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

CHAPTER 3: THE ALPHA SUMMIT

CHRIS

As much as I was happy for Amber and Adam, I still didn’t particularly enjoy seeing them hurry into the dining hall, flushed and ruffled. Clearly, they had just had s*x. I knew that Amber and I would only ever be friends, but I still had feelings for her. I had been in love with her, and that wasn’t going to disappear overnight. I hadn’t slept with anyone else since her. I just couldn’t bring myself to. I still found myself thinking of her when I pleasured myself. I knew that it wasn’t healthy, and I would never say anything to her about it. I had no delusions that we would ever be together again. I liked Adam, and he really was perfect for her. I liked seeing her so happy, but there was still a pang of jealousy there. In time, I was sure that these feelings would fade, and for now, I would just try to push them down as best that I could. My younger brother smirked at the sight of them “Someone didn’t waste any time.” He said. I looked over at him disapprovingly. “Jealous because you’re not getting any?” I asked. “Hey!! I get plenty.” He responded, sounding hurt. I laughed and went back to eating.

After lunch, we all made our way to the ballroom. It had been set out for the summit. Tables were in the centre in a square with eleven seats around them. One for Council Member Perry and one for each of the Alphas. There were more chairs in a large u shape around the table for the beta’s and Luna’s of each pack. I took my seat and glanced around the table at everyone else. I noticed a few sympathetic glances and a few not so sympathetic ones. I had offered to host the summit. After the arrests of both of my parents, I needed to show that Moon River was still a strong pack. I needed to show that I was going to be an honourable Alpha. My father had disgraced our family name, and I needed to heal the damage that he had caused. I had already entered into an alliance with both the Lakeside and the Night Forest packs. I was hoping to enter into a few more before the summit ended.

Once the Alpha’s were all seated, the beta’s and Luna’s would be brought in. I looked over at the empty chair on the other side of the table. Alpha Simmons of the Winter Falls pack hadn’t arrived. I enquired whether we should wait for him, but was told that we would be continuing as scheduled. If Alpha Simmons showed up, he would join us then and have to catch up when he could. The beta’s and Luna’s of each pack began to stream into the room and find their seats.

I looked over at Paul, and my eyes fell to the empty seat beside him. I longed to find my mate, my Luna. Maybe then my feelings for Amber would vanish. For now, that seat would remain empty. Paul gave me a grin and a thumbs up. I couldn’t help smiling back at him. He was a great friend and a fantastic beta. He had helped me to navigate my way through those murky first few months as Alpha. I had faced some resistance when I had first taken over. There were those who remained loyal to my father and blamed me for his fate. There was also the fact that I had been away from the pack for most of the last few years. I had been living as a human with Amber in the city on my fathers orders. I had to get used to life in the pack again.

Council Member Perry stood and brought the meeting to order. “SILENCE!!” he called out, and the room fell quiet. “The regional Alpha summit will now begin.” He said. Before he could continue, the door burst open, and Alpha Simmons came rushing in. He rushed to his seat and gave some excuse about why he was late. I didn’t hear a word, though. I was staring behind him at the woman who had followed him in. I heard only my own heartbeat and the excited growl from deep within me. “MATE!!!” My wolf Leo shouted inside my mind. The word almost burst from my lips, but I held it back. The woman had frozen and was staring at me, clearly realising the same thing that I had. She was stunning, easily the most beautiful woman that had ever seen. Why had the Moon Goddess played such a cruel joke on me? The fact that she was here accompanying Alpha Simmons surely meant that she was his Luna. “Chloe, sit down!” Alpha Simmons barked at her. She jumped, his voice pulling her out of her thoughts. She blushed and quickly took the seat next to the Winter Falls beta.

“Now that everyone is here, let us begin.” Council Member Perry said. We all turned to look at him, but I was dying to turn and look at her, my mate. I did my best to concentrate on the meeting, but it wasn’t easy. My mind kept wandering, not helped by the wolf jumping excitedly around inside me. “Calm down! It’s not like we can even be together.” I told him. “She is someone else’s Luna.” I felt Leo slump down and sulk. At least he was quiet now. I realised with horror that everyone was looking at me expectantly. s**t!! I had missed something. What did they ask?

“Alpha Baxter, is everything ok?” Council Member Perry asked. I cleared my throat and nodded. “Yes sorry. I’m fine.” I assured him. He smiled “Then please tell us your plans for the Moon River pack going forward.” He asked. I took a breath and relaxed. I explained that I wanted to strengthen my pack and all the packs in the region by creating as many alliances as possible. Uniting the werewolf community. A few of the other Alphas nodded and seemed pleased with the idea, but a few didn’t look too sure. “What would make an alliance with the Moon River pack worth it for us?” Alpha Simmons asked. I looked at him, disliking him more by the second. The thought of him putting his hands on my mate made me want to rip them off his body.

“Why would you not want an alliance?” I asked him. “Surely peace between the packs can only be a good thing.” I continued. Alpha Simmons scoffed “I don’t want to be making alliances that endanger my pack or put me in a position where I am constantly having to bail you out of trouble. It is no secret that you have made enemies. Your father has made enemies for your pack.” He said smugly. Some of the other Alphas muttered agreements. Adam spoke up “An alliance with Moon River would also mean an Alliance with Lakeside and with the Silver wolf. Alpha Baxter is a strong, fair leader who will only make the Moon River pack stronger. He should not be held responsible for his father’s crimes.” He said. I nodded my thanks to him. His words had quietened all the mutters and whispers. No one would want to pass up a chance at an alliance with Lakeside right now. Word of who and what Amber has spread quickly.

Council Member Perry said that the gathered Alphas should consider the proposal and come to their own decision on the matter. Alpha Simmons gave me a look of disdain and annoyance across the table. I wondered why he seemed to have such a problem with me. Surely he couldn’t know about my mating to his Luna! How could he know? We quickly moved on to other businesses, and after a few hours, we broke for lunch. The kitchen staff had laid out a buffet in the dining hall. We all made our way there to eat. I felt a tug on my arm and looked back to see her. She was holding a finger to her lips, a warning not to speak. She turned and headed away from the crowd. I looked to see if anyone had noticed and then followed her.

?????????????????

Well, what was going on there? I watched as Chris followed the beautiful blonde through a door. There was no reason for them to go in there it was just an unused office. It was used as a base for event planning by the former Luna Baxter, but Moon River hadn’t held any big events in quite some time and no longer had a Luna. I slipped into the room next to it. This had been where guests had been brought to wait until the former Alpha was ready to see them. He was a smart man. He knew that people couldn’t always be trusted. There was a space in the wall between these two rooms. He would slip in here and listen to certain guests' private conversations before the meetings to give him an upper hand and let him know if their motives were honest. I slid the shelves across and entered the space, listening to the conversation taking place in the other room.

I was shocked to hear Chris saying that she was his mate. This was juicy! I knew exactly who she was and how possessive Alpha Simmons was. He was an arrogant man who cared more about appearance than people. He had rejected his true mate, choosing instead to make an agreement with another pack. He had made the daughter of the Alpha of the Night Sky pack his Luna. She was a beauty that was coveted by many other unmated alphas, betas, and more. Her father led the biggest and most feared pack in the whole community. Alpha Simmons showed her off like a trophy because that’s what she was to him. He hadn’t even marked her as his chosen mate as he didn’t want any sort of a bond other than a legal one. So she was his wife and Luna, but not his chosen mate. I wasn’t sure what the Alpha of Night Sky got from the arrangement. Night Sky wasn’t part of the same region, so I hadn’t had the chance to meet him.

I smirked as I thought about how Chris might be about to seal his own fate. If he acted on his newfound mate bond, then he would most likely cause a war instead of the peace that he was so determined to forge. If not, then he would be denying himself his chance at a mate. I had enjoyed seeing him in pain over losing Amber to her mate. This would be even more delicious to witness. I slipped back out of the wall and left the room. I was feeling pretty good right now. Perhaps things were finally going my way.