Chapter 20


    I’m lying in a bed naked, with Hope straddling me and her arms wrapped around my neck.


    ‘What happened? Where are we?’ I ask, wondering if it has all been a dream.


    ‘Alpha Tate and Alpha Liam are dead. I have told our new pack members to bury the dead,’ she


    says, proudly.


    Smiling, I cup her face.


    ‘I see you’ve already adjusted to being Luna,’ I say, and she smiles.


    ‘Well, you were knocked out from the wolfsbane and everyone bowed to me and chanted Luna!


    So, I got them to carry you in here to rest, and they all stood around waiting for orders. I wanted to do


    the right thing by the dead, so they were all buried, except for Alpha Tate, Alpha Liam and Sam. I had


    them cremated,’ she exins, smiling.


    ‘You are a true Luna indeed!’ I say, kissing her forehead. She blushes and smiles. Swinging my


    legs over the bed to stand, everything sways.


    ‘Oh, no you don''t! You have a really bad fever. You need to stay and rest until you are better. I''m


    going to stay here, by your side, okay?’ Hope says, lifting my feet back into the bed.


    She grabs a washcloth from the bedside table, in a bowl of water, and squeezes it, before wringing


    it out, and wiping the sweat off my forehead, trying to cool my body down. The coldness of the


    washcloth, and her other hand stroking my face, soothes me. She does this for hours, and then leaves


    the room, to bring me some food.


    She returns with a bowl of soup and bread on a tray. She props the pillows up behind me to help


    me sit up, to spoon feed me the soup.


    ‘This reminds me of when I fed you with the chopsticks,’ Iugh, and she giggles.


    ‘I’m d I can return the favour, and feed you,’ she says, smirking. There’s a knock on the door.


    ‘Come in,’ I yell, and Sally enters the room, smiling.


    ‘How are you feeling Max? I mean, Alpha Maximus? Is that what I should call you?’ She wonders.


    We startughing.


    ‘You''re not my pack member, so you can just call me Max. I should be asking you how you are


    after Alpha Tate stabbed you,’ I say.


    ‘Hope was able to heal me. It didn''t even scar,’ she says, proudly, smiling at Hope.


    ‘So, you aren''t freaked out about the whole werewolf thing?’ I ask.


    ‘At first, I was, but now I think it''s kind of cool. In fact, I think I might even be a little bit jealous that


    I''m not a wolf!’ She answers,ughing, and we allugh.


    ‘Sally, I want to thank you for saving Hope. If you hadn''t been brave and snuck up on Alpha Tate


    like that, I don''t know if we would have had the same oue. A frying pan. Of all things!’ I say,


    ‘I had to improvise. I wasn’t able to shift into a wolf like everyone else!’ Sheughs. ‘You’re very


    wee! I would dly hit anyone over the head with a frying pan, if it means rescuing Hope!’ She


    grins, and weugh.


    Hope stares at me with a serious look on her face.


    ‘So, what now?’ She asks.


    ‘I''m going to call Alex and let him know the good news. Alpha Greg and his pack should be arriving


    at Alpha Dan''s tomorrow. They’ll wait for us, and we will fight for our home, and the Blood Moon pack


    will be reinstated,’ I reply.


    ‘Well, let''s get this fever gone. Hopefully you will be fine by the morning,’ Hope mumbles, and Sally


    leaves the room while Hope runs a cool bath for me.


    She is tiny but still helps me stand, and hop into the bathtub, and she pulls her dress off over her


    head and gets in with me. With her back against my chest, my member is pressed hard against her


    back. I wrap my arms around her waist, and kiss her shoulder and neck, making her moan.


    She tilts her head back to look up at me. I lean down and rub the tip of my nose against hers, and


    peck her on the lips. She spins around and presses her breasts firmly against my chest, and nuzzles


    her face in my neck. Her teeth protrude and lightly graze my marking spot, teasing me.


    ‘When did you be so naughty?’ I ask her. She giggles and blushes.


    ‘I can''t help but feel naughty when I’m with you,’ she says, wrapping her hand around my hard


    member making me moan.


    There’s a knock on the door and we sigh. Hope reluctantly gets out of the bath, wraps a towel


    around herself, and leaves. Momentster, she returns, throwing a dress on.


    ‘Sally said the new pack members are worried about what will be of them, and are


    ‘How are you feeling?’ She asks.


    ‘I think we broke the fever. I’m feeling much better,’ I answer.


    ‘Would you like to go back to bed and rest, or do you want toe downstairs and address our


    pack?’ She asks.


    ‘I’lle downstairs with you. Give me a moment to dress,’ I say, with a smile.


    We walk hand in hand downstairs, into a roomful of pack members, who bow their heads when we


    enter, and we take our seats.


    ‘You are now all members of Blood Moon. Tomorrow your Luna and I will head to Ashwood where


    we will join Alpha Dan''s and Alpha Greg''s packs. Our intention is to fight them and reim my territory,


    and the packhouse. You can stay in the vige, you can stay here, or stay in any of my territories,’ I


    exin. The room fills with chatter as everyone speaks among themselves.


    ‘Some of us would like to stay here, but it''s quite old and run-down. It needs a lot of repairs. The


    soil here is perfect for growing food and farming. If we had the money, we would be able to growrger


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    crops, and supply food to all the packhouses you own, all year round,’ a man says.


    ‘Yes, this ce is looking old, and thendscape is incredibly lush and thriving. Many of the pack


    houses I took over were poverty-stricken, yet the alphas wore the finest clothing and had the finest


    houses. The pack members had barely any food,’ I exin.


    ‘Is there any way you can make this ce and the other pack houses more liveable?’ He asks.


    I walk off; every one goes silent, and looks at Hope.


    ‘He will be back in a moment,’ she says.


    Returning to the room, I throw a bag at the man, he catches it, and looks at me, confused.


    ‘Open it,’ I say, kindly.


    The man empties the bag over the table, and hundreds of bundles of money tumble out. Everyone


    gasps, in shock at all the money.


    ‘I’m going to leave you in charge as Treasurer. There is almost one million dors there for you.


    Allocate it to wherever it needs to be spent. When the money runs out, contact me, and I’ll give you


    more. No werewolf will live in poverty, and you will have a proper food farm up and running,’ I exin,


    and they all cheer and p. One by one, they thank me and Hope for our kindness and generosity.


    It’s getting dark when the pack members invite us outside to join them around a bonfire, where we


    listen to their stories, and they y music, and dance around the fire.


    Hope and Sally join in, twirling around the fire. I don''t keep my eyes off Hope; it gives me great


    happiness seeing her free and happy.


    When the fire has gone out, Hope is asleep in myp. I carry her to bed, and snuggle her,


    wrapping my arms around her. I’m d to have her safe in my arms again, but struggle to sleep


    knowing the war isn''t over yet.


    We still have to reim our home, and fight multiple packs at once. I pray to the Moon Goddess to


    keep Hope safe, and to help get our home back. Hope stirs, having a bad dream. She tosses and


    turns.


    ‘Nathan!’ She yells.


    Gently waking her, she quickly sits up, gasping for air.


    ‘Are you okay? You were having a bad dream.’


    She starts crying.


    ‘I dreamt about the explosion, about Nathan,’ she cries, wiping her tears. Wrapping my arms


    around her, I scoop her onto myp and caress her face tofort her.


    ‘I wish he was still here,’ she whispers.


    ‘Me too,’ I whisper.