Waiting in the shadows. (book 2 in the silver wolf series)

CHAPTER 1: A BIRTH.

ADAM

We were all sitting in the pack hospital waiting room waiting for news. Suddenly, the sound of cries filled the air and we looked up at the door expectantly. It swung open slowly, and Dean emerged with a goofy grin on his face and a baby in his arms. “It’s a girl.” He announced happily. We all cheered and called out our congratulations. He disappeared back through the door, and we all started leaving. It was a wonderful day. Dean and his mate had finally had the baby that they had been longing for so long. Since becoming pack Delta, he had thrived. He and his mate Julia had fallen pregnant quite quickly now that he was less stressed and had more time to spend with her. I looked over at Amber, who smiled up at me. Her happiness for Dean and Julia was tinged with the sadness she felt that we hadn’t gotten pregnant yet. I had told her that there was no hurry. We had the rest of our lives together, and I knew that we would be parents when the time was right.

Lakeside had come on leaps and bounds since we had taken over as Alpha and Luna. I had been worried that the other Alpha’s wouldn’t accept me. I knew that they had issues with the Stones because of them being Beta’s by blood. So, I figured that I would face the same obstacles. I was relieved to find that this wasn’t the case. I had been welcomed as pack Alpha by not only the pack but also by the wider werewolf community. The Alpha’s of other packs had reached out with congratulations and words of support. I had asked former Alpha and Luna Andrews if they knew why I had been accepted when The Stones weren’t and they had explained that it was a mixture of reasons. Mainly because I was mated to Amber, the packs born leader and the silver wolf. Partly because I wasn’t the arrogant ass that the Stones were. And apparently, so much more. I was happy enough with their answer. Amber had really taken to her role as Luna. Technically, she was the one with Alpha blood and her parents' heir, so she could have been Alpha instead of Luna, but she wanted it this way. She liked being Luna, although we both had an equal say in everything. We were partners in every way.

We would soon have to travel to the Moon River pack. There was an Alpha summit planned, and Chris was hosting. We had kept in touch, having become fairly good friends during the events that we had come through together. Our packs were allies, and we were working closely together on making both packs stronger. Joe was expected to be at the summit with us, and with Dean on paternity leave from all his duties, I had to get Gamma Lewis up to speed on all pack business before we left. Former Alpha Andrews had kindly offered to help out if Gamma Lewis needed anything while we were away. I shut up the office and made my way over to the restaurant to meet Amber for dinner.

AMBER

Dean’s baby girl was so cute. I was happy for them. They deserved this. Dean was so different from his father and brother. It was hard to believe that they were related. I longed to have a baby of my own. I didn’t understand it, I had never been particularly interested in having children before. It wasn’t that I didn’t want them, I just hadn’t been in any hurry. Since mating and marking with Adam, though, I was ready. I wanted to be a mum so badly. I had thrown myself into being Luna to distract myself, but things were running so smoothly here that I was running out of things to do. I had come down to the restaurant early to see if Ellie had anything to keep me busy. It was as busy as usual. Ellie gave me a wave as I entered and rushed off to the kitchen with an order. Becky was pouring drinks over at the counter, so I approached her. “Hey. I thought that you were coming over later. Not that I’m not happy to see you. It’s just a bit busy to stop and chat at the moment. Besides there’s not even a free table to sit you at.” She said flustered. I laughed and looked around at the tables full of werewolves, happily chatting or tucking into their meals. I was glad to see that some things hadn’t changed. I picked up an apron and a notepad and headed over to take some orders. “What are you doing? You’re the Luna, not a waitress.” Becky called after me. “”I’m also family, and this is a family business. Besides, who says that a Luna can’t also be a waitress?” I called back. She laughed and took the drinks to a table of warriors. One of them patted her ass as she put the glasses down. She growled a warning at him, and he instantly backed down apologising. “I do love being a beta.” She giggled as she passed me. I was starting to realise how much I missed working at the restaurant. I wondered how Adam would feel about me picking up a few shifts whenever things weren’t busy.

By the time Adam arrived for dinner, the restaurant had quietened down, and I was much more relaxed. This had been just the distraction that I needed. I was looking forward to the Alpha summit. It would be good to see my uncle and to get to know some of the other Luna’s. Maybe I could get some advice from them. It had been years since Lakeside had even had a Luna. My Mum being it’s last. So it wasn’t exactly a straightforward transition for any of us. My grandmother had been helping me learn my duties, but it had been even longer since she had actually been the Luna of a pack. Some of her ideas seemed a little bit outdated to me. We sat down and had a wonderful dinner. Peter had worked some magic in that kitchen. I had an idea that I wanted to talk to him about. Packs needed businesses in the human world to keep our finances healthy. We owned a few small ones that the Stones’ had almost run into the ground. Lakeside was almost bankrupt when we took over. Adam had managed to turn things around a little for the businesses. We had been completely transparent with the pack about our financial struggles too. We wanted to be a different kind of Alpha and Luna.

Peter had come out to join us now that he had finished in the kitchen. “How was it?” he asked nervously. “It was a new recipe that I wanted to try out.” I grinned at him. “Delicious. As always.” I told him. He smiled happily and sat back in his chair. “Peter, there’s something that I wanted to talk to you about.” I said nervously. I wasn’t sure how he would take my idea. He was a very private person after all. He had lived for years letting everyone think that he was an omega instead of the beta that he is. I had wondered if things would be different had he accepted the position of my father’s beta, instead of David taking it. I shrugged that thought away though. It was no good dwelling on what might have been. “As you know the pack owns a small haulage business. I was thinking that we could possibly repurpose one of the other businesses, a factory that is failing. We could start a food company. Your food is so delicious that it seems selfish to keep it to ourselves.” I said hopefully. Peter’s brow furrowed in thought for a few minutes. “Perhaps we could start with desserts. That would be easier to mass produce. And everyone loves a good dessert.” He said. I squealed with delight, and gave him a huge hug. This could be just what the pack needs. Peter was such an amazing chef that there’s no way that his recipes wouldn’t be popular. The haulage firm would handle the distribution cutting down operating costs and giving us a bigger profit. “We need a name for the company. How about Peter’s sweet treats?” I suggested. Peter grimaced. “I’d rather not have my name on it if it’s all the same. Although I appreciate the thought. How about Hungry like the Wolf Dessert?” he suggested. “After all it’s hungry wolves that my desserts have been feeding so far." he laughed. I grinned at him. “I love it.” I would get started on that once we were back from the Alpha summit. I insisted that even though pack businesses were in the name of the pack Alpha, Peter be listed as an equal partner in this one. It was his recipes that were making it possible after all.