Chapter 51

"I'm telling you, it was strange," Lucille shook her head. "I mean, Phoebe is so gentle and unassuming, but to hear her, it was like she was someone else." She perched on Ben's lap while they sat in Jason's office.

After the sparring match between William and Lily's first mate, training was rather benign. Jason sat at his desk trying to work, but his expression was pensive, and Lucille's recount of their spa day was distracting. Luke leaned against the desk listening to her. "Was it her wolf?" Luke suddenly asked.

Phoebe's wolf remained as enigmatic as ever. Her former pack had been convinced she was wolfless, though Jason had immediately felt its presence. Even Luke sensed it with little difficulty. There were, of course, instances of wolf spirits withdrawing after a rejection, but that didn't explain why they hadn't known about her wolf before that. Even if Phoebe was a late bloomer, her wolf would have emerged prior to her rejection.

Since arriving at Blue Moon, it had become far easier for them to feel her wolf's aura, though it remained largely quiet. Yet her eyes shimmered silver often, and Jason was convinced it was her wolf coming forward. They were all of the same opinion. What made it difficult was that Phoebe's aura didn't seem to change at all.

Usually, when a wolf spirit came forward, their presence and aura shifted, allowing all to feel it. However, in Phoebe's case, there was no such shift... at least not unless she was angry, as she had been at breakfast. They all felt her aura when she confronted the young Alpha and his warrior escort. Yet those instances were few and far between.

Phoebe's presence was usually far more subtle, but there was no denying her influence. In-fighting and disagreements between pack members had decreased, and a new sense of unity grew. The warriors increased the intensity and frequency of their training on their own. In fact, every member of the pack was performing their tasks with optimal efficiency and taking initiative to improve them. Everyone seemed to want to impress their Luna with their work.

"Do you think there is something wrong with her wolf?" Lucille asked. "I mean, is it like sick? Is that even possible?"

"Not necessarily," Luke said after a moment. "You said her eyes were silver, but you didn't feel her aura, right?"

"Right."

"Mona says that is a sign that a wolf is so in tune with their spirit that it is virtually impossible to tell one from the other."

"What does that mean?" Lucille asked. It seemed strange to think a person and their wolf spirit could simply switch places on a whim and no one would notice.

Luke sighed, trying to recall how Mona explained it to him. "Think of you and your wolf as singing the same song. You are the melody and your wolf is the harmony. The more in tune you are with each other, the more blended the song becomes."

"Sure," Lucille shrugged. She was tone-deaf, so musical analogies didn't really mean much to her.

"That's why Alphas usually awaken early," Luke said. "It allows their souls to more closely sync with their wolves."

"Right, everyone knows that," Lucille rolled her eyes.

"Right, but they can sync so closely that they are truly one mind," Luke said. "There is no disconnect at all between them and their wolves. They are one."

"Really?" Lucille asked. She and her wolf argued all the time. Sometimes her wolf nagged her worse than her own mother.

"Jason is a prime example," Luke nodded to him. "He and his wolf are so in-sync sometimes you wouldn't know his wolf has come forward if you didn't notice his eyes change."

"That's true," Ben agreed. "It's almost uncanny."

"And you think Phoebe is the same?" Lucille asked.

"Actually, I think she's even more in-sync than Jason," Luke said. "There is almost no difference between her and her wolf."

"...So is that good or bad?" Lucille asked.

"Neither," Luke shrugged. "It's just a fact. It explains why she's so influential without actively expressing her aura. But it also means we won't always be able to sense when her wolf is exerting its influence."

"Well, that's kind of disconcerting," Lucille said. Normally, when one's wolf came forward, there was a shift which allowed them to prepare and raise their own guard. Their own wolf would come forward in response. If the only sign that Phoebe's wolf was present was a change in her eyes, then they would be continually blindsided, like today.

"Maybe, but it is fun to watch," Luke chuckled.

Jason softly growled.

"Relax Jace," Luke smirked. "You saw the way she handled that young Alpha and all those Lunas. Name one other Luna who could do that... and with such poise, too."

Jason smiled, and he felt Lobo swell and be proud. He never once doubted the Goddess when it came to his fated mate. From the moment he saw Phoebe, scented her, she took his breath away. And every day she amazed him more. 'Yes! Mate is amazing!' Lobo practically howled.

"It's so cute the way he smiles when he thinks about her," Lucille teased.

Jason immediately frowned, but he couldn't hold the expression as his cheeks warmed. He couldn't deny it. Phoebe was his everything. There was nothing he wouldn't do for her.

"And the other Alphas sense it, too," Ben agreed. "You definitely have them intimidated."

"Me?" Jason asked. "I haven't done anything."

"You don't need to," Luke said. "You might not have noticed, but we certainly have. Your aura is off the charts."

"But I haven't even used it."

"Not actively, no," Ben said. "It's like the ebb and flow of a tide. When you enter the room, the tide rises. If you actually pushed it out, it would be like a tidal wave, and some of those Alphas would definitely drown. Reed felt it when you greeted him. He's not one that's easily frazzled."

"Will didn't treat me any different."

"Of course not, he's a close friend," Luke scoffed. "Why should he? Like us, he's built up some immunity to you."

"The rest of the pack seems fine."

"Naturally," Ben nodded. "You are their Alpha. Your aura is like a blanket. The stronger and more enveloping it becomes, the more safe and secure they feel."

"And you two?"

"We're your Beta and Gamma, and we've been your friends for years," Luke shrugged.

"So what now?" Lucille asked. As Jason's sister and also possessing Alpha blood, she had a natural resistance to her brother's aura, so she hadn't noticed.

"Nothing we can do," Ben said. "This is just what happens once an Alpha of Jason's status is mated. But we should watch out for the royal family."

"Why?" Lucille asked.

"Because even before Jason was mated, his aura rivaled the king's," Luke explained. "And he definitely outshined both of the princes. The king has always been wary of him. The only reason the king never acted against him was because of the princess and the possibility Jason would take her as a mate."

Jason growled, unable to contain his disgust. Almost as long as Katrina pursued him, Princess Selena had been an equal nuisance. Every gathering the royal family hosted meant he had to endure her company, all because of his unmated status.

"What's she got to do with anything?" Lucille wrinkled her nose. The princess was insufferable, but it wasn't as if she held any real power.

"It's no secret she's had her eye on Jason," Ben said. "If they did mate and mark each other, Jason would become a member of the royal family and the king wouldn't have to worry about him."

"I would never touch her," Jason sneered.

"That may be, but you know how greedy the royal family is, especially when it comes to power," Luke said.

Jason sighed. That much was true. Millennia ago, when werewolves first emerged from their predecessors' shadows and formed the original six packs, they decided to follow the Lycan tradition of a royal family to centralize their politics. The same family had been sitting on the throne for generations, but their influence had waned, especially after several packs migrated across the ocean.

Outside the royals' sphere of authority, Blue Moon, Blood Moon, and Harvest Moon packs created and maintained their own alliances, with Blue Moon gaining a decisive edge over the decades. The royal family had only moved their seat of power recently and now occupied territory in Manitoba. However, they did not gain back their influence as they hoped.

Jason had little interest in the royal family's politics and certainly no desire to openly rebel against them. He maintained a neutral status, but it was clear to everyone that it was only a concession on his part. The royal family would find itself in quite a dangerous position if they made him their enemy.

"I didn't see any royal family here," Ben said. "Did we even invite them?"

"No," Jason said. "It's not required, and I certainly didn't want their drama to taint Phoebe's ceremony."

The others nodded. Technically, it was considered courtesy to invite the royal family to important events, but certainly not a requirement. Many invited them, hoping to increase the prestige of their gatherings. However, Jason did have a point about their drama, and several other packs felt as he did, choosing to avoid them as much as possible.

"So... what do we do?" Lucille asked.

"Nothing to do," Luke shrugged. "It is what it is, but I think we should be prepared."

Jason sighed. He supposed they didn't have any other choice. As much as he would rather ignore the royal family, he wasn't in a position to do that. Blue Moon was too influential, and too many relied on alliances with his pack to ignore all the royal family's antics. He would have to shield Phoebe from it as much as possible, though as his Luna, she also couldn't ignore it forever.