LOGINShare
40. Chaos before the Storm
Last Updated:
2024-10-29 19:42:56Gemma
They were up to their elbows in last minute preparations before the tournament. Wolves would arrive in the morning and they were busy setting up the welcoming packages. Each contained the rules expected of visitors while the tournament was running, a list of businesses that the visitors might find useful, discount coupons from a few of the businesses, registration forms for the tournament and a map of the town and the tournament setup and the itinerary.
She was surprised when she showed up in the parlor that morning and found a whole team waiting for her to give them orders. The planner had discussed options with her and they had decided on biodegradable seeded paper for everything. She loved the colorful boxes that would hold the welcoming packages and would become a bed of wild flowers when it was tossed. They were all in the colors set out for the tournament and were put together so it could stand up on a flat surface.
Thei
Related chapters
The Commander's Match 41. Testing Bonds
DaleThey had driven directly to the River Bend pack in the two SUV’s and inspected the rooms. Apparently their entourage drew a lot of attention from the River Bend pack members since gossip had spread about the first rogue female Alpha from Sundown Delta. It seemed to be quite interesting to the wolves.Despite the interest in them, they managed to make good time on the inspections and Gemma’s attention to detail became even more obvious. Fifteen rooms were ready for inhabitants and Alpha Gregory seemed like a pup with his excitement. He insisted that they stay for lunch when he heard of everything that still had to happen.Granted, they would have liked to have some time between welcoming the new members of their pack and the tournament, but the work had only been done recently and the transfer had been agreed to earlier this week. He did hope that their lives would calm down at some point, because this measure of wor
The Commander's Match 42. Bad Brunch
GemmaDale continued his tradition of carrying her downstairs so she could get a few more moments of sleep. She was grateful because she was still exhausted. She did feel a little better about their relationship after he followed her kidnappers to bring her home; maybe he did care just a little bit.The Council of Supernaturals was livid when they heard that Elder Crawford had sent an army to kidnap her – well, most of them Arcus was still his emotionless self. They had sent their warriors to capture him and incarcerate him with his friends, Elder Heath and Elder Daniels.She had to be honest; it didn’t bode well when three out of five elders were corrupt. It made it difficult for her to trust the supernatural council when the only one she really trusted was Tamara; a little bit more after Dale told her that she had given them the scent neutralizers that had helped them to surround the wolves that had attempted to load them in
The Commander's Match 43. Welcoming Ball
DaleHe had been stuck to his Gemma’s side for most of the rest of the day, unable to convince himself or Duke to step even a few feet away from her after her kidnapping the previous day and the disastrous brunch. He should have gone with her like he had wanted, but he had also taken over some of her load to help her. He was stuck between keeping his promise and keeping her safe.But he finally had to let her go so she could get ready for the ball. He was nervous about bringing his unmarked mate in front of so many unmated males, but this was her choice and he could not be unsupportive when she had worked so hard to make this happen for the good of wolves despite everything they had done to her as a species.He had been given a tie by the vampire female that was arranging the tournament. It was the pack colors. So he dutifully tied it around his neck as soon as he was dressed in his wolf military formal suit. He would re
The Commander's Match 44. Meeting his Family
GemmaAfter the dance she had excused herself to go to the bathroom. She needed some time away from all the strange wolves. She was trying not to show how nervous she was among so many strange wolves, especially with their attention on her.But she had been kidnapped three times, turned against her will, used as a science project and threatened by a greedy alpha. Of course she’d known he was greedy, since she had come across a few of his sins when she had researched Elder Daniels before she was turned.All that had happened to her was bound to take some kind of toll on her. She was on guard all the time, and despite her thinking of hiding in the one cubicle to catch her breath quickly, she soon found that with everyone wanting to talk to her it was not a quick trip.Emily and Jessica had fallen into step with her; she guessed it was their way to support her, but it defied her moment to catch her breath. When they finall
The Commander's Match 45. Under a Magnifying Glass
DaleHe was more than happy to crawl into Gemma’s bed with her at the end of the night; they both needed the reassurance and rest they could only get from sleeping in each other’s arms. He had started coming to her bed every night; it seemed to help her guilt with going to his bed to get some rest and he wanted her to not feel guilty about their connection.He'd noticed that she would crawl into his arms in her sleep, which proved to him that she was slowly starting to trust him a little more. He was ready to move into a room with her, but she didn’t seem ready and he was sure once they’d marked she would allow it anyway.They had been under a magnifying glass from all attending wolves, despite Gemma making a good first impression, they were all curious about the human turned wolf, turned alpha. They were making history and having so much attention on them was tiring. And then his father who had disowned him
The Commander's Match 46. The Race
GemmaShe couldn’t help the rush of excitement as she spotted Dale without a shirt on the field. He wasn’t the only one without a shirt, it seemed most of the alphas preferred to stay in only shorts, but he was the only one that held her attention.It was ridiculous how much Daisy was drooling in her mind; she’d have to find a mind mop and make her clean up the mess. She was torn from her thoughts as Tamara sat down with her and elbowed her with amusement clear on her face when she winked at her.Gemma felt her face flush with embarrassment, before she took a handful of the trail mix and shoved it in her mouth. Jessica handed her another bottle of water and she mumbled a thanks through the mouthful.She’d noticed that some of her pack members had set up stalls and some teenagers were walking through the assembled crowd, offering snacks or drinks for sale and she smiled. At least the pack was making a decent
The Commander's Match 47. Alone Time
DaleHe had seen her expression of excitement as they came running into the arena, he still had some speed to give, but the sparkle in her wide eyes and the sheer tension in her stance was so adorable to see. She was cheering for him, even if she wasn’t doing it out loud.He pushed himself and easily passed Alpha Daniels; it certainly already proved why he had tried to avoid the competition altogether. The man’s lavish lifestyle had made him less of a challenge. Of course, as an alpha it would take some serious decadence to show in his physique, but once he had to match other alphas, it would count against him, like it had the other alphas they had left behind.Perhaps they should do this tournament annually to bring the pride back into being an alpha. He was pleasantly surprised to find Attorney Thompson was indeed a true alpha, since he had had to push himself to pass him. It showed that Attorney Thompson was still a t
The Commander's Match 48. Bonfire
GemmaShe wasn’t sure what to make of the new version of Dale Cleaver that she was seeing now, so she was extra shy as he led her down the stairs to join the bonfire.She stopped off to check in with Moira; the woman seemed unflustered by the amount of people that needed to be fed. She seemed to be on top of things and in her element; she understood why when they stepped outside.There were four males cooking burgers, steaks and hotdogs over the fire and four females building the burgers and hotdogs or cutting up the steaks and placing them in individual cheesy waffles cones and adding them to the already huge pile of food waiting for their guests buffet style.A dancefloor had been erected a little bit away from the patio and bonfires with seats surrounding them. Fairy lights lit the dancefloor and a DJ was already playing some background music.The entire scene was welcoming and she could already see the pack members collecting around the bonfires while the different packs started
Latest chapter
The Commander's Match Epilogue
GemmaIt had been four years since they had become the royal couple. They had changed the werewolf world. At first, it was utter chaos. There had been an uprising of werewolves intent on bringing back the Elders, but they were mostly the wolves that had benefitted from the three elders’ wrongdoing.The uprising was quickly squelched when Dale called the army to clear the problem. The army had unanimously pledged their allegiance to the crown and for a while Gemma and Dale were working to find housing for the complete army. They were forced to expand their land to the west, where there was no pack.Barracks and a bigger pack house were built. Well, it became more of a stronghold. The old pack house was turned into the hospital, orphanage and halfway house for the rogues that had come for protection.Arcus had never left, playing a big role in their lives as mentor and guide, along with Elder Stuart and Elder
The Commander's Match 72. Ceremony
DaleThe full moon was about to rise above the tall trees, which signified the perfect time to hold the ceremony for their mating as the royal couple. He was still in disbelief that he had such an amazing mate and that she had forgiven him. She would be his tonight and he would spend every day of his life making up for how he had treated her when they had met.Once the wolves and the council were seated on both sides of the aisle and many more spectators had found seating on the ground around them for this momentous occasion that would make history, Tamara announced that she would find Arcus and inform his Gemma that they were waiting for her.He was nervous, not because he wasn’t sure about mating her, but he feared that she would see him for the undeserving bastard he was and change her mind about marking him. Grant was sitting in the front row, grinning like a loon with his amusement. Elder Gordon would be holding the ceremony to
The Commander's Match 71. Family
GemmaHer day had been spent getting ready for the mating ceremony that night. It was apparently done under the full moon. She stood in the room, everyone had left and she was feeling emotional. Her father would have loved to walk her down the aisle. Instead she had to do this alone.Emily had left her momentarily to help with some arrangements. Apparently, wolves didn’t have the same type of ceremony that humans did. There was no maid of honor, best man or flower girls. It was just her, walking towards Dale that would wait for her at the front with the Elder.They would say their vows; mark each other in front of everyone there and then she would be crowned directly after. She would then lead them all in wolf form in her first run as the new queen. Could she really be queen?If someone had told her accepting the invitation for the interview would take her on the crazy path to finding a mate and
The Commander's Match 70. Party
GemmaThere would be no formal dinner that night, since everyone would be enjoying the carnival. But Gemma went with Dale to their room – was it odd that she already thought of the room as theirs? He went to shower the dust and dirt off first; he was dusty after his headlong run, covered in the mud.Gemma took a shower in the adjoining bathroom, and pulled on some jeans and a cute top. A moment later someone knocked on her door and she opened it. Emily caught her hand and she was suddenly surrounded by laughing and cheering she-wolves.“What’s going on?” She asked with confusion.“It’s your bachelorette party! We’re going to be pampered and then meet the guys to dance outside under the moonlight.” The she-wolves cheered again while she was dragged down the stairs and into the parlor that had been converted into a large spa.There were nail technici
The Commander's Match 69. A Good Show
DaleHe’d been itching to try this obstacle course since he saw it. Of course, Elder Stuart had insisted that he only see it today, for the first time. But now that he’d seen it; he was excited to try it and he thought it would be a great training method for the warriors once a week. They could always add more onto the course later on and he was sure that would be the case for the next tournament.They were watching the warriors run the track first and he was proud to see that most of his warriors were leading the group. He could see from the sweat coating them, that this course was a good challenge for them. It tested all the muscles in their bodies and he was impressed with his little mate’s course.But then he scented her arousal. Was she interested in one of the warriors? He glanced down at her, but she seemed to be staring off in space with a sexy little smirk on her face and he couldn’t resi
The Commander's Match 68. Tournament Day 6
GemmaIt was the sixth day of the tournament and she could say in all honesty that she might be in a little deeper than she had thought with Dale. The previous afternoon, he had made out with her and had brought her to another intense climax without removing their clothes. She had never expected that dry humping would be so intense.After that he had insisted she sleep a little and she woke up in his arms again. She had never expected to like the Viking like looks, but he was becoming more handsome to her now that she allowed herself to look at him.This morning he had awakened her the same way and she was still in a bit of a daze when he carried her down for their habitual morning run. For the first time she was looking forward to the mating ceremony just a little bit.Daisy snorted at her thoughts and she had to admit that she was looking forward to the mating ceremony more than just a little bit. “Can you n
The Commander's Match 67. Back to Business
DaleAfter their meeting with the supernatural council members they excused themselves to go to the office to get some of their work done. Tamara and Arcus assured them that they would handle the arrangements for the crowning after their mating ceremony so they didn’t have to worry about that.They hadn’t been in the office long when Jessica showed up with the new candidate she insisted would be able to replace her as assistant when she and Malcolm would take over his childhood pack. Turns out it was Emily, who had agreed to do online classes at night while she assisted Gemma during the day.Dale made a mental note to find some way to make Gemma slow down so Emily could finish her senior year in school and maybe some online college classes, as well. It would do them both good not to be overloaded with work all the time.Jessica had then linked him that she was close to finished with the bigger, better office that would give t
The Commander's Match 66. History Lesson Part 2
Gemma“I can imagine.” Tamara chuckled with amusement. “When we found out that you are a Finder, we knew something was different about you. The extra talents were always given to the royal Lycan family. So we started researching your family line.”“It took quite some work, since your father was an orphan.” Bain continued. “Luckily I have some connections, so we managed to run your bloodline all the way back to the baby that Tamara had handed over to the human family. You are indeed a direct descendant of Arcus’ brother, Bartoleus. You are the princess of the Lycans and werewolves.”“But I’m human – was human!” Gemma protested with confusion.“Your wolf is not a normal wolf, have you noticed how strong you are?” Bain smiled at her; he also had a creepy kind of smile.“She has a stronger alpha aur
The Commander's Match 65. History Lesson Part 1
GemmaSomething about the atmosphere around her started to change. She heard whispers going rampant while they watched the teenagers battling. These battles were more competitive and some of these teenagers were pretty impressive with their hand to hand combat, but something was drawing everyone else’s attention.She glanced around her with confusion, but she could see nothing that would draw their attention. Dale came to sit down next to her, pulling her closer to his side and she had an idea he knew what was going on.
