Becoming a Leader

Chapter Six - Finding my way

Unknown POV

"Sir, what is our next move?" My second in command asks me.

"We gather more people and strike another useless pack. We must become stronger so I may take over the pack that the tyrant Merrick thinks he is Alpha of." I reply, I spit my cousin's name out like it's filth in my mouth.

"Alec, are you sure you want to do this?" I hear Ivy ask me.

"Am I sure? That pack belongs to me! They stole it from my father. My mother is older than my uncle and when my mother found her mate my father should have been the one who was crowned Alpha, not my uncle! And when we decided to act they killed my father! I will get my revenge against those usurpers!"

Ivy bows her head and leaves the room. Idiots, I'm surrounded by them! I kick the small table across the room while I see red. I will kill whoever stands in my way!

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Skyllas POV

I knock on the door to Merricks room but there's no answer. I guess he went back downstairs when I was on the phone with my aunt. I make my way down the hall and start walking down the four flights of stairs so I can find him. I never thought my life would end up like this. My eighteenth birthday was nine months ago and my dad was grooming me to take over the pack by my twentieth birthday. He told me it was a lot of responsibility but he always said I'd make a great leader. I take the last step and finally make it to the main level of the house. I see the young man that Merrick was talking to before we came inside earlier. He has blonde hair and light brown eyes. He isn't as tall as Merrick, but he's still probably six feet. He has a straight nose and large arms.

"Excuse me?" I say as he's walking by.

"Yes ma'am." He says as he stops walking. He looks at me and smiles kindly at me.

"Um, I was looking for Merrick, Can you point me in the right direction?" I ask him.

"Yeah of course. He's this way." He starts walking in the direction he just came from. "My name is Zane by the way. I'm beta of this pack and best friend to Merrick. My mate is Emma so if you need anything at all don't be afraid to ask."

"Nice to meet you Zane, I'm Skylla and thank you."

"Oh I know. Merrick's told me."

"So he told you that we are mates?"

"He did, but he explained that we are waiting to tell the others in our pack. He's been waiting what seems like forever for his mate, I'm glad he's finally found you."

I don't say anything as I digest his words. We finally stop at a door and Zane knocks twice and opens the door. I walk in to see that we've made it to Merricks office. He has wood floors and dark walls, there's a huge oak desk in the middle of the room and book shelves built in the walls with plenty of books to fill them. I see Merrick behind the oak desk, sitting in his chair and going over papers. His gaze moves from his papers to my eyes as soon as I walk in. I see a small smile on his face that he doesn't hide while his best friend is with us.

"Thank you for showing me the way. It was nice to meet you." I say to Zane.

 Zane gives me a smile and bows before he shuts the door and leaves. I look at Merrick and he still has a small smile on his face.

"I was wondering what your plan is? Will we be combining our packs and If so how will that work? There's  a lot of children without parents and pregnant women without mates. Is there enough room here and in your pack ranks for us?" I ask him.

" We have plenty of space in our home and pack to add your people. After we put your fallen people to rest tomorrow and you tell your people about us being mates, I would like to announce you as my Luna. As for the children, we have a few orphaned kids here and they are well taken care of by my people. Once you are officially my Luna they will do the same for the kids who came with you. How many kids are there?"

"There are roughly 30 kids, ranging from the of age one to fourteen. What about clothes and other needs? We lost everything."

"Zanes mate and my mother have gathered clothes and toiletries for everyone. Some of the Omegas in my pack have helped by watching the young kids so the older people in your group can have a break. I am making sure everything is taken care of."

I sigh in relief, "Thank you, I'll go see if they need any help."

"Before you go Skylla," Merrick says while standing up and walking over to me.

 He gently raises a hand to move a strand of my hair out of my face. I look into his eyes and see love. I look at his pink lips and put a hand on his chest. I can feel the tight muscle under the fabric of his shirt. Merrick brings his other hand to my waist and brings me closer to him. The hand that brushed my hair away is now cupping one of my cheeks. I feel fireworks where our skin meets and slowly lean my head into his hand. He leans down and kisses my lips gently while backing us up until my butt hits his desk. He swiftly picks me up and sets me down on the edge of the oak. I kiss him back, moving my lips with his and allowing his tongue entry to my mouth. He starts to move one hand into my shirt until he meets the skin of my stomach. He slowly moves his hand up until he finds a bare breast and I gasp. I feel desire for this man and wrap my legs around his waist. The hand cupping my face moves into my hair and he grabs a handful to roughly pull my head back. He stops kissing my mouth and starts moving down my neck. I feel prickly facial hair tickle my skin as he leaves a trail of kisses until he stops at the place where he will mark me. Merrick gently kisses the skin where my neck and shoulder meet.

"Merrick." I moan.

He lets out a growl and I can feel his jeans stiffen where his manhood is. He presses his bulge against me, letting me know he needs release. My hands move from his chest to the top of his pants. My fingers shake as I fumble with the button but Merrick stops and steps back, leaving me cold where he just was. I see his eyes are dark with lust and I'm sure mine are too.

"Have you ever?"  Merrick asks.

"No, I'm still a virgin." I answer him with a blush starting to form on my face.

"I don't want your first time, or our first time for that matter, to be in my office." He tells me while fixing his shirt.

I hop off his desk and brush my hand through my hair. "I appreciate that."

"Don't get me wrong." He says while bringing me close to him once again, "I would love to mark you and f**k you right here.  But there are things we should discuss beforehand."

"Like what?" I ask him nervously. I can still feel his erection firmly pressed against me. I know I am soaked between my legs.

"We can discuss that later." He answers me, then he leans down and kisses my forehead. "Why don't you go check on our people?"

Merrick again lets me go and leaves me cold without his touch. He returns to his chair and I leave his office. I'm sure my face is red and I look like a mess.

"Sydney, are you busy?" I link my Omega.

"No ma'am I'm not. Are you alright?" I hear her response.

"I'm fine. Will you meet me at the bottom of the stairs and show me to your rooms? I would like to assist to any needs of our people."

"Yes ma'am I'm heading there now."

I continue back the way I came from before I got to Merricks office. His touch is so addicting, I don't know how I'll ever be able to leave his arms. His kiss was dominant and I love the taste of his tongue. I have to wait until my people are informed before I can lay with my mate.  I respect my people too much. I finally reach the staircase where I see Sydney waiting for me with a small smile on her face.

“Alpha, I have to tell you. I found my mate, his name is Shane and he’s a warrior of this pack. He’s very kind and very good looking.” Sydney tells me with love filling her voice.

“That’s great Syd. I’m very happy for you.” I say and give her a small hug.

Sydney is sixteen years old and was told to accompany me in the bunker by her father who was the pack chef. He couldn’t bear to see something happen to his daughter. Everyone in my pack was trained from a young age to be able defend themselves and their pack. We had warriors but our pack wasn’t very large. Sydney has always been very helpful and very good with children. I’m glad her father ordered her to go with me. I don’t know what I would have done without her here to help me. She shows me down a hallway that is behind the stairs and soon we start seeing doors - some closed and some open- and children running about. I see Nova playing in a room with a doll with a young lady, I assume is part of The Evercrown Pack, behind her brushing her hair. I feel some relief knowing that the people of my future pack are caring even of those who aren’t as fortunate. 

“Are there any issues that need tending to? Anyone have any needs that haven’t been met?” I ask Sydney.

 “No ma’am, Alpha Merrick has provided us with everything we will need for now. The former Luna came and helped earlier. She told us that once we are ready we can help either working in the house or there’s a few jobs in the city at one of their businesses.”

“That’s very nice. Well if you are any of our people need anything please let me know.” I tell her.

“Yes Ma’am.” Sydney says and I turn to leave. 

I walk back down the hallway to roam around the huge house. HopefullyI don’t get lost in this maze. I walk through the halls and come upon the kitchen. The kitchen is huge with modern appliances and granite counter tops. There’s two fridges on one wall with cabinets lining the opposite wall. Two ovens sit side by side with eight gas burners on top. To feed a big pack you must be equipped to feed them. I see two dishwashers and a huge farm style sink on the island in the middle of the kitchen. People start piling into the kitchen to start cooking dinner when one of the young women looks at me. She has a kind face with black hair and grey eyes. 

“Can I get something for you miss?”  The raven hair girl asks me. 

“Oh, no thank you I was just finding my way around.” I answer her.

“Ah, well there’s lots to see. We were just about to get started on dinner, it should be ready in about an hour or so, that’ll give you plenty of time to look around. I’m Jessie by the way.” She says and holds out her hand. 

I take her hand and give it a shake and add a small smile, “I’m Skylla, it’s nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you as well. I have to get to work, but if there is anything you need please feel free to find me.” She lets go of my hand and starts to get busy with the rest of the kitchen staff. 

I pass through the kitchen and find myself in the dining hall where more people are setting up the long table for dinner. I quietly walk through ignoring any glances that come my way. There’s an entrance at the end of the room, I find that it leads into a huge living room with couches and recliners for relaxing. There’s a few people tidying up or lounging on the furniture. I see Zane sitting next to a pretty brunette with pink lips and blue eyes. Zane sees me walk into the room and grins at me. 

“Skylla!” He says while giving me a wave, “ Emma this is Skylla, Skylla this is my mate Emma.” Zane introduces us while standing, pulling Emma up with him. I see that she is about half a foot shorter than Zane, but they look great together regardless of their height difference.

“Hello.” I hear Emma say and she gives me a bright smile. 

“Hi, it’s nice to meet you.” I respond.

“Are you having trouble finding your way around?” Emma inquires.

“No I’m just taking a look around.” 

“Would you like a tour?” She offers kindly.

“I don’t want to impose.” I tell her while taking a step back. 

“Please it’s no trouble, really.” Emma smiles and gently kisses Zane before walking over to me. She loops her arm through mine and pulls me with her. “Zane told me everything. I promise I won’t say a word. Let's get you some clothes picked out for tomorrow after I show you around.”

“But I don’t have anything, and the pants I was wearing when I arrived here were ruined.”

“Oh no worries, you can borrow a dress of mine. You're only a few inches taller then me so I’m sure we can find something that’ll fit you.” 

Emma shows me around the rest of the pack house. There’s a game room, a home theater, and a library in the basement, a garden on the side of the house and a pool with a lovely patio on the back of the house. I finally paid attention to the outside of the packhouse while I was having my tour. Oh my Goddess this place is huge! There’s forest surrounding the entire place, to hide prying eyes from the people who turn into giant wolves. Emma takes me upstairs to the third floor and into hers and Zanes bedroom. She heads into her closet and comes back out after about a minute with a handful of clothing items. 

“That’s a lot for just one day.” I joke, I’ve gotten comfortable around Emma. I can tell that we will be great friends, she’s such a caring person with such an amazing personality.

Emma laughs, “No silly, you can have these. I know you don’t have anything and you are going to need clothes until we are able to go on a proper shopping trip.”

 “But I don’t have any money right now to go on a shopping trip.” I say embarrassed of the truth.

“Sweety, do you think Merrick will let you go without? You are his mate, he wouldn’t allow that to happen.” Emma sits on the bed and pats the space next to her. I follow suit and sit where her hand was. “I know he may seem like a big bad alpha, but to those who are close to him, he’s a very loving and loyal man. My parents died when I was sixteen when we went for a run, that same night I met Zane and Merrick. Lucky for me they were running nearby and heard the attack. They came to my rescue because Zane had a feeling like he needed to be there. After they arrived we found out why.” She says with a sparkle in her eyes. “I was part of The Bloodcrest Pack before I joined The Evercrowns.Merrick has always been very kind to me even though we have no connection other than Zane. He cares for those in his pack and you being his mate means he cares about you the most. But know this. he is a very powerful man, his family owns most of the businesses in the city. He has a quick temper and doesn’t always think before he acts. He has a darkness in him that people fear, he’s worked hard to keep this pack strong like the alphas before him. I’ve never seen the dark side of him but Zane has since they’ve grown up together. They were both trained from a young age how to kill and Zane said that Merrick could kill without a second thought. ” 

I swallow hard, just taking in her words as she speaks. I think about my conversation with Merrick in the car and how I saw just how quickly he can lose his temper. I  don’t want to fear Merrick, but could he really be so gruesome like Emma says? 

“Thank you for telling me and for all these clothes. I’m going to take them up to my room and meet you back downstairs.” I tell her and grab the clothes to take upstairs. Emma stands and follows me out of her room and down the hall until we reach the stairs. She gives me a small wave before walking down the stairs to head to find her mate. After I put the clothes that Emma gave on my bed I turn around to leave my room but Merrick is right behind me. I let out a short breath as his eyes wonders over my face.

“Hello beautiful.” He says and brings a hand up to my face. “Where’ve you been at?”

“Emma has been showing me around and gave me some clothes since I don’t have anything.” I tell him and take a step back.

“That was very nice of her.” Merrick whispers and takes a step towards me. He puts his hand behind my neck and brings me close to him. I see his eyes are dark as I look up at him. “May I accompany you to the dining room?”