Fighting For Survival

Chapter 9

I had barely stopped since I had arrived at the pack land. Diana had teleported us here, and Cole's beta was there to meet us. He had bowed as soon as he saw us and stayed low until Cole had grunted at him. He had then introduced himself to me as Luca and apologised profusely for injuring me. I told him that I had forgiven him, but Cole just growled. Someone else had not forgiven him. I rolled my eyes and offered out my hand.
"I'm Morgan." Luca kept looking between my hand and Cole, making me frown. He was asking for his permission.
"Oh, for goodness sake! Just shake my hand, Luca! Don't worry about him." I narrowed my eyes as a warning to Cole before returning to Luca and giving him my brightest smile. Luca hesitated momentarily but then shook my hand once before letting go. He then looked at Cole briefly before heading in the opposite direction.
"Something I said?" Ben chuckled.
"Looks like the big bad alpha is giving his orders." I raised an eyebrow at Cole, who shrugged. He put his hand on my lower back and pushed me towards a large house. It wasn't a house but a mansion; I assumed it was the pack house. I had heard that most packs have a large property where the alpha and their families live and some other chosen pack members. Others lived in smaller houses dotted around the pack house. As I took in the view, I could see the smaller houses carried on into the distance, so they looked like dots. I knew Cole was in charge of a large pack, but I had underestimated its size. As we walked, I noticed people stopping to stare and whisper to each other.

I suddenly felt very self-conscious and tried not to look at them. I kept my focus on the pack house. An older couple met us at the steps to the pack house. They looked like they were in their fifties and smiling wildly at me. The woman was slightly built, with short brown hair and the same chocolate-coloured eyes as Cole. This must be his mother. The man stood with his arm around the woman, who must have been his father. He had jet-black hair and green eyes. He was taller than the woman but not as tall as Cole. They were both dressed in jeans. His father wore a shirt, and his mother wore a polo t-shirt. His mother stepped forward, and we approached and embraced Cole.
"Welcome home, " she breathed. Cole gave her a genuine smile, and his eyes softened. He cared deeply for his mother. He stepped back and put an arm around my waist.
"Mom. Dad. Meet Morgan, my mate." Cole sounded proud, and I couldn't help but melt on the inside. It felt good to have someone who felt proud of me. His mother turned to face me and embraced me. She smelt of vanilla and was warm. She pulled back but kept holding my arms. She studied me in great detail, and I could feel my face flushing with embarrassment.
"My name is Elenor, and I am Cole's mother. It is an absolute pleasure to meet you Morgan." I smiled timidly and looked to Cole, who chuckled.
"Mother, you are being overbearing." Elenor laughed and released me. The man behind her chuckled and pulled Elenor to him.
"You know she gets excited, Cole." The man turned to me and offered his hand.
"My name is Javier, and I am Cole's father." I took his hand and gave it a firm shake; his hands were rough and calloused but warm.
"She's got a firm grip. I like her already." Javier grinned at Cole, who rolled his eyes. We entered the packhouse and the large open-plan living space. There were large, long sofas framing a large fireplace with the most prominent television I had ever seen above the fireplace. Behind the sofas was the most extended dining table I had ever seen. I counted twelve places in total. Cole guided me towards the sofas and sat on one sofa while his parents took the other. I went to sit next to Cole when he reached out and pulled me onto his lap. I turned my back, hoping to avoid his lap, but I ended up on the floor. Cole laughed as I blushed and glared at him. He offered his, and I swatted it away, getting up on my own and sitting at the opposite end of the sofa to Cole. I turned to look at his parents, smiling, ignoring Cole. Both parents were fighting back smiles.
"Cole tells me that you might be able to help me locate my mother?" There's no point avoiding the elephant in the room; might as well get it over with. Javier nodded.
"We have some ancient texts in the library that may be useful to Diana. She is already heading there with Ben." It was my turn to nod. I noticed Eleanor had not stopped staring at me. I shifted uncomfortably. I heard a low growl from the other end of the sofa, and I looked at Cole, who was focused on his mother. Eleanor pulled her gaze away from me and frowned at Cole. They looked like they were having a private exchange, making me raise my eyebrow at Cole.
"Did I miss something?" I asked innocently. Javier glared at Cole.
"Stop growling at your mother." Cole stopped and dipped his head slightly, then looked at me sheepishly.
"She was making you uncomfortable." He muttered. I snorted, looking at Eleanor.
"I'm sorry about him. I'm still trying to get used to this whole overprotective thing. Don't be an ass to your mother, Cole." I narrowed my eyes at him at the last part, and he raised his eyebrows in surprise, earning Eleanor's chuckle.
"I'm sorry Morgan. It's exciting to meet my son's mate and be with someone so special." I shifted uncomfortably. Javier cleared his throat.
"It's great to hear that Freya is still alive. We had crossed paths several times at council meetings, and I liked her. I thought she would make a great ruler. We were saddened when we heard the news." It was still strange to hear other people knowing and meeting my mother. She must have had a way with people, as no one had a bad thing to say about her. So far.
"Do you think Diana will find something to help us find her?" I asked hopefully. He nodded.
"I hope so. We have kept many ancient texts from over the years and acquired texts from other races. We want to know as much as possible from the past so we don't make the same mistakes. We are also honoured to be a part of your prophecy." I shuffled again but felt something warm in my hand this time. I looked down to find Cole's hand over mine, which gave it a reassuring squeeze. Cole was smiling at me. He knew the pressure I felt but still had faith in me. Someone had to.
"I think we should have a party and announce your new mate, " Eleanor said, and I was glad of the subject change. It was Cole's turn to look uncomfortable, and I chuckled.
"I love a good party. I haven't been to one in so long." Cole raised an eyebrow.
"You realise this means announcing you as the next Luna to this pack. Everyone will want to meet you. They will be desperate to see who the next Luna is." I paled. I hated being the centre of attention.
"Isn't it a bit soon?" I asked timidly, and Eleanor snorted.
"Nonsense. The pack deserve to know who their next Luna is, and we will have to start your training."
"Training? I already know how to fight." I rolled my eyes. I hated that it was assumed that I would need fight training. I wondered if it was because I was a girl or half-human. Eleanor chucked.
"No Morgan. Your Luna training. You are not from our race, so you must learn our history, ways of living, pack laws and etiquette. Cole is the next alpha in line to rule our race. You will need to be ready to rule by his side." I was shocked. I didn't know what to do. How could I rule alongside Cole? I needed to find my mother. Could I be a good enough luna? I had so many questions but didn't know where to start.

"Have you found anything yet?" Diana shook her head but didn't look up from the book she was reading. Sighing, I fell into an armchair opposite Diana's desk. I quickly exited after Eleanor announced I would need Luna training and made the excuse to see if Diana needed help. Ben was browsing the titles of the hundreds of books lining the library's shelves. He had glanced up on my arrival and smirked.
"How are the new in-laws? Best friends yet?" I snorted.
"They are lovely people, but Eleanor said I will need Luna training to start as soon as possible, so I will be ready when Cole takes over. I am in no way ready for any politics. She even wants to throw a party as soon as possible to announce me as the future Luna to the pack." Ben laughed as he pulled a book from the shelf and went to the oversized desk with stacks of books.
"Look at you, Morgan. The future luna and saviour of the world." I narrowed my eyes at him before turning to Diana, who had not said anything.
"Can I at least help you in any way, Diana? Do you think finding what you're looking for will take long?" She put down the book and smiled at me.
"Morgan. Eleanor is right. You will be the future Luna of this pack, which is a big deal. Finding Freya is the top priority, and I am doing my best, Morgan. This stuff takes time, and with such powerful magic, it makes it even harder. So I suggest you start your Luna training until I figure this out." I turned away from Diana so she couldn't see the tears pricking my eyes. I felt trapped with no way out, and suddenly, I couldn't breathe. My chest felt restricted, and I started hyperventilating. My vision became blurry. Diana was then in front of me with worry on her face. She was saying something to me but sounded so far away and muffled. I couldn't understand what she was saying. Heat then spread through my body, and I thought I would combust from it. Everything then seemed bright. I put a hand over my eyes to protect myself from the light. A searing pain then consumed my forearms, and I screamed out in pain. It felt like someone was branding my skin. A familiar hand touched my shoulder; it felt like putting water on a raging fire. I focused on the cooling sensation and breathed a sigh of relief as the searing heat and pain began to disappear. I then became aware that I was on the floor on all fours, panting like a crazy person. Blinking as my vision returned to normal, I looked into those familiar golden eyes that seemed full of panic.
"Morgan! Please say something! Can you hear me?" I glanced to see Diana crouched beside me, rubbing my back. I gave her a weak smile.
"Yeah, I can hear you." I rasped, and relief washed over her face. My throat felt so dry as if I hadn't had a drink in weeks. I groaned as I moved into a sitting position. Cole shuffled me so I was between his legs with my back leaning against his chest. I was in no mood to move away from him, and his touch seemed to help calm my body. Ben appeared before me with a glass of water, and I took and drank it greedily. I then noticed Cole's parents were also in the room, and I suddenly felt self-conscious. I started to get up when Cole pulled me back to his chest.
"You are in no state to be moving yet." He muttered in my ear, and I had to agree with him for once. I felt as if I had run a marathon.
"What happened?" I croaked, and everyone looked at Diana, who was unsure.
"One minute, we were talking, and then you started hyperventilating and collapsed. I was trying to get you to the chair when Cole came in. He said he could feel your pain. Once he touched you, you seemed to calm down and come back round." I pursed my lips.
"All I know is that one minute I was fine, then I felt trapped and couldn't get out. Everything was bright, and then I felt burning in my arms. I knew when Cole got here. As soon as I felt him touch me. It was like putting out a fire." As I touched my arm, I flinched. It felt sore. As I lifted my sleeve, I heard an intake of breath from the room. As I turned to see my forearm, it was my turn to gasp.
"What the hell is that?"