Desert Force Academy

Mine

Xander

The week had passed by a little too quickly for my liking. There was a small pack that had requested assistance with some unusual activity near their pack borders, and we ended up rescuing three people. A grandfather, Santos, his grandson Sergie, and his granddaughter Emilia. It was a sad situation with the abuse that had happened, and Sergie’s left hand had been cut off. The doctor had cleaned it up and removed the infected tissue. He ended up with about half his forearm but had the elbow for movement, so that was the good news. He was having a difficult time dealing with it all, which was understandable. Zyanna was working to design a prosthetic hand for him. Next to being a gifted seer, she was an incredible mechanic and inventor. It will be fascinating to see what she comes up with.

The small rescue had put the meeting about The Desert Moon Pack back a day but we had decided to have our recon team plant some cameras and listening devices around their pack, including a set in Madeline’s friend’s house, in case we were not able to keep her in our pack. This would hopefully give us the evidence we needed against Alpha Zachariah for his treatment of his pack members.

We were on the second night of the full moon festivities now. I sat at the pack leadership table watching my family and friends. Dinner was concluding, and everyone. was happily mingling. The full moon ball would be tomorrow night, and everyone was eager to find their mates. I watched my son Matthew and his mate quietly laughing together. I was so proud of the Alpha he had become; I wish his mother could be here to see it. Pain washed through my chest. I was never numb to the pain of losing her so many years ago during the pack wars. My only saving grace is that I didn’t become feral like some Alphas and was able to raise my son. Being a retired Alpha had its perks; I don’t have to sit through the boring negotiations and alliance meetings anymore, and while I still work in the pack businesses, I am not as tied to them as the younger generation. A fact that Johnathan and I like to rib our sons about. We really are proud of them, but what kind of fathers would we be if we didn’t give these kids a raft of crap every now and then to keep them humble. I looked over at Johnathan, who was deep in conversation with his daughter-in-law, Zyanna. I looked out over the crowd to see Johnathan’s mate, Madeline, talking with a gorgeous blonde server. I watched them hug as they parted, making a mental note to have Madeline introduce me to her friend if she was single. That beauty even made my wolf stir, which was unusual. My attention drifted back to the table as Jamison, the current Gamma, started to tease Zyanna about a malfunctioning security system that shot him in the @ss with a wolfsbane dart, the entire table erupted into laughter over it. The tech these kids have put into place is impressive. We are state-of-the-art now, and other companies beg to purchase products from our security company. Pride washed over me as I looked around the table. My eyes caught Johnathan’s, and I raised my glass to him. He raised his glass in return, understanding my feelings without a word exchanged as we looked at the table.

I decided to retire early for the night, another perk of being retired. I thought, laughing to myself as I left the packhouse to go home, I saw Johnathan and Madeline leaving behind me as well. “Madeline” I called to her. She looked towards me with a smile. “The little blonde woman that was serving, if she’s single, introduce me tomorrow.”

She started laughing as Johnathan looked at me with a mischievous grin. "That is Kyra, she is single, and I will introduce you tomorrow. Good luck taming that one, Alpha!” She called back.

Johnathan looked at her, smiling as he swept her into his arms. I envied them. She was his second chance, mate, and I prayed to the moon goddess that someday I would find a second chance or even just someone to love. So far, though, I have been blessed to love my family and, most of all, my grandbabies, and that was enough for now, I reminded myself as I headed home through the quiet of the mountain forest, enjoying the walk home.

I showered, getting ready to retire for the evening. I steeled myself as my thoughts wandered to the full moon ball, but it would be over tomorrow night, and I could go back to my regular schedule of training the children. It had become my greatest joy, next to watching my son and his wife lead this pack.

My mind wandered to the beautiful blonde woman. I hated dating or meeting women. Most just wanted status, but this woman appeared to be friends with Madeline, and she was a rare gem. A kind and wonderful woman, I was happy that she and Johnathan had found each other.

I was finishing getting dressed when I heard a soft knock on my front door, before it carefully opened. I could hear the clink of a tray being set on my coffee table downstairs. I chuckled, knowing our head of kitchen Mrs. Thomal had sent over a nice bottle of bourbon for me. She took good care of all of us, and she knew how much I disliked these events. I heard the door click closed again as the omega left. I always appreciated that Mrs. Thomal knew who to send to my home that would not cause trouble. Searching for a good book took a few minutes. I need to find some new ones, I thought as I settled for re-reading one on body language. That may be a good class to teach my little warriors; people’s reactions tell a lot of the story. I pulled a shirt over my head before heading downstairs for a drink. I still planned to retire early, but this would be a nice way to relax.

After this weekend was over, I needed I night out. There is a shifter-friendly fetish club that Johnathan and I used to go to occasionally. They were good to us and helped keep the stalkers away. It would not be as much fun without Johnathan there. Maybe my friends Zeke or Zaid would be interested in going, even just for a drink and good conversation, as they were both single. The women there were upfront with their preferences, so it made for a pleasurable interaction without all the mind games that happened with single people these days. As much as I wanted a mate sometimes, I worried that we would not be compatible with our s****l preferences. Sometimes my mind wandered too much….

As I stepped into my living room, the scent of lilacs and sweet sugar hit me like a wall. I didn't notice the book as it fell to the floor. I felt shocked as a shudder ran through my body. I breathed in again.... Mate... my wolf surfaced following the scent around the tray that had been left and over to the door. Whoever it was has only been gone for about fifteen minutes, I should be able to track them easily, I thought as I quickly left my home.

I tracked that sweet scent through the forest path and was confused to find myself standing on the doorstep of Johnthan’s house. The scent was intense, and I could not resist it. Before I even knew what I was doing, I was knocking on his door. When he answered and opened the door, the sweet scent hit me like a wall. She was there; my mate was in there. I did not even notice as he stepped aside, and I followed the scent into the kitchen. There she was, the blonde little goddess I had seen earlier. She turned, and as her ice blue eyes met mine, I laid claim to her. "Mine." My Alpha wolf surged to the surface, seeing his little mate.

I watched in horror as terror crossed her face and she moved to get away, hitting the wall behind her. I stepped forward to get to my mate, the only thing on my mind was comforting her. I felt Johnathan grab hold of me, holding me back. Pure rage flowed through my wolf at being stopped, and I pushed back against him. I knew she was terrified of me, but she needed comfort. Jonathan’s words finally broke through my turmoil. “She fears Alpha’s. This is the girl Madeline was telling us about.”

I tried to calm my wolf, watching Madeline soothe my terrified mate when it should have been me. I strained against Johnathan’s hold, fighting against him and my wolf to try and remain calm. Pain was searing through my heart, watching her fear. I was finally able to get my wolf under control and breathe carefully to calm down when I heard Madeline ask Kyra if I could touch her hand to calm my wolf. I started to calm down more as she nodded her head. Carefully I approached her with my hand out and she placed her hand in mine. She was short for a wolf and her hands were small.

“I’m so sorry, I did not mean to scare you,” I told her. I watched as she started to relax in Madeline’s arms while I held her hand.