The Beast's Blind Serenity

Part 1 - Alpha Summit, Chapter 5 - A Cold Welcome

Kane’s POV (Earlier in the day)

The ride to Crescent Moon was uneventful, which was a decent consolation prize for having to go to the Alpha Summit. Graham and Axel bickered like an old married couple about which way was the best route to our final destination, leaving me to rest in the back seat, deep in my own thoughts.

The scenery outside was soothing to look at, even in the dead of winter. The snow-capped mountain, pristine and silent, overlooked a peaceful forest blanketed in white. Bits and pieces of green pine scattered about, a beautiful contrast to the glimmery snow. In the distance, I could see the tip of Devil’s mountain... my home. The further away we drove, the darker and harder my mind and soul became.

“Got about five minutes until we reach the pack, Kane. We would have been there sooner if dipshit here hadn’t taken his quote shortcut!” Axel grumbles before receiving a heavy punch to his upper bicep by Graham.

“Fucker, if we would have taken your route, the summit would be over and I wouldn’t get any p***y!” Graham retorts. “Look, the gate is just up ahead.”

Graham stops the SUV in front of the large iron gate with a small wooden house off to the left side of the dirt road. He rolls down his window when a warrior walks up to greet us.

“What pack?” He says in a bored voice. His eyes glued to the clipboard as he looks over the paper attached.

“Devil’s Mountain Pack,” Graham says with his lip curled in a half sadistic smile. The atmosphere suddenly grows colder, deadlier... All playful manner gone from his tone. While waiting for the guard to finally look at him, he emits a low growl. So, the game is on...

‘Stop playing with your food and get on with it,’ I mind-link, but that only causes Graham to chuckle menacingly, which startles the guard.

The guard’s eyes widen in terror, just the way we like it. “How... How many vehicles?” He asks.

Axel lets out a bored yawn, pulls out a knife from his boot and cleans his fingernails with it. These fuckers are taunting the guard. “Hey Mad Dog, guess he doesn’t need his eyes, since he doesn’t seem to use them to count.” Axel says, using Graham’s warrior nickname.

“Maybe you’re right, Hannibal.” Graham lets out an evil laugh before smiling like a mad, sadistic clown at the guard.

“The Beast doesn’t enjoy waiting...” Axel says, his bored tone back. And that’s my cue to growl deeply, just loud enough for the guard to think I am pissed.

“You can pull through...Sirs...” The guard quivers out before talking into his walkie talkie and the gate opens automatically. Guess he didn’t need the number of cars.

Graham lets out a couple of loud barks before rolling up the window. The frightened guard falters backwards, trips over air, and falls to the ground. His whole body trembled, a cold sweat breaking out on his skin as the shaking intensified.

“Pretty sure he peed himself.” Axel laughs, giving Graham the signature fist bump secret handshake. The two are completely proud of themselves.

We make our way down the main street, passing scattered small one-story and two-story houses nestled among a few pine trees. Although the houses looked basic, they were well-manicured and pristine. It reminded me of a typical suburban setup. The roads and sidewalks were free of any snow.

“Crescent Moon is not bad looking pretty basic. Extremely small compared to our monstrous pack. How many pack members?” Axel says, looking through his pack tablet on the State Werewolf Packs registration website’s database for more information.

“Around two hundred.” Graham says.

It didn’t take us long before we reach what looks like a business district. A row of neatly simple buildings lined up in attention as pack members walk in and out of the shops. Members looked well fed and happy.

We stop in front of the two-story packhouse, but to our surprise, the packhouse is extravagant. The building was gaudy, with intricate stonework and towering columns. It feels more like a mansion than a packhouse. Two majestic wolf statues stand proudly amidst large snow filled flower beds in the front yard. Probably during springtime, this place would feel like an overpriced fairytale. A completely different contrast compared to the individual homes.

Standing on the front porch were Alpha Dean and Elder Roberts from the Summit Committee.

“AHHH, Alpha Kane Castellanos. It’s so good to have you finally join us. It’s been a while. Come, let me introduce you to our hosts for this week’s summit.” Elder Roberts greets me with his arms open wide, before reaching out hopefully for a handshake.

“Rooms.” I say, not looking at him. I am not interested in making pleasantries with these pompous assholes.

My attitude must have caught him off guard, because he lowers his hand awkwardly and looks back at Alpha Dean with a nervous expression. “Ah, yes, well, Alpha Dean, maybe some of your Omegas can show our esteem guests to their rooms?”

Alpha Dean narrows his eyes at me, obviously sizing me up to see if I am worth taking on in a fight. A fight he would definitely lose. “My mate, Luna Elisabeth, will show you and your betas to your private cabin. We’ll house your warriors in the warrior apartment building just up the street.

“Your packhouse lacks the capacity to handle so many guests, huh? Makes me wonder why the summit committee picked such a rinky-dinky pack to begin with.” Graham crosses his massive muscular arms over his chest and gives a half lazy grin before winking at a curly hair blonde Omega female who blushes beat red. Yep, found his next victim. f*****g Graham. Every female wanted a taste of that bad boy.

Alpha Dean stormed off with a huff like a petulant child. He walked into the packhouse leaving the thin ostrich looking woman with black hair and crinkly eyes standing alone, unsure of what to do. This must be Luna Elisabeth. She, with a subtle nudge, urges a few Omegas forward, her own hesitant approach betraying her obvious fear of me. The male and female Omegas cautiously move towards the vehicles, their eyes downcast, their hands trembling slightly as they reached out for the luggage my men already removed from the SUVs.

“The Omegas will walk you to your cabin.” Luna Elisabeth turns on her heel and rushes away, escaping into the packhouse like a scared little rat.

“What a warm welcome.” One of my younger warriors comments, and I give him a knowing smirk. He is new to my elite warriors, so he isn’t used to this treatment.

I follow the Omegas around the packhouse, down a single paver pathway to a small row of cabins. Axel is at my right flank, his usual spot, while Graham has magically disappeared.

‘Probably with that Omega she-wolf.’ Axel snorts out a chuckle in the mind-link. ‘Not even here five minutes. Must be a new record for him.’

I am not really paying much attention because my wolf is giving me a headache. Volter prowls around in my mind. The constant movement is unusual for him, but something has his fur bristling. He is more on edge than usual. He’d raise his snout, sniffs, then continue pacing.

“Umm, excuse me sirs, your key.” A female Omega holds out a key to Beta Axel. Her head remained bowed as she spoke.

The row of cabins was nicer than I expected. Deep rustic wood, several large clear glass windows, and a small front porch comprised the exterior. We stopped in front of the first cabin, which was bigger than the others. Axel opened the front door, and we walked in to find a three-bedroom open floor plan. It had two bathrooms, a small kitchen for simple meals and a living area with a good size metal caster fireplace tucked into the corner. Modern lighting and fixtures elegantly adorned the place while the furniture was large and inviting.

“Nice place.” Axel says as he looks around. He smiles at the Omega who blushes. “Thank you for walking us out here. I know it must be a lot of work for someone so petite and beautiful, with a great sense of style. This place is really great. Thank you. You must be so proud of your Luna for all her hard work on the Summit and accommodations.” Here we go, Axel charming information out of someone. Thank the Moon Goddess his husband, Jasper, isn’t the jealous type.

The Omega smiles brightly at him like she found her new BFF. She looks over at me before looking back at Axel. Worry etched on her features. Was she afraid to speak freely in front of me? Why was I not surprise? I walk over to the frig and pull out a beer, pretending to distract myself with my phone.

The Omega lets out a sigh, leans into Axel to whisper her secret. “I know I’m not supposed to say anything, but Luna Elisabeth did very little. She just wants people to think she did all the work. That woman pretends to work, then takes all the credit. But the truth is our pack would be a mess if it wasn’t for the Rizzuto Family. My brother works for Cliffe Enterprises as a small project manager. He said the chief interior designer, Hannah Lynn, was in charge of decorating the cabins.”

“Lynn? As in Lynn Designs Inc? I didn’t realize Cliffe Enterprise had ties to Lynn Designs Inc.” Axel leans into the Omega, giving her his full undivided attention.

She nods vigorously. “Alpha Dean apparently used the alpha summit money for other things, but no one knows what. The cabins are on loan from the Rizzuto Family.” Her face is soft with infatuation for Axel. She continues to lean into him as if the two of them are the only ones in the room. Axel steps back and gives a friendly smile to the petite girl.

“Hey Darling, thanks for the info, but do you think you could send someone out here to iron my suit for me? Usually my husband does it, but he’s not here. Thanks.” He winks at her and holds up his left hand, showing off his wedding ring. The sight of the gold band snaps her out of the trance. It was like watching a light bulb turn on over her head. She agrees and quickly bows to him before rushing out the door without a backwards glance.

“I gonna tell Jasper you’ve been naughty again.” I say teasingly, sipping my beer while leaning against the dark marble countertop.

“What can I say? It got us more information about this pack.” Axel laughs before taking his suitcases to a bedroom.

“You are just as bad as Graham.” I say, hearing him laugh deeply from the other room.