The Waitress and Her Alpha

| XXVII - Mother Meets Pain |

Mrs. Gray's home is one of surprise. While I anticipated something like her son's grand manor, she's more of the cottage type. The men hang back waiting just until I knock to step forward onto the wood patio wrapping around her home. It's an eerie feeling of silence while we wait for her, and just as I go to back away and leave the door cracks open to a young girl, tears streaming down her pale face, "W-welcome." Her little arm waves around inviting me in.

For the first time since meeting some of the pack, I think I'm starting to understand why I haven't met her. Her home is one of absolute disaster, the servants all looking like they've seen a ghost. It's hard to watch, and even harder to think about, "And your name is?"

"Debby. I'm the handmaiden for Mrs. Gray. She's in her... office right now follow me." The three of us stay right on the heels of the woman. She knows the piles of junk like the back of her hand and swivels just perfectly through them. Catch me off guard again when the previous Luna is sitting on the floor with a bottle of whiskey hanging from her hand. She's frail and broken, eyes sunken deep into her head. The whiskey is almost gone, just the final swigs remain in the bottom. The servant clears her throat looking at the mom crumpled within herself on the ground, "Mrs. Gray, Luna Smite is here to greet you."

I give an awkward wave. The woman haggles herself to standing, "I've been telling that asshole of a son to introduce us," She holds out the bottle of whiskey, realizes what she does, then pulls it back to offer her other hand, "I'm Mrs. Gray. The previous Luna before my husband was violently murdered by your mate."

"I'm... Veronica. It's lovely to meet you." I try to ignore the sweat covering her hand, or the beads of terror that trickle down her skin. The servant stands on the side with worry while the two men get closer by the second, "I'll take my hand back now."

"You here to kill me?" Is this what happens when you lose your mate? And why would she say Ares killed him?

"Nothing of the sort. I want to introduce myself to you, and maybe sit down over some lunch. Ms. Debby, do you have anything we could make?" I turn to the servant who nods quickly rushing from the room. Her frail voice calls out a random amount of time that I don't bother to take note of. It'll probably be cold by the time Mrs. Gray, and I make it, "Now why don't we sit down for a moment." I lead her over a desk piled high with things. With my free hand I shove everything off the chair and drop her butt down. The woman groans but appreciates the place to plop her head.

"Luna?" Jackson interrupts when I start to walk away. I stop and give him a glance from the corner of my eye, "Do you need us to do anything?"

"I expect an explanation and be sure to talk quickly." I pop a hand on my hip looking over the two men. Both grunt in agreement while Mrs. Gray sings to herself in the corner. The clatter of pots and pans can be heard from the kitchen while Ms. Debby vigorously works to prepare a meal.

"As per tradition, the previous Alpha faced the trials after gaining the power the current Alpha had when he took over. He was challenged by twenty wolves, most coming from outside packs. The late-Alpha demanded his son step up and fight for his honor, much to the disagreement of Mrs. Gray. However, it was the only way to keep their family blood line in power. Once the late-Alpha killed the twenty, it was too late for our Alpha to back down from the trial. It's too the death, and every wolf respects the honor of the tradition. Both Alpha's put up a fair fight, but the father wasn't prepared to kill his son. Alpha Gray was forced to kill his father to keep power and gain respect from surrounding packs." Jackson sighs looking over to the sad woman, her heart aches calling out for anyone to help her, "It's common for the son to kill their father in this world, but Mrs. Gray broke at the sight. Instead of standing up, her mind was already weak and succumb to the pain of the mate bond breaking. Now Alpha Gray supports her as much as he can. She blames him for everything, calls him a traitor to the family, but takes his money without thought."