Oli

Luna Jen is one of those people who is just considerate down to the finest detail. On our last night she sent house staff to our room with night gowns for us, and they took away all our clothes and had them cleaned and pressed and returned to us by the morning. It was a lovely gesture that was very appreciated.

The Alpha, Luna, their children, Amelia and Lucas all came to see us off, along with several warriors and some teens from the school where Connie had attended during our stay. It was a very warm farewell, and a lovely way to end our visit.

Manu and Sina were selected to take us to the western border, on account of them being the ones to bring us in on our first day. I had not seen much more of them since that first day, but Adi seemed to have built quite a report with all the warriors.

We travelled again, in the rickety customised Jeep driven by Manu with all of us piled in the back. We drove all the way to an outpost which was situated ten kilometres in from the territory line, which divided the two packs. We got out of the truck and Sina led us into a command room, which was at the front of a large complex. They showed us maps and discussed what they know about the border security and fighting skill of the warriors. We agree to stay in regular contact with Adi via the mind link.

We cannot expect any help from Gibbous Moon once we cross the border. They would not risk a war for our sakes, particularly as we could not make an alliance with them. I don't feel too concerned yet, I am quite at ease for some reason. I think I feel like Adi would not be sending me somewhere dangerous if she didn't have it under control. I have a lot of trust in her and she hasn't hesitated yet, so I feel confident.

When Connie and I are set to leave, Adi gives us both a hug and thanks us for doing this for her, which gives me a sense of pride that I am helping my friend and also empowers me to go into this feeling courageous.

Connie and I got back into the Truck and Manu drove us through the trees, crushing through streams and muddy ditches, for just under ten kilometres before he stopped.

"This is as far as I can go Ladies. The territories meet a few hundred metres through that bush. Technically, our territory goes up until the border, but realistically a few hundred metres either side of both lines is no man's land. So I will let you walk the rest of the way. You will do better on your own than with one of us I am afraid" Says Manu.

We thank him as we get out and set off on foot.

As we approach the territory line, I feel the hairs on my arm stand up and the smell of construction dust starts to creep into my nostrils. As there is no man's land on either side of the territory line, we step into the Golden Moon territory slowly with our hands raised up, letting them know we are not a threat but we wish to enter their land. Not sure how far we needed to walk into their territory before we would get their attention, we walked slowly and cautiously. Until, after walking for about five minutes, we heard a rustling up ahead, so we stopped moving.

Werewolves, both transformed and in their human form, started to circle us from all sides.

"State your purpose" a man yelled to us.

We kept our arms above our heads.

"I am Evolet and this is Constance. We are from the Valley of The Goddess. Our Alfette has sent us to meet with the western packs and create common ground. We would like to request a meeting with one of your ranked members as official ambassadors of The Valley" I told him.

After some silence, he responded to me.

"Very well, our Alpha will meet with you. Follow me" he said, as he turned without another word and started walking. He gave us no indication of the distance or how we would be travelling there.

We walked for around one hour through the dense forest, followed by several wolves who were stalking us from behind the trees. We could feel we were nearing the town as the smell of construction dust grew stronger, then a large twenty story, modern looking building, came into view. It was like a city skyscraper had been lifted up and placed in the middle of the forest, without even removing the trees. The astonishing building was like an architectural wonder, with large glass walls and overhanging balconies. There was scaffolding around the building where areas were still being constructed or added to.

There were other large buildings around the central building, which looked to be residential. It was like a small city shooting up from under the trees.

As we neared the largest tower, we could see that the concreted courtyard out the front was full of werewolves, again some were shifted and some were human. The crowd moved to allow our group to walk towards the entrance, it was then that I realised that the crowd was all unmated males coming to see us, like the greeting corridor in the last two territories we visited.

It was a different experience when there was no pre-warning though. I looked up at the werewolves in the crowd and was met with a few wolf whistles coming from the back, so I sternly set my gaze on the front door of the tower and walked quickly until I got there.

The foyer of the tower was very modern, with white marble floors and grand lighting. There were several setting areas, like a lobby at a fancy hotel. Some pack members were seated around the place talking in low voices. The werewolf who brought us here, who had not so much as introduced himself to us, turned around.

"Sit over there. Alfa Kai will be here soon" He said grufly. So, we sat down and waited.

Suddenly, the few pack members who were scattered around the foyer stood up and left. The room, which felt mild a moment ago, started to feel warm and stuffy, there was a haze in the air. We heard the ding of an elevator opening and we turned to see a man step out the door. He was as tall as Alpha Angus, around six foot eight inches. He had large lean muscles and calloused skin. He appeared to be only about twenty years old, but he radiated power and control.

Connie ~ How could this be him ? They said he was the fifth child of a second son to an Alpha.

As a general rule, the alpha lineage is passed from the parent to the first born child. All their children inherit the ability to be leaders, but it is generally considered that the strongest leaders are the first born. Usually, once the lineage is diluted, for example a second child of a second child, they are better for minor leadership roles, such as to lead the border security or in business. Connie has strong Alpha heritage on both sides of her family and it is seen in her appearance and her confidence, but she would not naturally lead a pack. That is what we both expected to meet here, a weaker Alpha. But we could tell instantly that this man was far from what we expected. He radiated power.

We stood as he approached, and greeted him formally.

"Good morning, ladies. My name is Alpha Kai. To what do I owe the pleasure of this unpresedented visit?" He said with surprisingly friendly demeanour.

"Good morning Alpha Kai. Thankyou for accepting our request for an audience at such short notice. We simply wish to meet with the western packs on behalf of our Alphette, to build relationships in the western territories." I said.

"Is that all ? No other reason for your visit then?" He said quizzically.

I felt a bit giddy as I searched for the words to reply. "Well, no, that is not the only reason for our visit. As you can tell, Alpha, I am unmated. I had hoped to happen across my mate on our journey. But as I was just sighted by all the unmated males in the impromptu greeting corridor, it appears I am, again, out of luck, on that front" I said.

"Ah. Well, there are still the warriors who are on duty at the borders. If you stay for dinner, we can organise another viewing this evening" He offered.

"Thank you. We would be honoured to stay for dinner" I said.

"Now. Let's not get ahead of ourselves. I am told you entered my territory from the eastern border. You must have come through my uncle's territory. Let's get that out in the open first shall we ?" He said sternly, but without intimidation.

I explained to him that we had visited Gibbous Moon and stayed for a fortnight before coming here. I made sure to reinforce that The Valley of the Goddess does not make alliances with any packs or get involved in any wars. So regardless of us spending time with their enemies, we remain neutral.

"I am intrigued to be meeting ambassadors from The Valley of the Goddess, but you will forgive me for watching you with caution on this occasion. I am sure you know of the strained relationship I have with our neighbours, and you have come fresh from their influence" he said, again sternly but withholding any intimidation.

"That is well understood, Alpha. We are happy to comply with your surveillance while we are in your territory" I told him.

"That's settled then. I don't perceive you as any threat of course, but I will ask that you don't go anywhere without a guid." he said. We both nodded in agreement.

"The lady of the house is Luna Diana, my mother. She will look after you until dinner time. I look forward to sharing a meal with both of you and hearing more about the reason for your visit" he said, before leading us to a large drawing room, where he introduced us to his mother. Luna Diana was a small woman, her brown hair was sprinkled with grey streaks and she had empty grey eyes. She was bland and not much of a conversationalist. She asked questions but appeared to be disinterested in our responses. She deflected any questions we asked her, often turning the conversation back to something mundane, such as her job as manager of the house staff or how the cleaner hadn't dusted the light shade properly.

She had staff bring us sandwiches for lunch and asked them to take our bags to a room for an overnight stay.

Thankfully for the mind link, Connie and I were able to have some conversation to keep eachother awake. We were also still able to link with Adi. We told her about the Alpha, that he didn't seem like a weaker alpha. As I am the only one of us with any type of experience with alphas, owing to my travels to eastern packs with my leadership training, Adi said she would ask around the outpost if anyone knows anything about this alpha and his lineage. But by the afternoon she said that no one in the Gibbous Moon pack has crossed the border in many years. One older warrior told her that when Alpha Angus' brother, Davis, left with his family, the young boy was barely a toddler. What they know of his mother is that she was Davis' true mate and an omega from the Golden Moon pack. They said she had a bubbly personality and was petit and beautiful in her younger years.

We told Adi that didn't sound much like the woman we are spending our day with today.

Finally, dinner time came, but not soon enough. Luna Diana took us down to a dining hall, it was a modern room with a white marble dining table and upholstered dining chairs. The sigil was engraved into a marble feature wall at the back of the dining room. It was a simple engraving of an eclipse moon, a moon covering the sun, with a monogram of the initials EM.

As we took in the surroundings, we heard the elevator ding and Alpha Kai stepped out with an entourage. The two men standing directly behind him were tall, they stood up to their Alphas shoulder height, but in any other context they would be the biggest men in the room. The other people from the elevator stayed outside the dining room door. Alpha Kia introduced us to the other two men, who were his Beta, Bentley, and his Gama, Mike. Then we all sat down at the large marble table.

Servants brought dinner and placed it on the table. The servants were all women, they walked in with their heads high but didn't make eye contact with us. They entered, put our food down and then left quickly. They were all wearing the same uniform, a three quarter length dusty-pink skirt and a light pink top, with grey slip on shoes. The food was similar to the cuisine we saw at Gibbous Moon, with marinated meats and seasoned vegetable dishes. The servants placed it all in the middle of the table for us to serve ourselves. While the food looked the same, it didn't have as much flavour, perhaps this meat was cooked in an oven instead of a bbq or on coals, so it wasn't as smokey and tender.

All three of the men had questions about The Valley. They wanted to know why our Alphette has chosen now to reach out to the western packs. I explained that The Valley has avoided the west due to unrest, but as the west has been settled for many years, my alphette wishes to establish a network of connections. They asked about The Valleys rumoured dislike of males, which I answered as I have previously, by explaining that the Valley has many male members.

Then they asked about our warriors, I explained that the warriors are secretive and only another warrior would be able to answer such questions. I told them that all I know is that they are very effective at keeping outsiders from entering The Valley.

To my surprise, Alpha Kai didn't try to ask me for an alliance. He didn't try to tell me about his pack's hardships, or their need for assistance. He didn't probe for specifics about The Valley's defences or politics. He just seemed quite genuinely interested in our home.

Despite his overwhelmingly controlling aura, we felt relatively at ease, so much so that Connie got the confidence to ask about his pack and his family. He went on to plainly explain that as he has been the Alpha for two years and is still governed by his father, which isn't uncommon for the previous Alpha to continue to govern their child for a few years after they take over. He went on to tell us that his father built the pack and created the laws, which he has reinforced, being a new pack he wants to create consistency and clear expectations amongst leadership, so hasn't changed any of his fathers laws as yet. He confirmed that the pack does have a primogeniture law, meaning only male heirs inherit anything.

There were some questions we were still not daring to ask. Such as about the slaves. Or about the prospects for women in this pack. The Alpha invited us to see some of his pack in the morning. So we resolved to go along tomorrow and see if we could see any obvious threats, then hopefully we will be able to discuss Adi with him and gauge whether it will be safe for her to meet us here.

After dinner, The Alpha took us out to a balconey, only four stories up, where I could see a handful of males in the artificial street light. The warriors coming back from their border patrol. But again, it was all just empty faces.

We retired to the room that Luna Diana organised for us earlier. We had separate rooms with our own ensuite. We would rather be together but the option was not given. The rooms were like hotel suits. All white, with some navy blue details. Simple bathroom and a small sitting area. There was a large window that was double glazed and had no latch to open it. It was a nice modern room but it was very enclosed and made me feel somewhat trapped.

It was hard to fall to sleep that night, in a strange room by myself. I was restless after having sat in a room all day with nothing meaningful to do. No one here has done any wrong by us, but this place and the people in it are unsettling. I told myself, if they wanted to hurt me they wouldn't do it while I am sleeping.

Adi and Connie kept me company through the mind link, until I eventually drifted off.