Alpha James: Book 1 of The Alpha Series

5. First Council Meeting

James

A week later, I was on the private plane headed for my first Alpha council meeting. I knew several of the Alphas from the other ten packs, two of them being my uncles. I knew Alpha Alex because he was my uncle Mason’s Alpha at Red Moon and then I knew Alpha Jack from Harvest Moon because his mate was Uncle Cameron’s sister, Stella. I had met all of them and their pups, so I would know who was going to be taking their places one day. I found it interesting that Jack and Stella had a girl for an Alpha heir. I couldn’t wait to see how that turned out.

I arrived at the airport in Virginia and was picked up in an SUV and taken to the Council Manor. This place was neutral ground for all of the werewolf packs here in the states, but none of us were at war with one another. All the packs worked together on issues and had close ties with one another.

We arrived at the Manor gates within minutes and drove through. This place was beautiful with a wide spacious area that had gardens and trees lining it. It had white stone buildings and several large old oak trees. I bet Aunt Jamie loved it here.

The SUV stopped at the front porch and I stepped out with my bag in my hand. I walked up to the front door just as it opened and an attendant came out to greet me with a smile.

“Alpha James, welcome to the council manor. I will show you to your room. You may explore the grounds and use the kitchen as you wish while you are here,” he told me.

“Thank you. Who all is here already?” I asked.

“Crimson Moon, Hunter’s Moon, Blue Moon, Midnight Forest, Harvest Moon and Dark Hollers.”

I nodded my head and the attendant showed me down the halls of the large building. He showed me to the room I would be using and left me alone. I walked in and closed the door behind me. I put my bag down on the bed and pulled my things out before putting my suit in the closet and my toiletries in the bathroom.

I left my room to see who I could find and bug at the moment. I knew my aunts and uncles were here and they could be moving around the Manor. I started off down the hall and listened for voices. I walked around and found the dining hall and the kitchen. I walked into the kitchen to get something to drink when I ran into two other Alphas that were close to my age. Both of them were my height and muscle build. One had blond hair with light brown eyes and the other one had light brown hair with blue eyes.

“Hey, what’s up? I’m Alpha James of Trinity Forest,” I said as I offered my hand for them to shake.

The guy with blond hair and brown eyes reached out and shook my hand as he said, “Good to meet you. I’m Alpha Grayson of Crimson Moon.”

“Good to meet you too,” I said and turned to the other guy.

He offered me a smile and reached out to shake my hand. I got a sense from him that he was stronger than me and I could feel something else under the surface providing that strength. I got that same feeling from uncle Cameron every time I was around him.

“Nice to meet you, James,” he said in a thick Creole accent. “I’m Alpha Wyatt of Dark Hollers.”

When he said where he was from, I registered why I felt what I did from him. He was one of the Alphas that not only had an Alpha wolf but a Lycan warrior. I thought that Crimson Moon was supposed to have one also, but I couldn’t feel Grayson’s warrior.

“It’s nice to meet you too. Do you have a Lycan warrior?” I asked Wyatt.

He smiled even wider and said, “Yes. And so does Grayson, but we get to watch your aunt finally uncage his this weekend.”

“That’s awesome,” I said while looking at Grayson with a smile.

“Right! I’m super excited,” he told me happily.

The three of us started talking about our packs and being new Alphas as we grabbed drinks from the fridge and some snacks. We sat at the kitchen island on some bar stools as we talked.

I learned that Grayson was two years older than me and still didn’t have his mate. I asked him why my aunt was waiting this long to let his Lycan out and he said that it had to do with his mental strength. The cage that kept his Lycan at bay was stronger than the others she had released before him.

I learned that Wyatt was a year older than me and aunt Jamie had released his Lycan on his eighteenth birthday. He hadn’t found his mate yet either. He also told me about the hunter that he dealt with around his pack territory. Apparently, they have gotten more abundant in recent years.

There was one other Alpha Wyatt’s age that they were close with but he wasn’t here yet. This made us the four oldest of the next generation of Alphas for the council. The next newbie to take over would be Eric in four years.

We sat there and talked until the kitchen staff came in to make dinner. We were shooed out into the dining hall where we sat together at the large table at the center of the room. We sat and talked until another guy our age came in. I introduced myself and learned that he was Alpha Miguel of Golden Meadows. He had a Lycan also. I was starting to feel a little left out since I didn’t have one. My younger cousin Eric would have one, along with Grant and Jaxson. This didn’t seem fair.

The four of us sat there and talked until everyone else started to join us. The first ones to arrive in the dining hall were uncle Sean and aunt Paris. I got out of my seat to hug them in greeting.

“At least the bachelor Alphas are keeping each other company,” Sean said with a smile.

I laughed at him and nodded my head. It seemed like the best way to stay out of trouble, hanging out with a bunch of other single guys in the same position as me.

Soon the dining hall was filled with talk and laughter as everyone was now in attendance. Dinner was served as we all talked about random things so I could get to know everyone and they could get to know me.

As we ate dinner, lamb steaks with asparagus and mashed potatoes, I learned about Alpha Samuel and Luna Scarlett, Alpha Ryan and Luna Jinx, Alpha Dean and Luna Erin. These were the only three Alpha couples that I didn’t know and I didn’t know their heirs yet.

After we all finished eating, I watched as all of the Alphas stood up from their seats. I quickly followed suit and stood up with them. The mated Alphas kissed their Lunas goodbye and I gathered that we were headed to the pub.

Sean stepped away from the table and said, “Come on James.”

I quickly followed him while waving at the table and said, “bye Lunas.”

“Bye,” they all said back as we left them in the dining room.

I followed everyone from the manor and out front into the SUVs that were waiting for us. I climbed in with Sean, Ryan and Samuel before the vehicle drove away from the manor and to the pub not far away. The SUVs stopped at the pub and we all got out. I followed them into the small building and to a large table in the back that seemed to be waiting for us.

I sat down with everyone and listened to them order their drinks. I got a Samuel Adams Boston Lager like several of the others and sat there listening to everyone talk until our drinks came to us. As I took my first drink, I felt uncle Sean clap me on the back.

“Let the hazing begin,” he said happily.

I set my drink down and looked at everyone at the table before smiling and shaking my head. Getting encouraged to drink entirely too much was actually a blast. When I was drunk on shots and beer, we all left the pub and headed back to the Manor. Climbing into the SUV let me know just how drunk I was. I fell out twice before I was finally able to get in and sit down properly. All I could do was laugh at myself.

As the vehicle started moving, I took deep breaths to keep from vomiting. When we were back at the Manor, uncle Sean helped me out of the SUV and to my room. As I looked around, everything was double, so the bed was my best bet. Uncle Sean helped me up on the bed and took my shoes off me before telling me goodnight and leaving the room. I lay there on the bed with my eyes closed feeling the room spin. I was comforted when I finally passed out.

~

The alarm on my phone went off inside my pocket. I had never gotten it out and plugged it in. I groaned in irritation and discomfort as I fished into my pocket and got it out. I turned my alarm off, then slowly got out of bed, trying to keep the contents inside my stomach. My mouth was horribly dry and I had a pounding headache. I made my way to the bathroom slowly. I drank several glasses of water before getting in the shower to wash the smell of beer off me.

“Let’s not do that again please?” Bruno asked.

“You got it.”

When I was done in the shower, I felt a little better but I still needed to work on the slow moving part of the hangover. I felt like I could have crawled into bed and slept for several more hours.

I pulled on my blue suit and a black shirt and tie that I had picked out for today. Once I was dressed, I left my room to find breakfast. My head was still pounding with my hangover headache and I’m sure I looked rough to everyone around me.

I walked into the kitchen to see breakfast was made and we could get what we wanted. I saw Wyatt, Grayson and Miguel getting their breakfast then going to the dining hall to sit down. I followed suit and got a plate of breakfast, then a cup of coffee and joined them. I started eating slowly and sipped my coffee, trying to let my stomach settle and my headache go away.

“How’s your head?” Wyatt asked.

I groaned and all three of them chuckled before Miguel said, “That’s how it was for all of us too.”

“Just finish your breakfast and things will get better after that,” Grayson said.

I nodded my head and continued to eat. When we were done eating, the kitchen staff came to take our dirty plates and an attendant walked up to tell us that the meeting would be starting in ten minutes. All four of us got up from our seats and headed into the meeting room.

We entered the room to find Cameron, Sean, Jamie. Samuel, Ryan, Dean, Jack, Alex and some alpha that looked like an older version of Grayson in the room.

“Dad, I’m surprised you made it,” Grayson said.

The extra Alpha in the room was Grayson’s father, Alpha Curt. I had heard a lot about him over the years from my dad and uncles. Out of all of them, the only one that didn’t really like him was uncle Cameron.

“I couldn’t miss this,” Curt said with a smile.

Aunt Jamie looked around the room and then asked uncle Cameron to close the door before she started conducting business. Everyone sat down except for her, Grayson, his father and uncle Cameron. I sat in the seat that was my father's until now. I turned my attention fully to aunt Jamie and what she was doing.

“Ok, Grayson. Let’s uncage that Lycan,” she told him with a soft smile.

“What do I need to do?” he asked.

“Just relax while I dive into that head of yours. Whatever you do, don’t pull away from me no matter how painful it might get,” she instructed softly but firmly.

I watched Grayson swallow hard and look at his dad before he looked back at Jamie and nodded his head. She stepped up towards Grayson, taking his head in her hands as she pressed her thumbs to his temples. I watched as she closed her eyes to concentrate on her task and so did he.

I could feel the energy building around Jamie and Grayson in the room as she worked inside his mind. I watched his face and I could see he was already in pain and shaking as he balled his fists beside him. I could hear his breathing pick up like he was running swiftly through the woods. His complexion started to turn red as aunt Jamie continued to try and free his Lycan. There was a struggle going on inside his mind and you could tell it was hard on both of them.

Suddenly, Grayson started to whimper and struggle in Jamie’s grasp. I listened to her take in a deep breath and the energy in the room rushed towards them like a tidal wave. Jamie screamed out as the energy disappeared into both of them. I was startled at what was going on and so was everyone else in the room.

Aunt Jamie never released Grayson’s head as her knees buckled under her and she started to fall to the floor. Everyone rushed forward to try and catch her before she hit the ground. Grayson seemed to be calm and lightning-quick as he snatched her up in his arms with her thumbs still pressed to his temples. I looked at his eyes to find them so gray they were almost silver now instead of brown.

Uncle Cameron and Curt moved forward and that’s when we heard it, the most menacing growl I have ever heard come from a wolf. Grayson was watching them closely while holding Jamie. He continued to growl at them to stay away. Jamie was completely limp in his arms with her eyes closed but it was like her hands were superglued to his head.

“What’s your name?” Uncle Sean asked as he stepped beside Cameron and Curt.

“Thrax,” Grayson growled out.

“Thrax, we need to give Jamie back to Cameron,” Curt said.

All he did was growl at that much more. I watched as every Lycan warrior in the room stood up from their seats and stepped up behind Cameron and Curt. The only thought running through my head was, this was about to be bad.

I went to the other side of the table and watched as five Alphas worked to get Jamie out of Grayson’s arms. All he did was growl at them and try to pull away. He started to back towards the door to try and escape them. As I watched what was going on, I remembered what aunt Jamie told him.

“Wait!” I yelled and everything stopped.

All eyes turned to me and I said, “she said for him to not pull away. What if they are still connected and you pulling her away does something to either of them?”

Everyone stepped away from Grayson and considered my words.

“Alright, what do we do then?” Miguel asked.

“Try to assess if she’s ok,” I told him.

“Do you want me to go get Stella?” Jack asked Cameron.

Cameron nodded and we heard Fenrir speak through him saying, “Please.”

He left the room quickly and everyone sat down once again except for Curt and Cameron. They stayed close to Jamie and Grayson while we waited for Jack to return with Stella. Moments later, they came rushing into the room.

Stella stepped beside them and placed a gentle hand on Grayson’s shoulder while saying, “It’s ok. All I’m going to do is check on her.”

Grayson didn’t growl this time and Stella proceeded to check Jamie while telling us what was going on.

“She’s breathing normally. Her eyes are still glowing though, so her magic is still working. It’s almost like it’s stuck in power mode,” Stella said.

Uncle Cameron sat down heavily with a sigh while watching Jamie and I heard his Lycan, Fenrir, ask in his deep voice, “so there’s nothing any of us can do?”

Stella looked at him and shook her head.

Curt asked, “Thrax, are you stuck at the front, or can Grayson take over again?”

I watched as Grayson closed his eyes and relaxed again. I watched as he seemed to be searching for the other part of himself. All of us were waiting to see what would happen next on this crazy morning. When Grayson opened his eyes they were back to normal and Jamie’s hands fell away from his head. Cameron stood up abruptly and reached out to take Jamie from him. As soon as Cameron touched her, she jolted awake and looked around the room. All of us sighed in relief.

“Are all these meetings this eventful?” I asked the others.

“No,” several of them answered while shaking their heads.

I shook my head and went to take my seat. After aunt Jamie was checked over and given some water, the meeting and the day proceeded. The meeting was what I expected and found it insightful since I was new to this. I wonder how many more crazy meetings we would end up having over the years.