novelraw Chapter 30 - Home Sweet Home
Chapter 30 - Home Sweet Home
Warm arms wake me from my apparent slumber. The cold air meeting my skin causes me to shrink into the warmth caressing me.
“We’re home, Amberle. You can go back to sleep.” I nod, taking in the familiar scent of my house around me. The sweet embrace of sleep mixed with the familiarity of home relaxes my sore body, lulling me into dreamland once again.
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Morning light shines on my face and in my eyes, waking me from my dreams as I meet the gaze of ice-blue eyes. Dominic smiles at me, placing a kiss on my forehead as I let out a yawn. My warm bed feels like heaven under me, with the familiar smell of lavender and vanilla from the fabric softener I use reminding me that I’m safe in Blood Moon.
“Good morning.” I mumble through another yawn, snuggling into Dominic’s arms and resting my head on his chest, finding comfort in his steady heartbeat.
“Good morning, beautiful.” Warm hands run through my hair, my eyes closing with content when a light kiss is placed on the top of my head. We spend the morning in bed, deciding that cuddling is needed after the hectic drive back home, Dominic not wanting to stop due to all the new wolves that will be joining Blood Moon. I ask about the wolves from Forest Paw, wondering if they have been settled in yet. Sidney, Avery and Camile were asked to organize housing for the many wolves, with some planning to settle into the dormitories, while others were moved into vacant houses around the pack and the rest inside our own guest cabin. I sigh, realizing we will have to expand our pack lands in order to accommodate our new members, and that we will have to call in some witches to reinforce and extend our territory protection to help hide our pack’s presence from the human world. There will be a lot of work and ceremonies in the next few days for our pack, and over the next month of getting the new members up to par with the rest of Blood Moon.
“We should go to lunch at the pack house today and see everyone.” Dominic suggests, my stomach growling in agreement at the thought of food. My mate chuckles at me, giving me a quick peck on the cheek before climbing out of bed and disappearing into the closet. He returns dressed with a handful of clothes for me: cotton undergarments, leggings, and a baggy sweater I stole from him a while ago.
“I’ve been looking for this.” He laughs as he hands me the bundle of clothes. I smirk, quickly changing my clothes. The blue sweater engulfs my body, the hemline falling to my knees.
“Yeah, I think I have four more somewhere in the house that belong to you.” I admit, taking Dominic’s outstretched hand. He just laughs at me, shaking his head as we head down the stairs and into the garage. Dominic climbs into the driver’s seat of the mustang. I feel like a pup on Christmas Day, full of excitement to see my pack mates after a good month away from everyone. The drive feels like an eternity, but when the four-story building finally came into view, a grin spreads across my face. I rush out just as Dominic turns off the car, spotting Avery and tackling her in a tight hug. I missed my best friend, and I hear her chuckle as we land in the snow. A very worried and overprotective Dominic hovers over me.
“Amberle, you’re pregnant and have a concussion, so don’t throw yourself at people!” He cries out in frustration, helping me up and dusting the snow off of me.
“Wait, what?” A look of confusion and shock is plastered on my friend’s face, making me giggle and wink at her as I help her to her feet.
“Call everyone into the dining hall. Dominic and I have a lot to explain.” I retort instead of answering her question and walk away from Avery as Dominic leads me out of the cold and into the warm pack house. I spy Zack and Blue speaking with Christian just inside the pack house, the three of them sitting on the stairs laughing away.
“Think you can link the wolves from Forest Paw and tell them to come to the dining hall?” I ask my brother, getting a nod as my reply. Wolves begin filing into the pack house, many welcoming Dominic and I back home while giving questioning gazes to the multiple new wolves. They will get their answers later when everyone is here. Christian and Blue excuse themselves, wanting to take a headcount on all the wolves and make sure everyone is here, not before I notice Christian slip something into Dominic’s hand.
Our dining hall is also our meeting hall, the room having been expanded earlier this year to accommodate our growing pack. I know that everyone will fit inside comfortable with room to spare and smile as I bump my shoulder into Zack’s
“Your pack house is impressive Amberle.” Zack admits as he looks around the foyer, making me grin.
“If you think that’s impressive, wait until you see the small stage in the dining hall. I got tired of having to make announcements outside in the cold and forced Dom to build one last year.” I admit, getting a chuckle from my brother as Dominic rolls his eyes, placing a kiss on my forehead.
“And sadly, it was the best decision you forced me into making. It’s been a lot easier addressing the pack this way.” Dominic admits, making Zack’s chuckles turn into full blow laughter. After twenty minutes of waiting and chatting with Zack, Camile exits the dining hall, explaining that everyone is situated and we can enter. Zack excuses himself to find his mate as Dominic and I make our way through the crowd and onto the stage. Camile, our Beta Female, stands beside Christian, giving her mate a peck on the cheek right before Dominic begins our announcement.
“Yesterday, we didn’t have the chance to explain what happened at Forest Paw, since it was already too late at night.” Dominic begins, motioning for me to take the lead as I was the main trainer. I sigh, stepping up to the podium and look over at the crowd.
“The trip was a success, to a degree.” I start, wincing slightly when I accidentally bump my stomach into the wooden structure before me. Some of my pack mates send me a concerned look and I smile, trying my best to reassure them as I adjust the mic and bring it closer to the edge so as not to bump into the podium again.
“We trained the wolves as promised and even defeated an army of Soulless. But there seems to be trouble brewing. If our suspicions are correct, there is a Soulless working on building a bigger army. For what, we have no idea. Everyone will be training, even the pups, to learn some measures of self-defence, and we will have monthly meetings to update you on any leads. You may see leaders of ally packs coming here every so often, but other than that I believe our pack is one-hundred percent safe.” I can see the questions in each and every member’s gaze, and some wolves were pulling their pups closer to them. I quickly begin to explain that we will be starting the training regime after New Years not wanting to ruin the Holidays for anyone. Dominic steps up beside me, his eyes gleaming as he wraps his arm around my waist, careful not to move too quickly while taking a spot in front of the microphone.
“Many of you have noticed at least two hundred new wolves. They will be initiated into the pack this Saturday as new members. As of yesterday, Blood Moon and Forest Paw are no longer allies.” A collective gasp sounds in the room, with the Forest Paw wolves receiving glares from the Blood Moon wolves. I growl as a warning to my pack mates. Technically, these two hundred wolves are Rogues right now. It isn’t their fault their Alpha is a piece of shit. My growl silences the crowd, some wolves hanging their heads in shame at their behaviour and after making sure that they will not attack the Forest Paw wolves, I motion for Dominic to continue.
“As many of you may know, my mate rejected me after betraying our pack when I turned nineteen. Well, the Moon Goddess blessed me on my birthday, and Amberle and I became each other’s second-chance mate.” He continues as many hoots, cheers, and a few “final-fucking-lees” were heard throughout the crowd. This time, Dominic is the one to growl to silence everyone before we can continue.
“Leo decided that yesterday he would attempt to rape Amberle, wanting to claim the mate bond that is already broken. The worst part of this is that he was drunk on moonshine, and Amberle is pregnant with my pup. This is why we are no longer allies.” More shocked gasps follow suit, along with growls of anger towards Leo being directed at the innocent wolves from Forest Paw. Anger swells inside me at how disrespectfully everyone is behaving, and I release a growl that promised hell to those who continued. I can already see Avery and Silver writing a list of all those who will be punished. They have no right to treat innocents this way, especially when there are pups in the crowd.
“I gave an option to Forest Paw wolves, letting them know they are welcomed to join us or else become our enemies. I forgot to also offer them a chance to join an ally pack of ours. If they wish to join another pack, Blood Moon will gladly offer them support. I do NOT want any of you to discriminate against them as they are also wolves who grew up with Alpha Amberle, and they will not be treated with any less respect than any wolf of Blood Moon.” Dominic finishes, his eyes also glaring angrily at his wolves. Dominic goes to say something, his eyes staring at a particular group of wolves that continue to glare at our soon-to-be new members. I catch a look of fear in Lilly-Ann’s eyes as my niece clings closer to her mother.
“Avery, Silver, bring me the list of those who will need special training for being rude to our new pack members. I have a new training idea in mind.” I state, seeing the fear in many eyes. I may have an easy-going personality, but I also have a bottom line, and that line has been crossed.
“Just so you all know, my brother, his mate, and his pups are here. If any of you lay a hand on them, consider yourself Rogues.” I add to the threat. I see the wolves looking at Zack and the challenge in their eyes quickly diminishing as I motion for Zack and his family to come on stage. If anyone hurts my brother, there will be hell to pay.
“This concludes our announcement. If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to come speak with us.” Dominic finishes, indicating that everyone is now free to go about their day. Many wolves leave the dining hall, some having patrols, others having business to attend to. My focus now is leaving the stage and making a beeline for the buffet table. I want food and orange juice, and I want it now. With a full plate and a large glass of the citrus drink, I make my way around the hall towards a table where Zack, Abby, Lease, Avery, and Camile sat, with Dominic trailing behind me.
“How does it feel to be home?” Camile asks as I sit down.
“I feel so relieved and happy. I gained a lot of closure being at Forest Paw, but I was homesick from missing Blood Moon.” I answer honestly. The smell of the forest here is sweeter, with the evergreen pines spreading their scent everywhere. The air is fresher, the water sweeter, and the way nature takes over away from civilization always brings me a sense of ease. On the other hand, Forest Paw was too close to the towns for me. Laughter from behind me catches my attention, and I spot Lilly-Ann and Claira running around with other pups, their faces full of smiles.
“How are you settling into Blood Moon?” I direct my question to my brother and his mate. Abby is preoccupied with eating a slice of toast with jam.
“It feels different. I think for once in a long time, Abby and I are able to sleep without having to keep one eye open since becoming mates. I feel at ease here.” Zack answers, chuckling at Abby, who moans with every bite of her toast.
“Babe, you have to try this. The jam is incredible.” Abby states, spreading more of the strawberry jam from a very familiar jar. Zack complies to his mate’s demand, taking a bite of the offered morsel, his eyes widening in surprise.
“Holy fuck, that’s good. Amberle, where can we buy it?” Avery starts laughing, her eyes twinkling with amusement as she catches my gaze.
“Amberle grows the fruits and berries in her greenhouse, and her and Avery make the jam.” Dominic answers. My brother’s shocked gaze meets my eyes, and I nod, stealing the sausage off of Dominic’s plate and scarfing it down. I watch as Abby tries the two other jams on the tables, blueberry and peach, moaning with each bite yet again. We all burst into laughter at the content she-wolf.
“Dominic, there’s a problem.” Christian states, coming up beside Dominic, his lips pursed in a thin, grim line.
“Zack, you should come too and link Blue to meet us up on the second floor.” He continues, a look of sympathy for my brother passing through my Beta’s eyes. Avery volunteers to look after Zack and Abby’s pups, and Camile follows behind us as the six of us head upstairs. Blue follows, a sigh on his lips when he sees us. Inside Dominic’s office, I take a seat in my favourite chair, everyone else finding a place to sit or a wall to lean on.
“What’s going on?” Zack asks, concern etched into his face.
“We had a distress call come in an hour ago. Forest Paw was attacked earlier today, and many were killed.” Christian answers, running a hand through his hair in exasperation. I see the look of panic in Blue’s eyes, no doubt thinking about his son and the wolves he left behind.
“Leo managed to free Mia from the cell she was kept in waiting to be transferred to another pack, and the two fled with a few strong wolves, leaving the others to fend for themselves.” A fist breaks through the wall as Blue lets out a growl that sends tendrils of fear into my heart. Zack takes deep breaths, and Abby whispers soothing words to her mate, but I catch her skin ripple. I myself feel numb. We left a lot of wolves at Forest Paw, those who believed in Leo and gave him another chance. But that bastard ran away like a coward.
“What should we do?” Camile asks, her hand clutching mine with the shock of this news.
“We help them. If they want to join Blood Moon, we let them. If they want to find a new pack to join, we talk to that pack’s Alpha and bring them there safely.” Dominic answers. I agree with him. These wolves blindly followed a wolf who led them to their ruin. Even if they were idiots for being sheep following the herd, they were innocent wolves left in a ruined pack. Zack and Blue finally calm down enough for us to come up with a plan and sadly Blue looks like he aged another decade or so, with his shoulders slumped and eyes looking more tired than ever. A pack that his family had led for hundreds of years was ruined at the hands of his son. Fate is cruel.
Wolves will be leaving tonight with vans and supplies, heading towards Forest Paw to help them. Whatever the rest of Forest Paw decides to do, Blood Moon will help, as they were packless and Alphaless. Our meeting takes us well into dinnertime when all is settled, and Dominic decides that dinner is a great idea. Walking into the dining hall, Dominic takes my hand and leads me away from the buffet table, determination in his eyes.
“What are you doing?” I question, irritated that he would take me away from the orange juice that the Omegas just put out.
“You’ll see.” He chuckles. The dining hall grows quiet as the wolves notice their Alphas on stage.
“Everyone, I want you all to bear witness for a moment.” Dominic calls out, pulling me away from the podium where he falls to one knee, removing a box from his back pocket.
“Amberle, I have known for a while how much you mean to me. Even more so now that we are mated.” He begins as tears form in my eyes. The box is open, and inside is a gorgeous white gold ring with a sparkling blue sapphire embedded into the top.
“I wanted to do this when we were home, with our family watching us.” He continues, the tears now falling down my cheeks as happiness surges inside me.
“Fire, will you marry me?” I nod, sticking out my left hand rather shakily as I wipe away the tears.
“What’s that?” He asks.
“Yes.” I whisper.
“I still can’t hear you.” He sighs, a playful grin on his face. I roll my eyes, pulling Dominic up to stand and place my mouth near his ear.
“Yes!” I yell, watching my mate jump back and wince. Good. Werewolf hearing is both a blessing and a curse.
“Okay, you don’t need to yell.” Dominic chuckles, sliding the ring onto the fourth finger of my left hand before sealing our engagement with a kiss. We may not know what lies ahead with all that has happened in the past few weeks, but as long as we stay together, there will always be hope.