And Then She Was Gone

Missing Pieces

"Of course Alpha." Joseph said back with a nod.

"Do not be concerned Alpha... I am much too old for any of us to get into any trouble." Geoffrey chuckled while tapping his cane on the wooden floor.

"Alright, I will see you later Elizabeth. Stay focused... Omega." he finished his statement with a smirk, producing a glare from her before he left.

Joseph and Geoffrey looked at each other at the title he called her, and her response to it, both of them withholding a chuckle.

"I may be hard of hearing these days, but did the Alpha just call you Omega my dear?" Geoffrey asked with a humorous twinkle in his eye.

"Isn't that what a bully does? Pick on the weakest link?" she replied, her eyes glaring back at the now shut door behind her. Joseph no longer stifling his laugh at her irritated remark.

"Well..." Geoffrey laughed as well as he began to formulate his response. "Omegas, while they do lack physical strength, they are also essential to a pack... They are appreciated for their different set of qualities. At least in Shaded Mountain, I cannot speak for other packs, each pack has their own unique politics." Geoffrey nodded.

"Well he rather seems to think with my status that I'm more inclined to do child rearing as opposed to cleaning or cooking." she said back to them, elbows going on the table as she crossed her arms and leaned forward in her seat so she was in a more comfortable position.

"And how did this conversation come about?" Geoffrey inquired, leaning back in his chair after turning it slightly to the side so that he could look at her.

"He asked me what I learned yesterday, as if I didn't know he set the criteria." she waved a hand in the air in frustration. "And then asked me what my role was, and I answered and he found great joy in rubbing it in."

"You told him you were an omega?" Joseph asked from across the table with a grin.

"Well, of course. What else would I be?" she looked between the two of them slightly annoyed at the situation and having to relive the events of last night.

Geoffrey and Joseph again shared a look before they both laughed again leaving her with a confused blank face.

"What is so funny?" she quickly questioned in obvious frustration.

"I think the Alpha is just teasing you, my dear." Geoffrey said, understanding the child rearing remark quite clearly. "I wouldn't take it as him being bullying." a warm smile erupting on his face showing the deep wrinkles laid throughout it.

"Teasing me?" she scoffed. "He made it very clear he wants me to know my place." she shifted back in the chair lazily still keeping her arms folded.

"Well, in truth. You currently hold no position in this pack." Geoffrey responded matter-of-factly with the same lighthearted look.

"Well, when will I be assigned one?" she questioned looking in between the two.

"Well... there will be a ceremony eventually, and you will be admitted as a new member to the Shaded Mountain pack, but when that occurs is contingent on several different factors.

"I have to have a ceremony to work in a daycare?" she arched an eyebrow at how ridiculous that sounded.

"Well... Not exactly." Geoffrey said back as if pondering his next thought.

"Typically, new members are brought in at a large gathering, almost like a party." Joseph added carefully.

"Right. However, your situation will be a little different and it will require a more formal introduction." Geoffrey nodded.

"I don't understand." she looked between the two, slowly curiosity began to brew replacing her previous frustration.

"You wont be working in a daycare." Joseph said back confidently.

"I see no other option." she shrugged, thinking about her skillsets and determining that while she could cook, she could not cook like Mary, and she had no desire to be indentured to clean like Claire.

"Well.. we did not finish all roles within the pack before we closed out the day yesterday. There is one final role to discuss, and we can start right there." Geoffrey said with a soft smile returning to his face.

"Jason mentioned I missed one, but he said it wasn't important." she stated dismissively.

The two men once again laughed in unison with each other as they watched her sitting there with her arms folded, confusion molding onto her face once more.

"I never knew the Alpha was so humorous." Geoffrey said as he adjusted his glasses. "I can see why you're so frustrated.. It does appear he likes to tease you."

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"Well this last role is very important..." he nodded, as he shifted in his chair. "It's has been known to make as well as break packs. Forgive me for not disclosing it yesterday, but it will be a role that we will need to discuss at great length and it requires it's own isolated moment. Had I at least given you the basics, I might have saved you from his prodding and your own frustration."

"And where is that on the hierarchy?" she quipped back looking between the two men, not understanding how a role so important could fall within the structure.

"It falls in line right beside the Alpha." Geoffrey responded with raised eyebrows in her direction as he leaned forward placing more weight on his cane.

"Well surely this doesn't impact me." she sighed in frustration, knowing full well that she would never be Jason's equal.

"I beg to differ. It does impact you, and in fact, you will impact the pack as a whole because of it." the old man added, his voice prodding her with a raised tone to incite some interest.

"Well what is it then?" her shoulders shrugged as she looked at his bright blue eyes behind the gold lined spectacles.

"The role of the Luna." he said in response. Watching her and waiting for her to be ready for more information..

"The Luna? What's the Luna?" she asked becoming more interested, remembering he introduced himself by using that word in his introductory remark.

"The Luna is the woman selected by the Alpha to be the female leader of the pack. They bring a sensitivity to the pack and act in almost a motherly role, giving comfort to the members within it with both grace and hospitality." Geoffrey stated in brief description.

"And how does one become a Luna?" she arched an eyebrow, wondering why at all Jason would select her for the position when he seemed so determined to beat down her freewill.

"Well... sometimes an Alpha can select a Luna based off the strength of the qualities and attributes if the woman is determined to be a great placement for the role. But the majority of the time, the Luna garners their position by simply being the Alphas mate... This inherently meaning that they are already the perfect counterpart to assume the role." Geoffrey watched her reaction, waiting for the lightbulb to click on.

She looked in-between the two men again as they both watched her, Joseph and Geoffrey interested in seeing how the information was processed. "So... what you're saying is... that I'm expected to become a leader of the pack simply because Jason kidnapped me?" her question resulted in another round of laughs from the two men.

"I think its better stated that you're to become Luna because you're Jason's mate." Geoffrey said as a shaky finger began to rub away at a singular tear developed from the humor of the morning.

"But you also said that he can select another woman, right? So how can you be so sure that I will become the Luna?" she questioned back pointedly.

"You wouldn't be here if that was the case." Geoffrey said back frankly. "A determination was made as soon as he met you, whether he was conscious of it or not. Therefor, you will one day be our Luna."

"And when will that be?"

"When he mates and marks you, then the ceremony will take place." Joseph added from across the table.

"Oh, so never. Good to know." she said back firmly, causing the two men to once again laugh.