George looked at Marcy while thinking about what to do.
He stood two steps away from her bed and listened to her heartbeat. From the door, he assumed that she was in deep sleep, but now that he knew Nora drugged her, he realized that her heartbeat was too slow.
Should he take her to a hospital?
No. It's not advisable to take a she-wolf to a human hospital.
They would probably be shocked to see how quickly she was healing, and most of the medications made for humans won't be effective.
Besides, what would they do there? Pump her stomach? It was obvious that the drugs were already in her system, and he deduced that Nora gave her spiked food the moment she returned. That was an hour ago!
If something happens to Marcy…
George jabbed his hand into his hair.
This was more than just a mate bond working. It was his duty to keep her safe.
For years, George shed sweat and blood on the training ground in order to climb the ranks and get his position, and now that he was only a step away from his goal, his whole life flipped upside down at the moment he met Marcy and realized she was his mate.
Is this the Moon Goddess' idea of a joke?
George's mind drifted to his childhood which he spent among hundreds of kids. They were strangers, picked up from various places, yet they all had several things in common. They all lived in the building that was reserved for kids like them, to sleep, eat, study, and train. They either didn't have parents, or their parents decided to send them to train to become warriors of the Red Moon pack. At least that's what they told them in the training center.
One of his earliest childhood memories was about standing straight in the first row of many that were formed of kids just like he was. They were standing without talking, without eating, without drinking… in the sun, rain, and whatever mother nature threw at them. And they were standing for days because only the top ten got to advance to the next level which included a day of rest and extra meat for lunch, while everyone else would get reduced food rations and they needed to redo their training from scratch.
Training after training, George was among the top scorers. Even for someone with a tenacious physique like George, it was extremely taxing, and he thought of giving up many times. After all, the ones who fail repeatedly were sent to work in fields or do other dirty jobs and that was not so bad compared to what he endured during training.
However, a small voice of stubbornness told him to keep going. Just one more day. One more exercise. One more test. Just one more…
George was about thirteen years old when an Omega approached him. She was a middle-aged she-wolf who introduced herself as Estelle and told him that she served his mother.
"My mother?", George asked robotically. Wasn't he an orphan like most of the other kids? They were not allowed to find out about their biological parents, because that might distract them from training. That's what their coaches said to those few who dared to ask.
"I am about to tell you something that can get me killed.", Estelle said in a hushed voice.
"And you still want to tell me? Don't you value your life?"
"I will tell you because it's time. And because I'm tired of keeping this a secret…"
And then George heard a fantastic story.
Not so long ago, there was the Frostcrest pack that was led by Alpha Conor and Luna Fiana.
They were a small pack that specialized in making clothes of leather and fur, and they bordered the Red Moon pack on the North. One day, Alpha Howard of the Red Moon pack (aka the father of Alpha Edward, aka Marcy's grandfather) came to the Frostcrest pack and issued an Alpha challenge.
Everyone knew that the Red Moon pack was expanding its territory, but considering that they were on friendly terms and that the Red Moon pack purchased most of the products that came out of the Frostcrest pack, no one expected this challenge, especially not Alpha Conor. In addition to that, Alpha Conor was aware that Alpha Howard was close to handing over his position to his son, and this was not a convenient time for war. But Alpha Howard was not declaring war. That was a hostile takeover.
"Alpha Howard killed Alpha Connor and Luna Fiana died of heartbreak on the same day.", Estelle said to George. "The Frostcrest pack was merged with the Red Moon pack, and it disappeared from the maps. This is the official version. You can confirm it if you read recent history books."
George listened while wondering, "How is any of that relevant to me?"
"I told you that I used to serve your mother. Now I work in the fields, but I used to work in the packhouse of the Frostcrest pack, serving Luna Fiana." Estelle saw George frowning, so she added, "You see… at the time when Alpha Howard issued the challenge, Alpha Conor and Luna Fiana had a three years-old son. Shortly after you were born, Luna Fiana told me that in the case of an attack on the pack, you should be hidden among other kids. I followed orders and took you to the nursery while Alpha Conor was preparing for the duel. People knew that Alpha had a son, but they kept their family life private and not many knew what you look like. When Alpha Howard took the eligible children to the Red Moon pack to be trained as warriors, you ended up going with them…"
George was not sure if he should believe that fantastic story. What if it's just a rambling of a crazed woman? But then Estelle gave him two faded photos. One photo showed a man and a woman in their early twenties embracing each other. They were happy. The other photo showed the woman from the first photo holding a toddler on her hip… and somehow, George saw himself in those photos. That toddler had his eyes, the same eyes that the man in the other photo had. And Estelle also gave him a golden hairpin. It belonged to Luna Fiana, George's mother.
George went to the library and looked up information related to the Frostcrest pack. It all confirmed what Estelle told him and he found much more.
The Frostcrest pack was a peaceful pack. They focused on trading and were doing well. Until Marcy's grandfather came and destroyed them. Of course, books say how the Alpha Conor was weak, and it was their luck that the Red Moon pack accepted them. The history was always written by the winners.
Hypocrites!
Alpha Howard killed George's father and mother, and a few years later, Alpha Edward took over as the Alpha of the Red Moon pack. Alpha Edward was not so aggressive in expanding their territory, but that was probably because there were not many non-militaristic packs left in the area.
