"I didn't think you would get sick." Morpheus ran his hand over my back soothingly while I squatted, bent over my knees with my face nearly in the dirt, pitifully hurling up the contents of my stomach, and spitting out the revolting taste from my mouth.

"Oh, yeah, because this is the first time I've ever vomited at the sight of a dead body before," I mocked, sarcasm lacing my sentence. There was a pause, from the both of us, and from everyone else who were already silently listening. Sighing, feeling a tinge of regret for the bite of my tone, but still haunted by the sour vomit, I chided, "Morpheus, honestly, you didn't have to do that. I know that I asked to come with you, that's on me, but this was much more than what I expected. And, I did not ask for you to use your memory sharing ability. We've definitely talked about this before. I do not like it. You could have left me alone for two minutes. Two measly minutes."

"It is vital for you to know wh-"

I interrupted right away, holding my hand up in the air as I stopped him from even breathing another word. "This is obviously not the time for you to be showing me your childhood trauma."

"Luna, would you like me to call for someone?" Beta Leo spoke up from beside us, standing there nervously as though he was intruding, swaying on his feet. Although, to Morpheus, he was. Leo's transparent expression one of concern, and not of fear. Well, maybe a little bit of uneasiness, but there was no doubt that it was because that dear destined mate of mine was scowling at him. The dull grinding of Morpheus' teeth betrayed him, revealed that his calm attitude towards me was, in fact, only towards me and barely ever towards anyone else. Morpheus tugged at my hair, the thickness and length of the natural, Hollywood style curls were pulled back into a ponytail, and his fist acted as a makeshift buckle. "Annora, perhaps?"

"This is an extremely embarrassing position that I'm in, Beta Leo, and I would rather this stay between us three and the other seven staring at me. Thank you," I groaned, feeling another wave of nausea gnaw at my insides, the scent and knowledge strong. One of my hands slapped against the spot underneath my neck and the other shot out to grip at Morpheus' shirt, pulling down the edge of it. He was already kneeling next to me, and the sudden hold on the fabric covering his chest hauled him even closer. The new proximity was enough to distract me for a moment, to make me feel as though I was back in the pack house, walking the very top floor. I shut my eyes and inhaled.

However, that was not the only thing I was paying attention to. My eyes fluttered opened, and from the corner of one, I noticed how the guards had finally looked away after watching me intently since the first time I gagged, obviously overhearing what I had said. They continued their examinations, doing as much as they could without the Alpha telling them what to do. One began following the trail of thinly spread droplets of blood, another took note of the treatment of the bodies, and the others searched the scene for identifications, prints, and clues.

"They do not think less of you, Emery." I twisted my neck to face the two of them instead of my vile poured out on the ground, and rolled my eyes weakly. Morpheus pointed at Leo threateningly with a single look, an untamed stare, daring him to disagree as he strongly suggested, "Isn't that right, Leo?"

"Right, Alpha," Leo gulped, agreeing. But, he was quick to compose himself. He nodded, and spoke softer, backing up his sincere belief, "They are much too excited to finally have an actual Luna to possibly think bad of you."

I instantly thought of Annora, but the man outside of Amanda's also came to mind. Polar opposites, yet they are from the same pack and share the same air. How could they be so different? How come one runs on negativity, and the other preaches positively?

"Well, I'm sure that there's some pack members that will gladly disagree with you if you brought it up," I hissed, having first hand accounts of werewolves mistreating humans. Should I have said that?

"What is that supposed to mean?" Morpheus' face was suddenly in front of mine, up close and personal with his hand grabbing my chin roughly. He moved me forward, practically lifting me up off of the ground. The little space between us was now more than shared, and my breath stinked. So, so bad. And, he didn't care at all. Not one bit. "Has someone done something to you? Did someone hurt you? What did they do? Do you know who they are? Will you be able to recognize them? Show me what they did to you. Show me exactly what they did. Now, Emery."

"Don't you have something to do? Sniff out the crime scene or something?" The words rolled off my tongue, ignoring the heat of anger that was seeping from him. Vindictive. Venomous. Vengeful. All evident in his swirling orbs and burning touch. But, I was feeling ill and growing tired the longer I stayed there.

Morpheus let out a puff of air, annoyance leading his sigh, "Emery-"

"I really need a minute away from you. You're supposed to tell me when you're going to use your mind tricks, vision things, memory planting, whatever that God given thing is! But, you didn't." Shoving his hand off of my face, I stood up, and glanced at a tree nearby. And, instantly, I spotted an area with blood splattered lightly. This, I thought, is going to haunt me. "I might have been able to hold my cookies if you didn't surprise me like that."

Morpheus immediately ripped the bottom of his shirt, tearing the fabric off in seconds and in one tug. And, with his lower abdomen exposed, he shoved his hand forward. "Here. Clean up."

My movements were slow, laggard, and he decided to act on his own instead of waiting for me. He wrapped my fingers around the piece of his shirt, enveloping my fist with both of his hands. He leaned in, pecking my forehead before giving Leo a look, one that confirmed what we already knew. And, he left, to do his own searching.

The words Morpheus whispered against my skin, under his breath and threateningly, lingered.

'They will know better as soon as I'm done with them'.

"You shouldn't call me by my title, Luna. It would be disrespectful for me to accept it, as you do hold a higher status, and I doubt the Alpha enjoyed hearing that very much," Leo informed me, moving to stand by my side, and began noticeably surpassing over my form by at least a full foot. He unknowingly pulled me from my suddenly distressing thought, which wasn't actually much, as the only thing I could really think of was, 'did I just get someone in trouble?'.

With the fabric, I wiped at my mouth, a disgusting stain now spoiled it for good. I would have felt bad if Morpheus wasn't the first to ruin it. I replied, mumbling bitterly, disappointed in myself, "I know. I do know that. I know." I gained in volume, peering up at him, "But, it just doesn't feel right for me not to. I've only ever heard people call you by your title, even now that it's different, it feels like something I can't ignore. Viviana. Max. Johnny. Everyone I know. Except Morpheus, of course."

"You'll feel differently after the ceremony." Leo smiled as I frowned.

"The what?" I asked, wondering if I even wanted to know. I found myself moving, setting myself on the ground with a thump. How do you not know this? I questioned myself. Seriously, how do you not know this?

"It makes sense for you to not know. Not many who are a part of this pack would have ever witnessed one, unless they are from away, or unless they're related to an Alpha's family." Leo sat down next to me, throwing himself on the ground. "The Mating Ceremony is really a celebration, almost like a human wedding. It's the joining of a Luna and an Alpha, recognizing that they are the leaders of a pack. However, you don't have to worry about that right now. The Alpha hasn't made any statements or dates behind your back, which is saying a lot." We sat in a comfortable silence while I tried to wrap my mind around the new information, but he broke it a few minutes later. "He's a good Alpha. And, most of his time is spent doing something that involves you. Questioning pack members about you, looking through records to find anything that involves you, or actually being with you."

"Do you remember my mom's funeral?" I asked, wondering if her death would show up on a file. The rogue that killed her all those years ago, chanted Morpheus' name and caused her lifeless body to be found mauled. Her husband, my father, made to identify the remains. The only recognizable thing left was her ring, engraved on the inside with their initials. 'M&F forever'.

"How could I ever forget?" It was before he became Alpha. He, and a few other high status werewolves were invited to attend, only because they found her. To everyone, it was an horrific event.

I can't forget either.

"Emery." Morpheus appeared from thin air, with his outstretched arm reaching towards me, and his hand held out for me to take. "We should get back now."

Slowly, I placed my hand in his hold, and he pulled me up onto my feet. I glanced back to Leo, looking over my shoulder and expecting him to be seated on the ground, but he was already standing up straight. Morpheus told Leo, "A meeting will be held tonight in my office, be sure to only invite those who are essential. We will be discussing our next move."

Leo nodded, "Of course, Alpha. Leave it to me."

Hand in hand, Morpheus and I headed back to the pack house. The walk was much less rushed this time, and I basked in the comfort that the forest offered. Not letting the horrors of others change my overall view of something that is not at fault. My feet gently bounced on rocks, sticks, and fallen leaves. The crinkle echoing throughout. The sight of the pack house made me skip happily. However, the whole time I found myself biting my nails and cautiously watching my every step.

"Emery, is something bothering you?" Morpheus asked all of a sudden, stopping me in my tracks as he squeezed my hand.

I grinned innocently, gazing up at him, "You should know by now that everything bothers me."

"If anyone has treated you poorly, you know that you can tell me, right? Because I will not let them get away with it. I will find them, Emery. I will," he assured me firmly.

I whined, knowing that his words were the truth, but I yanked at his hand and implored, "Let's just get back to the house first. I've had enough of the forest for today, and maybe even enough of it for the rest of the week."

And so, we did. We walked peacefully, side by side, as if we had known each other for years. Nostalgia painted my soft, feminine features. Finally, after crawling up the million steps of stairs and being dragged behind a man who was a literal giant, I made it back to the top floor.

But, as I stepped through the entrance and into Morpheus private quarters, I was flooded with an eerie feeling that had invaded while we were gone. Reading the room, Morpheus stomped towards a once locked door, and threw it open with a flick. My short legs ran to catch up and I hid behind him, curious, yet terrified.

"What are you doing here?" Morpheus asked the intruder. And, I clutched at the loose pieces of his clothing while staring at the person who was sitting in the middle of the room on a chair, the contents showing that it was clearly an abandoned office.

"I can't find her, Morpheus-" the owner of the voice was hidden, turned away, but it was filled with nothing but panic as he stated, "-I can't find Áine."

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