Chapter Four

Myla’s POV

I led Cobalt to the packhouse. People whispered as we strolled by trying to guess why I had such a young boy following me to the packhouse instead of the jail. Finally, Barrett’s voice came through the pack link, “Alpha, has it happened? Have you found your mate?” The excitement in his voice irritated me.

“No,” I answered back not bothering to hide my annoyance. "76I found a member of the Moon Eclipse pack lost on my territory. I am doing the honorable thing by offering him safe refuge while we make arrangements to return him to his pack.” I could feel the disappointment through the pack link.

“Oh, ok, I will get a guest room ready.” With that, I closed the link.

I opened the door to the packhouse and stepped aside letting Cobalt enter. On a table next to the door was a fresh pair of basketball shorts. “Here, put these on,” I said handing them to Cobalt who was looking around in astonishment.

“Wow, this place is beautiful,” he chirped excitedly. “Our packhouse is so dark and dreary all the time. Alpha doesn’t bother to make it feel like a home.” He looked at me with a look of amazement. “You must really care about your pack’s happiness.”

I smiled at him. I did care about their happiness but, I had left all the decorating to Jade. I wasn’t much for finding colors and paint to make a place feel comfortable. “I care but, all the credit goes to my Beta’s mate. She decorated and ordered everything.” I had to admit, our packhouse was gorgeous. It was a mix of medieval meets comfort. I don’t know how she did it but, it all fits as though it was always supposed to go together. “Are you hungry?” I asked already knowing the answer.

“Yes, I am starving,” he replied, hopeful for a bite to eat.

“Lunch will be served in about 20 minutes. You are welcome to eat in the dining hall.” I turned to see a girl with brown eyes and brown hair walking toward us. “Hey, Jade. I was hoping you could watch over our guest here.” I watched her face for an answer.

“Hey Myla, yes of course. Is he a prisoner?” she asked quizzically.

“No. I found him lost in the woods. He belongs to the Moon Eclipse pack. He was separated on his way back to their pack lands from a wedding.”

“Oh, I see,” she smiled at me.

“What?” I asked curiously as to the grin she had plastered on her face.

“Nothing Myla. It’s just, well it’s nice to know you still have your maternal instincts is all.” She chuckled at the startled look on my face.

I hadn’t thought of that. The realization hit me like a ton of bricks. That was why everyone had been whispering as we passed. They were happy to see their Alpha could still be a mother figure. Well, that will cost them, I thought to myself as I crossed my arms over my chest.

Barrett clearing his throat made me snort.

“Where did you come from?” I growled knowing he had read my mind. It was part of the reason he is my Beta.

“Don’t worry Alpha, you will still be the fierce, threatening Alpha we all love.” He burst out laughing.

I shot him a warning glare, but he laughed anyway. He knew I would never hurt him or any member of my pack without a really good reason.  “Please take him to the dining hall, allow him to eat lunch with the pack.” With that, I turned and stalked away.

“Will you be joining us, Alpha?” he yelled after me.

“No,” I yelled back knowing he was chuckling at my irritation. I stalked to my office slamming the door behind me. I threw myself in my chair before grabbing the list of Alphas and their numbers from my desk drawer. What is the name of the Alpha of Moon Eclipse? Reiner? Is that it? I slammed my drawer shut. Picking up my pack phone, I dialed his number.

I slammed my phone down hard enough that it cracked. “What a pig!” I spat angrily. “Typical Male Alpha, obsessed with sleeping around! I have his missing pack member and he is too busy with his whores to talk to me about getting him home! I swear, if my mate is an Alpha, I will probably reject him and spend my life single, at least that way I won’t have to put up with some disgusting pig who only cares about what he can stick his dick in!” Barrett stood silently watching as the steam poured off me. Why were male alphas always pigs? It made me question if I really wanted to find my mate.

“Myla,” Barrett started, we still have a kid here who seems to be getting anxious. He misses his family, and I am sure his family must be worried about him.” Barrett had a look of concern on his handsome face. It made him look older.

I watched him for a minute, “So, are you going to be a daddy yet?” I asked, flashing him a sly smile.

“I think so, Jade’s heat passed much quicker than normal. She wants to know but the doctor said we need to wait a few weeks before he does the test to be sure the results are accurate.” He sighed.

I knew how long he had waited to have kids. When he found his mate, he waited for Jade to be ready. Now that she was, he was happier than I had ever seen him. “I hope she is pregnant; I am going to be the best Auntie ever!” I was truly excited to see their pup. I loved them both as though they were my true brother and sister. “As your Alpha, I want to know as soon as you know.”

Barrett chuckled, “You don’t have to command me to tell you, we were already planning on it.” He flashed me an excited grin.

“Anyway, what should we do about Cobalt? His so-called Alpha can’t be bothered to take my calls. Cobalt has tried to contact his family via the pack link but due to his age, he doesn’t have the stamina to focus long enough to reach across such a distance,” I tapped my pen on my desk, it was a nervous habit I had developed when I became Alpha. I tried to think of ways to contact them. “I guess the only thing we can do is mail them a letter via snail mail.” I knew how long that could take but it seemed to be the only option we had.

“Ok Myla, I will write it and mail it out with tomorrow’s mail.” Barrett turned to leave before he stopped. “What should we do with Cobalt while he is here? He has to be getting bored by now.”

“Let him train with the pack. Since he is going to be stuck here for a while longer, might as well teach him to defend himself. Oh, and have him attend school with the other wolves his age. No use in his education slipping because his Alpha is too busy getting his rocks off with a bunch of whores.”

“Yes Myla, I will have him start in the morning.” With that, he turned and left.

I was once again alone with my thoughts. Who was this Alpha 2 and why did he think he could dismiss me so easily? I snorted at the annoyance I felt. Another male thinks they are better than me because I‘m a female. Well, if I ever meet him, I will teach him a lesson he won’t forget.

As the hours ticked by, I managed to get some work done. I sent out the orders for the needed supplies for the pack hospital. I signed a couple of requests for wolves asking to pass through my territory, and I sent out the latest announcement of the newly mated couple. I had met with them earlier and both had verified they accepted their mate. The wedding would take place in a month, on the full blood moon. The blood moon only happened once a year. It was a special moon that signaled new beginnings for all wolves. Most packs held celebrations and this year; we would also be hosting a wedding. I leaned back in my chair feeling content with my work. Stretching, I stood up and reached for the lamp on my desk, I stopped as I noticed all the crumpled-up papers strewn about. I groaned as I picked them up and dropped them in the trash. I switched off the lamp and headed out towards my suite, a good night’s sleep is all I need.

The next day, I woke up before my alarm went off. This was nothing new as sleep had become more fleeting recently. Looking at the clock, I realized it was only 4 A.M. I rolled over pulling the covers over my head. I tossed and turned hoping to get a bit more sleep. I yanked the blanket off trying to see the clock, surely an hour must have passed. I groaned loudly as I realized it had only been six minutes. “Fine, the early bird gets the worm, right?” Of course, nobody answered. I got up and threw on my shorts and a sports bra, I tied my favorite running shoes and threw my hair into my signature messy bun. I opened the door and jogged to the stairs. Taking the stairs two at a time, I reached the main door. I opened it before my guard, Jacob, stepped in front of me.

“Alpha, I did not realize it was you, where are you going so early?” He asked raising his eyebrow.

“I am going for a jog, no sense in wasting a beautiful morning.” I felt like puking at my fake optimism.

“Would you like company Ma’am? I could call someone to run with you?” I could see the nervous look in his eye as he thought about who would want to jog with me this early.

“No need, I feel like jogging alone today. Thank you, Jacob, say hello to Marna for me.”

“Yes Alpha, enjoy your run.” He stepped aside letting me jog past.

I didn’t bother to answer and instead waved as I continued on my way. The track was still damp from the morning dew. I had completed twenty-five laps before anyone else showed up to use the track. They all waved as I passed by. A couple of boys stood and watched me as I jogged around the track. I rolled my eyes, are all males pigs? I shook my head as I continued around. I did another thirty laps before I slowed to a brisk walk. Most of the male members of my pack had trouble keeping pace with me. I couldn’t help it. I had been addicted to running and then as I got older, training. My father had warned me not to train too much and remember to have fun sometimes. My mother had laughed and told me to follow my heart. Goddess, I missed them. I slowed a bit to take a sip of my water bottle when I heard it.