Page 42 of His Blue Moon Princess (The Silver City #1)

I go to work as usual, but as soon as I get home, Neal takes me for what he thinks are necessary lessons for the future Luna. Mostly, it is about Silver City’s History, the complex relationships between the Clans, territories, and the basics of the economy and businesses. For me, who has never even been to school and is only self-educated, it is really tiring. I am willing to learn, but Neal is a severe teacher, and we didn’t have much time for me to know enough before the gathering. We only finish really late at night, when Damian comes home from work and basically chases him out.

However, I start living with Damian during that time, and I love it. Everything I possess is promptly moved to his apartment, and once he gave me a bit of space in his wardrobe, that was it. I really never possessed much, anyway, except for what he had bought me, and my birthday presents, so...

Even if we couldn’t be together by day, my mate wouldn’t let me go every minute of the nights we shared together. Any worry I had melted like snow under the sun as long I was in Damian’s arms.

But the nights were way too short. When the sunrise hit me on the third day, I woke up with my heart filled with nervousness. I was alone in bed, but I could hear the shower running. Waiting for Damian to come back, I lie there, watching the sunrise with pink and orange shades over Silver City. My city.

Within those few days, the feeling of being a Luna became more and more real to me. In the lieutenants and Betas' behavior, they made it clear they already saw me as such. Even at the restaurant, almost every werewolf staff member’s attitude changed towards me. I guess it must be a bit unusual to see the Luna washing dishes and taking orders...

I feel fingers caressing my arm, and Damian’s lips on my shoulder.

“Good morning, my Love.”

I chuckle and turn around to give him a long, deep kiss. This has gotten so natural between us now... I put my hands around his neck and enjoy the taste of his lips. Damian’s beard is exactly the length I love, a bit scratchy against my skin. He looks older and more serious, but I like that. We keep kissing, and I don’t want to let go. My mate groans.

“Nora... We need to go...”

I don’t care, I want him now. I keep kissing him playfully and manage to take off his shirt he just put on. Damian laughs and starts attacking my neck, his hands reaching for my underwear. I smile because I know it’s my win. I feel my mate already excited above me, and as usual, he catches my hand to intertwine our fingers together. I feel his member against my thigh, and my body temperature rises immediately. His fingers reach for my most vulnerable part and start caressing me, making me feel good. I start breathing harder.

How did we get used to each other’s bodies so quickly? I don’t know, but gosh, this is the best feeling in the world when Damian finally enters me. I give out a sound my voice couldn’t possibly make otherwise, and my mate kisses me passionately. We start moving, the oldest dance in the world. I reach for his skin’s warmth, ask for more kisses, and let out my voice as I please. Damian’s gentle, yet passionate. I relax under him, indulging in that pleasure as he keeps going. I love his erratic breathing against my ear. His voice makes me crazy, and I close my eyes to concentrate on those sensations. He accelerates, and I can’t hold it in when it overtakes me. A wave of heat and pleasure, hitting me, blowing me away. Damian joins me, too, and groans loudly.

We both calm down, catching our breath. My mate puts his head in my shoulder and kisses my bare skin before letting out a sigh.

“Damn, Nora, you really make me crazy...”

I chuckle. Who knows how long Neal will scold him for being late...? As an apology, I kiss him on the corner of his lips.

“I know. But you love it, and I love it, too.”

“You do?”

This time, it’s his turn to give me a sneaky glance. Stop teasing me like this! I blush a bit and try to grab my panties, but Damian catches my hand first.

“Damian! Enough, I need to dress up, too!”

“Oh no, you need a shower!”

Without warning, he suddenly puts me over his shoulder. What is he...? Moon Goddess, why is he getting up, I’m totally naked! I try to protest, but he gets up and carries me like a potato sack to the bathroom. I can’t believe him! He is still laughing when I finally chase him out of the bathroom to shower. Gosh, I know I started it, but still!

I take my time to shower, washing my hair and all, and when I exit, wrapped in my bath towel, I’m surprised to find a full outfit ready for me on the bed, brand new. I check it. A white woolen dress, a black leather belt, and laced booties?

“Tonia prepared it for you. She thought you might want something Luna-like...”

In her mind, it must have meant expensive! Though I have to admit, the dress looks gorgeous and very chic, with the back open and a lot of embroideries. I try it on, and indeed, I look very... respectable and pure in this. I definitely get a princess vibe from the long skirt, too. When I add the belt, I notice there are actually shiny stones embroidered in it, matching my diamond necklace. I add one of my pairs of black tights, and Damian helps me put my hair up with a hairpin.

My mate is already all dressed up, with his usual jet-black suit. I pick a black silk necktie and put it on him, as he taught me, and finish with a quick kiss on his lips.

“Ready?” He asks.

I nod. “Ready.”

He takes my hand, and we exit his apartment. We meet Bobo and Neal downstairs and take the elevator to go a few stairs down. It’s still early, but the Blood Moon lieutenants are gathered in the meeting room. I recognize Sean, Vane, Thaddeus, and Joshua, as well as Isaac, Nathaniel’s Beta, among the people present. When we enter, they all bow, but this time, it’s not just to Damian, but to me, as well. Wow, this is definitely new...

Sadly, the youngest Black Brother is still absent. We still haven’t heard from Liam at all, and everyone is starting to get nervous about it. According to Tonia, he’s never gone missing for so long, it’s getting serious. Yesterday, Damian sent scouts looking for him, and we tried mind-linking him again without success. I even tried asking the witch’s butterfly, still hanging around me, but nothing happened. Could something have happened to him? I almost told Damian about the Witch yesterday. Still, even if I did, I’m not even sure she had anything to do with him escaping the Sapphire Moon Clan...

Damian faces the whole group, and everyone listens in total silence as Neal starts talking.

“So far, the following Clans responded positively to the Invitation: The Jade Moon, the Pearl Moon, the White Moon, and the Sea Moon Clans. If we add the Sapphire Moon Clan, that makes a total of five Clans, two hundred and fifty people. Seven smaller packs also announced they would show up: The Ruby Moon, the Flower Moon, the Asphodel Moon, the Lotus Moon, the Ivy Moon, the Twilight Moon, and the Winter Moon packs.”

So many? I don’t know how many small packs Silver City has, but seven seems already like a lot, though this is my first time hearing those names.

“They’re not big?” Asks Vane.

“Not really. About thirty to fifty adults, at most. Most of them only have a couple of properties or businesses,” explains Thaddeus.

“Not that important...” Says a guy I don’t recognize.

“Any pack that is willing to come is important,” I say. “Any willing werewolves will be welcome, regardless of their wealth or strength.”

The guy looks down and apologizes right away for his words. Neal resumes talking about the security measures this time. I notice Nathaniel is absent, too. Why isn’t he here? I ask Damian, but my mate shakes his head. Where could he be? I feel some fur against my leg.

“Bobo, do you know where Nathaniel is?”

“With Elena. He knows... about the baby.”

Gosh, so she finally told him? Why now? I hope it goes well...

The rest of the day is spent talking about security measures, emergency situations, and how to organize the gathering. Everyone is getting tenser by the hour, including Damian. Neither of his brothers shows up, and soon, it’s the end of the afternoon and time to go...

Black cars are all lined up outside of the building, and Damian and I take the second one, with Vane driving us. A lot of the lieutenants shape-shifted to follow us in their wolf forms— the others are going by car or motorbikes. It’s really intimidating to be moving along such a vast group. Damian doesn’t let go of my hand a single second. As agreed, only fifty of the Blood Moon Clan members are going, and Isaac left us about an hour earlier to meet with Nathaniel.

It takes half an hour to get to the stadium, and we left only a little before sundown. I try to reach out to Liam again, without success. I really hope he is okay...

When we arrive, Vane parks away from the gathering point, and we start walking towards the stadium, followed by fifty men and wolves altogether. To my surprise, the Jade Moon Clan, led by Vince, appears as soon as we approach. They only give me a quick bow of respect and move along.

As we get closer to the stadium, my nervousness rises. Not only that, but I also hear a great hubbub, coming from a large crowd. How many people came? I knew a few Clans were willing to come, but... It’s still early, and I hear a lot of voices.

For the occasion, all fourth gates are wide open, allowing us to walk into the stadium easily. When Damian and I finally come in, I can barely believe my eyes. This is such a large crowd!

Did Neal say we should expect a few hundred? More like a few thousand! The stadium’s benches are literally full of people! With the Blood Moon and Jade Moon packs arrival, a hundred more people add to the number. Despite the number, it is quite organized, though. Each pack stays as a group, sitting together and keeping their distances from the others. This way, it is easier to differentiate the bigger packs, with their leaders in front of them, from the smaller ones. Still, I have never seen so many werewolves gathered in one place. It is both impressive and scary.

Even with my Alpha features, I can feel the tension in the air. A lot of it. Everyone is eyeing each other. Those who haven’t shape-shifted are ready to jump into their werewolf form at any moment. Moon Goddess, can this really go well?

Our arrival is actually the main point of focus for most of the people present. I have never felt so many eyes on me, and if it wasn’t for Damian holding my hand tightly, I would be petrified. However, I can tell they are eyeing the both of us. No one can look at Damian directly in the eye. However, people are still intrigued by the Alpha King, who only rarely appears in public. Whispers come from all around, but Damian is perfectly indecipherable. His stone-cold expression, dark allure, and tall stature are enough to impress. Still, most of all, his Alpha aura is radiating, intimidating everyone around us.

“So that’s him...”

“Is that the Luna who contacted us? She looks like a child!”

“He really looks like his father...”

“Hey, don’t stare. Show some respect.”

“I’ve never seen that girl before! The Jade Moon, she said?”

“You really think she is a Royal then?”

“I was wondering if they would really come...”

“He is really marked? What about the Gold Moon daughter, then?”

As we walk toward the center of the stadium, where a large stage has been installed, I look around, trying to find out which packs actually came. I notice Nathaniel, standing with Isaac on one side. What’s wrong with him? He seems impassive, but I can tell he seems... annoyed? His eyes look a lot like Damian’s when he is unhappy. Is it about the meeting? I hope this has nothing to do with his conversation with Elena earlier. I try to look around, but I don’t see my cousin anywhere. Is the White Moon Clan there, as promised? Suddenly, I catch Marina and Grandpa Seaver’s eyes, in front of the Sea Moon Clan. They both salute me in a very discreet but respectful gesture.

Next to them, to my surprise, is Lysandra Jones. So, the Purple Moon Clan came, too! Moreover, the other pack on their left must be her father’s, the Violet Moon Clan. The man in front looks a lot like her, with his dark skin and amber eyes. His name is Andrew Jones, Neal mentioned him during our lessons.

I don’t recognize any other group, though. But a lot of them are smaller, meaning they are smaller packs like the ones Neal mentioned earlier. But as I try counting, I found there are roughly twenty-five different groups around us. Even if not all of them brought fifty members, it’s still a lot of people... A lot more than we expected. And the number keeps growing with the arrival of other groups behind us. I notice no one from William’s Clan is here yet, but we still have time.

Damian helps me up to the stage, and we are now literally standing at the center.

This is... impressive. Hundreds of pairs of eyes are on us. I don’t feel as intimidated as I thought I would, though. My wolf feels confident enough, especially with her pair right by her side.

“This is great, Boss. A lot more people than we thought come,” says Neal.

“They are wary of us, though. Most of those wolves are warriors...”

They look at me, surprised. This is a bit new, but my wolf is observing our surroundings, and can quickly find which wolves are actually warriors or not. I can’t say I’m surprised, though. With the Blood Moon Clan’s reputation, we shouldn’t have expected people to react any differently. Its obvious people are here to hear what we have to say, but do not trust us for a second.

The sun slowly comes down, and everyone awaits. There isn’t as much noise as people lowered the chattering to listen to what the Alphas have to say. All of the leaders are standing in front of their packs, within a reasonable distance from each other.

I only recognize a few of them for now, but it doesn’t really matter. Suddenly, I see Sean running to us.

“The rogues, they started moving.”

“Nora, the sentinels said the rogues are coming.”

I get the information from two sides, and I answer both out loud and through the mind-link, so they can know what’s going on.

“Vince, what are they doing?”

“Just walking, they are not menacing. ...One of them asked to talk to us.”

Next to me, Damian is frowning, listening to this with concern.

“Nora, he wants to talk to you.”

I give Vince my phone number, and within a minute, I get a call from an unknown number. I put it on speaker for Damian to hear.

“Respects, Luna.”

“Hello. Who am I talking to?”

“My name is Ryan. I represent all of us who came. We all heard your call, so we came looking for the Luna.”

“...Where are you from?”

“The Western territories, but we were chased out by a Witch. First, she sent vampires to weaken us, then she poisoned all our water and food until we had no choice but to leave our home. There is nothing left back there, so we became strays looking for a new place to settle in. When we heard there was a Royal, we had to come. We encountered a few rogues on our way here, Luna, and we only have this many fighters. We have families, children. We are seeking Asylum.”

The Witch. So, she came from the West. Not only that, but she already used the very same pattern somewhere else. This is serious. But that could also be an opportunity for us.

“You are one whole Clan?” Asks Damian.

“Yes. We are called the Steel Moon Clan. There are about two hundred of us. When we heard the Luna’s call, that there were many packs assembled in one city, we thought that might be our chance to start over.”

I exchange a look with Damian, but we already are thinking the same thing. My mate nods, giving me what I need.

“I give you permission to enter our grounds. Leave your pack outside the Jade Moon territory and gather fifty people at most to join us.”

“Thank you, Luna!”

I hang up and leave Vince’s men to deal with them.

Next to us, Neal is nodding slowly. “For now, this is fine. That way, we will have witnesses about the Witch’s threat.”

“But this might be an issue later, right?”

I understand right away. Even if we choose to welcome this new pack for now, there will be another issue sooner or later: We don’t have any empty territory for a new Clan, especially such a large one.

“...That was an interesting display of generosity.”

I turn around, and a man I’ve never met before is facing us. He is tall, with completely white hair, despite looking in his forties. He has a very clean-shaven beard and is wearing an elegant dark blue suit. Very politely, he bows slightly to Damian and me.

“Pleased to meet you. I am Clark Hamilton.”

The White Moon Clan’s Alpha! I was wondering if they were coming at all. William did say he would try to convince them. Does he know about the Opal Moon, their branch Clan, meeting with Taaron King? And more importantly, is he really on William’s side?

We introduce each other, both parties staying extremely polite and expressionless before he leaves us to take his pack into an empty spot of the stadium. Right after him, William Blue comes in, followed by fifty people from the Sapphire Moon Clan. Gosh, I hope he and Damian can stay respectful toward each other...

He addresses me first. “Hello, Nora. How have you been?”

While he asks, his eyes are on the marking on my neck, but I act like I don’t notice.

“I’ve been fine, thank you. How about you?”

“Well, I did have a couple of fights with my father about coming here. But after all, I do happen to have a few things to say, too...”

I really don’t like the way he says that while glaring at Damian. What does he have to say? I’m afraid things will get ugly if those two argue. Damian doesn’t say a word despite William’s stares. His ice-cold silver eyes are just glaring all their might at my cousin, and his arm tightens slightly around my waist.

Those two look ready to jump at each other’s throats. How are we supposed to negotiate alliances like this? Thank Moon Goddess, William soon leaves to go back to his pack.

When it’s finally time, every wolf or man stands up. All the Alphas are in front of the packs, on the grass, all around us. There are a few empty spots, but from Neal’s estimation, we have gathered over ten thousand people... Damian and I exchange a glance, and I step forward to address all of them.

“Thank you all for coming. I am Nora Bluemoon, who called you here today. Most of you probably came with a lot of questions in mind about that threat I mentioned. As I already said before, the vampire attack was only a beginning. Silver City is about to face someone much more dangerous: A Witch.”

Right after my words, a lot of people start talking. This comes as a shock for most people, and I hear a lot of questioning in the ranks. They’ve faced vampires before, but a Dark Witch?

“How do we need this was really a Witch’s doing?” Ask someone. “We only saw vampires in that attack.”

“Something was definitely off about this attack. Any nearby water source attacked us,” states Clark, the White Moon Alpha. “Some of my guys died from poisoning, not from their injuries.”

“At least four packs witnessed it,” says Nathaniel. “And we may have not had any Witch around for a while, but we do know how they work.”

“That’s right. Witches can subjugate other species and use their elements. Trust me, I’ve lived long enough to see a couple,” adds old man Seaver. “A Water Witch, that’s what we were facing!”

A lot of people nod in agreement. Grandpa Seaver may not be from a big pack, but he is well-respected.

“So what? Even if there is a Witch, who says she will attack again? We gave those vampires a hard time...” Says an Alpha with a strong accent.

“Great idea, Gregorovitch. Let’s stay on our lazy asses in case nothing happens!” Scoffs Lysandra.

The man doesn’t let the insult go, and both packs start growling at each other. Damian and I growl too to have them stop.

“Enough!” I yell. “We came to talk, not to fight!”

The man named Gregorovitch turns to me, looking annoyed. He points the finger at me with a disdainful look.

“Why should we believe you? You may call yourself a Royal, but who says you are? What proof do you have?”

Almost immediately, not only Damian starts growling furiously at him, but the whole Blood Moon Clan, too. I try to calm Damian down, but to my surprise, the next one to speak is William.

From where he is, my cousin turns his head toward the man who spoke with his eastern accent, looking even more cynical.

“Do you think anyone can summon so many packs like this? Are you able to mind-link other Alphas as you please, too? Anyone here who has seen Nora Bluemoon shapeshift into her white wolf form, with blue eyes, knows she is a blessed child of Moon Goddess.”

The Alpha named Gregorovitch seems a bit reluctant to believe William. Still, he doesn’t dare talk back and just crosses his arms. I was afraid we would lose time tracking my family history to prove myself capable, but William stepping in certainly helped. However, we need to resume to our main topic.

“As I said, a Witch is threatening Silver City. A Water Witch, according to Alpha Seaver and the White Moon Clan. She will attack again, but we can’t know where and when. In any case, it will be a bigger blow, and we won’t be able to handle it if we are not prepared for it.”

People start talking between themselves again after my words, and mostly they seem concerned or anxious. Some are still staring at Damian and me with suspicion in their eyes, but at least they heard us. I turn to my mate, but before I say a word, Sean runs to us.

“Boss, Luna, they are here. The ro— I mean, the Steel Moon Clan.”