The Rise of the Luna Queen

Alpha James

Alpha James POV

"Roland, I know you and my wife have our family and the pack's best interest in mind, but I do not think sending Ivy off only weeks after getting here is the best idea."

James was sitting at his desk, his elbows resting on top of the desk and his fingers on his temples. He had been discussing this with his Gamma and wife since before Ivy arrived.

"Alpha, with all due respect, we don't know who attacked Thousand Oaks territory, nor do we know if they're looking for Ivy or why. Having her here puts everyone in danger!"

Roland paced back and forth in James's office. He was tired of having this discussion, but it wasn't avoidable.

"Let me get this straight," James paused, sitting back in his chair, "You believe Ivy is putting our pack in danger just being here, so you want to send her to your home pack? There, she'll live with your Alpha brother and his family. Wouldn't that put them in danger?"

Roland paused and sat on the chair across from James, placing his hands on the desk.

"Ocean Moon is hundreds of miles from here, they share a border with the Royal territory, and have allies surrounding them. Ivy would be safer there and that pack would be safer hosting her there."

James shook his head, he felt like Roland wasn't giving him the whole story, but couldn't understand why his Gamma and his wife, who was in support of this, would want to put their home pack in danger. He truly didn't believe anyone was looking for Ivy. If they were, attacking a Fae village would be much easier than a wolf territory.

James leaned forward, trying to make what he was about to say more clear to Roland.

"Ivy is here to stay, and I will hear absolutely nothing more of this, understood?"

"But sir," Roland started.

"IS THAT CLEAR?" Alpha James' voice boomed and filled the room. He was a patient and understanding Alpha, he preferred to resolve disagreements through communication, and he didn't often like to use his position over others, especially those close to him.

Roland's head dropped, "Yes, Alpha." With that, he stood and left the room, defeated.

James wanted to understand the real reason his Gamma and Luna wanted Ivy to move to Ocean Moon. The excuse given simply didn't add up. He had looked into Thousand Oaks. They had no known enemies. There were no peace treaties, but they also had no allies. The pack was mostly neutral and peaceful.

They did support the Alpha King, which could create enemies. Many Alphas were against the King, who felt that the packs should govern themselves. The Alpha King was fair, he typically allowed Alphas to run their packs how they saw fit. However, major changes needed to be approved, and if one pack wanted to invade another for their land, he needed to approve it as well.

Shortly after Thousand Oaks fell, the King toured the surrounding territories, trying to identify what happened, and who was responsible. This attack was not brought to him for approval. Unfortunately, he returned home with no answers.

James sat looking out the window, overlooking the sparkling lake. Worry bubbled under the surface. If Ivy did bring danger to his pack, it would be his fault alone. All the lives at Cedar Lake depended on him keeping them safe and making the best choices for them. As he sat, deep in thought, there was a light knock at his office door.

Ivy's POV

"Are you sure you want to do this, Ivy?" Cece asked.

Ivy, Jake, and Cece stood at the end of the hall leading to Alpha James' office.

"Of course she does. Why wouldn't she?" Jake snapped.

He had offered Ivy to be there for her when she asked his father about her home pack, and he meant it. She deserved to know all she could about where she came from, plus, he was also dying for answers. He considered approaching his father alone but knew it was pointless. They never told him anything.

"Alright, you two, enough. I'm going." Ivy was determined. No better time than now.

"Fine. I'm going to my room. Come find me after." Cece rolled her eyes and walked away.

She didn't understand the need to know, she was afraid Ivy wouldn't be able to handle it. She was here now, she should focus on her new life and her new family.

Ivy looked at Jake, and he nodded his head towards his father's office, "After you."

She took a deep breath, she was afraid to ask, mainly because she didn't know how he'd react. She wasn't afraid of the truth. But, she knew when she was scared of something, she had to just take a deep breath and do it.

Standing in front of the Alpha's door, Jake raised his hand to knock. Just before he did, Ivy put her hand on his arm and shook her head.

"I have to do this myself. I appreciate you coming with me, I do. But, I'm okay." She smiled.

Jake took a deep breath and nodded.

"I'll be out here if you need me." He pointed to a bench in the hall, across from his mother's office.

Ivy lightly knocked on the Alpha's door and waited.

"Come in."

She entered the room and saw the Alpha at his desk, smiling at her with that warm smile she found comforting. Over the last couple of weeks, getting to know everyone in the pack house, there were few that she truly felt comfortable around. The Alpha was one of them, his bright smile made her feel welcome and loved.

"Ivy, what do I owe this pleasure?" He motioned to the seat across from him. "How was your first day of school?"

Ivy sat in the chair across from him, she smiled at the new photo he had on his desk. He replaced the photo of just him, Jake, and the Luna, with one including her. They took the photo a few days after her arrival. He insisted he wanted a new family photo.

"School was okay. It started tough, with everyone wondering who I was and why I was there. But, thankfully, teenagers appear to be the same everywhere, they lose interest quickly." She giggled.

James chuckled.

"Well, I'm glad to hear it. And, my son, I hope he helped to make your day a bit easier?"

She nodded and smiled, "Yes, he was great. We're even partners in Biology class."

"That's terrific! Maybe you can keep him focused on his studies. He's a smart boy, but he's got his head in the clouds."

Ivy smiled, she wasn't sure how to respond to that. But, she didn't want this to make her uncomfortable, so she just decided to change the subject.

"Alpha, I was hoping I could ask you about something."

"Of course, Ivy, you can ask me anything."

He didn't appear to mind the subject change, and she could hear the slight concern in his voice.

"I was hoping you knew something about my home pack, and possibly what happened to them?"

Ivy held her breath as the Alpha sat back in his chair. He had a look on his face like he knew this question was coming eventually.

"I hope it's okay that I'm asking." Ivy continued. The silence seemed to go on forever.

"Of course, it's okay for you to ask, I did say you could ask me anything." James took a deep breath. "Ivy, I don't have all the answers, but I can tell you what I know."

Ivy felt a slight wave of disappointment. She didn't know if he'd have all the information she wanted, but she hoped.

"You were born into the Thousand Oaks pack."