CHAPTER 3

JACOB

I leave my floor in the packhouse and go down to the main floor, where my office here at the pack is. Going into my office, I see Dad and one of the Elders waiting for me, and they look like they are tired of waiting.

“That was about time!” Dad greets me.

“I am sorry, training took longer than expected, and I had to shower, and I have yet to eat,” I tell them.

“It is okay, Alpha. You are here now.” Elder Stan says.

“What can I do for you?” I ask.

“You can make Gianna your mate and Luna,” Dad says.

“Former Alpha Alan, please remember it is our Alpha you talk to,” Stan says, and Dad looks annoyed.

“He might be Alpha, but he is still my son, and he knows he needs to put the pack first,” Dad says.

“Of course, he knows because you taught him well, but taking a chosen mate is not easy. Alpha or not.” Stan says.

“Thank you, Elder Stan. I know you all want me to choose Gianna, but I can feel in my heart that my mate will be here soon.” I try to explain.

“I feel it, and I see her. When I close my eyes, I dream of her. And I am convinced the moon goddess gave me these dreams.”

“Dreams, imagination. That is your reason for putting the pack in danger.”

“The pack is not in danger, and we are stronger than ever. At the last attack, we had two deaths. And none of them were one of the young ones. Training the teens prepares them, and that has made us stronger. And most importantly, I am stronger and better than I have ever been.” I say. And Elder Stan nods his head.

“That is true. We have never been stronger or more organized. During an attack.” Stan agrees. And Dad looks more annoyed.

“I would have thought, being Gianna’s grandfather would make you speak her case,” Dad says to Elder Stan.

“Well, I am not particularly happy she fool around with the Alpha without being mated. But she lost her mate, and no one was waiting for her. And I know the Alpha has told her what will happen if his mate comes.” Elder Stan says, looking at Dad.

“But we need a Luna,” Dad says.

“Yes, we do, and sadly, we are in a situation where the royals have noticed that we don’t have one. So they want us to get one or let our mated Beta, Alpha.” Elder Stan says, and I look at them shocked.

“Excuse me, what?” I say. And Elder Stan now his head shortly.

“Yes, the king has been notified that we don’t have a Luna, and therefore, urges us to have you choose one or give the pack to the highest ranked packmember, in this case that is Beta Ryan, who is mated to his lovely mate, Sophie.” Elder Stan says, and I stare at him. But I see no lie in his eyes.

I sit back. I know our king is strict, and they do everything to make sure the packs are safe. But I hoped the king would see that our pack was getting stronger even without a Luna yet. But I guess it doesn’t matter in the end.

“So my choices are to choose Gianna as my mate and lose the chance of finding my fated mate. Or I can hand the pack over to Ryan.” I say.

“It does not need to be Gianna. In fact, the king decided he wanted to help you a little, and he is sending his youngest daughter here to meet you. Her mate was killed in a rouge attack. And she is coming today.” Stan says.

“I am sorry, what? He is sending his daughter, who has most likely been marked and mated. I hope I will put her through the pain of marking her and remove that last part of her mate. You know how much that will hurt her.” I say I am getting angry.

“Well, that is one way to see it,” Stan says.

“No! I will not do that. With Gianna, it was different, and she was rejected and accepted that rejection. She was never marked or mated.” I will not put a girl I don’t even know through that excruciating pain, removing the last part of her mate from her.” I say, hammering my hand into the table.

“That is something that should only happen if she would be so lucky to get a second chance, mate, someone that could truly keep her from going insane, from that pain.” I finish. I am furious right now.

“Then choose Gianna,” Dad says as if nothing has happened and I wasn’t just asked to possibly ruin a girl or possibly kill her. I look at him. I know I don’t have a choice. I can’t lose the pack. I mean, I know Ryan would be great. But I can not just give up and lose it all, and I am backed up into a corner.

“Fine, in three months, I will make Gianna my mate and Luna,” I say coldly.

“Perfect, she will be excited to hear this,” Dad says happily, and I scuff.

They get up to leave, and there is a knock on my door. And Elder Stan opens and lets in Ryan, who looks amused.

“Yes?” I ask.

“A visitor arrived, and the guards notified me. They told me she is here to meet you, but, erm. I think there might have become a little complication.” Ryan tells us.

“Ah! That must be Princess Lila. Why was there a complication?” Stan ask.

“Well, there is if she is meant to meet the Alpha.” He says.

“And why is that?” Dad asks.

“Well, it seems that Gamma Silas is her Mate.” He says, trying to hide a smile, and I burst into laughter. Everyone knows what Playboy Silas is. Stan and Dad look mortified, so I stand up.

“Where are they now?” I ask.

“In the hall, Alpha, both of them seem shocked. And there is some, uhm, crying.” He says, still trying not to laugh.

“Crying?” I ask

“Yes, Alpha, from the pack's unmated she-wolves, that Silas.” He says, and I stop him by laughing.

“Okay, you need not to say anything more. I’m coming,” I say.

I follow him out of the office with Dad and Elder standing behind me, and we walk to the front hall. When we got there, I saw Silas standing up against the wall, looking at the ground. Princess Lila is sitting on a chair, looking shocked and short of breath, and I feel bad for finding this amusing.

“Princess, welcome to our pack. I apologize. There was no proper arrangement for your arrival, but I was only just told you would arrive,” I say and bow my head. She is, after all, a Princess.

“Alpha Jacob, it is a pleasure to meet you. We have heard many good things about you. And no apology is needed.” She says nervously and bows her head briefly as a sign of respect.

“I am being told that there has been a shocking surprise by your arrival, so I want to ask if you are feeling okay?” I ask her because she looks like she is going to faint.

“I will be. It is just very unexpected, sorry.” She says and looks down. And I look over to Silas, who is still looking at the ground.

“I am sure you both have a lot to talk about. But I think you both can use a moment to take all this in. I will have an Omega show you to our finest guestroom. And you can settle in and rest a little after your trip.” I tell her, and she looks relieved.

“Thank you, Alpha.” She says.

I tell an Omega to show the Princess to one of the guestrooms in the excluded wing of my floor, where we would usually let the royals stay if they visit, so they have privacy. And the Omega shows her and her bodyguards the way up there.

I turn and look at Silas, who finally looks up, full of confusion and surprisingly shame.

“What happened?” I ask.

“She, I. I didn’t know, I.” He says, but none of it makes sense, and I look over to Ryan.

“Silas, our friend here, was busy when I showed the princess inside. And she found him with a hand up under Caroline's skirt.” Ryan said. And I walk over to Silas, smacking his head.

“Have I not told you to stop that shit in full public?” I say, raising my voice.

“Yes, Alpha, but she was surprised. Caroline, I mean.” Silas says, and I smack him again.

“You better figure out what you are going to do about this,” I order him.

“Yes, Alpha. But I saw she was marked. How can she be my mate.” He ask, confused.

“You are her second chance. Her first mate died. Which means it is even more important you fix this.” I Say, and he nods his head.

“Go, take a run, clear your head. She needs time, too.” I say, and he bows his head.

“Yes, Alpha, Thank you.” He says and hurries out of the house.