Warrior Luna - Fighting for Survival

Clash Of Alphas

Matteo POV

I ran as fast as I could after her car, but my human legs were not made for sprinting, my wolf would have kept up no problem but there was no way I would change in the middle of the road in the city.

I spent the next half hour tracking her down, I knew the city well.

I knew most people here, and all the wolves. I wondered how I could have never met her before. The only way I would not know her is if she was a visitor or had just arrived. I couldn’t think of an alternative explanation on how I could have missed her before.

I had to find her. There was no time to waste.

My phone buzzed. It was a text from Tyler.

“Alpha’s office in 10 min. Urgent. Alpha is stressed.”

I put the phone back in my pocket, ignoring the text.

“I’m already on urgent business.” I muttered under my breath, frustrated.

 I finally caught scent of her, a faint smell of lemongrass and sweet pear.

I turned onto Hawk Avenue and went past the bus yard and car wash. As I went down the road I lost any sense of her, again. I was getting really frustrated.

I knew she was close but my human form was not nearly as good at tracking as my wolf.

‘Why are you running?’ I thought. Her beautiful face looked so terrified when I knocked on her window. Her eyes went wide, changing their light golden brown color to almost a jade green. I heard her heartbeat increase when she heard me say that she’s my mate.

Then everything fell apart. The rank smell of fear that came from her absolutely terrified me.

She wasn’t supposed to be afraid of me! I was her mate.

I waited for her for so long.

We were supposed to be soulmates.

My phone was ringing again. I ignored it.

I pulled over and parked the my red pickup on the street and jogged over to the Park Compound where I knew Maddy would be staring at her computer, bored to oblivion. Maybe she could help.

I opened the door and was greeted by Maddy’s raised eyebrows.

“What are you doing here?”

Then the smell of my mate hit me full force. The scent of citrusy lemongrass and pear, with a hint of minerality made my mouth water. My mate. She was here.

I shook my head trying to think clearly.

“Nice way to greet an Alpha. Where’s the girl?”

Maddy c****d an eyebrow “Matt, you okay? What girl?”

I heard Joe’s muffled chuckle, then the back door slammed shut.

I pushed past Maddy and half ran to the back door.

Joe was rolling down the window in the park truck and was driving off. My mate sat in the passenger seat, her long dark hair draped over her shoulders.

“Don’t give me that bullshit, tell me what’s wrong.” I heard Joe snap at her.

I felt anger rise inside of me, how can Joe dare to yell at my mate!? My face flushed and my whole body shivered with a wave of heat. I had to protect her!

‘If she was afraid of me, the Joe would scare her to death!’ my thoughts raced.

I was wrong.

“It’s really f*****g complicated okay!? Give me a break!” She lashed out, clearly aggravated.

I stood in the parking lot, completely dumbstruck and crushed. I felt rejected by my mate, though she didn’t say it in so many words, she didn’t have to. She was afraid of me. But she was comfortable with a stranger like Joe. I couldn’t make sense of it.

“Matteo! What the hell!?” Maddy yelled bringing me back to reality. She stood in the back doorway with a concerned look furrowing her eyebrows.

“Nothing… just, umm, Joe and the umm girl.” I cleared my throat. “What’s her name?”

Maddy’s confusion deepened. “Andy? The girl I literally talked to you about, like yesterday?”

“Oh, umm.” I scratched the back of my head.

I couldn’t tell Maddy she was my mate, I couldn’t tell anyone until I talked to her and found out what the hell this morning was about.

‘Why are you running away from me Andy?’ I thought to myself. ‘Why are you afraid?’

“Hello?” Maddy snapped her fingers in front of my face. “Are you going to answer? Why do you need to see her?”

My temper flared again.

I glared at her. “One don’t snap your fingers at me.” I took a step toward her, our faces almost touching. “And two it’s my job to make sure I know what’s going on in my pack and clearly she’s new.”

“Umm. Sorry.” Maddy said sheepishly, taking a step back.

She would have never done that in front of dad or any of the other ranked pack members. I was annoyed that she thought she could do that with me just because we were close.

Cousin or not I was alpha, and she was not.

 “Tell me everything you know about her. Now.” I said in my Alpha tone. Maddy complied.

.

Maddy didn’t know much about my mate. She dug through the personnel files to bring up her street address, but that was in Ontario and a local one wasn’t listed. Her emergency contact was her mother, also listed under the same Ontario address. There was nothing physical here. Her silver BMW 325i was parked in front of the building, it also had Ontario plates. I took down her plate hoping I could look it up later on.

I checked my phone. 3 missed calls from father, 7 from Tyler and another from the house line, which I assumed was mom.

I was going to get in s**t.

I headed back to the pack house.

When I finally pulled up to the garage, Tyler barreled out of the house to meet me.

“Where the f**k were you!?” He spat out at me, his face turning red from anger. “Your father is pissed and I’m the one getting the s**t end of the stick because I’m apparently supposed to know where the hell you were!”

“Tyler! Relax! I’m here, I’ll go talk to him.”

“Only took you two f*****g hours!” he growled over his shoulder as we went inside.

“I was busy okay!? I came as fast as I could!” I snapped and then ran upstairs to father’s office. I wouldn’t hear the end of it from him and father and mother. As usual.

When I got to the office, the door was closed. I knocked.

Father opened the door, his office was empty.

“I’m so pleased you could join me after a mere two hours of waiting.”

I ignored the remark. “What was the urgent call about?”

“If you were a responsible son and future Alpha, you would know, because you would’ve been here, when asked.” He annunciated each word, like a boxer delivering a strike after strike.

I clenched my jaw shut. He knew just how to push my buttons.

“What? No snappy comeback?” Father continued to hold my gaze, challenging me.

I swallowed my pride. “No, Alpha.”

“Well then,” he took a seat behind his desk “it looks like years of private school weren’t lost on you after all. You can be trained.”

He nodded towards the chair across from him.

I perched on the padded chair, back straight, hands pressed together in my lap, waiting for the ordeal to be over.

Father passed me a document. “I was correct in assuming Elder Sebastian has put us under surveillance. He also sent his best Officer after the rouge.”

I opened my mouth to ask who was watching us and how but decided against it. It wasn’t worth pissing him off any more than he already was.

“That was a smart choice, boy.” He said.

He then picked up his pen and rolled it between his fingers as he continued. “Officer Raymond Vaccaro, will be staying at the pack house with us as he searches for any sign of the rouge. He is also an Alpha, so I am warning you,” he pointed at my chest “watch your attitude.”

.

I thundered downstairs, still fuming from the jabs father threw at me. I didn’t have breakfast and lunch was served when I was meeting with father, so I leftovers were my only option.

I was looking through the fridge, when mother called out from the hallway. “Where were you earlier?”

“I’m sorry I couldn’t come earlier.”

She crossed her arms. “That’s not what I asked.”

I took the bread out of the toaster. “I was busy.”

“Too busy to meet a Council’s guest?” she accused. “Your father is stressed enough. You really should take your responsibilities seriously. And stop with the attitude!”

I flicked the butter covered knife into the sink and faced her. “Don’t act like he’s perfect! The passive aggressive jabs at everything I do are not helpful in encouraging ‘perfect Alpha’ behavior!” I said in air quotes.

“Respect your father and Alpha!” She yelled in outrage.

“I respect him. But I won’t stand for tyranny!”

“He loves you! He just wants you to be happy!”

“Bullshit!” I snapped. “If he wanted me to be happy then he should have kept me out of his games!”

“Matteo!”

“If you’re going to defend him, then don’t talk to me!” I slammed the back door leading out of the kitchen and into the garden and shoved the toast in my mouth, chewing angrily.

I expected to get the lecture from father. I knew mother would put her five cents in too and defend him.

‘She was always the perfect Luna.’ I scoffed at the thought.  

But she didn’t know everything.

Father and I had a serious falling out at the last Gathering. The Alphas had discussed treaties, threats, alliances and of course the chance to find a mate. He went behind my back and arranged for the Graystokes’ Beta to mate with me.

I refused, publically. It was a scandal.

Father resented me for embarrassing him and disobeying him.

I hated him for controlling every aspect of my life. The private boarding school, private lessons with Warrior masters, even college. He couldn’t let fate choose one, singular aspect of my life. The one thing that was supposed to be perfect and natural.

Love.

My soulmate.

He had to go and find me the mate that he approved of, that would be the perfect obedient Luna like my mother. Someone he could control, someone who would never disobey her Alpha. Someone who would not disappoint him.

I swallowed my toast and headed for the garden gate, I needed some peace and the forest beyond always helped calm me.

I found a secluded spot, took off my clothes and changed into my wolf. I ran through the forest, not paying attention to the branches whipping my muzzle, I pushed my muscles to go faster. The air was fresh, the breeze pleasant. After a long while I slowed, exhausted. It was late afternoon, almost evening and I still had to go back to the pack house.

I looked around my surroundings and realized I had subconsciously come to the edge of the territory, where the human National Park started. I knew I should go back, I told myself I would in a few minutes.

 I followed the road to where I knew the Park Compound would be. I wanted to see Andy, my mate. But I did not see her BMW in the parking lot anymore, she must have gone home I realized.

‘I will see you again, another time Andy. My mate.’ I thought to myself, a warm feeling of hope spreading through me as I trotted home.