Ethan
Leaving Lilly is the hardest thing to do this morning. After completing the mating process last night with her, I can't imagine spending another night away from her. I hate to admit it, but that prick was right.
Now that our bond is complete, I can't bear the thought of being away from her one second. I'm quite ticked off that I can't be with her right now, enjoying the nice warm bath I set up.
Currently, I am on the way to the edge of Valley Forbes. I got mind linked that the mayor is waiting for me on the outskirts of the forest. This is quite unusual. The mayor does not typically cross my territory or go near it. I sense something is not right.
I link Josh to look for Joshua. Joshua's whole pack has moved to the area, so the mayor should be updated on the changes and the increase of wolves that will be present. Although with everything that is happening with Lilly and Joshua, I wonder whether I should bring it up in the meeting today. Will the merge continue?
I can tell Lilly is really shaken up with Joshua's attitude. Personally, I want to punch that jerk in the face. Joshua does not deserve Lilly. My pack knows better than to disrespect any of my family members, especially Lilly.
I almost lost control when I saw Lilly's lip bleed.
Who does that she-wolf believe she is to disrespect my sister and my mate?
I'll make sure to keep an eye on Ashely. I knew better than to believe any of the words that came out of Ashley's mouth.
Crystal and Lilly are not the type to pick a fight for no reason. Joshua is an idiot for thinking otherwise. After last night, I start to like the idea of keeping Lilly to myself.
Joshua will never give Lilly the place she deserves. Joshua will always see her as a potential enemy and so will his pack. I can only hope that the Blue Moon Pack never discovers the power Lilly has over Joshua and me. This would lead to a war against his pack and my own.
The Blue Moon Pack will never trust a human, regardless of if she is the reincarnation of the moon goddess.
I get to the edge of the forest and see the mayor waiting for me. Typically, we meet in private. My pack is just on the inside of the forest waiting for my signal incase anything bad is to arise. However, I do not think this is the case. I trust mayor Johnson.
My parents and I have built a strong relationship and foundation with mayor Johnson for our communities to live in peace with one another. The youngsters from my pack for starters love going to Valley Forbes for school. They love intermingling with the humans and getting new perspective on things.
This was how Crystal and Josh met my Lilly. I am thankful for it every day. To think, I could have met her sooner. Perhaps, I could have avoided this whole unfortunate situation. Lilly would have never met Joshua first.
Upon seeing her, I would have known she was meant to be mine and marked her sooner. Then, she would have moved in with me right away. She would have never been left alone at night and Joshua would have never caught a hint of her scent.
I get to mayor Johnson and extend my arm.
I start, "good morning, sir. I hope everything is okay."
"Morning, Alpha Ethan. Well... I wish I was here for pleasantries but I'm afraid that is not the case," the mayor responds.
As suspected, something is wrong.
"Please, let's take a walk. I hope to address and fix any concerns you may have," I answer, as we walk along the edge of the forest.
The mayor continues, "first, I would like to congratulate you on your new union. I heard that you have found your mate. You must be overjoyed."
I figured this was a good time to test what information mayor Johnson knew. Given that the mayor knows I found my mate, the mayor might know about Lilly and Joshua too.
"Thank you, mayor. Yes, I am quite happy right now. You might know her. Her name is Lilly, and she is from Valley Forbes," I answer.
The mayor is silent for a few seconds.
He cautiously says, "indeed, I heard. A human, correct? I can't lie. I was shocked, but I don't pertain to claim to know everything about your species."
"It came to a surprise to me as well. It is unheard of to be mated to a human. Nevertheless, this is a special case scenario...it turns out my mate has been matched up with another alpha as well," I hesitantly say.
I can tell I took the major by surprise. His very sudden but brief pause as we walk indicated as such.
"Two mates?... I see. I'm not going to lie and say I understand. However, if it comes from you, then I know it is true... Is this the reasoning behind the increase movement I've been seeing coming from the big green?"
So, the mayor has noticed Joshua's pack.
There is nothing left but to be transparent with him. I trust mayor Johnson.
I answer, "Yes, mayor. My mate will unify two packs, mine, and the Blue Moon Pack. I wish Alpha Joshua was here so that I can introduce him to you. They will be residing in our territory from now on. I had hope to set a meeting with all three of us when things were official, after the unification ceremony."
Mayor Johnson stops walking and looks at me. I can tell the mayor is taken back a bit.
The mayor speaks, "Alpha Ethan, I trust you and your pack. In the hundreds of years, you guys have resided in the big green, we have never had any problems; I and my predecessors can attest to you all's willingness to co-live with us peacefully..."
The mayor pauses. I can sense hesitation from his part. There is nothing I wish more than for him to be clearer right now.
I interrupt, "please, mayor feel free to speak with no worries."
The mayor nods his head, continuing, "I had noticed that there was an increase in movement in your territory. Now, I know why. There is more wolfs in your territory along with another alpha. The purpose of this meeting was to question you over the implications this can have on Valley Forbes....lately there has been a group of individuals coming to Valley Forbes, they seem to be causing quite a ruckus with the community people. I had never seen them before, and I know you run a tight ship. I wanted to have this meeting to bring this to your attention, but I feel like something else should be discussed."
I clench my jaw at the sudden irritation I begin to feel. Joshua's pack already started to cause trouble. Does Joshua know? Is he allowing this behavior?
I will make sure to run this by Joshua. I will NOT have Joshua's pack destroy the relationship my ancestors and I have worked so hard to maintain to live peacefully.
I reply, "I apologize for any misbehavior. Rest assure that I will address this issue, and this will never happen again. Also, any financial burdens they may have caused, I will cover. "
"I expected nothing less than this from you Alpha Ethan. I knew you were unaware. My worry is whether this new pack can be trusted along with their alpha. I trust you. If you tell me this was a onetime occurrence, I will believe you.... I just need reassurance that my people will remain safe. I respect our relationship, but I will not allow my people to become siting targets. If I must, I will respond with force. Do you understand," the mayor somewhat threatens.
I am not mad at mayor Johnson. The mayor is a leader like I am. He is in his right to protect his people, and I know that the mayor could. I do not dare test the mayor out to prove it so.
"Mayor, I will talk with Alpha Joshua about controlling his pack. We are still working on the kinks. But I will personally make sure that his pack is reminded of the rules. I give you my word. The Valley Forbes people will be protected by my own, especially since my Lilly's mother resides in town. If anything else occurs, please call me. You know how to reach me, and I will respond right away," I end the conversation.
Relief fell on Mayor Johnson as I extended my hand towards him, indicating there is no bad feelings. We shook hands, and parted ways. I need to find Joshua. Joshua and his pack need to be corrected or this will never work out. Well...
This might not be important. There might not be a unification. If this is the case, then they need to leave before causing more damage.
I begin making my way home, running the perimeter with my security team when I try to link Lilly. I get no response back. That is weird. I link Josh, asking if he was able to locate Joshua.
Locating Joshua is hard to do since we still could not mind link him or his pack members. I will not be able to do this until the unification ceremony is complete.
Josh links, 'I think I pick up his scent by your house.'
I fumed with intense emotions. How dare he come to my house when I am not present? This is a coward's move. Joshua apparently has no brain cells to figure out he was uninvited after what he did to Lilly.
I growl, instructing my members to finish the perimeter check without me. I need to get home, and make sure Lilly is okay. When Joshua gets a whiff of her, he will know that we completed the mating process. Joshua is unpredictable. Lilly can be in danger.
I get to the edge of my home, shifting back. I don on some shorts I had stashed away. As I made my way upstairs, I can smell Joshua. It is confirmed. Joshua is with Lilly.
I run to the door, opening it. I wish I had not seen.
Lilly and Joshua were making out with each other. To make matters worse, I can smell her arousal. I can't help but feel irritated. Why does she take him back?!? Does she not get that he is trash?
I am the only one who truly loves her. She must know that. How can she not?
She sees me at the door and moves away from Joshua. She did not expect me to walk through the door. She can't even look me in the eyes for more than five seconds. I want to kill Joshua.
I take a sniff at the air.
Good. He did not taint her any further. He is below her.
I walk toward Joshua, punching him straight in the face. It feels fucking good.
Lilly gasps, "Ethan."
Joshua looks like he is about to lunge at me, but Lilly quickly gets in between us. Her back towards Joshua and her arms out. She is facing me, and it looks like she is telling me to stop.
Joshua is the one about to punch, and she is protecting him instead.
She looks at me, pleading, "Ethan, please stop."
I back away from them.
I scoff, "Lilly, why are you protecting him after how he treated you? He was going to punch me back and you are protecting him?"
"I'm sorry. You punched him first, but I want both of you to stop. I already talked things out with Joshua. It is a misunderstanding," Lilly says.
A misunderstanding? Gosh, I hate this guy.
What is it about him that has Lilly so blind?
I have to be careful and play my cards right. Now, I know that I want Lilly for myself. But I need to be calculative. She needs to think it is her choice... at least I want it to be.
With time, she will see that I am the only one for her and Joshua is someone that just got in the middle of our relationship. No doubt in my mind, Joshua is the reincarnation of the Alpha that imposed his love on her past self.
I take a breath, replying, "I'm sorry. I did not know. I would love to hear how yesterday was a misunderstanding. It seemed quite straightforward to me. Joshua obviously trusted that she-wolf more than you."
I can see pain in Lilly's face. I do not want to be the cause of her pain, but she has to hear it. They might have resolved the matter for now, but this will be a sore spot for her for a while. I intend to use it for my convenience as much as possible.
Joshua answers, "what me and Lilly have discussed is none of your concern. I have given my explanation to her and that's good enough. Right baby," Joshua says looking at Lilly.
I feel repulsed hearing Joshua call her baby. But I bury it down. I swallow my anger. I cannot let it show. I need Joshua to make the first move.
I open my arms at Lilly. I knew she would instantly jump at them. She smiles at me, running toward me as expected. I lift her off the floor and twirl her like she likes. I love the giggles I bring out of her. Setting her down, I plant a kiss on her. I can feel Joshua's eyes at the back of my neck. He is staring as I hoped.
Yet, Joshua does not react like I want him to. She turns to face Joshua but remains holding my hand. Although they made up, it will take him a while to earn her trust again. This will be my advantage.
She reaches her hand toward Joshua, and he smirks at her. Joshua walks toward her, wrapping his arm around her waist while I remain holding her hand.
She states, "my mates. Let's try this out again."
I smile at her, giving her a kiss on the forehead while Joshua just nods his head.
I begin to get a link from Josh.
'Ethan, I have located the group of wolves responsible for going into town and causing trouble.'
I question, 'anyone of ours.'
'No but that girl from last night is one of them. Ashley,' Josh replies.
This is my opportunity to create a bigger riff. I order Josh to keep an eye on them, that Joshua and I will go find them soon.
I clear my throat, "Joshua we need to talk. It seems like your pack members have gone into town and stirred up trouble. This will not fly, not while I am here."
Joshua clearly does not like taking orders from me.
Joshua argues, "I will tell my members what goes and doesn't."
Lilly interjects, "Joshua, you can't have them terrorize the people of Valley Forbes. I'm from there. My mom still lives there too. Plus, the Shadow Creek Pack lives in peace. Don't you want that too?"
Lilly and Joshua are so different. His radical views will tear them apart. I just need to keep watch. I'll do anything to keep her safe. I just want her to be happy. No more tears. No more heartbreak.
Joshua looks at Lilly.
Then says, "I was just stating that I will be responsible for my members. Who are they? I will address them."
"I don't think so. You can talk to them, but I must be present. I cannot trust you with such important task," I counter.
Joshua is displeased but agrees.
Lilly chimes in, "let me go too. I need to start seeing how things work. Don't you think? This can give me an opportunity to interact more with your pack Joshua. You could play bad cop and me good cop. Maybe, I can get some points back like that."
She is so pumped. She is practically jumping with excitement, giddy to try and make things work out. On the other hand, I liked that she came up with this on her own.
This will give her an opportunity to see how Joshua and his pack really are. All I want is for Lilly to see the big picture. I refuse to allow her to get hurt again. Truly, I am concerned.
"It is fine with me. I will protect you, so you are safe," I say, patting her little head.
Joshua snarls at me, "she does not need protecting. She is with me, and my pack won't dare harm her. Of course, she can go."
We begin walking to the pub. I instructed Josh to round up the guilty party there. When we enter the pub, it became silent.
All I see is a glimpse of blond hair running towards Joshua. Ashely jumps into his arms, "Joshua your here."
I glance down at Lilly, and her demeanor changes. Her expression solemn.
Mission accomplished.