Chapter 8-Roman

I watch as the girl and Seth walk out of my office. I was a little taken aback by her; I didn’t expect her to be so…interesting? That’s an understatement because I want to follow her to her room and listen to her talk in that angel’s voice for hours. No woman has ever caught my attention like that before. I’ve had my fair share, but it was always hookups. I’ve never had trouble getting a woman; they’re always willing to bed an Alpha. I only kept affairs outside my pack, though. That shit can get too messy, and I have way better things to worry about than catfights between pack members over petty love disputes.

I pour myself a glass of bourbon while I think about this girl. If she wasn’t Seth’s sister, I’d be suspicious about her; a fake mate bond is no easy feat. But I didn’t detect a lie, and I’ve heard her brother talk shit on the fake mate plenty of times before he even knew the mating bond wasn’t natural. I growl when I think about her and another man, my wolf Adonis only feeding my anger with his own jealousy.

Seriously, my wolf likes her too?

‘She held our gaze, that in itself interested me.’ he replies nonchalantly. He had a point; no one except another Alpha could hold my gaze. Regardless he never had anything to say about any woman I’ve bedded. He just wanted his mate, as did I. But this girl was obviously not our mate.

I’ve grown impatient waiting for my fated mate, I’m 26, and most Alphas have produced an heir by now. Not that it makes me weaker than any other Alpha, but if something happened to me, my pack would fall into the hands of my Beta; not that he’s incapable, but he’s just that, a Beta. I’ve toyed around with the idea of a chosen mate, but it just doesn’t sit well with me. I want the mate the Moon Goddess picked out for me, my perfect match. The one who can tame my anger and keep me sane.

Amara, she could be Luna material, based on what I saw. I tossed down her file. She’s going to be trouble, I’ve only had one conversation with her, and I’m already throwing around the L word. I would have to devise an excuse for putting her on the third floor. She’s not really here for protection, but I don’t think the Beta will back down easily. He’ll probably convince Alpha Gunther to send a few search parties out for her. Who knows what lengths he would go to if he went to the trouble of tying her to him through a fake mate bond.

My pack was untouchable; we had the highest-trained warriors and added more daily. I’ve taken down plenty of useless packs and absorbed them into my own, so I’m not worried a simple Beta will threaten me. But that would work as an excuse for now.

Pushing her out of my mind, I throw the rest of my glass back and head outside to observe warrior training. I gave Seth the day off to help his sister settle, so my Beta, Aston, will lead training today.

I usually like to show up for training and any other pack events. I make a point to be as involved in my pack members’ daily lives. I know each pack member and continuously check-in to ensure they have everything they need. I can’t expect my pack to be loyal to me if I’m only a face they see every now and again.

As I stand on the field, I receive a couple greetings and smiles. I’m doing my best to stay focused on watching training and helping wherever possible. Still, my mind keeps wandering back to Amara. She’s probably asleep. I wonder how a she-wolf with next to no training could make that journey. A trained wolf would even have an issue; the problem is the rogue-infested lands. If she made it out of there without being seen, that’s impressive, and she might prove to be useful amongst my shadows, who were my expert tracker wolves.

It didn’t escape me how excited she looked when I said she could train.

Alpha Gunther’s pack is by far one of the weakest in the allied packs. The idiot leaves borders wide open for rogues to get in rather than training his women. He’s even had a couple vampire attacks, which is pathetic. Vampires and werewolves are mortal enemies, but we still make it a point to not bother each other. Also, vampires are much weaker than werewolves, so if they think they have a chance at invading an entire pack, there’s clearly something wrong.

I’m lost in thought as I start to head back to my office, clearly being of no help on the training grounds today. Trying to distract myself yet again, I dive into some paperwork for a couple hours, but I’m itching to get my hands dirty in some sparring, so I head back out to the training grounds.

Since we have so many warriors, training typically lasts from morning to night to ensure we get all the groups in. All the higher-ranked pack members take shifts so they don’t get burnt out. My leading warriors train Monday-Thursday, and Friday-Sunday is reserved for the backup warriors. Ideally, they would never be needed, but in the event of a full-on war, I would have my leading warriors on the battlefield while the backup warriors prevent the central packlands from being infiltrated, while others would guard the bunkers. We have a series of safety bunkers that act more like a maze, so if any enemy makes it past all my warriors, they will get lost before discovering the actual hideouts. It’s a little much, but I’ve seen firsthand what can happen when a pack gets comfortable.

When I reach the training grounds, my gamma Max has taken over for the next shift. I come up to his side and watch the warriors around us sparring. My gamma must know me too well because he immediately offers me a sparring match. We both take a fighting stance, circling each other and waiting for an opening. The warriors around gather to watch when I decide to make the first move and throw a kick that he manages to dodge, and he aims a blow to my face. It goes on like this for a while; he’s my gamma for a reason, and the dude has almost managed to beat my ass a couple times. Almost.

Eventually, I pin him, and he yields, tapping the ground 3 times. I help him up and go in for a bro hug. My pack mates start to clap, and I do a mock bow while they laugh at my childishness. Even though my gamma put up a fight, and I should feel satisfied, I’m still restless.

‘Want to go for a run?’ Adonis asks, hopeful to be released. I happily oblige and shift into his wolf and hit the forest.

~~~~~~~~~

When I get home from my run, I find Seth alone on the couch in the living room.

‘Ask him more about his sister,’ Adonis urges

I roll my eyes at the stupid wolf, it takes him 26 years to think a girl is pretty, and now he’s up my ass about her.

“Where’s Gemma tonight?” I ask him

“Out with Violet, Cici, and Serena. Something about karaoke night at Bourbon Street,” he says, moving over on the couch to make room for me and handing me the bag of chips he was eating

Ah, that has my sister Violet written all over it. I laugh at the idea of Cici and Serena at karaoke with a bunch of drunk people; they’re very soft-spoken and shy. I always wondered how the dynamic between that friendship worked; Violet never shuts up, whereas Gemma is more of a broody tomboy, then there are the two shy ones. They all even each other out, I suppose.

We talk about pack business and nonsense for a little. All the while, Adonis is impatient in my head and annoying the fuck out of me.

“So, tell me about your sister,” I say

He turns, giving me a long look.

“Why?” he finally says, his voice laced with suspicion

“Because I just initiated her into my pack, and I like to know my pack members,” I say, raising an eyebrow as I try to make it sound like that’s the obvious answer. He doesn’t look convinced.

“She’s a good kid,” he starts with a sigh. “She went through it after our parents died, and my moving here didn’t help. She was never much of a social butterfly. She had one best friend and me. I was almost relieved when she asked to move here; she’s been isolated for a long time. Also, you being a dick about me talking to her didn’t help matters,” he says with a glare. I glare right back.

“The Allies are one of our biggest enemies and have had their eyes on attacking me for a long time. I had to make sure I could trust you before you talked to everyone and their mother about how awesome packlife is here.” I tell him, and he snorts

“Whatever, dude. I’m just saying she and I were always there for each other. Losing contact with one of the only two people she actually enjoyed talking to didn’t make her life any easier. She hated being the female Beta, she hated being unable to train, and she hated that she had no voice. You can trust her. If she was a snake, I wouldn’t have risked her life or mine by bringing her here.” Seth says, and I nod

“Fine. It sounds like it was better in the long run for both of you anyways for her to be here.”

“No shit,” he says

I let the conversation end there as we silently watch the football game. Once it’s over, we both get up and head to our rooms. I exit the elevator and stop at her door, Adonis coming forward with me. Fuck, I can smell her from here. Why does she smell so damn good? Like jasmine and coconut, two of my favorite smells. I roll my eyes at myself as I head to my room; this girl is going to be trouble, I can already tell.