Red River

Five days before Wren's birthday.

Phelan Mchughes rubbed his hands through his ebony locks as he looked at the invitation laying before him on his desk. It had been a very hectic day for him. Filled with meetings and plenty of aggravation. He just finished filling out the last of many forms for the day and had decided to open some of his personal mail before retiring for the evening. The invitation had been the last of the letters he had opened. He didn't personally know the Alpha of the Long Mountain pack or his daughter. He really had no interest in attending the celebration in her honor. For all he new She was just another spoiled brat looking to out shine her peers. He had no time or interest in entertaining such individuals. Phelan had almost tossed the invite into the trash as quickly as he had opened it. The Long Mountain Pack was a continent away from his Red River Pack lands. However, if he managed to recieve an invitation, then so too might his allies and possibly his enemies. He would need to find out just who was on that guest list and also any information concerning this Long Mountain Pack. Just in case. Because he couldn't afford to not be aware of any alliances that might affect the well-being of his pack. He had already made enough enemies by opening his door to packs in need. With a war brewing he had to stay on top of everything. He could not afford to leave anything to chance. There was just too much at stake. Too many lives depended upon his choices. The Red River Pack were now 10,000 strong and possessed one of the largest territories in the world. Already huge by Pack standards when he inherited his position from his father, upon his father's untimely death. It had continued to grow exponentially ever since. His Pack had always been known as a sanctuary to packless wolves. His father believed no werewolf should have to be rogue. Some packs viewed this as a weakness. That if wolves found themselves displaced from their packs it was because of weakness. So most packs would not accept them, believing that it would weaken them. Phelan's father knew better. "The best way to strengthen any Pack was to rule it with compassion.", his father's words echoed in his head, "Accepted wolves were grateful wolves. Grateful wolves were loyal wolves." Because of this the Red River Pack always stood strong and easily defeated any foe.

He opened up the mind link and asked his Beta to join him in his office immediately. Within a few minutes there was a knock at his door. "Come in", he called out. The door to his office opened immediately and in walked Matthew. Matthew Lawson had grown up with Phelan. They were best friends from a very young age. Matthew's family had joined the Red River Pack when their Pack had been all but wiped out during the war with the Vampires. Less than one hundred of them had survived. Matthew had just turned four that year and so had Phelan. Phelan and Matthew were both born in the fall, upon joining Red River the boys families quickly had become close friends. They were the best of friends all through school. Later as young adults, Matthew always had Phelan's back. Whether in battle or in any other situation. Phelan never faced anything alone. When Alpha Roger Mchughes and Luna Caroline, Phelan's father and mother, was ambushed and murdered by their enemies at what was supposed to be a peaceful conference, Matthew never left his friend's side. So when Phelan took his place as Alpha of Red River Pack, it was only natural that he named Matthew his Beta and second in command.

"Matthew, please, have a seat." Phelan waited as his friend took a seat in front of his desk. "Matthew, what information do we have on this Long Mountain Pack?" He asked holding up the invitation. "It seems that we have received an invitation to a birthday celebration for the daughter of Alpha Thaddeus Mixon."

Matthew scrunched his brow as he examined the letter. "Well, I know that they are a larger Pack, I believe they number in the thousands. Alpha Mixon is known for being a strong and fair leader. I believe we share allies with the Green Fire Pack, if I'm not mistaken."

"Hmmm... I'm going to need to find out exactly who all is invited to this party. It may be in our best interest to attend if certain names are among the list. Do your best to let me know the details tomorrow, please. In the meantime, have they completed the new apartments? It's been two months this week since we took in the remnants of the Black Night Pack. Any word on how the Blue Moon Pack is holding up?" Phelan questioned his Beta.

"I'll get to work on that list immediately, Alpha. It shouldn't be too hard to get you a copy by mid morning.", Matthew replied. "All of the apartments should be completed by the middle of next week. Some are already finished and being furnished this week. And last I heard, Blue Moon is holding up just fine for the moment. They've had some activity at their borders. But with the added patrols you sent them, things have been well handled there." Phelan took a moment to process this information before proceeding.

"Very good. As soon as work is completed on all the housing for the new wolves I believe it is time to hold the ceremony for them all to officially join our pack. I believe that's been pushed back long enough. Alright Matthew, it's been a long and busy day. I believe I'm going to get something to eat and then turn in for the night." Phelan stood and stretched his tired body.

"Yes, Alpha. Rest well, I will get that guest list for you and I will start looking into making time to schedule the ceremony for the Black Night survivors." Matthew stood and followed his Alpha out of the office. Before heading back down the hall to his own office to make a few calls.

Phelan made his way down the corridor to the kitchen. It was late and supper had been served hours ago. He walked into the cooler and gathered what leftovers there were. He made himself a plate and put it into the microwave to reheat it. As he waited for his food to be heated up he looked around the kitchen. It was a kitchen, but it wasn't your typical cooking area. With so many mouths to feed it was almost ridiculously huge. Instead of a refrigerator or a freezer there were two huge walk in coolers and two huge walk in freezers. All of which were large enough to house your average family of four quite comfortably. There were four sets of restaurant size sinks for cleaning up food or dishes. Counter tops and cabinets surrounded the kitchen area and four huge islands for food prep. There were several stoves, ovens, broilers, and grills as well. Everything was stainless and immaculately clean. The white tile floors were so clean they could be eaten off of. There was a full time kitchen staff of about eighty wolves who prepared the meals every day. The pack house was one of the largest in the world being 12 stories high. Phelan was grateful for the ability to care for so many. But he felt the kitchen and dining area was far from cozy, with everything so large and sterile. Usually he avoided the space, choosing instead to dine in his penthouse kitchen alone. However, he had to eat in the packs kitchen tonight or go to bed hungry. As he had not had the time to stock his personal kitchen and had forgotten to assign an omega to do it for him. Because it was so late he made a mental note to do just that in the morning. The ding of the microwave pulled him back from his thoughts. He grabbed his plate and ate standing at the counter. He was used to eating alone, but he did miss the cozy intimate dinners of his youth. His parents wanted privacy and uninterrupted time with their family. So they had lived in a single family home away from the pack house. His father went to work daily just as any other father would and returned to the sanctuary of his home and family every evening. Phelan hoped to do the same one day if he were lucky enough to find his Moon Goddess given mate. At the age of 21 hope of finding her was dwindling. It wasn't unheard of for it take years to find one's mate. However, the longer it took the less your odds of finding them were. It usually ment that one's mate was no longer living. But Phelan had was also aware that sometimes the missing mate was simply born much later. He hoped that wouldn't be the case for himself. After all he didn't wish be extremely older than his mate. He had once seen an Alpha who was in his fifties mated to a she wolf who had just turned 18. They appeared happy enough. Lord knows the older Alpha had been pleased to finally find his mate after wandering this earth for so long alone. But such a situation was most unappealing to Phelan. He was sure a situation like that would leave him feeling like a dirty old man.

Phelan didn't dwell on the matter too long, shaking his head as though that would aid in clearing his unpleasant thoughts. He ate quickly and washed his dishes before heading home. Phelan walked through the meeting room and down the east corridor as a short cut to access the main entrance where the elevators were. As he stood waiting for the elevator to reach the ground floor he allowed his mind to wonder back to the invitation. Depending upon who was on the guest list he might have to attend. A thought that earlier he had found repulsive. However, now as he waited and thought more on the matter, it might not be so bad to get away for a few days. His wolf Lobo had not been outside of his packs city in ages. It might be an opportunity to just cut loose and unwind for a few days. A vacation was a luxury that Phelan couldn't afford for the foreseeable future. But maybe a few days break could revive him enough to get back to business without being quite so stressed.

The ding of the elevator doors opening brought him back from his thoughts. Stepping inside the elevator he turned to the control panel. He flipped open the thumb pad and placed his right thumb over the red light. It immediately flashed green, having recognized his print. The elevator doors closed and the lift proceeded upon its journey to his twelfth floor penthouse apartment. When he reached his floor the doors opened and he stepped out into his foyer. The entire twelfth floor was his place. It was ridiculously more space than he would ever need. It was even two stories with two different, ornate sets of stairs to access the second floor. There was a living area, a den, an office, formal dining room, kitchen and dining area, six bedrooms, and six and a half bathrooms. Every bedroom had its own bathroom and large walk in closet. They were all fully furnished and huge. There were three bedrooms upstairs and three downstairs. The three bedrooms upstairs were almost twice as big as the three downstairs. There were a his and hers master suits. And the third was to be a large nursery and play room with accommodations for a live in Nanny. Should there ever be a need for such things. There was an additional half bath off the side of the living area downstairs for guests. Which he rarely had. The suit was meant to one day acamadate himself, a Luna, pups and guests if need be. But in all honesty he couldn't see himself with a family here. He honestly had all but given up on that dream.

Phelan went up stairs to his master suit and undressed for a shower. He was exhausted and ready for sleep. Lobo, his wolf on the other hand was pacing. He was restless. There had been to many responsibilities lately that had kept Phelan from having any downtime. It was wearing on them both. Phelan hated that his wolf, Lobo, had been pent up for so long. He honestly couldn't remember the last time he had shifted and went on a run for leisure. They had shifted over the past few months of course. But it had been for training purposes or for battle only. They both sorely needed some time off. As Phelan showered he decided that he would RSVP for the party at Long Mountain Pack. He would still want the guest list in the morning from Matthew. But either way he was taking a few days off. He could fly out of the packs airport in his personal jet. The flight wouldn't take more than a couple of hours. He could leave Matthew in charge. His Gama, Thomas Williams, could accompany him. It was a peaceful trip so only an additional two or three warriors would suffice. Theodore was unmated, so he wouldn't have an issue with family or scheduling. The event wasn't for another five days, so there was plenty of time to plan and make arrangements for the packs business to continue on without him for a couple of days. As he worked it all out in his head he knew Lobo was pleased. He could sense his wolf settling and knew it was the right decision to make. He would have Matthew help him make the necessary arrangements first thing in the morning.

With his mind made up, Phelan turned off the shower and stepped out onto his plush rug. Grabbing the large towel from the hanging rack he quickly dried off and headed to bed. He was asleep before his head even landed on his pillow. As he slept his dreams were filled with Lobo running freely through a beautiful forest. He could almost feel the sun on his fur.