Chapter 5: The Mysterious New Alpha
1132 Words
Chapter 5: The Mysterious New Alpha
(Aiden's POV)
After dropping Caspian and Elara at the pack's training grounds, I drove straight to the Blackwood pack office building.
My Beta, Garrett, was waiting for me in the lobby. His usually calm demeanor was replaced by obvious tension.
"Alpha Aiden," he greeted me, his voice grave. "We have breaking news that requires your immediate attention."
I raised an eyebrow. Garrett wasn't one to panic easily. In the five years when he served as my Beta, I'd rarely seen him this shaken.
"The Alpha of our neighboring territory has changed," he continued. "The Silver Moon pack has a new Alpha!"
My expression changed. The Silver Moon pack was our most crucial ally. The change in their leadership could spell disaster for our alliance.
Garrett handed me his tablet without another word. The headline from the territory's morning newspaper blazed across the screen in bold letters.
"Silver Moon Pack's former Alpha, Valerius, officially announced last night that a new Alpha would take charge of the pack. However, the information about this mysterious new Alpha was not disclosed to the public!"
I read the headline twice, my mind racing. This was worse than I'd initially thought.
"Tell me everything," I commanded, handing the tablet back to him.
Garrett's expression grew even more somber. "Alpha, this development is a devastating blow to our pack. Our five-year protection agreement with the Silver Moon Pack expired just last month."
My jaw clenched. The timing couldn't have been worse.
"The Silver Moon Pack is one of the most powerful packs in the southern territory," Garrett continued. "They've been our most trusted ally for years. Without their protection..."
He didn't need to finish the sentence. We both knew what this meant.
"The Blackwood Pack has been constantly harassed by rogue wolves," I said, my voice tight with frustration. "We've relied heavily on Silver Moon's protection for our stability."
Garrett nodded grimly. "With an unidentified Alpha now in power, the situation is precarious. It's highly likely that the Silver Moon Pack will no longer continue their alliance with us."
My hands clenched into fists. This was exactly the kind of crisis I'd been dreading.
"There's more, Alpha," Garrett added reluctantly. "The previous Alpha, Valerius, has left the territory. No one knows where he's gone."
"Then how can we contact him?" I demanded.
Garrett's next words made my blood run cold. "Only Luna Seraphina might have his personal contact information. She saved Alpha Valerius's Luna years ago, which is what opened the door to our original alliance."
The mention of my mate sent a surge of irritation through me. Everything always came back to Seraphina and her bleeding heart heroics.
The original Silver Moon Pack had pledged five years of protection to us because Seraphina had saved their Luna. It was her healing abilities that had secured our safety.
"Can't the Blackwood Pack survive on its own without Seraphina?" I snapped, my patience finally breaking.
Garrett flinched at my tone but maintained his composure. "Alpha, we need to be realistic about our current military strength..."
"Enough!" I cut him off. "I want you to identify this new Alpha within three days. Use whatever resources necessary."
Garrett bowed his head in submission. "Yes, Alpha. I'll get started immediately."
I strode past him toward my office, my mind churning with frustration and worry. This was not how I'd planned to start my day.
As I entered my office, I found Evelyn already there. She was bent over my desk with her back to me, organizing some documents. Her tight black dress clung to every curve of her body.
The sight of her immediately lifted my mood. As she moved, the fabric outlined her alluring hips perfectly. The urge to rip that dress off and take her right there on the desk was almost overwhelming.
But just as I was about to approach her, my office phone rang. The caller ID showed it was from my house.
Seraphina.
Thinking of her in this moment, especially after the Silver Moon Pack news, sent another flicker of irritation through me. But I forced myself to maintain my facade.
"What's wrong, Seraphina?" I answered, making my voice as gentle as possible.
"Aiden," her voice came through the speaker, sounding oddly calm. "I wanted to talk to you about the garden. I'd like to trim some of the moonlight flowers."
I scoffed inwardly. She'd planted that entire yard of red moonlight flowers for me years ago. Or so I'd let her believe. I figured she'd never be willing to change anything about her precious garden.
"You can decide on all the household matters yourself," I replied tersely, not really caring what she did with those flowers.
Just then, Evelyn deliberately cleared her throat and spoke loud enough for the phone to pick up.
"Alpha, you need to get ready for the morning meeting with the council."
There was a pause on the other end of the line. I expected Seraphina to ask questions or get jealous like she always did. But her response caught me completely off guard.
"I hope your meeting goes well, Aiden. Goodbye."
She hung up.
I stared at the phone in disbelief. Seraphina had hung up on me first. She always waited for me to end our calls, no matter how brief or dismissive I was.
Before I could process this strange behavior further, Evelyn leaned over and touched my arm gently.
"Alpha, did Luna upset you?" she asked, her voice full of concern.
I was about to push her away, unwilling to admit that Seraphina's odd behavior had genuinely unsettled me, when my office door burst open.
Marcus, one of my oldest friends and a fellow Alpha, walked in with his usual cocky grin.
"Well, " he said, looking directly at Evelyn. "Our future Luna is also here."
Evelyn's cheeks flushed red, and she quickly excused herself from the room.
"Marcus, watch your mouth," I rebuked him once we were alone.
He shrugged nonchalantly, unbothered by my warning. "Relax, Aiden. No one was around to hear that."
He moved to change the subject, but his expression suddenly grew serious. "Actually, I'm here on business. We need to talk."
I grabbed a document from my desk and threw it at him, but Marcus deftly dodged it with practiced ease.
"You should know who the new Alpha of Silver Moon pack is, shouldn't you?" he asked, his casual attitude completely gone.
My headache intensified. "I'm already sending people to investigate him."
Marcus leaned closer to me, his voice dropping to a mysterious whisper. "I heard from the Alpha Council that the new Alpha of Silver Moon pack is most likely Alpha Kaelen of the Northern Territory!"
Hearing the name of the Alpha King’s heir, my face fell completely.
- Writer
