Chapter 3

The pack house was buzzing with anticipation the next morning. Everyone had heard about the sudden trespassers into the neighboring territory, and everyone was worried their pack would be next.

Celus sighed and rolled his eyes, knowing that his decision to cross over had been stupid the first time, let alone doing it for a second time.

A knock at the door stopped his frantic pacing in his office. Mandry stood at the door with a wide-eyed expression and an envelope in her left hand.

"Alpha." She gasped, a smile creeping onto her face.

"She wrote back?" He asked, butterflies erupting in his stomach.

"She wrote back." She said confidently. Celus rushed to her side, carefully taking the letter. He examined it for a moment, unable to process the fact that she had not only received his letter, but sent one of her own. "Well? What are you waiting for? Open it!" She exclaimed.

Celus nodded, careful not to rip the paper as he unfolded the flap and slid out the small piece of paper.

          My Dearest Celus,

          You have no idea how good it feels to hear from you. My days are long and empty without your touch or your presence. Darron has me on tight watch and it is very difficult for me to write this letter. Just know, I have not stopped thinking about you after the other night. How your lips felt on mine, or how the goosebumps formed on my arms at the slightest touch of your skin.

          You must know, there is something strange going on here. After you left, Alpha Darron has been very secretive about his work, and I think it might have something to do with you. Please be careful and alert when it comes to him. He is not a very nice man, and who knows what he will do.

          I will be thinking about you every moment I am awake. Your scent still fills my mind, and your touch is embodied within my senses. Not a day will pass where I will not think of your beautiful emerald green eyes or your shining black hair.  I hold onto the hope that some day we will be together, and I can forever be by your side.

                                                     All my love,

                                                             Salen

Celus' smile stretched across his face, showing faint smile lines near his eyes. Mandry watched her Alpha, happy that he has finally found something that can make him smile like that.

"I'll leave you alone." She gave him one last glance before closing the door behind her.

Celus plopped down into his desk chair and sighed. That letter was the best thing he could have gotten all day. Now, he knew what he needed to do. Write back. But first, he needed to talk to Brady.

He raced down the stairs in search of his beta, shoving past anyone that stood in his way. "Brady!" He shouted, looking around frantically. "Brady!" His voice got louder the longer he yelled.

"Excuse me, Alpha?" A young girl around thirteen spoke up from behind him. His eyes shot down to her, curious as to why she would want his attention. "Beta Brady has been on patrol all morning. He is at the Western border with my dad and warrior Kris." He sent her a small smile and thanked her before running towards the tree line, shifting into his wolf mid-stride.

Celus caught their scents as he ran further and further from the pack house. Emerging in a clearing, he found Brady hiding near the border waiting for someone to cross over.

'Brady.' Celus grunted, catching his attention. He stood from his crouched position and nodded his head in respect.

'I need to talk to you privately.' He nodded and followed behind his Alpha, his smaller sandy wolf nowhere near as large as Celus' grey one.

"What is it Celus?" Brady asked as they shifted back, making their way into the pack house.

"Alpha Darron has been acting very suspicious, and we need to find out what he is planning. Salen says he is being very secretive and that I need to watch out in case something does happen." He gave him a confused look.

"Salen told you this?" Celus nodded.

"She wrote it in her letter." Brady scrunched his eyebrows.

"Well, how do you know it was her that wrote it? Maybe it is Darron that is trying to get into your head." Celus growled.

"No. It's from her. I know it is." He handed the note to his beta so he could read it for himself.

"Well, she does say she is under constant watch. It very well could have been him if he caught her writing to you. Maybe he is trying to make you paranoid and on guard." He shrugged his shoulders.

"I don't know. If it was him and that were his motives, it is working. I know what he is capable of, and I don't want to risk anyone or anything for his selfish ways." Brady understood his friend's worry. With his mate at risk, he didn't want to make any irrational decisions that could harm her or any of his pack members.

"Well, you could always write her back and try to figure out if she is actually luring you in." Celus thought hard about this. Did he really think his mate was going against him?

They made their way to his office, his mind racing with confusion. All he wanted was the comfort of his mate, but clearly that wasn't going to happen any time soon.

Pulling another clean piece of paper from his desk drawer, he rubbed his forehead and began writing his letter, not knowing what to do about his situation.

My Love,

This has been the longest week without you near. My pack is not the strongest with their Alpha so low. I can only hope this will not last much longer. I don't know how much more my wolf can take being away from you before he takes over completely.

My warriors have not trained nearly as much as I would like, but I am sure they are still the best warriors in the nation. I made sure of that before I promoted them.

I am trying to be strong. If not for you, then for my pack. But an Alpha without a Luna is a man without a soul; almost impossible to continue on.

You are my angel, and I hope soon one day I can wake up to your beautiful smiling face next to me every morning for the rest of our lives until we are old and grey.

You are my world, my stars, and my moon.

                                                    Yours forever,

                                                                   Alpha Celus

Brady read the letter over his Alpha's shoulder, admiring how he could write with such adoration while still trying to uncover the truth. He knew that if this turned out the way he thought, his friend's heart would be broken for sure.

"I will send this out immediately Alpha." Brady bowed slightly, watching as Celus folded the crisp paper and slid it into an unmarked envelope.

"Thank you Brady." Celus sighed, frustrated with himself more than anyone else. He just hoped that their suspicions were inaccurate.

Salen's POV

The empty guest room Salen insisted on staying in only amplified the sorrowful feeling in the pit of her stomach. She did not want to stay in the same room as the Alpha. She knew that once her ceremony was over he wouldn't give her a choice, so she wanted to prolong it for as long as possible.

She wrapped her light pink robe tightly around her, enjoying the small amount of comfort it brought to her. The soft material grazed her bare arms, sending slight goosebumps from her fingertips up to her shoulder.

After sending her last letter to Celus, Salen had no desire to leave the lonely extent of her bedroom, filled with only her essentials such as her clothes and a few blankets. She clutched the locket given to her from her mother, thinking back to her old home where she spent most of her time celebrating the love of her and her family.

Salen enjoyed the way the pack looked up to her mother and father. They were natural born leaders that earned the trust of their pack members. Darron, however, leads out of fear and manipulation. His pack members didn't truly respect him, making his pack hollow from weakness and lack of trust.

A knock on her door made Salen jump slightly, hiding her letters in the top drawer of her dresser.

"Come in." She announced firmly. The door opened slowly, revealing Margaret with another letter resting gently in her hand. Salen gave her a friendly smile, ushering her in quickly before closing the door behind her.

"My dearest sister Mandry sent another one. Come quick, open it." She sat at the edge of the bed, patting the spot next to her. Salen grinned from ear to ear, enjoying the butterflies that fluttered within her stomach.

Receiving letters was without a doubt the best part of her days right now. Darron was rushing to prepare for her mating ceremony, making her short time with Celus that more precious. As much as she hoped and prayed, deep down she knew that she would end up with Darron for the rest of her days, and not the man she was destined to love.

"Come on, come on. You're killing me with anticipation." Margaret patted her leg, unable to contain her excitement. Salen nodded and opened the letter gently, slipping the piece of paper out before reading it.

The words haunted her mind, causing her heart to ache. She only thought of her pain. She never once stopped to think of all the heartache this situation would be causing Celus. She knew he was strong, but even the strongest Alphas will crack under the separation and pull of the mate bond.

"That poor man. I have never seen him so down. My sister tells me of the struggles he is constantly going through. This must be so hard for him." Salen sighed.

"I need to do something, but I'm just not sure what." Margaret placed her hand on her shoulder in a comforting manner.

"Come with me."