Chapter Text
Chapter 1
A woman sat at her desk, scanning over her notes. She nibbled on the cap of her pen, her knee bouncing restlessly beneath the table. Through her rimless glasses, her bright golden-amber eyes weren’t truly focused on the documents in front of her.
She glanced up at the clock.
A bright smile spread across her warm caramel face.
She jumped to her feet, snapped her laptop shut, and slipped it into her bag. Shrugging off her lab coat, she hurried toward the door.
“Oh, is it four o’clock already, Elowen?”
An older woman looked up from behind a bubbling beaker, her silver curls sprayed wildly above her head.
“Yes, it is, Calliope!” Elowen sang, already halfway out the door. “I can’t keep my dearest daughter and husband waiting!”
She gave a quick wave as she left. Calliope returned it with a small smile before turning back to her work.
Elowen was a renowned researcher specializing in herbology. She had graduated at the top of her class and now worked as one of the leading scientists at Gold Moon Pharmaceutical, a pack known for its advancements in healing werewolves.
The alpha bloodline of the Gold Moon Pack had been blessed by the moon goddess Selene with divine healing abilities. Over generations, they had refined that gift into state-of-the-art medical practices and facilities, benefiting wolf shifters across the nation.
Elowen had grown up in this pack. It was here she met her mate, Dr. Philander Hood, the very man she was now hurrying to meet outside the glass doors of the lab.
Every Friday, her family met her after work, and they walked through the bustling downtown together before heading home.
Elowen stepped into the bright afternoon sun, lifting a hand to shield her eyes.
A small, warm body suddenly wrapped around her waist.
She looked down into a pair of bright chocolate-brown eyes filled with excitement.
Her smile softened instantly.
“Hello, my sweet little Erica.”
She pulled her daughter into a tight embrace. A moment later, both of them were enveloped in the arms of a towering man.
Philander Hood wrapped his wife and daughter in a warm hug. His chocolate-brown eyes were soft and kind, a gentle contrast to his massive, intimidating frame. He lifted them both with ease.
Elowen laughed as Erica squealed.
“Oh, Philly, put us down! We have to hurry! Meyer’s has a new ice cream flavor, and I want to try it before they sell out!”
“I want ice cream too!” Erica wiggled in his arms.
Philander raised an eyebrow. “Is ice cream more important than my love?”
He rubbed his scratchy beard against Erica’s cheek, sending her into a fit of giggles.
“Daddy! Stop being so silly!” she cried between laughs.
Philander chuckled and gently set them down.
Hand in hand, they made their way toward Meyer’s Ice Cream Shop, chatting easily about their day. Erica swung their joined hands back and forth, her laughter filling the air.
Soon, the small brick building came into view. The wide glass windows gleam beneath neat yellow-and-white striped signage.
Another family approached at the same time.
A tall, lean man with slicked-back platinum-blond hair turned toward them, his sapphire eyes sharp yet welcoming. Beside him stood a slender woman with elegantly styled brunette hair and bright green eyes. Their son, slightly older than Erica, paused when his parents stopped walking.
He had his father’s eyes but a head full of wavy brown hair like his mother.
Philander and Elowen bowed respectfully.
“Greetings, Alpha and Luna,” Philander said. “Hello, young Alpha.”
Pleasantries were exchanged.
Erica glanced at the boy and rolled her eyes.
He stuck his tongue out at her in response.
Elowen gasped softly, her eyes wide.
“Erica! That’s no way to greet the young Alpha!”
She leaned down, lowering her voice. “What happened?”
“He thinks he’s faster than me,” Erica muttered. “But I beat him, like, five times in a race at school.”
“That’s because she cheated!” Alex cut in.
“I did not!” Erica stomped her foot.
Alpha Aeseni watched them with quiet amusement.
“Alex,” he said gently, “it’s entirely possible Erica is faster. She is quite quick on her feet.”
He rested a hand on his son’s shoulder.
“I once considered recruiting her father as my Delta, but he chose instead to become the finest doctor in the Gold Moon Pack.”
He smiled faintly.
“Being an Alpha is not about being the fastest. It’s about knowing how to help others and giving them the opportunity to be their best selves.”
Alex frowned slightly, though he knew his father was right.
Still… it bothered him.
She was strong. Fast. And she was only ten!
He was going to be thirteen in a few months. Soon, he would begin his Alpha training, and he wouldn’t even be in the same school as Erica anymore.
For some reason, that thought didn’t sit well with him.
“Well,” he said, lifting his chin, “keep training, Erica. When I become Alpha, you can be my Beta.”
Erica grinned.
“Bet.”
Their parents smiled as they all headed inside.
The adults took a booth while Erica and Alex claimed seats at the counter by the window.
They stared down at their cones of peanut butter-and-popcorn-crunch ice cream.
“This is either going to be delicious… or horrible,” Alex said.
Erica took a bold bite from the top scoop.
Alex watched carefully, waiting.
Her eyes lit up.
“This is the best worst thing I’ve ever had! It’s salty and sweet and crunchy and soft!”
She took another enthusiastic bite.
Alex tried his more cautiously. The flavors were overwhelming, but he found himself more entertained by Erica’s reaction than the ice cream itself.
By the time they left, the sun was beginning to set, golden light stretching across the sky, streaked with soft pink clouds.
“I’m fascinated by your current research, Elowen,” Alpha Aeseni said as they walked. “What you’re working on could change medicine as we know it.”
Elowen smiled shyly. “I think I still have a long way to go. I’ve hit a bit of a standstill.”
“It’s still remarkable,” Luna Natalya said warmly. “You’ll find your breakthrough.”
“Gah—Erica! Let go!” Alex yelped, half-laughing as she wrestled him into a headlock.
“Oh dear,” Philander muttered, stepping in to separate them. “I believe someone’s having a sugar rush.”
Aeseni laughed, the sound deep and warm.
“Enjoy your family, Philander,” he said. “It’s been a pleasure.”
They parted ways beneath the fading light, laughter lingering in the air.