I was really comfortable; it was warm and snug in my furry blanket. Mate was rubbing the back of my ears, the top of my head, and along my back. I knew it was him, the side of my large wolf-head against his scentless human body, the weight of his arm around my neck.
"I can't believe she slept through that," Killion said.
"Her instincts are amazing," Beta Lucas marveled.
"To sleep through a fight?" Rebel scoffed.
"She must have known it was our win," Beta Lucas said.
"That is truly amazing," Alpha James praised.
"Don't be fooled, she's just still a spoilt princess. She is impulsive, overly playful, runs at her own pace, and falls asleep wherever and whenever she likes," Rebel said.
Has he been talking to Henry?
"Really? I didn't notice," Killion teased mildly.
I opened my eyes and growled. Oh, I was still in wolf form.
I stood up and shook my fur out.
"And yet she led us without error to where your mother would be. She tamed Ki, something you never managed to do, son. She even made you her Luna, something I wouldn't have believed if I hadn't seen it myself," Alpha James said. He was overpraising me as usual.
"What makes you think I'm the Luna?" Rebel growled.
His father chose to ignore that. "And one day, she will unite the Green Packlands."
"What do you mean?" Rebel asked.
"Before her untimely demise, the Oracle painted one last picture. Perhaps we should all come to my place. I will show it to you. The last painting by the Oracle," Alpha James said, inviting us to his house.
What did Killion call this? That's right—playdate! My tail wagged.
Harvey appeared with clothes in hand. Good beta! I followed him behind the trees. He put down the clothes and moved away to give me privacy while staying in earshot.
Sigh, these guys! I didn't need bodyguards. But I'm in a good mood because we were going to a playdate.
Harvey had driven over with Ben. And besides Harvey's pickup, the white shiny train of new Lorent cars also arrived to take their Alpha and Luna home. I wanted to take the truck with Harvey, but he took Killion and Ben so that they could update each other.
Rebel took my hand in his much larger one and entered one of the cars. The driver looked startled to see his future Alpha alive and well. He took a double take at our linked hands but was trained well enough to avert his gaze and not say anything.
Beta Lucas joined us in the car. "I think I will play chaperone."
Not needed! I pulled my hand out of Rebel's and crossed my arms. At least Harvey brought me nice clothes: navy track pants that stopped mid-calf, sports undies, long-sleeved grey T-shirt, and a dark blue hoodie vest that didn't get burned in the fire. So I was happy and comfy.
Rebel looked out of the window silently. I wondered how he was feeling. His mum was so emotional when she saw him in human form that she cried inconsolably. Alpha James had to forcibly separate her and take her to the car.
I wouldn't want to be in Alpha James' shoes when Rebel woke up and disappeared.
We got to Lorent Packlands soon enough. It was dark and hard to see the buildings even with the full moon. I didn't understand the full moon... why we could see it when it wasn't the time of the month for it. Perhaps only those who could see the dream traveler also saw the full moon? Why didn't the metrological centres ever notice the multiple full moon sightings?
The train of cars pulled through a large gate. It was almost like Henry's home, except it was even more grandiose. Even in the dark, I could make out the ornate curves of the gates, the flagstones on the driveway... even the trees were wrapped in lights.
The entire mansion was alight. Every window glowing golden. Footmen ran out the moment our cars pulled up. Alpha James got off first; he was carrying Luna Edith bridal style into the house. Rebel walked behind him, dragging me along by the hand. Not that he was dragging me forwards, he was holding me back. Wolfie had just woken up and was full of curiosity about the place. I wanted to go see what was behind the side wall, what was the smell coming from the trees over there... Rebel simply walked straight, and I was forced to follow him inside.
I would say I've never been to the Lorents' home before, except that now that I was here, I was sure I had been here at least once a long time ago as a pup. I remembered the large semicircular foyer. I remembered the huge fireplace with a real fire in it. I remembered the tan-colored leather sofas. Well, the sofas were a bit different in my memory.
I looked at mate. Could we have met before? A long time ago? But I didn't remember.
A young man came down the stairs to meet us. He was probably the only other person who was in casual attire. "Is Mother alright?"
"Ah, you're home," Alpha James said.
Alpha James turned to us and began the introductions. "This is my second son, Charles. He spends most of his time at the hospital."
"Your mother is fine," Alpha James assured him.
"Brother?" Charles looked shocked and then smiled. "You're alive. That's good. Now no one would bother me about being Alpha..." He paled when he came closer. "You're... you're alive, right?"
Charles leaned in to smell his brother, but there was no scent.
"I'm dream traveling," Rebel said.
"You can't smell dreams," I explained.
"Oh." Charles considered this a moment, but then simply smiled in relief. "Thank Goddess."
"This is Alpha Kingsley, his Beta, Lucas. This is Samantha, Night Leaf's future Alpha and your brother's mate. And her betas," Alpha James introduced.
"Ki? You're alive!" Charles' eyes widened in recognition.
"Hey, squirt," Killion smirked.
"You were at Night Leaf all this while?" Charles asked.
"No, just recently. I was at the fight cages with your brother before this," Killion said. "The goddess saved me."
"Come, let me show you the painting," Alpha James said.
He led us to a large elevator, and we got out on the fifth floor. It was a large hall with paintings everywhere. It looked like a very nice artist's studio. The kind with white walls and large windows and bright lights, and an entire wall stocked with supplies.
"This was where our Oracle worked," Alpha James said. "She was an artist who painted what she saw, from the birth of our sons... to the fires and rogue attacks."
Killion stopped to look at a painting of white roses with a fire burning behind it. "This was my home, wasn't it?"
"Not just your home..." Alpha James admitted. "Some of my deltas' homes too."
He uncovered a painting in the middle of the room. "With this one, she had prophesied that the uniting of the three packs would bring about the end of the rogue king."
I looked at the painting. "The black, the red, the white..."
There were five wolves.
The one in the middle, a black fearsome beast with ultramarine blue eyes. That's me! She even painted in a few very dark blue strokes in the fur. I was fierce! The one on my right, just half a pace behind me, was another black wolf with green hazel eyes.
"Look Ben! That's you!" I felt pretty sure about it even though Ben hadn't shifted yet.
Ben only frowned. "That looks like my dad's wolf."
That's true... but Harvey was the red wolf on Ben's left. I was sure of it. "That's you and that's Harvey."
The golden-eyed white wolf was mate, and the other white wolf next to him, with mismatched colored eyes, was Killion.
"Those two are Bell and Killion," I said. That's the five of us.
"I'm the fiercest," I concluded after looking at the picture. "Can I take a photo of this? I wanna use it as my avatar."
"The unity of the Green Packlands, huh?" my dad asked.
"Yes. The Oracle urged me to approve the merger of Night Leaf, Morning Light, on the condition of including the Lorent Pack. It made my brother furious," Alpha James said.
"What happened to Uncle?" Charles asked suddenly.
"I'll explain later," Alpha James said. He looked tired and really old. "I was so blind."
"Don't worry, Alpha James. Bell will take good care of the Lorent Pack," I told him.
"This place doesn't even have a Beta," Bell grumbled.
"You can borrow my betas," I offered. "Right, guys?"
"Of course," Killion murmured. "It will be our pleasure to serve the Luna."
Rebel growled.
Charles looked highly amused. "My brother is your Luna?"
I nodded and grinned. "Yup. Mine!"
"Someone's waking me," Rebel said suddenly.
My hair flared at the news. He smirked and soothed a few locks down, kissing a lock of hair as he did every time he left. "See you, princess."