Chapter Four

Greyson's POV

The sound of my fists colliding with the punching bag echoed loudly in the empty gym. I kept my eyes fixed on the bag as I continued pummeling it with my fists, it was not until I noticed a liquid like stain on the black material that was used to cover the punching bag that I stopped.

I looked down at my hands and saw that they were bare and bloody. In my anger and frustration, I had barged into the gym and began pummeling the punching bag without remembering to put on boxing gloves.

"Damn it" I sighed as I flexed my sore and bloody fingers, they would heal soon but just looking at them was making my already bad mood even worse.

I walked up to my gym bag and pulled my towel out before wiping off the blood from my hands. I disposed of the towel and sat on one of the benches, holding my head with my hands.

I couldn't even recall what had put me in such a bad mood this early in the day. I just kept having a nagging feeling at the back of mind that something wasn't right. Even my wolf was on edge, I could practically feel him pacing back and forth in my head and it was starting to give me a headache.

Why the hell was I so worked up?

You would think having lived for twenty-one years would make me more than capable of controlling my emotions and remaining calm but apparently, that definitely isn't the case.

My phone buzzed from my gym bag and I pulled it out. It was an incoming call from my Beta - Dean. I swiped right to answer it

"Talk to me" I said immediately and I heard him scoff

"Why do you always have to say that first every time you pick up a call? Just so you know, it doesn't make you sound cool. It's really lame"

I growled lowly in my throat

"Tell me what you want, Dean. I'm in no mood for your games today"

"You're never in a mood for my games, Greyson. You act like you always wake up on the wrong side of the bed every single day"

I rubbed my temple, praying to the Moon goddess to grant me divine patience to deal with my childish and immature Beta without killing him.

"I repeat, what do you have to tell me?" I hissed through gritted teeth but he merely scoffed again.

This is why you should never appoint your best friend as your second-in-command. They will have absolutely no fear and respect for you.

"Well, I have to give you the monthly reports and you're not in your office so......"

"I'm on my way" I said and hung up. I got on my feet and headed straight to the showers where I had a quick one and changed into fresh clothes. I slung my gym bag over one shoulder and walked out of the gym, heading straight for the packhouse where my office was located.

The packhouse was just a three minute walk from the gym so I left my truck behind, deciding my legs could use the excercise.

As I walked, I was greeted by every pack member that I passed. Being the Alpha of the most populous pack in the state meant that there was no way I could know each and every member by their faces. I could only recognize them through their scent.

I responded as politely as I could to every greeting and hurriedly turned the corner that led to the packhouse. I walked up to the front door and pushed it open before stepping in. I looked around, the foyer and the living room were deserted. Not a single person in sight.

They were probably all hung over from last night's bonfire and were sleeping it off. One thing our pack knew how to do was have a really good time once in a while to help us remain sane.

I climbed the stairs, taking two at a time so I could get to my office faster. I walked up to the door, pulled it open and stepped inside.

Dean and my Gamma - Wesley were seated on the chairs in front of the huge mahogany desk that I worked on. Wesley and Dean both got on their feet when they saw me

"Good afternoon, Alpha Greyson" Wesley greeted, tilting his head to show submission

"Where were you?" Dean queried instead with a mischievous smile playing on his lips. Nevertheless, he still tilted his head slightly

I scoffed at him and walked to my chair behind the desk before sitting on it. They waited until I was settled before sitting again

"Let's get down to business" I said and glanced at them

I narrowed my eyes at Wesley's appearance, he was looking haggard today. Like he had dragged himself out of bed to be here, his hair looked matted and unwashed, his clothes were mismatched and looked like he had just grabbed the first things he could reach in his closet. Not to mention the bags under his eyes.

"Hmm" I hummed and trailed my gaze to Dean, he looked well rested and clean definitely way better than Wesley

"Wesley, you look like shit" I pointed out "I'm guessing you had the time of your life at last night's bonfire?"

Wesley chuckled nervously, scratching his head

"Er....yes. Forgive me Alpha Greyson but I'm kind of nursing a killer hangover right now"

I chuckled silently

"You don't say" then I turned to Dean

"How come you look fine? I'm sure you were at the bonfire too"

Dean smiled mischievously again

"Indeed I was, my dear Alpha Greyson. But I, however, only had one bottle of beer and left for bed at midnight before the main party even started"

I arched a brow

"Oh yeah?"

He nodded

"Yep"

"And why did you do such a responsible thing? It's so unlike you" I asked in a taunting voice

He narrowed his eyes at me playfully

"Excuse me, I'm a very responsible adult"

"Hmm" I nodded, pretending to agree as Wesley tried to hide his smile

"And besides," Dean continued "I knew I had to be sober and well rested because I needed to be here today to give you these"

He raised an envelope and waved it in the air before placing it on the desk

"The pack's monthly report" he announced and I picked up the envelope. I pulled the papers that were inside out and began glancing through them as Dean and Wesley thankfully remained quiet.

I nodded in satisfaction after glancing through the last page

"Everything looks good, we're doing well. Good job to you two"

They bowed their heads in gratitude

"So is there anything else we need to discuss?" I asked as I began tidying up some papers on my desk to make it look organized. I paused and looked up at Dean when he suddenly gasped and snapped his fingers

"Oh right! One of the unmated males found their mate last night at the bonfire"

Wesley whipped his head around to look at Dean so quickly I'm surprised he didn't get whiplash

"Yeah, I was there when it happened. The she-wolf had just turned eighteen that very night and they just found each other at the bonfire like magnets" He rasped excitedly

"Are you two seriously gossiping like women right now?" I frowned

Wesley immediately apologized but Dean let out a huff

"You're just mad because you also haven't found your mate. But don't worry, we're all in the same boat. The three of us are yet to find our missing ribs" he said and Wesley let out a wistful sigh

I shook my head at them

"Unlike you two, I don't spend all my time daydreaming about my mate. The colour of hair, her eyes and the sound of her voice. Sappy stuff like that"

Dean tsked at me

"You're such a brood, I feel bad for your mate. But I'm pretty sure the moon goddess will give you someone that can handle you, like a tough badass she-wolf that will kick your ass every time you act up. Someone like you wouldn't have the patience to deal with a damsel in distress type"

I grunted

"I hope you're right because our pack doesn't need a weak Luna and I certainly don't want to add protecting my mate to the list of things I'll be doing for the rest of my life"

Wesley smiled wistfully "You say that now, Alpha Greyson"

I arched a brow and was about to ask him what he meant when we heard a sharp knock on the door

"Alpha Greyson?" a voice I quickly recognized as Peyton's - an Omega that worked closely with me, called out from the other side of the door

"Come in, Peyton" I ordered and he quickly stepped inside the office

"Alpha Greyson" he tilted his head in respect and greeting

I nodded at him

"Talk to me"

"We just received a call from the Alpha of the Silver Moon pack. They found a mutilated body of a male wolf close to their border and they're asking for our help to find what did it"

Dean furrowed his brows

"Why us?"

Peyton bowed slightly to him

"Because the male wolf was a member of our pack"

The room fell into a deafening silence. Dean and Wesley exchanged worried glances as I tried to digest the bad news.

A member of our pack was killed? What or who was fearless enough to do such a thing?

My wolf growled in anger in my head as I clenched my fists. Someone was trying to anger us by taking the life of one of our own. They had to pay for what they have done.

I looked up at Peyton

"Do they have any idea of what could have done it?"

Peyton bit his lip anxiously

"No, Alpha Greyson. They have no clue, they're waiting for your response. What should I tell them?"

I exhaled a shaky breath, trying to rein in my anger

"Tell them we're coming to investigate ourselves"

Peyton's eyes widened as Dean and Wesley sat up straighter in their seats

"We leave for the Silver Moon pack in two days. I'll give you a list of those that will be going so you can notify them privately" I said to Peyton and he nodded

"As you wish, Alpha Greyson"

"Greyson" Dean called and I shifted my gaze to him "Are you sure about this? Us going to the Silver Moon pack?"

"Of course I'm sure. One of our pack members was killed, we can't just sit here and do nothing. We need to find out what or who did it"

"But, Alpha Greyson" Wesley said "You don't need to go yourself, we can just send Peyton and a specially chosen team along with the priestess to go there and find out what we need"

I slammed my clenched fist on the desk and all three of them flinched, quickly bowing their heads in submission

"I'm going and that's it. End of discussion" I growled

"Yes, Alpha Greyson" they all chorused.