Author's note: this is from Fynn's point of view

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I entered the noisy living room and looked at the twenty-five people gathered. Other than a few who are out on a patrol, securing the perimeter, everyone else is here.

These are people I call family for the last eight years. Actually, we are family for much longer than that, we are all coming from the Bluemoon pack. But the last eight years are different because it's just us.

They are noisy and willful and don't shy away from a brawl, just like any proper bunch of werewolves.

There is a lot of power and sass packed in this room, and it's inevitable that sparks will fly. Only a strong wolf will make these behave, and as much as I can overpower them with my strength, I'm not willing to deal with them daily; that is one of the reasons why I never accepted to take over as the Alpha.

They are tempting me with words about how the Alpha position will be only temporary, but I'm not falling for it.

There is a ceremony for a werewolf to become an Alpha to the pack, but there is none to remove the bond honorably.

An Alpha is connected to his pack, establishing a mind link between the pack members, and that bond boosts Alpha's power. Breaking that bond is extremely painful for the Alpha and marks Alpha's wolf with disgrace. Some never recover. I will never put my wolf through that.

Most of these wolves hope that Mateo (aka the young master, how we called him while he was with us) will show up and they are willing to follow him, believing in Damiano's words that his wolf will wake up. I doubt they will sing the same tune if they find out that there is no hope for his wolf, and he is no better than a human. I am confident that any respect they still carry in their hearts for the Testa bloodline will disappear quickly.

A few of them believe that Damiano will appear magically. I have no idea how they can believe in such nonsense when all of us felt the pain of link breaking eight years ago. Our Alpha is gone and since then we are packless.

But I don't want to break their hope that things will change for the better. For most of them, that frail hope is the only thing that keeps them going.

As for me, I'm here because I made an oath that I will not abandon the ones who seek guidance. It was a stupid thing to promise to Damiano, but if I didn't do it, I would be without a purpose as well.

Bert and Otto flanked my left and right while gesturing to others to stop their chatter. They knew that I will not speak until everyone's attention was on me.

Aloberto (aka Bert) is my second in command. We fought side-by-side many times, and he is the one I would rely on in a pinch.

Ottavio (aka Otto) was a Gamma in charge of ensuring everyone is busy. The pack is gone, but he still allocates people to various duties so that nothing gets neglected.

Normally, I would let this chatter drag, but now we are on a tight schedule.

"Settle down!", I said with a low growl that always gets their attention. When they took their seats on sofas, chairs, and floor, I started, "I have news to share…"

One second... two... three...

"Will you say what's going on?!", Bert asked impatiently after a few seconds of silence.

I smirked. "Everyone is quiet. I need to take a minute and appreciate this phenomenon that is rarer than the blue moon."

Amidst silent grumbles, a napkin scrunched into a ball flew my way and I caught it with a flick of my wrist.

"Bia! You get to clean up the showers for a week!"

Heavy silence blanketed the room, and Bia rolled her eyes at me but didn't object.

Bianca (aka Bia) is a cheeky blonde with a curvaceous body and in private I might let things slide (depending on how much clothes she is wearing), but when others are around, my authority is not to be challenged.

"What's the news?", Ari asked.

Arianna (aka Ari) is Bia's sister and I saw her squeezing Bia's arm as a warning not to say more because she might get a harsher punishment.

I don't mind punishing both of them. At the same time. In private, or in the shower. It wouldn't be the first time.

"Aldus is bringing three pups here, and we are to make space for them.", I announced.

"Pups?", Tessa asked excitedly, and I saw Vito grimacing behind her.

Since Tessa and Vito mated, nine years ago, Tessa wants pups, but Vito is saying that it's not the right time. Shortly after their mating, a war started and even though things settled down, I must agree with Vito that these are not the best circumstances to expand a family.

"Settle down, Tessa…", I shook my head when I saw her cradling the air like she is holding a baby. "They are teens. Two boys and a girl."

"Are they here to stay, or…?", Otto asked cautiously. I could see that he was already considering shuffling the duties in order to accommodate newcomers. Teens won't go on patrol duties or anything dangerous, but they can help around the house.

"I'm not sure…", I responded honestly. "At this point, I assume that this is temporary, but we will get more information when they arrive."

"When will they be here?", Bia asked.

"In two hours. Bia, you will need to make a run to the city and buy a few sets of clothes for each of them. Aldus said they are about thirteen-fourteen years old, and they are coming empty-handed. Ari, prepare rooms… Tessa, make extra food because we will have guests for lunch…"

Tessa is in charge of cooking today. We don't have a designated cook, but Otto makes sure that someone prepares our meals.

I hate these tasks that involve taking care of accommodations. Luckily, we don't get many visitors.

I'm not the one to be sappy about not having a mate, but if there is a she-wolf by my side, she would take care of these things while I could focus on training grounds and discipline.

…

Aldus's helicopter landed on the helipad behind the main building.

It was quite a distance away, but my enhanced wolf-sight allowed me to see Aldus emerging from the aircraft first.

Aldus turned around and extended his hand to a young woman as she alighted… a stunning brunette.

'That is an exceptional female!', Dash exclaimed in my head.

'It's strange to hear you during the day. How come you are not sleeping?', I asked my wolf.

'Who can sleep with all this commotion?', Dash grumbled, but I could feel his excitement. He was looking at the brunette, just how I was.

Otto let out a catcalling whistle. "That doesn't look like a teenager."

Bert was on my right. He clicked his tongue. "Teenagers grow fast these days. There was no need to prepare a room for her. I will gladly share mine."

Tessa slapped Otto and Bert at the back of their heads. "Look beyond your hard-on. There are three skinny pups. They are the ones staying."

Otto rubbed the back of his head. "Maybe the chick will stay also. She is attractive. Ask Vito!"

Vito's eyes widened in horror. "What are you saying? My eyes are for Tessa only!" Tessa was not pacified, so he quickly added, "And the rest of my body! It's all Tessa's!"

I stifled a laugh, and there were a few snickers from behind. The sight of a mighty wolf shrinking in front of his mate is always entertaining.

There are not many mated wolves in our small group, and the majority of singles love to tease them.

In truth, most of those singles envy them. I used to be in that group, but about one hundred years ago, I gave up on the idea of finding my fated mate.

The Moon Goddess decides who is worthy to have a mate. It seems that I am not one of them.

They say that finding your other half is sensational and makes one feel possessive and jealous beyond comprehension.

Werewolves are promiscuous with men chasing skirts and women being attracted to power, up to the point when they meet their mate and their purpose in life becomes to make the other one happy.

Resisting the mate bond is nearly impossible, and the stubborn few who did that (either due to pride or status differences) suffered greatly. The sad part is that because one is stupid, the other party is in agony because the moment they recognize each other, the bond is formed and they start feeling mate's emotions, and they know when the other one is being unfaithful.

'Why are you still here?', Dash asked. 'Are you waiting for someone else to approach her first?'

'No one will dare with me here.', I responded confidently, but I didn't miss that Otto and Bert were a bit too enthusiastic for my taste. Maybe I should make my move.

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See Fynn's photo in the comments.

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