Captive Luna

Preparations

MANHATTAN

    He sighed as he got ready for the day.

    He needed to watch his guards train this morning. The Gathering was approaching in only a few weeks, and with so many wolves both mated and unmated, there was bound to be trouble. Training had been intensified, at the insistence of his Beta. His Beta had not found his mate but hoped that he could take a night off from his duties to try and find his mate. In order for him to feel better, Beta Jacob felt that training needed to be intensified to ensure the safety of the people attending and those in the Royal pack.

    He got up and headed to his washroom. He was never tired of the view.

    With floor-to-ceiling throughout the penthouse, he had a panoramic view of Manhattan. His room specifically happened to have a great view of Central Park. His 5th Avenue penthouse took up the entirety of the top two floors, right on the corner of 5th and East 74th. No matter where a person was at his place, they were in for an amazing view.

    He quickly hopped into the shower, taking great care to clean himself. He always felt dirty after sleeping with someone, because he knew his mate was out there somewhere. As a human, he had needs, and it was often he pushed his wolf back so he could have someone attend to his needs. His wolf had not forgiven him for waiting for his mate. The wolf in him needed the shower to wash the woman off of him, but the human in him didn’t mind this time. He didn’t even remember her name. He was glad she saw herself out after their nightcap.

    He got out, toweled off, and strutted to his closet naked to retrieve clothing. He was a sight to see if he allowed you to. With his dark locks, well-defined face structure, and tall frame, he, like many others in Manhattan were model-worthy. His eyes were a deep grey, charcoal, almost. Complimented by his long lashes, strong but slim nose, and the cleft in his chin, many women found him delectable. His lips were thinner on the upper but the fullness of his lower led many to wonder just how those lips felt. He heard a knock at his door.

    “Alpha,” his omega called through his door.

    “Yes, Beth,” he said as he quickly slipped on his boxer briefs and finding a pair of loose basketball shorts. He retrieved a t-shirt and exited his closet, pulling it over his head.

    “Breakfast is ready,” she said through the door. He heard her footsteps leave. He grabbed his watch, a gift from his parents right when he turned 18. It was an ordinary Nixon watch, nothing too flashy. It was what he liked about it the most. He slipped on some socks and retrieved his shoes by the door. Jamming his feet into them, he headed downstairs.

    “Nice of you to join us,” Jacob laughed as he eyed up his best friend. “Did Alpha King King have a good night then?”

    “You know, the more you say my name, the more I’ll just demand you call me that,” he laughed, shaking his head.

    His parents had the bright idea to name him King. He didn’t understand their reasoning, because as the former Prince of the Weredom, he would be addressed as King once he succeeded his father; his father was addressed as King James Ganderfield, yet his own technical and humourous name was King King Ganderfield. That day came and went, with much laughter from his friends. Alpha King King just sounded dumb to him, and even worse when his father coronated him as Alpha King King Ganderfieldn but it made for great comedy to everyone else that had the balls to laugh along.

    “So, how was she?” Jacob teased. His Gamma, Eli pushed the plate of eggs toward his Alpha so he could help himself.

    “Was she good?” Eli asked. “How big is her rack?”

    “f**k off,” King laughed ask he helped himself to the eggs. He then piled on some hash browns, bacon, and sausage.

    “We have to leave in fifteen if we want to be on time for training,” Jacob said, as he sipped his coffee.

    Their Head Warrior was already at the site getting the guards warmed up. That consisted of stretching and then running east to the path along the East River, looping north to the Hudson, back across, and ending at the training centre nestled in between the Dermatology building and the Emilio Pucci on East 71st between Madison and Park.

    King nodded and wolfed down the rest of his breakfast. The training center was about 10 minutes away, given their speed in walking. Taking a car was out of the question, even given the pandemic.

    After the Covid-19 pandemic began, everything in Manhattan had slowed down and at one point, shutting down completely. The Gathering last year was postponed until the City reopened things, though as werewolves, they were safe from getting sick. The former King had the ear of Mayor de Blasio, and previously, the ear of Bloomberg. While de Blasio and Bloomberg had suspicions that his parents were different, they knew not to ask questions. De Blasio suspected something paranormal possibly but never dared to voice those opinions, lest his office thought him crazy.

    Mayor de Blasio asked that they keep a low profile and adhere as best as they could. So, throughout the pandemic, the trio was often seen with their masks, though they did not need them. Werewolves simply wouldn’t get sick because of their supernatural healing abilities. It was all to play along.

    Now that things were slowly reopening, there were more cars on the road again. It would take them longer to have their driver drive them than if they walked.

    As they left the building, they stepped out and walked along 5th. It only three and a half blocks away. The trio were tall, taller than the average wolf. They ranged from 6’7 to 6’9. Often, people asked if they were basketball players and whether they tried out for the Knicks. Wolves seemed to carry good genes, nearly every wolf in the world had great looks, in addition to perfectly built bodies. The males in the Weredom were built differently. They all were taller than average, with the shortest male wolf in history clocking in at 6’0. Their wolves often stood at 5’7 and got bigger depending on their lineage. For the females, they seemed more height appropriate, and similarly to the males, their wolves were even and got bigger and taller depending.

    Both males and females alike, they were terribly beautiful. Humans called them models and celebrities alike. Some of the well-known A-lister actors, actresses, and models were actually werewolves. The humans didn’t know but in the Weredom, King, Jacob, and Eli were their own celebrities. Even famous, A-list celeb wolves knew they did not hold a candle to King or his leadership team. Seeing the likes of Jason Momoa bow down to King was quite something, really.

    They arrived quickly at their training centre, nodding at the guard inside the door. To humans, it looked like an exclusive gym. The guard locked the door and followed them in.

    “Alpha, Beta, Gamma,” their Head Warrior Gregory greeted them. They nodded at him and then surveyed their guards. It was a combination of males and females. One stood out. She looked directly at King and smiled knowingly. She was the one he had in his room last night.

Shit, she’s here, he mind-linked his Beta and Gamma. What the f**k is her name?

I don’t have a harem of women, so remembering names is never a problem for me, Jacob teased as Eli snickered.

Her name is Charisse, Eli told King through their link.

Okay, remind me not to sleep with guards again, he facepalmed in the link. Jacob snickered again before stepping away to address the Royal Guards.

    “Good morning team,” Jacob boomed. “I trust you had a good workout this morning!”

    Automatically, Charisse eyed King and smirked. King narrowed his eyes at her and she dropped her smile automatically, baring her neck in submission.

    “We will be going through some defensive techniques today and will be going forward until the morning of the day before The Gathering. I trust that you all will put forth the effort to ensure the Royal Kingdom, its members, and its guests are well protected. Now, how many of you plan to attend The Gathering as a celebrant?” Jacob asked.

    Of the one hundred and fifty, sixty put their hands up. Many were embarrassed that they had to attend due to their failure to find their mate. Charisse put her hand up while eyeing her King. King rolled his eyes.

I hope this girl finds her mate so she can stop eye-f*****g me, King muttered in the link. I always get the clingy ones.

    As Jacob heard his comment in the link, his voice wavered, the laughter threatening to escape through his lips. He continued droning on while attempting to suppress his laughter.

Her birthday is the Monday before The Gathering, Eli responded.

     It was Eli’s job to know every pack member in the Royal Kingdom. Because there was upward of twenty thousand members of the Royal Manhattan pack, Eli made it his mission to get to know the census before he publicly accepted the role as Gamma. He took his place at among the top members very seriously.

Oh, so maybe she will and won’t bother me anymore, King said.

    Jacob had just separated those that plan to attend to celebrate and those who will stand guard. King had told Jacob to train them differently, as the celebrants will likely be busy, and best to train them more in defensive and less on the offensive. Those who will be guarding will be trained equally in both. Overall, the guards were well trained in both aspects. This was just for a refresher.

    King and Eli decided to get warmed up. As they began stretching, King surveyed his guards to see how they were performing. He noticed some of the females that were sparring. He finished stretching and approached them.

    “Ladies,” he nodded curtly. “I noticed a few things about your form. Can I show you another way?”

    Their eyes widened in surprise and they nodded eagerly.

    As he instructed them, Eli acted as his partner. They watched carefully and murmured amongst themselves.

King, his father mind-linked him. Could I see you? I need to talk to you.

King sighed and rolled his eyes.

Yes, father, I'll be there in the next thirty minutes.

    “Alright ladies, try it that way,” King said. He left the group grumbling. Jacob and Eli followed him to the exit.

    “My dad just linked me,” King stated. “He needs to talk to me.”

    “Wonder if he’ll pressure you about The Gathering?” Jacob mused.

    “Pick a good one, son,” Eli mimicked the former King James.

    “Sorry, let me know how they do,” King said as he left the training centre. He hastily made his way to his penthouse and changed quickly. He left, taking his driver with him. His parents had moved into a ‘modest’ penthouse on East 63rd between Madison and Park. ‘Modest’ contained 10 bedrooms, 10 bathrooms, and 5 powder rooms. He didn’t know how long he would be, and given how anal his father was about appearances, a nice, air-conditioned ride over would be nice in the Manhattan heat.

    It was never a dull moment with his father. He was pushy at times, but he meant well. He wondered what he wanted as the car pulled up 15 minutes later in front of his father’s building.