The Luna's Reluctant Alpha

Chapter Eight

KAI

The meeting room in the packhouse was suffocating, the tension thick as the early evening sun dipped below the treeline. Our usual place of unity now hosted a grim congregation. The walls, usually resonant with robust laughter and camaraderie, absorbed our grim tones and echoed them back as foreboding murmurs. Sheriff Henderson's furrowed brow reflected in the polished surface of the long table that anchored us.

Randall Kim's focus remained stubbornly on the maps spread out before him. He was our pack's chief of security and Alexis Kim's dad. His hardened military background was evident in his strict posture and unwavering determination. It was a comfort to see him there, a concrete pillar in this storm of chaos. Although his worry was palpable, he oozed a quiet strength that helped keep our fears at bay.

The room smelled of damp wood and hot coffee, intermingled with the distinct musk of werewolves and the more subdued scent of humanity. It was a weird mix, as disconcerting as the situation we found ourselves in.

"I've got more rogues filling up the cells than human criminals," Sheriff Henderson grumbled, his eyes darting nervously between our pack members and his deputy.

That statement hit me like a sucker punch — rogue wolves filling up jail cells meant things were way worse than we thought. Werewolves are built for the open wilderness, not confined cages, and their desperation would only heighten as the moon waxed fuller. Werewolves and moon cycles went together like peanut butter and jelly, or like me and... nope, not going there.

Dad, still the Alpha despite his affliction, sat at the head, his presence diminished but not his authority. The injury from that cursed weapon hadn't just taken his strength; it was leeching away the essence of who he was. Beside him, Deputies Mike Sanders and Jordan Hayes stood like sentinels, their postures taut with concern.

"Jenny Lawrence," Sheriff Henderson's voice broke through my thoughts, "the mayor's niece, was abducted last night. Janine, her cousin and the mayor's daughter, was found injured and left for dead near our border." The room fell silent. Janine was beta; strong, resilient. If they'd left her in such a state, what chance did Jenny have?

Sheriff Henderson continued, his voice hoarse with fatigue and worry. "Janine's stable but not out of the woods yet. She couldn't make out who attacked them but mentioned they were rogues."

Thunder stirred within me, a growl rippling through my subconscious as he sensed my anxiety. They're targeting omegas, he conveyed without words. I knew it too; Jenny's disappearance wasn't random.

Sheriff Henderson leaned forward, his voice low but clear. "This must be a case of omega trafficking," he said gravely. "Cedar Creek has its share of omegas but elsewhere... they're not so common." He paused, letting the words sink in before continuing. "An omega auction was busted by the FBI last month in Texas. Fifty omegas were saved."

I felt my jaw clench involuntarily at the thought—omega trafficking was a distant horror story, not something that touched places like Cedar Creek.

"We need to fortify our defenses," Dad announced firmly. "Patrols will be doubled. No omega is to be left unguarded."

I scanned the room; Miles Morton looked ready to charge into battle, his hands balled into fists on the table surface. Amelia's face was etched with worry as she held Coco close to her side. As the conversation turned more serious and grim, Amelia asked our housekeeper Nala to take the children out of the room. Our dad usually allowed them to attend meetings so they would be aware of what's going on with the pack, but there were just some subject matters they were too young for.

The discussion turned to strategies and assignments; routes were mapped out and checkpoints established with precision that would have made any military proud.

As night blanketed Cedar Creek, I found myself behind Alexis's house on patrol duty—a convenient excuse to ensure she was safe. The woods here were familiar territory, but tonight they felt alien and hostile.

The damp, loamy scent of earth and the sharp tang of pine needles were punctuated by a wispy undercurrent of fear that made the hair on my arms stand on end. Thunder echoed my unease, a low rumble beneath my consciousness. Memories of Alexis and happier times in these woods offered fleeting comfort, but they were chased away by the crush of reality.

Alexis's scent filled my senses —orange blossoms and honey, cut through with something salty-sweet that was uniquely her. It anchored me against the spiraling emotions.

I settled into the shadows, half-hidden behind the cluster of cedars at her property line, blue eyes fixed on her house blanketed in soft moonlight. Lights flickered in her room; she was awake. My beast preened at this knowledge, finding solace in her wakefulness.

I closed my eyes and tried to connect with her across the physical divide. A soft sigh escaped as I felt her—alive, safe. Her presence was a balm to my agitation, a soothing constant in the tempestuous sea of my reality. As the minutes ticked by, I could feel my pulse syncing with the rhythmic cadence of her life force. It was as if she was unknowingly tethering me to sanity.

Inhaling deeply, I let her scent wash over me again, a comforting reminder of her nearness. The silken threads of orange blossom and honey entwined with the bitterness of dark chocolate and the rich warmth of patchouli. The intoxicating cocktail lingered on my taste buds, tempting Thunder to the edge of his patience.

Ever so gently, I could feel Thunder nudging against my consciousness, yearning for a glimpse of her. My inner beast was no fool; he knew as well as I did that Alexis Kim was our mate, the female the Moon Goddess ordained for us.

From a distance, I watched her window—a beacon in the dark. She moved about her room with an air of quiet grace that seemed to defy all worries plaguing our world outside.

She glanced out her window then—her gaze locking onto my shadowed form amongst the trees—and I tensed under her scrutiny.

"What are you doing out there?" Her voice carried through the slightly ajar window.

"Patrol," I replied tersely. It wasn't entirely a lie.

She nodded slowly before offering a small wave and a whisper of "Good night."

As she retreated from view, Thunder rumbled in my chest—a reminder of the promise I had made to protect those under my care—Alexis included.

I stayed there a while longer than necessary before forcing myself back into motion to join the others on patrol—a guardian against threats unseen but deeply felt.

***

Night had fallen like a shroud over Cedar Creek, and with it, a blanket of unease settled on my shoulders. The crisp autumn air did little to clear the turmoil in my mind as I led Jason and Marcus through the dimly lit streets. Our mission was clear: find Jenny Lawrence before it was too late. Janine was still in the hospital, her condition unchanged, and her cousin's disappearance had become a sharp thorn in the pack's side.

We split up to cover more ground, our senses heightened and alert for any trace of the rogues or Jenny. My phone vibrated with updates from other patrol teams, but nothing significant yet. The town seemed asleep, unaware of the predators that prowled its edges.

Turning a corner near downtown, a rustling sound drew my attention to the back of a Chinese restaurant. I signaled Jason and Marcus with a swift hand gesture before advancing. Behind the dumpsters, two figures crouched low, their hands scavenging through discarded food containers like desperate animals.

"Hey!" I barked, my voice commanding even as my heart sank at the sight. The two teens froze, their eyes reflecting fear in the dim light from the backdoor of the kitchen.

They were scrawny to the point of emaciation, their clothes hanging off their frail frames like oversized rags. I could count ribs beneath their pallid skin and see the hollows of hunger etched into their faces. As we approached, they huddled closer together – two halves of a broken whole.

Jason grabbed one by the scruff while Marcus secured the other. Their resistance was feeble at best; they were too weak to put up any real fight.

"Easy," I murmured as we escorted them back to our SUV. "We're not going to hurt you."

The drive to the packhouse was silent except for the occasional sniffle from our captives. Once there, I led them down to the cells in our basement – more comfortable than any jail cell but still a cage. Gary was there, his gruff exterior hiding a tender heart that made him perfect for overseeing our prisoners.

"Get these two cleaned up and fed," I instructed him softly as he eyed them with a mix of concern and skepticism.

The twins' names were Casey and Cissy Jones – rogues by cruel fate rather than choice. They looked on with wide eyes as Gary showed them to separate cells that had beds with clean sheets and blankets.

"We've been sleeping in abandoned houses and in the woods," Casey admitted in a hoarse whisper as he tentatively sat on the bed, its softness foreign to his touch.

Their story pulled at me more than I cared to admit. Orphaned deltas deemed useless by an unforgiving Alpha had been left to fend for themselves in a world that didn't spare much kindness for lone wolves.

I crouched down to their level, locking eyes with them one at a time. "Have you heard of an omega named Jenny Lawrence?" I asked gently. "Blond hair, hazel eyes? She's been taken by rogues."

Casey and Cissy exchanged glances heavy with unspoken words before nodding hesitantly.

"The rogues who took us... they had a girl with them," Cissy said softly, her voice barely above a whisper. "She didn't want to be there."

"Where is she?" The urgency in my voice made Casey flinch.

"An abandoned warehouse in Eau Claire," he replied quickly. "But you have to hurry. They talked about shipping girls out."

My blood ran cold at his words. Shipping out meant human trafficking – something that no creature deserved, supernatural or not. "Were the rogues feeding you? Why did you leave them?"

"We ran away because one of those bastards was eyeing Cissy funny," Casey added, his brown eyes hardening with fear and anger.

I nodded solemnly, memories of my father's lessons surfacing. He always said compassion was what made a leader strong; it wasn't just about enforcing rules or exuding power – it was about caring for every member of your pack like they were family.

I stood up decisively. "Thank you for telling us," I said before turning to Jason and Marcus who had been listening intently. "We'll have to contact Gabriel Harwood, see if he knows anything about this." Gabe was the Alpha of the Eau Claire pack.

As we prepared to leave, Gary assured me he'd take good care of Casey and Cissy – get them proper meals and some much-needed rest.

We headed up to the mansion to talk to my father about negotiating a visit with Gabe. Alphas were notoriously territorial. He'd have to approve our passage into his pack.

Hopefully, we weren't too late.

***

The night pressed against the windows of my dad's study, the darkness almost as heavy as the silence between us. The air was thick with tension, like the calm before a storm. I could feel Thunder stirring within me, a low growl resonating in my chest, reflecting my frustration.

"Dad, we've got a lead on Jenny," I finally broke the silence, my voice steady despite the undercurrent of urgency. "She might be holed up in an abandoned warehouse in Eau Claire."

Armando Larson, once a towering figure of strength and authority, now looked worn down by illness and the weight of his responsibilities. His eyes, though clouded with pain, still held that glint of determination I'd always known.

He didn't waste a moment. With hands that had seen countless battles, he reached for his phone and dialed Gabriel Harwood. The two Alphas had a history—one of blood and debt—and it was time to call in a favor.

I stood by silently as my father spoke with Gabriel, his tone firm yet devoid of any information about where we got our intel. When Gabriel hesitated, dad didn't miss a beat.

"Remember the snowstorm two years ago that almost wiped out half your pack? Cedar Creek bailed you out when no one else answered your call. It's time to repay that debt," he reminded Gabriel with an edge that brooked no argument.

After a few terse exchanges, Gabriel acquiesced but set strict limits on our search parameters. I knew better than to argue—we needed to find Jenny before it was too late.

"Those rogue kids better not be playing you for a fool," Armando warned me as he hung up. The gravity in his voice left no room for failure.

I gathered my team—Marcus with his linebacker build and stoic demeanor; Jason, ever the strategist with eyes that missed nothing; Johnny Chen, who moved with the grace of a martial artist despite his role as a nurse; and Jordan Hayes, charming but deadly when push came to shove.

We arrived at Eau Claire under the cloak of nightfall. The warehouse loomed before us—a skeletal structure of rusted metal and broken windows. It reeked of abandonment and decay, like an old beast left to rot in the wilderness. The walls were graffitied with faded tags and symbols of forgotten gangs; inside was worse—a labyrinth of dilapidation and despair.

The rogues hadn't bothered with lookouts—a mistake they'd soon regret. We moved in silently, our steps barely whispering over the debris-strewn floor. Thunder rumbled his approval at our stealth.

In the bowels of the warehouse, we found her—Jenny Lawrence—huddled in a corner, her body trembling like a leaf in the wind. Her eyes were wide with shock; she looked through us rather than at us.

As Jason and Johnny tended to Jenny's injuries, Marcus spotted movement—a pair of rogue wolves emerging from the shadows like phantoms.

"Let's talk," I growled, stepping forward with all the authority my title afforded me.

But these rogues were beyond reason—starved not just for food but for violence. Their response was feral snarls as they launched themselves at us.

The fight was brutal and chaotic. I ducked under a wild swing and countered with a vicious right hook that connected with the rogue's jaw. Thunder howled within me as we fought back-to-back with my team against this pack of desperate outlaws.

Marcus was an immovable force, throwing punches that landed like sledgehammers while Jason's swift kicks swept rogues off their feet one after another. Johnny's precision strikes found vital points with surgical accuracy even as Jordan disarmed one after another with clever quips and easy charm turned lethal in combat.

We fought tooth and nail—a symphony of snarls and grunts echoing off the walls—as we forced them back step by step.

But they were relentless, driven by hunger and rage—unpredictable which made them dangerous. A rogue managed to clip my side with sharp claws before Marcus tackled him to the ground. Pain seared through me but it only fueled my resolve.

Finally subdued, we handed them over to Gabriel's enforcers who had arrived just in time to witness our victory but not soon enough to assist in battle—a subtle reminder that this was Cedar Creek's win.

With Jenny safe in our care, we returned home to Cedar Creek where relief washed over us like rain after drought. Mayor Lawrence cried openly as he embraced his niece—tears cutting tracks through years of mayoral composure.

After ensuring Jenny's safety and dealing with debriefings and reports, I couldn't shake Alexis from my mind—the fierce omega who had unwittingly ensnared me. Under cover of darkness once more, I found myself drawn to that place behind her house—the secret spot I often stood to look in on her like a lovesick creeper.

I lingered there on the edge of shadow and moonlight where trees whispered secrets to one another—a silent guardian making sure she was okay without her ever knowing it—before slipping away like smoke into the night.