Abby picked me up from work and we started the four hour drive to visit our uncle. Loud music from our early teen years and many road snacks as we laughed and caught up with each other. I haven’t been able to spend much time with my family since starting work and going to school. The last time I saw any of the family was at Abby’s wedding six months ago. So, naturally we had a lot to catch up on. So much so that we had not finished by the time we reached the border of Royal Moon Fire territory. 

It's been a little over a year since I last visited the pack. I’d almost forgotten how beautiful and green everything was here. Just inside the threshold of the border we were greeted by two massive wolves. Lycans were such beautiful creatures both in their human form and their wolf forms. The two wolves ran along on either side of the car as we drove the remaining thirty minutes to the main villa. Our escorts, sent by Aunt Lynelle of course. When we pulled up to the car park for the villa, Uncle Anthony and Aunt Lynelle were waiting for us and the two wolves took off to wherever. 

We got out of the car and big tight hugs happened all around before we unloaded the car, “How was the drive?” Uncle Anthony asked as he took Abby’s suitcase and closed the trunk. Abby answered as Aunt Lynelle wrapped her arm around my shoulders, she had to lean over to do so since she was much taller than me, she was six feet tall while my uncle was six foot three, “How is school treating you hun?” I smiled up at her as we headed inside, “It's good! Foreign policies are interesting and complicated but I’m getting it. Thankfully my friend Jessica is a year ahead of me in the program and she’s been very helpful.” Aunt Lynelle squeezed my shoulder, “That’s good! We are so proud of you and excited to see where this takes your future.” I beamed up at her, “Thank you.” She called ahead of us to my uncle and Abby, “Abby sweetheart, how’s the new husband?” Abby looked back at us and playfully rolled her eyes, “Michael is driving me nuts!” She giggled, “No, things are going very well. I am very happy and as far as I can tell so is he.” Aunt Lynelle and I giggle with her. 

We got settled into our guest quarters in the villa, Abby and I each had our own, and then met back up and headed down the hall to our Aunt and Uncle’s home suite for dinner. They lived in the main pack house villa because Lynelle needed to be close to the alpha king. His living quarters, meeting halls and everything else pertaining to his duties and living were on the other half of the villa. All pack members who needed to remain close to him lived on this half, along with all guest quarters. When we got to their door Aunt Lynelle swung the door open excitedly. That sensitive lycan hearing of hers…she must have heard us. She ushered us in and then flitted off to the kitchen where Uncle Anthony was and they both brought dishes to the dining table that was already set. We sat down and started dinner. 

Over dinner they continued to ask us about how things were going in our lives as well as other relatives who could not come to visit. We asked how things were for them. Uncle Anthony was excited to tell us about the progress with his work on The Madness treatment. I wasn’t much but the latest results were promising, as he put it. Aunt Lynelle had a ‘same old same old’ answer but there was an edge of sadness. With brows knit together I asked, “That same old seems to be a little down Aunt Lynelle. Is something wrong?” She shrugged and took a drink of water, “It's technically old news but for the two of you…Beta Cain’s mate was killed almost a year ago. She was killed during an incursion from Shadow Pack.” Abby and I look at each other a little concerned, “But didn’t he just find her right before our last visit a little over a year ago?” Aunt Lynelle nodded, “It happened only a month after they had found each other.” She took another drink, “The thing that is worrying me now is that…it's hard enough for Lycans to find their mates, if they lose their mate it can have very negative effects on the surviving mate. It would seem those negative effects are amplified when they have only recently found each other. I didn’t know this until this happened to Beta Cain. He’s been slowly losing his mind. Random outbursts of violence and anger with no notable cause. I worry because he’s supposed to oversee the warrior commanders and their teams.” She set her glass down and picked her fork back up, “It's starting to affect our jobs as commanders and ultimately could affect the safety of the pack.” 

Neither Abby or myself have ever met the Alpha King or Beta personally but we have seen them from afar from time to time. They both seemed alright on the surface at least. They were good to our uncle and Lynelle so that was good enough for us. We’ve also heard about the mate bond…obviously since our uncle was Lynelle’s mate they explained it to us. In a Lycan/human mate bond the human doesn’t become a lycan, the change is too drastic for the delicate human body and mind to handle. The things humans do gain from the lycan/human mate bond is a longer life span to ensure the lycan has their mate for as long as possible and some mildly enhanced healing and senses. The loss of a mate to old age or serious illness are the only deaths of a mate that don’t negatively affect a lycan. So learning that Beta Cain lost his mate only a month after finding her…it made sense that he was suffering. I could only imagine. As humans, our love, while it can be overflowing, doesn’t connect as deep as the lycan or werewolf mate bond. 

Lynelle went back to her meal as I thought about things before looking at Abby, “I think giving our condolences, if we see him, in this situation would only reopen wounds. It's been long enough that it would just hurt.” Abby nodded, “Yeah. I know it would be even more painful if something happened to Michael and then nearly a year later someone gave their sympathies to me…I’d probably fall apart.” To try to shift the mood I looked at Uncle Anthony, “I’m surprised Aunt Lynelle hasn’t put you in bubble wrap and house arrest.” He chuckled, “She might as well. The way she reacts to a paper cut you’d think I’ve been impaled with a sword.” Abby and I giggle and gradually the conversation flows back into positive things. Updates on pack members we knew well who had married or were having babies, or pups as they called them, but it's an odd concept to call them that for me. Eventually things wound down. We helped clean up dinner and said our good nights before heading back to our rooms.

In my room…these guest rooms…the whole villa really, or at least the parts I have been to, are all so beautiful with all their old stone work, high arched ceilings and tall windows. The view beyond held a large, well manicured lawn with a white gravel footpath and a large marble fountain with lily pads floating on the water’s surface. The reflected half moon peeking through between the lily pads. Beyond the lawn was the lush forest. I couldn’t wait to go horseback riding and hiking tomorrow. I plugged my phone into charge and got ready for bed.