Call of Shadows - Book 1

Chapter 10

Phoenix

We walked out of the clearing holding hands, in my head my entire pack was congratulating me. My entire wolf was soaring with happiness and accomplishment that I had finally, after so many years, found my mate. It was perfect, the way her hand fit in mine. I knew we were meant to be. I had been searching for so long, I couldn't believe I had finally found the one I had been looking for.

"Come, this is my pack. You know them all, yet let me introduce them as rank. Quincy is my Beta, second in command Blaze is the pack third, and Apollo the pack fourth. Everyone else has different roles and various gifts. Let me introduce my mate, Phoenix officially to the pack."

Congrats, Phoenix. Quincy said in our link separately from the pack. I knew it would soon be time to tell her of the danger we are facing, or the danger we all must face, but if I didn't know what it was yet, then I had nothing I could tell her.

"Ezekiel should be here tomorrow morning, he left as soon as I contacted him." I nodded in appreciation.

"Thank you. Blake, Carson, and Jax I need you to run perimeter again. Then Carson, go down and find Landon and bring him up here. Blaze find Cennady and bring her and the kids up and set them up in the guest room. Danyon I need you to help Quinilan gather some items from the store. Everyone should be back here around sundown.

Tomorrow is a full moon, we must prepare." Everyone went to their specific chores and duties, Blake, Carson, and Jax jumping into the air and landing on four paws. I could still see the wonder in Ash's eyes as she watched them run.

"This is all real, isn't it?" I smiled, "Yes, my Angel it is...would you like to stay tonight? You can meet the other mates of the pack as well as the few pups we have running around."

"I'd love to." A smile broke out on my face yet again, at this point I wasn't afraid of hiding it, I was holding hands with my mate, surrounded by my pack and had the best life I could've ever hoped for.

Cuteeeee.

Y'all get a room

Take her already!

YES OUR PACK HAS OUR LUNA!

Apollo yelled through the mind link causing at least five members to think "shut up" at the same time to him.

************

Lauren and I spent the next few hours before the sun went down in my room, talking more about her new reality. My wolf was howling to make her mine, but I refrained. It would come in time, all of it would. Now that the truth was out, I could be completely open with her about literally everything.

"Is this you?" She asked walking up to the white wolf painting I had on the opposite wall of my bed.

"Yeah, an old human painted this for the pack as a thank you. His wife had been caught in a trap in the woods when they were out hunting on a snowy winter day. Me and a few others had come because we had smelled the blood in our territory and found him trying to get the trap off her foot, it had been hidden under the snow.

There wasn't any time for us to hide who we were from them, she was already dying, so I took it upon myself to shift and free her from the trap that had been laid out. The jaws had almost sliced through her leg, but Quinlian was there on patrol that day, and had completely healed her leg - minus a few scars of course. They disappeared for years after that, and I thought they had just moved on, but about twenty years later, a old man showed up at our door with a huge canvas draped in cloth.

I recognized him immediately from his scent, I was surprised he had remembered us.

'I'm not surprised you are still here after all these years, haven't changed one bit you haven't. I knew you were different the moment you changed, no questions I asked, no sir. I knew you had secrets to keep yourself, so I left without sayin a word. Two years ago me wife passed, but she lived a long life thanks to you. I don't have much time left, a broken heart can do that to ya, but I brought a little gift of thanks, I did.' He said as he stood outside our door. He took the cloth off the canvas and revealed this picture. It was a perfect picture of me when I was running to them in the snow that day." Lauren's eyes were wandering over the painting.

"And the man? What happen to him?"

"I offered him a place to stay for the time he had left, and he agreed. In all the years he had known about us, not one word did he say to anyone else, and when I asked why, he simply replied, 'got no reason to. No one would believe me anyway, no they wouldn't'. He was with us for about 3 months before he passed. We buried him where we had first found them on our land. It was bittersweet, really, he had almost become part of our pack." It was weird, how emotional I got remembering the old man. He had been the closest thing the pack had to a father. We're all stuck at the age we shifted. Most of us are so powerful we shifted so early that we would never age past teenage years.

So many of us had lost family and friends as they grew old and passed beyond our years. Only Carson and Blaze had achieved the age of 20 before they shifted. Of course we had gotten used to seeing those around us grow older and pass, but it didn't make it any easier saying goodbye to them.

"I can see you really cared for him." My eyes met hers and a sort of energy pulled me toward her. It was such an intense moment, so many emotions fleeing back and forth between us. I could feel her soft breath on my lips as I got closer. Only an inch separated us now. I wondered if she could hear my heart beating against my ribs or if she could hear my thoughts running miles an hour.

"Alpha I -" The door had opened without us noticing, Jax had walked in only to be stopped short by the glare I gave him as he entered. Deep in my throat a growl was forming. I had been so close to my mate, and Jax had ruined it. My human mind knew I was being ridiculous but my wolf was screaming at him.

"Erm...I'm gonna...go." He said backing out of the doorway and shutting it as fast as he could. I huffed and turned back to Lauren.

"We should go downstairs apparently we've spent more time up here than I thought, the sun no longer shines." My fingers intertwined with hers as we made our way downstairs. Cennady was sitting on the couch next to her two sons and Landon sat with Carson and their three kids as well. Vivian sat on a small armchair with Blake, both watching the younger kids run around with amusement. I wouldn't be surprised if we they were going to be expecting very soon. Both of the other couples had a child fast approaching sixteen and most of us were sure they would shift very soon.

I introduced Lauren to the mates and they greeted her with open arms.

"Are you our Luna?" Luke asked hopping down from his perch on Cennady's lap. His big brown eyes looked up hopefully to Lauren. Blaze had come to stand behind Luke watching the interaction with curiosity.

He has been asking about her for hours now. You know, he told me he could "feel" that our Luna had been introduced to the pack. Blaze said through our mindlink.

Really...that might be the starting of his gifts, though he is young yet so I cannot be sure. Keep me posted on if he says anymore along those lines. Blaze nodded and turned his attention back on the exchange in front of us.

"...you're great." Was all I caught from Luke before I saw Lauren blush.

"Alright, gather around." Though most of the pack was already there, I wanted to get all of their attention before we began.

"As you know, we are facing an unknown which is why all of our mates and pups will be staying here until we can figure out what to do next." I looked over to see Lauren's reaction, I hadn't mentioned the danger we faced to her yet. "We must be wary of everything and be sure to hunt quickly to protect our home. Blaze, Blake, Carson, and Arielle will stay behind for now and guard the house, everyone else will hunt.

As per tradition after we have hunted those willing to help our guardians out with their hunt after will have the opportunity to as well. For those who are too young, have not shifted, or are human, you must be on guard. If something is wrong, alert your mate right away."