Chapter 4 - Meetings

LAMIA

It had been a week since we had discovered the mutilated Clan across the river. It had hit everyone who was there hard and it was an image that was tough to get rid of. There was an unspoken disquietude around MacTire, a wondering of if we would be next. I was confident in our warriors though and assured pack members that if we did fall under attack, they would surely be sorry. It seemed to ease the minds of some but not all.

Every time I heard Petra running the halls of the castle, I was reminded of how she had lost her whole life, her family. Sometimes at night, I would wake from my own nightmares to hear her muffled sobs. For a ten-year-old, she was dealing with the aftermath quite well, despite that everything and everyone she had known was gone. I sometimes wondered if the magnitude of what happened to her Clan had really sunk in, but then I would hear her cries in the night and each night I would go to her. Mrs. Brown had become her permanent caretaker, but I felt myself becoming attached to the little bear more and more as the week passed. My wolf had also taken a shinning to her and I could feel her protectiveness towards Petra whenever we were around her.

I sent a group of warriors back to that Clan the same day. We took photos of the crime scene as well as some of the injuries on the corpses and then had them dig a mass grave and burn the bodies. Hopefully, they will be received by their God and find peace in the afterlife.

 We sent a letter of explanation to the bear king, along with a file of all our findings. I thought it was the right thing to do as the land fell under his kingdom. We had only sent it off a couple of days ago and were still waiting to hear back from him. I didn’t know what he would want to do with Petra either. I was quite happy to have her stay with us and be a part of our pack, but that decision wasn’t up to me. I would ask Petra what she wanted and if she wanted to stay, then I would fight for her.

A knock came at my office door and I called for them to come in. We were to have our weekly conference and I had been waiting on Hunji and Travis to arrive before we video-called the other acting Alphas from our packs.

They both took a seat at the larger table and I grabbed the remote for the large screen that hung on the wall opposite the table. Pressing the button, the screen lit up and began collectively calling each pack. Goddess I loved Damon, who had set this up, he was a fucking genius.

Each leader called out as they came on the screen announcing themselves.

“Golden Circle here”. I saw Brett and Cyrus' faces fill the screen.

“Briarshire here”, Patrick called out.

“Pacific pack present”, Luna Alva announced. I had kept her as Luna, wanting her son to become Alpha when he became of age. She had been as much of a victim as Travis and me and she was a valuable asset and respected in the pack, more so than her late husband and step-daughter.

“Greenfield Pack present Alpha”. I smiled at Jordan. He was a young Beta, his Mother was human and his father was Wolf and they had hated how their previous Alpha enslaved omegas and humans.

“Avon Wilts checking in!” That was Chandra, a chipper, big-cat shifter who managed the small city. Avon Wilts wasn’t a pack but a city we controlled and had placed many businesses within. It was occupied half and half by a mixture of shifters and humans and was home to one of the largest pharmaceutical companies, providing copious amounts of jobs. It is a fast-growing city and was financially responsible for funding most of the packs.

“Lakewood Beta present, Alpha!” Ace’s spirited voice filled the room and I chuckled at the upbeat newly appointed Beta of the pack.

And last but not least, Myrtle Cove. “Myrtle Cove ready, your highness”. Myrtle Cove was a pack right on the coastline. They had actually come to me. The pack had been close allies of the Pacific pack for generations, but their Alpha had run the pack businesses into the ground and started mistreating his members. The beta couple had talked to Luna Alva and, after that, had sought us out and asked for me and my second and third in command to help them. They had been worried about the welfare of the pack and its fast disintegration. They had essentially organized a coup and were more than happy for the pack to be taken over by me and become acting Alpha and Luna. Marion and Nathaniel were good people and cared immensely about the pack. And it didn’t hurt that they had numerous hotels located along the ocean front and wanted to open them up to other packs.

Myrtle Cove was a holiday destination and another place where we have created many jobs and brought wealth to the pack.

“Thank you all for joining us. I have missed you and hope to visit each pack or town as soon as I can, but I know what a fantastic job each and every one of you is doing and know each pack is in good hands. If you could all upload your financials we will start there.” I welcomed everyone.

This was how we always started our meetings. Financials, security, concerns, and then whatever someone wants to add to the agenda. Needless to say, these meetings were always long, boring, and drawn out but necessary. Luckily, the meeting didn’t run as long as it has done in past weeks.

“Thank you all, it was a good meeting. As you know, MacTire will be hosting a function for the first time for the winter solstice. I look forward to seeing each of you next month with the pack members you have chosen to bring. Invitations have been sent out and members of the high council will be attending as well as representatives from the werewolf kingdom. Please make sure you have procedures in place and warriors and law enforcement have clear instructions.” After what happened with the were-bear clan I needed to stress that last point, security being of the utmost importance.

Each person said goodbye and closed out the video call one by one until it was just Chandra left.

“Alpha, I wanted to extend my gratitude for sending Rhett and Ria here. Ria organized the refurbishment of the town hall and had the project underway in a matter of days. She is truly a godsend and I wish I could keep her.” I chuckled at Chandra, knowing that wasn’t the only reason she would want to keep her.

“Of course, glad she could help, and how about Rhett?” I asked.

“He put together a council that everyone is happy with and I think the people of Avon Wilts will be much happier with how the law will be enforced here. They left this morning to return to MacTire and I hope they arrive safely.”

"Thank you, Chandra, your efforts and leadership will not go unnoticed. You have been working very hard and it is appreciated.” I praised her honestly.

“Well, Lamia, if you want to reward me, sending that scrumptious second in command wouldn’t hurt.” She purred with a wink.

I couldn’t help but snort at the bold she-cat, she was the very definition of a sex kitten who liked both men and women, and she liked to tease Ria but made it known how much she would love to get her claws into Hunji.

For a man who showed little to no emotion most of the time, I saw a small blush creep across his face as I cast a glance at him.

“Chandra, only you can make Hunji blush”, I winked at her smirking. “Talk to you soon”, I finished and clicked off the call.

“Hunji’s got a girlfriend”, Travis teased in a sing-song voice. “Hunji and Chandra sitting in a tree K-I-S….”

“Finish that and I will give your Alpha ass a whooping to remember” Hunji gritted at Travis. It was funny because Hunji had been an instructor at the Alpha academy and Travis would never have spoken to him like that there. Hunji was a little older than us by about ten years, in his early 30s, but had the wisdom of a much older and seasoned wolf. I guess all his traveling and time with the priests had given him a good set of morals and knowledge.

“Oh my god you two, piss off so I can call Kellen and Mike please; go deal with your bromance somewhere else” I laughed at them, waving my hands to shoo them out of the office.

*****

“Beautiful!” Kellen answered the video call with a wide grin and seconds later Mike's handsome face and cheeky hazel eyes filled the screen.

Two years had changed so much between us, not enough that we were still close.

“Lamia, aren’t you a sight for sore eyes!” Mike exclaimed.

“Boys, how have you been? I miss you like crazy!” I admitted.

“You could always come home, you know…” Kellen began and I scoffed “Don’t scoff at me! We all miss you, it hasn’t been the same without you, plus you didn’t even come back for our 20th birthday!”

It was true, since our eighteenth birthday I hadn’t gone back to the palace, only once for Kellen’s Alpha initiation. I celebrated my 19th birthday a couple of months after leaving Golden Circle when I had been traveling the realm. It just wasn’t the same anymore. I gave them a weak smile.

“Well, you will see me next month at the winter solstice ball we are hosting here.” I grimaced. I hated hosting parties, and everyone knew I would never have been a Luna who was a party planner like the ranked women of the palace.

“I called for two things, other than seeing both your handsome faces”, I changed the subject and leaned back in my chair, propping my feet up on the corner of my desk. Some days I loved being my own boss, other days, most days it sucked having to deal with so much shit. “One: Has tawny left yet? I couldn’t get a hold of her on the phone.”

“Yep, she left this morning, so she should be with you either late tomorrow night or early the following day, depending on the drive.” Mike supplied.

“Awesome!” I happily grinned, becoming excited about my best friend’s arrival. “The second thing was; did you get a chance to look at the file I sent over?”

Kellen lent back and ran a hand through his sandy brown hair, a look of perplexity on his face, while Mike shifted uncomfortably and scratched the back of his neck.

“Yah we got it Lam’s” Kellen let out a heavy sigh. “That was really fucked up; do you have any idea who did this to the Clan?” I shook my head no. “How close was this Clan to your territory?” He asked.

“About a two-hour run from the river,” I replied.

“I don’t like this Lamia, it's way too close to you!” Mike gritted with a hint of anger in his voice, but concern showed on his face.

“The arrow we found was the same design and material as the one that killed Zane.” I ignored Mike’s statement and felt a pang in my chest just saying his name, not from pain but sorrow. “We think, no, we are pretty sure it is Oliver. When examining the bodies, Hunji and one of our coroners said they found wounds conducive to bear claws as well as a wolf. Some were too mangled to tell which shifter had caused the wounds.”

They were silent for a few moments while they gathered their thoughts and mulled over the information. I was pretty sure they linked each other. I sat patiently waiting for their input. It almost felt like Deja Vu, talking about the attacks, though this attack was on a much nastier level. It almost seemed personal yet random.

“I think you should come home, where we can protect you,” Kellen said and I scoffed. “I’m not joking, Lamia…”

“Come on, I can protect myself better than anyone”. I cut him off. “Besides, MacTire has over three thousand members with an army of eighteen hundred shifters. And that’s just the warriors, countless members can fight too. Oh and did you know I am surrounded by several mountains?” I shot back in defense, but I wasn’t done yet. “I have control of four other packs, each fortified with their warriors and Hunters and with early warning systems in place.”

The boys groaned on the other end of the video call. The fact was, my army had grown bigger than that of the Royal pack and I had made a lot of outside alliances with smaller independent shifter packs outside of any kingdom. I wasn’t just limited to werewolf packs. There were a few Clowders’ (were-cat packs) that operated outside of the were-cat kingdom and I had also acquired an alliance with a fair number of were-bear tribes (smaller than a clan), thanks to Hunji. They may not be big packs, but they were alliances nevertheless.

As my mind traveled to the thoughts of how far I had come in just over two years, Kellen and Mike began talking about things that were happening in the palace and my old friends.

“…Lamia? ... Lamia?” Mike jostled me out of my thoughts.

“Mmm, yes, sorry, what were you saying?” I said, still gazing into space.

“Nothing important. We were saying how we were excited to see you next month for your first ball at MacTire.” Kellen said drawing my line of sight back to the screen on my phone, “Also, I am looking forward to meeting this Hunter Rhett, you speak so highly of.” He smiled but I could see the tension in his face.

“Rhett is just a friend, nothing for you two to be jealous of” And giggled at them. I wondered what they would think if they knew of mine and Travis’ arrangement.

We spoke for a few more minutes and I hung up with the promise to call them once Tawny had left for her second leg to the big cat kingdom.

I found my way to the ground floor kitchen, where Mrs. Brown and Petra were preparing a meal.

“What are we having tonight?” I asked, scooping Petra up into my arms and kissing her head.

“Alpha, we are making roast beef with potatoes and steamed veggies! Will you be joining us tonight?” She asked hopefully. I nodded and her bright brown eyes shone with excitement.

The three of us sat together, enjoying the rare occasion of having a meal together. The conversation was light and mostly with Petra telling me about how many friends she had made at school on her first day.

I couldn’t help but smile at the brave little girl who was beaming with pride, despite her losing everyone she loved and knew such a short time ago. It made me remember when I could bounce back like that, not letting anything bother me or get under my skin. I wondered how much of it was a front for covering up the sadness that still lingered in her eyes. All we could do is help her adjust and provide her with care and love. And this little girl had found a special place in my heart.

“Alpha?” Petra’s sweet little voice grabbed my attention, breaking me free and bringing me back to the present. I turned to her, giving her my full awareness. “The other kids at school said you are a queen and because I live with you I am a princess now. Is that true?” She was sheepish about her words.

“Did they now?” I smirked playfully at her and she nodded vigorously. I tapped my lap, gesturing for her to come and sit with me as I moved my chair out a little; she eagerly accepted and hoisted herself onto my knees, sitting sideways like a little babe. “Would you like to be a princess?” I asked.

“Hmmm, I’m not sure. Would I have to kiss a prince?” her little finger pressing against her lip thinking about it. “Because I don’t like boys too much”, I laughed.

“I didn’t like boys at your age either, at least not to kiss.” I was still thinking about how to answer her first question when Travis and Hunji walked through the kitchen door.

“Hey, Princess!” Travis called out to Petra and she scooted off my lap and flung herself into Travis’ arms. I watched as he picked her up and swung her around before depositing her back on the ground. “Did my princess have an awesome day?” he asked while bending to her level and bopping her nose.

Once she broke away from Travis she turned to wrap her little arms around Hunji, who bent down on one knee and produced a small bunch of flowers for her from behind his back. “For you little princess”, he proclaimed, giving her one of his rare smiles, and not just a half-cocked one, one that lit up his whole face and even had his dark eyes lightening a little.

No wonder the girl was confused as to whether she was a princess or not. The way these two treated her, she was already a princess.

“Come on Petra, it’s time for a bath and bed. Say good night to everyone.” Mrs. Brown chirped.

“Good night Alpha, goodnight Uncle Travis, night uncle Hunji. Thank you for the flowers!” She said, holding the violas in her hand and grabbing Mrs. Brown's hand with the other as they exited the kitchen.

“Uncle's?” I queried with a raised eyebrow and laughed at their shifting feet and eyes, clearly uncomfortable. “Yah I get it, she has that effect on me too.” I giggled, letting them off the hook from any teasing I was planning on dishing out. They both let out little puffs of air in relief when they realized I wasn’t going to make fun of them.

“What are you two up to anyway?” I changed the subject, tucking in my chair.

“We just had dinner with the pack, you should try it sometime.” Hunji tried swaying me.

“Maybe tomorrow” I replied, putting my head down like there was something interesting on the floor. The truth was; I felt weird having to sit with ‘my pack’. Even after two years, I sometimes found it hard to accept that I was Alpha to different shifters and although most of the bear shifters in MacTire were saved and given new hope by me, I still couldn’t quite let myself be at ease around the males. As soon as I scented them, it would rear those ugly memories up.

Of course, I valued all my pack members and treated them all equally, but, there was still an uneasiness that I felt when around the male bear shifters in a social setting. Commanding? No problem, but socializing? Not so much.

“I’m going to head out for a run, I’ll see you later,” I said as I began heading for the door, Travis caught me by the elbow, stopping me from running off, because that’s what I was doing, running from the conversation. Running from the truth, that I was no leader.

“Do you want me to go with you?” I looked up into Travis’ eyes as they searched my face, looking to see if I was OK. I offered a small smile and pulled my elbow from his grasp. His light brown orbs offered me compassion.

“No…” I whispered before shaking the inferior feeling “You couldn’t keep up”, I said with a more teasing voice.