The Luna Queen

Chapter 5: The Washington Conference

Montrell

The Head Council of Wolves for the state of Washington sends information to the Elder council members about conferences and events. It’s only been a few days since my new council members moved into the mountain, and I haven’t had the time to inform the Head Council about the change. So, Thaddeus receives the mind link. Thankfully, he hadn’t left for Florida yet and informed me.

I’ve only been Alpha a little over a week and today is the Washington conference. This is my first public appearance as the Alpha of Diamond Peak, and I’m overly nervous. I’ve never been to a conference. They happen yearly between the ten packs of the state and this year’s conference has already passed. This is an emergency conference. I figure it’s because of Amelia declaring war on wolves.

To prepare for my first appearance, Sterling has been on my heels about this conference, coaching me. From the time I took my shower until now, when Zack and I are about to leave.

“Remember, when Darwin or whoever is presiding calls for roll, mention your Luna sends her regards,” Sterling instructs. “That is a very important formality of the conference. Also, don’t forget to update Darwin about the changes in our pack. You need to tell him about you, Luna Evelyn, the new council members and change in our pack laws.”

I nod at him while Zack approaches wearing a slick black suit, his long hair pulled back in a bun, and my car keys in his hand. “You ready for this conference, sir?”

“Please Zack, we’re cousins and you’re my Beta. You don’t have to address me like that.”

Dad’s been on my ass. I’m just doing this for his sake, he links me.

“Yes, you’re my cousin, but you’re also my Alpha and deserve the respect,” Zack bites out while Sterling gives him an approving smile and nod.

We leave the pack house and get on State Route 530 Northeast until we reach Interstate 5 through Arlington. The drive takes a little over an hour to arrive at Silver Cloud Hotel by the Seattle Stadium, and I tease Zack about his dad the entire ride. The Head Council of Wolves holds the yearly conferences in the hotel conference room. I thought we left in enough time, but I’m the last Alpha to arrive. I feel a little out of place, considering most of these Alphas are ten to twenty years older than me.

There are ten small round tables in the room and each Alpha is sitting at one. I can only assume each table represents a pack and I sit at a table by the window, leaving one empty table. The Betas line the wall, serving as bodyguards in case something goes wrong. There’s a long rectangular table at the front of the room and a large projector screen behind it.

Shortly after I take my seat, a slender older biracial man with a massive bald spot comes and sits at the rectangular table. His most distinctive feature is his bright grey eyes. “Good day everyone. I’m Darwin, a member of the Head Council of Wolves and a representative of the National Wolf League. I’m presiding over this conference. Ordinarily, there are ten of us here, but the council received a report that Alpha Ivan Hayes of the Blue Ridge pack died in a fire last month. He contacted the Head Council before his death about an important warning.

After addressing our main issue, I’d like to discuss starting a new pack. First order of business, to make sure everyone else is here.” Attempting to show friendliness, he weakly smiles. “Alpha José Reyes of the San Juan Corner pack?”

A man of Latin descent raises his hand and in a thick Spanish accent, he says, “Here.” With a reverential nod, he adds, “Luna Mia Reyes sends her regards.”

“Alpha Elijah Edwards of the Spokane Valley pack?”

A white man with ash blonde hair who doesn’t look too much older than me clears his throat. “Present.” He also follows suit with a reverential nod and adds, “Luna Charlotte Edwards sends her regards.”

“Alpha Thomas McCoy of the Metaline Falls pack?”

The white man with dark green eyes looks the oldest of us all. “Present,” he says in a hoarse voice. “Luna Alice McCoy sends her regards.”

“Alpha Bidziil Blackheart of the Yakima Reserve pack?”

The Native American man to my right sits up and reminds me of Sterling before he cut his hair last week. “Here,” the Alpha voices and pushes his silky, long black hair off his shoulders to his back. “Luna Chenoa Blackheart sends her regards.”

“Alpha Chang Liu of the Crimson Snake pack?”

The Asian man mutters something in his native language before saying, “I’m here. Luna Meiying Liu sends her regards.”

“Alpha Liam Smith of the Olympic Crest pack?”

The quiet white man, who looks to be no older than thirty, raises his hand. “Present,” he gently speaks. “Luna Sarah Smith sends her regards.” His voice goes no higher than a whisper and if we weren’t all wolves, no one would’ve heard him.

“Still ever so quiet, Liam,” Darwin points out. “Alpha Alexander Jackson of the Roosevelt Lake pack?”

A black man with a tapered fade and full beard announces, “Here. Luna Monique Jackson sends her regards.”

There are only two packs that remain. I look at my cousin Demetrius, who hasn’t looked up from his phone since he got here. Everyone else here is dressed to the nines; three piece suits or some type of formal wear and sitting with perfect posture. Meech, however, is slumped down in his chair and wearing a hoodie and sweats.

“Alpha Demetrius Isler of the Glacier Run pack?”

Meech finally puts his phone away and raises his head. “Yo. Luna Janet sends her regards.”

Darwin cuts his eye at Meech, showing disdain. “Finally, Alpha Darius Lance of the Diamond Peak pack?”

I prepare to announce myself, but get interrupted before opening my mouth. “You,” Meech seethes with a frown. “Why are you here and where’s Darius? Is he not the Alpha of Diamond Peak?”

“I’m the new Alpha of Diamond Peak,” I proclaim, sticking my chest out.

Before I can continue, Meech scoffs in disgust, “You? Yeah, right. Say psych! Where’s Darius? We had an arrangement and I need to speak to him after this conference.”

“Darius is dead!” My shouting snarl echoes throughout the room. “So whatever arrangement you had with my father no longer exists!”

Meech’s insanely bright blue eyes burn with fury against his dark skin. “I made a deal with the Alpha of Diamond Peak, and I did my part! Now I want my reward!”

“Like I said, the Alpha you made that deal with is dead. I’m the Alpha now and I say that deal no longer exists! However, indulge my curiosity. What is your reward?”

“The heads and hearts of the Hayes girls!” He growls and slams his fist on the table.

My cheeks flare with heat from anger. “Don’t you even dare think of laying a finger on either of them,” Zayn’s deep growl bellows from my throat.

“Or what? Cause I know you don’t think you can beat me.”

“I’m sure I can handle you just fine,” I counter and Zack gets in a defensive position, ready to defend me.

“GENTLEMEN, calm yourselves! I don’t know what quarrel you two have brewing, but enough! Settle this on your own time!” Darwin’s voice booms and he narrows his eyes at both of us. Turning to me, he says, “Young man, please state who you are and your Luna, so I can add you to the records.”

“Montrell Orlando Hart, Alpha of the Diamond Peak pack,” I state. My Luna is Evelyn Hart, and she sends her regards.”

Although we haven’t had our official mating ceremony, which counts as our wedding, I lie and say my last name in an effort for everyone to not make the connection between Evelyn and Amelia.

He writes down my statement on a sticky note before setting his pen down and grabbing the remote by the projector sitting on the table. He then plays a slideshow displaying all the damage Amelia caused at each pack. “Very well. As I mentioned before, Alpha Ivan Hayes wanted to give a warning. I assume he had information about this recent attack on wolves from the vampires of Foxfire Coven.

Someone by the name of Amelia launched an attack last week. The Head Council sent out surveyors to access the damages. San Juan’s Corner pack suffered substantial loss. How should we proceed with this situation?”

“I say we give her what she asked for. Let’s give her the war,” José rages and his man bun violently shakes loose. The others murmur in agreement.

“The last vampire and wolf war was many years ago, before any of you sitting here’s time.” Darwin chastises. “It didn’t end well, either. It ended with the murder of the vampire King after he killed a Luna!”

“Yeah, that Luna was my mama,” Meech mutters to himself.

Darwin leans forward. “What was that?”

“Nothing Big Dawg,” Meech dismisses. “Just talking out loud.”

“For nearly twenty-five years, Washington’s wolves have had peace with the vampires of Foxfire Coven,” Darwin continues. “However, we cannot deny this Amelia girl issued an act of war.”

“Amelia Hayes needs to pay for what she did. I assume Darius’ death was at the hands of Amelia. Right, Montrell?” Meech’s voice goes cold and drops several octaves.

“Yes. My father died at Amelia’s hand,” I reveal. “However, I was unaware she attacked all the packs of the state.”

“I wasn’t aware of that either,” Elijah voices.

“Wait, did he say Hayes? Our attacker was Ivan’s daughter,” Liam questions. His voice is slighter higher than it was earlier.

“Yeah I said Hayes, and she’s Ivan’s daughter. Curiously, my pack was untouched,” Meech boasts. “I didn’t even know an attack on wolves happened. Amelia was smart enough to not f**k with me,” he arrogantly chuckles.

“Don’t flatter yourself,” I scoff. “The way she attacked my father, it’s safe to assume she had plans to personally kill you after she was done. It’s no secret what our fathers did to her mother and my father was the one who killed Ivan in that fire.” Everyone, including Darwin, murmurs amongst themselves. “Even a fool could piece together the motive of Amelia’s attack. This was an act of revenge.”

“But did she have to attack ALL of us to get her ‘revenge’?” Thomas croaks.

“After my brief interaction with Amelia, it’s safe to assume she hates all wolf kind,” I comment. My inside scoop of the situation solidifies my claim, but I can’t reveal my Luna is her sister.

Liam narrows his eyes at me and prepares to question my knowledge, but Alexander cuts him off. “There were rumors back in the day… that Alpha Ivan mated with a vampire from Foxfire Coven and they had children. If she attacked from the coven and her last name is Hayes, she’s definitely Ivan’s daughter. She’s leading the vampires.”

Alexander then pauses and the room falls silent. “Given the violent history between the wolves of this state and the vampires at Foxfire Coven, I’m sure other packs shunned Ivan’s relationship with the vampire, but that’s also why Ivan never had a Luna. No wolf pack would respect a vampire as their Luna. Nonetheless, that makes her half wolf, so her logic is-”

“Stupid as f**k, right,” Meech interrupts and laughs. “I wish that b***h would’ve ran up on me and my pack. She’d be dead! Speaking of Amelia, what happened to her, Montrell? Where is she now?”

I play dumb and pretend Eve and I didn’t lock Amelia away in the dungeons of the packhouse. Meech studies my body language and gives me a devious smile. “After she killed my dad, she got away.”

“So you’re just gonna let her get away with killing your dad? You’re a bigger p***y than I thought,” Meech taunts.

“Just because she got away doesn’t mean she got away with killing my dad. Trust, she will pay for what she’s done.”

The air thickens with tension, making Darwin call for order. “Enough! Scouts for the Head Council are scouring the state for her. When they find her, we will notify everyone. For now, we’ll discuss repair costs and how to proceed with this matter.”

The rest of the conference gets boring. Each pack gives an estimate of damages and Darwin requests for pack elders to let the Head Council know the exact damage amounts within the next week. We then talk about starting a new pack, which doesn’t last long, before Darwin brings the conference to a close.

The formalities of events like this always take an eternity, and are my least favorite perk of being Alpha. Nonetheless, I successfully made my first public appearance as the Alpha of Diamond Peak. Considering the slight distractions, I did damn well. However, now that the conference is over, I need to talk to Darwin so he can update the Head Council’s information about my pack.

While the others leave, I approach Darwin. “Excuse me, Mr. Darwin. If you have a moment, I need to let you know some things. Things have changed drastically within the past week at Diamond Peak. I’m the new Alpha, and we have a new Luna and Beta. Also, the former council members have retired, so we have new council Elders. Thaddeus Graham is no longer your council contact, but Sterling Swiftwater is now.”

Darwin raises his brow curiously at me. “This is new information. Give me the name of your Beta since I already have your name and your Luna.”

“My Beta is Zachary Swiftwater. There’s one other thing. We’ve amended a few of our pack laws.”

Darwin sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose. “Oh boy. I didn’t expect to work,” he jokes. “Come with me to my room. I have more paper there. I also have forms for you to fill out about your new pack laws. Learned early on to always have the forms and paperwork with me at all times for moments like this.” He quietly laughs right when we get to his hotel room. He walks to an old briefcase, and after a few moments, he grabs a stack of papers. “When you’re done, have your Elders send these back to our HQ and we’ll get the records updated.”

“Thank you. I’ll get this done and sent back ASAP.”

Darwin bids me goodbye. I fold the forms and mind link Zack to let him know I’m coming out and to pull the car out front. I exit the building and wait for Zack. Meech is leaning against the wall outside the main entrance.

“I’ve been waiting for you. You mentioned Amelia personally killed your father.” He stands in front of me. His nose bumps against mine and he raises his shoulders. He’s trying to intimidate me.

I puff my chest out and raise my shoulders, too. “She did,” I answer and step back a little to remove the awkwardness of this closeness.

Meech steps with me, maintaining his stance. “Then you know exactly where she’s at. Evelyn is your Luna, huh? I see you didn’t say Hayes. You’re trying to protect them both. I refuse to believe Evelyn doesn’t know where her sister is.”

My voice goes deep, melding with Zayn’s. “I never indicated she didn’t know. My Luna and her sister aren’t your concern.”

“Oh, but they are, dear cousin,” he sneers. “In fact, they’re a matter of the Head Wolves of Washington now.”

“Amelia is,” I retort. “Not my woman. Get the f**k outta my face.” I don’t give him time to move. Zack pulls up just as the words leave my mouth and shoulder bump him before moving to the car.

“We’re not done,” Meech snarls and grabs my arm. I defensively snatch away and he loudly continues with his insults. “My, my, how the great Diamond Peak has fallen. I can’t believe that hybrid is the Luna of Diamond Peak. Darius is rolling in his grave!”

“Whether he’s rolling in his grave or not, one fact still remains. You won’t lay a finger on my mate,” I threaten, my voice remaining low and calm.

“We’ll see about that,” he scoffs, eyeing me from head to toe before finally walking away just as Zack pulls up.

Did he just macho threaten us? Zayn snarls. Who does this fucker think he is?

I deeply exhale, releasing the massive weighing tension I’ve had since I got here. I realize now it’s because I suspected Meech wouldn’t take seeing me as Alpha well, but I can’t believe the treachery of my father to make a deal with him to kill Eve and her sister. After urging Zack to get us back home quickly, I sit in the car quietly contemplating the conference. I’ve got a long road ahead of me and something tells me Meech will cause all kinds of hell to get his reward.