21

I shoved another cookie into my mouth, moaning at the amazing taste. Achilles' mother has one hell of a talent for cooking! Achilles watched me with amusement, he would try to steal one every now and then. I didn't get possessive over them though, he was too thin. He ate one then he wanted more, but his mother eventually made us have something besides cookies. She made soup, saying it would be too much for our stomachs to handle if we had a huge meal along with those cookies we ate.

She ended up telling me she was the daughter of the pack doctor, she learned many things from him. She knew how to stitch up wounds, clean out infected wounds or new ones, she knows how to treat a sick patient, and so on. She can preform surgery, but she doesn't do it in a non sterile place. She's not a huge fan of surgery either, she gets too nervous when someone's life is in her hands.

Of course Achilles points it out to her that when she's treating a sick patient or wounded patient, their lives in her hands as well. Only for her to fire back that she has hundred percent courage in herself when she's treating those type of patients. After our meal Achilles ended up falling asleep on the couch with a fever. His mother started to grow concern, telling me he always had a weaker immune system.

"It grew stronger over the years, but him not giving his body the nutrition that it needed must have weakened him a good bit." she sighed, wiping the cold rag over his head.

I frowned, running my fingers through his sweaty hair. I kissed his forehead, not caring if I catch whatever he has. His mother watched me, a smile on her face.

"You're going to be a good wife, Luna, and mother some day. Please, don't make the same mistake I did." she whispered, guilt crossing her features.

I frowned, "You were a good mother until you lost your mate and unborn child. Many humans, werewolves, and so on will sometimes turn to either drugs or alcohol when it comes to dealing with depression. I've dealt with my depression in a non safe away and so has Achilles. Alcohol abuse isn't new when it comes to dealing with emotions. Emotions are dangerous too, you know? What makes you a good mother is the fact you realized your mistake and tried fixing it. Now look, Achilles accepted your apology and is slowly starting to talk to you again."

She smiled softly, "Thank you."

I nodded and intertwined my hand with his, rubbing my thumb over the back of his hand. His eyebrows furrowed and he groaned, trying to turn to his side. I carefully pinned him down, telling him he needs to stay still.

His eyes fluttered open, revealing watery eyes. He looked at me then his mother, "I feel sick." he mumbled.

Melissa's eyes widened as she scurried into the bathroom down the hall, a few seconds later she returned with a garbage can. Achilles proceeded to empty his stomach, his face pale and his shirt soaked in sweat. Melissa wiped his mouth with a warm cloth and sighed, the concern growing in the both of us.

"Stomach flu?"

We turned to see Reese walking in, his eyes concerned as well. Melissa shook her head, "No, just his regular sickness he goes through."

"Ah, I see." he chirped, he then looked at me and smiled. "Luna! You're awake!"

I chuckled, "Yeah, not feeling the greatest though."

"I have a feeling you're usually energetic."

"Pretty much, always training, going for a run, or doing Alpha stuff."

Reese smiled at me before excusing himself, saying his mate needed help with the baby. Melissa frowned at her son, seeming nervous. "Usually I don't think much of flare ups like these." she whispered.

"However, this time he's already lost so much weight. Puking will only cause him to lose even more." she explained.

"How long does it usually last?" I questioned, running my thumb over his cheek.

She pursed her lips, "Usually about three to four days."

"Well, we'll wait four days and if he doesn't get better...."

"He goes onto an IV."

For the rest of the day we stayed with Achilles and took care of him, Melissa explained to me that the fever will hit out of nowhere. The puking comes next and the weariness, he'll be like this for almost a whole week. I called Blake to tell him I wouldn't be back for a bit only to find out rogues are attacking again. I frowned, biting my lip as I looked down at my mate.

Melissa noticed my problem and smiled, "I'll send warriors down there. I also have a...friend...who can help with the rogues. Even though he doesn't know these ones."

"Your friend?" I questioned, furrowing my eyebrows.

Melissa sighed, "You know how Achilles' father was my mate?"

"Yes."

"Well, he was my first mate. I met my second chance mate only two years ago, he's the leader of a group of rogues. Only one of the groups though, it so happens to be the third biggest out of ten."

"Ten groups?" I gasped, gaping at her.

She nodded, "Yes, the Northern group, Southern group, Eastern group, Western group, Beta group, Gamma group, Omega group, Blood group, Neutral group, and then Alpha group. The Northern, Southern, Eastern, and Western groups are just regular rogues who try to take over certain packs. The Beta group usually goes into the city and robs food stores, though I can't blame them. All you see is thin mothers and fathers trying to get food for their young; I usually give them food. The Omega group is quiet and minds their own business, the only time they fight is when they have to. The Hybrid group is the group attacking our pack and your pack. They're also the ones who killed your parents."

"How do you know?" I asked.

Melissa sighed, her eyes sorrowful. "I was a rogue then and followed their group, but I couldn't bring myself to attack with them. I've always been against rogues that attack packs for no reason, so I joined the Omega group. Achilles also knew they were attacking your pack."

I froze, remembering the guilty look and how he kept saying he could have stopped them. I felt anger, but only at the Hybrid group. Achilles and I didn't know each other at the time and I know my father never spoke to him. They weren't enemies, but they weren't friends either. I looked back at my mate, making a mental note to make sure he doesn't feel guilty about that any longer.

I thought back to the information Melissa just gave me, the groups named after the north, east, south, and west attack packs so they can take over. The Beta doesn't attack unless they need food it seems and the Omega group is the peaceful one. The Hybrids are the ones who are murders, but I don't think anyone knows the reason they murder random packs. So, that's leaving the Blood group, Neutral group, and Alpha group out.

"What about the last three?" I asked.

Melissa wiped Achilles' forehead again before replying. "The Blood group are rogue vampires who don't care about werewolves. They mainly hunt down animals and other...things to suck blood from. The Vampire king is working on getting rid of them, they're usually mentally ill. The Neutral group is like the Omega group, except they will help a pack that is being attacked by the compass groups. Now, the Alpha group is lead by my second chance mate. They're the rulers of all groups except for the Hybrids, the Hybrids don't care for anyone. They will attack only if a pack attacks them for no reason. If multiple groups are fighting they are notified and sent in to stop it. Also, they're made up of only Alphas."

"So, an Alpha rogue group?"

"Yes, but they're not power thirsty. There are few Omegas, Betas, and Gammas in there."

"Oh, I forgot about the Gamma group. What do they do?"

"The Gamma group is where they take in orphaned rogue pups and care for them. The adults there are also thin and try to get food for the young."

"So, they have a whole system, huh?"

"Pretty much, except there isn't a lot of control in it. Sure, the Alpha group controls them, but it's to a point. The Hybrids are out of control all the time, but they made a deal with the other groups to leave them alone. They did attack the Alpha group when they found out they tried protecting your pack. All the groups helped them out though." she explained.

I pursed my lips, trying to understand all this information. Melissa chuckled at my confused look and decided to re-explain it to me.

So, basically there are ten groups. The Compass groups are the Northern, Southern, Eastern, and Western groups. They attack packs so they can take over them for power. The Hybrid group is made up of vampire/werewolf hybrids who are out of control. The Beta group is made up of Betas who turned rogue, they rob food stores in the city so they can get food for their young. The Gamma is like the orphanage, they take in lost pups and find them homes. If a pup accidentally left pack grounds they wait until a patrol from that pack comes around and explains the situation to them.

The Omega group is quiet and keep to themselves, they rarely fight others but if they're provoked they will fight. The Blood group is rogue vampires that the Vampire Kingdom take care of and they don't do anything with werewolves. The Neutral group keeps peace between the groups, somewhat including the Hybrids. The Alpha group controls the groups, except for the Hybrids.

Melissa's mate, Derek, is the leader of the Alpha group. She described him as tall, muscular, and tan. He has dark hair and dark eyes, he's very caring when it comes to her or a family member, but not towards others who cause trouble. He does want to meet Achilles since he's technically Achilles' step father, but I was worried for how my mate would react to it. He lost his biological father at a young age and was forced into the Alpha position when he was only fourteen.

His mother was also worried, she didn't want Achilles hating her second chance mate. She was already marked and fully mated to him, which would make it hard for her to leave him. Even so, it's hard for her to leave her son as well. Even if Achilles isn't exactly speaking to her, he is still her son. Her own flesh and blood.

We talked about the different groups for a bit, she ended up writing it down for me on paper. She made sure it was organized so that I wouldn't get confused. She then made a plan with me on protecting both packs, it finished when us agreeing on bringing my pack here. Since this pack now knows I'm their Luna I can't leave them, it wouldn't be right of me. Achilles has been away from them long enough, but I can't make myself leave my pack by itself.

I grabbed a phone and sighed, dialing Blake's number.

"Hello?" he chirped.

I took a deep breath, "Blake?"

"Yeah?"

"We're combining packs."