The Blood Moon

Of Alphas and Treaties

"Is...is there a war going on outside?" I asked, my own anger and frustration pushed to the wayside as I grasped what werewolf politics were unfolding as I walked through my memories.

"No, not yet," answered Luc, who then looked up to the ceiling, "thank the moon for that. Claire is the closest thing to an alpha for them so she's doing what she can to keep them at bay. However, now that she's carrying our next alpha, she has a conflict of interest and..."

"She's carrying whose next alpha?" I interjected, my jaw stiff and my throat dry. "What does that even mean?"

Though Lucinda was in her human form, the way her posture shrunk and her arms curled up, it was easy to imagine her ears pressing themselves flat as her tail tucked between her legs.

"This whole having amnesia, but not having amnesia anymore thing, and the whole don't tell her until she knows, even though she both does and doesn't know thing, is really too complicated for me to keep things straight, so let's just pretend you didn't hear that until Rett..."

"Claire Thorn is the second born of the former Grey Ravine alpha," answered Kyra with crisp control that sliced through Luc's plea. "Within our region of the United States, it is an established practice to have the second born join a rival pack as a means of treaty."

"Oh, Rett, isn't going to like this," sighed the beta, who buried her face in her hands.

"He had his chance many times over," answered Kyra with such forceful authority, her dominance nearly crushed the wolf into the floor, "and I have acquiesced to his request for far longer than I would have liked. However, with this turn of events, my priority is now keeping the town safe. Our best hope to do so is currently locked inside Ms. Cross's head. Which means I need her amenable to continuing this process and allowing Hen to finish her work on removing the curse."

She flicked her golden eyes to me, her arms crossed over her chest and her chin held high as she proceeded. "I gave him a chance and I warned him that I would tell all if I felt the need. There are parts of this I cannot share because I'm not privy to the intricacies of Everett's motivations for withholding this information in the first place, but I will, at least, inform you of the logistics."

Luc nodded her head as she leaned against the corner of a desk with her shoulders low and her eyes cast downward. As for me, I swallowed down my apprehension and met Kyra's fierce gaze.

"A second born becomes the first mate of the rival pack's alpha," she continued. "This ensures that the packs all have blood links to one another. Blood and family is important to the wolves. If they know that their lineage runs through another pack, they are less likely to fall into their more territorial instincts. In this case, Everett is the first born of the Whisper Valley Pack's previous alpha, Titus. After Titus resigned his role as alpha and became a rogue, Everett took the seat of power and a treaty was quickly formed with the Grey Ravine Pack to secure the spot of his first mate with their second born, Claire."

"I don't know if you remember," said Luc in a low voice, "but I told you I was the third born. Rett and I have a brother, Samson, who was Papa's second born. Samson actually left a couple decades ago, so before Rett was even alpha. He is still mated with the alpha of the Sol del Mar Pack. Werewolves consider this to be one of the greatest blessings the moon can grant."

"What do you mean?" I asked, not sure who to look to for an answer.

"More times than not, these first mates are not bonded mates," answered Kyra. "They are purely political couplings, that generally occur without anything akin to love or affection."

"Does that mean that him and Claire, aren't...you know..." I couldn't finish. Air hiccuped inside my chest and my hands shook. What was I feeling? Relief? Hope? Rage? The emotions bubbling inside me, churned my stomach and I wasn't sure I could handle the repercussions of learning the truth behind the horrid ritual I witnessed.