~Matheau~

Upon arriving in Dark Forest territory, Cedric and I were met by a welcome party of Dark Forest members, sent to see us back to the village area. Cedric let out a happy howl, seeing his pack members. They were happy to howl in response and then to eye me curiously.

Cedric’s pace slowed a little and I was sure that he was mindlinking his pack, letting them know who I was and why I was with him. My suspicions were confirmed when a series of howls was let out by his pack members.

I let out a huff of laughter and nuzzled him briefly as we headed further into the territory. He gave me a wolfish grin as we neared the edge of the village, the group stopping to shift back and put on some shorts.

Cedric’s hand found mine and I gave him a smile as I squeezed his hand gently, “Ready?” he asked.

“Ready.”

He led me over to the group that had met us, introducing me to some of his warriors, “As I’m sure the entire pack knows by now, I found my mate while over in Moonlight. This is Mat, I expect you all to show him the same respect you show me. Now come on, I’m sure Alpha Killian is waiting for us at this point.”

“Nice to meet you all.” I said briefly before Cedric was ushering his warriors toward the center of the village. I walked alongside him, letting him take the lead as I had never been to Dark Forest and did not know exactly where I was going.

There were plenty of curious eyes on us as we walked. It seemed the news of Cedric bringing his mate to Dark Forest had spread like wildfire and now everyone was trying to catch a glimpse of us. I grinned at him as we reached the center square. Alpha Killian and Luna Morgan were waiting for us.

“Ah! Cedric, Mat! It’s nice to have you here, even if it is only briefly and I’ll be losing my head warrior in the end.” Killian shook my hand and then Cedric’s, “Congratulations, Cedric. You deserve it. You both do.”

Luna Morgan gave us both hugs and smiled, “You two make a lovely pair. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Cedric look so happy as he does with you at his side Mat. Please take care of him.”

“I have every intention of doing just that, Luna Morgan, thank you. He makes me very happy as well.” I was blushing a bit and I could see Cedric was as well.

“Let’s address those gathered before they die out of curiosity as to what’s going on.” Morgan suggested, giving us another smile before nudging her mate gently.

Alpha Killian chuckled and turned towards the gathered crowd, “Good evening everyone! As I’m sure you’ve already heard, Cedric has returned from Moonlight and has brought his mate, Mat, with him. However, Mat is Moonlight’s new Beta so they are only here for a day or two to get Cedric’s affairs in order before they will be returning to Moonlight permanently. We will hold a cookout for them tomorrow at noon! Now, let me turn your attention over to Cedric, as I’m sure he can answer some of your lingering questions before you even ask them!” He chuckled and gave Cedric a pat on the back as he stepped back and let Cedric and I have the center stage so to speak.

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Cedric chuckled and stepped forward to address the crowd. I joined him at his side, confidently taking his hand in mine. He took a deep breath and addressed the crowd, “Good Evening Dark Forest! As you’ve heard I did indeed find my mate while at Moonlight, and he is their new Beta. He is originally from Red Moon where his parents were the Deltas. His sister is the new Luna of Moonlight and he and his parent’s left Red Moon to join her in Moonlight. We will be returning to Moonlight the day after tomorrow, bright and early.”

There was plenty of cheering amongst the crowd. There was also some murmuring as those who had been at Red Moon to witness the events of the banquet filled in those around them. Several pairs of eyes fell on me, eyeing me up and down as they assessed whether I was like the others from Red Moon.

I gave the crowd a reassuring smile and stepped forward, just a touch to get their attention and draw it to me, “First, let me say I can read your expressions and I can hear your murmured concerns. Let me assure you that I am nothing like some of the other members of Red Moon, those of you that were there, including your own Alpha and Luna, can attest to my reputation. Second, let me preemptively answer some of your questions. Yes, my sister is indeed the same woman who endured Red Moon’s atrocious behavior at Andrew’s orders while he was Alpha. Yes, she had a major role in bringing him down and handing the pack to his son for reformation. Yes, Cedric is aware of everything that happened there. No, I will not say anything more, it is not my story to tell. I can only promise to look out for Cedric with every fiber of my being, just as he would for me, and as any good mates would do for each other. We all know Alpha Tristan would not have allowed me into Moonlight if he didn’t trust my character and he sure as hell wouldn’t have made me his Beta.”

Silence fell over the crowd, like a blanket, cocooning them while everything sank in. After a moment or two they once again erupted in cheers, and I let out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding. Granted, we wouldn’t be staying here and thus reassuring Cedric’s pack was not as impactful to us as if we were going to be staying in Dark Forest, but I still felt it important to reassure his pack members, his family that he would be happy and cared for with me in Moonlight.

Cedric pulled me into his arms and kissed me briefly in front of the crowd, whispering against my lips, “Thank you. Thank you for trying to ease their minds.”

I grinned at him and nodded a little, “Of course.”

We headed down into the crowd, Cedric introducing me to some of the pack members as they came up to congratulate us. This went on for an hour before the crowd started to disperse and we were able to relax a little.

The trip from Moonlight had taken its toll on both of us and we were a bit exhausted at this point, “I need to speak with Alpha Killian briefly and then I will show you to my place.” Cedric said as we worked our way over to where Killian and Morgan were seated.

“Alpha Killian, I just wanted to touch base briefly on my recommendation for a new Head Warrior, if you’re interested?” Cedric asked as we approached the pair.

“Of course I’m interested, Cedric! Your opinion on such matters is invaluable.”

“I was hoping you would say that. I honestly think Arya would be the best candidate. She’s tough, determined and knows our training procedures inside and out.”

“That’s a really solid recommendation. I’ll admit I haven’t had the time I would have liked to consider who would succeed you as Head Warrior, given that your leaving was unexpected.”

“I would apologize, but I’d be lying if I did.” I grinned at Killian and Morgan.

Morgan laughed, “I have no doubt my dear. It’s quite alright. It’s the way things go among wolves sometimes.”

“My lovely mate is quite right. We will appoint Arya, at least as interim head warrior and likely permanently. Cedric’s recommendation does not come on a whim I’m sure. We can announce it at the cookout tomorrow. For now, you two go get some rest and we will see you for breakfast.”

“We did get your things packed and pre-loaded into your SUV, Cedric, so your house is sparse. You are welcome to anything in the pack house that you might need.” Morgan added.

“Thank you Alpha Killian, Luna Morgan.” Cedric bowed his head and then we headed off to his place to get some rest.