Alpha Adryan
fifty five

Darkness enveloped the daylight by the time Adryan had returned to the packhouse along with Brian, Nathan, and the warriors that accompanied them to the Eclipse pack. Arther had volunteered to stay back and guard until they came back. Jade had been waiting for hours, she would help the Omegas with pack chores, other times she would pace back and forth worrying, thinking that the rogues might have come back and attacked them.

She was relieved when she saw Adryan, her eyes checking for cuts and scratches but coming up empty, the only thing that seemed out of place was his hair, which seemed to stick in all directions as if he had run his hands through them multiple times.

Jade's eyes stray away from Adryan to the small group of seven people that stood in between the warriors. She felt a lump in her throat as she took in their appearance, all of them looked like they had been dragged to hell and back, with their clothes tattered in places, hanging by a loose thread in places, blood covering their clothes and limbs. The group consisted of three men and three women along with a toddler that seemed to be around three. Wariness and fear were evident in their eyes as they looked around.

She could understand their situation completely, as she was in their exact position three years ago. She was a bit content with the fact that they had each other, unlike her, who had no one at the time.

As the group warily followed Adryan, Jade takes slow steps towards them, she greets them and helps them to the pack house where the guest rooms were arranged for them to stay. At first, they varied to follow her, but basking in her comforting and kind aura, they gave in Jade had just shown the wolves to their room, giving them a small tour of the room they were going to stay in. She'd ensured them that they were safe in the Blood Moon Pack and didn't have to fear rogues.

As she walked into the kitchen, she had spotted Adryan sitting on one of the stools, going to stand behind him, she rubs her arms up and down his back, causing his tensed back muscles to let loose as he basked in his mates presence, inhaling in her intoxicating scent. Grabbing his soft hands in his, he moves her forward, so that she was standing beside his seated position. He brings her down further so that now she was seated on his lap.

His actions caused redness to spread on her cheeks.

She feels his fingers moving away the stray pieces of hair that hung before her eyes like a curtain shielding her eyes from his. Ocean blue eyes stared into the emerald green with so much intensity.

Adryan moves his face closer to hers, resting his forehead on hers, their breaths mingling together as tingles spread through both of their skin like a sky lighting up with fireworks.

Silence fills the room. Calmness and warmth surrounded their bodies. Jade stacked the books in their original position, clearing them off the table. Dusting and wiping everything off.

Jade was in Adryan's home office, looking around she admired her work. Jade had learned that Adryan hated the maids or anyone in particular touching and moving his things from their original place, So Jade had taken it upon herself to clean his office which had started to collect dust.

Her eyes skim over the contents that lay on top of the desk, her eyes stopping on the photo frame that was placed face down on the desk as if Adryan didn't want to stare at it but also didn't want to discard it off. Her hands slowly drift towards the photo frame, gently grasping it in her hands, she turns it to face the front.

Her eyes take in the picture before her. She sucks in a sharp breath, staring at the three people on it. Two pairs of ocean-blue eyes and a pair of hazel eyes stared back at her.

The woman in the picture had a familiar pair of ocean blue eyes, she was beautiful with her midnight black her that made her eyes stand out like two glittering gems of blue. Both of her hands were placed on the shoulders of two boys that looked to be about the same age, maybe around seven. One of them had ocean blue eyes just like the woman, with midnight black hair just like hers, it didn't take a genius to figure out that she was his mother. Meanwhile, the other boy's features were different from the mother and son duo, with hazel green eyes and brown hair with light highlights. They looked happy, both the boys with their arms thrown over each other's shoulders as they grinned at the camera with their lips curved up with genuine happiness and innocence of childhood. She wasn't stupid, she knew that the boy with the blue eyes was Adryan and the woman was the former Luna of the pack, and Adryan's mother, whom Jade had never met.

Right when she was about to place the photo in its original position, the door to the office clicks open, and Adryan enters but pauses when he sees Jade, next his eyes move towards the photo frame in her hands, and a strange emotion flashes in his eyes but it's gone in a flash that Jade thought she might have imagined it.

"What are you doing here?" He asks as he moves to sit behind his table, she could feel his body heat as he now sat next to where she stood, he turns his head so that he was looking at her now.

"I thought I'd clean your office, it was getting dusty in here,” she says, her eyes taking in the now clean office, Adryan nods his head at her words.

There was silence as both of them remained quiet, with Jade lost in her thoughts and Adryan's focus on his alpha duties as he typed away on his laptop, while looking at some papers.

"Can I ask you something?" Jade asks, breaking the silence, she unconsciously nibbles on her lips, she had been curious about his family, but there never came an opportunity or better timing for her to ask him about the matter, until now.

"Hmm?" he hums, asking her to go ahead and ask what she wanted to ask him

"What happened to the former Luna of the pack?" as soon as the words leave her lips, she noticed the visible changes in his posture, how his jaw suddenly started ticking, or how his hold on the papers seem to tighten to the point where it started to get wrinkles, most of all what she noticed was how he stiffened the moment she mentioned his mother. She comes to the conclusion that she had hit a tough spot.

So she tried to dismiss off her question, and apologise for crossing boundaries she hadn't expected him to capture one of her hands in his drag her close to him, and make her sit on his lap like it was nothing. Jade blinked her emerald green eyes at his actions, as her brain seemed to take a while to process his actions, her cheeks reddening with embarrassment.

One of his arms wrapped around her waist, while the other moved forwards to clutch the photo frame in his hands. Staring at the photo in front of him, while Jade fixed her gaze on his face, taking in his facial expression as he stared at the photo in deep thought. As if reminiscing about something.

"She was too good for my father” Adryan suddenly speaks up, breaking the silence that had once again enveloped the room. Jade was shocked initially at his words but schooled her features initially. "My mother was kind and beautiful. Everything you would expect from a Luna. Everyone in the pack loved and respected her. At first everyone was shocked seeing how such a kind and selfless she-wolf would be mated to the cruel and heartless Alpha of the pack, Andreas Romano. The previous Alpha belonged to a long line of Alpha males, who believed in the traditional way. The way where female wolves were considered inferior compared to the males. Even Luna didn't have equal power as the Alpha did. If they tried to fight their mates, they were punished severely and flogged in front of the whole pack to make an example out of them. It was a dark time for the pack. Harsh punishments were served even for the smallest of mistakes. Men, young teenagers, even pups of the mere age of five were forced to train.” Adryan paused, a dark emotion taking up his features. One of Jade's hands move to caress his own that was wrapped around her waist, soothingly. It didn't go past Jade, how Adryan didn't refer to the former Alpha as father.

"He treated her like trash. Abusing her, beating down her already fragile body until she couldn't even lift up a finger. He made me watch him hurting her, and if I refused or did something to disappoint him, he would try to hurt me, but she would always protect me. What was worse was the fact that she still loved him. She loved him till her last breath and I hated her for it. How could she love someone who doesn't think twice about causing her pain. I was afraid that I would end up just like him, I thought it was better to be alone forever than have a mate and make her suffer. I thought I could let you go, but I was so wrong" his voice laced with emotion towards the end of the sentence. He releases his hold on the photo frame, bringing both of his arms to wrap it around her waist, Jade turns herself on his lap, so that she was facing him. She wraps her arms around his neck, as he buries his face in her neck, inhaling her intoxicating scent.

She feels light dampness around her neck, instead of voicing out her worries she tightens her hold on him

"I'm leaving in two days" he breaks the silence around them, his face still buried in her neck.

"Why?" She asks, her head still leaning on his shoulder.

"We've decided to approach the Elders. Whatever is happening, if we didn't deal with it soon everything would end up in chaos," his voice slightly muffled.

"We? Are you sure about approaching the Elders?" she asks, leaning back to look into his eyes that stared back at hers, now that he had moved back from his earlier position.

"Yes. Alpha Lycus Angelo of The Lupine Night Crawlers Pack and Alpha Leander Moss of The Onyx Ridge Pack are to join me."

Jade stares at him for a few moments, and her next words cause his heart to race.

"Whatever decision you take, I'll stand by you" she whispers.

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