Capítulo 45

"Um... May we join you?"

Phoebe looked up to see a trio of Lunas cautiously approach while she spoke to Koko. She smiled warmly, "Of course."

Koko introduced the three Lunas, as she was well-acquainted with them. They all came from mid-ranking packs, "This is Luna Arin from Tumbleweed Pack, Luna Kimi from Mountain Keep, and Luna Sashi from Meridian."

Perhaps expected from Lunas from smaller packs, they were all on the shorter side, petite like Phoebe. Sashi was also rather plump, and she gave off a gentle, calm aura.

The trio of Lunas joined them in the water. They were nervous about meeting a Luna of such a large pack, but seeing how easily Phoebe accepted Koko's presence gave them the courage to introduce themselves. The pup in Phoebe's arms soon found several more eager to cuddle with him as he splashed.

"..Excuse me."

Phoebe looked over her shoulder to see the young she-wolf from the dining hall along with two others. Judging by how they stuck together, they were clearly acquainted. All three were dressed in bikinis; one also wore a sarong. Phoebe wasn't much into trends, but she would consider them fashionable young she-wolves, not that she was any expert on fashion. "Yes?" Phoebe prompted when they remained silent.

"We were just wondering when it would be our turn," the first said.

"Your turn? I'm not sure I understand," Phoebe said, genuinely confused. The pool was open to everyone, though with the Luna Luncheon scheduled around it, most of the rest of the pack elected other distractions for the day, with the exception of the daycare and her guards.

"Well... when is everyone else going to leave?" the she-wolf glanced at the other young wolves splashing and having fun.

"They'll be here for a while," Phoebe said, still confused. "Don't be shy. You're welcome to join them."

"But... they're unranked," the young she-wolf finally said.

"That's right," another seconded, "in our packs, unranked wolves are restricted to certain swim times."

"And if you decide to throw a pool party during that time, they can't swim at all for the day," Phoebe surmised. She didn't need their confirmation. "And do you think regulating them like that fosters loyalty and pack unity?"

The three she-wolves looked at each other in confusion.

"Let me put it a different way," Phoebe sighed; "if a lower-ranked member of your pack and you are alone in the woods and suddenly find yourselves attacked by rogues, do you think that pack member would stand and fight with you or would they run and save themselves? Keep in mind, this pack member may be one you have bullied and degraded because they were powerless to stop you. A pack member you probably don't even know by name. Do you think they would do anything to protect you, their tormentor? Do you think pack bonds are strong enough to save you when you have done nothing to strengthen them?"

The three she-wolves stared at her in shock. They had been raised as Alpha daughters and taught the pack was subservient to them. It never occurred to them that the pack would not support them wholeheartedly.

"They would get in trouble for abandoning us," one said.

"Maybe," Phoebe allowed, "but who would tell anyone the truth of what happened after you were gone? Besides, lower-ranked wolves are weaker and rarely trained. Would they really be punished?" The young trio shared uncertain looks.

"And what if your fated mate ends up being one of those unranked wolves you've looked down on all your life?" Phoebe asked. "It's not unheard of; after all, I myself was unranked until Jason found me. It's not easy for Alphas to find their fated mates; perhaps that's because they are looking in the wrong place."

Again, the trio gave each other tentative looks. They had always assumed they would find their fated mates among the ranked members of the pack: Alpha, Beta, Gamma, but...

"That's probably why so many Alphas resort to taking chosen mates," Phoebe said. "It also explains why the birthrate among ranked pack members has fallen."

"What do you mean?" one of the trio asked.

"It's no secret. Fertility rates between chosen mates is far below that of fated ones. With a chosen mate, you might only have one or two pups, while with a fated mate, you can easily double that. Which explains why all of you are only children."

"H-how did you know that!" one of the she-wolves stuttered.

"Wolves recognize their own," Phoebe smiled.

"You mean you're..."

"Yes. I'm an only child too. My parents were fated mates, but they met much later in life since they were from different packs. But as far as your parents are concerned... they are most certainly chosen mates. In fact, I'm certain at least one of them rejected their fated mate."

Lucille suddenly snorted in laughter, drawing their attention. With a smirk, she explained, "Given I grew up with their parents, I can confirm everything you just said."

The trio of she-wolves stared at her in shock.

"Oh, the stories I could tell you... but I don't think I will. So much more fun to let you wonder."

The trio shared worried looks. Their parents always told them how magical meeting their fated mate would be, but now... Their parents weren't fated mates at all. Even worse, one of them had rejected their fated mate, the one wolf they were meant to love and cherish. If that was the case, how could their parents know anything about fated mates?

"H-how did you know that about our parents?" one finally asked Phoebe.

"If you know what to look for, it's easy to tell chosen mates from fated ones," Phoebe said, though she doubted their parents would even think to explain it. "Fated mates find it difficult to be apart, and when they sit next to each other, they are always touching. They can't ignore each other like chosen mates sometimes do. This would be even more obvious if one of the pair rejected their fated mate. Their wolf would resent the chosen mate."

They wanted to argue that she was wrong, but they could tell by her sincerity she was not. It might be the first time an adult was completely honest with them. They could feel it. Their wolves, not yet awakened, stirred. Quietly thanking her, they circled to the far end of the pool and claimed some lounge chairs. Phoebe watched them for a moment before turning her attention to her other guests.

"How did you really know all of that?" Sashi asked. "Did you, Lucille, tell you?"

Phoebe shook her head. There had been no need to consult her mother or sister-in-law. The truth was obvious, but something else bothered her, though she hesitated to say it out loud. Rejections were supposedly rare, but she had already met so many rejected wolves. It made her wonder if the difficulty for Alphas to find their fated mates was indeed punishment from the Moon Goddess for rejecting her gifts.

'Punishment is not the Goddess's way,' Máni said. 'However, a mother always teaches her children lessons, and some of those lessons are harder than others!'

"I have to say," Arin changed the subject after an awkward silence, "I thought you played and sang beautifully."

"And Arin should know," Kimi seconded. "She has a wonderful voice!"

"Perhaps we should play something together," Phoebe suggested.

"Now that's an idea!" Lucille exclaimed. "Phoebe on the piano, Koko on the guitar, and Arin for the vocals. All you need is a drummer and you have a band. We'll call you the Lunas!"

They laughed lightly at her good-natured joke. The Lunas were, of course, familiar with Lucille. Before Phoebe arrived, she had been Blue Moon's ranking female and often accompanied her brother when the presence of a she-wolf was required. At such meetings, they never approached her, thinking she was standoffish. Now they realized her attitude was because she didn't want to deal with the other high-ranking she-wolves.

"Sounds like everyone is having fun," a deep voice interrupted.

Phoebe stood immediately, stepping out of the pool to greet the newcomer. A thick robe was quickly wrapped around her as his strong arms pulled her close. Jason breathed in her scent, pleased to see she was enjoying herself. What he didn't like was the leering stares she received from some of the Alphas. Lobo was practically clawing his way out, trying to get to their mate and reestablish their claim. Their mate was gorgeous. Jason's hands rested on her hips, pulling her close to him, unconcerned with the fact she was still wet from the pool! Her scent filled his nose and he felt immediately at ease.

"I take it the meeting went well?" Phoebe chuckled.

"Fine," Jason sighed. "We have a contract with Harvest Moon and Peace River."

He buried his nose in the nape of her neck near her mark and breathed deep, smelling his scent mixed with her own. She was his. She would always be his. Phoebe chuckled as he pulled her against him, nibbling her ear.

From across the pool, three young she-wolves watched as the other Alphas returned. Some, like Jason, immediately went to their Lunas to hug and kiss their mates in greeting. Others merely nodded if they acknowledged their mates at all. Just as Phoebe told them, it was not difficult to tell fated mates from chosen ones once you knew what to look for.

"So the meeting with Reed went well."

"He'll be along shortly. He's still talking to Atticus."

"My Atticus?" Koko asked, overhearing.

Jason looked up, smiling at the other Luna, "That's right. Reed always makes it a point to visit packs he has contracts with."

"Contracts?" Koko repeated.

"Aside from the contract the three of us made, Reed is interested in other herbs your pack produces."

Koko struggled to keep a straight face. For years her pack struggled to make connections in order to sell their herbs. She never imagined they would make a connection to the longest medically specialized pack on the continent. Kimi, Arin, and Sashi congratulated her softly. They were also from smaller packs, so all rooted for each other as they struggled to stand among the larger packs. Before they could say more, a feral voice thundered through the gathering, "WHERE IS HE!"