias, I…” I blanked, how do I respond to that. My face heated up and a cold sweat broke out on my brow. Tobias chuckled a little and elbowed my side again.
“Don’t get it twisted little Luna. I love you like my little sister, I don’t want to Mate you” he laughed again, a big throaty laugh that made the porch swing rattle. I sighed a massive sigh of relief and grinned at him.
“Oh, thank the Goddess” I giggled.
“Hey now” he grabbed his chest and feigned hurt,
“Would being my Mate really have been that bad” he pouted and followed it with a chuckle.
“No of course not. But it sure would have made shit complicated”
“Fair point, fair point”
We both sat quietly for a minute, looking out over the darkening sky.
“Just for the record, I love you as well. But Tobias, I don’t want you to leave your family. Not for me” I said breaking the silence.
“Zelena, I’m not leaving my family. They will always be my family. I have spoken with Marius about this a lot. He, my father and my other brothers all understand my decision, and they support me. They know what I’ve been chosen for and they understand the importance of it. I’m giving up my role as Alpha, not my role as big brother or son”.
Tears were flowing freely down my face as he spoke. A pang of envy hit my heart. To have a family that love and support you so unconditionally must be truly amazing. He’s lucky to have them and I am beyond lucky to have him.
“Don’t cry little one, this is supposed to be good news” he said wrapping his arm around my shoulder and pulling me to lean on his chest.
“Are you sure?” I blubbered, wiping my cheek with the back of my hand.
“Absolutely”
“Thank you” I squeaked. I wrapped my arms around his waist and buried my face into his chest. I cried into his warm shirt as I hugged him. Why am I crying? I have no idea. I just feel so overwhelmed by love and acceptance that it just started pouring out of me. Tobias laughed and squeezed me a little tighter.
“Why are you crying?” he asked, smoothing down my hair.
“I don’t know, I’m just happy” I sniffled.
He laughed again and rested his cheek on the top of my head.
“Well, I’m glad”.
After a few minutes I had calmed down again and the tears finally stopped flowing. Tobias now has a huge wet stain on his shirt, but he either hasn’t noticed or isn’t bothered by it. I sat up straight and wiped away the wetness from my cheeks and tried to calm my hair with my fingers.
“One more thing” He said standing up and holding out his hand for me. I growled lowly, taking his hand and he pulled me to my feet. What else could there be?
“What?” I groaned.
“Well, now we have to convince your possessive and overprotective Mate to let me join your pack, permanently” he smiled down at me and laughed.
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