Chapter 2

A week passed since Celus returned from Alpha Darron's land. So far, he had no contact with anyone over their border, including Salen.

Celus tried to keep himself busy, running a tighter ship for his pack members. His reputation was definitely accurate with how he had been acting. His members were worried yet too afraid to confront him directly.

A knock at the office door made Celus peek up from his paperwork with a frustrated look plastered on his face.

"What is it? I'm really busy right now." He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. He knew he was beginning to stress not only himself but everyone around him out, but he just couldn't help it. Without Salen around, his wolf was constantly on edge and all he wanted to do was have her in his arms.

"Celus, honey, I don't like you stressing yourself out this much. It isn't healthy for you to work yourself so hard without any rest. Come eat dinner with everyone." One of the pack mothers that stepped up to help out following the death of his parents ushered him out of his office before he had a chance to resist. She tugged his arm and led him down the stairs and towards the dining area.

"Mandry, I'm fine. I need to get everything finished and I don't really have time-" She cut him off, pushing down on his shoulders so he would collapse into the solid wood dining chairs.

"You know, I grew up with your mother and father. They were great together, even before they knew they were meant to be together." She had a bright smile on her face as she recalled their past Alpha and Luna. "And your mother-she was such a wonderful woman. Always making sure everyone around her was as happy as they could be-even if that meant losing some of her own happiness." She looked down at the now grown Alpha with sorrowful eyes. "It would kill her to see you like this."

Celus sighed, knowing she was right. His mother was the best thing to happen to his pack, and losing her was devastating. If she saw him now, she would tell him to keep his head up and remind him to take it one day at a time.

"What am I going to do Mandry? I'm miserable and there's nothing I can do about it. I have no contact with my mate and she is in a territory connected to mine." He growled, gripping his hair tightly in his fists.

"There's no way of talking to her over the phone?" He shook his head, not once looking up. She sighed and frowned, trying to think of a solution. Suddenly, her face lit up. "Oh! I know!" She gasped, slamming her hand on the table causing Celus to jump.

"What is it?" He asked, anxiety flowing through his body.

"You could write her letters! They're impossible to track and can be completely anonymous." He sat back, looking at the older woman with a strange gaze. "What is that look for?" She asked, resting her hands on her hips.

"I'm sorry, but nobody writes letters anymore. And even if I were to do that, how could I get it to her without crossing over the border?" She scrunched her eyebrows.

"Oh! My sister is part of his pack. She joined after finding her mate! I could always get her to meet me along the borderline and she could deliver the letters to the Luna." She gave him a triumphant smile, obviously proud of her new-found idea. Sensing his hesitation, she huffed and sat in front of him with her hands over his. "Look, sweetie, you don't have many more options here."

Celus sighed, knowing that she was right. If he wanted to get in contact with her, he had to be inventive and keep it a secret from Darron until she was with him.

"Alright, I'll give it a try." She smiled brightly and pulled out her phone from her pocket, dialing her sister's number.

"Perfect. Now get upstairs and start working on your letter. I will handle the rest." She held the phone up to her ear with urgency, listening to the quiet ringing. "Go!" She shouted once she noticed that he had yet to move from his seat.

"But what about food?" He asked, finally paying attention to the grumbling noises coming from his now past-empty stomach.

"Here," She handed him a plate and some silverware. "Take some up to your office with you. When I come up I will grab all your dirty dishes and have them washed. Now go." She pointed to the buffet of food on the kitchen counter.

It has been a long time since Celus has had to write a formal letter. He wasn't even sure if he knew how to anymore. He sat for a few minutes just staring at the blank piece of paper resting on his desk.

'What do I even say to her? Hey, how's it going?' He thought to himself before scoffing and shaking his head. 'This is stupid.' He growled. Picking up a pen, he attempted to write what he thought would be good enough for his precious mate.

          To Salen,

          It's me, Celus. Your mate.

He growled, crumbling up the paper and throwing it at the far wall before grabbing a new piece and starting again.

          Dear Salen,

          Hey, how's it going?

Once again, he huffed and crumbled up the draft, throwing it with the other. 'This is impossible,' he thought. 'I'm not a good writer. It's pointless.' With one last groan, he pulled out a clean sheet and started to write, making sure he took his time and didn't waste any more paper.

          My Dearest Salen,

'Good start.' He thought to himself before continuing.

         This last week has been agony without you by my side. I always thought I was fit to run a pack all alone until you came into my life. Now it seems like everything around here is pointless without you.

          Are you thinking about me too? At least I hope you are. My pack is miserable, and I know I am the reason for it. If only you were here to comfort me.

          I hope Darron is treating you well. I count the days until I can bring you here with me and we can run my pack together. I can not wait to run my fingers through your beautiful blonde hair and kiss your swollen lips. I crave your company more than anything in the world, and there isn't anything I wouldn't give to be with you now and forever.

          Writing this letter is one of the most difficult things I have had to do, but knowing you are on the receiving end makes it worthwhile.

                                                    Love, Alpha Celus

He glared down at his letter, almost physically wincing at how he ended it. Mandry stood in the doorway, examining his posture and how he stared intently at his work.

"All set to send it out?" She asked, startling him and causing him to nearly jump out of his skin.

"Um..." He hesitated, glancing between her and the paper. Did he really want to send out possibly the worst letter ever written? "No. It's not ready." He placed his arms over the letter in a failed attempt to hide it from her view.

"Oh, come on. I'm sure it's fine." She ripped it out from his grasp and read it silently to herself. "Okay, maybe not. But it will work for the first letter." She gave him a reassuring smile and folded the letter, sliding it into a clean envelope and slipping it into her purse.

Celus could feel his palms begin to sweat as he watched Mandry's retreating figure. 'What if she reads it and hates it? What if she doesn't write back?' His heart raced in his chest and began to make him feel light-headed.

"Brady!" He shouted, his loud booming voice echoing through the house. He could hear feet pounding on the staircase before the door flew open.

"Alpha?" He asked, bending over to catch his breath.

"You're coming with me. I need to do something, and I need you to come with me in case something bad happens." Brady gave him a confused look, but Celus didn't give him any other explanation.

Shifting into their wolves, they ran through the woods towards the conjoined border. Celus sniffed around, making sure there were no warriors near before he slowly crossed into the neighboring land.

'Celus! What are you doing?' Brady shouted in a panicked tone over mind-link. He stood in their own land, watching in horror as his Alpha broke one of the most sacred rules werewolves had; never cross into someone else's territory without permission.

Celus shushed him, motioning for him to follow closely. 'I don't have time to explain. Now let's go.'

Brady huffed and hesitantly followed after his Alpha, hoping they wouldn't get caught.

'By now Mandry's sister should be headed back with my letter.' Brady looked at him in confusion.

'Letter? What letter?' Celus continued on with his rant, not even paying attention to what his Beta was saying.

'I need to make it there before she opens it.' Celus looked around frantically, making sure he was on high alert and that they wouldn't be seen by their warriors.

'She?' Brady began getting frustrated with all his unanswered questions; He had so many, and Celus wasn't even giving them a second thought. 'Celus!' He shouted, causing him to stop in his tracks.

'What?' He hissed. Brady lowered his head slightly, not wanting to anger his Alpha.

'Why are we here Celus?' He sighed, flattening his ears.

'I wrote Salen a letter. I just need to make sure she reads it.' He whimpered slightly, feeling completely lost. He knew what he was doing was wrong, but he had this strong urge to be near her that was almost impossible to control. Brady nodded his head, not needing to say anything more. He knew that no matter what, he would follow his friend into any trouble he got himself into.

'Let's go.' They both sprinted towards the pack house, the wind blowing through their fur. Celus caught the scent of Mandry's sister, meaning she wasn't far ahead.

The house came into their view, the darkness of the night sky not causing Celus any difficulty. He watched as she walked into the back door, avoiding any pack members that might look at her suspiciously. Most people would wonder why she disappeared into the woods alone.

A light turned on within the second floor, and two figures appeared in front of the window. Celus watched with anticipation as he saw the blonde haired beauty accept his letter. She slid the window open and sat on the windowsill, examining the letter closely.

Her delicate fingers grasped the envelope gently as she used a metal letter-opener to break the seal. She slid the letter out of the envelope and into her hand, being very careful as she unfolded it.

Celus watched in admiration as she began to read the words written across the sheet. Her eyes shone from the moonlight as a smile crept upon her face.

Salen sighed as she finished reading her letter, holding it closely to her chest. She looked around the back yard, sensing a pair of eyes watching her.

Celus sunk closer to the ground, not wanting to be spotted but also not being able to tear his eyes away from Salen's now retreating figure. He couldn't ignore the tight feeling around his heart as Brady attempted to usher him away from the house. A few warriors exited from the back door of the pack house and began scanning the tree line. He was sure word had gotten out by now that someone had crossed over into their territory.

'Celus, we have to go now!' Brady shouted, shoving his body into his side, forcing him out of his daze. The warriors shifted and began chasing after their scents.

'Follow me.' Celus growled, speeding up and zigzagging through the trees to slow down the men. Brady followed suit, giving them a little more time.

Celus and Brady crossed his border right before the men emerged from the trees. Brady sighed and shifted, throwing on some clothes that were hidden along the territory lines.

"That was completely insane!" Brady shouted, running his hands over his face. Celus just sat in the grass, leaning up against a tree.

"I know." He whispered. He couldn't get Salen's smile out of his mind. She was happy to hear from him, and that's all he needed to continue writing his letters; no matter how bad he thought they were.