Luna of Conquest

WAITING

Kaleb sat on a chair in one of the more private waiting rooms. Not many knew about his mate, but it was starting to spread that someone had caught his eye. The curiosity of mortal wolves seemed to still surprise him at times with how resourceful they could be for gathering information. There were times that it would get them killed and other times it just resulted in bias rumors with only half the truth. Most of the time is was just a nuisance. The time to tell another group about her was nearing, it could not stay between him, his aids, and the Packs' Alpha and Luna. If she survives, no, when she survives this, she is going to no longer be mortal. She will join our status. They will have to come up with a title for her. Something equal to what was thought of for the immortal Alphas, Elder Alphas, but something will be decided in time. He heaved another sigh. This was going to be a long couple of weeks.

"Alpha Kaleb."

I looked up to see Paige and Taj walking in from the hallway. Taj still looked slightly annoyed but alert. You could tell he was listening closely while trying to act like he like he was not paying attention to their conversation. He had bits of information, but he was still trying to piece them together. He was too smart for their pack. I quietly chuckled.

"Taj," I spoke up and looked in his direction.

His eyes quickly snapped to me in attention. I saw a moment of frustration pass through his eyes before showing he understood his status.

"We are going to tell you about everything that has happened and the details we have kept from everyone besides myself, my aids and your Alpha and Luna."

Paige looked to me with a dead serious face.

"How many are we updating with this?"

I sat there mulling over it for a moment. She was still in danger till she wakes. But once she wakes up, she would be safer than she had been when we found her.

"Only the ones we trust with top secret information. Once she wakes, we will inform more. I'll update the other Elder Alphas...."

I began to realize it may not be the best idea to say anything yet before testing them.

"You suspect one of yours to be behind this?" Taj asked in serious tone.

I looked at him just as serious. One of us is a traitor to our people. That makes it a danger to everyone. I gave a nod. His frown deepened. Paige started to show her worry. Kayleigh never actually said it, but her reactions towards me since she first woke up made me question it. He was strong and they did not expect her sister to be mated to someone like him. It could be a strong Alpha that has managed to be off our radar but that was just as unlikely as it being an immortal. Not only that but how long the packs being massacred would mean if mortal it would be a few generations doing the work. Both are plausible, but one deadlier.

"It is possible, with everything we have learned since finding her it points to that or a few generations of Alphas playing with power. But..." I informed him. "The discovery of Kayleigh being my mate makes one scenario just as plausible now. She mentioned the one responsible for everything is her sister's mate. Then her reaction to me when she woke up told me a lot."

"The knowledge of her sister mated to the monster and possibly an immortal caused her to be cautious when discovering she had the same fate...?" Taj spoke up.

"That makes sense with why she was conflicted when it came to you." Mark spoke from the doorway.

A few of his best warriors stood behind him. They gave a nod before they started to leave.

"Wait," I called them back in, "You will need to hear this too."

I knew they were the few that he trusted to do the work. So, they could be trusted with this information.

"You all know about the female that either myself or my aids have been keeping guard of?"

They all did a brief nod.

"That is only half of the story." I paused when I saw a couple squint in confusion and curiosity. "She is my mate."

The various degrees of expressions from everyone except their Alph and Luna was a little entertaining. One was complete disbelief, another looked to Mark like it was a prank and Taj looked like he understood everything now.

"It's true," Paige chimed in, her face serious.

Everyone looked to her then looked back to me. They knew when she spoke in a serous tone it was the truth. She would have a playful look in the corner of her eye no matter how hard she tried to hide it.

"Something big is going to happen. I am not sure of the size of it or who is going to be involved when it happens. Everyone needs to be prepared and that means everyone needs trained to be ready for it. To be ready for something powerful. They have been hiding in plain sight for decades without being traced." I explained. "The Goddess gave me a mate for a reason and I need to figure out why." I explained.

"Um.... Can I ask a question?" spoke up one in the back.

He looked young compared to his pack mates. I nodded, waiting for him to continue.

"Is she mortal like us or...?"

I rubbed at my jaw. How do I explain this?

Just tell them she's going through the immortals' punishment. That once awake she will be an immortal like you.

I closed my eyes for a moment. Alright. That's simple enough for them.

"About a week ago we marked each other and formed a complete mate's bond. Right after that she started going through what we have come to call the Immortals' Punishment. She is only halfway through it but once she survives it, she will be an immortal like me."

"But if I remember correctly not many survived that right? Will she really be strong enough to survive it?" Asked Taj.

Sharp as ever. I couldn't answer him. I didn't want to think about that possibility. It made me a little nervous about what that may end up being for me. I looked all of them, taking a second to take in each of faces. They must have caught the nervous look.

"IF she does not make it," I started as the frustration from thinking about it stirred my wolf, "You will have more problems to worry about."

They all grew silent. They knew what it was like for a mortal wolf to lose their mate. It was not great but sometimes it got ugly. I can only imagine what it would be like with an immortal wolf. The looked at each other with worry filled faces, some mind-linking each other. I stood up feeling the weight of that possibility on my shoulders.

"Just hope that she is strong and pulls through." I told them looking forward, "I, myself, do not know how I will be from something like that, it could end even worse than the ones in your history. So be prepared for anything."

I walked forward. The warriors parted at the middle, giving me enough space to go through and reach the doorway. I headed back to her room, hoping that being in her presence would help with the nervousness that started going inside me. I want to see those blue eyes staring at me again. Waiting for her to wake up is going to drain me more that it did when I saved her. I sighed.

Kaleb, she has a greater chance of making it. The medical advancements since our time have done a lot to save lives. She has healed a great amount before now. She is a mate to an immortal. She is not weak.

Yes, you are right.