Raven POV
The wheels of the plane hit the runway, and Leo tightens his grasp around my waist. He has been sleeping with his head on my lap the whole flight, but Oliver fidgeted at my side. I am not surprised that Oliver is nervous. The South Pack doesn't exactly hold fond memories for any of us.
Leo stirs on my lap, and he digs his fingers into my hips. He growls as I poke him on the shoulder, trying to wake him up. "We are here," I whisper to him.
Oliver is staring out of the window with an odd expression on his face. "Who are those two men with your brother?"
I push Leo off my lap, and he hits the seat in front of him. I glance out the window and groan. "Those are the Alpha Twins, Kaden and Kai. They are the reason we are here."
"You never said why we are here," Leo grunts.
"Kieran didn't say," I sigh. "He was worried that someone would intercept our call."
Leo claps his hands together sarcastically. "A secret mission. How exciting. We haven't been on one of those for like two minutes."
I shove him down the aisle of the plane toward the open door. Oliver is following me so closely that he keeps stepping on the heels of my feet. I want to push him back, but I know he is just trying to protect me.
As we step outside, the Texas heat hits me in the face, and it is suffocating. I can feel beads of sweat already forming on my forehead. I look in my brother's direction, and he has a stupid grin on his face. He has missed me.
Breaking free from my mates, I run in his direction. Leo and Oliver growl at my retreating back, but I ignore them. I wrap my arms around Kieran's neck and hold him close. "Why the fuck am I here?" I whisper in his ear.
Kieran pulls away and looks me over. "How is my mate?"
"Nope," I snap. "My question first."
"We fucked up," one of the twins says at my brother's side.
I look him up and down, and I am not impressed. Unruly dark hair, a wrinkled t-shirt, and his piercing blue eyes roam over my body. Leo growls at the young Alpha, and he quickly averts his eyes to the ground.
"Who are you?" I ask.
"Kai," he whispers.
"Hm," I mumble. "You can explain your mistakes back at your pack house. It is hot out here, and I assume you have air conditioning."
"Yes, Luna Queen," the other twin replies. "But we did not know you would be bringing your mates with you, and we only brought one car."
Leo and Oliver share a glance. "We are not leaving our mate's side," Leo says.
"Not a problem," Kai replies. "I will run back to the pack house."
He begins to strip off his clothes with no shame and toss them to his brother. When he removes his boxers, a giggle escapes my lips when I see the piercing at the tip of his cock. Oliver growls and covers my eyes with his hand.
I try to peek through the cracks in his fingers, but Leo has already lifted me into his arms and is carrying me to the SUV. "Don't get any ideas, Little Bird," he growls possessively in my ear.
"What?" I giggle louder. "I was just curious."
Sandwiched between Leo and Oliver in the back seat, I can feel their irritation rolling off them in waves. I will have to make it up to them later.
Kaden drives through his pack and makes sure to point out all of the new additions that have taken place since his father took over the pack. I can hear the nervousness in his voice. Whatever they have done is big. I just wish they would tell me, so I can get out of this hellhole.
We pull up to the pack house, and Kai is already on the porch pulling on a pair of shorts. Oliver is grumbling under his breath about irrational young Alphas, but I can tell Leo is curious. I wouldn't be surprised if he had his own questions about Kai's piercing.
Standing beside Kai is a serious-looking blonde woman. She is dressed impeccably, and her blonde hair is pulled into a neat bun on top of her head. At her side is an aging man. His eyes are sunken in, and he looks tired. I know instantly they are the Alpha and Luna.
My mates climb out of the backseat and flank me on both sides. Kieran walks right up to the pack house and into the front door. Luna Scarlett does not appear to be amused with him. Alpha Fred is wringing his hands together nervously.
"Welcome to our pack," the Luna says sweetly. "I am Luna Scarlett, and this is my mate, Alpha Fred."
I let my eyes graze over the Luna and resist the urge to flip through her mind. Rose is growling in my mind. She doesn't like her either.
"I am Raven, and these are my mates, Alpha Oliver, and Alpha Leo," I gesture to them. "Now, let's go inside, and you all can tell me why I am here."
Luna Scarlett swallows hard, "I don't think I am needed for this meeting. I will attend to some of my Luna duties."
"Nonsense," I say, latching onto her arm. "Who will show me around?"
I can hear her grinding her teeth as we walk into the pack house. Kieran is already waiting for us in the conference room with an irritated look on his face. Everyone takes a seat, and I wait for someone to start talking.
Kai nudges Kaden with his elbow, and it all comes flowing out like word vomit. He tells me about how his father picked up Tish, brought her to the pack, and they recognized her as their mate. How they called Kieran to ask for Mae's permission to mark and mate her, and how they messed up and drove her away. And lastly, how they believe the recusants have been meeting underground and they took Tish.
By the time he is done speaking, I am rubbing my temples, trying to process the information that was just thrown at me. I look at Leo, and his mouth hangs open in shock. Oliver has taken off his glasses and is pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration. Kieran is leaning back in his seat, digging at his fingernails with a knife.
"Why must I solve all the problems?" I groan.
"Exactly," Luna Scarlett chimes in. "I don't understand why you were called, and I certainly don't understand why this human is important."
"She is your sons mate," I remind her.
"She is a human," Luna Scarlett growls. "She is not worthy to be Luna."
"The Moon Goddess doesn't make mistakes," I tell her, but she merely scoffs in return. "Where is this prisoner? I might as well start there."