They were sitting having dinner, when Mala saw Preston coming, he stopped next to their table “Ida.” The girl did look up at him and he smiled right down at her, held out a single flower to her. Twirled it a little “I picked this for you.” He said gently.
Mala saw Ida reach out and take it, “Thank you.” She replied.
Mala saw the man’s smile broaden and then he just walked away and sat down with his unit at another table to eat. Mala looked at her questioningly, but Ida said nothing, just sat with the flower in front of her. Picked it up when they left the dining room and took it with her.
This became the norm every time they sat down for a meal. Preston would walk over and just twirl a single flower at Ida, give it to Ida. Three days now this had been going on, there was a vase full of flowers in her room now.
All of them were different, all wild flowers or from someone’s garden around the pack, not once did he try to get Ida alone or pressure her. Mala noted the entire pack was watching them. Including Alpha Aston. Preston just smiled at her and brought her flowers and Ida always accepted them. It was actually kind of really cute, even Mala could tell the man was smitten with Ida.
Ida’s 18th birthday finally arrived and when they stepped out of Mala’s room there was a full bouquet of flowers on the ground outside the door. Saw Ida smile and pick it up. Looked down the hall and there was a trail of flowers one every two meters or so. Mala followed Ida as she walked along and collected them one by one.
All the way down the stairs to the ground floor. Preston was pulling out all the stops. He stood in the foyer dressed immaculately in a blue suit and the place looked like a florist shop. A dozen vases filled with flowers all laid out in a heart shape on the floor in front of him and smaller vases on either side of the stairs going down from the first floor to the ground floor.
He stood smiling right at her “Happy birthday Ida.” He said. Was standing holding just a single white daisy in his hands. It had a deep purple centre. Even Mala couldn’t help but to smile when Ida’s hand moved to her mouth, and she teared up. Before running over to him. Watched as Preston just opened his arms for her.
Mala leaned on that first floor landing railing and smiled “That’s how it should always be.” She murmured to herself. Felt pain touch her chest a little, for what she had not gotten. Watched on as did so many others all in the foyer waiting on what was going to happen.
Watched the two of them stand there and kiss each other, Ida was going to accept him when the full moon set tomorrow. It seemed that just one little misunderstanding could ruin everything in one’s life.
Preston had patience in spades, it seemed. Though over the course of the days he had made Mala wonder about all those individual flowers he gave to Ida. likely something that was just between the two of them. He’d twirled every single one at her when presenting it to her.
Mala allowed him and his unit to sit at their table for breakfast with Ida, seeing as she knew they were going to be just fine, it was clear to everyone. It was nice to see a bond work out after being nearly destroyed. Most of the pack had been watching on, it was likely, she as well as them had never seen this. A she-wolf turned rogue re-accepting her lover, it was very sweet and she could actually see more than a few smiling about it. Likely hope for all them she thought.
Mala had even seen Aston standing in his office doorway watching on, this morning. She knew that Preston couldn’t have gone up to their floor and laid out flowers without Aston's permission, obviously their Alpha had granted it, he saw what everyone else saw, how much Preston did love Ida.
Alpha Aston came and sat himself at their table as well. “All’s well I see.” He smiled at Ida, and she nodded at him “I guess tomorrow you’ll be leaving us, young lady. As a Luna no less.”
Saw Ida blush and nod her head again “Yes, Alpha.”
“Ah, it’s good to see, that some Alphas can get it right.” He chuckled.
“If I may ask a question, Alpha Aston?” it was Preston.
“Go ahead son. I’m in a good mood today.”
“Which fool of an Alpha, rejected Mala?” Preston asked him, he sounded quite curious, and Mala found his whole unit looking at her.
Mala nearly sighed out loud, why was it everyone was so interested in her and her past, it was over a long time ago, done and dusted, didn’t need to be brought up.
“That would be the Alpha to the Glimmering Moon Pack.” Aston answered him, when Mala said nothing at all.
She frowned at her own Alpha, she’d not intended to answer the question at all, he would know this surely.
“You mean, Alpha Hudson Black?”
“You know him?” Aston asked in return.
“Of him, not in person. Most do nowadays. The council yanked him from his position as Alpha to his pack a few years ago now. Sent him off to do military service with the royal army, in the royal kingdom. Reinstated his father to run the pack, until he’s allowed to return.”
That got Mala’s undivided attention. “What for and when was that?” she asked, her curiosity fully peaked by the man’s words.
“Um, it was about two years ago now. No-one really knows why. There are a lot of rumours.”
“Rumours?” She questioned and two years ago she thought, that was after she’d told Hudson’s grandfather to go and ask him, what he’d done to her. Maybe the man had done just that.
“The most common rumour, is he was used as an example to other Alpha Wolves, got what?” Preston looked at his Beta. “How many years of service was it?”
“Four years, I believe.” His Beta answered.
“Made an example of, for what exactly?”
“You’d have to ask the council, I’m sure it’ll be on record somewhere, if you care to look it up. I also heard the Beta had to go with him, punished as well, I believe. I don’t know what they did, but serving in the royal army…not a fun thing, fighting vamps mostly. He might not come back at all.”
“I’m not that lucky.” Mala shook her head. “His grandfather is on the council, will likely protect him the whole time. Likely got some prissy desk job, not on the front line.”
“It doesn’t work like that Mala, ‘Preston shook his head “my uncle is a war general he spent 30 years doing military service, once you’re there. That’s it you’re a grunt no ranks out on the front line, you do as your told by the war generals and everyone fights.”
Interesting she thought, “Four years?”
“Pretty sure that’s correct.” The Beta answered “You, worried he’ll be coming for you after service.”
She wasn’t worried. Bloody knew it was going to happen, what with that council wanting her Mated off and his grandfather trying to talk her into giving Hudson another chance, frowned at the thought of it. “I don’t care if he does. It’s not going to happen.”
Heard her own Alpha sigh heavily and looked right at him “I’ll take a chosen Mate, Alpha, if I have to. To keep that asshole away from me.”
Saw him simply nod his head “I’ll let you, Mala.”
She was grateful to hear that, though even finding a chosen Mate would be difficult, she still didn’t want to leave the pack, if Ben hadn’t found Bella, he’d have been her first pick if the day arrived, and she needed to choose. ‘Guess we’d better start looking Suki.’ She sighed to her wolf.
‘Two years is a long time Mala, he might not even come.’ Suki stated right back.
‘Do you really believe that?’
Got nothing from Suki, all they could do was wait it out, guess time would tell.
Everyone in the pack got to see Ida and Preston claim each other the next night as the moon set and Ida scented Prestion out as her Mate. Alpha Aston even put on a big barbeque and he and his unit cooked up a storm, there was dinner and dancing, and it was a very lively night within the pack. Saw the two of them standing there dancing with each other, Ida was leaning into Preston and even the pack Gamma looked on happy, likely could feel how happy his future Luna was.
The last few days were good for the pack, most of the she-wolves were happy if not a little surprised to see how Preston had been with Ida, they also thought it was very sweet. Showed them that Mates could be a good thing, even if there had been trouble brewing and heartache to go along with it.
Mala even heard a couple of them talk about maybe it wasn’t such a bad thing to find another Mate. Smiled to herself, that was a good thing she thought. Though she was still happy herself not having one, it was nice to hear that the pack members were starting to think more on the subject and leaning towards it. Knew Aston had to be happy about that.
Everyone got to see them off out of pack territory and wish them well. Ida looked so very happy, Mated to the future Alpha of her pack, already had an heir on the way, and their misunderstanding all cleared up and sorted out. Her sister had not betrayed her either. Life would be good for Ida and Preston; they all saw how much he loved her.
Life went back to normal inside their pack for a year. Then the council showed up once more. Seems three years had exhausted all the available unmated Alpha’s and their Units. Now The Hollowed Moon Pack had to hold its own Mating Balls as per the normal wolfen society rules.
They were allied to four packs now and only had to send invites to their allied packs, so it was no big deal really, she’d been in all four of those packs, there was no Mate there for her. But it would be nice to go and visit Netty and Peta, and if she opted not to go, could stay here with Ben and hold down the fort while the Alpha and his Unit were off in another pack. That was their job.
Though she imagined little Benny junior would be trailing him around, Bella had given him a son and Ben doted on not just his Mate but his boy too. He was a cute little red-haired kid just like his mum, ran about all over the place, a rambunctious little tike he was.
Bella insisted on a creche being built and Aston had agreed. There weren’t many kids yet, but with Mating balls coming, there soon would be. Their Alpha had put a stipulation on every 2nd mating ball, that any males willing to attend their pack for a ball had to be willing to move here to the Hollowed Moon Pack.
He was trying to keep his female pack members happy as well as trying to even out the numbers inside the pack. This information made quite a few of the women giggle.
But it did work, Aston sent invites to unaffiliated packs as well, he was actively trying to be a fully realised packs Alpha. They lost a few she-wolves to other packs and gained quite a few males for themselves. Mala and Suki spent most of their time on border patrol away from the unmated wolves and mating balls.
Aston found himself allied to a few more packs and therefore could send wolves to mating balls in those new packs too. Life moved on smoothly and the pack finally started gaining more mated pairs, and family’s were starting to become the normal thing. It was really nice to see.
Ben had been right. In the past year, nearly 30 babies had been born and most of them boys. Ben had laughed and said,"guess the goddess knows what we need." Bella was really happy she had a creche full of babies to keep her occupied all day with Ben off training. Bella and Ben were working on their second child, just a few months away, another boy, it seemed, and Bella had named him already Bellamy.
She had told Mala any and all children she would have would be getting her or Ben's name in their name. Ben had shaken his head, but stated Bella could name all their children. He was happy for her to do that.