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***Demetri's POV***

Two weeks flew by. The excitement over our journey was tangible. We were to meet at The Red Moon Pack by noon and get settled before we enjoyed the bonfire. Alpha Carter had generously offered us lodging, which is no small feat with two packs of our size.

The youngest pups stayed with their parents back at our territory, along with several others who were either to busy, older or needed to stay behind for health reasons. It's not safe to travel outside of our pack lands if you can't shift, which automatically keeps some members confined to our territory.

The majority of the pack was coming so all and all about 600 of us would be making our way to Alpha Carter's territory by tomorrow.

We gathered our belongings and sent them ahead in a bus, allowing some members who felt uncomfortable with the long run to ride along acting as chaperones to our luggage.
Myself, Beta Alex and Gamma Efran will be leading the run.

We planned to continue until a halfway point, this would be an unmarked territory where we could rest peacefully and hunt without fear of disrupting another packs land. This would be a stress free few days, allowing all of us to come together for the good of relationships among kindship, new mates and old friends. I was extremely satisfied with our plans and couldn't wait to begin our journey.

Addressing the pack with Alex and Efran at my flanks, I stated "we will be running in two shifts to keep everyone at a calm pace. Eight hours from now we will stop and take our rest for the evening. Once we get back on the path we will go for another 7 hours before entering The Red Moon Pack territory.

The younger wolves will be in the middle of our pack, the experienced warriors will be at the back and our warriors in training will flank the sides. Me, Alex and Efran will lead the run. Keep your eyes and ears alert. Make sure your mind link is open and do not hesitate to alert someone if anything seems out of place.

If you see anyone struggling, help them. We are going to go hard and strong. We should be to Red Moon by noon tomorrow. Any questions?"
And wouldn't you know, someone always has a question!

"Alpha?" One of the older teenage girls starts.

"Yes? Christine?" I ask.

"Are the male wolves at Red Moon Pack as hot as Beta Alex and Gamma Efran?"

Oh, holy Moon Goddess! What have we got ourselves into?

"Any serious questions?" I ask. And now I wish I hadn't!

"Alpha?" Another teenage girl shyly starts.

"Yes? Elizabeth?"

She starts shyly before she asks "seriously? Are there gonna be hot guys like Beta and Gamma?"

"For fucks sake, can we just get moving already?" I growl before the pack starts howling and shifting.

As we're running, at a pace too slow for my wolf, Renzo's, liking, I mind link Alex and Efran.

"Guys, are they serious right now?" I speak.
Alex comments "hey, they like what they see." I look over at him and see his ridiculously stupid wolf grin.

Efran starts chuckling before he responds with "Alpha's just mad they didn't include him with the hotties."

I let out a swift kick to my left, nailing Efran in his side causing him to roll over. I roared out a deep guttural laugh as he picked himself up and returned to my six.

"What was that for?" Efran whined. All the while smirking at me and wiggling his big stupid wolf ears in my direction.

I rolled my eyes and said "that's for disrespecting your Alpha."

Then I stuck my tongue out at him causing both my elites to grin widely and chuckle in their wolf vibratos.

"We're identical Alex. If you're hot, I'm hot! Scientific Proof!" I state.

Alex just shakes his head at me and we continue to run on course.

Hours passed and we were coming to our planned place for rest. Everyone got comfortable. Shifting to their human forms and throwing on their clothes from their packs they had on their backs during the run.

We stopped close enough that we could jog to the bus that was parked off road for the evening. Our food and supplies were in there for the ones who didn't want to hunt and prepare their own food.

It was a beautiful warm evening, almost dusk. The sky was a deep navy blanket with burning white embers dusted across a cloudless canvas.

The moon was high, shining brightly above our forms. It was nestled cozily between the luminous twinkles that danced across nature's masterpiece. Nearby, a stream ran across the smooth stones that lie beneath. The smell of evergreen trees, that towered above, swayed in the air with a gentle breeze.

The hum of my pack's voices danced across the forest air, joy and excitement thick with the promises of blossoming futures and beginnings.

I was in an charged mood, knowing that some of my members would begin their day tomorrow with the Moon Goddess blessing them with her ultimate gift, the perfection known as their Mate. I lulled softly to sleep with the peace that dawn would break, bringing with it so many promises.

Morning came too soon, but not soon enough. I had a restful sleep under the watch of the Moon Goddess. We woke energized and ready for the second leg of our journey. My pack was surprisingly alert and ready for the 7 hour run to bring us to our destination. We ran in peace. Not one wolf causing a stir. That alone was impressive, knowing how rambunctious this group tended to be.

As we entered into the Red Moon Pack territory we all shifted back to two legs bringing our clothes back onto our human forms. I waited for everyone to be ready and calmed down before me and my elites approached the guards.

"Alpha Demetri, it's so nice to see you" the head guard stated. I extended my hand and introduced Beta Alex and Gamma Efran.

"Alpha Carter is just ahead, you can proceed."

He gestures toward the now open gates.
I waved my pack in with a backwards glance and a nod toward the property. We proceeded slowly, not wanting to startle our hosts upon our arrival.

As we reached the pack house, my pack dispersed looking around the Red Moon Pack lands, meeting some of the other wolves and settling in. Me, Alex and Efran started towards the pack house where Alpha Carter and Luna Elise we're standing awaiting our arrival.

Alpha Carter was as old as my dad and stood 6'4". He had a thick head of blonde hair cut into a pageboy style. His arms alone were enough to scare any wolf from crossing his temper. He had dark green eyes and thick blonde brows that complimented his creamy pale complexion.

Luna Elise was a beautiful specimen. Rather tall for a woman. She stood 5'10" with a thin frame and long platinum blonde hair that made her piercing blue eyes glimmer like the ocean. Her petite nose made her soft pink lips look like a cherubs. She carried a natural rosy cheek and her perfectly white teeth made her smile quite blinding. She was a beauty.

I extended my hand to Alpha Carter and he pulled me in for a bro hug making me chuckle as I patted his wide shoulders.

I turned to His mate "Luna Elise, you are as beautiful as I remember." I lifted her hand to my mouth and lightly kissed it while I bowed my head. She just giggled and swatted my shoulder.

"Alpha Demetri, too formal" she spoke.
I laughed and introduced the goons I call my Beta and Gamma.

They led us into the pack house. It was massive, as expected. The outside resembled a historic plantation home you fully expected to see on a Savannah. White washed wood siding with sleek black shutters. Three stories high with a balcony and French doors that overlooked the territory. A light wood porch that had two porch swings and several wooden rocking chairs. It was bordered by freshly cut plush green grass and landscaped with deep green box hedges. It quite literally screamed home, as it welcomed you into a warm embrace.

Inside was a large open floor plan. Two sets of railings that bordered the high ceilings of the family room. To the left an oversized kitchen with stainless steel appliances, grey granite countertops and fatigued rustic white cabinets. A large island ran the length of the kitchen. Bar stools placed at both sides. There was a 8 top kitchenette at the back corner with bay windows and French doors that led to the back garden.

To the right a massive dining room that housed  two long dining tables that easily would seat a hundred wolves. Hanging plants adorned the ceilings while beautiful centerpieces of white magnolias and greenery were mounted on the tables. The place was breathtaking. The most beautiful smell of gardenias and water lilies cocooned the home like a crisp wind. As we were heading towards the garden the three of us followed the Alpha and Luna greeting pack members and kitchen staff along the way.

Once we entered the garden we were introduced to the Beta Michael and the Beta Female Beth. All in all it was a very welcoming start.

Out of no where, the scent of gardenias and water lilies assaulted my nose in the most mouth watering way. My wolf, Renzo, started pacing and the hairs on my arms danced like fireflies on a warm summers day.

The back door slid open and the most stunning girl I have ever seen walked out onto the patio. She was tall at around 5'10" with long legs and and shoulder length straight platinum hair. Her eyes were like a salt licked flame, blazing an electric blue. Long, thick black lashes framed her tear drop shaped eyes. A slender nose and the most beautiful shade of soft rose colored lips. She was no doubt the daughter of the Alpha and Luna. My jaw was absolutely on the floor.

As I opened my mouth to introduce myself, a word I only dreamed about double echoed across the air. "MATE"