CHAPTER 53: VISITING EMERALD PACK
CHAPTER 53: VISITING EMERALD PACK
Alana’s POV
Even if I knew he could sense it every time my head did a little turn, I occasionally stole glances at the one person who made my heart melt like butter under a scorching sun. The one person who put my feelings first and went miles for me.
The soft light shone on Axel’s face and he had one hand leisurely steering the wheel and the other resting on my thighs. It made him hotter than I’d ever imagined.
“You’re gawking,” said Axel.
“Just admiring nature's finest work,” I shrugged.
As usual, he grunted in response.
In no time, we were at the entrance of the pack we were visiting and it only took me a few guesses to get which pack we were in correctly.
The huge green gate was decorated with a man-sized gemstone and the patrol wolves all dressed in dark green uniforms spelled Emerald pack. If I could remember correctly, this was Alpha Ada’s pack. She was the only female I’d seen who was also an alpha.
“Is this…” I gasped.
“Emerald pack, Princess. It’s not much, but it should occupy you for the rest of the day,” said Axel as he drove past the gates and through a yellowish-green lane.
“Don’t say that, Axel, this is one of the most thoughtful things anybody has done for me. Ever.”
My heart squeezed in appreciation. The emotions almost swallowed me whole. There was no way this man was real.
“Does that make me a little bit likable?” He cocked an eyebrow to me.
“Just a little bit. A teeny tiny bit,” I said for emphasis.
I found myself smiling sheepishly when a small grin stretched Axel’s lips. “I’ll take that as a win.”
After just a little drive, I sighted Alpha Ada standing in front of a castle that was most likely their pack house because I could see a lot of people chatting, going out and coming in from it. Two bulky males stood on either side of her who I assumed to be her second men.
Axel brought the car to a halt and skirted to my side to lead me out.
“Alpha Ada,” Axel took her in a hug, one of his hands still possessively holding mine. “Thank you for having us.”
“It’s no problem, Alpha, we are more than happy to.” She had a warm smile on her face as she turned to face me.
“You must remember my Luna, Alana,” Axel gestured to me with a proud little smile.
“Of course I do. One cannot easily forget those striking hair and eyes,” she took a step towards me and took my hand. “It’s good to see you again, Luna. We’re glad to have you in Emerald pack.”
“Thank you, Alpha Ada. It’s good to see you too.”
“This is Jed and Sam, my twin Betas,” she turned to the two men beside her. With no resemblance whatsoever, I wouldn’t have guessed they were even related. “They will help you settle in and rest for the next hour before we begin the tour. I will round up with my meetings and join you downstairs in an hour. Sounds good?” “Yes, thank you, Ada,” Axel spoke.
“Luna, Alpha,” and with that, she was gone.
After the hour passed, Axel and I got downstairs and just as she had said, Alpha Ada was waiting for us there. She had changed into a more casual attire and she had a kid with her that shared the same shade of green eyes. She mentioned her to be her sister's child.
“Are we ready?” NôvelDrama.Org: text © owner.
“We are,” I responded on behalf of Axel and myself.
A little distance away from our lodge, the smell and sound of a small busy town filled my ears, the castle-like pack house and a good number of small wooden cabins that were arranged on both sides of a neat and endless road came into sight.
Their signature green color was made more pronounced by the tall trees that stood on either side of the houses. The buildings all looked alike and according to Alpha Ada, packmates who had their families could occupy the houses.
Those who didn’t have families, had rooms of their own in the main pack house, just like in Crescent Moon pack.
“Welcome to Emerald Pack,” Alpha Ada said proudly to me when I couldn’t stop with the occasional gasps.
“It’s even more impressive than I remember it to be,” Axel complimented Alpha Ada who gave him a knowing smile.
She led us to their museum which was somewhere at the center of the pack houses, where most of their jewels were guarded. They had jewels of different sizes and origins like Emeralds, Green Beryls, Peridots, and more that I couldn’t even pronounce on display.
At the edge of the town, after we had passed through pack members and kids going about their day and stealing glances at Axel and me, we came to a large house made of dark wood and natural stone. It was a single room with many open windows and as neat as it was kept, the unmistakable smell of dung and the occasional honking and cawing meant that we were in an animal house.
“This is where we keep our most prized possessions,” Alpha Ada began.
“Are those peacocks?” I asked in awe as the majestic creatures moved about the space, squawking.
“The rarest birds in the continent,” she added with pride as she nodded earnestly. I had only heard of them. We had none in Crescent Moon pack.
Axel stood closely behind me, showing very little interest in the animals and more interest in fanning hot breaths down my neck.
“How do you have so many of them?” I asked.
“A few years ago, our pack was attacked and left for ruins by some group of rogues who may be familiar to you. The Marauders. We wouldn’t have survived it if not for Alpha Axel.” Her sincere smile met Axel who only shrugged behind me.
“I believe your pack would have done the same for ours, Ada.”
“What did you do?” I asked.
“He employed all the resources we used in regaining our pack, and he helped us to build the biggest homestead in the continent. The birds were a gift from him too. They were three, about this tall,” she measured a small height with her hand. “But now we have a muster of them.”
“Axel,” I gasped.
“That’s only a part of what he did for us.”
“She’s being modest,” Axel said. Did his skin prickle when people complimented him? “I didn’t do much. You came to us for help and we rendered it.”
“Which is why we are forever in your debt.”
Axel hummed and gave a curt nod before the tour continued.
We say an array of animals; common, rare, and some that were near extinct. They had Pallas cats, leopards, pandas, and more animals that I didn’t even know still existed.
Their nursery was much smaller than ours, but I didn’t even want to leave. The pups were the best part of the trip for me. They played, bickered, fought, sang, and slept on me.
“I hope you will be joining us for dinner?” Alpha Ada asked at the end of the trip when we got back to the lodge where Axel and I had stayed when we first came.
The sight of this small but homey pack filled my stomach but I was starving. I half expected Axel to say yes.
“We will, but first I would like to go on a run on your grounds with Alana.”
My eyes widened at the thought. Could this day get any better?
“You are free to, Alpha. Our grounds are yours too. Dinner is at seven.”
My eyes darted to Axel after Alpha Ada took her leave.
“Ready, Princess?”