Two Mated Alphas

Through the Conference Room Doors

James’ POV

I stared at my reflection in the mirrored wall of the elevator. I had agonized for hours with my sisters over what to wear and how to wear my hair to make the best impression for this meeting. We settled on sleek black textured pants, a black blouse, and an oversized but tailored black blazer. I chose my nude Christian Louboutin pumps, and my fingers and ears were adorned with gold rings. My shoulder length hair framed my face in loose, messy curls, and I wore minimal makeup with mascara and red lipstick. I’d never felt more confident or beautiful.

My father, Francis, and Cedric left the elevator first, followed by Francis’ and Cedric’s mates. I exited next with Wren and Mason following, Irina by Wren’s side. I was thankful that one of my sisters would be here with me on the biggest day of my life and only wished Inez was allowed inside the chamber room as well. I knew she was eagerly waiting at home to hear about everything. Irina promised to try and sneak videos with text updates when we said goodbye. Inez stayed behind to look after the pack while we were gone along with my father’s council and the elders. It was another radical move for my father to put the pack in his youngest daughters’ hands. But he and our mother never held us back because we were girls. They trained us to be strong and live up to the Laurent legacy.

I sighed, reaching for a gold pendant with a small ruby around my neck that belonged to my mother and thought about how strong she was as our Luna. She passed away a few years ago in a tragic car accident, and it nearly killed our father. My sisters and I were devastated. Years later, it still stung that she should have been here to witness this day. She played a huge part in making it happen, training me alongside Father, sometimes even harder than Father.

As we crossed the lobby to the conference room, I caught a whiff of an amazing scent. It smelled like cedar and lavender, and I was comforted by the smell. My wolf, Ember, immediately started prancing and howling.

Mate! I swear to the Goddess James, it’s our mate!

Ember. You know I have no interest in finding a mate. Especially now. We are about to take our place in history.

Whatever. I smell Mate. Ember huffed and continued prancing at the smell.

I pushed her to the back of my mind as we neared the conference room. Time seemed to slow down the closer we got to the double doors. I began to walk more slowly as my breathing hitched and my heart began to race.

My Beta and Gamma both put a reassuring hand on each of my shoulders. They smiled at me with so much pride and admiration. I really was the luckiest Alpha to have these two who believed in me so much. Irina then grabbed my hand and stopped our procession to pull me into a big hug. She pulled away and cupped my face in her hands. Even though she’s two years younger than me, she sometimes felt like the big sister. She stared at me with her big, brown eyes and flashed a dazzling smile. My sisters and I all had our father’s dark eyes, but I looked more like our mother while she and Inez looked more like our father. A tear fell down her perfect cheekbone, and I swiped it away.

“I’m so proud of you JJ, I can’t wait to watch you go in there and make history” she gushed, giving me one more hug. I smiled softly as she called me by my nickname. She and Inez were the only people in the world allowed to call me JJ. It was a nickname our mother gave me when I was a little girl, and it stuck when Inez couldn’t say ‘James’ quite right. She always dropped the ‘m’.

I looked over my sister’s shoulder and noticed that our father had stopped and was watching the moment unfold with glassy eyes. What a softy he could be, especially considering he was the Alpha of one of the strongest packs in the world. He cleared his throat, wiped his eyes, nodded his head to me with a wink, and turned to walk into the room. He knew that any sentimental speeches would just leave us both weepy. And now wasn’t the time for tears. Now was the time to show the world the strength and future of the Blood Moon Pack. I took a deep breath and held back as my father, his Beta, Gamma, their mates, and my team processed inside. I then let out that deep breath and followed in behind them through the conference room doors.

——-

Sebastian’s POV

The doors opened and finally the Alpha of the Blood Moon Pack, Alpha Easton Laurent, walked in. He was flanked by his Beta and Gamma who sat beside him in their rightful place, with their mates behind them. Some people shifted uncomfortably as the Luna seat remained empty. A few years ago, the Blood Moon Pack’s Luna died tragically, and Alpha Easton was almost destroyed. Some rogues even attempted to make a move against their pack. Somehow, he and the pack pulled together and stomped out the threat, killing all the rogues. That was truly admirable given he and the pack had just lost their Luna.

The next Alpha’s Gamma, Beta, and Beta female filed in next and sat in their respective seats. A young she-wolf entered behind them and sat beside Alpha Easton in the Alpha’s seat. There was no sign of the mysterious soon-to-be Alpha, James I think I heard someone say, as the doors shut behind this female.

Everyone started shifting in their seats as they waited for the soon-to-be Alpha to join the room and this she-wolf to move from his seat. Who was this female? Maybe Alpha Easton mated again without anyone realizing. He hasn’t brought her to any other meetings, so she’s clearly not familiar with the Alpha Circle’s traditions. That could explain why the new Luna didn’t realize she sat in the wrong seat. Alpha Easton didn’t make a gesture to correct her, and the she-wolf looked confidently around the room with her hands clasped together and resting on the conference table. Random clearing of throats and whispers started bubbling. For some reason, I couldn’t take my eyes off of her, and I couldn’t make out what anyone was saying.

She was young, and my Goddess, she was beautiful. The most stunning thing I had ever seen in my life. She had brown hair that fell to her shoulders and ended in shiny blonde curls, framing a heart shaped face with high cheekbones and a button nose. Her eyes were like doe eyes – big, expressive, and the richest brown color framed by long eyelashes. They exuded utter confidence and power, which would explain why she would dare to sit at the Alpha’s right hand. Her lips were the perfect shape, the color of red roses, and pursed in defiance. Her skin was flawless, and as my eyes trailed down, her body….

All of a sudden, I let out a breath I didn’t know I had been holding and inhaled. The smell hit me. An overwhelming perfume of gardenias. I inhaled again and it was unmistakable: The smell was coming from her.