Hidden Fox

Six

I was confused. Last I had heard, Shining Moon had dissipated because Emerald was the only alpha heir. Was that just a rumor?

"When I became River's luna, my parents waited for the beta and gamma heirs to reach age before stepping down and passing the lines to them." It was like she had read my mind. "When they stepped down, they decided to retire down here to be closer to River and I and our kids."

Eirenae pulled out a chair at the head of the table, shocking me, as I realized River wasn't already claiming that seat. He seemed quiet for an alpha, though. Maybe he just didn't want to argue with his mother-in-law.

"Amethyst, dear," Eirenae says softly, her gaze on the child in the luna's lap. "Why don't you sit in your own chair, and let your mommy have her chair?"

The girl hesitated but didn't argue, sliding off her mother's leg and plopping her bottom in the seat beside her. Her big round eyes the color of summer leaves never left mine as she moved. I couldn't tell if she was intrigued by our presence or anxious about the strangers in her home. I offered her a small smile, as I often did to May when she was shy about something. The girl didn't even blink in response, just continued to stare me down.

As the food was carried from the kitchen to our table, the hallway door swung open and let three more people inside. Finally, my siblings had decided to join us. They sat on the other side of Mom while the third person took a seat in between Eirenae and the child.

Eirenae smiled warmly at the man, and I noticed her reach over to squeeze his hand. That must be her mate, Emerald's father. While it might have been considered rude to assume that in such a first glance, his emerald eyes were so strikingly identical to the luna's and her daughter's that there was no mistaking who he was. His gaze found me and my family and he gave us a polite nod.

"Mommy, I don't like this." Though she wasn't speaking to me, her eyes never left my face as she spoke.

Emerald leaned closer to her, pointing discreetly to the steak on her plate. "Yes you do, honey. It's steak! You've had steak before." The girl's mouth turned down in a pout as she leaned away from the table. Emerald sighed, "Here, I can cut it into smaller bites and you can try some again."

"No!" The girl shrieked batting her mother's hand away.

"Kota!" Eirenae hissed to my left and I saw her nudge the man's elbow.

Kota nodded, leaning towards his granddaughter and telling Emerald he had this. I tried not to stare too long as I watched him encourage the kid to eat. Emerald, relaxed now, took a bite of her own food before starting the conversation back up.

"So, I hate to start the dinner off on a low note, but April mentioned something to me earlier that I can't seem to shake." She glanced at me and I froze mid-chew through my bite of potatoes.

Mom leaned forward to look at me from the other side of Dad. Her face questioned how much I told them.

I gulped the bite down and fiddled with my hands nervously. "I didn't mean to make you nervous. I promise it's nothing like that."

Emerald shared a quiet glance with her mate, as if they were speaking without words. She turned back to me, "We're not surprised there's something more to your story. We were anxious when your father called to request such a thing. Many students go to college and live on campus, so why were you seeking a packhouse?
"But your reasons seemed clear understandable, so we've obliged. However, we just want to get the full picture."

Alpha River nodded in agreement. "Starting with the fact that you're a human, born to an alpha."

"But she's not a human!" May protested innocently. I squeezed her arm, but she just looked at me, confused.