Wayfarer

Chapter 2

Alpha Roderick beamed with pride as he looked on. He wrapped his arm around his Luna’s waist as their son returned from patrol. His only son Max was due to step up and become Alpha within the week. Whilst Roderick had led his pack strongly for 24 years he knew Max was ready to take his place. He had spent his life laying the ground work for his son to take over one of the strongest packs in North America and he was looking forward to spending his days relaxing with his Luna and leaving Max to deal with the pack.

Max was Roderick’s only child and well respected within the Night Stone pack. As his large black wolf emerged from the forest, his mother, the pack’s Luna nestled her head into Roderick’s shoulder her face glowing with pride. At a foot taller than his companions it was no doubt Max was a future Alpha. His wolf’s coat was jet black like his father’s but when the sunlight hit him just right, his ears and the tip of his tail shone a warm russet colour like no other wolf in the region. Max’s wolf was just as handsome and impressive in his human appearance and ever since his 18th birthday 3 years ago, the unmated she-wolves from territories across the World had been accepting invitations to events held at Night Stone in the hope they were his Mate. None had so far felt the bond and Luna Clara told her son time and again that he must have someone extra special waiting if they hadn’t found her yet.

Max and his patrol disappeared into the fort and when they appeared again they had shifted back to their human form having picked up the clothing they had left hours earlier.

‘Anything to report son?’ Alpha Roderick asked casually.

‘No nothing this time all secure, Alpha’

‘It will be me calling you that soon’ Roderick beamed at his son, turning to wrap his arm around his shoulder as he walked back with his Luna and Max to the Packhouse.

‘There is still a week to go before that happens.’ Max could not quite imagine how he was ever going to fill the role his father was handing over to him. At 21 he was quite late in taking over the position compared to some surrounding packs but he knew his father was leaving him a stronghold that he had worked hard to build and a future for the pack that was enviable and respected amongst other territories.

As they approached the pack house Roderick released his son from his embrace. ‘I’m off to bed’ Max said, he had been on patrol for most of the night.

‘Ok but when you wake up we need to finalise plans’ Luna Clara reminded him.

‘For?’ Max yawned back.

‘For your Alpha ceremony’ she chided, ‘this is important’,

Max nodded his head and gave his mother a kiss on the cheek as he fought to keep his eyes open. Roderick laughed. ‘Go to bed son, we will discuss it with you later’. With that Max sleepily waved his parents off as he headed into the pack house to his room.

 Max

I opened the door and threw myself face down on to the bed without undressing. I was physically exhausted from the night patrol and was already feeling mentally drained at the thought of the long list mum had planned for me that afternoon. I shifted my weight so that I could stretch up to grab a pillow. My eyes were shut and just as I was about to drift off to sleep my wolf Marrok interrupted. Do you think we will find Mate at the ceremony? I exhaled loudly and rolled over onto my back to look at the ceiling. This conversation had dominated the patrol with my team convinced that this was it, this was the moment. They were impressed with my patience at not having found her so far but the reality was far from patient. For years I had been worried that the Moon Goddess had no plans at all to give me a Mate, I had watched with a knot in my stomach as my friends had met theirs whilst I was the last. Marrok, stirred again in the back of my mind, ‘maybe you just haven’t been looking in the right places?’ he growled.

‘Where would you like me to look?’ I shot back irritated. Marrok had been pressuring me since we turned 18. ‘We should have felt her by now, you’re an Alpha we should not have to look this hard’. I growled at him and rolled back onto my front trying to block out the sunshine creeping through the blinds, all I wanted to do right now was sleep. ‘Do you think we can talk about this later?’

‘’I have been talking about it for years, so a few hours won’t change anything’  Marrok huffed as he retreated.

I knew he was right, it wasn’t as if I didn’t want to find our Mate but right now all I wanted to do was sleep. I pushed my face into the pillow as my eyes grew heavier. Surely it had to happen at the ceremony? How much longer would I be made to wait?

**************** 

I woke to a loud banging on the door to my room and Marrok had me on my feet before I realised where it was coming from.

‘Darling are you in there’

I flopped back down to sit on my bed as I heard my mum’s voice from the other side of the door. ‘I’ll be right out’ I replied as I rubbed my face trying to wake myself up. I glanced over at the clock on the bedside table, 14:23, I had been asleep for nearly 7 hours. I stood up and stretched and headed for the bathroom, I was not sure I was ready for this.

Once I had showered I headed down the stairs to find out what was happening.

‘There you are’, mum met me with a concerned look in her eyes, ‘we only have three days left and we need to sign off on the final details right now’. She led me by the arm into dad’s boardroom which was teeming with Omegas sorting out decorations and food and coordinating the seating. This was insane, ‘mum this is only an Alpha ceremony, why do we need all this?’.

‘Max, we have Alphas and packs from every corner of the World coming here this weekend and we need this to go perfectly.’ I knew from her tone that she was not to be argued with right now so I sat down and watched slightly awed as she coordinated everything so easily, never missing a trick.

After a while I began to wonder why I was needed, Marrok was getting restless and it made me feel unsettled. Mum showed me colours and when I shrugged my shoulders when I could not determine much difference between the shades of blue she had chosen I was met with huff and a scowl of disapproval. When she asked me to choose between meals and I selected the venison over the salmon, she told me I was a typical Alpha which apparently meant that I had made the wrong decision. At this point I stood up put my arm around her shoulders and reminded her she was much better at this than me and that I trusted her to make sure it would be a great evening. Just as she was about to protest I was saved by my friend Tobias who stuck his head round the door apologetically.

‘Excuse Luna, I am sorry to interrupt but it is time for our patrol and I need to take Max with me.’

I kissed her on the head and jogged out of the room after him, feeling the relief from Marrok rolling over me.