Chapter Sixteen: Meeting a New Friend

When Zoe met Jyde it was quite a surprise. The small female welcomed Zoe into her home without a second thought. 

"Hello, little Luna," said the small woman. 

Without hesitation, Jyde hugged Zoe. The warmth of her hug reminded the young priestess of home. It made Zoe feel like she was a temple maiden waiting for her to come home. The scent that wafted throughout the home was a mixture of vanilla and cinnamon.

"You must be hungry," she asked Zoe pulling her into the kitchen. There was a long table with array type of food that made even

Zoe's mouth water. She could not believe that there was still food on the table. Majority of weres and wolves can eat their weight in protein and carbs. There should not have been anything left. 

Considering that Zoe was a shifter she had never really noticed that the alpha was feeding her more than usual. Everything from bacon to pan fried sausage was sitting on a nice marble tray.

"Thank you," Zoe said as she began to eat. She noticed that both Victor and Lex sat down with her to eat. 

"Don't you need to check the proxy?" Zoe asked as she stuffed more food in her mouth. Victor grabbed a plate and began to pile pancakes, bacon, sausage on his plate and pass the pitcher of orange juice to himself. Lex chuckled while stacking food on his tray/ plate as well.

"We have a time to check the proxy but we are still waiting for the wolves to signal and arrive so we can walk the proxy together. This makes it easy and gets more area done."

 Lex stood up and walked over to Jyde and grabbed a pitcher of milk and another pitcher of what looked like pineapple juice to sit on the table. He kissed her on the cheek before crossing over and sitting back at the table. However this time he motioned for Jyde to sit next to him.

 Zoe could feel the love and admiration for Jyde in his eyes. However, Zoe could not tell if they were mates or just together. Apparently Victor caught her glances at the couple and made a snark comment.

"If you have to keep staring, maybe you should just ask," He said to Zoe and then snorted. 

Lex and Jyde noticed her staring, but she was too embarrassed to say anything. 

I am a horrible houseguest I can't even say, "I'm sorry."

 Fortunately for Zoe, Jyde realized what was happening and cleared the air. 

"Lex and I are together, however we do not know if I am his intended." As Jyde said that Lex looked down at the floor.

"What do you mean," Zoe questioned. 

"Well, LUNA—

"Zoe, is just fine," she said not meaning to cut Jyde off. 

"Luna. as a sign of respect for your title," she said with laughter in her smile. "What that mean is Lex and I care really deeply for one another but he has not felt the pull of the moon towards me. So even though we are together his mate might still be out there."

 Lex quickly stood up and stalked out the front door, slamming the door behind him. Zoe knew he was not using his full strength because the door would have been off the hinges the moment he pulled it open. While Jyde looked door at the uneaten food, Victor stood up slowly emptying what little food he had left and bragging a plastic container for somewhere that Zoe did not see.

 He placed some of Lex's food in to box and added extra food to it as well. He looked at Jyde, who tried to swallow her sadness and tears. 

"I will bring this to him just in case he gets hungry. You now how Lex gets." Jyde nodded her head to Victor's response. "I am sorry to both of you. Lex is a good man and I should not have shoot (shout) my mouth off like that." 

"It is okay. Lex has a hard time accepting the reality and I have already made my peace with the Goddess of the moon. She does not give us what we cannot take for us to be weak. Lex and I will be find even if we are not meant to be." Jyde said as she grabbed a thermos container for a cabinet drawer. 

"Water okay," Jyde said as Victor took the thermos with a grunt. 

"I told you I want ranch water woman. The spicy good kind," Jyde and Zoe laughed as he walked out of the door.

"Spicy water, in his dreams." Jyde said with a smile as she began to put food in different containers. 

"I am sorry if we made it worse for you and Lex. I have known him since I was little and I never seen him that angry," Zoe said..

She and Lex had finally settled their differences and now she had caused this to happen. 

"Well Zoe," Jyde said as she began to clear the table. 

"You did not call me by my title," Zoe said amazed.

"Well I cannot call you by anything but your title when higher ranks are around. And I cannot call you by your name unless I have your permission. It is sort of taboo in the perspective of females humans, were, and wolves." Jyde said as she raked the remained bits of food into the trash can. 

"So if you don't mind me asking which are you."

 Zoe knew it was rude but her scent was intoxicating. It was not like when Nikoli held her in his lap while she was recovering from her transformation. He smelled like love. He smelled like running through the forest barefoot. He was Zoe's intended. He was her mate.

But Jyde she was different, where Nik smelled like love; Jyde smelled the temple and home. But it felt as if it was impossible.

"That is because like you, I was raised as a temple maiden, but I retracted my vows when I reached the mature age. I did not have a lot of weres and wolf females like me, especially since other men found me desirable." Jyde said.

She waved Zoe over to the couch in the next room. She was not exaggerating on her looks, but she was not consisted either. Jyde was a beautiful coffee color woman with white and black coloring in her hair.

The curls and waves that moved like waterfall from her crown to her waistline made Zoe a little jealous. The honey color of her eyes shined with the movement of the sun play against the hues. 

So you left home, but be here," Zoe asked carefully.

"In a sense yes, I did I left for my sanity. The mentor I had would leave so much that I did not even consider it as an option. So I left and came down the mountain to the villa. I asked the Alpha at the time which was Alpha Nikolai's grandfather if I would be welcomed; he hugged me and barely let go."

"So you weren't seen as a traitor to the others."

"At first yes, because they felt like this was a betrayal to the way we live so yes. But after seeing me and how happy I am with Lex none of them question that."

"Do you think they will feel that way about me," Zoe said. She was scared of losing them. Hell she was scared of losing herself to the Alpha.

"Given the titles you hold and you had to leave because of said titles; I doubt that but much I like the elders in the villa, a lot of the elders at the temple see the villa as evil or horrid place. And they wanted to keep to with tradition." 

Zoe let out a exhausted sigh. 

"That so call tradition is the reason why I had to barge in and fight my way the meeting to be hear. I did not want that title over my head. I wanted them to respect me. It took Nik seeing me transform and bare his marks for that to happen. I truly doubt that he would have changed his mind then."

"If he was not sure about being with you, Nikolai would not have had defended you like he did while you were healing. Running around like this proving to the elders that traditions are not always right for this tribe. He is fight for something and its not just his pack honey, its your approval." Jyde said as she began to push a fresh mug near Zoe. She could smell the chocolate wafting around the room. 

"Don't you think it might be a problem; you know my oath," Zoe said in a whisper.

"Honestly, I believe that Nik will respect what ever decision you make. I however do have an input."She said chuckling. Jyde grinned like a cheshire and made Zoe laugh along with her. 

"What," Zoe decided to question. Talking with this woman had an effect on the young maiden. She could have been the seer at the temple with any mystic wisdom. Zoe really could see them being friends here or in the temple.

"Sleep with him." Jyde said as she took a drink of her coffee.

Zoe almost choked on hers. "You cannot be serious."

"Hell yes I am serious." 

"But what about the vow I took," Zoe said feeling like every one in the temple could hear the conversation now.

"What about it? You are joined to the Alpha of the Crescent Moonstone Tribe; you two are soulmates. Me personally I believe that negates any thing you promised to the temple and the wiccan elders." Jyde said as she began to pour another cup of coffee.

 "Your duties as the Wicca of the Tribe is to make sure the ENTIRE tribe is safe when the ranks go patrolling or if rouges try to attack. As a shifter you have the freedom to venture out were others can not. But as the Luna of the tribe you complete our Alpha and make him stronger. Your role is to make sure that the tribe as well as the Alpha are not weaken by your absent for too long."

"I understand that but what does that have to do with sleeping with Nikolai ," Zoe said questioning Jyde. 

Don't get me wrong I understood what she meant this was drilled into every female and male in the tribe when we were old enough to understand. The Alpha was the strong base of the pack but the Luna was the peace that kept everyone together. 

"Oh that's to get even with every bitch in the pack that made girls from the temple feel like we were shut ins that did not matter to the tribe. And plus I know a lot of those potentials are bullying you because Nikoli called off the run."

"Yeah Elder Grace told me that he made it official." Zoe whined.

Jyde nodded her head in agreement. "He announced it to the pack a few days ago before he left for business."

Zoe groaned as the realization hit her. All the issues that she faced with many of the woman in the tribe was only going to get worse.