Alpha Markus

Chapter 4 - Markus

Markus POV

“I don’t know why I let you talk me into this visit. We have more than enough on our plates at the moment. I should not be leaving the pack” I grumbled to Gillian as I started going through the outstanding papers that needed to be dealt with before my trip.

“Because we need a Luna and you need to get laid already. You’re getting grumpier by the day” Gillian, my Beta laughed at me.

“I’m more than capable of taking care of the pack without a Luna. Besides, I don’t want to be tied to the Blood Moon Pack if I can avoid it. This is a bad idea, I should just cancel,” I said, looking at my phone to see what time it was. Gillian snatched the phone out of my hand and I growled.

“You’re going and that’s that. The Pack duties will still be here when you get back. You’ve gone nonstop since you took over the Pack 4 years ago. You need a break. Even if you’re not her mate, you just need a break brother,” he said.

We need to see who his allies are. If the reports are true, we may be headed into a conflict – Atlas, my wolf said in my head.

You’re right. We need more recon - I agreed.

“Fine, but you owe me one," I said to Gillian. He rolled his eyes, “I take it you’re all packed and ready to go? I have to go grab my bag from my room. It’s too bad Daniel isn’t back yet. He enjoys this s**t way more than I do.”

“He’s not due back until about a week after the full moon. He said he thinks he’s close to something big,” Gillian said. His eyes flickered to black and back at the thought of what Daniel was doing. If we weren’t still trying to stabilize things in the pack, he would be right there with Daniel. The rumors that surrounded the Blood Moon Pack were enough to make any decent wolf rage; the little we’d already been able to see for ourselves will make it hard not to separate Alpha Geoff’s head from the rest of his body.

“You going to be able to control Otto while we’re staying at the Packhouse?” I asked. “We can’t afford to give ourselves away just yet. We still need proof.”

“He knows. He will behave. He’s not happy about it, but he knows what’s at stake,” he grumbled.

I sighed, “Well let’s get this s**t show going then. Maybe we hit the jackpot and find something to help us with this investigation.”

I signed the last of the documents and gave my assistant a last few instructions of things to accomplish while I was away.

I went to my room and grabbed the suitcase that had been packed for me. I dragged my feet to the car waiting for me at the entrance of the Packhouse. I hated social gatherings, but Atlas was right. We needed information before we could take on the Blood Moon Pack. I wasn’t sure we could take them on alone. Our pack was getting stronger each day, but to take on the Blood Moon Pack, we would need allies. To get allies, we needed proof.

The Blood Moon Pack didn’t have a lot of unmated females. The Alpha had long ago culled anyone he thought could eventually become a threat to his fear dominated empire. Most of his men found mates outside the pack and for some reason, their offspring were rarely females. I liked to think the goddess Selene did not wish that pack to exist. Only about 35% of their population had found their destined mates. The few females that were born to the pack eventually became chosen mates.

The chances that I would find a mate there was low at least. I wasn’t keen on finding a mate. I didn’t need one. I was 25 years old. Much too old to not have found one. I looked for a mate once, but after what happened to my father shortly after my 21st birthday, I distrusted the bond. Only after he’d found his second chance mate, did I see any relief in his tormented eyes. I was thankful to the moon goddess for helping him find peace, but I also requested that I be spared from that pain. I avoided going out during the full moons. I only ever lead my own pack runs, but I could not refuse the request from the Blood Moon Pack. There was too much at stake to risk it all.

“We will arrive in about an hour. We’re running a little late so we’ll be there just in time for dinner. We at least won’t have to deal with the oaf for long today” I heard Gillian confirm after a few hours on the road. We had been traveling for about 3 hours now. The summer sun was still shining bright. I wondered if the sun even shone inside that forsaken place. I couldn’t imagine being a woman in a place like that. It must be unbearable. I’d never been there, but other Alpha’s had mentioned how the females were treated by the males of the pack. It made my blood boil thinking about it. Despite everything my father went through with his ex-wife, respecting the mate bond was something that he’d taught me to cherish since I was a pup.

“How many pack leaders are coming?” I asked.

“About 12, us included. Most with 1 or 2 Ranked unmated males,” Gillian answered.

“Hmm. Sounds a bit desperate,” I smirked.

“Sounds like he doesn’t want to settle for anything below Gamma,” Gillian grunted. I knew it struck a nerve.