Milcah’s p.o.v. I am on my lounge chair, enjoying the silence of the early morning hours. The only time I don’t have to worry about anyone bothering me. Everyone is still asleep, which gives me the opportunity to check for messages from the Elders. I sent another message after finding our Pack-law on taxes and asked for some clarification on some points, as it was unclear if this was an addition to our main laws. The Pack-law you sent us violates our main laws. An Alpha can ask for a contribution to the taxes a Pack needs to pay, but an Alpha can never ask Pack-members to pay taxes for using a piece of the territory. Most Packs ask their Pack-members to contribute to Pack funds, a way for the Alpha to have money for upgrades to any building or land in the territory. This can never be more than a fourth of what a Pack-member makes, a safeguard to keep a Shifter from living in poverty. Well, this is very interesting. Why would Alpha Ferdinand ask for additional taxes? I wonder if I can find a way to access the books, maybe see where all that money is going or what he has been using it for. I have never set a foot outside the Alpha floor and have no idea what the territory looks like. All I can go on are Mom’s memories and those are from almost twenty years ago. Mom never wanted to talk about what happened back then. Still, I learned to listen to the conversations on the Alpha floor, which have given me great insight into the situation surrounding Mom, Alpha Ferdinand and Katreena. Katreena wanted the Luna title from an early age on and did everything she could to convince Alpha Ferdinand to take her as a chosen Mate, but his parents were against it. I never found out why they were against it; they passed away before I was born and Alpha Ferdinand had to take over before he found his fated Mate. His Beta convinced him that he needed a strong Luna and even though his Wolf wanted their fated Mate, Alpha Ferdinand chose Katreena. He didn’t choose her as his Mate, he never marked her as his Mate and by law, it means that she is a Luna in name only. Mom had to go through the excruciating pains of betrayal a few times before Katreena finally fell pregnant. It caused Mom to reject him as her fated Mate, but he never accepted her rejection. He didn’t want to accept it, because he feared she might lose their child if she were pregnant. I get pulled from my memories by a familiar voice, “What are you looking at., Gamma?” I hear Alpha Ferdinand ask. “Why is there a screen attached to that balcony?” Our Gamma asks and I can imagine him looking up at the balcony I currently occupy. I hear them taking a few steps before everything goes quiet. If I remember correctly, Mom told me there was a bench down there. They are probably sitting on it at the moment.“That was my Mother’s room, she used it whenever she needed some time to herself. You might have heard a few stories about her over the years and most of them are probably true.” I hear Alpha Ferdinand say. Neither of them says anything for a few seconds and I wonder if I should head back inside and leave them to their conversation. “She was a great Luna and cared deeply for her Pack-members. After she became ill, she would lock herself in that room more often. She didn’t want anyone to see her decline; she had her pride and Dad understood that. To make sure that she could still enjoy the outside world, Dad built that screen himself. He wanted to protect his Mate and hated how depressed she would get, because she thought that everyone could still witness her decline.” Alpha Ferdinand says. I have never heard him speak that way about or to anyone and it is clear that he still misses his Mother, that he is still grieving her loss. “I couldn’t and still can’t get myself to take the screen down; it is as if it would be my final goodbye to Mom.” He states. Yeah, if only that were the real reason he hasn’t taken it down yet. I know the part about his Mother, my Grandmother, is true and maybe he would have kept the screen up for all these years as a reminder of her. I doubt he would have, though. It is a damn ugly thing to have up here.“If the day ever comes, let me know and I will deal with it, Alpha.” His Gamma responds and a moment later, I hear someone walking away. My attention gets drawn to a blinking light on my laptop and as I reactivate the screen, I see another message from the Elders. We are currently devising a plan to get you and your Mother out of Frozen Star territory. Pack a bag with a set of clothing for each of you and all the essential papers you can find. I disconnect my laptop from the outside world again, erasing any trace of what I have been up to and get back to my studies. Minutes later, I hear the door to our suite open and our morning ritual begins again. It has been the same for as long as I can remember. Alpha Ferdinand walking into our suite with a trolley, on which is a huge breakfast. It took some years to realize that his Wolf was in control and it has always been the only time I call him Dad. Does his Wolf keep these memories hidden from his Human half? Does Katreena suspect anything? I still haven’t found answers to those questions, but perhaps I will get them after the Elders have taken us away from here. “Good morning, Pumpkin. Finished with your homework?” He asks and I smile up at him, the only genuine smile he ever gets from me. This is the only time that I get to see love and affection in his eyes. These are the memories that keep me from acting out toward Katreena, the keep me from losing my shit with anyone.