Capítulo 32

Phoebe had more than enough clout to inspire and encourage her new pack. Wherever she led, they would follow. Jason's devotion ensured theirs, and it would only grow stronger now that she was marked. Norah had wanted Jason to wait until the Luna Ceremony because it would cement her bond with the pack. The effect would be even more dramatic under the full moon. But she understood his aversion to displaying such intimate actions in public.

What was done was done. Phoebe's bond with the pack was firmly in place and her influence would grow. It would be gradual, like a wave rolling into the shore as opposed to a tidal wave. In the long run, perhaps this was for the best. Norah had no doubt Phoebe would heal the pack's strained bonds. She was the Luna they needed.

"I know you don't like public spectacles," Norah finally said. "But you know this pack has been suffering for a long time. Your father and I... we never connected. Part of the blame can certainly be laid at his father's feet, but it can also be laid at mine."

Jason growled. As far as he was concerned, the fault lay with his father. He didn't see any reason for her to take the responsibility on herself.

"If not for me, the pack would have welcomed Phoebe with open arms the moment she arrived."

"Mom."

"Phoebe is the Luna this pack has been desperate for. She'll heal them in more ways than they know... and she'll heal you too."

"Mom, I don't need healing."

"Yes. Yes, you do." Norah stared at him knowingly. "I still have your father's letter. It's on my desk waiting for you."

"There is nothing he could say that I would want to hear."

Norah sighed. Jason refused to see his father right up to the end. Not even Lucille's begging and pleading stirred him. Jackson had been too weak to hold a pen, so he dictated his final words to Norah for her to give to Jason. Yet he had never asked to see it and even threatened to burn it if she ever dared give it to him.

"I called you because I felt something odd in the pack's bond, but since you and Phoebe marked each other... the explanation is obvious."

Jason nodded. Once marked, Phoebe's rank in the pack was cemented. Her influence within would be more pronounced, and the pack would lean on her for comfort. He only hoped it wouldn't be too overwhelming.

"I hope this won't keep her in bed all day. We planned to make brownies with the pups."

"Brownies?"

"Yes. Phoebe's been spending most of her time in the daycare. I think she's familiar with almost all of the pups and their families now, and she's completely reorganized it from a glorified babysitting facility to a full-blown preschool."

Jason smiled. Ben had given him reports and handed him Phoebe's special requests. He approved them all, letting her work with an unlimited budget to put her new syllabus in place. Nothing was too much. Suddenly, he frowned.

"What is it?" Norah asked.

"I think Phoebe's waking up."

"You better go to her. She might be disoriented at first."

Not only could an Alpha's aura be overpowering, a Luna's bond to the pack was just as strong. For a wolf who came from lower ranks, it could all be overwhelming to be inundated with the pack's most intimate needs. Grimacing, Jason nodded and retreated to his room without delay.

There he found Phoebe still in bed. She sighed contentedly with her nose pressed into his pillow. Chuckling, he slipped back into bed and pulled her into his embrace. She snuggled into him with a smile.

"I take it you are feeling good this morning?" he asked.

"Mhmm," she sniffed.

"You smell a little like sage now."

"Of course I do. When mates mark each other, they take some of each other's scent so everyone knows they belong to each other."

"I like it."

"Me too, angel."

"What time is it?"

"Quarter after six."

"Oh!" Phoebe stiffened, jerking awake. "I promised the pups we'd make brownies."

"So I heard. We can steal a few more minutes, though."

"Hmm. A few more minutes with you usually becomes an hour."

Jason laughed, "Can you blame me? When I have the world's most gorgeous she-wolf as my mate?"

Phoebe blushed, "I'm not..."

He silenced her with a kiss and whispered, "Yes, angel, you are."

"You wanted to see me, Alpha?"

"Yes, come in, Garrison," Jason nodded as the warrior hesitantly entered.

Garrison was young, several years younger than Jason, so they had minimal contact during school and training. He was certainly not lacking in physique nor looks, with sandy-colored hair and hazel eyes. In fact, Jason would have been jealous, considering his own brown hair and eyes were rather ordinary.

There was only one reason Katrina would have rejected such a mate, and that was based solely on rank. But even that did not answer all of Jason's lingering questions. After all, Katrina was the daughter of an Alpha and Thomas's only heir. He would have accepted any mate of hers as his successor. She would still have been Luna to one of the most powerful packs in the world. Which meant her true obsession was not rank, but Jason himself. The thought made him uncomfortable.

"Alpha?" Garrison approached the desk with a note of anxiousness, tempered by confusion and curiosity, pulling Jason from his wandering thoughts.

"Have a seat," Jason leaned back in his chair. "It has come to my attention... that you were Katrina's fated mate."

Garrison paused midway through the motion of sitting. He glanced nervously at Luke and Ben, both comfortably seated on the couch, before plopping into the chair and answering, "Yes, Alpha."

There was no need to ask how Jason found out. It was no secret Alpha Thomas and Katrina had unexpectedly visited and left just as suddenly. Jason had waited a day to consider what he should do with his recently gained knowledge.

"I won't ask you about the rejection," Jason said. "If you wanted to tell us about that, you would have by now. What I do want to ask... did your rejection have anything to do with the dangerous assignments you volunteered for?"

Garrison hesitated. Jason wasn't using his Alpha tone, so answering was wholly voluntary, but he knew better than to lie. With a sigh, he said, "I guess I figured if my mate didn't want me, there wasn't any reason for me to stay around."

"And now?"

"The Goddess granted me a second chance," Garrison said. "She means everything to me, her and our pup."

Jason's mouth twitched with a smile. If not for the fact Phoebe was in his life, he would have been jealous. Finally, he said, "I wish you would have spoken up sooner. We could have helped, supported you at least. Rejection is no simple thing for a wolf to recover from."

Garrison nodded. He had been far too embarrassed. Besides, Katrina made it no secret she wanted Jason for her mate. Thankfully, Jason hadn't been interested, but it still hurt to compare himself to his own Alpha and find himself lacking.

"What exactly would you have done if I did take Katrina for my mate?"

Luke snorted a laugh and Ben sputtered out his drink, exclaiming, "You got to warn someone when you're going to make a joke like that!"

"Ignore them," Jason shook his head as Garrison gave him a curious look. "Well?"

"...I kind of assumed I wouldn't be around by then?"

Jason sighed. He guessed he wasn't surprised by that answer, but he hated to think he could have lost one of his pack members like that. Finally, he said, "There is one more thing I need to discuss with you."

"Alpha?"

"I want to make a special protection detail for Phoebe. Members of it will be exempt from regular patrol work, but their training load will be doubled. Their sole concern will be Phoebe's security, both here on pack grounds and when she travels: shopping trips, excursions into the woods, pack meetings, everything."

Garrison's interest piqued as soon as Jason mentioned his Luna. He didn't mind going on patrols, but ensuring the Luna's safety was a major concern. Blue Moon was one of the oldest packs and therefore had a long list of enemies and rivals. As a warrior, Garrison didn't know much about the political landscape of the wolf packs, but he knew enough to stay out of it.

"Considering your achievements as well as your training, you would make a good choice for the lead position of this detail..."

"Yes, Alpha!" Garrison said. His eagerness made Jason raise a brow at his sudden fervor. "I mean, I would gladly accept such an honor."

"I was going to say you are a good choice for squad leader provided your mental state is stable. I don't want a loose cannon with a death wish guarding my Luna."

"Of course, Alpha. I promise I would never do anything to endanger the Luna's life. Would I... could I select my own team?"

Jason considered the request. Originally he planned to choose the warriors himself, but it occurred to him Garrison may have better insight. It was the nature of warriors to form bonds of camaraderie with each other and share information with each other that never reached their commanders' ears. As such, Garrison would have a good idea who in the ranks had the most dedication to their Luna, as well as who would work best together.

"Yes," Jason said after a moment. "The detail will consist of six to start. They will also be expected to ensure the safety of our pups... both adopted and... conceived."

Garrison nodded. He met Blake and Emma when he dropped his own pup at the pack daycare. Despite being orphaned at such a young age, both seemed well-adjusted and happy, no doubt due to the Luna's care and attention. It was clear the pups had already firmly won the former Luna's heart as well. Like everyone else, Garrison hadn't expected Jason to go as far as to officially adopt the orphans, but it was nice to see a gentler side to their Alpha.

"Alpha... if I may ask..." Garrison hesitated, knowing it was dangerous to question his Alpha, "our Luna... you, you won't reject her, right?"

"What!" Jason snapped, growling low. His eyes swirled amber as Lobo pressed forward.

"I don't mean... it's just...." Garrison stuttered under the weight of Jason's aura, baring his neck in submission. "I've survived a rejection myself, so I know... I know what it's like to have half your soul ripped out from you. No wolf could survive it twice, and Luna already has experienced it once..."

Jason struggled to reign in his wolf and forced a breath to calm himself. After a moment he said, "I will never allow Phoebe to feel an ounce of hurt again. Besides, it's already too late for that."

Garrison raised a brow. Though Lobo balked at showing his neck to any wolf, Jason pulled back the collar of his shirt to reveal the still-fresh mark where his neck and shoulder met. The redness was beginning to fade, though it still remained tender to the touch.

"I belong to her now," Jason said with no trace of irony in his voice.

Garrison briefly met his gaze before bowing. It was the answer he hoped for. After meeting his Luna and speaking with her, he recognized a fellow wolf in suffering. He was immediately taken by her caring and gentle soul and could not understand how she was able to survive a rejection. It took strength Garrison didn't even know existed.

"I want the names of your choices by the end of the week," Jason said.

"Yes, sir," Garrison stood and gave a stiff bow before departing.

After the door closed, Luke said, "That took balls to question you."

"It did," Jason smirked. "His desire to protect his Luna was greater than his fear of me. He just may be the perfect choice."

Luke and Ben nodded. It seemed a bit much to assign Phoebe her own guard detail, but they understood why Jason was so insistent. He wasn't worried about threats from inside the pack. It was external threats that worried him. Blue Moon had no shortage of rivals eager to take advantage of any misfortune they might suffer. With their marks still fresh, his over-protectiveness was in high drive. No one would begrudge him this much. Luke and Ben had been surprised to see the mark on his neck and insisted on another celebration. Now that Jason had settled on Phoebe's security, he felt more inclined to join them.

"Here we are," Phoebe said as she carefully removed the trays from the oven.

She set them on hot pads on the counter so that the pups could see their hard work. Many still had a dusting of sugar and flour in their hair, despite cleaning up their faces while the brownies baked. They clapped excitedly. "Now while it cools, we'll make the frosting," Phoebe announced.

Immediately they gathered around, helping to measure the sugar, milk, and butter. She heated the mix and had the pups take turns stirring while it heated to a boil. Taking it from the heat, she added the chocolate chips, stirring them until they melted. Once it was mixed, they placed it in the fridge for rapid cooling and started the next batch. They needed a pot for each tray of brownies they had made.

While the frosting set, they cleaned up. By the time the brownies cooled, so had the frosting. With Norah on hand, they split the pups into smaller groups and armed them with spatulas to smooth the frosting over the trays. The pups giggled, licking their hands and spatulas, eager to taste the fruits of their labor.

Around them, the cooks chuckled, happy to see the pups so excited with what many deemed a mundane task. Phoebe had started her lesson, introducing the pups to the kitchen staff. Some were surprised their Luna remembered their names, but knowing the members of her pack had always come easy to her. Then she showed the pups the items they'd be using and the ingredients to make chocolate syrup brownies from scratch as well as the chocolate chip frosting.

It would be impossible for the pups to make enough brownies for the entire pack, so the cooks were already increasing the recipe and multiplying the batches. The trays Phoebe, Norah, and the pups made were reserved for their families. It was almost lunch, so they cut the brownies and divided them up accordingly, giving each pup one for themselves as well as a small bag for them to take home to treat their parents. The extras Phoebe presented to the cooks as thanks for use of the kitchen.