The Alpha’s Regret

Chapter 5

After loading the last of the bags into the car I slide into the front passenger seat beside Sam. He’s a man of few words but I like him all the same. His hair is shaved into his head and he is extremely large with muscle upon muscle but he seems like a sweet and genuine guy to me despite looking like he could rip my head off in one go. Harvey and Kiera climb in the back seat and she instantly begins to whine about having to leave before lunch. Harvey seems to have tuned her out and is staring out of the window only offering her a few grunts in response.

I settled into my chair and began to read through the file I was given. I have heard about the pack before as it isn’t that far from my hometown. Probably around a 3 hour drive away from there. However it’s around a 8 hour drive from our current position at the Werewolf Military base. I brief the team as I go along with any facts that I think they need to know. The Crescent Moon pack is run by an Alpha Lorenzo and his Beta James. Alpha Lorenzo has a mate, Luna Anna. They have around 500 wolves in their territory. Compared with a pack like my former one, the Blackstone pack, that had over 1500, it is fair to say they are on the smaller side. Their territory is nestled between vast amounts of unclaimed, no mans land. The perfect place for rogue wolves to lurk around and hide. They have around 80 warriors. I’m happy to see they are a mix of female and male fighters. I can’t stand those Alphas who are stuck in the dark ages and who think that all us she- wolves are good for is popping out pups and catering to their every desire. I notice that Kiera and Harvey are now fast asleep and feeling my eyes droop, I quickly promise Sam that I will take over the long drive once we hit the next rest stop. I fall into a dreamless sleep listening to the hum of the car engine. 

Having swapped with Sam a couple of hours ago, I am now in the drivers seat as we make our way to the border of the Crescent Moon territory. As we approach my wolf Ivy perks up and is on high alert. She takes her new professional role very seriously and is always cautious when we approach new wolves that we haven’t met before. I stop the car as I spot a few wolves emerge from the trees and study the car and us in turn. A few of the wolves shift and I see a male with auburn curly hair pulling on some shorts. He heads towards my window and gives me a respectful nod in recognition of my position of authority. 

“Hi there, my name is Jake and I am the Gamma of Crescent Moon.” He states in a friendly manner. 

I offer him a handshake and introduce myself and the rest of the team. 

“Alpha Lorenzo, Luna Anna and Beta James are waiting to greet you all at the pack house. Just follow the winding road on the left and it will lead you straight there.” 

I give him a small smile and continue my drive towards the pack house. The village is quiet and dark. It is after midnight so most shops and homes are shrouded in darkness. The territory is tidy and looks well kept. There’s definitely no shortage of money or resources here. As we reach the end of the winding road I take in the view of the large 3 story pack house. It’s size is not surprising considering the pack house normally houses the Alpha, Beta and Gamma’s families along with some unmated warriors. Those who find their mates tend to move out and live in the town as normal. I can see three figures hover over the front door waiting on our arrival. As my team get out of the car and start making their introductions I shut off the engine and hop out to greet the Alpha. I give him a curt nod and a strong handshake as we both take in each other’s appearance. He is tall and handsome with dark tanned skin and long hair pushed away from his face and tucked neatly behind his ears. He had thick dark eyebrows that he raises as he looks at me. I can already tell he is a little taken aback by my appearance. I won’t hold it against him. I’m used to people underestimating me due to my long blonde hair, small stature and delicate features. So long as he doesn’t disrespect me I will allow him his moment of doubt. 

“It’s nice to meet you Ella, I’m Lorenzo the Alpha of this pack. Here is my Luna Anna...” 

I look toward Anna who gives me a bright smile that radiates warmth. She is taller than me with gorgeous short bouncy curly brown hair and bright green eyes. She suddenly pulls me in for a tight hug which makes me feel a little uncomfortable but I can’t deny the welcoming feeling that I get from her. I awkwardly pat her back and pull away from the hug as she giggles slightly and mumbles her apologies. 

“...and this is my Beta, James.” Lorenzo continues gesturing towards the man next to Anna. As James steps forward his sandy blonde hair sparkles under the moonlight and sits effortlessly styled yet messy on top of his head. His slivery blue eyes swiftly scan the length of my body but I can see him try to hide this as his eyes flick back up to meet mine. His build is muscular like most ranked werewolves however, there’s something sexy about how his blue T-shirt clings to his large arms. He offers his hand to me and I shake it strongly as he grins widely, showing off his pearly white teeth.  I feel a blush creep up on my cheeks but I quickly push my thoughts on his appearance from my mind. 

“It’s nice to meet you Ella and the rest of your team.” He nods casually towards the others and I can see Kiera looking slightly put out by James’ lack of interest toward her. 

I throw my bag over my shoulder and James offers to take it for me but I politely refuse. After all, I don’t really need a man to carry my bags for me. As we walk through the main lobby of the pack house I can see it is beautifully decorated. Luna Anna points out the direction of the dinner hall along with a few other areas of interest. 

“Well Lorenzo why don’t you take Sam to his room on the first floor and Kiera and Harvey you can come with me to the left wing of the house where your rooms are.” The team nod at her and begin to follow on to be shown to their rooms where they will be staying for the next couple of weeks. 

“James you’ll show Ella to her room won’t you? Up on the Beta level of the house. It’s the room across from yours.” I don’t miss the knowing look she throws him as she saunters off with a pleased look on her face. 

I turn to face James and catch him staring at me thoughtfully. He suddenly breaks out of his trance and gestures for me to follow him up the stairs. 

“So Ella, I hear that you are one of the finest tactical and combat experts the council has.” he grins while waiting for my reply. 

“Well I have recently graduated so I’m sure there is a lot of experience I have to gain first to deserve that title. I’ve been studying your situation though and do have some ideas that might help.” I answer truthfully. 

As we reach the door of my room he swings it open and let’s me step inside first. He follows behind me without closing the door. The room is a generous size with a huge four poster bed and an adjoining bathroom. There is a small balcony off the corner of the room and some large bay windows that look out over the forest. 

“Wow.” I utter as I take in the view of the moon and the twinkly stars in the sky above the lush forest. 

“Yep, guests do tend to have that reaction to this room. It really is one of the nicest in the building. Luna Anna likes to make our guests feel welcome.” 

“Yeah I noticed.” I chuckled softy as I take in the other features of the room. 

“Well I guess your really tired now. I’ll leave you be and let you get some rest. Breakfast is between 6am and 8am usually however training for the pack warriors starts at 7.30 so we normally eat before then.” He states while casually inching closer to my body. 

“Well thanks, I’ll be there along with the team too and we will get to work right away. Thanks for your help James.” I smile widely at him and his eyes widen slightly. It suddenly dawns on me that my usual professional persona has slipped a little and I fix a friendly yet neutral expression back onto my face. 

“Goodnight Ella, I’m really looking forward to working with you.” He grins playfully while walking backward toward the door. As he exits and I hear the door click shut I toss my bag down on the floor and plop onto the large spacious bed. 

“He’s gorgeous Ella. I wonder what it would be like to go on a run in the woods with his wolf.” Ivy coos suggestively. 

I know it’s been hard for Ivy to express any interest in any other man since our mate rejected us. So it’s a surprise to me that she seems to like James. Even Matt doesn’t really get her stamp of approval the way that she has just given to James within half an hour of meeting the man. I have to admit though he is handsome and I get a feeling of sincerity from him. Never mind, I can’t let any funny business get in the way. I have a job to do after all and jumping into bed with the sexy Beta would not go over well with the Commander I’m sure. I quickly link the rest of the team and let them know about the training session in the morning and drift off into a deep sleep.