5: Moon Goddess

"Aden?" Someone asked, bring me out of my daydream.

"Yes?" I looked up glancing at Collen, who had asked me a question. I was too thinking about earlier today to grasp any of what he said.

"I asked if it was a good idea that you be gone for so long."

I raised my brow, "What do you mean?"

"I mean that, at times, you'll just leave to the human world territory without notifying anyone. I don't mean to come off as insubordinate, but what if something happens while you're gone? Especially since-"

"Nothing will happen, Collen," I cut him off. I know we were worried about the possibilities of those rogues coming back into our lands, but I was confident that nothing would happen. "Besides, while I'm gone, you know you're in charge. But that's only if my father isn't at the packhouse, technically he's still Alpha until I have my mate."

"I know, it just stresses me out because you're my best friend," Collen nodded. He's such a dork, I thought. My best friend since we were just pups. Beta's son, it was destined we would get along. Even though there's almost a 4-year age difference, he's still my best friend.

"Don't worry about it, Collen, that's what I'm here for," I nod. It's my duty to take care of this pack.

As I go to leave the room, Collen clears his throat, catching my attention. "If you don't mind me asking, Alpha, why do you keep on leaving?"

My wolf stands proud seeing that Collen called me Alpha because of the importance of his question. "It's a secret, so you're not allowed to speak of this. I think I found my mate," I smiled. "Remember the human from the mall exhibition?" He nodded recalling the event. "The one with the long brown hair that smelled like lavender is my mate," I smiled at the thought of her.

"But a human?" Collen asked carefully. I could tell that Collen wasn't trying to be disrespectful, but no matter, trying to undermine his mate made me growl.

"Do not undermine my mate like that, Collen. If the Moon Goddess didn't want me to have a human mate, then she would have given me a regular She-wolf," I growled. Collen took a step back but squared his shoulders standing in an attention position.

"I didn't mean to, Alpha, I was just-"

"I also know," I started, "that you were staring at her friend who was next to her. I didn't think to bring it up, but you looked like you wanted to jump in her skin."

Collen paled at the fact that his Alpha and best friend has noticed his staring. He tried his hardest to not pay attention, but she was too intoxicating. I know he thought they smelt too different. It wasn't rogue, it didn't smell-

The door slamming against the wall made both of us turn around. Daniel, panting like he'd run miles, stood at the door, "Alpha, Collen, there's a problem at the west end of our pack lines."

Quickly, we both followed Daniel to the west end of the lands. They weren't that far away, so it took no more than 5-minutes. Upon arrival, I growled at Daniel, "What is the meaning of this?"

Looking around at the patrollers for answers, I grew impatient at their silence. Not even just impatient, but confused for his summoning. There was no need to run all this way for something that isn't urgent. There was no need to stress him out further than he was for that.

"I-I was mind-linked to come here immediately. Before I ran here, I decided to come to you," Daniel spoke up. "I didn't know what was present, so I thought best that you be here, as well."

I was beyond relieved that it wasn't something completely serious, but extremely upset because I had gotten so worked up. I looked around the trees making sure that it wasn't a mistake. I carefully bent down and picked up the small infant.

Instantly, the body heat from the infant calmed his nerves. Thank goddess it wasn't cold-blooded, I thought. Although it had a scent of rogues, it was pure rogues, which meant it was an unwanted pup. Although being a rogue pup, I could still smell a pack scent and it didn't belong to his own.

"But what is this infant doing here? Who has left it?" I asked anxiously.

"I don't know," one of the patrollers mumbled disappointedly. "What should we do with it though?"

There's no way I had the heart to leave the innocent infant there on the ground, but he wasn't sure why it was left there. Maybe it was a trap to blame me for stealing a pup, or maybe it was truly an unwanted pup.

I sighed, praying to the moon goddess that he didn't make the wrong choice, "bring this pup to the Pack Doctor and checked for anything that could be wrong. After it's cleared, put it in the nursery with the other wolf pups."

"Her," one of the other patrollers coughed. I raised a brow and stared at said wolf. "The infant pup, it's a female. I had to wrap her with a cloth I had."

"Alright. Get her to the infirmary and then to the nursery," I commanded. "Any question?"

"Who is she going to belong to?" Asked the last patroller.

I thought long and hard. "I suppose she'd be an orphan of the pack, but be taken care of by the alpha family in the packhouse." And Luna will take care of her, his wolf added, but I knew better than to vocalize that. "Back to your patrols, please."

Coming back from my run, I quickly put on a pair of shorts before entering the packhouse. To my delight, my mother was hanging around with my baby sister.

"Where have you been!" My sister laughed.

"Cornelia," I smiled. I hadn't seen my sister around lately for she was usually in the Park Changing Room with newly shifted wolves. "I was running about, through the woods. Bored out of my mind, but let me not say that too loudly; Moon Goddess might take it as a challenge and have all Hell break loose."

"Come over here," Cornelia beckoned telling me to hug her. Cornelia was my 17-year-old sister, still a baby to me although we were only three years apart. For the last couple of months, she's taken up the idea of helping younger wolves learn how to shift properly and control themselves. After the first few shifts and full moons, most wolves find their mate, but Cornelia wasn't one of them.

It's been almost a year-and-a-half since she first shifted and she has yet to find her mate. Cornelia has gone to all of the respected packs to find her mate, but with no luck. Pessimistically, she started to believe that her mate might be dead, or worst off, a rogue. She tried to fill the void of not finding her mate yet, with the fulfillment of teaching young wolves how to probably shift.

"You need to stop hanging out at the outer houses and start hanging out at the packhouse more," I confessed. "I've missed you, Nelly."

"What did I tell you about calling me that?" She laughed.

"You know you love it!"

"Whatever," she rolled her eyes. "Oh, and you would have never guessed! I went to town earlier and I met my mate. He's a beta from Camp Hana."

"Wait, really?" I asked, shocked.

"Yes! Even though I went there a while ago, Beta Alex said that when I had gone, he was at a business trip in another pack. But Dad said he's gonna let me go this weekend. I'll be away for a long time, but I'll still come back to see you!" she smiled.

"Of course, Nels. I'm so happy for you!"

"Thanks. I got to go, I need to go check on some pups," she kissed our mother goodbye and left to go back to the Changing Rooms.

"Mother," I called. "I had the weirdest thing happen today. At the western borders, there was an infant pup who was just left there. There were no notes, no signs of other wolves. I had Daniel take the infant to the Pack Doctor, and check her for anything that could be wrong. If nothing is up, then she can be taken to the nursery with the other pups, but I have no clue what to think of it!"

"Son, I don't know what to tell you," my mother sighed. "You made the right call taking it to Dr.Bender, but what do you plan to do?"

"I guess I can call the surrounding packs and ask if they're missing a pup, but I doubt it. It smelled of rogues, but it wasn't pure. It has previously belonged to a pack but it seemed it was just left," I threw my hands in the air in exasperation.

"And if the pup doesn't belong to any pack?" She raised her brow.

"I guess she'll be apart of our pack. That's the only thing I can do," I sighed.

"Hun, why are you so upset? You're making the right call."

"I know, I just don't want to make the wrong you, you know?" I offered. My mother sighed and grabbed my hands, kissing them. There's nothing better than a mother's reassurance and love.

After leaving my mother in the packhouse, I decided to go for another run. No matter how stressed I get, I can always count on a run making me feel better.

Hiding, I quickly take off my shorts and shift into my wolf. My eyes changed from my normal light hazel color to a sharp yellow. My wolf's coat shined in the late noon sun, causing my black coat to seem lighter than it is. Surprisingly, I seemed to have patches of gold in my coat, making me unique. Not only, was I a much larger wolf, but also— not too toot my own horn— my coat was one of the nicer ones.

Taking off over the hills and valleys, I run passed the tall oak trees and the plentiful berry bushes. Although the leaves are starting to fall, most of the trees are still green, waving their branches in the heavy winds. I smile to myself knowing that soon winter will come and there will be snow blanketing my lands.

I passed the signs and trees outside of my territory and into the neighboring human town. I need to go to find my mate again, wondering where she is now. Usually, she's on school grounds or at home with someone else who has an odd scent, or even at a weird coffee shop.

First, I made a beeline through the thick trees towards my mate's house. It's a very tall building with many floors. I know that she's is on the second floor and she spends most of her time on the balcony, looking over the trees. When I get there, her scent lingers and she was recently there but isn't now.

Deciding she's probably at her school, I make my way back to my lands. Last time I went, they closed off the building for almost 4-hours! I understand though, most humans don't take so kindly to animals, more or less creatures of our size.

On my way back towards the pack lands, I smell the beautiful lavender scents. Mate, my wolf took off in the way the scent was coming from.

As I got closer, the scent started to change. I could smell the adrenaline coursing through her veins, along with another scent. A rogue. I ran faster, trying my hardest to get to her.

Why is she with a rogue, my wolf growled.

A scream rang through my ears but was quickly cut off. My heart raced at the thought of anything bad happening to her. Should I have taken her to my pack lands when I first found her, I thought. My wolf only howled in response.

The only reason I didn't pounce at her the first time I found her was because I smelled that she was a human. Moon goddess had given me a human mate, but my mate, nonetheless.

The fast thumping of a heart rang through my ears as I got closer to my mate. There lay my beautiful mate, in the twigs and branches.

The rogue stood above her laughing.

Wasting no time, my wolf pounced at him, showing no mercy.