"Calix, darling!" a short Omega woman exclaimed, opening the door and nearly tackling Calix to the ground. "I haven't seen you in forever, love!"

Stumbling, Calix caught the woman, smiling brightly at her. She had grey strands weaved into her dark hair and icy blue eyes that matched Calix's, except hers were a bit duller showing her age.

"It's only been a couple of weeks, mom," Calix said, a wide smile on his face. "I've been busy."

"Busy with-" the woman paused, seeing Kegan for the first time. For a second she seemed surprised, then broke out into a grin once again. "You hide from us, son! How long has he been here?!"

"For about a week-"

"You mean to tell me that your mate, the future Luna of our pack, has been here for a full week and just now we're getting to meet him?! And may I remind you that you're only here because your father had to send Kai to find you?!"

Kegan was surprised that an Omega was being so aggressive and making the future Alpha of the strongest pack in the country cower before her.

"He was in heat and adjusting, mom!" Calix said, backing away from the severe woman, looking like a child who'd been scolded for eating sweets before dinner. "Today's the first day he's been out... except for..."

The Omega waved him off. "Your father told me Tan attacked an Omega in heat," she said, turning and looking at Kegan sadly. "You poor thing. If I'd known it was your mate I'd punish Tan myself!"

"Tan was out of line, but I handled it, mother," Calix explained as his mother continued to stare at Kegan sadly.

Kegan blushed under the eye of the Luna. He bowed his head in submission before the lady walked up to him and hissed.

"We don't do that here," she snapped, gripping his chin and tilting it so they were making eye contact.

Kegan was trembling under her terrifying gaze, not sure what she meant. "I'm sorry, Luna, I don't understand," he said fearfully, worried he'd be receiving a beating from the Luna or- goddess forbid- the Alpha.

Her gaze softened when she sensed Kegan's fear. "I don't mean to scare you, honey. I meant, we don't bow our heads in submission to other Omegas and rarely Alphas, unless we are meeting them from another pack. We hold our heads high and don't allow Alphas to walk all over us," she said proudly, releasing Kegan's chin and smiling at him, wrinkles peppered on her face from the smile. "Understand, honey?"

"Yes, Luna," Kegan promised, fighting the urge to lower his gaze to his feet.

"Call me Jolene," the Luna said, grabbing Kegan's hand and pulling him toward the house. "Keep up, Calix! Your father needs to speak with you."

Calix grinned at his mother and his mate as they disappeared into the house. He could see how hard Kegan was working to keep his head up, though Calix knew he'd fall into submission when meeting his father.

They walked into the cozy cottage house, the house that Calix's father had built for him and his mate when they chose to pass on the pack to their son. It was much more relaxing to retire in an isolated cottage as opposed to the pack house, so they moved in despite not completely passing on the pack yet.

"Have you been feeding this boy?!" Jolene hissed, glaring dangerously at Calix and standing protectively in front of Kegan. "He's too skinny!"

Kegan blushed crimson in embarrassment. It was a difficult transition moving to the Blood Moon pack. Almost everyone he'd had a conversation with had mentioned how skinny he was, which was quickly becoming a source of embarrassment. In the Red Claw pack he was either fed food that was extremely calorie deprived or he didn't eat at all, the Alphas claiming that he did not deserve to eat the food that Alphas ate. 

"Stop embarrassing him, mom!" Calix growled, seeing how upset Kegan looked.

Jolene turned and saw the red on Kegan's face and instantly began to apologize. "Honey! I didn't realize that was a soft point for you!" she cooed, pulling Kegan into a hug.

"It's okay, Lun- I mean, Jolene," Kegan said, returning the hug weakly. "I understand I'm not what you want your son's mate to be."

Jolene pulled away in shock. "No, that's not it! You're our son's mate, and you are perfect for him, meaning you're perfect for our pack and a strong Omega!" she said firmly, before walking to the fridge and pulling out ingredients. "Calix, your father is waiting for you in the study. You can take your mate with you, I'm sure Jonas will want to meet him."

Kegan nearly fell to his knees and curled up at the prospect of meeting the Alpha, but Calix walked over to him and steadied him before he could.

"Don't worry, love," Calix murmured, touching his nose to Kegan's forehead. "My dad is not someone to be afraid of. He looks intimidating but he is one of the kindest and most respected Alphas in America."

Kegan just nodded, fearing that if he tried to speak, all that would come out was a whimper. He rested his head on Calix as he was ushered down a hallway to an office door, but suddenly all he could think of was his Alpha at the Red Claw pack.

The last time he'd been in an office, he was given to another Alpha as a breeding tool. That thought made Kegan stop dead in his tracks, fear radiating off of him as he pulled away from Calix's grip.

"Kegan?" Calix asked, confused by Kegan's sudden pull away. He knew that Kegan was nervous, but he now seemed downright terrified. "Talk to me, love."

"I c-can't go in there," Kegan whimpered, but it sounded more like a plea as he backed himself against the wall of the hallway they were in. "Please don't make me."

Jade was crying inside Kegan's head, the memory of being forced to lose their innocence at the hands of someone who wasn't their mate burning in his mind.

Kegan couldn't help the tears that fell down his face. "Please don't make me stay here, Alpha," he begged, falling to his butt and curling in on himself.

Calix bent down in worry when the office door opened, his father sticking his head out in confusion.

"What's going on?" he demanded, the voice only making Kegan whimper and sob harder. "Calix?"

"Can I push our meeting?" Calix asked, lifting up his mate. "My mate needs me right now."

Jonas, the Alpha of the Blood Moon pack, nodded and set his hand on his son's shoulder. "I'll stop by the pack house tomorrow morning. We just have to discuss the raid you conducted and what will happen with Tan."

Calix nodded, still holding his sobbing mate, and left for the pack house. He knew his mother wanted an explanation, but he just gave her a pleading look and she allowed him to leave, a sad gaze on her face.

The night was young and warm, so it wasn't a struggle to walk back to the pack house as it would have had it been freezing or raining.

As soon as the pair got inside, Calix carried Kegan to his room, the remnants of his nest all over the bed. Calix laid the Omega down and watched as he pushed all of the clothes off of the bed, except for one of Calix's shirts, which he pressed to his nose.

"Kegan?" Calix asked, making Kegan glance over at him.

"Yes, Alpha?" Kegan asked, resorting back to his instinct to protect himself and weakly obey the Alpha in the room.

Calix sat down on the bed, keeping his distance. "What happened?" he asked, hoping to get an answer.

The only response he received was Kegan's crumbling face and the sound of muffled sobs taking over the room.

"Pin him down and scent him!" Zakai ordered, hating that they were watching their mate cry without attempting to comfort him.

Calix growled at his wolf. "Not everything has to be about sex! Do you not see our mate sobbing?!" he snapped back, angry with his wolf's desperation to hold and mark their mate.

Zakai growled back. "It's not about sex! Scenting can calm down distraught pups and wolves who are panicking, especially if it's their mate. Jade's not responding to me, so we need to trust instinct."

Calix sighed, before deciding to trust his wolf. He crawled toward Kegan, pulling his shirt from the Omega's grasp, before throwing it to the side.

Kegan whimpered at the loss of his comfort item, before relaxing when Calix gently gripped the back of his neck.

Grabbing the back of an Omega's neck harshly could knock them out and force submission, but gently holding it offered comfort if it was done by a mate or trusted pack member.

"Lay down, love," Calix murmured, helping Kegan to rest on his back and climbing over him. "Tell me if you want me to stop, okay? This isn't supposed to be scary. I'm trying to help you calm down."

Kegan nodded slowly, but he had a glazed over look in his eyes which made Calix wonder if Kegan or Jade was in control and whether or not his words were heard.

Calix lowered his nose to Kegan's neck and pressed into the scent glands, relishing in the sweet scent of his mate. Then, he rubbed his scent glands on his wrists and neck all over Kegan's neck and clothes, drenching the boy in his scent.

By the time he'd finished, Kegan was asleep, exhausted from crying and relaxed by the feeling of his mate scenting him.

Scenting was a big sign of acceptance, and it seemed to have calmed Kegan down, making Calix thank Zakai for his input.

"I told you," Zakai said, yawning in Calix's mind. "Now rest while you can. We don't know if our mate will wake up and panic, so you must sleep while you can."

Calix followed his wolf's advice, pulling Kegan tight to his chest and closing his eyes, allowing the darkness of his mind to swallow him.