We entered the ground floor and headed to the floors where the bedrooms are. I decided to sleep over at Daniel's place. As it turned out, during my recovery he moved in permanently with Em, so his old room is empty. So I got the green light to stay there. I was tired to the bone from the all-night search and fight, so I don't even know what floor I got up to. As I felt the softness of the pillow under my cheek I immediately surrendered to sleep.

**********

I was woken up by a banging on the door. I growled in annoyance and covered myself tighter with the comforter covering my head.
- I know you're there. Open up! - Ah. Big, bad alpha. - If you don't do it in five seconds I'm going to break that door down! - Yeah, right, I'm already flying on my wings... I turned on to the other side and was just about to fall asleep again when I heard a shrill rumble. I jumped up and turned towards the source of the noise.

He really did it... I thought he was just joking...

- Get out and go down to the living room. - He said in a voice tinged with anger, and then left the room with a heavy step. What time is it anyway? The watch above the bed showed five thirty in the morning. Great. Who gets up and wakes others at that inhuman hour? Reluctantly, I parted with the mattress and headed for the adjoining bathroom. At an express pace I took a shower and dressed in Dan's clothes that were left in the closet, then with a frown I went out into the hallway. It turned out that I was on the fourth floor, so I took the elevator, because I had neither the desire nor the inclination to go down the stairs. Eventually I ended up in the living room, and upon entering all eyes were on my person. I stood like a pillar of salt on the threshold. Sitting in the room were four siblings besides Amelia, who is probably in the hospital, some delta, Daniel with a pained face and the first beta, whom I haven't had the pleasure to meet yet. Why such a national gathering? I went over to the couch and settled down next to Daniel.
- Why do I feel so dignified coming in here at this hour? - I sneered and all eyes shifted from me to Adrian. Unfortunately my question remained unanswered.
- Where were you yesterday? - this question surprised me, but I remained unmoved. I looked at Daniel fidgeting and I realized that I had to get out of this situation somehow and save us both.
- Are you asking if I was with him? - the black eyed man nodded as I pointed to my friend next to me. I burst out laughing and said: - We are not like lovebirds. I have no idea where he was hanging out. I, on the other hand, had to go to my house. How shall I put it... Things of pressing matter. - I shrugged my shoulders, and next to me I heard a vague sigh of relief. I don't know what he crammed into them, but apparently I saved our asses after all, just as I intended with that statement.
- I didn't see you in town yesterday. And believe me I was there for a very long time. - said the pink-haired woman sitting at the table. I must have missed her when I walked in. She obviously doesn't like me and wants to make my life difficult. She doesn't know yet that she started with the wrong person.
- If you know where I live, you should have stopped by. I'd make you something to drink and we'd chat. But I have to make you sad. I don't live downtown, I live on the outskirts. - She took a breath, puffing out her cheeks that I said it with such confidence and arrogance. She walked out of the room hurling thunderbolts from her eyes in my direction. One zero for me. I told the truth. I live in the middle of nowhere and my house is behind a concrete fence. My house is the last one on the street. The road to the left leads to town, while the road to the right turns into a scenic route and access to the distant mountains. It's not heavily traveled because people prefer to take the highway, which is faster to get there, rather than the winding road through the woods. Adrian huffed after she left and started talking in my direction:
- Meet Matthew my first beta and Leon, the best young delta in the pack. In a little while Nikodem, Alex's brother, will join us as well. From now on he will be your bodyguard.
- But... - I protested that I don't need any bodyguard, because I can perfectly defend myself. Unfortunately, my protest was not well received.
- I hope you will come to an agreement. I also hope that as the Luna of this pack you will work with me and Matthew as soon as possible. I will give you some time. It won't be until next month that you will officially become my partner and rule this pack with me. Everyone already knows that I have found my mate, but a ritual must take place for everything to become real. - Luna are women who take their place alongside the Alpha of the pack who presides over it. Something like king and queen of a region and pack. The royal family used to rule over them, they were the "superior" of all the Alphas and Lunas, and when they lost power the Council took over.
- Nik, you're here now. - came the first words, after the room fell silent following his revelations.
- You called for me Alpha. Is there a problem? - I laughed when I heard the newcomer's voice. I didn't have to turn around to know that my bodyguard was going to be a boy whose body part was under the fire of my knee.
- I don't know if you can call that a problem. I have an assignment for you for an indefinite period of time. - He came closer, and when he met my laughing eyes, he directed his eyes at Adrian. I was holding back as much as possible not to laugh, so I turned my attention to Rafael sitting opposite me. He was even paler than when he had lost a huge amount of blood and an arrow was sticking out of his stomach. I poked Dan under the ribs to look at him. We both stared at him with interest, and when he woke up from his trance and swung his gaze to us, his eyes expressed only one emotion. Total panic. I heard, as if through a fog, the words that Adrian was addressing to Nik, what would now be his duties. Rafael suddenly got up and, stumbling over his own feet, started running towards the exit. Daniel and I looked at each other and took off after him in a moment. I was really worried. There were some inarticulate sounds as we ran after him, but I ignored them. The only thing that mattered to me now was a friend in need. We finally caught up with him outside the hospital building. He was leaning down resting his hands on his knees, and when he saw us he slid his back against the wall and hid his head in his hands.
- Raf...? - I wanted to ask, but he shook his head slightly. His body was shaking. I went over to him and knelt down, pushing his hands away from his face. He was crying. It was the first time since we'd known each other that I'd seen him do that. Even after Mikaela, who was his mate, died, he never shed a tear.

**********

I met them as a couple not long before she died. I became friends with them. Less than six months later, all that was found of her was a handkerchief. Rafael closed himself off because he felt she was dead, that the bond was broken. He didn't want to talk to anyone, drink or eat. Luckily, he had me and Daniel. The brunet wasn't too eager to help because Raf was in a pitiful state. Despite the friendship they shared, Daniel saw him as his dead son. What he might have been like if he had survived. It was terribly difficult for him to look at the man he loved who had given up on life. After caring for him for a while, I began to regard him as a younger brother and took him into my care. I had to work hard and lose some nerve, but eventually he let himself be helped and came out of his lethargy. To this day, he thinks he owes me a double debt, which he doesn't have to do because I don't expect him to.

**********

I hugged my poor lad for several hours until he finally ran out of tears. Daniel at one point sat down next to us and gazed at the line of woods not far from us. As dusk fell he finally lifted his head from my shoulder and began to speak in a trembling, hoarse voice:
- I... He... How is it possible...?
- Rafi... what are you talking about? - He looked at us and only then did his misty gaze go away. He twisted out of my embrace to keep us both in sight.
- I... I think... I think I found my mate. - he said to us with uncertainty and fear in his eyes.
- Impossible. Possible. - Daniel and I said at the same time. My confirmation made them look at me as if I had lost my sanity.
- You guys don't know anything about this? - There was silence, so I'll take that as a no. Oops. Well, here we go. How come they don't know about one of the most important facts? - I'll say no more for now. We need to get back to headquarters, preferably the library. I need to look for something and make sure. As one of the older packs, you should have this book collection. Besides, your mate should be there too Rafael. - He grimaced, and I began to think about in which book I could find the information we needed. The boys continued to look at me with doubt, but without a word they got up and moved towards the house. We emerged from behind the hospital and saw a commotion. Several people were roaming around the yard looking for something. Or rather someone, because when Em saw us, she shouted to the rest that she had found us. She threw herself into Daniel's arms and he embraced her with a laugh and kissed her gently. Rafael and I turned our heads at the same time. We enjoyed his happiness, but we didn't necessarily want to experience it with our own eyes. The rest of the seekers came closer and I said in an unobjectionable tone:
- Rafael, follow me. - And I headed straight for the library. That's all they saw of us, because he was stepping on my heels trying to avoid contact with Nikodem like a fire.

**********

I have read the entire most important book collection in our world and put away books without the information I was looking for. Thanks to my new status, I have unlimited access to all the collections, including the gem I just finished. Unfortunately, the one I cared about was not there. When I was fourteen years old I was dragged to the shack where my father kept the old parchments and I was forced to read them all. They were rules, codes, and other information about werewolves passed down from generation to generation for centuries. They were very delicate and fragile, so back then only the royal family had access to them. They were also the most guarded books in history, and he liked to look at them to remember how a true leader should act. To know all the rules, but not to be servile, because some things require heart, not mind and knowledge. During that marathon, a thin volume on mate bond with two wolves on the cover passed through my hands. Both were standing and one had its head laid on the other's neck. In the world of shifters, that's how affection is shown. Unfortunately here the trace of it was lost. I couldn't find it anywhere, and the librarian didn't know what I was looking for. I then checked the index of books from that time and there wasn't even a mention of the one I was looking for. Frustrated, I started walking around the entire library that occupied an entire tower on the northeast side of the building. It was a huge room with a spiral staircase in the center that led to several floors. I wandered so far up that I ended up in the children's section. I reached the cartoons and something familiar flashed in the corner of my eye. I turned back to that spot and right on the edge I found what I was looking for. It was stacked among similar sized alphabet books. It wasn't even fifty pages long, so it didn't stand out too much. Happy, I moved to the table where Rafael stayed. He didn't want to help me and after an hour he fell asleep with his head on the table. Unfortunately, I had to wake him up because I found the target of our search.
- Raf, wake up. I found it. - He raised his head groggily, and when he woke up, he was nervous. He didn't want to read it first, so I quietly started looking through it. I was right and found out some more interesting things, but I'll leave them to myself.
- What does it say? - I shook my head, because Nikodem must be here too. I'm not going to say it twice.
- Tell Adrian to send your mate. - He did it through a telepathic connection and all we had to do was wait. He can contact the Alpha that way because he is part of this pack. I have neither officially joined the pack nor agreed to seal my bond with Adrian, so I can't do that. - Have you met Nikodem and his brother before? - I asked to keep him busy.
- No. They must have moved here and joined when I wasn't here anymore. Did you... - he wanted to ask something, but Nikodem showed up. He wasn't alone, he was followed by Adrian, Em and Daniel. I wanted to play it more personal, but since they're already here they might as well know about it. I stood up, vacating my seat and waited for them to settle into the wooden chairs padded with comfortable fabric on the seat and back.
- Why are we here? - Asked Em not quite sure why they had to sit in the library so late. Well, it's time for the fun to begin.