The administration process that took place in Landon's office turned out to be a bit more complicated than previously thought.
To be more specific, processing the papers for Sylvie and Cael were fine, but Stela had to write down her particulars whilst being seated in his Beta's lap.
Beta Elijah had not left Stela's side since he'd laid eyes on her at the east borders. Even now, as she was writing down details on the form, the man had his arms wrapped around her waist, his facial expression that of a human in a fight with his wolf, trying to prevent himself from openly burying his nose in Stela's neck and inhaling her scent.
Stela wasn't exactly unfazed either, her cheeks tinted a rosy pink as she tried her best to concentrate on penning her signature on the paper despite the way her hand shook. Standing aside and waiting for the administration process to be completed, Olwen had never seen her friend this flustered before, and even she herself was still coming to terms with how Beta Elijah and Stela had turned out to be fated. Sylvie and Cael waited beside her, their own expressions betraying their amusement.
The awkward silence in the room dragged on, with only the clicking of computer keys and the distant rumbling of the air conditioner being heard before Alpha Landon spoke.
"Allow me and my Beta to accompany you three to your tentative accommodations for the week."
Everyone was startled by the low growling that was coming from Elijah, including Stela.
Landon sighed and levelled his gaze rather sternly at him.
"This is protocol for any wolves wishing to join the Moon River Pack, even if they are mates with any of the members."
This was enough for Elijah to reluctantly fall silent and dip his head.
"Of course, Alpha. Apologies." He muttered.
Stela twisted her head around to look up at him, and immediately the Beta softened, reaching out one hand to gently tuck a stray strand of hair behind her ear. The she-wolf turned even redder and looked back down at the interesting nothingness on Alpha Landon's desk.
.......
"My sister has found her mate." Cael repeated. "I am going to have a brother-in-law. That is going to take some getting used to."
Olwen and him were seated in the dining room of the temporary home, the very same which Olwen had stayed in when she first came to the Moon River Pack. Sylvie was already setting up the fridge and carrying out ingredients for dinner, and Olwen and Cael were talking while discreetly watching Elijah and Stela interact at the front porch of the house.
Elijah was gently clasping her hands and saying something, his face earnest and his hazel eyes focused on her as if she was all his life depended upon now. They couldn't see Stela's expression, but she appeared to be nodding as she listened to what her mate was saying.
The Beta then gently lifted her hands to his lips before stepping away and heading off. Stela turned and headed back into the house, her face still beet red and incredibly disoriented.
"You good, sis?" Cael asked with a teasing smirk, as his sibling drew back a chair and sat down at the dining table next to them.
"His name is Elijah Atwood." Stela spoke quietly, her eyes staring past both her brother and friend. "My mate..."
Her eyes flashed indigo as she jerked her head in the direction in which the Beta had gone before she blinked and snapped herself out of it.
"Sorry guys, everything that happened today is just...a lot to take in." She said, scratching the back of her neck. "We're staying in a new pack, and the pack's Beta is my fated."
"No worries." Cael chuckled. "Finding your mate is a lot to take in."
He paused as his phone chimed.
"Oh...excuse me. I need to take this."
Carl got up and went off into what had been designated as his room, leaving Olwen and Stela outside as Sylvie hummed in the kitchen, audibly turning on the stove and whisking something - probably eggs.
Olwen noticed the conflicted look in Stela's gaze.
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah, it's just..."
Stela leaned forward, her voice lowering with some amount of embarrassment.
"...I've...never really thought about what it would be like to find my mate. After my eighteenth birthday passed and I knew my mate wasn't in the Silver Arrow Pack, I kind of just...chose not to think about it. My dad was training me to become his replacement once I was of age, so I just devoted all my thoughts to that."
She shrugged and looked down nervously.
"I can discuss pack matters and give speeches and presentations just fine, but I still can't talk to guys, let alone my mate."
Sometimes, Olwen forgot that Stela was far from untouchable and had her own self-doubts as well. Back even before they'd become friends, she'd admired the girl from afar. Stela had been known for being hardworking and diligent even in her teenage years, to the point where she didn't really attend any parties or talk to others outside of studying and training. Only after Olwen had started her Luna training and grown closer to her did Stela admit to her that it wasn't because she didn't want to get to know her pack members - it was because she didn't know how to just talk with others without feeling self conscious.
At this thought, she rubbed her friend's shoulder encouragingly.
"I'm sure that your mate wouldn't mind that about you. Maybe you two still need time to get to know each other better, but from the way Beta Elijah couldn't take his eyes off you since the east borders..."
"I know." Stela reddened again at the thought. "He spoke to me outside. He seemed so...happy and relieved. He told me how he'd waited years for me, and that he would do his best to be a good mate to me."
Her lips pressed together.
"But...what if he's just like this now because of how much he wanted to meet his fated? Once we start spending some time together he might be disappointed..."
She covered her eyes and rested her elbows on the table.
"He said he's going to come back here tomorrow to take me out on our first date...and I have no idea what to expect!"
Olwen sighed softly and gently pried her friend's hands away from her face.
"Give both him and yourself a chance, Stela. Don't think about what could go wrong before you even start. Putting aside all your fears, what do you think of Elijah?"
Stela paused before looking up at Olwen.
"Honestly? Based on first impressions?"
"Uh...sure."
"By the Moon Goddess that man is gorgeous." Stela burst out, as if she'd been holding that back for ages. "I never thought I had a type, but it would be him. He has such warm eyes, and I didn't know I had a thing for freckles until now. And he told me he loves to visit the library in his spare time...I didn't realise my mate would enjoy reading as much as I do."
She paused as her eyes flashed to indigo and then back to dark brown again, and she blushed even more deeply.
"Sorry...as you can probably tell Starr has been driving me up the wall since we found our mate. It's taken everything in me not to just jump the guy. Although something tells me he probably wouldn't have minded..."
"I was watching him. Beta Elijah was in a struggle with his wolf the entire time he was with you."
Olwen chuckled, understanding that perfectly - when she'd first found out Aaron was her mate Opal had reacted the same way. And so had Ares...despite the other ideas his human had.
"Okay...you're right, Olwen. I'll head on our date tomorrow with an open mind and hope for the best." Stela spoke, mustering a smile on her face.
For a moment, Olwen was glad that she'd made her friend feel better...but then Stela's smile grew mischievous.
"But I should be asking you...what's going on between you and Alpha Landon?"
Olwen's eyes widened as it was her turn for the blood to rush to her cheeks.
"What do you mean?"
Stela snickered and folded her arms.
"It's not too hard to tell there's something. You two were literally sneaking glances at each other the whole afternoon."
"I..." Olwen knew it was fruitless to lie to Stela Anderson and her shoulders sagged. "He...told me when I first joined the Moon River Pack that he was interested in me, but he assured me that it didn't impact my staying if I chose not to give him a chance."
"Wow. That's very upfront, but at least he was being honest." Stela commented with a shrug.
Unlike someone we once knew. Opal snorted.
"Isn't his fated mate still out there?"
Olwen shook his head, sadness flashing through her eyes.
"No. He was rejected a few years before he became Alpha."
"Oh..." Stela seemed as if she had more questions regarding that, but instead asked something else.
"So...where do things stand?"
"It's...hard to say." Olwen admitted. "I was a little wary of him at first, but after getting to know him, and learning of the way he's led the Moon River Pack...I definitely don't think of him as just an acquaintance, let alone just my new Alpha."
"Ah, well if this is a comfortable pace you're going at with Alpha Landon, then I'm happy for you, Olwen." Stela gripped her friend's hands with a bright smile. "After the bullshit that Aaron put you through, you deserve someone better."
Aaron is no longer your mate. Opal agreed, growling at the thought of their former fated. You should be with Landon.
Opal brought Olwen's mind back to the way she and Landon had kissed several hours earlier in the training centre. Whatever they were at this point, her relationship with the Moon River Pack Alpha had definitely crossed a particular line. But was she ready to go all in?
"Oh...and speaking of which..."
Stela's expression darkened.
"It's about time I fully update you on what happened in the Silver Arrow Pack after you left."
......
By the time Stela had finished, Olwen's grey eyes were wide with disbelief, horror and absolute disgust.
"You're telling me that Kylie slapped Jessie and Aaron didn't have her punished?"
Stela snorted and shook her head.
"She wasn't punished for injuring the warrior who brought you up when it came to her dress for the Luna Ceremony."
"Son of a..."
Stela had mentioned in her voice message that things had gotten worse in the Silver Arrow Pack, but Olwen hadn't expected Kylie to be a violent hothead along with being a pathological liar.
"And Alpha Bradley still went ahead with making her Aaron's chosen mate and Luna?"
"The idiot is full of himself and won't accept that his son made a colossal mistake." Stela said simply. It was evident she'd done a lot of thinking after she'd left the pack. "He thinks by covering Aaron's tracks that the Silver Arrow Pack will remain strong, but he's actually digging his family into an even deeper hole."
"And...your dad...?"
"He...he chose his side." Bitterness seeped into Stela's voice. "Alpha Bradley let him know the truth of how long Aaron and Kylie had been seeing each other, and he didn't tell anyone. It took Cael sending their emails out to the entire pack for that."
Olwen's heart broke for her friend. Olwen had looked up to Beta Kayden as a mentor, but he had been first and foremost Stela's father. The one who'd doted on her since birth, and saw her as his pride and joy. But the fact that he'd overlooked Cael reminded them both that he was heavily flawed too.
"Your mother...Is she alright?" Olwen asked, hearing the sizzling noises coming from the kitchen as Sylvie tossed around some things in the pan.
Stela sighed and glanced briefly in her direction.
"I hope so. The first few days after we left the pack, she and her wolf were in grief from being apart from her mate. But...she pulled through it. She told me and Cael that she didn't regret leaving with us, and that she couldn't stand by him anymore after knowing what he hid." She spoke quietly.
Olwen made a mental reminder to do something to show Sylvie her gratitude.
"You said in the voice message that you were coming to the Moon River Pack to gather support against the new Alpha and Luna of the Silver Arrow Pack."
"In a way, I am." Stela nodded solemnly. "Nothing might have happened yet, but if Kylie can just lose it in front of her own pack members and Aaron keeps supporting her regardless, you can imagine the kind of Luna she'll become...or already is."
Olwen shuddered at the thought. With the leadership of the strongest pack in the Wilds like that, it would only take a matter of time before all hell broke loose. Or maybe, given the example Alpha Bradley had set, things had been simmering beneath the surface for far too long.
"One way or another, the Silver Arrow Pack will come into conflict with the Moon River Pack." She stated quietly. "They don't know that we've joined another pack, and if Kylie really has it out for me like you said, she could come for me and Aaron and his father would back her up."
"We'll have to be prepared." Stela affirmed, nodding. "I don't know at all what happened after I left either, but if our former pack mates know what's good for them, they wouldn't stay in the Silver Arrow Pack either. If the pack weakens, the blame will be laid on me and you."
"I'll be ready." Olwen promised firmly. "I've been training under the Delta here, and I think that I stand a fighting chance against most of our former pack. But I'll keep practicing until I know that I can win against them."
Stela grinned at her, and Olwen felt that rush of comfort, adrenaline and joy that she still had the support of her best friend and her family.
"I'll join you. If the need really arises, I'll enjoy making that excuse for a Luna beg for mercy."
......
After a warm, and long dinner where Olwen chatted with Stela, Cael and Sylvie, Stela bid her friend goodnight and had a nice long shower before climbing into bed.
Even as she turned off the lights and pulled the blanket up to her chest however, she did not at all feel like sleeping. Not with her mind racing at a thousand miles per minute.
She was concerned with how long this respite from her old pack would last, and what the future held in store for the people she held most dear to her. The words from the Moon Goddess were still floating around in her mind, that Olwen was part of something bigger that would affect all of the Evergreen Wilds packs. But she would only reveal herself to Olwen when the time was right...
Regardless, all that paled in comparison to the one face that had branded itself into her head since that afternoon - with no help whatsoever from her wolf.
Our mate is so attractive and so sweet to us, Starr purred, swishing her tail excitedly. I could sense him and his wolf, they wanted to mark us.
So this was what the Moon Goddess had meant by saying that not only Olwen, but she would also be more than alright once she arrived at the Moon River Pack.
Starr... Stela warned - her wolf had been disregarding her and sending her thoughts about their mate for hours.
The black furred wolf let out a teasing snort.
I'm a part of you, Stela Anderson. I feel what you feel. I know you're fantasising being in bed with your mate as we speak.
What?! Fuck-you're not supposed to see that.
Too late. Starr purred again at the pleasant images that her human had unintentionally sent her, already itching to just make Stela shift and run to find Elijah.
Stela face-planted in the sheets with a muffled scream of shame. She'd found it easy to control the impulses of her wolf when she was younger, so why was Starr suddenly so hard to handle?
Because all those past times were just you thinking of random guys you happened to find attractive at the time. This...this isn't a random guy.
Stela squeezed her eyes shut, inhaling and exhaling to regain her presence and avoid Starr from taking over. Even when he wasn't near her, she could still remember his scent, a combination of crackling firewood and cologne that had almost made her knees buckle in front of him.
I want to see our mate! Starr protested with a whine. And as much as Stela wanted to see him too, she held her wolf back.
We'll see him tomorrow. She reminded her, closing her eyes and doing her best to calm Starr and get some sleep. For our...first date.