The Feral Mate

Chapter 2:Colt

Chapter 2: Colt

The old men in front of me were really dragging their feet on this business deal, and it was starting to irk me. I was irked. I wanted nothing more than to rip off my tight 3-piece suit and go for a run. My wolf, Oslo, began to pace in my head. He’d been done with this meeting for a while now. I took a deep breath and assured him that this was important. New territory was something my rapidly growing pack desperately needed. We had done our part fighting for the Western Pack Alliance. Two years ago, one of the largest rogue factions the continent had ever seen was taking out pack after pack until the alliance was formed, and we declared war. Now, the faction was gone, and the remaining rogues were scattered, but their territory was up for grabs, and everyone wanted a slice.

“ I will not claim those islands, they’re cursed!” exclaimed Alpha Boone, of the Wolf Star Pack. I glanced at the large map pinned against the conference room wall. The islands in question were actually quite close to my territory, the Blood Shore Pack. Just a ferry ride away, and bridges could be formed between several in order to create a small city. Excitement gripped my chest, but I kept my face in its neutral, bored expression. If the other Alphas or their Lunas sensed that I was getting exactly what I wanted, they might try to fight me for it. Actually, they’d definitely try to fight me for it. Discreetly, I looked at the satellite photos of the islands on my laptop.

“Don’t tell me you believe any of that superstitious nonsense!” Alpha Drake, of the Black Paw Pack argued. He and Alpha Boone were always at each other's throats. I found that ironic because, thanks to their identical bushy mustaches and dull brown eyes, the men could easily be brothers.

“You take the islands then!”

“We’ve already settled on my territory!”

“Nothing is settled yet,” interjected Alpha Issac, the youngest and hungriest Alpha in the room. His bottle-blonde Luna beamed up at him like he’d just won something. He gave her a smirk, and I blinked slowly so that no one saw my exasperated eye roll.

“ What’s this curse exactly? An island of witches, or vampires, or…?” I asked, still keeping up my mask of disinterest.

“An island of death,” Boone said with a grave face. I waited for him to elaborate. Werewolves, especially the older generation, are incredibly superstitious. Sometimes, these beliefs are remarkably true and written into Pack Law. Like when the Alpha of a pack dies without an heir, the Goddess will choose a new Alpha from within the pack to take his place. This was actually how I got my title. There are other instances, however, where I feel our superstitions keep us from flourishing. For example, when land that is “cursed” goes unclaimed for generations.

“Here,” Alpha Boone pointed to one of the larger islands in the territory. It was nearly 200 miles away from the other islands and much further from the mainland. “Sharks of all kinds circle that island. Maneaters, some 20 feet long! They smell the cloud of death that hangs over it like a fog. Rotting heads on stakes have reportedly been seen on the shoreline, as well as human limbs floating in the surrounding waters,” Boone said, never once blinking. I found myself struggling not to laugh, but I managed to keep my face expressionless.

“ Right…and exactly how recent are these…sightings?” I asked as diplomatically as possible. Alpha Boone narrowed his eyes.

“ Is three years ago recent enough for you?” he asked. It actually was not. One would think that an official investigation would be launched if straight-up corpses were seen. I raised a surprised eyebrow anyway, and Boone seemed pleased that he had supposedly gotten through to me.

“ I heard that some sort of creature hunts humans and monsters for sport there. Plays with the bodies like toys,” Alpha Cameron, of the Bright Wood Pack, supplied. This prompted his brunette and mousy Luna to cling to his arm.

“It’s gotta be some kind of Siren’s nest. They’re luring in sailors and feeding the scraps to their pet sharks,” said Alpha Drake, which prompted his Luna to cower into his shoulder.

Suddenly, every Alpha in the room had a theory about what sort of terrifying things could be lurking on the island, while their Lunas responded with the appropriate gasps and sought comfort. The theatrics made me openly roll my eyes, and I met the gaze of Alpha Mason across the table. We were friends, and the only two Alphas there who had yet to find our fated mates. I wondered if he felt the same sharp twinge in his chest that I felt in mine. It wasn't really jealousy, more like…longing. A wish to finally be with the person who was meant for me, and I them. A wish that I’d been making for seven years since I turned eighteen. I glanced down my row towards the couple I admired the most and froze. Luna Grace, of the Night Flower Pack, was very noticeably trembling and looking at her husband, Alpha Lionel, with watery eyes.

"Alpha Lionel, Luna Grace, everything alright?" I asked, loud enough to quiet most of the side conversations. Curious gazes fell on the middle-aged couple, and I felt bad for drawing attention to Luna Grace in a moment of vulnerability.

"Yes! Y-yes I'm…I'm so sorry, I'm fine," the silver-haired Luna offered a shaky smile and tried to blink away the tears from her eyes. Lionel put his giant arm around her small shoulders, pulling her close.

"She thought the island could be a base for pirates. It's…highly unlikely, " he said. The table was blanketed in tense silence. Luna Grace was well liked by all, and known for being a bit…sensitive when it came to certain things. One of those things being pirates.

“Your Alpha is right, Grace. Pirates are all but extinct nowadays. The war decimated their numbers, and the remnants have been chased to the ends of the earth. Thanks in no small part to Lionel,” Luna Carol said, giving the couple a warm smile. I was a bit surprised that Boone’s Luna was the one trying to offer Grace comfort. The distressed Luna nodded but didn’t meet anyone's eyes.

“Should we perhaps take a break? It’s nearly 1,” asked Lionel, still trying to draw his wife closer to him.

“I think that’s an excellent idea,” I said, probably a bit too quickly. However, I could feel the strain on the room begin to dissipate.

“Right, see everyone back here at 2,” clipped Drake. With that, we all stood up at once and made our way out of the conference room. The negotiations were being hosted in Alpha Cameron’s territory, so I wasn’t allowed to shift and go for a run like I wanted. Instead, I settled for a walk into town towards a decent looking diner that I had spotted when I’d first arrived at the meeting. As luck would have it, Alpha Lionel and Luna Grace were already sharing a booth when I walked in. I took a deep breath and rolled my shoulders. I then approached the older couple with sure steps.

“Luna Grace-”

“Oh Colt, I told you, just call me Grace,” the tiny Luna smiled at me. I was happy to see she had shrugged off what had happened.

“ Grace, sorry. I just wanted to apologize for what happened in there. I didn’t mean to draw so much attention to you, I was just worried,” I explained. My eyes drifted to Lionel in hopes that he wasn’t angry with me either. We fought side by side for a good portion of the war. The alliance’s entire navy had been given over to the two of us since we had the most experience fighting on, in, or near the ocean. Lionel, more so than me. He had been slaughtering rogue pirates years before the war had even started.

“I understand, Colt. I appreciate you worrying about me. I just wish I had picked a better setting to have my little…moment,” her pale face grimaced. She wrung her dainty, manicured hands together.

“You have nothing to be embarrassed about, Luna Grace. I just wanted to check on you,” I tried to assure her. She giggled and clasped one of my hands between both of hers. I marveled for a moment at how small her hands were next to mine, and I felt the familiar twinge of longing for my own tiny Luna.

“Just Grace, Colt. And I’ll forgive you entirely if you join Lionel and I for lunch,” she said, and I could tell she wasn’t going to take ‘no’ for an answer. I glanced at Lionel, who nodded, so I sat. Lionel was hard to read at times, but he didn’t seem to be harboring any anger towards me. He was a huge man, easily 6ft 7in, with intense emerald eyes. Long black hair stretched down his back in a braid, and a full beard adorned his face. His bulging arms and broad chest stretched the fabric of his black suit to its absolute limit, and I wondered if the suit might be a few decades old since his belly hung far over his belt.

Grace, on the other hand, was like a porcelain doll. She wore olive green heels to match her dress, and she still only reached a height of 5ft 4in. She possessed the standard werewolf longevity, so her face was youthful, but her hair was fully silver and cascading freely down her shoulders. Stress can be a major factor in aging a werewolf, and given what these two had been through, it was a wonder that they didn’t look older.

“You interested in those islands, Colt?” Lionel questioned after a while. I raised an eyebrow in genuine surprise this time. We had received our food, and the lunch conversation had been largely carried out between Grace and myself.

“I am,” I said. I had learned during the war that Lionel didn’t enjoy beating around the bush.

“Good. It’s close enough to your territory for you to have a claim to it, and Goddess knows you need it,”Lionel said, taking a bite of his steak.

I had previously spoken with the couple about how my current territory was far too small, around the size of a sleepy seaside town. Before the war, this was fine, but now we had taken in hundreds of refugees fleeing the c*****e. Space had become scarce. Several families were living in tents, and a few had even built shabby little treehouses. Grace and Lionel gave me advice where they could, and offered my new pack members humanitarian aid. This, combined with everything I had learned from Lionel about being an Alpha, was the reason I would forever be indebted to the couple.

“Just please be careful when you go to that island, Colt. I know the rumors can seem outlandish, but they wouldn’t exist at all unless there was something dangerous out there,” Grace pleaded softly. I offered her a smile.

“Don’t worry, Grace. I can take care of myself. Alpha Lionel taught me everything I know.”

“You would have gotten there without me. Eventually,” Lionel grumbled. Another thing I learned during the war was that Alpha Lionel was surprisingly shy when it came to praise.

“ No, really, Alpha Lionel, thank you. Thank you both. I had no idea what I was doing when the Goddess chose me to replace Alpha George. I just suddenly had all these new abilities and instincts. I think I honestly would have gone crazy if the two of you hadn’t shown me how to handle my wolf and lead a pack,” I felt a flush crawl up my neck, but I forced myself to look them both in the face while I spoke.

“You have a big heart, so you always would have made an excellent leader, Colt. Plus, you’re a first-generation Alpha. You will be stronger than most of these pack leaders combined. Except for my big honey bear here,” Grace smirked and hugged Lionel’s arm. The famously stoic Alpha blushed bright red, and I couldn’t help but laugh.

“Still, most Alphas prepare their entire lives to lead and protect their pack, but you managed to teach me in just a few years,”I said.

“You were a quick learner,” Alpha Lionel replied and turned back to his steak, seemingly done with the conversation. I, however, was not.

“Alpha Lionel, what I’m trying to say is that the Blood Shore Pack will forever be indebted to you. Both of you. So if there is ever anything, anything you need, just say the word, and I’ll come running,” I stared at them earnestly, hoping they could tell that I meant every word.

“Colt, you can just call me Lionel. We’re equals, for Goddess sake,” the older Alpha replied, clearly a bit uncomfortable with the obligation I felt towards him. Grace was smiling from ear to ear.

“ That is tremendously sweet of you, Colt. Thank you very much,” she beamed.

“Of course, “ I said, and we moved on from the subject.

When we returned to the negotiating table, I announced my bid to claim the islands. No one challenged me for them, somewhat to my surprise. During the war, several pack leaders believed that they could push me around since I had only become an Alpha at the age of 22. Perhaps my flawless battle record had convinced them I was to be taken seriously? Or maybe they were simply relieved that the cursed territory was off the table. Who knows? Things were going to improve for my pack, and that was all that mattered. I even felt a prickle of excitement when I thought about exploring the mysterious lone island. My wolf seemed eager when it came to that place, so I wondered what sort of beasts I would find there.