Family? Is that what you call this?

Marcus and Delilah had left as Marcus wanted to introduce Delilah to his family, who were present at the event. Nox walked aimlessly, her right hand holding Aylin's waist as she guided her, her left hand laden with a champagne flute she had forgotten to take a sip out of. As they walked, a female voice called out to them;

"Scarlett dear! I'm so glad to see you."

Nox felt her blood boil at the voice but turned around to greet the owner of the voice with an apathetic look. Both turned to see a woman clad in a white gown with gold detail, her golden jewelry adding a sense of delicate opulence to the outfit. 

She had jet-black hair, a shade or two lighter than Nox's obsidian locks. Her lilac eyes curled at the corners as her thin, lipstick-coated lips stretched into a smile that reminded one more of a devil than a goddess. 

She was flanked by a tall male, who had the same black hair but bright purple eyes, and another male who had the same hair and eye color as the woman. The three bore a striking resemblance to Scarlett, and Aylin's theory was affirmed by her mate's subtle nod.

Nox nodded at her mate, confirming that these were indeed her relatives, which confused Aylin. She figured that something was simmering beneath the surface.

"Always a pleasure, Narcissa," Nox responded, smiling coldly at the woman.

Narcissa flinched. How dare this shrew? After all the effort she put in to raise her! Her eyes lit up with a sinister glint as she thought of a way to drag the ego of this insolent girl in front of her in public.

"How could you be so cold to your mother?" She asked, her voice trembling while tears glistened at the corners of her eyes. She stretched her right hand out to Nox, knowing how much the Alpha hated that gesture.

Aylin then realized that there was a more familial bond between soldiers at war than between her mate and blood relatives.

Nox placed her glass on a nearby tray and took the outstretched hand, bowing and placing a chaste kiss before letting go of it as if it would burn her. Aylin could feel the disgust that Nox had at the small action that was forced upon her.

"Why don't you say hi to your brother and father?" The woman spoke, her sinister lilac eyes curling in feigned gentleness. Nox feigned the urge to roll her eyes as she faced the two men, nodding at them. 

"Aamon," She said to the shorter man with lilac eyes.

"Jareth," She said turning to the stoic male who regarded her with a hint of disdain after glancing at her arm around Aylin's waist.

"I see you still have the time to play around..." Jareth said, referring to the arm around Aylin's waist. Aylin bristled in anger. Didn't these pompous fools hear that she was Scarlett's mate? How thick-skinned were they? Their level of denial was quite impressive.

Narcissa finally took note of the woman beside Nox. She gave Aylin a condescending look, looking at her up and down before dismissing her with a huff.

"Scarlett dear, who is this woman?" Narcissa asked, her condescending tone causing Aylin to suppress a growl.

"This is my mate, Aylin Dunamis." Nox responded, emphasizing the word 'mate'. She then turned to Aylin.

"These are Narcissa, Aamon(the shorter one), and Jared Nox," Nox said, not sparing the people in front of her a glance. Narcissa's smile fell before it graced her lips once more.

"Why the cold tone dear? Was it something we did?" She spoke, her honeyed, sarcastic tone making Nox nearly recoil in disgust, her expression unchanged.

"It did not concern you then and does not do so now either. Now excuse us, Narcissa." Nox began before Narcissa's next words stopped her in her tracks.

"Now now, what are a few grievances between family members? Are you still upset? Is that why you don't call me mother?" She asked, her fake concern grating on Nox's nerves, especially when Nox noticed the sinister glint in her eyes. 

"Scarlett~" She spoke, her hypocritical chiding ongoing; "Must you hold that over our heads? Does your mate know how petty you are?" She said, lightly scolding Scarlett and gazing at her in feigned concern.

'Family? Is that what you call this?' Aylin spoke through their mate bond, her tone incredulous. 'These creatures have some nerve!' She added, much to Nox's amusement.

Aylin did not know what had transpired between them but was not stupid enough to not notice the evident disdain in Jareth's eyes, nor the gloating look in Aamon's eyes. Narcissa was the reason that waves of disgust rolled off her mate through the mate bond, and that was all she needed to hate the trio as if she were the one aggrieved by them.

When Aylin did not offer a greeting in return for the introduction, Narcissa's eyes narrowed, her plastic smile still on her face.

She pulled out a white fan, spreading it out and regarding Aylin over the top of it like one would regard a pest.

"It seems like you are yet to educate her, Scarlett." She spoke, the pitying tone grating on Aylin's nerves. Before Nox could open her mouth to speak, Aylin spoke up.

"Oh? Forgive me if I offended you... However, were you expecting a greeting?" Aylin asked, an innocent look on her face. Her honeyed tone concealed the mockery nicely, but everyone could tell it was there.

Narcissa flinched, her left eye twitching slightly. She gave a sinister little laugh, but Aamon opened his mouth faster.

"Expecting? Of course not! That would mean you have value." Aamon spoke, shrugging.

The crowd that had gathered around them laughed, enjoying the showdown. There was always drama when these particular wolves met each other. The only thing that was missing was Alpha Jackson.

Aylin turned to Narcissa, ignoring Aamon's words.

"Are you sure you should be questioning my education, Narcissa?" She asked, tilting her head slightly. The action made her look like an innocent little fairy, untainted by the world's evils.

The people were entranced for a moment before remembering who her mate was. There was no way she was innocent if mated to Alpha Nox!

"And why is that?" Narcissa asked, her eyes betraying nothing of her expression behind the fan.

" Oh, no reason... I just thought that you didn't have the time. You must be exhausted, cleaning after your son's messes. Should I send you some herbal tea to help you relax?" She said, her innocent tone worsening the mockery. The crowd's laughter echoed in the room, drawing more participants.

Narcissa flinched, irritated. How dare this nobody?

Nier huffed in laughter at Aylin's words. and Aruna fluffed her fur in pride, pleased that she amused her mate.

" Watch your tone, child. How dare an outsider speak to my mate that way?" Jareth spoke, his arrogant tone showing the blatant disregard and disproval of Aylin.

A loud laugh rang out, drawing the crowd's attention to the source.

"This is the first time I hear the moon goddess granted mate treated as an outsider." Marcus chuckled, Delilah and three others by this side.

The five walked up to Nox and Aylin, standing in front of them. Nox smiled at them, turning to the three figures that came with Marcus. The man had piercing blue eyes and black hair to match. He was tall and good-looking. Marcus had inherited most of his features from the man.

The first woman had blonde hair and grey eyes. She was beautiful in her golden gown and her regal aura reminded one of a queen.

The second woman had blonde hair as well but had blue eyes and looked so similar to Marcus that if their genders were the same, you couldn't tell them apart.

"Mother, Father, it's good to see you two looking so well." She paused, " How have you been, Annalise?" Nox asked.

The three smiled at her in return.

" It's good to see you again, Scar." The man spoke, a fond look on his face.

"Yeah, but you wouldn't need to ask how we've been if you visited more often." Annalise, the blond, blue-eyed woman, pouted.

Nox laughed.

"And who is this beautiful lady?" The woman with grey eyes inquired, her eyes glowing in unconcealed curiosity.

"Mother, Father, Annalise, this is my mate, Aylin." She turned to Aylin.

"Aylin, this is my mother, Helen Jackson, my father, Bernard Jackson, and my little sister, Annalise Jackson. They are the only people you should consider as my family." She said, a fond smile on her face.

Helen walked over to them, grasping Aylin's hands.

" Welcome to the family Aylin. Now tell me, How did you two meet? Where are you from? What do you think of being Luna of Scar's pack? What's your opinion on Scarlett? Isn't our daughter simply charming? Do you and Scarlett stay in the same quarters or not yet?" Nox chuckled, shaking her head helplessly.

"Mother, why don't you let her answer the first question before you launch into another?" She chided fondly.

"Ah, silly me, I got too carried away! Anyway, although we are Marcus' parents, we still consider Scarlett as our daughter. Take care of her, she tends to stretch herself too thin sometimes." Helen smiled warmly, her grey eyes softening further.

"Of course, mother. I promise." Aylin smiled as well, touched by Helen's genuine love for her mate. She suddenly felt guilty about her previous jealousy towards Marcus.

"Good, now, should we head to our table? We seem to have too much to discuss." Bernard spoke, leading his wife and their children away from the mess that was the birth family of his other daughter, Scarlett.

He could not fathom how one could be so cruel to their child, especially a werewolf parent, whose instinct to protect should be stronger.

Nox accepted to be led away, not bothering to spare a glance at the three that shared her blood. If she could cleanse her blood of their influence, she would.

She held her mate's waist securely, leading her away from the annoying trio. Today was a test for Aylin's tongue, hence Nox's silence on the matter. However, If they thought that they could get away with such blatant idiocy, they had another thing coming. It had never been in her nature to let pests roam free in her hunting grounds.

---------------------

As they headed back to their table at Alpha Bernard's lead, they ended up running into Alpha Brandon, the Alpha of Aylin's home pack; The Red Claw Pack.

He was a large but gentle looking man, his brown eyes and wide grin making him seem amicable and easy to approach.

He grinned at Aylin, who smiled when she saw him.

"Alpha Brandon!" She greeted, her voice cheerful and her tone chipper.

"Good to see you again, Aylin." Alpha Brandon chuckled, gazing at her fondly before noticing her entourage.

His eyes widened slightly, recognizing the people around Aylin.

" Greetings, Alpha Nox." Alpha Brandon spoke, lowering his head before looking up once more.

It was customary for an Alpha of lower power or standing to bow their heads when greeting a superior Alpha. That meant that everyone except the former Oriol Pack rulers and Marcus' sister were beneath Scarlett and Marcus. They thus did this as a show of respect to the two, hence Alpha Brandon's actions

"You can dispense the formalities, Alpha Brandon. There can't be something like that between us." Nox spoke, smiling, as her arm tightened around Aylin's waist.

"Guys, I want you to meet Alpha Brandon, the Alpha of my mate's home pack and the one who took care of Aylin." Nox spoke.

"Alpha Brandon, to from your left is Delilah Frost and Marcus Jackson, Alpha and Luna of the Oriol Pack. Then there is Annalise Jackson, Marcus' sister, then Helen Jackson and Bernard Jackson, the former Alpha and former Luna of the Oriol pack. They are my family." Nox finished, ensuring that all introductions had been made.

Alpha Brandon bowed his head again, an action that was stopped by Annalise.

"Are you going to do that each time we meet? Just dispense the formalities." She said, rolling her eyes in jest. Alpha Brandon laughed as well, his eyes softening as smile lines appeared at the corners.

"How is the project coming along?" Nox asked, shifting everyone's attention. Aylin gazed up at her mate in askance.

"What project?" Aylin asked curiously. Nox gazed down at her before speaking.

"Alpha Brandon and I were working on a joint project together to expand their pack's hospital and create a branch that offered treatment facilities to nomadic wolves and non-hostile rogues. It also included research lab that was to investigate various treatment methods for hybrids and poison research for all species." Nox spoke, and the ones around her were surprised. They had no idea that Nox was taking part in such a thing, but considering her past, it was to be expected.

"The project is going well, we're almost done with the construction of the branch. The research begins next week, we had to postpone due to this banquet." Alpha Brandon spoke, gesturing around himself with an impatient expression.

Aylin chuckled, noticing that her Alpha's hatred for formal events was still unchanged. She loved using that to make fun of the man whenever she could, and they had more of a father-daughter relationship than that of an Alpha and his subordinate.

The group continued chatting as they headed to the table, Helen and Bernard questioning Brandon on the intricacies of the project, even offering to pour in their own funds in support of both their daughter and the aim of the project.

-----------------------

He stood at a corner, his white and gold suit gleaming as he brought a champagne glass to his smirking lips. He was elated at the current turn of events, and almost could not believe them himself.

The two most powerful Alphas that represented the apex of werewolf Physiology, were both mated now? Just as he was searching for a way to bring them down, the moon goddess went and dropped a golden goose in his lap; and not just one, but two!

The goddess must favor him, he mused, still smirking. He watched the table where Nox and the Jacksons sat, chatting animatedly with each other. Poor little things, they had no idea what was in store for them! A sinister smile bloomed on his face, his pink-colored eyes glinting with malice.

"Alpha." a male voice spoke next to him. He looked down to find a small male glancing up at him.

"What is it?" He said, his voice cold and his tone clipped.

"I'm just saying that it's complete, we can begin anytime you wish." The man said, bubbling with excitement at the prospect of what was to come.

"Good. Let them have their fun tonight, after all, we can't possibly paint such a lovely banquet in red, now, can we?" He spoke , his tone mockingly sarcastic. His pink eyes shone with glee.

'It truly seems like fortune does indeed favor the bold.' He smirked, sipping his champagne.