#5 When the New Moon Falls

Leo

After the first run, the pack shifted and recovered their dress clothes. The pack elder placed a small, golden band of interlocking vines on top of Austyn’s head. Her Luna crown shimmered in the moonlight and I couldn’t help but think that she belonged in a crown. I knew that someday soon she would wear one fit for a Queen.

Now it was time for the reception. Everyone was assigned a seat, families and mates seated together. The staff brought around champagne and I stood, tapping the handle of my knife against the glass. Everyone got quiet and turned to look towards me.

“I want to give a toast to my amazing mate and Luna,” I said, raising my glass. The entire pack lifted their glasses in the air,

“I want this women to be tied to me in every way possible and now the only thing left to do is to make her my wife.” There was a collective gasp as I got down on one knee. Austyn looked at me with wide eyes as I pulled a small box out of my chest pocket.

“Austyn-Rose, I plan on reminding you everyday of how much I love you and how lucky I am to call you mine. I want to be yours forever. I picked out this ring to remind us of the two greatest nights of my life, both of which you were killing it in a red dress,” I grinned mischievously at her and she blushed deeply,

“I want to make memories like this with you for the rest of our lives as mates, as Luna and Alpha, and as husband and wife. Will you marry me?” I popped open the box and showed her the ruby ring.

She gasped, covering her mouth with her hand. I held my breath as she admired the ring. It seemed like an hour had passed by before she moved. She held out her left hand and nodded estactically, tears welling in her hazel eyes.

“Yes, yes!” She finally cried as I slipped the ring onto her finger. I wrapped my arms around her waist as I stood up bringing her with me. I spun her around in the air, crushing her to my chest.

“I love you so much.” She gushed.

“I love you, too.”

The entire pack cheered again as the band started to play. We had so much to celebrate and it was time to finally start. The staff brought around trays of food and the pack dived in.

“Everything is so perfect.” I jumped five feet off my chair as Austyn’s voice rang in my head. I looked sideways at her to see her giggling.

“You’re so perfect.” I purred. She flashed me a dirty image and I growled under my breath.

“You’re playing a dangerous game, little Luna.” Quinn replied.

“We play it on purpose.” Ember said.

“Careful or we might not make it through the reception.” I warned them both.

“Good.” They responded at the same time.

I made eye contact with my mate and saw the lust and desire swirling in her eyes. I had no control left. I jumped out of my chair and grabbed a hold of her, making a huge scene. She squealed as I threw her over my shoulder and ran into the packhouse. The pack roared wtih laughter.

“Leo!” She screamed at me as I ran up the steps.

“You started this.” I smacked her butt.

I ran into my room and sat her down on the bed. Austyn turned the tides on me. She jumped up and wrapped her arms around my waist, spinning me around so my back was against the bed. She gave me one hard shove and my knees buckled against the baseboard. I landed with a flop. She reached behind her and undid the zipper, slowly and seductively dropped her dress to the floor. She stepped out of it and shimmied in front of me in her bra and painties. They were a sexy black number that were sending Quinn into a frenzy.

Austyn crawled on top of me, stradling my waist as she took control. She ran her hands under my shirt and up my chest before nuzzling my neck with her face. She nibbled and sucked at her mark on my neck, driving me completely mad. I gripped her hips desperately, moving her against me as her lips trailed a firey path over my skin. She removed my shirt quickly and started moving her mouth across my exposed skin.

My hands explored her body, kneading her breasts and gripping her butt as she grinds against me. There was to much fabric between us for my liking, but this was Austyn’s show and I was letting her run it. Mercifully, it wasn’t long before she undid my button and demanded I remove my pants.

Once my pants were on the floor, I flipped her over and regained control. I ripped off her bra and underwear, tearing them to shreds. She pouted at me and I kissed her adorable lips. She stripped me of my underwear and we pressed our bodies together passionately. I was desperate to feel her touch, her warmth, her desire for me. Citrus and daisies clouded my thoughts.

I kissed every inch of her before giving in to both of our desires. All night long. By midnight we were both exhausted and drained. I picked her up and carried her to the tub. I ran some warm water and filled the tub with bubbles. She groaned as I settled her into the water and sat behind her. I leaned her back against me and started washing my mate.

“That feels amazing.” She moaned, her eyes rolling back in her head as I ran the warm washcloth over her shoulders.

“Careful love, you’re going to get me excited again.” I warned her. My self-restraint around her was nearly non-existent, it was ridiculous. She giggled at me and wiggled her butt purposefully against my waist. I growled and held her still.

“You’re a little vixen.” I growled.

“It’s your fault.” She whined.

“It better be.” I playfully snarled at her, nuzzling her neck and kissing her mark. She shivered, moaning again. This time, I encouraged her movements. I pulled her against me and we were off to the races again.

The next morning I woke up with my mate snuggled against my side. She was curled up in a tight little ball, the covers wrapped around her and pulled over her head. She was shivering in her sleep. I realized that I never changed the thermostat when she moved in. I always had it set for below 60 degrees since I was naturally hot. Even with Ember, Austyn was still running cold.

I shimmied out from under her and turned up the temperature. I grabbed another blanket from the sitting area and tucked it around my mate. It was 7:00am and I was happy to let her sleep in. I debated getting some work done, but her peaceful sleeping face was too much to resist. Instead, I crawled back into bed and pulled her to my chest again.

This was easily the safest, warmest, most comfortable place to be. Austyn-Rose was my home, my heart, my happiness all rolled into one. Nothing, no one, and nowhere would ever be better than being right by her side. I knew, without a doubt, that I wanted to spend the rest of my life right here.

Epilogue

Austyn

4 months later

Leo and I were in his office working on the logistics for taking over Dark Moon. We had already decided that it was too much land and too many members to be run by one Alpha and Luna. We thought long and hard about who we trusted enough to take over command of the pack. Nick and Amber were the obvious choice. Amber had a lot to prove and a lot of past mistakes to make up for. She also knew what needed to change the most and had a connection with the pack members already.

It was decided that Dark Moon would still be dissolved and become New Moon’s sister pack. They would work together, making laws and decisions together as one large pack. But, the day to day would be determined by the individual Alpha and Luna coupling. Dark Moon was thus changed to Full Moon.

Nick and Amber were preparing for their move to the new packhouse. There were three weeks left in the renovations. They completely destroyed the old packhouse, removing bad memories and stigmas. The new house would look exactly like New Moon’s to establish a connection between the two packs. Once it was finished, Amber and Nick would move in.

We were planning a welcoming party for the new Full Moon pack. A festival on the now removed territory line. Instead of cutting a ribbon to symbolize the creation of something, we would cut a ribbon to symbolize the removal of a divisional line. We were now one large territory.

“I’m going to set up a bank account in Full Moon’s name and give you access to it, Nick. I want you to use that money however you see fit to improve the pack grounds. I know they don’t have a community center, playgrounds, or a daycare. I’m sure Amber has some ideas on what the pack needs.” Leo said.

“Thanks, Leo. I wanted to ask you about coming on board with your company. Now that I’m an Alpha, too, I want to be able to financially provide for the pack.” Nick said.

“Sure, no problem. Come in on Wednesday, that’s when the board has their monthly meeting. We can figure out where your strengths are and get you set up.” Leo agreed.

“Austyn, I was hoping you could talk to Amber. She’s feeling a little nervous about taking over as Luna.” Nick said, turning towards me.

“Sure. I’ve already talked to her a few times. Maybe I can come visit once you guys get settled in to help her decide on what needs done first.” I suggested.

“That would be perfect.” Nick nodded.

“We also need to decide on who will replace you as Gamma and who you’re choosing as your Beta and Gamma.” Leo said.

“I had some ideas about that.” Nick said.

“Well, choose whoever you want as your Beta and Gamma. But, I’m going to need options and auditions for my Gamma.” Leo replied sternly.

“Our Gamma.” I corrected him. If this fool was going to be my new bodyguard I needed to have a say in who he was going to be. I got lucky with Nick, I wasn’t going to risk being unlucky this time.

“Right, love.” Leo grinned at me and I rolled my eyes at him like usual.

“I actually have a suggestion.” I said.

“Yes, Luna?” Nick looked at me eagerly.

“It’s just a thought, but what if Jacks comes to Full Moon to be your Beta?” I said. I felt Leo’s eyes on me,

“Why do you think that?” Leo asked.

“Well, first off, it would be nice for Nick to have someone who is used to being the Beta and helping out the Alpha to get things started. Secondly, he’ll take Madeline with him.” I revealed my hidden agenda. Nick and Leo chuckled,

“She does have a point.” Nick shrugged.

“It might be good for those two to have a fresh start. I know they’re still struggling.” Leo replied thoughtfully.

“But, you would be losing your Beta and Gamma, then.” Nick said

“True, but I know you’ll have some good replacements in mind. Plus, I’d rather you have what you need to be successful over there.” Leo said before looking over at me,

“Good idea, love. I’ll talk to Jacks. Nick, lay out some options for me.” Nick nodded but before he could speak our meeting was interrupted.

“Alpha, Luna?” Jacks entered the office without knocking,

“Uh, there’s someone here to see you.”

“Okay?” Leo and I exchanged glances at Jacks’ expression.

“I’m not really sure what it’s about. They’re witches or something.” Jacks talked quickly. I looked at Leo again,

“Selene’s advisors?” I mindlinked Leo.

“Maybe. Let’s meet them alone just in case.” Leo replied.

“Alright, send them in. We’ll meet with them privately, please.” Leo said to Jacks and Nick. They nodded and left the room.

Three magical looking beings entered Leo’s office. I didn’t know someone could actually look magical until I saw these three. It was two men and a woman. They looked to be above middle aged, but who knows how old they really were. The men had white hair and long white beards. The woman had short silvery hair. They were wearing matching gold bands on their heads that wrapped around their foreheads and robes that had the same design but in different colors.

“Your highness.” They dropped to their knees in front of me and I stumbled backwards, shocked at their entrance.

“Uh, uhm…” I stammered. Leo stood between them and me protectively.

“We are the guardians of the royal family. We were appointed by the Moon Goddess herself and we live to protect the King and Queen. Goddess Selene sent us here to serve her grace, the royal Queen Luna.” The woman spoke,

“I am Merida. These are my brothers Magnus and Merdell.”

“It’s an honor to meet you, thank you all for coming. I have a lot of questions. This is my mate and husband, Alpha Leo Storm.” I said, stepping around Leo.

“King Alpha.” The three bowed to him as well,

“If the Queen Luna has deemed you worthy then we accept our duty to serve you as well.” The man, Magnus, spoke.

“We have some questions about all of this.” Leo said, seeming as uncomfortable as me.

“As you should. The first thing we must discuss is one that you may need time to digest, Alpha King. New Moon must fall.” Merdell said, shocking us both.

“What?” I gasped.

“Your grace, we apologize for surprising you. The pack of the Alpha King and Luna Queen must become the royal pack known as the Legacy pack. You will no longer be known as the founding name. It is the tradition. You may choose to either remain here or bring the pack to the royal palace.” Merdell explained. I looked at Leo and he looked at me,

“Then, New Moon will fall.” Leo replied stubbornly.

He was willing to accept any fate, any obstacle, any challenge for me. I grabbed his hand and held on for dear life, knowing that things were about to get a lot more complicated. I knew that I was capable of getting through anything as long as my mate, my Alpha, my husband and, now, my King, was by my side. I would never have to face life alone again. I would never be left alone.

Leo Storm saved my life time and time again. He will continue to save my life and he will continue to be the reason that I live. He gave my meaningless life meaning. I’ll go to war for him, I’ll run a royal palace with him, I’ll fall and rise with him. Together, I knew we could survive it all.