Dead Luna
Chapter 63

Amelia's

POV

After breakfast the next morning, Alpha Joshua had a somewhat disturbing request of me. He was still holding the two rogues prisoner that had attacked me more than a month ago. He wanted to free up the space, as he only had a few prison cells. Alpha Joshua led us along with his own officers down into the dark musty prison cells, and I stared at the two pathetic excuses for werewolves that were chained up in a tiny cell.

These wolves had terrorized me, had forced a p***s down my throat until I choked, threatened to do far worse things to me, and when it looked as if I might be rescued, had stabbed me in the stomach with a machete, which had slowly drained all the life from my body. I had never felt so helpless and afraid in my life as when I was captured by them. I recall wishing them all to be blinded.

"What shall we do with them?" The Alpha asks me. The prisoners look up, recognize me, and look worried.

"Let them go," I say. I see a glimpse of hope, but then I crush it with my next words. "But first, blind them both. Use the machete they used on me, if you still have it. Blind both of their eyes, and then let them go free! Feel free to dump them in the middle of the woods, far from civilization if you don't want them wandering around loose through your pack. Let them feel exactly how helpless and afraid as I felt that day!"

Then I walk out of the dungeon and throw up my breakfast in some nearby bushes. Jackson and Glen help me to my feet, and I walk to our vehicle on shaky legs. And then I left Green Mountain, and that old part of my life, forever.

The next stop on our 10 pack tour was the Three Sisters pack, outside of Bend, Oregon. It was a very large pack, with over 1400 members, run by Alpha Lloyd and Luna Grace. Luna Grace I recall vaguely from the Luna Luncheon as one who enjoys gossip. I'll have to tread carefully around her, not to drop any hint of my paternity if I don't want that sort of news to spread like wildfire.

With such a large pack, the number of unmated wolves is also large, at 94, but it is a smaller percentage of the population than that of the other packs. Still, I had allocated an extra day here since I would be seeing so many wolves. I would be seeing 20 wolves today since I didn't arrive until the middle of the afternoon, 40 wolves tomorrow, and the remaining wolves on the day after that.

A lot of the local economy here was based on tourism. The pack owned a full service resort, a golf course, as well as a company that provided guides for such things as white water rafting excursions and horseback riding. They even ran a very popular local bakery, and also had a dude ranch. The last couple years they had been hard hit due to the Covid outbreak causing a huge slump in tourism, but their pockets had been deep enough to weather it out, and now bookings were once again at an all time high. The Alpha and Luna of Three Sisters pack had a large family. The oldest, a she wolf named Clarice, was 20 years old. Ambrosia was excited to learn more about her, thinking she might be perfect for one of my soon to be discarded Alphas. The next oldest was also a she wolf, named Isabell, whom had turned 18 years old about 4 months ago and immediately found her fated mate. The rest of their brood consisting of 4 males and 1 more she wolf were all too young for mates.

That evening when I took a break for dinner, I was sat close to Luna Grace. She was still excited about the Royal news, and was wondering out loud about the new Queen Luna.

"I do hope they will be able to have a couple heirs!" Luna Grace says, sounding doubtful. "But isn't she kinda old for that?"

"Juliette only just turned 40 in May." I tell her in between bites of delicious steak salad with cornbread croutons. "So it would hardly be a medical miracle for her to still have a pup or two at her age. And I trust the moon goddess will bless them appropriately, since they are fated mates."

"I suppose so," the Luna says, not sounding convinced.

I debate internally for some time whether to mention that I have more information, and how I could potentially hint about a secret heir, but decide against it for now. I'm sure plenty of rumors will be popping up soon without my help. The last thing I need is to accidentally out myself, which could inadvertently affect my parents special bonding time and thus interfere in the making of said future heirs.

I decide finally that it would do no good to fret about how many more pups my parents might or might not have in the future. Worrying about the future only takes away joy from today.

Maybe once the mating ball is over, I should contemplate taking up yoga? Don't you be forgetting we need to train together, girlfriend! Gammas are great and all, but there might come a time when we need to be our own personal can of whoop-a*s! I laugh and assure Ambrosia that I hadn't forgotten.

The following days are busy, and for the most part, uneventful. Which the way my life has been in recent months, is quite a pleasant change. Before I know it, it's nearly time to leave for the next pack I need to visit on this whirlwind tour.

At breakfast I was again talking with Luna Grace over small pack matters and finalizing how many wolves will be heading to the mating ball which is now coming up in just a little over a week and a half. I suddenly think of another Luna Grace, who lives nearby. "How far away is Iron Peak from here?" I wonder out loud.

"It's not far at all," Alpha Joshua says. "Only about a 20 to 30 minute drive, depending on traffic and road conditions. Are you thinking to visit there?"

"We will be driving right past there on our way to Satus Pass pack," Jackson tells me. "We could stop by for an hour or so if you would like to." "Yes, let's do that!" I say, and Luna Grace offers to call ahead to smooth our entry onto the Iron Peak territory.

I was wondering how the infamous trio was working out. Last time I was there I drank too much wolf strength champagne, so I don't exactly recall most of what happened during the reception following the Luna ceremony. Then we didn't stay long the next morning, since Alpha Jerome was eager to return to his own pack with me in tow.

Former Alpha Christopher and former Luna Veronica meet us when we drive up. They seem much more impressed with the vehicle I arrive in today than the previous car which had been an old beater from Silver Falls. And I must be dressed more appropriately as well, since neither of the former pack leaders were turning their noses up at me as they had done before.

They even say how lovely it is of me to stop by, before leading us to a formal looking private parlor for coffee and refreshments. We are soon joined by Alpha Zachary and his two Lunas, Miranda and Grace, as well as Elena and her mate Travis. Grace and Elena, who are cousins, sit near each other and happily chat away. They seem to be the only truly happy beings in the room. Everyone else I can tell are just putting on the facade of being one big happy family.

Girl, you could almost cut the tension in this room with a butter knife!

"So, I see you have a couple of new Gammas," Luna Veronica says as she stirs cream into her cup of coffee. "That seems a little excessive for someone who is not even a Luna yet."

"Well," I say a little uncomfortable with the topic. Suddenly I wonder whether it was advisable to stop at Iron Peak at all. "There was an incident at Bull Run, and my original Gamma was made Alpha of that pack. Alpha Derrick of Winter Moon lent me Jackson until the mating ball, since he won't need a Gamma before then."

"And did the Alpha King also lend you his Royal Gamma until he found his Queen Luna?" Luna Veronica asks, sounding as if she is implying something big as she takes a small sip of her coffee before she continues. "Because he recently found his mate, did he not?" "I'm under orders from his majesty to protect this young she wolf until the mating ball, as a favor for helping him to find his mate," Glen clarifies, while also not stating the exact truth. "She is a very special wolf. And in any case, the King is unlikely to let his mate out of his sight anytime soon. I'm sure our Queen Luna will not be in any danger while my duties lie elsewhere."

I'm not entirely sure what former Linus Veronica was trying to get at, but she seems to have been disappointed by Glens very reasonable explanations, based upon the sour look on her face. I'm relieved, and starting to wonder how long I must stay for politeness sake. I change the topic to the upcoming mating ball, and the venue.

We stay no longer than three quarters of an hour before we make our excuses and head back out on to the road to Satus Pass pack.