Belonging To The Luna

The New Alpha

Sloan

“I can’t figure out what the hold-up with the council is.” I sighed. “We’ve been acting command for this pack for, what, almost three months now? Our paperwork and approval should be done by now, but they keep giving me the runaround.”

“You don’t think it has anything to do with Maxwell’s son, do you?” Charles, my Beta, asked as he took a bite from his breakfast sandwich.

“Maybe. I mean, he was not happy at all when Maxwell handed the pack over to me, but what could he really do. This pack was dying. Merging with us was the only way to make sure they survived with minimal changes.”

I glanced around the small café; my Beta’s concerns had me looking for guilt in the other patron’s faces. Aside from Maxwell’s son, my initial assessment of Deep Fang’s feelings toward the merger had been relief. Alpha Maxwell had refused to approve pack transfers for decades. Most of the wolves that were left had only stayed out of fear of living as a rogue. Others had been bolder, defecting within days of their transfer being denied.

“I’m so sorry to eavesdrop, Alpha Sloan.” An older blonde spoke, stepping up to my table. “I couldn’t help hearing that you’re having some trouble with the council. My daughter is a lawyer dealing primarily with pack law. I know she has a few connections on the council. She might be able to get things moving along for you if you’d like her card.”

“That would be wonderful. At this point, any help I can get is appreciated. I’m sorry, but I didn’t catch your name.”

“Clara Harlow. I’m a nurse at the pack hospital.” She smiled, pulling a small matte business card from her purse.

I chuckled to myself. It was clear the woman was a proud mother and carried her daughter’s business card around for any opportunity to show her off. My brow furrowed when I read the card. Her daughter was located in New York.

“Is this correct?” I asked, pointing to the address on the card. “Your daughter transferred out of the pack.”

“Not exactly.” She grimaced, shifting uncomfortably from side to side. “Alpha Maxwell denied her transfer request about three years ago. She went rogue. It’s my fault, really. She would never have considered it if I hadn’t pushed her to it. I just wanted her happy, you know?”

“That’s admirable, Mrs. Harlow, really.” I smiled. “New York is a bit further than I was hoping to travel, but I will have my secretary call and get me an appointment.”

“Wonderful! I hope you don’t mind if I ask you a favor. It would mean the world to me if you would accept her back and allow her to transfer. No pack will touch her as a rogue. They’re friendly to her because of her skills, but I want my baby to have a real home.”

“Let me see how things shake out, but I will consider your request Mrs. Harlow.”

“That’s the best I could hope for, Alpha. Thank you. I better get going. Patients don’t like to be kept waiting.”

“What do you think, Charles?” I asked my Beta once she had left the café.

“On the one hand, she’s a rogue. On the other, if we don’t get someone on the paperwork who has connections, another Alpha will have papers filed under our nose, and these last few months were a waste of time.” He replied, considering the card carefully.

“That’s true. I can’t come up with another reason for the finalization from the council to take so long. Someone is definitely sniffing around and gumming up the works. My money is still on Maxwell’s boy. No young Alpha wants their pack taken from them before they ever had a chance to lead.”

“He hasn’t been seen or heard from since the official announcement about you taking over, so it makes sense. I say call this Jaz Harlow in New York and see what she can do. Worst case scenario, she can’t make it happen, and you had a short vacation up north.” Charles chuckled.

I made my way to the packhouse after we finished our impromptu breakfast meeting. I had taken over residence soon after Maxwell named me the new Alpha. I had all the trappings of being their Alpha, including the ability to mind link the entire pack, but without the council’s approval, it wouldn’t last. The werewolf council had the final say when one Alpha took over another’s birthright. If I was right about Maxwell’s son, I was running out of time before the council named him as leader of the pack, and I lost my connection with them.

It was somewhat infuriating to be at the mercy of an outside group of wolves. If Clara Harlow were correct about her daughter’s ability to push the confirmation through the council, I would have to try and convince her to return to the pack. Deep Fang territory held an important trade route. It was the only reason I had agreed to a merger in the first place.

“Hi there, handsome.” Marissa smiled, slipping her arm through mine when I entered the packhouse. “I was hoping I would get to see you before I headed out.”

“What are you doing here, Marissa?” I asked, extricating myself from her hold.

“Oh, Daddy thought he left something in his old office. I volunteered to check for him. I wanted to talk to you about hosting an official welcome ball, so it worked out.”

The old Beta’s daughter was persistent. She had been sniffing around me like a b***h in heat since Maxwell announced the takeover. I suspected she was doing everything she could to make it seem like she was invaluable. Grade A Luna material. Marissa was unaware that her pack had talked. I knew about her relationship with Maxwell’s son. I did my best to play nice because her father still held sway with the pack, but she would never be my chosen Luna.

“A ball will have to wait.” I told her. “I need to head to New York for a few days to settle a few things for the merger.”

“Maybe I can tag along.” She smiled. “We could see the sights.”

“This is strictly a business trip.” I frowned. “I’m not even taking Charles with me. I need to focus on finalizing everything with the merger so the pack can move forward.”

“Next time then.” She winked. “I better get back to Dad’s and let him know he didn’t leave anything in his old office.”

Late the following day, I found myself in the waiting room of a Manhattan high rise. My secretary had name-dropped the rogue’s mother. It had done exactly what I had hoped, gotten me in with the woman the next day. I was surprised that the office space was filled with the scent of more than one wolf. It seemed that Jaz Harlow employed primarily pack wolves to work at her firm. There were a few humans in the office as well, but they were outnumbered by the wolves.

Through the thick smell of wolf, my nose detected something else that sent my wolf wild. It was like a field of honeysuckle mixed with sunshine. I was almost giddy when the secretary motioned for me to follow her down the hall, the smell growing stronger with each step. She stopped in front of an office and motioned for me to step inside. The alluring scent was strongest here, and I knew the moment my eyes landed on Jaz. She was a goddess. Her skin was a deep honey brown, and her hair framed her head like a crown. I wanted to tear her pencil skirt and blouse from her body and have my way with her on the desk. The word left my lips the moment her eyes met mine.

“Mate.”