When Maggie woke up she was alone again. Why was she disappointed she was alone?  Not wanting to linger on that thought, she rolled out of the giant bed and headed for the bathroom. She wondered where Faolan had gone and felt the tug of the bond. He was close and concentrating on who knows what. Best not to disturb him, Maggie thought. 

Instead Maggie went to the bathroom to freshen up. She took a shower and changed into the last outfit Erin brought her which consisted of some grey yoga pants and a plum fitted t-shirt that said "bite me". No doubt this was Erin's humor. She would have to talk to Faolan about getting her clothes. She didn't want to have to wash the same two outfits over and over. 

She was brushing her teeth when she heard Faolon enter the bedroom. After a moment she felt something sharp grip her through the mate bond followed by Faolan yelling out "Maggie!" 

Something was wrong.

Maggie abandoning her teeth spat out what suds she had in her mouth and ran to meet Faolan. Upon reentering the bedroom she saw the balcony door open and Faolon leaning over the railing looking down. Maggie walked out and stared at him wondering what could he possibly be so panicked about. 

"What are you doing?" she finally said as calmly as possible. Even then it startled him. Faolan whipped himself around to look behind him to see Maggie with his eyes wide. He stared at her panting trying to calm his breaths down. Maggie couldn't understand what got him so worked up until she realized where they were standing. He was looking over the balcony which was the same way she escaped back in the Dark Woods pack house. That connected the pieces. 

"You thought I ran off again didn't you." It wasn't really a question. Faolan looked away from her embarrassed at what turned out to be an over reaction.

"I'm sorry" he mumbled out while rubbing the back of his neck. 

"Eh...I can't blame you," Maggie replied casually.  "It's not like I've  never run out on you before. Didn't work out to well the first time." Maggie tried to give Faolan a reassuring smile.

Faolan didn't respond and instead crush Maggie to him burying his face in her neck. He was breathing in her scent to try to calm his wolf down but he was still tense. Maggie just stood there and let him breathe her in. Before she could react though Faolan pulled back before crashing his lips to hers. The kiss was desperate, all passion with no restraint. Maggie was caught off guard at first but it didn't take long for her to respond. Soon their lips found a steady rhythm. Maggie raised her hands and threaded them through Faolan's hair before tugging on him. Faolan responded with a growl before deepening the kiss. It became less frantic and more determined.

After what seemed like hours, but was probably just a minute or two Faolan broke their kissing and touched his forehead to hers. Both kept their eyes closed as they tried to catch their breath. Maggie's lips tingled from the sweet abuse they had just endured.  After a few moments, Faolan finally opened his eyes to look at her. 

"I thought you left me again." he whispered. "I though even after everything you still ran." the side of Maggie's mouth tugged upward in a half grin. 

"Nope, still here...You caught me once. Pretty sure you'd catch me again. Beside I'm finding it harder and harder to run from you." Maggie had no idea when she got so bold but it was worth it to see Faolan's face light up. He was about to dive in for another kiss when there was a knock on the door.

"Hey Maggie, you up? We're going shopping today! Time to get you all hooked up." Erin walked in before either of them could answer, but stopped when she saw the pair. Maggie and Faolan  quickly stepped apart from each other but that didn't stop Erin from giving a knowing smile. "Whoops. Guess I broke my own rule. At least I knocked. Still, don't mind me!. I'll meet you down stairs Maggie." Erin began to pull the door but before it closed she gave a wink and said "Take your time, there is no rush."

Maggie looked back at Faolan whose face was equally red with embarrassed. He had pulled his hand to rub the back of his neck, an obvious nervous habit.  The two didn't make eye contact for a few minutes and each avoid the others gaze. Maggie finally couldn't take it anymore. 

"Well I guess I'll see you later." she said. Damn, can it get any more awkward. 

"You're going shopping today?" Faolan replied. 

"Yeah I guess. I only have, like, two outfits. So I need a few more things until I can get my stuff from my old trailer." Faolan pulled out his wallet and riffled through it before pulling out a card and handing it to Maggie. 

"Here take this." Maggie stared at the black amex card. 

"I really can't let you do that. I'll be fine. I'll figure something out." Faolan narrowed his eyes staring at her before her grabbed her hand, flipped it over and slapped the card in it. 

"Whelp, I already gave it to you and there is no take backsies." Maggie opened her mouth to say something but Faolan just cried "No take backsies!" louder before stepping away from her. Maggie smiled at his playful tone. 

...

It had been over a week since Maggie arrived. Her days were spent with Erin Helping around the pack house with whatever. She was slowly meeting some other members of the pack as she became more and more involved in daily life. She froze the first time someone called her Luna. She didn't feel like a Luna. But with every mention of it she was slowly becoming desensitized by it. 

Erin was her lifeline when Faolan wasn't there. She was bright and bubbly but still very much a mother figure in many ways. Maggie sometimes wondered why it wasn't Erin who was the pack Luna.

"Oh my goodness it's too much work," Erin said after Maggie finally brought it up with her while they were both cleaning up after breakfast. "I don't mind helping out here and there, but some of the men are so dense I want smack them outside the head. Besides, none of them listen to me like they listen to you." That confused Maggie.

"What are you talking about?" she asked dismissing the comment. 

"Do you know how many times I've asked Max to help with the dishes? He just gives me a silent look, mutters something about patrols under his breath and slinks out. Then last night I find him elbows deep in dish soap cleaning up after dinner. I ask him what he was doing and all he said was the Luna had too many dishes to wash on her own." 

Maggie chuckled. She had never asked the stoic werewolf for any help. He had just walked in on her cleaning up and volunteered to help. She didn't think much of it until now. 

"And then this morning Dawson shows up for breakfast. DAWSON! That man is so caught up in whatever research he's found lately that I have literally never seen him outside his lab unless he's been dragged out by Faolan." Maggie's smile got brighter. She liked the young doctor. He was strange but she found it quirky. Erin continued.

"If you can pull this off without even trying I can't imagine what you'll be like when you finally come into your own." Erin paused her rant thinking for a moment before smiling. "You are going to make one amazing Luna." Maggie wrapped an arm around her friend squeezing her closer. 

"I'll only be a good Luna because you helped me." Erin scrunched her face. 

"Of course it's because I helped ya. I may not be a Luna but I am still pretty amazing if I do say so myself." Maggie rolled her eyes and then splashed her friend with the dishwater they were using. 

...

Maggie was headed towards Faolan's office with a sandwich and chips on a plate. Faolan had been in there all morning trying to get through some royal pack business. Normally Maggie left him alone but he still needed to eat. Or so that's the excuse Maggie gave herself. 

She knocked on the door nervously and then waiting. Growing up she almost never went into the Alpha's Office. Alpha Dan her pack Alpha growing up hated to be disturbed when he was working, and Bryce operated similarly when he took over. 

When she didn't get an answer she knocked again. What this a good idea? Almost immediately she heard a stern "enter" called from the other side. She slowly opened the door and slinked her way in as quiet as possible. 

Faolon sat on his desk leaning over some papers. His hands were fisted in his hair as he concentrated on whatever problem was before him.  Maggie stopped to stare at her handsome mate, which made her stomach fill with butterflies. Her cheeks still went red every time she thought about that kiss from the balcony and how she wished they could do that again. Of course they had kissed since then, but it was never as passionate and the first one. 

Faolan lifted his head to see who entered and immediately brightened when his eyes found Maggie. 

"Hey! I didn't expect you here," he said brightly. Maggie calmed a bit knowing he wasn't mad for disturbing him. 

"I thought you might be hungry," she said softly. "You've been holed up in here for a while. Faolan sighed and rubbed his face.

"Sorry. This is the not so glamorous part of the job. With me skipping out on the Gathering this year there is a bunch of loose ends to clean up." Maggie felt guilty knowing she was the cause for him abandoning the Gathering so early. 

"Sorry about that by the way," she said placing the plate of food on his desk. "I hope I didn't cause you too much trouble." 

"No worries," faolan smiled reaching for the sandwich on the plate. "You're totally worth it." Faolan took a big bite of the sandwich before moaning with appreciation. "So worth it," he mumbled. 

Maggie look at the various papers on his desk. She had no idea how he kept track of everything. She didn't think what she was doing could be considered snooping until she looked at him and found him staring at her. 

"Sorry," she said pulling a step back. "Don't mean to be nosy." Faolan wiped his mouth before responding. 

"You are the Luna of the Royal pack. You're not snooping. You are more than welcome to be in here and to know what's gong on." Maggie was grateful to Foalan's openness. It was such a stark contrast to everything she had experienced before. And she did want to be more helpful.

"So what problems do you have?" Maggie questioned. Faolan finished chewing a bite and swallowed.

"Most of it is pretty simple. A few pack disputes. The hardest thing right now is sorting out the pack dues."

"Pack dues?"

"Yes," Faolan continued while gesturing for Maggie to come closer. "Every pack has to pay the Royal pack dues. Basically taxes. In exchange a pack can ask for help from the Royal pack if ever they are in trouble. Most of it is used in times of disaster to help build a pack back up. Some of it is used to help enforce pack laws.  We have a few task forces or what not if trouble arises and a pack needs assistance with it. This year's dues were suppose to be collected at the Gathering."

"So what seems to be the problem?" Maggie asked. 

"Well most packs are fine, but some of the smaller packs are struggling. Most have had some disaster happen and aren't back to their full strength yet and they don't have much to spare." Faolan made eye contact with Maggie to make sure she understood the next part. "We really don't need the money. My accountants have been really good with investments and other things to where we are solid financially. If I had it my way I would tell them to just forget about the money until they were back on their feet."

"So why not do that?" Maggie said with narrowed eyes. "Seems like a good solution." Faolan sighed.

"The other packs," he replied solemnly. "Some of the other packs don't think it's fair some have to pay and others don't."

"That's selfish" Maggie spat folding her arms. 

"I agree," Faolan confirmed. "I've been trying to find another ways for the struggling packs to pay their dues without draining them of what little means they have. But so far my ideas are lacking." Maggie looked at Faolan as she sat down in one of the chairs near the desk.

"Ok so what ideas did you try?" This was the most she ever heard about the issues Alphas face when running a pack and she was fascinated by it. Faolan had no hesitance in sharing with her.

"Well I had several but the best one was that younger pack members could volunteer service in our task forces instead of paying dues. They would serve the Royal pack and in return they would receive training and experience they could take back wit them." 

Maggie was impressed. That was a pretty good trade off. "Sounds like a great idea, but I see one problem," she stated. Faolan tilted his head and lifted and eyebrow. 

"You do?"

"Yep," Maggie continued. "Don't get me wrong it's a great alternative...but you if the packs are already smaller and struggling they wont be able to spare any of their younger members. They will need them in order to build up what they have."

Faolan lowered his head as he shook it. "Actually that's exactly what is happening. Hence my dilemma. What to do instead." Foalan stared once again at his papers lost in thought, the half eaten sandwich still in his hands. 

"Maybe you have the right idea but the wrong group," Maggie suggested.

Faolan perked up confused once again. "Ok?"

"Maybe instead of volunteering the younger members, we look towards the older ones. The ones with their families already grown." Faolan narrowed his eyes at her. 

"Those with grown families are too old to fight or defend anything. They would get taken down too easily in a fight." Maggie began to smile now confident in her answer.

"You just thinking of their physical traits. It's the mental ones you want. The problem with young wolves is their hormones work faster than their actual brain cells. Makes them impulsive. Older wolves have learned to calm themselves down and think rationally." Faolan slowly began to connect the pieces.

"You want to use them for their knowledge, not their physical strength."

"Exactly." Maggie was starting to get really excited now and became more animated as she spoke. "We can use the retired warriors of a pack to train our younger ones. The pack can pay their dues without losing too many essential members, and our warriors can gain the knowledge from those more experienced." Faolan looked at Maggie shocked.

"I would have never thought to use the older members. This could work! How on Earth did you come up with that?" Maggie smiled at him.

"You forget I worked in a tavern. I always loved talking to the old vets that would come in. They had the best advice." 

Faolan ran to Maggie and picked her up swinging her around talking loud and quickly in his excitement. "You are brilliant! This is it. I know this going to work. This mean so much to me thank you." As Faolan's praises died, he slowly stopped spinning still holding Maggie up. Maggie could help but look into his eye and see admiration in them. Admiration for her. The warmth in her chest was stoked into a blaze now that she didn't want to control. As Maggie stared down at him, she place her hand on the side of his face and leaned in not realizing what she was doing and not caring once she did. 

As she tentatively touched her lips to his, sparks flew once again. She was gentle at first but soon his was response lead to  passion.  Faolan pulled Maggie to him lowering her down so that he could tilt her head to deepen the kiss. Faolan then started walking Maggie backwards until the back of her legs hit the edge of his desk at which point he lifted Maggie up to sit her on the edge. Faolan then nudged her legs apart to settle himself in between them. His tongue slide across the seam of her lips asking for entrance in which Maggie obliged. Foalan stroked Maggie with his tongue in a rhythm that drove her mad. Maggie pulled him closer with her legs bringing his warmth to her core causing her to moan at the contact. Her hand went to his hair trying to pull him closer to her. She was about to lose all control when he finally pulled away. 

"Woman you are going to be the death of me." Faolan's tone was husky. Maggie smiled, glowing from the moment.

...

Faolan was practically floating. They had a rocky start but everyday he was able to learn something knew about his mate. Ever since she solved the problem with the smaller packs paying their dues, Faolan invited Maggie into his office more often to help with various matters. He found her views invaluable. She always had a unique way of looking at things. 

They came to a comfortable rhythm where he would get up early and began work in his office. At around lunch time Maggie would show up with another one of her amazing sandwiches and then the two would sit, chat and discuss issues until Maggie went to help Erin with dinner. She had just gone to do just that and Faolan was sitting at his desk looking at a few of the issues that he had yet to address. 

Thanks to Maggie he had gotten much more work done than he thought he ever could. He would still need to gather the pack Alphas to help with some matter but for the most part, his early departure from the Gathering would have little impact on everyone. 

Alpha.  Theo was calling him through the pack link. His thoughts were rushed, and the fact that he called him Alpha rather than just by his name meant that something was wrong.

Theo what going on?

You need to get down here. We have unexpected guests.

It was considered disrespectful to show up to the royal pact uninvited or unannounced but that didn't stop some people if they were desperate enough. Faolan rushed out of his office. As he climbed down the stairs he could hear the angry voices below.

"I demand to speak to his majesty immediately. This issue demand immediate action." 

Bryce!?! What the hell is he doing here?