The Alpha and His Rogue (Book 3 of Forest Wold Series)

The Council Manor

Alex’s POV 

   My week had flown by quickly and uneventfully. It was time to travel to the Council manor for my meeting with all the other Alphas tomorrow. I had mixed feelings about this meeting I was heading to. I was irritated that I had to go, but I was also eager to see if there would be a solution to my pack's problem with crop growth. 

   I had packed my overnight bag and was getting ready to leave the packhouse with it in hand. I walked out of my office door after getting some paperwork that I needed as Landon was walking down the hall to his office. He would be handling all of his work plus overseeing the pack while I was gone. It was a lot for one person to handle but he always managed to get things done. 

   “Have fun on your trip,” he tells me with a grin. 

   “Sure. Meetings are always fun. Oh, don’t forget to bathe my cat while I’m gone,” I say as I turn the corner and head for the door. 

   “I’ll make sure to try and find it first,” he yells after me. 

   I walked out of the packhouse laughing and went straight to my car. I didn’t have a cat and it didn’t need to be bathed. It was a sick joke that we liked to talk about. Cats and werewolves didn't really get along and cats hate water, so it was funny.  

   I climbed into my car and quickly drove to the airport. While driving I considered what all this meeting could accomplish. We needed to find a way to fix whatever this issue was and go from there. I wondered who else was suffering like we currently were. 

   I parked and boarded my plane ready to get to the other side of the country to start this weekend of long meetings. The flight was going to take six hours so I would be one of the last Alphas to get there today. During the flight, I worked, watched TV and took a nap. There wasn’t much else I could do. 

   When we landed I was happy to get off the plane and into the SUV that was waiting there for me. I needed to stretch my legs as much as possible. Being stuck on a plane with little room to move around sucked. 

   The SUV took me to the manor grounds in a flash. I honestly enjoyed going through and looking at the gated community here with its spacious area, white stone buildings and large trees. It was a nice change of scenery and it was beautiful here as always. I mean my pack area is beautiful, but I just enjoy seeing new things every once in a while. 

   The vehicle stopped at the front door and I climbed out to go inside. An attendant showed me straight to my room for the night. I went into my room and put my bag down on the large comfortable bed. I unpacked and listened to the TV while I waited for an attendant to come to get me for dinner. 

   I placed my bathroom stuff on the counter in the bathroom and then hung my suits up so they wouldn’t wrinkle. It wasn't long after that and I was notified that dinner was being served. I made my way down to the dining room to sit and eat with Curt and Nicky as usual during these meetings. 

   Nicky has blond hair and dark brown eyes. She’s my cousin and is snippy as always. I was surprised that she ended up as a Luna. She was a pain in the ass and I worried that she would lead the most militarily sound pack to the ground. Surprisingly she hasn’t messed things up for Crimson Moon. What makes me more surprised is that Curt even kept her as his Luna. They don’t really get along.  

   Curt is a tall Alpha built from stone. He has dirty blond hair with light brown eyes. He was the military leader at Crimson Moon and they were the best. Learning tactics from him was every young Alpha’s dream. He had years of war and battle knowledge that anyone would be afraid to listen to, but was still intrigued by it. 

   While I sat there with them in the dining hall I saw Cameron, Duncan, Ivan and BJ all eating together. I wondered what those four had been up to recently. I wasn’t very close with any of them and I’m sure Duncan was still a little sore with how I left his pack when I had visited. 

   “So what’s new?” Curt asked me as he took a bite of dinner. 

   “Really nothing. Other than the crop issues we have had for several months, nothing has changed. What about you?” I asked. 

   “We’ve had an increase in rogue sightings more recently,” he says. 

   “Do you two always have to talk business?” Nicky hisses at us. 

   We both looked at her with raised eyebrows. I shook my head at her and looked around the room. Dave and Brian were sitting at a table together with their mates Jenn and Claire. Dean and Jack were off talking at a table together at the front of the room. 

   Our table fell into silence as we ate since Nicky was in one of her moods. After we ate dinner, Jenn, Claire and Nicky headed back to their rooms while the Alphas all headed to a pub in the town. This was the same pub the Alphas had been going to from the council since before I was the Alpha of my pack. My dad would come here with the other Alphas to drink but I’m not sure if my grandfather did.  

   When we got there, we got tables and sat down. We all ordered our drinks and started having a good time. I ordered a dark Samual Adams beer. Damn it tasted good. I don’t drink very often so this was nice. I didn’t like getting drunk and letting my guard down.   

   After our first couple of drinks I can tell our tables are having a great time talking and laughing about past times and good stories. It was always nice to hear new stories or reminisce with this group. Stories brought us together and meetings tore us apart. 

   Suddenly, I watch as Cameron quickly stands up and goes outside the pub. I see Duncan, BJ and Ivan all trailing after him. I wondered what was up with them but didn’t want to pry. The four of them soon left the pub early while the rest of us stayed and had a few more drinks. 

   “So Curt any more pups in your future with that mate of yours,” Dave asked. 

   “Nope. One son is enough. Grayson keeps me busy enough,” Curt answers. 

   “You three,” Dave says pointing at me, Jack and Dean, “are the last three in this group that still haven’t found your mates.” 

   Last time it was four of us. That means Cameron had found his mate finally. It took him long enough. I hope it doesn’t take me that long to find my mate. Of the younger generation of Alpha’s, Cameron is one of the oldest. 

   “Sometimes it’s more difficult than one would think,” Dean says, a little irritated.

   He had been looking in the northern packs for his Luna and was having no success in finding her. He needed to check the other packs too. I had a few more I needed to visit to look for mine. 

   “That it is,” Jack huffs out. 

   Jack was a bit of a workaholic so it didn’t surprise me that he hadn’t found his mate. He wasn’t looking very hard for her. Rumor has it that he has an ex-girlfriend he has considered naming his Luna. It would be bad if he did that and then found his Luna. How would he work that issue with his pack and then his mate. 

   “Don’t think you're lost just because you haven’t found her yet, guys. Sometimes after you find her you just want to strangle the life out of her,” Curt says. 

   I laugh. My cousin can be more than mean sometimes. If she’s mean to me I can only imagine the hell that he goes through with her. Why he never rejected her is beyond me. She is lucky that he didn’t and that she became his Luna.

   “I don’t envy you with Nicky,” I tell him. 

   “And you shouldn’t. I hope by the Moon Goddess you guys get a kinder Luna than mine. Then again we needed a strong stubborn ass like her,” Curt says. 

   We all keep talking and drink a few more rounds before heading back to the manor for the night. The ride back was filled with laughter as we kept talking in the vehicle while an attendant drove our drunk asses. When we entered the manor I tried not to stumble down the hallway in the dark to my room but I did. Several times in fact. I might have had a little too much. 

   I was so glad when I entered my room and shut the door. I was able to shed all of my clothes and crawl into bed. I didn’t fall asleep tonight. I gracefully passed out.