[Austin][One week later]As time for the wedding grew closer, I was getting more excited for all of it. Not just the ceremony and the final connections to Gemma being solidified, but everything after that. Finding a home, joining the pack, raising a family, all of it. For most of my life, I didn’t think about the future. I could never picture one in which I could actually be happy, but now I could. The pack was amazing and Gemma was perfect in every way, even when she got a little frustrated with me. We were headed to the pack lands because my family would be arriving today. Gemma had the whole day planned. We would let them get settled in, then give them a tour of the pack. We would have lunch at Gemma’s apartment and I would tell them what my life was really like and why I didn’t talk to them much when I saw them a few years ago. She was hoping we could heal my family’s rift a little before asking them to leave the pack and join Hallowed Moon. I hoped for a future with them in it. Gemma made me hope for a real and solid life in the pack. I’d talked with Alpha Trent some more about joining. He even said he would be okay with me staying in the fae lands until spring to heal. He told me there was no rush if I still needed time and that he completely understood. There was no pressure from anyone for me to join the pack, only acceptance of whatever I wanted to do and encouragement from the people who mattered most to me. Rock and Carmen really understood what I needed and never made me feel like I needed to leave or I was a burden. It was, honestly, the most cared for I’d felt in my entire life. They were almost like parents and siblings all rolled into one. I could honestly say that Rock was quickly becoming my best friend. Gemma loved the idea of us being so close, too. She wanted her mate to get along well with her friends. She wanted a life we could all have together. I did, too. I couldn’t wait to meet Ashley and Beta Roald in person. Gemma had me talk to them over the phone a few times. He seemed like a good guy. We pulled into the parking lot by the packhouse. It was nearly ten in the morning and my family would be arriving soon. I got out of the car and met Gemma at the trunk. She took my hand and squeezed it affectionately. “Are you ready for this?” she asked. “Yes and no,” I answered. She giggled. “You’re worried they’ll still be mad about the first time you saw them?” “I was rude and cold to them. I didn’t let myself feel any connection because I knew I could be punished and they could be punished for it. Now that I can let those feelings in, it’s like I can’t stop them. If they don’t want to move here though, if they’re still upset with me… I don’t know what I’ll do.” “We’ll just have to show them you’re not that person and let them decide to accept you or not. We can’t control them, but if they can come to see that this pack is better than your old pack, then I’m sure they’ll want to join,” Gemma assured me. Alpha Trent came out of the packhouse with Mike and Ben. I didn’t expect all of them. They were followed by their mates. Beth was getting huge. She was due in a couple of months, but multiples sometimes came early. “What’s going on, Trent? This is way too many ranked people. I thought just Ben was coming,” Gemma said. “We just got a link from the border guards. I have the omegas getting multiple rooms ready and we’re trying to find housing, but we don’t have guest rooms for all the people they’re bringing,” he answered. “What do you mean? I thought it was just my parents and my brother….” “So did I.”He stopped talking and turned to the pack town. Alpha Trent pointed to where the road came out of the forest and soon, two large busses appeared. We watched as they made their way through town. That was entirely too much for three people. I looked over at Gemma and she wore a concerned expression. It wasn’t just me, then. I squeezed her hand and she leaned her head on my shoulder. ‘Everything will be alright,’ she linked me. The busses pulled up in front of the packhouse and the doors opened. Out of the first one came someone I never thought I’d see again. Timothy Cook. He looked right at me, then his eyes scanned over Gemma in a way I didn’t like. I pulled her behind me and glared at him. He scowled, not liking that I was standing up to him, even if it was in a small way. The doors to the other bus opened and out came Sonny Matthews. He was the future Gamma of the pack. He saw the scowl on Timothy’s face and must have yelled at them in their link, because Timothy winced and went to join him. “Alpha Trent?” Sonny asked. Trent stepped forward. “I’m Alpha Trent. Who are you?” “Gamma Sonny Matthews, Radiant Moon Pack. It’s nice to meet you, Alpha,” Sonny said, extending his hand. “We received your request, but decided since you’re taking in our runaway omega, you can take in his whole family instead of shipping them back to us. We have his parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, siblings, and all of their mates, if they had one. Here’s the paperwork.” Stunned, Trent took Sonny’s hand and then accepted the paperwork and handed it off to Ben. Ben looked over the forms. There were a lot of them. I had no idea I had such a big family. “What is the meaning of this? What is your Alpha thinking?” Trent questioned. “Since Alpha Gregory has taken over the pack, as ordered by the Werewolf Association, he has made changes, also according to their orders. We don’t have the resources to make all these changes with all the omegas we have in the pack, so we’re relieving ourselves of some of the burden. You’re already taking in Austin, then you should take in the rest of his family.” Sonny gave a smarmy grin. “Our pack was completely fine for decades before you butted in with your investigation. You and that fuсking rogue queen ruined everything,” Timothy growled. “Your pack was sick. I don’t know exactly what the Association decreed, but a better life for your omegas will create a better life for all of the other werewolves in your pack. I’m working on housing for all of these people. We will gladly welcome them into our pack,” Trent replied with a smile that barely masked his contempt for the men. Sonny looked over at me with a glowering expression. “All omegas will be educated past sixth grade, no matter where they work. Omegas will be given money for their work, so they can buy food for their families. Omegas’ homes will be included in pack maintenance figures and funding. There is no more drafting of people to work in our brothel and the cribmates program that assigned an infant omega to a ranked blood infant has been ceased.” “What about making females take the rank of their mates?” I asked. He looked at me like I was a toad that started talking. “They can’t stop us from doing that. We have made all the changes we had to. Our pack is in good standing with the Association now. Since we’ve achieved that, we’ve decided we don’t want the family of such a troublesome wolf making more difficulty for us. You and your family will no longer be welcome in our pack.” “Then you still have some of the practices that made your pack terrible for omegas and you don’t want to risk being reported again?” Ben asked. Sonny turned to him, his face changing to a pleasant mask. “I said no such thing. Only that we have made the changes required and that we do not want that man and his family in our pack lands. This is a decision we have every right to make. If your pack is unable to take them on, then I’m sure the Queen of the Eaten Heart Collective wouldn’t have a problem taking them on. Since it was your pack and her collective that cause us such an unfortunate difficulty.” Ben growled at him, and Trent put his hand on Ben’s shoulder. They were punishing my family for what I did. But how much of a punishment was this? Aside from removing them from the only home they had ever known, Radiant Moon was literally giving them a better life. Hallowed Moon was a better pack by far. My family could have a happy life here. They could see what they had been missing. My grandparents probably never thought they’d be able to retire. Omegas were worked until they died. There was no retirement for them. “So, do you accept them?” “I do. Let them off the bus,” Trent ordered. Sonny bowed slightly and went to the bus, slapping the side of it. People started coming off. They ducked their heads and didn’t look around at all. They carried broken and battered duffle bags and suitcases. Their clothes were slightly ragged and these were probably the best they owned. Once the first bus was empty, the second bus started letting passengers off. That’s when I saw my mother. I never forgot her. She was holding a bag close to her and clinging to the boy who got off with her. He had to be about twelve, but kept his face down, too. They’d broken him at an early age, like they did with most omegas. I didn’t see my father anywhere until the last person came off the bus. Two men helped a battered man who resembled my father off the bus. My mother looked at him with tears in her eyes, but didn’t make a move to be near him. “What did you do to him?” I demanded. Sonny sneered at me. “I don’t need to answer to an omega.” “You need to answer to an Alpha, though,” Trent growled. “What did you do to him?” Sonny sighed and rolled his eyes. “It was believed that he had information that the pack needed and he refused to give it. We merely did what needed to be done to get that information. As soon as my Alpha took over from his father, we released him. It’s not our fault that omegas heal so slowly.” “Get out of my territory. Never return. If I even get a whiff of someone from Radiant Moon around my territory, I’ll declare war, and that means for mating conferences as well. Radiant Moon is now the enemy of Hallowed Moon. Tell your Alpha and get the hell out!” Trent shouted. Sonny and Timothy frantically rushed to get out. They hadn’t been planning on the Alpha getting pissed off enough to declare them enemies of the pack. I was betting Gregory didn’t think of that, either. They thought they could just prod this Alpha and run home snickering. Instead, they were issued a dire notice. I went to the men helping my father stand. They were weak and malnourished. I took him from them easily. He was at least twenty to thirty pounds lighter than he looked the last time I saw him. His weight was easy for me to handle. “Austin, I’m sorry,” he whispered. “There’s nothing to be sorry about, Dad.”He looked at me with tears in his eyes. I helped him walk through the crowd and took my mom’s hand. She jumped a little, but then gripped it tightly. “Come with me,” I said. I took them to where Gemma was standing. She was frowning and looking tearful. I knew my mate hurt for my family as much as she hurt for me when she knew what I went through. “This is my mate, Gemma Holden. She’s the cousin of the Gamma here and works in his office,” I told them. “And you accepted a rogue omega? Why would you give up your life for my son?” my mother asked in a quivering voice. “I’m not giving up anything. My pack isn’t like yours. It’s taken me months to convince Austin. I hope it won’t take months to convince you of the same. I’ll still work for my cousin for as long as I like.” “I’m joining the pack, Mom. Alpha Trent was just waiting for me to be ready. I’m ready now. Now that I know all of you are safe, I want to be in the same pack as you. I couldn’t be your son when they were willing to punish us both, but there’s no punishment here for me wanting to be with my family,” I explained. “That’s why you were so cold to us? To save us from punishment?” she asked. I nodded. “I didn’t want any of you to suffer. I’m sorry that my leaving led to this. I didn’t think they’d go after you if I ran away. This was all my fault.” “No, this wasn’t your fault, Austin,” my dad said. “You did what was best for you and it brought our family here, where we could be together again. We’ll do our best to serve this pack.”