The Alpha's Mother-In-Law's Forbidden Love (The Cresta Chronicles)

Ravyn POV

The square outside Faolan Castle already looked emptier, even with a whole pack of Silverpaws all cheering while the Crestas departed. Everything felt different. Even the light shining down from the cloudy sky seemed dimmer. 

Lilia rode on Dane and Anneliese on Patch, Thessi on Dirge, while the other Crestas ran in wolf form, also carrying any non-shifters. This included the newest members of the family, Talon and Florinda Blackthorn, who carried Kelara and William, with Flufftail the bunny--comfortable and defiantly unafraid--snuggled in William's arms. Daxius rode on Azandra while Marieke looked positively tiny on Kyon. Edna and Graydon Chalice 

Ravyn held Jude's hand and watched as the Evenhiders and the Blackthorns left Graywolf City. Jude's warmth strengthened her for this inevitable goodbye, which upset her world much more than Lilia becoming Luna of Evenhide. Perhaps it was because Ravyn had a brand-new life with a brand-new pack.

The majority of the Crimsontails waited their turn, with Jiro and Garnet and Naomi and Cyran hanging back until all the Evenhiders cleared out of the square. Cyran approached Jude and said quietly, "Request permission to go find this Forgotten Inn in your place."

Jiro threw his brother-in-law one of his disapproving looks. "Without clearing it with us?"

"Permission denied, and not just because you didn't ask your Alpha first," Jude said with the ring of authority. "This is my mission."

"OUR mission," Ravyn asserted.

Jude's fingers tightened their grip on hers, vise-like. "Cyran, we had the vision. We're the ones who need to find this place. You've done more than enough for a lifetime."

His voice took on a deeper, silkier tone that Ravyn associated with Hades. 

The young former Alpha reacted, his intake of breath sharp. It wasn't his former master that advised him. It was his ancestor, who'd come to love him. Ravyn could feel Hades' deep affection for Cyran. Pure love. Without the crushing shackles of the Dark Goddess, Hades was free to feel that love, unselfishly and genuinely, no strings attached. It was beautiful. 

Cyran frowned, his blond brows furrowing. "If you say so. But just know that I'll be there if you need me."

Jude placed a hand on his shoulder, and the voice was pure Hades. A surreal experience. "I know, boy. And thank you."

"And I will, too," Garnet asserted.

Jude grinned at her, still speaking in Hades' voice. "Oh, I'm aware."

Jiro blinked, turquoise eyes wide. "Fascinating," he said, breathless. 

Jude shifted back to himself. "Cyran, you're needed in Crimsontail lands. This is my mission."

Sighing, Cyran accepted this. "Fenrir's teeth, we'll miss you all. But we'll be back together soon, don't you worry. We'll see you soon."

Bram clasped Naomi on the shoulder. "Keep filling Crimsontail bellies with game."

"Oh, you know I will." She smiled. "I suppose I'll have to settle for hunting the Dark Goddess and her followers now."

"If anyone can, you can," Bram praised her.

Naomi hugged and kissed Ravyn and Jude, then shifted into her red wolf form. Cyran shifted as well, then Jiro and Garnet.

Sighing, Ravyn watched them go, arm in arm with Jude. Her family paraded out of the square, leaving her to her new life with her Alpha.

He pulled her close. "I promise we'll be happy. This is the beginning of our life together ... and we have much to do. Much to accomplish."

Belatedly, she remembered to wave to the citizens, who gave them one last round of applause before dispersing. Streaming out of the square, the people of the Silverpaw Pack went about the rest of their day. 

Feeling simultaneously alert and energized, and like she could sleep for a week, Ravyn turned to Jude. "Let's go inside and talk about--"

Bram approached Jude. "Father ... Alpha. Luna. The Pack Council has several matters that have piled up. They're asking when you would like to meet."

Sighing, Ravyn decided that an ordinary council meeting would probably be just the thing to take her mind off the sadness and help her get into the routine of being a Luna. "There's npc time like the present, Beta Bram," she said, looking to Jude for approval.

He nodded, a warm look in his eyes. "Yes, let's head over to the Council Building. By the way, the orcs just presented us with a curious new metal sculpture to decorate it. Let's go and admire it, shall we?"

* * * * *

Naomi POV

Trotting out of Graywolf City beside Cyran, Naomi could smell the freshness of game and the beauty of fall growth. Soon the winter festivals would arrive. Luna Ravyn would preside over them as brilliantly as she did everything else in her life.

Cyran was silent, while several of the other Crestas and Azandra's parents and the Sinsworths and Blackthorns chatted about the new Luna, about the excitement of the Bonding Ball, and plans for the future. Except for Lilia, Cyran was the quietest.

Naomi nudged him as they walked through the damp grass. "Are you alright?"

His answer was breezy. "Oh, you know me. I like traveling. And we'll camp tonight under the stars. We'll break up the journey. Maybe spend a night at Cresta House before we journey homeward. I think I can hear the lake serpents calling us. I hope they haven't gotten into too much mischief in our absence ..."

She huffed. Two could play at that game. "They grow on you, don't they?"

He smiled, flashing white, sharp teeth. "They do. Like Tulaska often says, they're delightfully misunderstood creatures."

Aha. He got her drift. "You just have to learn to coexist with them. Provided they're not pulling boats under or eating up all the fish, that is."

"Show me a shifter alive who'd tolerate that, and I'll show you a wolf with no spirit left."

She nuzzled him. "Maybe they put up with it because they feel they have to. Because they don't know how powerful they are, and that they can stand up to the monsters."

He lowered his nose while trotting over the terrain, sniffing at the earth. "What if they feel like they encouraged the bad behavior in the first place?"

"They didn't know any better. They didn't know what they were dealing with," she told him. "Now that they do, they can make a plan. Because the shifters and the lake serpents need each other, after all."

"They do, don't they?"

He truly understood. "Yes. It's obvious." She waxed poetic. "The lake serpents keep the natural order in balance. Without getting too detailed, they're part of the web of life."

"Even when they cause trouble ... and possibly put people in more danger?"

Naomi licked his nose, loving the salty tang. "People think of a good life as one with no danger or risk."

"Ugh. What people think that? They're not living."

"Exactly. Fortunately, they're in a very small minority ... but those wolves are the ones who are most open to being manipulated," she mused. "They don't understand that the difficulty and the struggle are necessary to grow. When we first shift in our teens, it's a huge change. Remember how that first shift felt for you?"

"Do I ever. But Garnet and I did it together!" His smile was as wide as the open sky. "We made a pact that we would shift together. That we would be there for each other. Having people to share struggles with makes all the difference. Like you and I going through redemption together. Shifting may have been less complicated, but it still changed Garnet and me completely. I remember changing, feeling like my fur wasn't grown fast enough, but that my legs were transforming too fast. I thought I'd fall on my face."

Naomi remembered. "The jolt I felt ... my bones rattling ... I recall everything. And then it was as if I'd had a bag over my head my entire life, and it was taken off. It was wonderful. And when I heard my wolf for the first time in my mind, I felt like I'd known her forever. Which I had. Some changes are a little more disorienting. But in the end, transformation is part of life. And it's what being a shifter is all about. Like becoming Luna. Ravyn will be fine."

"And so will Jude," he vowed. "I think this time Hades will do it right, and take care of him."

"That's part of the learning I talked about. It'll be good for everyone." Naomi sounded confident. "You'll see."

He prayed to the Moon Goddess that she was right!