Chapter 4: Greetings and Preparations

Gamma Michael

I’m waiting to greet the Dark Woods Pack when they arrive. Their caravan pulls up to the front of the pack house, led by a shiny black Escalade, a rusty old sedan bringing up the rear. They all climb out wearing ill-fitting t-shirts and sweatpants, most barefoot, and many sporting minor injuries. The text their Beta had sent didn’t explain the nature of their trouble along the road, but it is obvious now that they have been in some kind of fight.

I approach the Alpha as soon as he exits his vehicle. “Alpha Ross,” I tell him, “welcome to River Moon Pack.” I offer my hand to shake, which he accepts briefly, then assists his Luna out of the vehicle.

“I’m sorry to see that you had trouble on the road. Do any of your pack members require medical attention?”

“No,” he says shortly, “we’ll be fine.”

I nod. “Then allow me to escort you to your rooms, where you can clean up and prepare for tonight’s festivities. Alpha Kanen will receive you at the Ball, and looks forward to speaking with you about your trip here.” It isn’t my place as a Gamma to question the Alpha about what happened on their way.

Several of our staff come to help carry luggage, and I lead the whole group, thirty-two of them, into the mansion, and into the east wing where all the rooms have been reserved for their use. I have the list that Amelia had prepared, and am able to direct each of them to their quarters, then I leave them all to freshen up.

Dominic

OMFG! This trip is turning out to be way more exciting than I could ever have expected! I mean, driving the Beta is great, being part of the Alpha’s entourage while we visit another pack is amazing, but I just got to take part in my first real fight! I mean, like, an actual battle! I’ve been in practice battles a thousand times, but never the real thing before. And boy oh boy does it make all the difference. The way that the danger triggered all of my instincts, how I knew exactly what to do, the thrill of victory as we watched the rogues run away, tails literally between their legs. It was amazing! I can’t wait to tell Dad about it. I’m still coming down off of the adrenaline rush when our caravan pulls up to the River Moon pack house.

Their Gamma talks to our Alpha for a minute while we are all unloading the luggage and everything from the cars, then we all tromp into their house, upstairs, and down a long hallway. Wow, their mansion is even bigger than ours. I had no idea they were going to be so fancy. Everything seems rich and luxurious and impressive.

And sheesh, it even smells amazing in here. They must use some kind of fancy air freshener. It is the most appealing scent ever. I glance around at the other guys to see if they are smelling this too, but they mostly just look tired.

Me and Evan end up being assigned a room together. I don’t know him super well, he actually lives and works in the pack house, but I guess we’re about the same rank so we got put together. That’s fine. We’re dropped off at our room, both given plastic key cards, and told we will all head downstairs to the ballroom in an hour.

Oh man, they’ve used extra of that air freshener in the rooms, it seems, I can’t believe how sweet it smells. It almost makes me hungry, which is weird. It’s like, I don’t know, a mixture of sugar cookies and wildflowers. It’s so nice.

Evan drops his bag and slumps down on his bed, closing his eyes. “Hey man, don’t fall asleep,” I warn him. “We’ve only got an hour.”

He doesn’t open his eyes. “How about if you take first shower?” he suggests. “I’m beat, I wanna close my eyes for five minutes while you’re in there.” He’s got some bite marks healing on his face from the fight, so he probably could use the down time.

I shrug. “Okay, that works.” I drop my bag on my bed, and smell the air freshener over here too. Did they actually spray it on the pillows? I pick up my pillow and take a big whiff, and it sure smells like it. Man, this smells so yummy that I don’t know if I’m going to be able to sleep tonight with that aroma wafting around. Maybe they just squirted their air freshener in here and it will evaporate by the time I get back here after the Ball.

My wolf is weirdly energetic and unsettled, but I guess it makes sense considering that he just got to go full savage during a fight. “Dude, calm down,” I think to him, and get ready to take a shower.

Beta Nolan

I’m glad that I’ve been assigned a suite to myself. It makes it easier to rush through getting cleaned up and dressed for the Ball. In fifteen minutes I am out the door and looking for the River Moon Pack’s Beta. I want to coordinate with him. We’ve texted and emailed, but I’ve never spoken to him in person, and I want to give him a heads up about what Alpha Ross is thinking.

When I get down the stairs, I ask a female wolf where I can find the Beta, and she directs me to the office wing of the pack house. I walk down the hallway she indicates, and find the door with the placard showing the Beta’s name. It’s closed, and I knock on the door, hoping he’s in, and am gratified when I hear him calling, “Come in.”

I open the door, and see a powerful black man sitting behind the desk. “Beta Malcolm?” I ask, and he nods. “I’m Beta Nolan,” I tell him.

He rises and gives me a smile. “Ah! Welcome. I heard you had some trouble on the road. Please, sit down, tell me about it.” He offers me a drink, and soon I am explaining the whole story. I don’t hold back from my part, from confessing my ignorance and gullibility which got us into the mess.

He doesn’t seem to blame me, though. “We’ve been having more and more trouble with rogues out here on the coast,” he says. “I’m not surprised that they were able to trick you into stopping. They’ve been getting extra inventive.” I nod gratefully, glad that he doesn’t seem to think that I’m an idiot. “I’m just glad you all came through it all right.”

“Thanks,” I say. “Alpha Ross is going to want to speak to Alpha Kanen about it, I’m sure.”

He nods, and looks like he wants to say something. I was going to go on about what Ross is planning, but I wait. He takes a sip of his drink, and says, “Alpha Kanen will want that too, but I’m hoping that….” he hesitates. I quirk my head, wondering what he is trying to say. In a moment he continues. “Alpha Kanen has been … struggling… lately, with personal issues.”

“Can you tell me?” I say. “If there’s anything I can do to smooth things over, it’d be best for me to be prepared.” I don’t want Ross’s plans to go awry if Kanen is having some problem we aren’t aware of.

He sighs. “I’m sure you’ll hear about it anyway. Kanen is becoming despondent over his inability to find a mate. He had been in a long-term relationship, and he had thought he could be content with that, but then his girlfriend found her fated mate a couple of months ago and immediately left him, with scarcely a good-bye.”

I nod. It’s understandable. Once you find your mate, once you detect their scent, once you touch them, there is nothing in the world that could stop you from wanting to be with that person. It’s an irresistible compulsion. I feel for Kanen, though. “That must have been very painful for him,” I say sympathetically.

He grunts. “Very,” is all he says. He takes another drink. “So I am wondering if you could, perhaps, ask your Alpha to, I don’t know, tone down his interaction with his Luna in Kanen’s presence?”

Ahhhh. I get it now. Malcolm doesn’t want Ross to seem to be flaunting his joy in front of Kanen, who must feel very bereft right now. “Thank you,” I tell him. “That is very helpful. Yes, I will certainly speak to Ross. He will be glad to know this, and I am sure he will make every effort to be circumspect.” I sense that now is the time to broach the other topic. “Ross is going to want to do everything he can to be a good friend to Kanen. He is hoping very much to form an alliance between our two packs.”

Malcolm's eyebrows lift. “Is that so? To be honest, Kanen has been thinking the same, that is why this invitation was issued in the first place. That was before his relationship ended, though. He has been unable to concentrate on much else since then. Perhaps a proposed alliance will be just the thing he needs to take his mind off of it.”

I nod. “Let me fill you in on some details of our proposal, then.”

We continue speaking, going over the plans, until it is nearly time for the Ball to begin.