Midnight Wolf Chapter 39
JASPERS POV
I rolled my eyes as I walked in behind Violet. These two were so formal. Sure, werewolf society was a little old-school, but this was next level.
“Beta King, Gamma Ashwell, you don’t need to bow. I told you that already when we met; The same thing goes for Violet.”
They both stood awkwardly. “Apologies Alpha. Force of habit.”
Violet looked at me, but Brianne put her hands on her h**s. “That’s right, I almost forgot! You’re a Luna now!” She smirked at her best friend.
“Uh… yeah, I guess I am.” Vie looked in every direction that wasn’t the two men. They shared a look that I didn’t understand.
“You don’t want to be our Luna?” Gamma Ashwell asked.
“Huh? Oh, no it’s not that! I just… I never pictured myself as a Luna. But I’ll do my best for your…our… the pack in any case!”
This time, the men gave her hesitant, soft smiles.
“You are different.” Mused Beta King.
“Different?”
“From Luna Anne. From the time we were teenagers, she raved about becoming Luna, even if she wasn’t the rightful one. It was a sad day when she turned out to be Warricks mate. She never cared about the pack members, only about the packs money.”
“Which there wasn’t a lot of to begin with.” Added Ashwell.
“She is the main cause behind the poverty that plagues Silver Moon members.”
I frowned. “How can one woman spend so much? What does she spend it on?”
“Herself, and her concubines. She owns several proprieties abroad that she rarely uses, but mostly she buys clothes, jewellery, furniture, art… Expensive stuff.”
“Meanwhile, upper ranked wolves, like us, are struggling from pay check to pay check, trying to make ends meet.”
“Wait, wait, wait.” Violet held up her hands. “Warrick said there were some nice houses that important pack members stayed in near the packhouse. He wasn’t referring to you?”
Both men laughed. “I wish!” Snorted King. “I’ve got five pups at home and a mate, and we live in a tight three bedroom. No, those houses are for the Alphas ‘friends’.”
“By ‘friends’, he means his gambling buddies and men who like to have fun outside the mate bond.” Ashwell sneered.
Both Violet and Briannes’ mouths were hanging open. I felt disgust on my face as well.
“That is… beyond what we were told. I had no idea things were that bad.” Luna Lily put down her bags beside me, walking forward. “I’m Luna Lily. It’s nice to meet you.”
“You as well Luna.” They all shook hands.
“I apologize for the delay in proceedings today.”
“No problem. Though we are looking to getting back home as soon as possible. I trust your emergency was looked after?”
“Yes, thank you.”
“Who’s in charge of the pack right now? While you two are away?” I asked.
“Eh….” Beta King mumbled something, looking awkward.
“Pardon?” Violet asked.
“Luna Anne.” He said louder and sighed. “She was the last resort, but the lesser of two evils. If not her, Warricks friends were next in line, and no way in Hell I was leaving any of them in charge.”
“Stop calling that woman ‘Luna’,” Violet snapped. “She is no longer your Luna, I am. I am Jaspers’ mate, and he is the rightful Alpha of Silver Moon. And Anne won’t be a member of Silver Moon for much longer anyway!”
King and Ashwell gaped at her, clearly not expecting such a strong response. “You are going to banish her?”
“For what she did to Kiren, yes.”
“What happened to Kiren anyway?” Ashwell spoke up.
I stepped forward, explaining to them what had transpired after Warricks death. They listened, their faces growing more and more tense as I talked. When I finished, King swore under his breath.
“That stupid b***h. Kiren is just a boy!”
“I don’t want Anne in charge for much longer. I think we should settle things up here, and head out.” I said.
“Vie, can I have a word with you outside?” Brianne asked.
“Sure. Be right back.” She said to me.
“Right.” I turned to Dimitri. “So, as we were discussing before…”
He nodded. “Given the circumstances, I think we should do it now. Mind you, it will be a bit unpleasant.”
“I understand. Go ahead.”
He walked in front of me, looking me in the eye. His Alpha aura washed over me strongly. “I, Dimitri Varlos, Alpha of the B***d Moon Pack, hereby release you, Jasper Cole, as a member of this pack.”
I tensed, waiting for the pain of being cut off from the pack. But it never came. I frowned, as well as everyone else.
“You have to use his biological surname Dad.”
I turned to see Violet standing near the door, a few tears on her cheeks. She smiled at me.
“Don’t worry. Just sad to say goodbye to Brianne.” She explained.
“What were you saying?” King asked her.
“Jaspers adopted name is Cole, but his Dad… I think you have to use that name. That’s why it’s not working.”
“I don’t want to take his name.” I growled.
“You don’t have to. You just need to use it once, for this, and then when we accept you. You can keep your adopted name.” Ashwell said to me. I nodded.
“Alright, let’s try this again.” Dimitri said. “I, Dimitri Varlos, Alpha of the B***d Moon pack, hereby release you, Jasper Warrick as a member of this pack.”
Something in my chest snapped, and I gasped, clutching it. Dimitri winced, putting a hand on my shoulder to steady me. Tears burned behind my eyes, and my chest burned like someone had shoved me with hot-iron sword. That wasn’t the worst though; I suddenly felt empty. Lonely, incredibly lonely. A wolf could not survive without a pack, and as of this moment, I had no pack. Even my mate bond felt lessened.
“You okay?” Dimitri asked.
“Y-yeah.” I managed. I turned to Beta King, nodding my head. He stepped forward.
“Jasper Warrick.” I winced at the name. “Do you promise from today onward to serve, protect, and honor the Silver Moon pack as it’s new Alpha?”
“I promise.”
“Do you promise to be fair, just, with no cruel or malicious intent towards our people?”
“I promise.”
“And do you accept the title as Alpha of Silver Moon?”
“I do.”
“Then I, Beta Lucias King, hereby accept you as my Alpha.”
“I, Gamma Tyrone Ashwell hereby accept you as my Alpha.”
The burn in my chest was washed away. My throat untightened, and I stood straight and tall again. A whole new sensation coursed through me from my head all the ways to the soles of my feet. A raw power, and new strength. My Alpha b***d, finally coming forward. For a few seconds, my new aura ranged out around me, and King and Ashwell bowed their heads slightly in submission. I was officially Alpha of Silver Moon.
“Your turn Violet.” Luna Lily called.
Vie walked over to her Dad, allowing him to release her from the pack. I felt her pain through the bond, and brought her close, hoping to ease some of it.
“Alright Jasper. Go ahead.” Luna Lily nodded at me.
“Just repeat after me.” King said.
I repeated the oath to Violet as quickly as I could. I wasn’t sure if cutting her off from the pack would be good for the babies, but if it held any risk, I’m sure her Mom would have said something. Still, I wanted to make it end as soon as possible. And when it was, we both took a step back at the new feeling of our bond. The sparks were much stronger now where our skin touched, the bond itself already more intense.
“The bond between an Alpha and Luna is stronger than most.” Gamma Luke explained. He walked over to us, pulling Violet in for a hug. “I’m going to miss you kiddo.”
“I’m only an hour away, you can visit.” Vie laughed.
Everyone took a turn hugging us, saying goodbye. When Garrett, who’d been very silent through this ordeal, stepped forward, I held out my hand.
“Take care of my sister, alright?” He said. His voice sounded rough, edgy.
“I will.” I promised him.
Then he moved on to Vie. “I guess I’ll uh… We’ll come visit you sometime.”
“Oh Garrett.” She threw her arms around him. “You can be such a baby sometimes! Just admit you’re sad to see me go!”
He scoffed. “Yeah, right!” But his body betrayed him by holding onto her tighter. I briefly wondered how he would get along from now on.
My thoughts were swirling, dizzy from the turn of events. In one day, I’d gone from being the mate of the Alphas daughter, to an Alpha myself. Not to mention becoming a dad-to-be! So much had happened, and it was barely afternoon. I hadn’t even seen my parents yet! I suddenly felt a little lightheaded, everything coming down on me at once.
“Jasper?”
Violets soft voice pulled me out of my spell. I smiled at her, reaching out to pull her close and inhale her scent. Even that was stronger, more potent now. I loved it.
“I’m alright. Just… it’s been a day, huh?”
She laughed. “It definitely has. I could really go for a chicken sandwich.” She sighed.
“Cravings starting already?”
“I guess so.”
“Cravings?” King looked at me, brows furrowed. Then his face lit up, and he gave a cheerful whoop. “You’re pregnant?!” He looked at Violet who smiled and nodded.
“A new Alpha and an her already on the way.” Ashwell smiled.
“Heirs.” Violet corrected. Both men stopped celebrating the news to gape at us.
“Violet is a twin. Just like our babies.” I rubbed her stomach gently while nodding to Garrett.
“Holy s**t!” Ashwell exclaimed.
I noticed a few maids coming down the ladder with suitcases. Luna Lily nodded towards the door, and I gave her a questioning look.
“I’ve had some things packed for you; Clothes, toiletries, and your vitamins Violet. The baby stuff can go with you now, as much as you can fit, and we will send the rest in a few days, along with the rest of your stuff. Anything else you need just call me.” The Luna said with tears shining in her eyes. Vie pulled away from me to hug her Mother fiercely, exchanging soft, but heartfelt farewells.
“Alpha.”
Dimitri and I, both turned to the door, sharing a smirk. The maid bowed her head slightly at me.
“Everything is packed in the vehicle. Would you like me to take these bags?” She gestured to the baby stuff.
“Please.” I nodded. She smiled, gathering what she could carry.
“We will be in the car. Come meet us when you’re ready.” King bowed again, a habit I was for sure going to break, before walking past me. Ashwell gave me a happy salute as he followed.
“Jasper dear.” Luna Lily threw her arms around me, engulfing me in an unexpected hug. “I will miss you. Take care of my daughter.”
“I will Luna. Er, Lily. Of course I will.”
“Just Lily dear.”
I cleared my throat. “Thank you. For everything. Without you… I wouldn’t be Jasper Cole today. You saved my life.”
She hugged me tighter. “You will do great things. I know it.”
I pulled away before I started getting too emotional. Dimitri and I shook hands, Luke and Ben each giving me a hug as well. And then I was leading Violet out the door. Everything felt surreal right now, like I dream I wasn’t sure I wanted to wake up from. Our group walked to a huge black SUV with King and Ashwell in the front seats. I helped Violet into the backseat, at least four feet from the ground.
“Geez, what kind of car is this?”
“A very expensive one. I took it from Warricks garage.” King answered.
“It’s gigantic!” Vie gasped.
“He did like to lavish himself with gifts.” Ashwell commented bitterly.
“This thing is like a tank.” I muttered as I climbed in.
“I trust it will get you to Silver Moon safely then.” Lily said with a smile.
I shut the door, rolling down the window.
“I love you guys!” Violet called around me.
“We love you too!” They chorused.
“You guys ready?” King said as he started the car. It gave quite a roar as the engine fired up.
I looked at my mate who nodded.
“Let’s go.” I said.