The Lone Alpha (Book 5 of Forest Wolf Series)

Harvest Moon Part 1

Sean’s POV 

   Colorado was an amazing place to drive through. There were fir trees everywhere with the mountains in the background, it’s like looking at the perfect postcard picture. I stopped on the side of the road just to get my camera out and take pictures. 

   After driving North for four very long hours, I arrived at Harvest Moon’s front gates at last. I stopped for the guards as I had done at all the other packs. The guards asked for my name and what business I had. I told them my name and that I was here to see Alpha Jack. They soon waved me through the gates and I drove up to the packhouse. It was modern but this place had that old miner town feel to it. The banners on the house were green and yellow telling me the pride they had in their pack colors like all the rest.  

   As I parked my car out front, I saw Stella come out of the packhouse with a man that I’m guessing is Alpha Jack. This was the first pack I had been to that I didn’t know the Alpha. At least I knew Stella a little from the visits I made to Hunter’s Moon.  

   I got out of my car and walked up to them with a big smile on my face. Stella smiled back at me and her Alpha was observing me carefully. When I got up to the porch Stella wrapped me up in a hug before I could greet Alpha Jack. 

   “It’s great to see you again, Sean.”

   “Good to see you too, Stella.”

   We let go of one another and I turned to Jack. He shook my hand while saying hello. 

   “You look just like Duncan,” Jack said. 

   “I know. Everyone says it,” I told him with a smile. 

   I followed both of them inside the packhouse and down a hallway to Jack’s office. They took a seat on the couch and I sat down in a chair in front of his desk. His office reminded me of Duncan’s.  

   “Where have you been so far?” Stella asked. 

   “Hunter’s Moon, Dark Hollers and Golden Meadows.”

   “What have you been looking at and learning about with each pack?” Jack asked. 

   “Their culture, towns, the roles the leadership plays and the dynamic with each Alpha and Beta couple,” I told him. 

   “Jamie left out how smart you are,” Jack commented.

   I smiled before turning to Stella and asking, “How is college going?”

   “Good, what do you want to know about that?”

    “What things do you see are needed in a pack based on what you’ve learned at college?” I asked.   

   I wanted to know what packs were missing so I could get ahead of the curve and provide things my pack would need before we knew we needed it. 

   “Two pack doctors instead of one, a dentist and a psychologist,” Stella answered. 

   I nodded my head and got my phone out of my pocket. I opened up my notes and started a new document naming it ‘Harvest Moon Pack’. I took down notes on suggestions that Stella made about pack needs. I also took down the color of the pack. 

   “What duties do you do here as Luna?” I asked her. 

   “I make sure that all our members have a job, housing, care for pups and if they have issues or needs they come to us.”

   “What do you do for work Jack?” I asked. 

   “I own and run several magazine and newspaper companies out of Denver,” he told me. 

   I nodded my head and took notes of what they did. I knew Stella was going to college to be a pack doctor so I took those notes down. 

   “What notes are you taking?” Stella asked me bringing my attention back up to her. 

   “I like to keep track of basic information and ideas of how to handle the basic setup of my pack. Ideas on how to run things and a future job. I’ve been trying to figure out a good way to make money while on the move during this adventure. It would need to be something mobile and something I could do in my spare time,” I told them. 

   I knew I would need to raise money somehow to fund the rest of my travels and the start of my pack. I couldn’t rely on others to do that for me. Sure, Duncan and Cameron had said they would help but I didn’t want handouts. I wanted to do this on my own. 

   “Maybe a travelers blog for werewolves. Where members have to pay to read your thoughts, opinions and knowledge,” Jack suggests.

   “That’s a great idea!”

   I took a note down about a travelers blog. If I did that then I would need to do more traveling. Maybe even around the world, not just the packs here in the US. What would stop me from doing that? Nothing! I had nothing but time and the will to do what I wanted. Nothing was tying me down, so it was something to think about. 

   “Would you like to go look at the town, meet some people and grab lunch?” Jack asked. 

   “Yeah.”

   The three of us got up and left the packhouse. They showed me around their town and I took notes. It was about the same size as Hunter's Moon’s village. I made sure to get my camera out of my car to take pictures as we walked around. This place was a wonder to see. 

   They showed me the options they had for eating in town and I picked to eat at a rustic-looking cafe. I guess I missed home a little more than I thought I would. I've only been gone for three weeks but it feels longer than that.  

   We sat down in the cafe at a table and I caught sight of a really pretty waitress. I ended up flirting with her while Jack and Stella watched me. There was no shame in flirting and she was nice. The waitress kept eyeing me while we were there, so yeah I was going to flirt.  

   When the waitress finally walked away, I turned back to Jack and Stella, I decided it was time to get serious. I wanted to see what I could do to help them. 

   “So how are things going on your hunt for the she-wolf and witch y’all are after?” I asked. 

   They both looked at me in surprise. I wonder if they thought I was going to walk in here blind. I liked having Jamie as my sister and I loved the fact that she was a part of the Alpha council and running it. It gave me a better insight into all of the packs. Without her, I don’t think my travels would be possible. 

   “They keep evading us. How do you know about that?” Jack asked. 

   “Jamie. She let me know everything. I’m sorry for what happened to you two,” I told them. 

   “Thank you,” Stella said. 

   “While I’m here if y’all need help I would be more than happy to help out and learn at the same time. Cameron said you tend to be the werewolf King of Spies. That can be helpful I’m sure,” I told Jack. 

   “It can be. We have someone inside each of the packs to help keep us informed of news and if they are having issues that we can possibly help with,” Jack told me. 

   “Who heads your spies?”

   “My Beta, Orson. You will meet him tonight at dinner along with his mate Pearl who is a witch.”

   “Now that’s a rare pairing.” 

   “It is,” Jack said with a nod. 

   “Who do you have on the inside at Trinity Forest and Hunter’s Moon?”

   I was curious to see if I could recognize a spy or not. I didn’t even realize that there were spies in the packs until now. This guy was smart. He would be a powerful ally to have in the future. 

   “Rambo and Orson are friends so Rambo keeps us informed of issues and anything of that nature at Hunter’s Moon. Cameron knows so don’t look at me like that,” Jack said while looking at Stella out of the corner of his eye. 

   I had to fight from laughing at them. Stella’s shocked face was great. It’s crazy that she didn’t know, hell I didn’t even know. I wonder if even Jamie did. I know Cameron keeps things from her sometimes so I wouldn’t ask her if she knew. 

   “At Trinity Forest, I relocated one of my men there years ago. His name is Brice.”

   “As in Captain Brice?” I asked in shock.

   I now knew that I couldn’t spot a spy even if my life depended on it. I would have to get better at this.  

   “Yes,” Jack answered. 

   “Does Duncan know?” I asked.

   “No. I think his Beta does though.”

   “Freddie is smart and he does handle the warriors more than Duncan does.”

   Jack laughed at that and said, “I could use a second pair of eyes with this issue though. Someone that thinks differently could take us in the right direction. It might help us get what we want.” 

   I nodded my head right as our food was placed in front of us by the cute waitress. We ate and kept talking about the pack. Once we were done eating and Jack was paying for lunch I made a point of flirting with the waitress a little more. She was too cute to pass up and she was unmated. If my mate wasn’t here then I might just have some fun with her.

   After walking around a little more, I followed Stella and Jack back to the packhouse. In the sitting area in front of the hallway with their offices, I saw a guy that looked to be Asian and a woman that I could smell was a witch. Her eyes were crazy looking when she looked up at me. I have never seen anyone with violet-colored eyes before and it kept my attention. Jack introduced the guy as his Beta, Orson, and the witch was his mate, Pearl. 

   I followed them all into Jack's office and Orson closed the door. Jack sat in his desk chair while Stella stood behind him. I stood off to the side of his desk while Orson stood in front of it and Pearl sat in a nearby chair. 

   “What’s up?” Jack asked Orson. 

   “They were spotted.”

   “Where?” Jack asked in a rumbling tone. 

   “They went back to Salem,” Orson said. 

   “It makes me think that they are now going back to get proper help to break what Adria did,” Pearl says.  

   Jack opened his computer and started looking at something on the screen. He motioned for me to look at what he was looking at, so I made my way over to stand near Stella and look over his shoulder. It was a map of the US with red pinpoints on it. 

   “This map shows what covens they have visited that we know of. This is the first time they have visited a place twice,” Jack explains. 

   He went on to bring me into the situation fully and told me what had been going on for the past year. Once he was done telling all that was going on, I made a calculated guess as to where they would pop up next. If these two were going back to places they had already been, that means they are hoping someone has the answer to their problem, breaking the hex on Stella. 

   “Personally, I would let these four covens know to keep an eye out for them in the next coming days,” I said, pointing at Sleepy Hollow, New York, Dearborn, and Anoka on the map.

   “I’ll message the warriors we have there and see what happens,” Orson said. 

    Jack nodded, then looked at me and asked, “based on all the information that I gave you, what would you do in order to catch them?”

   “Have your warriors been masking their scent?” I asked.  

   “Recently yes, so they don't make them run,” Orson told me. 

   I nodded and asked, “how long do they stay when they aren’t being watched?”

   “They stayed in Salem for a month before we found them and then they ran off. They have stayed in one spot for a couple of hours before they run off again. But it’s been because we have been spotted and Carmen gets them out of there,” Jack says. 

   “There’s no way to stop them unless we stop Carmen then. Can or will the covens stop a witch from running?” I asked Pearl. 

   “I don’t think that they will keep her from using her magic,” she tells me. 

   “Then we need to separate the two of them somehow. Would Carmen fight back if we grabbed Adria?” I asked. 

   “No, Carmen is a delicate person that wouldn’t do anyone harm. It actually surprises me that she even has hexes in her grimoire,” Jack answers.   

   “Alright, so our best bet is to keep Carmen engaged somehow and separate Adria from her. It will keep them in one spot to be grabbed,” I told everyone. 

   “That’s an idea but we will need better details to that plan when the time comes,” Jack says. 

   “Don’t worry. I’ll work on it,” I told him. 

   I needed to really think of a full proof plan. These two had been on the run for a year and it was time to bring them in. A year was too long and I could tell it was wearing on Jack, Stella and their pack members. 

~

   Over the next four days, I spent my time working with Orson and the spies of Harvest Moon. I was hopeful that my help would pay off for them. I also spent time talking with members and flirting with that same waitress a little more. Something was holding me back from doing anything more with her. I just didn’t feel right making the first move with her so I wouldn’t. I would listen to my instincts. Jamie had told me to always go with my gut feelings. 

   With all the work I had done with Orson and him talking about the spies, I requested that I be able to pick the spy that would be in my pack from theirs. He agreed after a little while. I told him I would feel better if I knew I could trust the person. 

   I took time to train with Orson and Jack on the training field. First, I trained with Orson who I beat after learning how he moved and fought. He was fast as hell but my brute strength won in the end. I then trained with Jack who seemed a little slow and lumbering. Come to find out he hadn’t been training very much in the past year. It was because of his depression which I understood but he needed to train. I ended up training with both of them at the same time after a while. I beat both of them in a training match and I made a point of telling them they needed to train more. They could have all the spies in the world but a poorly trained Alpha and Beta could be a pack's weakness. I already knew that and so did they. 

   I worked on my plan to catch Adria and Carmen in every spare moment I took. Orson had talked to each of the covens I had picked out and made sure they knew to separate the two women so we could capture them. This had to work. I just hope my hunch pays off.