Locked arm in arm, Ayla, Rhae, and Raphael finally made their way to join Titan and the rest of the group, who were growing anxious about where the cursed wolf had disappeared to.
The girls began to add a playful bounce to their steps, skipping lightly, which left Raphael with the choice to join in or let go of his newly bonded mate, and he had no intentions of letting her go anytime soon.
The three of them skipped lightly as they exited through the doors into the garden, while Titan, Phoenix, Julius, and Luna Aruna watched with expressions that mixed confusion and curiosity.
Smiles greeted the waiting party members in return as the trio made their way to the table and took their seats, Ayla throwing a playful wink at Titan before settling in and taking a sip from her glass.
She felt the wave of relief wash over Titan, aware that he'd been terrified she might have left when he was powerless to stop it.
Once she settled in and set her glass down, he reached for her hand and gave it a firm squeeze, trying to touch her as much as he could while still keeping his affection hidden from his mother.
"So, this must be the rest of the party. What are your names?" Luna Aruna asked.
Ayla stepped ahead, determined to keep anyone from slipping.
"That would be Raphael and Rhae," she said with a larger-than-life smile.
"And I'm Raya."
The Luna was giving a curious glance to the couple that had just graced the table with their presence.
"You're freshly mated."
It wasn't a question; it was simply her making an observation.
"Yes, ma'am. I knew she was the one from the moment I first saw her. I was just waiting for her permission, for her to be ready to accept me. It finally happened. It just happened to be in your territory."
"I see. So you want me to believe, by some act of the Goddess's mercy, that you were the ones who made the torches ignite."
Their faces went blank.
"What do you mean? What torches?"
Raphael and Rhae were doing well, effortlessly playing the role of unsuspecting newcomers.
"I'm not stupid. You might be newly mated, and that's definitely worthy of a blessing from the witches, but you weren't the ones who lit the torches. There's no way you could have. Only members of our pack can make them ignite, and you're not one of us. Titan, explain."
Panic was starting to build in both Titan and Ayla, as he knew that if he couldn't get his mother on board, his mate would try to flee, with or without him, and that was the last thing he or his pack needed.
"Mother, is there a way we can make it look like they were the ones who lit the torches? Maybe trick the witches into giving us the blessing?"
She thought about it for a moment, looking at her son, as if he were looking into his soul before answering.
"There's a way, but it's a long shot. They'd need to agree to it, and once they do, there's no going back."
Ayla was starting to worry about what she had gotten her friends into at that point.
"What would they need to do?"
Luna Aruna took a deep breath.
"The Wolf Moon has passed, so the smooth transition into the pack is no longer possible. For that, I'm sorry. If you want them to believe you lit the torch, you'll need to be genuine members of this pack. Tonight, when the moon is at its peak, you must renounce all other loyalties and swear yourself to the Crescent Moon Pack and me. It won't be as simple as you think."
"That doesn't sound so bad, I think I can do that," Rhae said.
"You don't get it. Without the Wolf Moon's power and the Goddess's blessing, it's nothing like what you experienced when you thought you wanted to be with the Moonlight Shifters," Raphael said.
"It's fine, I don't mind doing it. After all she's done, we can do this for her. It's not going to kill us, and besides, we're stronger together," she said, grabbing his hand, squeezing it, before pulling it to her mouth, kissing it.
"Then it's settled. Titan will come to gather everyone when it's almost time. We'll keep it private, since I assume that's the whole point of this little charade," his mother said, eyeing him.
He found it hard to maintain eye contact at that point.
"Why, Titan? What's the point of this whole thing? Be honest with me if I'm going to help you. You know you can trust me, but only if I know the whole story."
"It's not my story to tell," he said, giving his mother exactly what she needed to dig into the truth.
"Which one of you is hiding from them, the witches? That's the only reason you'd go this far. I can keep a secret, and I'm here to help. You have my word."
Ayla's stern expression and unwavering eyes gave her away.
Luna Aruna fixed her gaze on her and asked, "Why aren't you wearing the dress my son chose for you? It's one of my favorites."
"It's not really my style. It shows too much skin for my taste. Besides, I like to choose what I wear myself."
"Mother, leave her alone. It's a dress."
She squinted slightly, flicking her gaze from Titan to Ayla and then back to Titan.
"I'll give you both one chance to tell me the whole truth, or I'm out of helping with the ceremony tonight. She can deal with the witches already starting to push against the borders on her own. I can either shield her or turn her in for lying. Your choice."
"You wouldn't, Mother. Stop with the empty threats. I know you would never do anything that could hurt me."
Ayla knew there was no point in hiding behind Titan, because something in her tone and words made it clear she already understood what was going on, so she told her everything.
"Thanks for your honesty. With the way my son was behaving, I wasn't sure if anyone would actually speak the truth. Why not just tell people that you two have mated? They could offer you protection."
Ayla shook her head.
"It would only put them in danger right now. I need to figure out why they're after me first. They're hunting me for some reason. I broke their curse, and they're mad. How do you think they'll react when they find out I've found my fated mate?"
The Luna wasn't foolish; she understood the sense in Ayla's words.
She decided to move forward with the ceremony to welcome Raphael and Rhae into the Crescent Moon pack, but to keep them distracted, she wanted another wolf conversion to serve as a cover for the ceremony itself.
"I'll do it," Phoenix said. "We've always been together, and this should be no different. If you're joining this pack, then I will too. Together till the end, right?"
Ayla felt a heaviness in her chest, knowing that three of her family members would be left behind because of her, knowing deep down she knew she'd take the first chance to leave.
Four wolves had been left to two different packs during this mission, and it was really hitting her hard.
Now that everything had been put out on the table, and plans were in motion, the reality was setting in.
With new members joining her pack, the Luna thought it would be a better use of the day for Titan to take them around the territory and show them exactly what they were signing up for.
It was the perfect mix of Scarlet Crest and Moonlight shifters, with rustic buildings that boasted modern touches.
Phoenix and Raphael were genuinely excited to join the community they were about to call home, having never experienced a place that resonated with them more than the one they were strolling through at that moment.
They were set on making the most of their day, fully aware of what awaited them when it was over.
While they explored the inner workings of the town, Dominic and his crew did their best to get there and help them.
They had run through the night, into the morning, and by then, well into the afternoon.
The only times they paused were for brief breaks in the brush to recharge, to eat any prey that happened to cross their path, or to drink from a water source they encountered.
They realized during their first extended break that it was far too dangerous to stop anywhere on this trip, as the woods were moving far too much with everything going on in the Crescent Moon Pack.
It was time for a crash course in all things wolf for the newbies as Dominic and Lucas led them on their first mission.
Thankfully, they were nearly at their destination since they hadn't made any real stops along the way.
Another wolf approaching the border of the Crescent Moon wolf pack was Orion, accompanied by his sidekick, Shaw.
They were doing their best to follow the trail that the four-man pack had followed, but as they were nearing the border of the Crescent Moon territory, Orion caught the faint scent of blood.
Orion lifted his head, nostrils flaring as he turned toward the direction the wind carried the scent.
Instinctively, the wolf followed the scent carried by the wind, aware it was guiding him ever closer to the border he sought.
His thoughts raced, fear gripping him at the idea of finding his men lying scattered on the ground up ahead, right where the scent seemed to come from.
As Orion and Shaw drew nearer, the smell grew stronger, heightening his worry for his men.
Tree by tree, they moved faster, hoping to find their men and praying they could save them from the fate they'd unknowingly sent them toward when they followed the trail Alexander had given them.
Orion knew in his gut it was a bad idea to listen to his long-lost brother, even for a moment, but his mother had done it anyway, and now his men were paying the price.
Just as they rounded a massive oak tree, revealing a small clearing ahead, they came to an instant halt.
Spread out before them on a large boulder, arranged in the shape of a crescent moon, were the claws and fangs that had once belonged to Vuko, still marked with the dried blood from when they were taken, staining the stone beneath.
Just behind the large boulder, a tall pike stood, holding the lifeless head, savagely torn from the loyal wolf's body, which was facing them as a grim warning.
Shaw's face burned with anger as he glanced over to find Orion sharing the same feeling.
"This is your brother's fault. He sent us here with false information, fully aware that Titan and Ayla never intended to come this way."
"You don't know that, Shaw. We have to see this through. It could have been Titan's warning to us. We'll keep going with my mother's plan. She still intends to gain access to the pack if there's a mated blessing."
"What if this is just a trap to lure us in? We've crossed their borders, breaking wolf law, and you have no idea what they might be planning, Orion."
"Then it's a good time to find out a lot of answers, isn't it. When will we have another reason to cross into their territory? Let's call out and see who answers."
First, he sent a quick message home to let his mother know about their findings, aware of how things had played out for their special team.
With that done, they were ready to take the next step.
Knowing what they were both about to face, they took a deep breath, then both let out a warning howl at the border.
The last thing they wanted was to cross over and end up like their friend Vuko.
A short time later, they were met by a handful of guards charging toward them at full speed.
The anticipation was almost too much to bear, but the anger burning inside kept the two Moonlight Shifters was enough to keep them steady.
Silas shifted, his five chosen men for the afternoon at his back, prepared to question the two men trying to step into his territory.
"What are you two doing here at the border? As you can see, we've already had a few unwanted visitors lately with bad intentions."
Orion shifted, showing the Crescent Moon wolves who he was, before saying a word.
"Oh, look here, boys, we've got royalty. He thinks his status will earn him special treatment, but that doesn't change a thing. So, why are you trying to cross our borders?"
Orion scoffed. "I'm here on official business. Word reached my mother, Luna Alina. Someone claimed your torch was lit. She asked me to see it for myself. Do we have permission to take a look?"
"No," Silas said.
"You don't need to cross our borders to see the torch. You can easily circle around and catch a glimpse. So why are you and your wolves so desperate to get in? What're you really after?"
The two men didn't notice that Silas had three more men quietly moving in behind them, forming an almost complete circle and trapping them as he continued talking to them.
Just as the men closed in from behind, only a few steps away, a sharp snap echoed beneath one of their feet.
"You have no authority to detain us. We haven't even set foot on your territory yet. I demand to speak with Titan."
Silas gave a nod to the men standing behind Orion and Shaw.
"No problem, we can make that happen."
As he spoke, two of the men behind the Moonlight Shifters shook, as their fur vanished, Silas watching as they grew taller, pulling off necklaces from around their necks as they emerged.
One clever parlor trick they had was equipping a few scouts with the mind-numbing jewels for emergencies, and in this case, it was proving to be an effective strategy.
In an instant, before Orion and Shaw even knew what was happening, they were wearing the new necklaces and being led into the inner workings of the pack that had always been so mysterious.
"What are we doing now? Are you taking me to Titan then?" Orion asked.
"You'll talk to Titan, just like you wanted," Silas said with a smirk.
"My mother is waiting to find out if she'll be attending a mating match. If you keep me prisoner, that means war."
Silas paused, turned back, and shot him a daring look.
"You started this by sending spies across our borders."
Shaw spoke up, "Don't take him. Let him go back to his mother with the answer he came for. If you need a prisoner, keep me instead. All I ask is that you don't leave their Alpha waiting."
Silas raised an eyebrow.
"You two came for answers, didn't you? If you want to see the torch, this is the best way. I'm only doing what you asked of me, am I not? Now, let's go."
Orion and Shaw weren't frantically trying to reach Luna Alina with all their might, but all they got in return was static.
Suddenly, they realized they were walking the very path they had sent their men down.
As they ventured deeper into the mountain gorge, the pair of wolves spotted a bright flame blazing above the peak.
They knew their Luna had an opportunity if she decided to take it, but it likely wasn't the wisest choice.
"Who's the lucky fated mate pair? Anyone we might know?" Shaw asked, his curiosity getting the better of him.
"Not my place to say. I'll leave that for those of higher rank to answer. I just protect the borders and the people within."
Before long, the two captives were led deep into the mountain's caverns, where traces of blood still lingered along the tunnels, making Orion and Shaw uneasy.
They moved forward reluctantly until they stopped before the very cell where Vuko had recently been slain.
"This is your stop," Silas said with a smug look smeared across his face.
"You can't possibly think I'm going in there, I'm going to be an Alpha when I find my mate."
Silas laughed and pushed the two men, closing the doors behind him.
"Here, you are no one. You're just another wolf who crossed our borders under suspicious circumstances. Once Titan decides you're safe and free to leave, you'll be welcome here. Don't worry, you've got friends among you to chat with. We've been building quite the collection."
A voice unfamiliar to Orion drifted from nearby.
"Yeah, apparently they just like to scoop up anyone who wants to see Titan or his friends, like we're collectibles. Don't worry. When Titan comes home, we're supposedly the first he'll visit. If I were you, I'd get comfortable."
"Who the hell are you?" Shaw asked.
"Name's Lucas. Just don't go telling anyone they managed to catch me."
A loud noise, like he'd just been hit, came from his direction.
Then came whispers, followed by complete silence.