The True Luna's Kiss

Chapter 3

Alpha Gabriel Ballard scoffed at the letter in his hands. Who on earth did that Alpha think he was? A summons to a conference on his land was bad enough, but to hint that there was an unmated female in his possession disgusted him. His wolf, Shadow, growled softly, but Gabriel could hear the hope hidden beneath it. At 39, it was no secret that Gabriel hadn't found his mate yet. And as his reputation as a ruthless and cruel leader spread, fewer and fewer women were willing to cross paths with him. But Gabriel didn't care. Such spineless women were not worth his time. He threw the paper down onto his desk and sighed.

"Why don't we just refuse?" His Beta, Marcus Abbot - or Marco as he preferred to be called - asked. "Just refuse to go, surely that shows a level of strength?" He twisted the paper around so he could read the untidy scrawl. Did this guy not have a computer? Marco thought. An email would have sufficed - sheesh.

Gabriel looked at him with irritation. "We can't," he explained. "You know the history of that pack, how the numbers never seem to decrease. Even after a battle or major invasion, their numbers only seem to remain stable - and warriors with life threatening injuries are seen hours later, shifting and fighting."

"Witchcraft?" Marco asked, raising his eyes to meet his Alpha's once more.

"No idea," Gabriel said. "They keep their borders tight and their secrets even tighter. But something strange is going on there and this visit might be the only way to find out what that is."

"Or to find your missing mate!" Marco teased gently and received a ball of paper to the face for it. Gabriel just shook his head.

"Come on, Gabe," Marco said. "This pack needs a Luna, even if it's just to help run things around here. You have one of the biggest packs in the continent and me, you and Max can't keep doing all the work. It needs a women's touch. And you don't even seem to keep a girlfriend around for long enough for them to pick up some of the slack!"

It was true. Gabriel never kept a bed partner for longer than necessary. He didn't want there to be any issues for his Mate, should he find her, with jealous rivallry or ex-girlfriends. So as soon as any of the girl's started trying to get too close or comfortable at his side, he ended it. Each one was told at the beginning not to expect any commitment or long term relationships, they were merely there as a stress relief and for a fun time. Most of them understood and were happy to oblige, those who didn't were turfed out pretty quickly. His current partner, Hayley, knew that and was quite content to be a booty call only.

Gabriel quickly changed the subject. "Where is Max anyway?"

Marco smirked. "Oh, he said he was off doing 'Gamma duties'." He made air quotation marks with his hands. "But we both know that means he's getting his d**k sucked somewhere." Gabriel chuckled. His Gamma, Max, was a loyal and fierce warrior, but he definitely had a weakness when it came to the ladies.

Marco hopped up onto the desk and leaned back on his hands, twisting his head around to Gabriel.

"So what's the game plan, boss?" he asked, a boyish grin covering his face. Marco may have been in his mid thirties, but he definitely still had a boy-next-door look about him. Blonde hair, bleached even brighter by the time spent out doors and twinkling blue eyes that always seemed alight with excitement, he had found his mate at eighteen, much to the disappointment of a lot of the Pack's females. His fated mate, a petite brunette named Alicia, who looked like a gust of wind, could snap her in two was a born Omega. Her parents were both Omega's working in the pack, and she expected an instant rejection when Marco found out who she was. To her surpise, he accepted her on the spot. None of the high-ranking wolves of the pack, Gabriel included, minded. They all put the Moon Goddesses' wishes through the mate bond higher than rank.

Gabriel sighed, running his hands over his face and up through his thick, dark hair. He was the exact opposite of Marco in every way but build. Dark hair and eyes, matched with an almost permanent scowl, made the Alpha seem terrifying and unapproachable - exactly how Gabriel wanted to appear. Marco had made the mistake of calling him a 'Teddybear' in public - something that had him running laps and pulling double patrol duty for a month. Since then, he saved the nickname for private meetings and when he wanted to wind Gabriel up the most.

"We have to go," Gabriel answered eventually, glancing back at the letter in absolute disgust. "There is no other option..." His voice trailed away as he tipped his head back and stared up at the ceiling.

"Oh, I know that look," Marco exclaimed excitedly. "You have a plan hatching, don't you?" Gabriel just shot him a side-eyed glance and returned to staring at the ceiling, clasping his hands behind his head.

"We need to find out what they're hiding. We need to know what is going on in that pack." Gabriel said, half to himself as his mind raced through a million possible ideas. "And I don't think we can do that in just one day. It is going to take at least two, maybe more. We definitely need to stay the night."

Silence settled over the room whilst Gabriel considered the requirements. Marco went back to staring straight ahead, his hands gripping the desk on either side of his legs. He began swinging his legs, alternating between them as if kicking through the air. He knew interrupting his friend's train of thought was a bad idea. In fact, he often had left the room and come back an hour later to find Gabriel in exactly the same position he had left him, but with no awareness of his Beta's absence.

In fact, he was just contemplating going and finding Alicia for a while when Gabriel slammed his hands down on the table and shouted, "I've got it!"

Marco fell off the table in surprise.