Castor PoV.
“Do you have something to say, Elder Raiden?”
I dropped my gaze to the man with a white beard and shoulder-length hair. His aura as the leader of the Moonstone Elders made the atmosphere instantly quiet as he stood in the round room. All pairs of eyes were on him.
As the oldest elder in our pack, his advice and criticism were always constructive. Although his speech was a bit sharp and callous, he managed to guide Dad and us to keep Moonstone on track.
The meeting I held today followed a meeting held earlier with several alphas from the ten packs outside Burze. The results of the meeting decision, which resulted in 3 votes in favor of me making the warrior alliance, became the topic I raised this afternoon.
“The Five Elders will approve the warrior alliance as long as the votes reach two-thirds of the packs around Burze.”
“I want you to consider the fact that we had a wedding yesterday,” I added.
“Things were under control, Alpha Castor. They came in peace, and you accepted their apology. We can’t decide things based on speculation. Supporting the formation of the alliance will cause rumors that become an issue of distrust from the Council over the werewolves.”
I understood. I could still accept Raiden’s excuse. I just had to build up defenses within Moonstone itself.
Trained the warriors with special skills and skills to face all the worst possibilities. If the Sanguine Shadows have improvised, then so can we werewolves. I had to find a way to find their weaknesses without attracting attention.
I closed the meeting with the elders. As the honored one of the Moonstone pack, I invited all five elders to a luncheon. We walked into the dining hall and were greeted by the entire pack.
“Good afternoon, Alpha Castor. Refreshments for you and the Elders are on the table.”
I sat at the far end while the five elders sat to the left and right of me. The omegas sequentially helped the elders to take the dishes. I was glad that everything was under control, from the meeting to the luncheon.
“Alpha, can you tell me the whereabouts of Alpha Pollux and Luna Godiva?”” one of the female elders, Greta, asked me.
“Alpha Pollux is evaluating the company report, and Luna Godiva is accompanying him.”
“I heard from my son that Luna Godiva was sick yesterday. I’m sorry that I didn’t get to see her; I had to help my daughter-in-law take care of the newborn pup. May Luna Godiva be blessed by the Moon Goddess.”
I heard the five elders in unison respond to the words of prayer for the Moon Goddess. Sebastian, Elder Greta’s son, and Cian both worked at the same hospital. I thought that Cian must have told Sebastian about Godiva’s condition.
“No problem, Elder Greta. Luna Godiva is very resilient. The transition period will not kill the werewolf.”
“I’m glad to hear that. We wish you, Alpha Pollux and Luna Godiva, a fortunate marriage.”
“Thank you, Elder Greta.”
After the luncheon, I prepared myself to visit the orphanage where Godiva used to be kept. Based on the address Alvise gave me after he stayed up all night, I asked Pippo to accompany me to the place.
After taking three hours by car to drive to Bliegro, I managed to sleep on the way. I woke up to a video call from Pollux about my mom coming to the company. I wondered why mom didn’t come to the mansion to see me and instead went to Pollux. They are like water and oil when they meet.
Mom’s temperament rubbed off on me. Rigid, organized, and intimidating, Pollux has my father’s traits. The difference surprised me in our traits. We were lucky that the Moon Goddess assigned us the same mate, so there was no chance of us being switched if our mates were different.
“Alpha Castor, we have arrived.”
“Ah, park the car, and you come with me.”
“Okay, Alpha.”
We both got out of the car right at the brown-painted iron gate. I opened the gate slowly and walked down the corridor. On the left and right sides of the road were edelweiss plants, the wind blew away whose petals.
I looked at the signboard and read the words ‘Whispers of Serenity Orphanage’ whose white paint was starting to dull. I heard the faint sound of voices from inside the house and walked to the door.
Pippo swiftly pressed the bell beside the door. Not long after, the brown-painted door opened, and we were greeted by a sister who was around 50 years old. She put on a friendly smile and greeted us with a deep Bliegro accent.
“Sister, I am Castor Melucci. I would like to see the head sister of this orphanage.”
“Please wait a moment, sir.”
I waited for five minutes at the door. The second sister who greeted me looked older than the first. The lines on her face showed that she was probably 70 years old.
“Please come in, sir.”
I stepped inside the one-story house that I assumed had been standing for a long time. Although it seemed classic, the scent was so soothing. I saw several small heads emerge from the doorway at the end of the corridor.
The head sister led me into the room to the left of me. She invited me to sit on a single cream-colored sofa. I wandered around while the head sister pulled out a chair and placed it not far from me.
“I am Sister Eloisa, and next to me is Sister Alba. May I know your purpose in coming here, sir?”
“I would like to ask about a child who was placed in this orphanage about 25 years ago named Godiva Fletcher.”
“Godiva… ah, I remember. She was a baby who was placed in front of the orphanage’s gate on the night of the full moon. Pardon me, what is your relationship with her?” asked Sister Eloisa.
“I am her husband, and I want to find her biological parents. We both just found out that Godiva came from this orphanage, and we were directed by the sister of Godiva’s adoptive parents to ask you.”
Sister Eloisa was silent for a moment. She frowned as she looked at me and Pippo. She turned her gaze to the sister next to her and muttered, but I could still hear her with my wolf’s senses.
The sister next to her got up from the chair and left the room. Sister Eloisa stood up and walked to the table in the corner of the room. She pulled out one of her drawers and took out a red folder.
She handed the red folder to me and told me to read it. I read Godiva’s profile and her growth chart, which had stalled at 5 months old. Godiva’s adoptive parents’ files were also included together in the same folder.
“Poor baby. I pity her so much because she was abandoned right after she was born with her umbilical cord still in place. I thank God that she survived, even though three wolves surrounded her. The wolves didn’t attack her. I felt confused at that time. I prayed to God that he would give Godiva a long life. Not long after that, the wolves left, and I immediately took Godiva into the orphanage. One thing that struck me as strange was that this area was not a wolf haunt.”
Hearing Eloisa’s story made me even more convinced that Godiva was indeed a blessing from the Moon Goddess. My attention was distracted when Sister Alba returned. She was carrying a small box and immediately handed it to me.
“In Godiva’s basket, there are only those two items. A silver silk blanket and a diadem with crescent-shaped gemstones and even a crescent moon engraved on one end of the blanket. I have tried to trace several villages around Bliegro and the police to find Godiva’s biological parents, but to no avail. It’s like they never existed,” she added.
As I listened to Godiva’s story, I examined the diadem in my hand. It was beautiful, with a visual effect of a silver shimmer that turned to ash and then blue like moonstone. I admired it very much.
“Wait! Moonstone?”