Chapter One

Liam’s P.O.V

The pack house was loud and busy with excitement, members rushing around making sure everything was ready for our guests. For me the morning felt like it was never going to end, I had been roped in to helping Alpha Joseph and Luna Elizabeth prepare for the arrival of the neighbouring packs Alpha and his family. Alpha James Morgan was the best friend and most trusted in my Alphas circle, and the leader of the only other pack that mirrored ours in size and strength. My pack, the Blood River pack was led by our current Alpha Joseph Anderson, and Luna Elizabeth. They were the embodiment of perfect mates they were equals in every way, they consulted each other before making any decision and were always united and strong, I envied what they shared. Their son Isaac would soon to take over, on his 21^st birthday in just two weeks. Isaac still hadn’t found his mate, which meant he would take over alone for now and hopefully find his mate soon. We all know you are stronger with the other part of your soul. Although he is only weeks away from taking over this pack, he did not think being here to greet Alpha James and his family was important enough to postpone his bachelor trip with his future Beta, Leo. Honestly, he was on officially business, in order to take over he needed make a claim to the council and sign the official paperwork.  I was just pissed because I lost the coin toss to Leo, that decide who got to go with him, and now I am stuck here playing babysitter to Alpha James daughter. No one knows much about her the Alpha keeps her pretty much in his pack lands sheltered and spoilt, I did not want to be here looking after her for the next 2 weeks. Me personally I would much rather be on the Gold Coast, with Isaac and Leo, drinking myself stupid and screwing hot woman. Which is what Isaac and Leo are currently doing and thinking it was hilarious to send me pictures constantly updating me on what I was missing.

Ding. Ding. My phone vibrated in my pocket, cursing internally knowing who the message was from before even looking.

Great another picture of the two of them by the pool while some hot topless women serve them food, and here I am standing by the dining room door waiting for the spoilt uptight princess. Groaning and rubbing my hands down my face how did I get so bloody unlucky to lose that coin toss, oh well it is what it is, hopefully she’s at least hot.

“Liam, if you are just going to stand there looking annoyed you can at least help me move these tables, and finish setting the room up for the welcome lunch” Luna Elizabeth ordered unimpressed with my current temper tantrum.

“Yes Luna” I was always respectful to my Alpha and Luna, they had taken me in as a boy when my parents died, they were like second parents to me. The next hour was spent being barked at to move things and chastised when I did it wrong until she eventually told me to go back to standing at the door looking annoyed.

“I know you are upset you couldn’t go with the boys on the trip but can you at least stop acting like a 3-year-old plus you get to spend the next 2 weeks getting to know Lucy, the Morgan’s daughter, she is lovely and I am sure the two of you will enjoy yourselves” Luna Elizabeth said with a small smirk.

“Sorry Luna” was all I could say she was right I was acting like a child if I was stuck here, I would try to make the most of it, maybe Lucy wouldn’t be that bad. She had only just turned 18 and was the daughter of the Alpha who was extremely protective and shielded her from the world, that’s all I really knew about her. Maybe she would surprize me, but I doubted it.

“Alpha James has just entered the pack lands” one of our border worriers informed us through mind link.

“Thank you, Samuel,” Alpha Joseph answered, shortly after which he descended the stairs joining his Luna and me.

The front door crashed open with a bang “Joseph it’s been to long olf friend” a loud booming voice echoed through the packhouse, I knew it was Alpha James, he was a large intimidating man, wide as he was tall, all muscle and scary as hell. He always spoke in a volume that was meant for the training hall not inside a home, LOUD. The Alphas greeted each other and the Luna’s embraced and spoke like old friends, I think this is the first time I had seen them in over 10 years.

“And who is this handsome young man, is this Isaac?” Luna Eva asked embracing me in a warm hug.

“Sadly, Isaac had to attend the council meeting on the Gold Coast about his upcoming Alpha ceremony, this is his future Gamma, Liam” Luna Elizabeth answered.

“Oh yes, Liam, I remember when you were only a young boy, well might I say you have grown up to be quit a dashing young man” Luna Eva said squeezing my shoulders softly.

“Liam, is this Jeff’s boy?” Alpha James asked with raised eyebrows

“Yes, he is” Alpha Joseph held sadness in his voice, James approached me placing his large hands on my shoulders and bowed his head.

“Your parents were good people, strong and fearless, and very much missed” he said looking me in the eye, I couldn’t answer so I just nodded and looked down.

“Well James, where is my god daughter, I haven’t seen the girl since she was 8, and I want to see if she grew up to look as beautiful as her mother” Joseph embraced Eva, and a soft growl left James lips. Alphas and all their possessiveness, seriously. Joseph just found it amusing so did the Lunas, I laughed internally, because well James scared the crap out of me. 

“She is always attached to her camera and apparently, she spotted something that caught her eye out in the front garden, all I heard was something about the perfect light and then she was gone, it happens” Eva answered chuckling and continued “she has become an amazing photographer, not that she would admit it, you should ask to see her pictures”. 

Shortly after the door opened quietly and in walked a small girl, no not a girl a young woman, I knew it must be Lucy, her looks mirrored her mother, and she had a camera around her neck, looking through something on the screen at the back. She skipped happily with a smile spread across her face, a smile that would bring cities to their knees, I hadn’t realised I stopped breathing until Alpha Joseph patted me on my back and chuckled, clearly amused at my reaction. Regardless of all the eyes on me I couldn’t take mine off of her, I was instantly drawn to her, she wasn’t my mate, I knew that much. But hell, if she wasn’t the most beautiful person, I had ever seen in my life. With her light brown curly mess of a hair that looked unbrushed wild and untamed. Her full rounded face and eyes that sparkled from across the room, they were golden and captivated by whatever she was looking at. Normally I would be checking out the rest of her body but I just could not stop looking at her eyes. The clearing of a throat brought me out of whatever trance I was in, and I noticed two very amused Lunas looking at me, one Alpha laughing and shaking his head and another Alpha looking like he wanted to rip out my throat.

“Sorry” I said looking down at the floor.

“You cannot blame the boy, James, she has indeed grown into a stunning young woman, I see now why you hide her away from all the unmated young wolves” Alpha Joseph was finding this way to amusing, Lucy hadn’t even noticed us standing there she was to intrigued by the images on her camera. We were all staring at the girl when she stopped muttering to yourself and looked up. When she noticed us, all looking at her, her cheeks turned a slight shade of pink clearing embarrassed to be the centre of attention.

“Oh, hi” she said shyly, “sorry you have the most beautiful garden in the front yard and the way the light was hitting the roses was magnificent, and then a bunch of butterflies were landing and I got caught up in taking pictures I did not mean to keep you all waiting for me” her voice was soft and small, clearly not wanting to inconvenience anyone. While they all exchanged pleasantries, hugging her and telling her how beautiful she had grown to be, I finally tore my eyes from her face to observe the rest of her. She was short but not overly so, my head would rest on hers perfectly without bending, her light blue sun dress reached mid-thigh, revealing her perfect toned milky white legs, the sudden thought of having her wrapping them around me entered my mind and I shut that down, if Alpha James wanted to rip out my throat for looking at her, he defiantly would if I touched her.  Suddenly being stuck her with her for the next two weeks didn’t sound so bad.

“Lucy this is Liam, he is our sons future Gamma, and like a son to us, he will be looking after you while you are here, if you have any questions or need anything you can ask him” Luna Elizabeth introduced us, Lucy placed her hand in mine, and shook it.

“Its nice to meet you Liam” she spoke, to me, and my voice was lost, in my entire 21 years on this earth never had I ever been lost for words or been so affected by a woman. Clearly, I was drawn to her and clearly, she affected me, but she wasn’t my mate, I didn’t know what was happening to me. But when I felt her hand in mine, I never wanted to let it go. Up close I could see her eyes, big golden orbs, dark kind of amber that reminded me of the sweetest honey, I could get lost in those eyes forever. A loud growl tore me out of my admiration of her features, and we all turned to see Alpha James staring at us and he looked pissed. Stalking towards us like a vicious predator, no worse a protective father, I took an involuntary step away from Lucy.   

“Do you not have any young women that you could have look after her instead Elizabeth” Alpha James questioned causing a chuckle form his mate.

“Seriously James she is 18 let the girl have some fun with this charming and handsome young man, you can not shield her from life forever” Luna Eva patted him gently trying to convince him this was a good idea. His deadly eyes locked onto mine and an unvoluntary shiver ran down my spine.     

“I will warn you once and once only boy, any part of you that touches her will be permanently removed from your body, are we clear?” He growled over me, if he meant to scare the crap out of me, mission accomplished.

“Yes sir,” I bowed my head showing respect, this was the time to be smart and careful, he was clearly seeing my attraction and reaction to her and was not happy about it.

“Dad, seriously, he didn’t even do anything you need to stop” Lucy placed her hand on her fathers’ arm and he looked at her softening slightly, and returned her smile, before glaring back at me. Then her mother spoke up

“James honestly, relax sweetheart, come on let’s get settled, Elizabeth has prepared a beautiful welcome lunch for us all, you remember the last one with those chocolate tarts you loved she made them again” this seemed to get his attention, before I knew it, they were being led away towards the guest suits on the floor below the Alpha’s, reserved for other Alpha’s that visit and important guests. Me, I was left standing there like an idiot trying to catch my breath.

When my phone started ringing, looking down at the caller ID, I was suddenly annoyed.

“what” I answered.

“Whoa, what the hell is your problem man, still pissed Leo got to come and you didn’t” Isaacs’s voice sounded amused and a little drunk, seriously it was noon.

“Whatever, did you want something I have things to do” I wasn’t in the mood, suddenly wanting to go find Lucy.

“Yeah, about that, how is the princess, as big of a spoilt pain in the arse as we thought she would be” his words annoyed me more then I would like to admit, before I knew it, I growled at him, followed by silence and the sound of him sucking in breath. He was clearly shocked I would do that, not because he is my future Alpha and above me in rank but because he is like my brother. “Is she your mate” he asked, it was an obvious question, because why else would I act like that, I heard jealously in his voice. As much as he like screwing around he always wanted his mate, and longed for the day he found her.

“No, she isn’t” was all I could say, man I wanted her to be.

“Wow well she must be hot if you’re getting all hot and bothered over her and she isn’t your mate, send me a picture” He laughed and i heard the clinking of glasses in the background, followed by Leo chuckling.

“Did you want something, or just called to piss me off” I was losing my patience.

“Just wanted to piss you off, but since you’re being a little bitch about it, I will let you go back to the spoilt pain in the arse princess you’re clearly pining for, but seriously dude send me a picture” He can be such a dick when he wanted to. Not bothering to answer him i just hung up. Then I heard them all returning down the stairs towards the dinning room. Just the sight of her walking down the stairs had me suddenly lost for words again. How the hell am I going to survive these two weeks, when all I wanted to do was to pull her to me and kiss her till, we both forgot we had mates out there waiting for us.