Jonathan’s POV
Daniel and I left the girls, so they could bond. They, without a doubt, will go shopping. We headed to my office to meet up with Dr. Young. Apparently, he has urgent news, that cannot wait another day. I found him patiently waiting on the leather couch, with his nose in a small leather notebook.
“Alpha” Dr. Young greeted me. As much as I refuse, he insists on calling me ‘Alpha’. He claims it shows respect. He doesn’t at all mind that I’m almost half his age. He treats me as he treated my father.
Dr. Young shut his book, but kept his thumb in between the pages. I sat on the seat across from him, as Daniel sat next to Dr. Young. “You needed to tell us something?”
“I actually would like to speak to the Queen, too” Dr. Young stated.
I quickly shook my head. “She’s got a lot on her plate. I don’t want to stress her out too much”
He nodded. “This may sound a bit incredulous” he warned.
“Uh… smaller words please” Daniel said.
I should buy him a dictionary for his birthday. I chuckled. “We might not believe him” I explained. Daniel nodded in understanding, before motioning for Dr. Young to continue.
“Well, I got a visit from the Moon Goddess” he said slowly.
Why would she visit Dr. Young? “And?” I inquired.
“She gave me instructions and a message. Anna should have gotten the message before, but you weren’t supposed to know about it yet”
So Anna kept a secret from me? I was pained at the thought, but I was being hypocritical. I didn’t tell her about the witch that came by here. I decided to deal with it on my own, kinda. I asked Dr. Young for help. I just didn’t want to stress her out more. Why would she keep something from me?
“What was the message?” Daniel asked, pulling me from my thoughts.
Dr. Young opened the book and handed it to me. The left page was filled with crossed out words and scribbles. The right page only had words in a straight line, vertical to the page. I recognized Dr. Young’s writing. “Your ominous upbringings restore composure. He imbalances life drastically” I read aloud.
“Those are big words” Daniel mumbled. He’s no help at all.
I rolled my eyes. “This makes no sense. Ominous is like threatening, and composure is calm. How can something be threatening, but at the same time be calming? Its counteractive”
Dr. Young shrugged. “I’ve been staring at those words since I woke up. Only the second sentence makes sense. He could be too evil, making the balance between good and bad uneven. But I had no idea who ‘he’ was”
Past tense. “Had?” I questioned, raising an eyebrow.
He nodded. “If you take the first letter of each word, it spells something” he explained.
That’s why its in a line like that. I covered the letters with my hand, and read going down. I read it over a few more times before actually opening my mouth. “Your child” I said quietly.
“That’s what the witch said right? ‘He is your child’” Dr. Young said. I stiffly nodded. My kid will ‘imbalance life?’
“So what does this mean?” Daniel asked.
Dr. Young shot me an apologetic look. “Your baby will be in great danger”
*****
Annabelle’s POV
“Are you sure this isn’t too much?” I asked while looking at myself in the mirror. I was wearing a blue dress that ended mid-thigh. It was tight on my torso, then loosens after my waist. It came with a thin black belt, and I still had my locket hanging from my neck.
Jonathan came up from behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist. “Its a ceremony. We’re supposed to be fancy and stuff”
I chuckled and pecked his cheek. “But we’re having a bonfire to celebrate. Isn’t this too fancy for a bonfire?” I questioned.
“You can change after the ceremony” he suggested. I nodded in agreement and went to the closet. Earlier, the girls and I literally just threw my bags in here. I pulled out a pair of blue skinny jeans, a white v-neck, and my combat boots. I placed the clothes on the bed before walking towards Jonathan.
I wrapped my arms around his waist, instantly feeling the tingles. “You look very handsome by the way” I whispered. Jonathan was wearing his normal black t-shirt with dark jeans. I’ve never really seen him dress ‘fancy,’ but I’m pretty sure I’ll see him in a tux soon enough. He probably looks hot in a tux.
“I look sexy in a tux” Jonathan corrected. I rolled my eyes.
“Stay out of my head” I huffed. Jonathan placed a soft kiss on my lips and leaned our foreheads together. “We should probably go. I don’t want to be late for my own ceremony” I said quietly. I started pulling us out the room, but Jonathan tugged on my hand.
He looked nervous. “We have to talk” he stated.
Those are four words no one wants to hear. I froze and slowly turned around. “Talk?” I questioned. “About what?”
“About a few things actually. It can wait till after the ceremony though” he said reassuringly.
That didn’t help with my nervousness. What if something bad happened while I was out with the girls? “Its nothing bad right?” I inquired.
Jonathan gave me a small smile before kissing my forehead. “Its bad news, but it doesn’t affect us right now. Let’s just have fun at the bonfire, and we can talk about it after or tomorrow” he suggested.
I sighed and nodded in agreement. At least I won’t have to worry about it tonight. I pushed the thought to the back of my mind. Jonathan and I made our way out the room hand-in-hand. We made it to the backyard, and all conversation stopped. We walked onto the makeshift stage and Jonathan walked up to the front. I stayed near the back side of the stage as he addressed our pack.
“All of you know that I have met my mate. We have recently completed the mating process” he informed them. Cheers and hoots erupted in the crowd. “But” Jonathan said, making them quiet down again. “She is not a regular she-wolf. Many of you know that my mate is the Queen of werewolves” he paused, letting the information soak in. “I now present to you, your Luna, Queen Annabelle Burke” he said excitedly.
The pack was dead silent; you could hear a pin drop. I slowly walked forward and stood next to Jonathan. Please don’t reject me. I chanted in my head.
I cleared my throat before speaking. “Hi” I croaked. I saw Quinn and Julia in the crowd, they gave me encouraging looks and thumbs up. “I guess I’m your Luna” I mumbled. They all just stared at me, like they didn’t know what to do. The minutes that passed by felt like hours. No one made a peep.
All of a sudden, the whole pack bowed down. I stared at them wide-eyed as they slowly rose back up. “Queen/Luna Annabelle!” Jonathan shouted proudly. Unlike last time, the pack erupted in cheers. A smile spread across my face at the fact they accepted me. “Now it is time for the howling. Everyone is welcome to join us” Jonathan announced.
He took a hold of my hand and guided me into the forest. Our pack members quietly followed behind us. ‘Jonathan’ I whispered in the mind-link.
‘That’s my name’ he stated. I rolled my eyes. ‘Are you okay?’ he asked concerned.
‘Why was the pack like…. frozen?’ I questioned.
From my peripheral vision, I saw him bite his lip to stop himself from laughing. But this wasn’t funny! They were probably having second thoughts. ‘They didn’t know how to react. They wanted to cheer, but they didn’t want to look unprofessional’ Jonathan informed me. ‘They were all going crazy in the pack-link. I had to remind them that you’re Luna as well as Queen’
I nodded in understanding as we came to a stop. We were at a large clearing. The pack easily fit in a perimeter around the land, with the high ranks in the center. I stood next to Jonathan, Daniel and Julia were next to us, and another couple to the other side of us, I’m guessing that it’s Jonathan’s third.
The pack members all shifted at once, ripping their clothes in the process. We all shift by rank during the howling, so the third and third-female were next. Once their paws hit the floor, Daniel and Julia shifted. Julia was a beautiful light blonde, almost white, wolf; Daniel’s wolf was a light brown. Jonathan and I shifted next. My white fur was glowing next to his midnight black wolf. He licked my face causing me to send him a wolfy grin.
Jonathan howled first. Then Daniel and the third; I really have to learn his name. After the ranks howled- minus the females- the whole pack howled. Then it went back up the ranks. The third with his mate, then Daniel and Julia, and finally, Jonathan and I. We both howled, when we finished, we did a final howl with the ranks and the whole pack.
The ceremony was complete.
*****
I stood in Jonathan’s room, wearing my blue skinny jeans, white v-neck, and black combat boots. I lazily put my hair in a bun before walking downstairs. Jonathan was waiting for me at the bottom of the stairs. He wrapped his arm around my waist and buried his face in my neck, inhaling my scent.
“I love you so much” he muttered against my skin. His breath blew against my shoulder, making me shiver.
“I love you too, Alpha White” I whispered. He groaned and pulled me tighter against him. “Come on, we have a bonfire to attend” I said while giggling at his flustered expression.
We made it to the backyard, where there was now a tower of wood. Daniel was pouring gasoline on it. Once the bottle was empty, Jonathan pulled me towards it. He got out a box of matches and pushed it towards me to take it. I slid open the box and pulled out a match.
The pack surrounded us, waiting for me to light the bonfire. I skid the match against the box and it lit on fire. Jonathan smiled at me as I threw the match onto the wood. The pack erupted into cheers and started moving about.
Jonathan pulled my body closer to him and leaned his head down. I barely brushed his lips, teasing him. He groaned and kissed me. My hands instantly wrapped around his neck as he tangled his hand in my hair. I heard someone clearing their throat, but this was too perfect to pull away from. It was just me and my mate.
Suddenly, Jonathan was pulled away from me. Since his hand was in my hair, he pulled my hair. I shrieked and my hand flew up to my head. I rubbed the spot.
Jonathan growled. “You made me hurt her!” he shouted at Daniel, who pulled Jonathan away.
Daniel just rolled his eyes. “There’s kids here. Get a room or something” he scolded us quietly. I flushed red causing Quinn and Julia to laugh at me.
“Maybe we will get a room” Jonathan informed him while winking at me.
“Yeah. Or not” I said pulling the girls away. We went into the kitchen, where a few girls, along with the third’s mate, were cooking.
They looked up at me and bowed. “Your Highness” they muttered.
I awkwardly cleared my throat. “Please don’t refer to me as Queen, or your Highness, or my lady, or whatever else people call Royals” I said with a small smile.
They nodded. “As you wish, Luna” a girl said respectfully.
I fiddled with my hands and made my way closer to them. “Please, just call me Annabelle or Anna. Since I am now Luna, this pack is my family; I will not have my family use formalities with me” I stated with a slightly awkward smile.
“Alright, Annabelle” the third’s mate said. “I’m Tessa; this is Ariel, Lennon, Nadia, and Bea” she named off while pointing at the girls.
“It’s nice to meet you guys” I said honestly. At least I know Tessa’s name now. My phone was vibrating in my pocket, and I excused myself. I walked over to the living room that connected to the kitchen. Thomas’s name was flashing on my phone. “Hello?” I answered.
“Hey, Anna” Thomas greeted me. “I know that you’re busy, but Ford wouldn’t go to sleep without saying goodnight to you” he said.
I laughed. “Put him on the phone” I heard rustling as Thomas gave Ford his phone.
“Eeeeeeeve” Ford said while dragging out the ‘e.’
A smile made its way on my face. “Hey, baby. Its bedtime; you’re supposed to be sleeping” I told him.
“But I wanted to talk to you” he whispered. “I miss you” he sniffled, informing me that he’s crying.
“I miss you too, sweetie. But remember what I said. Its only for a few days, Jonathan and I will be back soon” I assured him.
There was a pause before Ford spoke. “Okay” he said quietly. He sounds so sad. I hate it. I feel like I need to be with him all the time. I don’t want him to get lonely, and I want to spend as much time with him as possible. I almost lost him once, and I’ll do everything in my power to make sure I don’t lose him.
I sighed. “Go to bed now; and I’ll talk to you tomorrow. I love you”
“I love you too” he said before hanging up. I slid my phone back into my pocket and ran my hand down my face. I noticed that it was really quiet.
I turned around and saw that all the girls were staring at me. “Uh… Why are you guys looking at me?” I asked uncomfortable. They all looked at each other, then back at me. No one said anything. “So?” I said slowly.
Quinn sighed and stepped forward. “You have a kid” she whispered.
“What?” I asked.
“A kid. You have a kid” Tessa stated.
A kid? I shook my head. “I don’t have a kid”
Julia nodded. “You don’t have to lie” The rest of the girls nodded in agreement.
“I don’t have a kid”
“Does Jonathan know?” Ariel questioned.
I sighed. “I don’t have a kid” I insisted.
“We just heard you on the phone” Bea informed me.
“I don’t have a kid!” I shouted frustrated.
“Who has a kid?” Daniel asked. I turned and saw Jonathan and him walking in from the back door.
I face palmed. “No one has a kid” I muttered.
“I think Jonathan and Anna should talk” Quinn announced.
This was getting really annoying. I ran my hand through my hair and stood in front of the door, blocking the girls’ way. “Jonathan and I don’t have to ‘talk.’ I. Do. Not. Have. A. Kid” I stated.
“Bu-”
“I was talking to Ford” I said, cutting off Tessa. “Ford is my little brother, not my son” I explained.
A chorus of ‘oh’s sounded around the room, followed by several apologies from the girls. “We shouldn’t have jumped to conclusions” Ariel said quickly.
“It’s fine, really. You didn’t know” I said with a shrug. The girls nodded, and continued to walk out. Julia, Daniel, Jonathan, and Quinn stayed behind.
“So….” Daniel said, breaking the awkward silence. “You don’t have a kid?” he asked.
I laughed. “I don’t have a kid. It was just a misunderstanding”
“Babe. Can we talk?” Jonathan whispered. “About the thing I told you about earlier” he added. Oh yeah. The bad news that I wouldn’t have to worry about til the future. I nodded. “Daniel, bring Dr. Young to my office please” he said.
Daniel nodded and kissed Julia before leaving. Julia and Quinn started a conversations as Jonathan and I walked to his office. It had a big wooden desk, a few shelves, a couch, and a few other seats. It was a standard Alpha’s office. The last time I was here, was when I met Gabriella in person.
I slowly made my way over to the couch and sat down. Jonathan followed after me and grabbed my hand, fiddling with my fingers until Daniel came back. A familiar man came in after Daniel. “Hey! You’re the doctor that came when I was with Ian!” I exclaimed, not-so-professionally. I sheepishly smiled at the man.
“Alpha. Your Highness” Dr. Young greeted us.
“Please, just call me-”
“He won’t” Jonathan cut me off. “He hasn’t stopped calling me ‘Alpha.’ And arguing won’t stop him” Jonathan informed me.
I nodded. “Well, then I just ask that you call me ‘Luna,’ if you insist on formalities. You are part of my pack, I wish you would call me by my name, but if anything, just ‘Luna” I rambled.
Dr. Young chuckled. “Alright, Luna. I suppose Jonathan has told you what this is about?” he asked.
I shook my head. Jonathan was extremely vague. “He just said that it was bad news”
The doctor nodded. Daniel began to walk out the room, but Jonathan stopped him. “You can stay. As long as Anna doesn’t mind” he said looking at me for confirmation.
“I don’t mind” I said slowly. Why are they acting weird?
After Daniel sat back down, Dr. Young started talking. “We know about the message”
“What message?” I questioned.
Dr. Young pulled out a small notebook from his back pocket and handed it to me. “There is a bookmark” he stated.
I opened the leather book and saw the message. It was the same one that the Moon Goddess gave me. The one that was extremely cryptic and confusing. “Where did you get this?” I asked Dr. Young.
“The Moon Goddess visited me. She wanted me to pass the message along to Jonathan”
I nodded. “Why? This doesn’t make any sense” I said holding up the book.
Jonathan shook his head at me and grabbed the book. “Look at the first letters” he said while covering part of the words. “It spells ‘your child” he informed me.
I stared at the page. It’s an acronym. “What does it mean?” I asked quietly.
Jonathan sighed. “When I came back here, a few days ago” he started. “A witch was here. He cast some spell- wait. No. It was the same spell that was cast on you. When the rogues came, they brought a witch” he said.
I nodded. “I remember. It wasn’t English though” I stated.
“Dát vám moc” Dr. Young said. “It means ‘give you power’”
I scrunched my eyebrows together. “A witch gave us power?”
Jonathan shook his head. “Not us. Our child”
“What does this have to do with the message?!” I asked exasperated.
Dr. Young sighed. “I believe that your child is the ‘he’ in the message. That your child will be in danger”