Word Count : 2719

Elder Camille stood at the podium waiting for the pack to get settled in their seats and quiet down. Alpha Lucas and Luna Sophia sat on the right side of the stage, while three elders sat on the left.

"Reese, do you know what this is about?" Zach asked, leaning forward to tap Reese on the shoulder where he sat in the front row next to Charla.

"No clue man. Dad has kept me totally in the dark." Reese said resentfully, he was to be named alpha in a couple of weeks, he should have been included in every decision concerning the pack. "But he's been meeting with and negotiating with the elder council and other pack alpha's for a couple of months. Whatever it is, it's a big deal."

"Thank you everyone for attending, we will not take much of your time tonight. Please be aware that all over the country tonight, nearly every pack is having this same meeting, new laws have been passed, and all but a few packs have agreed with passage of these laws." Elder Camille started. "Over the years, a disturbing trend has been developing, and it has reached the stage where something must be done to address it. Young she-wolves have been disappearing and dying at an alarming rate."

Reese immediately tensed, he sat up a little straighter, and leaned slightly forward, his entire attention caught by the comment.

"In the past year alone, 273 young she-wolves have disappeared from packs in north America, 47 around the north west and 2 from this very pack in the past few months." Elder Camille went on. "The reason behind this is abuse and rejection. Two things that should never happen to our daughters and sisters."

Reese glanced around, the others had all tensed, their heads lowered guiltily, he saw Adam sitting forward as well, a devastated look on his face, Callum was staring at the floor.

"This is a great shame on our society, on our kind. The moon goddess has granted each and every one of us a mate, but they are being discarded as worthless." Elder Camille said. "The effects of rejection are devastating to a wolf, but did you know that 77% of the rejected are females? The consequences of these rejections are severe; people think that a rejected wolf simply dusts themselves off and goes on, but that is rarely the case, their wolves are severely injured by rejection. The rejected suffer severe physical and emotional pain, depression, anxiety, and ptsd. Some wolves will die from being rejected. Omega's in particular suffer this fate, 45% of rejected omega's wolves die within hours of being rejected, another 40% lose permanent contact with their wolves, 55% of rejected omegas commit suicide." Elder Camille's face was a mask of sorrow as she spoke of the fate of these young wolves.

Ben sat up straight in his chair, a stricken look on his face as he pulled out his phone and frantically began typing.

"The percentages improve with the rank of the wolf, but gamma's, beta's, and even alpha born wolves are in danger of these consequences. Females being especially vulnerable, their pain is twice the male's pain, it takes months, even years for their wolves to recover, if they ever do. Nearly 30% of higher ranked female wolves commit suicide within 3 months of rejection."

The hall was so silent, you could have heard a single pin drop.

"They also suffer severe physical pain from the rejection, the pain is not momentary, as it is for the person who rejected them. It lessens over time but does not stop until the rejected finds their second chance mate and is marked, if they never find their second chance, they suffer for the rest of their lives. They do not simply suffer the pain of the rejection, but they also suffer intense, debilitating pain when the mate who rejected them is physically intimate with another partner, their bodies will be covered with severe bruises and they will suffer for days after each time it happens. The pain is slightly lessened with distance from their former mates, but there is no distance great enough stop it, and even a world away it is severe. That is why our daughters and sisters are disappearing, that is why they are running from their packs, to try and escape the pain."

Reese's eyes widened and his stomach was queasy as he swallowed hard, he could feel Callum's eyes burning holes in him.

"In addition to all that, they are often unable to shift for days or even years after the rejection, if their wolf survives, they are physically weakened, they have difficulty defending themselves, they do not heal properly, nor do they heal quickly, they are no stronger than humans, they are often unable to hunt for food, and are easy targets for rogues, who abuse, rape, and kill them with impunity."

Elder Camille let those words sink in.

"Of the she-wolves that run, less than 20% survive on their own if they are not immediately taken in and given shelter by another pack." Elder Camille told them. "Basically, for a majority of she-wolves, being rejected is a death sentence."

There were tears sliding slowly down Adam's face as he heard these words.

"We've found that most rejections are for frivolous reasons, the ranking of the wolf, the physical appearance, and the presence of an existing partner is most sited. Most male wolves reject their mates because of the female's appearance or because they have taken a lover or partner that they prefer to their mate. In the rare cases of a male getting rejected, the cause is almost universally that the female desires a higher ranking male, specifically an alpha, so that they can become Luna." Elder Camille said, her face had taken on an angry expression. No one noticed Callum's expression got even more pained, his jaw clenching for a few seconds.

"People seem to forget that alpha's are born, but Luna's are specifically chosen by the goddess herself." Elder Camille said. "Female Luna's are blessed by the goddess to lead, guide, and create harmony in the pack. The goddess does not choose mates randomly, she chooses her Luna's because they are the most suitable. But our goddess chosen Luna's are being rejected and discarded due to unscrupulous and ambitious she-wolves willing to reject their own mates for power."

"To combat this we are educating our packs on the results of these rejections, going forward, in addition to our regular classes offering teachings on our history and laws, there will be a class on rejection, so that each and every wolf understands the severity of the consequences of these actions. We have passed laws which we hope will help curb this behavior and encourage traditional mating practices. The first law is the Safe Haven law which states that she-wolves who have fled will not be banished from their pack and their pack bond will not be broken, this is to reduce their chances of becoming rogues. She-wolves will not be forced to return to the pack where her rejected mate resides, and any pack who finds a she-wolf fleeing a rejection will give her shelter, protection, and assistance in finding a new pack or traveling to the pack of her choice, unless she has gone completely rogue. The second law is called the Covenant for Harmony And Respect for Luna's Act." Elder Camille announced. "It states that from this day forward only true goddess given mates shall be named Luna and given Luna powers and authority."

Reese looked up in shock to see his parents staring straight at him.

The hall erupted with gasps and whispers, beside him Charla was fuming, she tugged his arm.

"This is ridiculous!" Charla practically screeched in his ear.

"Shut up, now!" Reese growled at her before she could say another word.

"Hereafter, only true Luna's will be acknowledged by the high council. Chosen mates who are not blessed by the goddess will not be addressed as Luna or receive any title other than chosen mate or alpha consort, they will not be included in any official gatherings, they will not be included in decision making, they will be given no authority, they will have no power over the pack, nor will they be raised to any rank higher than the rank they were born to." Elder Camille said. "There are only three exceptions to this policy; One: in the event that the goddess given Luna is not found by the time the alpha has reached 28 years of age. Two: if the Luna dies or is killed under no suspicious circumstances. Three: in the event that every single pack member voted unanimously to acknowledge a chosen mate as Luna. If such a vote is requested, it will be conducted exclusively by elders appointed from different packs by the elder council, and each person voting will respond to the vote under an alpha command to ensure there is no corruption or tampering."

"In other words." Drew whispered to Zach, glancing furtively at Reese. "There will never be another chosen mate Luna again."

Charla turned and glared daggers at them but said nothing.

Elder Camille took a few questions, before stepping aside for Alpha Lucas to approach the podium.

"The Red Moon pack will now have another rule added to our pack statue, this law is also being considered by the elder council to be enacted for all packs but has not yet been ratified." Alpha Lucas began. "This rule states that from this moment forward any bullying or abuse of pack members will be treated with immediate and severe punishment. Any pack member caught using insults, threats, humiliation, or verbal abuse of any kind will immediately be sentenced to no less than 6 months pack labor with no training or social activities whatsoever for the first offense, a second offense will result in immediate demotion to the rank of omega, a third offense is automatic banishment."

There were shocked gasps around the room, and nervous glances between pack members.

"And anyone caught hitting, kicking, shoving, or otherwise physically abusing another pack member will be immediately and permanently demoted to omega for the first offense, a rank that will never be raised, regardless of who the offender is mated to, a second offense is automatic banishment from the pack."

"In addition to the stated punishment is an additional caveat, any male found physically abusing a female will also receive corporal punishment, which can include, imprisonment, whipping, banishment, or death, depending on the severity of the abuse."

This announcement was met with complete silence.

"These rules are effective immediately and will not be retroactively enforced, however, we are aware of, and have evidence of, abuse that has been committed in the past. Anyone who has participated or been involved in those incidences will be considered a second offense if they are caught doing it again."

Alpha Lucas let the rules sink in for a moment before taking a few questions and ending the meeting.

Most of the people had left the meeting when a middle aged woman who had been a friend of Harper's mother stood up.

"The missing girls," She said. "Have you found any trace of them?"

"No." Alpha Lucas answered grimly.

"Are we still searching for them?" Another asked.

"No, we have stopped actively searching, we are now only looking at unidentified female bodies. At this point, they're presumed dead." Alpha Lucas said.

Reese felt like he'd been hit in the stomach with a battering ram, he hadn't known they'd stopped looking, his father hadn't said a word to him about it.

"What?!" Adam shouted jumping to his feet. "Since when? We can't stop looking for them."

"If there were any hope, we would keep looking." Luna Sophia said softly.

"There's still hope!" Adam said desperately. "Why do you say that? There's still hope! It's only been a few months, they could still be out there! There's still hope! There is!"

"After she left, Celie sent her father and brothers messages every couple of days, but those messages stopped completely a couple of weeks after they left." Alpha Lucas said sadly. "Celie wouldn't have stopped communicating with her family if she were alive. We'll be placing the stones with their names into the memorial walk next week."

Reese's chest hurt so bad he couldn't even take a breath as he watched Adam crumble, weeping, Callum rushed forward to grab him before he hit the floor, tears streaming down his own face.

"It's ok, Adam. It's not your fault, you didn't make them leave." Zach said, helping Callum hold Adam up.

"You know, it'll get better, it will. It might be a while, but you'll find your second chance mate, and it will be ok." Ben said to him.

"No, he won't." A woman behind them said, looking at them disdainfully.

"Yes, he will." Ben snapped at her.

"No, he won't." She snapped back. "Rejectors don't get second chance mates."

"What did you say?" Reese said, as they all turned and stared at her.

"Only those whose mates die or those who get rejected get second chances." The woman said smugly. "If you reject the mate the goddess gave you, you don't get another one."

"What!?" Ben screamed at the woman; his eyes wide.

"Don't you kids listen in class anymore?" The woman shook her head as she stood to make her way out of the hall. "Second chances are only for those who deserve them."

"What did I do?" Ben whispered, as he slowly sank back into his chair, they all realized then that he must have rejected his mate too. He'd never said a word, they'd all believed he hadn't found his yet.

"Did you reject your mate, Ben?" Zach asked softly.

"Yes." Ben said, looking up at them. "She was...she was an omega; I didn't want an omega mate. I thought I'd get someone better."

"When did you reject her?" Drew asked.

"Spring break..." Ben said softly. "She was from a different pack, I met her at the beach."

"Well, maybe I'll get a second chance someday." Callum said softly, still holding Adam.

"What do you mean?" Reese had finally recovered enough to join the conversation. "Did you get rejected?"

Callum just nodded.

"When?" Zach asked, confused.

"A couple of months ago." Callum said. "A week after the girls disappeared."

"Who rejected you?" Drew asked.

Callum just looked over at Charla, who had been sitting in silence in her chair, barely listening to any of them as she realized she would never be Luna.

Reese felt even sicker than before, he'd been sleeping with his friend's mate, causing his mate and his friend pain for months.

"Karma's a bitch, huh?" Callum whispered softly.

Charla stared at them for a few seconds, then got up and ran from the room.

"Why didn't you say something?" Reese asked.

"What was I supposed to say? 'Hey Alpha, sorry but you need to give up your chosen mate and Luna because I'm her mate?'" Callum snorted, then looked back down at the floor. "I deserve it. I laughed at Harper when you rejected her, I made fun of her pain. I deserve to know how she feels."

"What's wrong with us?" Adam said brokenly. "Just throwing them away. How did I do that? Why was being cool and popular so fucking important? How did we end up this way?"

"Do you know what happened to your mate?" Callum asked Ben. "Is she ok? I mean, she wasn't in the pack, she didn't have to run to away."

"I don't know." Drew said. "She was an omega...I just tried texting the number I had for her, but it's not saying delivered."

"What was her name? What pack was she in?" Reese asked. "We'll find out if she's alright. Maybe you can still fix it, maybe you can get your mate back."

"But she's an omega...I don't want an omega for a mate." Ben said.

"You're a fucking idiot!" Adam shouted at him. "You don't deserve a mate! None of us do!" With that, Adam stormed out of the hall, slamming the door behind him.

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