Belonging To The Luna

Driving Sookie

Sloan

           My cell phone screen lit up, indicating the Jaz had forwarded me the details of Sookie’s flight. I had just enough time to make one last call before I needed to leave to meet my mate’s grandmother at the airport. My morning had been spent calling the southern packs and letting them know the council had approved me as the new Alpha to Deep Fang. The pack would be known as Silver Pelt from now on; it made things easier as Alpha to combine both under one name.

           I sighed and looked at the last name on my list, Alpha Henry Morgan. It was the call I was dreading the most. When Alpha Maxwell first approached me with the offer to merge our packs, he had informed me of his dwindling numbers. Henry had been attacking his border for the last ten years. Maxwell claimed not to know why, but it had resulted in many wolves dying in the skirmishes or simply going rogue to avoid the conflict. None of the other Alpha’s I had spoken to seemed to know why the Alpha of the largest southern pack would be attacking Deep Fang.

           “Alpha Sloan, I was wondering when you would call.” Henry drawled through the receiver.

           “Alpha Henry. I’m guessing you already heard the news? The council has approved me as the new Alpha of Deep Fang.”

           “So I’ve heard. That and they will be taking your existing pack’s name. Though, I suspect this call is about more than you assuming control.”

           “It’s my understanding that you had some issues with Maxwell.” I replied. “I’d like to see if those issues extend to myself or if we can work something out.”

           “Figures he wouldn’t tell you why I have been attacking.” Henry scoffed. “Maxwell – well, he’s a piece of work. Let’s just leave it at that. There is a piece of land that he encroached on that belongs to my pack. Give me my ancestral land back, and we shouldn’t have any problems.”

           “That may take some doing, but if you send me the information about the land, I can have my mate look it over and get the ball rolling.”

           “You want your Luna to look at land surveys?” Henry snorted.

           “I was thinking more the legalities of the whole issue. My mate is a well-known lawyer and an expert in pack law. Depending on where the land is, we may need to look into contracting it from you, especially if pack members have settled on it.”

           “Look, Sloan, I know you want to do things right, so have your omega call my office to find an opening in my schedule that works for you, and we can set a meeting. As a show of good faith, I’ll halt all attacks on our border and send a copy of the survey and deeds. I warn you, though, if you try to cross me or keep me from regaining my lands, it will come to war. I’m a very amicable man until you cross me.”

           “Understood. We’ll get the appointment set, and I’ll see if I can’t come up with a proposal that satisfies both our needs.

           “Good Boy.” Henry replied before disconnecting the call.

           I growled at the receiver in response. Henry was at least twenty years older than me, but I was an Alpha in my own right. His dismissal struck me as a parent speaking to a child, and I didn’t like it in the least. Pushing my irritation aside, I decided I needed to get moving. The call hadn’t taken long, but I wasn’t running the risk of being late. I had experienced one of Sookie’s hexes first-hand; it wasn’t an experience I wanted to happen twice.

           I peeked through the doors to the rec room on my way out of the packhouse. Jaz had done a decent job setting it up to interview the omegas; a line of them waited in dining chairs along the hall while she interviewed one of them with Charles standing beside her. A smile tugged at my lips as I realized just how perfect she looked in charge of a pack. Thoughts of introducing her to the pack officially as Luna and completing her ceremony filled my mind as I made my way to the airport.

           Nobody was allowed past security without a ticket, so I made the decision to wait for Sookie at the baggage claim. I had a feeling my mate’s grandmother wouldn’t appreciate having to look for her escort too hard, and the baggage claim was the best place to meet. The smile when the older woman spotted me told me I had made the correct decision.

           “Leave it to my granddaughter to send a handsome man to collect me.” She smiled as I pulled her luggage from the conveyor.

           “I’m happy to oblige.” I chuckled as I led her to my car.

           After helping her into the passenger seat, I loaded her suitcases into the trunk and climbed into my seat. The moment I closed my door, her fingers worked to pull my collar down, exposing the junction between my neck and shoulder.

           “Uh, Mrs. Harlow, what are you doing?” I asked, afraid that she was working her magic on me again.

           “Call me Sookie.” She replied. “And I’m just looking. I may not be one of your kind, but my Reggie told me all about them when he mated to my Jaz’s momma. You’re supposed to have a mark somewhere around here. You’re not intending to lead my girl on, are you?”

           “Absolutely not.” I scoffed. “I want Jaz to want me to mark her. I’m taking things slow for her sake. I swear that’s all it is; please don’t hex me again.”

           Laughter bubbled from the woman at my words.  I felt my face flush with embarrassment knowing her laughter was in part to my reaction to our first meeting.

           “You’re a good man, Sloan.” She said finally, patting my hand. “My Jaz is a lucky girl. Don’t wait too long though. Talk to her about marking, and I bet you find she’s ready.”

           “You think so?” I asked as I pulled the car away from the airport.

           “Jasmine wants nothing more than to be loved for who she is. My Reggie told me about the mate bond your kind shares. She may be keeping up her hard exterior, but it’s all to protect herself in case you decide to turn your back on the bond. That pack wasn’t kind to her, but she wants the love this bond of yours brings more than anything.”

           I considered her words as I focused on the road. The thought of rejecting Jaz had never crossed my mind. She had told me a little about the mistreatment she had received growing up in Deep Fang, but I had assured her that things would be different. Sookie’s words made me think I hadn’t truly understood the depths of my mate’s pain. I needed to make it up to her.

           “Don’t fret.” Sookie clucked. “There’s no way you could ever understand what she dealt with completely. Even if you weren’t the Alpha – yes, I got the rundown on that too – you’re a white man in the world.”

           “I should have listened better. She told me, and I just brushed it off.” I sighed.

           “Don’t blame yourself for not knowing what to listen for. Your kind looks at Alphas and Lunas as the most special next to your goddess. You’ll learn what it means to be with a black woman, and you will make sure she receives the treatment she deserves. If you don’t, well, I brought my herbs.” She laughed.