A Gold Alpha For A Silver Alpha
Moon-Colored Eyes Chapter 28

Jackson POV

I was in the kitchen having a well-deserved glass of juice when I heard all the commotion, knowing my brothers were already home. Along with it, my mate.

I swallowed as best I could the liquid for fear of choking, I couldn't believe I had found her, or well, her me to be more precise.

And she was as perfect as I dared not dream, completely beautiful, hair as white as if it was taken from the rays of the moon, scarlet eyes that transmitted even the most hidden secret that kept her soul, small and pink lips ready to be swollen by our kisses, a body to be worshiped and venerated as the name of goddess she carries.

A personality that I bet my entire inheritance would bring me many arguments with her in the future.

But that doesn't matter.

She is mine.

Mine to love, mine to protect, mine to fight, mine to comfort, mine to mark.

And no one, not even she would be able to take me away from her side.

I left the glass in the sink to be washed later, and walked out looking unconcerned but with anticipation running over every inch of my skin.

I found no one in the living room or dining room, so I followed the noise replaceing them on the second floor, Juliet was going to where her mate was resting with Mom close on her heels, while my two brothers met my father's gaze as best they could.

I frowned and sniffed a little but my mate's delicious scent was nowhere to be found, I wanted to know how he was, but I didn't dare go upstairs and ask for fear that dad would start scolding me again.

To my luck the front door opened at that moment and Noel walked in followed by Dannia, she just gave me a nod before walking to mom's office to wait there, but thank the goddess Noel took pity on my soul and stopped next to me grabbing my shoulder. -She's in the infirmary with the puppy and Logan, he'll be fine but I don't think your mate plans to let him out of her sight anytime soon.

-Thank you. I replied relieved and he gave me a nod of confirmation before walking to dad's office as well.

I left the house walking normally, but after a few meters I increased my speed, going to a fast walk, then to a jog, to finish running and get to his side as soon as possible.

All the fear, the uncertainty, the grief, the pain I felt since I found out she left to replace her friend came back to me like a wrecking ball hitting me right in my stomach.

And even though I had left her safe by the side of my siblings and trusted warriors of my parents as I ran to save the life of my sister's mate, I had this almost visceral need to reassure myself that she was okay.

That nothing had happened to her in the time I left her, that she was healthy, unharmed, not a hair out of place.

Then we'll put her over our knees and make her a*s as red as an apple for daring to put her life in danger.

Rex growled at me and I couldn't agree with him more.

I reached the simple white-fronted building in the blink of an eye, the place was intact despite the attack we suffered and we were all grateful for that small miracle.

I controlled any expression that betrayed my despair along with my indecent thoughts and walked as calmly as possible.

As usual, wolves were rushing in and out, rushing from one side to the other to attend to those who needed help.

I didn't need help, Diana's scent guiding me more accurately than any indication, I greeted a couple of members who noticed my presence, along with some patients and healers.

The puppy's room was not far from the entrance, but far enough to have to walk a couple of minutes.

When I finally arrived the door was closed, and displaying a patience I didn't really feel I gently knocked a couple of times to announce my arrival before turning the knob to let me through.

The image that greeted me was one that I will never be able to forget in my life.

There was a bed centrally located where a young man was lying, looking asleep, Logan was beside him, moving his limbs carefully checking them, and a few steps back, just in front of the window that bathed the room in light was she.

Dirty, with traces of the battle we had just survived, her eyes tired but alert to any danger, falsely relaxed with her arms crossed as she closely examined Logan, she was most likely making sure nothing would happen to the sleeping puppy that was part of her family. He gave me a few moments of his attention to make sure I wasn't a threat before he returned to the boy.

And I tried not to look irritated by it.

I entered the room closing the door to isolate the outside noises.

-How is he," I asked Mom's Beta, giving my partner a sidelong glance as I approached the bed.

-He's in pretty good condition considering he spent time in Noctem Castra and then was kidnapped by one of the oldest vampire clans in history. He has a pretty nasty bump on the back of his neck which explains his unconsciousness, but other than that and a few bruises there is nothing to fear, although I'm a little worried that he hasn't woken up yet, his blood should have healed him by now.

-He hasn't had his first transformation yet, he's just a puppy. Diana comments, gaining Logan's and my attention.

-Oh, in that case then his recovery ability is still not very good, let him sleep as long as he wants, he will wake up sooner or later. Said the Beta and a weight lifted off the air in the room.

Logan headed for the door, stopping halfway.

-If I were you I'd be more concerned about his mental state than his body, living through so much so young can be traumatic, even for a shapeshifter. He advised us before leaving completely and leaving us alone.

Diana let out a big sigh before approaching the bed, where she took the boy's hand between hers and squeezed it.

-Thanks to the moon for the miracles," she mumbled between her teeth while she removed the long hair from the puppy's forehead, "You have to wake up soon Max, I promise we'll go to the beach like you want so much and we'll stay there to live for a while. That woke up my alarms immediately so I dared to interrupt his moment.

-You are not going anywhere. I said with an authoritative tone that earned me a death stare from those crimson orbs.

-I'm not asking for your permission.

-You belong to this pack, just like Rafael does." I reminded him in case he had forgotten that his other friend also had to stay if he wanted to be with my sister.

And for his sake I hoped he would.

-Rafael won't part with his mate now that he's found her, but we can't stay. He says in a flat voice, as if he's not my life partner.

Which makes Rex and I growl in irritation.

-You are my mate, you are part of me as I am part of you, you can't just ignore the bond.

Diana turns away from her friend and comes up to me jabbing her index finger in my chest in annoyance.

-You must be out of your mind if you think I'm going to stay in the pack that not only locked up my brother but also where the a*****e who betrayed us is the son of the Alphas.

I stop her speech by grabbing her wrist and she squirms for me to let go but I do not.

-The puppy was only locked up while his innocence was proven, I'm sure Juliet won't demand to be punished despite having hurt her, this is the safest pack in the world, there is no better place to live for people like us- I take advantage of her tugging to run my other hand around her waist and pull her closer to me, which makes her gasp- Leonardo will get what he deserves, we don't forgive easily-.

Her chest rises violently with each breath.

-And what are your parents going to do to your little brother, wash the toilets for a week, community service, please, no Alpha would degrade his heir like that.

-First of all, we are not like any other family, secondly, Leonardo is only my father's son which makes him only my half brother, thirdly he is not my father's heir, I am -I inform him and I see how the gears in his head work at full speed trying to figure out what to do with the new information- And lastly, if you think my parents would let us get away with it just because we are their children let me tell you that you could not be further from the truth-.

I finish telling her and my gaze inevitably falls to her lips that are panting, I don't know if it's from anger or something else.

-If you expect me to feel sorry for the poor little children that their parents were too hard on, then change your strategy because that's not going to happen," he warned me and gave me a hard stomp that made me loosen my grip on his body. Which he took advantage of and pushed me to put distance between our bodies.

-Did you understand only that much of what I told you? I asked with exasperation leaving aside the pain in my foot.

Damn my mate is strong...

I love it.

-Should I have understood something else? I answered with obviousness crossing my arms.

-Just the small detail that I'm the future Alpha of this pack and you're my mate," her beautiful eyes sparkled even though her complexion paled, "Which makes you the future Luna.

I admit I wasn't expecting a big reaction of admiration or surprise, but anything would have been better compared to the contemptuous click of her tongue and how she turned her face away from me and stared at the wall.

We were silent for a few minutes, the words weighing too much between us, the only thing that broke that pattern was Diana herself who took a chair and dragged it to the side of the puppy's bed where she took a seat and didn't move again. -Diana..." I started to say again hoping to smooth things over between us.

But the door opened, robbing me of my chance.

Dannia's red-haired head peeked out slightly and inspected the atmosphere between me and my mate with a sneer.

-Sorry to interrupt such a touching scene, but your parents are looking for you Jackson," I opened my mouth to tell her that I wasn't going to move from that room but she spoke again interrupting me, "They are going to decide what to do with Leonardo so you and your brothers should be there, they are waiting for you in the office," I grunted a nod and the Delta disappeared right back where it came from.

Silence returned but with a new charge of tension at the mention of my half brother.

I don't want to give him false comfort, and I don't think he would appreciate concern on my part, so I just say a short and concise goodbye before heading out the door.

As I'm closing it I hear him finally speak to me, so softly that if I hadn't been paying so much attention to him I would have missed it.

-If you really have feelings for me, and you want whatever we have to work out- she began and a slight tremor prevented her from continuing immediately- Make sure he gets what he deserves, we almost died because of him too many times, and I know that now his fate is not in my hands. But I just want him to pay for what he did to us. He said and watched from a distance as a lone tear slipped from one of his eyes.

That happened while I tenderly caressed the puppy's cheek, and seeing my life partner in such a vulnerable situation broke my heart.

-She swore," I promised, full of conviction.

But she didn't pay attention to me again, so I finished leaving to give her privacy.

I had no idea what my parents would do with my brother, but one thing was for sure.

I would take it upon myself to collect every penalty he put Diana through.

Even if I had to spill blood to get the justice I needed.

(...)

It was obvious that he would be late, as he had to take a long walk to calm down and clear his head before he could face his family, so he wasn't surprised to be the last to arrive.

What did surprise him was seeing the hostility in his sister's eyes when he entered the office.

Juliet was sitting in the middle of Jace and Julian in the armchair on one of the sides of the place, Leonardo was sitting in front of the desk where his mom was sitting and his father was placing his hands on her shoulders behind her, Noel was in the single armchair next to Leonardo and finally Logan with Dannia were on the opposite wall to their siblings leaning on each other looking serious.

-It's about time you got here," Juliet complained and I couldn't help but look at her with warning because of her tone, "Every minute I spend here is a minute I'm not making sure my mate is breathing, so can we leave the formalities aside and get straight to the point please?

Although that's a good point, the quicker we get done here the quicker I get back to Diana.

Mom slammed her hands on the desk drawing everyone's attention and waited for us to be silent before she began to speak.

-Well, following Juliet's reasoning let's talk about the elephant in the room so we can all go on with our lives -I turn to Leonardo and smile like a wolf smiles at a lamb about to be devoured- Leonardo, you are accused of betraying the pack by leading a group of vampires to the heart of the territory, causing multiple losses among our own, besides cooperating with the kidnapping of a puppy that was under our guardianship, how do you plead? Mom asks, judging his actions with a few words.

-Guilty. My half-brother answered and I jumped up to complain immediately.

-Objection! Obviously he will say that... What did he say? I say as I gasp ridiculously.

I turn to look at my brothers but they are equally or more surprised than me.

-He said he's guilty," Jace helps me but I still think my ears are playing tricks on me.

-Julieta asked as if Leonardo couldn't hear us, "Maybe going back to that place made him go crazy," she nodded very proud of having come to that conclusion.

-Maybe he didn't understand the question, situations of extreme stress can cause distortion in the perspective of reality. Julian's opinion seemed more logical to me.

Maybe he hit his head on the way back.

said Rex, but he didn't seem convinced.

Dad cleared his throat and looked sternly at Leonardo.

-I asked him and for a second I really thought he was going to go back on his choice.

But he surprised us all when he nodded with conviction.

-I accept whatever punishment you impose on me, even if it means my death." His voice trembles with that last part but he doesn't flinch.

The room falls silent after that, no one knows how to react, luckily my mother is the one who breaks it by clicking her tongue and rolling her eyes.

-Please, even I haven't given a death sentence in all my centuries of life so don't be so dramatic- Logan starts to choke on his saliva and tries to hide it with a poorly disguised cough which earns a death stare from mom- We're not going to kill you puppy even if that's what you want, You're going to have a much harder punishment due to your nature of running away from consequences- mom gives a nod in Noel and Julian's direction- We know enough to know that indeed, you did help our enemy against us but I don't think that's the only reason that led you to do what you did Or am I wrong? - Leonardo pressed his lips without letting a sound come out of them- And as I assume you would first cut your tongue out before telling us your motivations for doing what you did, your father and I have come to an understanding about what to do with you-.

If I were your brother I'd be pissing my pants.

Rex scoffed in my head but it wasn't that far from the truth, my parents with such a serious look on their faces were a force to be feared.

-"Vampires have been our natural enemies for as long as we have existed, the Black clan led by Lord Tantos in specific has a fixation on eliminating our bloodline," dad continued with the idea mom brought up, "Your brothers murdered his wife Mireya and his last son Peter, at this point they are just as vulnerable as they are dangerous. So seeing how much you know them you will spend the next few months under the orders of Dannia and our warriors hunting down what's left of that damn family- that doesn't sound so bad, but from Leonardo's horrified expression they might as well have sent him straight to the gallows- But let me make this clear from the beginning, you will obey any and all orders given to you at all times, all the participants of this mission are in a position above you. If you are told to set up camp by yourself you do it, if you are told you have to cook all week you do it, if you are told you have to guard the perimeter without sleeping all night you do it. You can refuse absolutely nothing and it will be at Dannia's discretion if you need to be disciplined if necessary- a smile full of compassion shines in my father's face- And believe me she is not a female you won't like to have as an enemy, she also has all the authorization to bring you back if you try to escape, for your sake puppy you don't want to replace out what it feels like to be hunted by one of ours-.

An absolute happiness and complacency fills me completely.

To live an indefinite season being bossed around by anyone and under the strict surveillance of one of the most heartless and strict females in history, it doesn't get any better than this.

But my happiness evaporates when my parents turn to look at my siblings and me.

-And since you guys won't get off so easily for what you did either, one of you will accompany Leonardo on his entire journey while teaching him what he needs to know about the pack and the family while making sure he does everything on time or the punishment will be for both of you. The three who stay will spend three months following Logan, Noel, or his mother taking care of absolutely everything they tell them to do, they will be his personal assistants and will be available twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. But since your mother and I are generous we will let you decide your destiny, who goes and who stays?

I almost snort at that question, because I really don't know which is worse.

From the bright look of mischief in mom's eyes I think I have an answer.

Staying and being assigned to her, yes, that is definitely the worst option.

-I'll go," declared my younger brother before anyone else and Juliet, Julian and I looked at him confused at his choice, "I'm the only one of my siblings who hasn't found his mate yet and I think that's why I'd better be the one to go. He admitted and I marveled at how mature he sounded.

-Jace," whispered Juliet and they both looked at each other in that way that only twins, (or in this case twins), could.

At last Jace slipped an arm around our sister's shoulders and pressed her against his side.

-I'll be fine, so I'll go and keep our brother's b**t in line.

And now Leonardo rolled his eyes and crossed his arms, no longer looking like a dying zombie.

My parents exchanged a glance before turning their attention to Jace and agreeing.

-All right then, Jace will go with Leonardo under the directives of Dannia and the others to hunt vampires while Jackson, Julian and Juliet stay behind. They will leave immediately, today at nightfall to be more specific, so I suggest they both prepare as best they can and get some rest, it's going to be a rough few months-. Mom tells them and gives us a wave of her hand indicating that we can leave and that the matter is over.

Juliet doesn't need more to run off in the direction of her mate, Jace makes a sign to Leonardo to follow him and he does it reluctantly complaining between his teeth, Julian asks Noel where Tasia is to go to see her.

And me, I can only try to walk at a reasonable speed as I walk back to the infirmary room where I knew Diana would be taking care of her friend.

On the way I could only think about how badly things could have gone wrong, and how I was very lucky that it was all over at last.

Well, in a way.

I thought of my partner's crimson eyes staring at me with defiance etched in my memory.

Rather another adventure entirely was about to begin.

And with anticipation coursing through my body I hurried to get to his side.

This was going to be fun.