The Queen of Fire

Chapter 9

KYLE

I hadn't been able to sleep properly since the night I had that dream. I started to believe that the woman in my dream truly was my mate. Where was she though? Who was she? How could I find her? I figured that if my dream was true, I would find her eventually when the time was right. We would come together and I would make sure that nothing ever happened to her. Whatever happened in my dream with that fire, I wasn't going to let her die right in front of me.

It was three days until the summer solstice party. The pack house was a hive of activity with staff cleaning, decorating and preparing for the evening. During breakfast I manage to chat to some of my staff about how the preparation is going. We work out any small issues and I give them praise for the work they have done so far. Breakfast was delicious, of course, Adelaide makes some amazing food. I tried to see her last week but there was some issues with a rogue too close to our borders and I was caught up in meetings with our security team. I walk back to my office and I catch the scent of something amazing, like fresh rain on the grass and a hint of sweet apples. I can feel Hunter become restless. I look around but theres no one there, the smell slowly disappears.

I arrive in my office and look out the window at the lake. A group of children play near the waters edge, they are so happy, so free of worry and thought. It makes me miss the times when my life was that simple. Selena bursts through my door, I roll my eyes and turn in my seat to face her. I don't think I have enough energy for her today. "Hello" she says cheerily as she prances into the room and sits across from me. "What now, Serena?" I know she wants something, she always does. She tells me about her day, she talks about Adelaide and Ellie like they are already best friends. I would always consider Serena and Abigial some of our closest friends here, along with my beta and gamma. I'm glad they are helping our new pack members to feel welcome. Many people don't know, but their dad was actually my father's gamma. He was killed tragically in a raid when the girls were young. When they were old enough, they decided they didn't want to become warriors and they were happy helping around the house instead. They would rather not meet the same fate as their father. They had grown up with me and I had expected them to be high ranking warriors who would fight along side me one day, but I understood their decisions to stay out of it. I always looked at the girls like they were my younger sisters, Zeke has caught them talking about me innapropriately before but i've never wanted to cross any lines with them. Plus, Serena isn't really my type.

After some small talk Serena finally got to her point. I never really say no to my pack members when they ask for something, and what Serena simply asks me, is to buy a dress, that's not a big deal to me. I have enough money that I can spoil my pack sometimes, not always, but sometimes. I give her enough money for the dress and also a tux for myself. I ask her to go to our tailor and ask him to make me something new, something special for this event. As she leaves me office I get a whiff of that rain and apple smell again, it's mixed in with Serena's scent, it confuses me. I settle back into my office chair and think about the solstice party. It's my favourite event that we host each year. Everyone is happy, the night is warm and the whole pack is involved. We stay up drinking, talking, eating and dancing all night long. All of the pack members get time off, we roast a pig over the fire so the chefs don't have to work as hard that day. I hope the next three days go quickly so I can relax and enjoy the night with my friends and family.