The Lone Alpha (Book 5 of Forest Wolf Series)

Hunter's Moon

Sean’s POV 

   I drove the two hours to Hunter’s Moon and arrived at mid-afternoon. I drove up to the territory gate and the warriors stopped me. I let them know who I was and they waved me through. I drove to the packhouse enjoying the view of Hunter’s Moon once more. The few times we have come here to see Jamie, I have loved it. The lake was beautiful and the village had that old feel to it. 

   I parked my car and got out right as Jamie was rushing up to give me a hug. I wrapped my arms around her and hugged her happily. Her happiness was infectious sometimes. Cameron walked up as I let go of Jamie and I shook his hand. 

   “How was the drive?” Jamie asked. 

   “It wasn’t bad. It was only two hours,” I said with a shrug. 

   “Let’s go inside and catch up,” Jamie told me. 

   We all walked into the packhouse and to Cameron’s office. Cameron had a large playpen set up in his office for the boys which I thought was cool. Duncan didn’t do anything like that with his pups. Duncan was a lot like most Alphas and just focused on work and pack life. 

   I sat down in one of the chairs and took my phone out of my pocket. I opened up a document to take notes after titling it ‘Hunter’s Moon Pack’. I jotted down to have a playpen in my office when I had pups with my mate. 

   Once I was done typing on my phone, I looked up to see Jamie and Cameron waiting on me. I smiled at them both while they sat next to one another on the large couch in his office. Those two were always connected at the hip it seemed. I didn’t know if any other Alpha couples would be so attached to one another. Would I be like that with my own mate? I mean Duncan and Meredith are attached but not like Cameron and Jamie. 

   “So what will you be looking for while you’re here?” Jamie asked me.

   “My Luna and my Beta for starters,” I answered. 

   “Well I don’t think we have any other Betas in our pack other than Rambo and Ben,” Cameron says. 

   I nodded my head and said, “Alright. I will also be looking at the village again to see the businesses, layout and get some ideas for when I start building my pack,'' I told them. 

   They both nodded and Cameron said, “When you get ready to start building let me know and I can help you with construction.”

   “Will do.”

   “Any ideas as to where you will want to settle your pack yet?” Jamie asked. 

   “No. I’ve had some thoughts though, but once I’ve seen each pack I’ll know which direction to go in I’m sure,” I told her. 

   She nodded before asking, “what would you like to do first?” 

   “Are Ben and Rambo around? I would like to have a meeting with them and the two of you so I can ask questions.” 

   “Yeah. I can mind-link them both,” Cameron says. 

   I watched as Cameron’s crystal blue eyes went dull for a moment and then they went back to normal. He smiled and nodded his head indicating that they were on their way to the office. A few moments later Rambo and Ben stepped into the room and greeted me with handshakes. Everyone took a seat and I started asking questions. 

   “Cameron, when did you know that Rambo was the Beta you needed for the pack?”

   “When we first met we were able to talk like old friends right away. We had a lot in common and things went from there. As soon as I brought him home with me and found that Sage was his mate, I just knew he needed to be the Beta here,” Cameron tells me. 

   “What about you with Ben?” I asked Jamie. 

   “Well…that took some time. I saw Ben as an ally when he started helping us against the rogues. Then Cameron placed him at my side as a bodyguard until after the final battle. I decided that Ben needed to stay at my side and help me after that. He became too much of a part of my every day to just see him fade off after that.”

   I nodded at Jamie’s answer. It was based on attachment, friendship and having an ally. Now I needed to ask Rambo and Ben questions. 

   “How did you two know that you needed to help them?” 

   “When I met Cameron I just had this feeling I needed to follow him. That I was meant to help him even if it wasn’t as the Beta of his pack,” Rambo told me. 

   I nodded and then looked at Ben for an answer.

   “I didn’t know at first who Jamie was but once I knew, things changed quickly. I knew I needed to help her and protect her at all costs.”

   I nodded again. It seemed more evident that when a Beta meets an Alpha, they know right away that they are supposed to help and follow the Alpha. The Alpha on the other hand doesn’t really know they just see a close friend in the Beta. I’ll have to pay attention during my travels. 

   After talking to them for a while Ben, Rambo and Cameron let everyone know that it was time to go to dinner. We all got up and went to the pack dining room. We met with Sage, Rambo’s mate, and I got to meet their daughter Logan. I also got to meet Ben’s mate, Emma, and their son Sabastian. Emma had Eric and Grant with her which Cameron and Jamie took right away. Eric was now a year old and Grant was a few months old. 

   Dinner tonight was full of conversation and passing around pups. I was glad to get time with Eric and Grant. I didn’t get to see them much where I have lived with James, Alison and Cam until this point. 

~

   The next morning, I met Jamie and Cameron in the dining room for breakfast. They had Eric and Grant with them so they could enjoy time together. We eat and talk about today.   

   “I have work to get done today but Jamie will spend the day with you,” Cameron says. 

   “Awesome. Do we get to drag the pups along with us?” I asked.

   “Yes and Ben. I do have some business to look after in the village and I might have some Luna duties, but you still get to hang out with me."

   "Sweet!" 

   After eating breakfast, I took Eric from Cameron and followed Jamie out of the packhouse. Cameron went to his office to handle his business which reminded me of Duncan. I followed Jamie out onto the front porch and found Ben there waiting on us. 

   "Morning, Sean," Ben said. 

   "Good morning Ben," I said back.

   "Come on boys we have pack members to go see and things to do," Jamie says happily as she steps off the porch.

   We followed her into the village and as we walked around I handed Eric off to Ben. I got my phone out and started taking notes. I typed out what businesses the pack had as Jamie explained them and the tunnel system to me. I take notes on how the tunnels work and that it leads to a safe room for the pack members. It's a great idea but I know I want to do something different for my future pack. 

   Personally, I love the way the village looks with the shops and cobblestone streets. The square is the main attraction and I know when I build my pack something like this will be a must. Once I'm done taking notes and look up from my phone, Jamie is staring at me. 

   "What?" I asked.

   "You're taking this all too seriously," she tells me. 

   "I kind of need to," I protest. 

   "Yes, but you need to have fun along the way."

   “I’m sure I will. I just needed to get my thoughts down before they were gone. But I’m done now so we can have fun.” 

   “He’s smart,” Ben says while looking at Jamie. 

   “Yep.”

   All I could do was smile. We walked around the village as members waved and said hello to us. After a couple of hours of walking around and talking with members, we ended up at Jamie's florist shop. This really shouldn’t have surprised me. 

   We went inside and there I found a very pretty young she-wolf making flower arrangements in a large vase. She was a pretty thing with short blond hair. She looked up at Jamie with a smile before going back to what she was arranging in the vase in front of her. 

   I stood near the door of the flower shop holding Grant while Jamie handled business with her employee. Once she was done, we left the shop to walk around the village and to meet more of the members. Jamie takes Grant back as we spend a day in the village talking with people. Jamie helps members as we walk around and I see now what her role is as the Luna of the pack here. Meredith's role is smaller since we have a smaller pack but members know to find her around the packhouse or in her office if she is needed. Jamie is very hands-on. 

~

   Over the next few days, I train with Cameron, Ben and Rambo. It was a great change of pace to have others to train with and that I couldn’t anticipate every move they made. Beating Ben and Rambo was to be expected since they are Betas but both of them at the same time was difficult. It was a good challenge for me.  

   Having the opportunity to train with Cameron was the highlight of my trip to Hunter’s Moon though. We sparred for several rounds as I learned how he conducted himself on the field. He was fast and strong and I was able to learn a little more. I was happy when he wanted to let our wolves out to fight. Duncan and Freddie hardly ever did that so it was great to give Charlie the ability to fight with Noah in training. 

   “Your wolf is strong and crafty like your sister,” Cameron tells me. 

   I laughed and said, “yeah sometimes he reminds me of her, but she doesn’t call me dude.”

   That got Cameron, Rambo and Ben laughing. We stood there in silence for a few moments watching the warriors around us train in their own matches. 

   “So what’s it like having a Lycan warrior?” I asked Cameron. 

   “It’s much like having a wolf. Except now I have two of them in my head and when they both decide to talk at the same time it gets frustrating. At first, it was easy for them to drive me crazy.”

   “How often do you let him out?” 

   “Whenever Fenrir wants out I let him out,” he said with a shrug of his shoulders. 

   I smiled at that. I had never seen one before so I wondered if I would be able to.

   “Can I see him?” I asked with a big smile on my face. 

   Cameron looked at me for a second then nodded his head. He shifted in the blink of an eye. When his transformation was done, standing in front of me was a large man with the head of a wolf standing on his hind legs. He had copper and silver fur covering his body and his eyes were now gray instead of the clear blue like Cameron and Noah’s. 

   “Wow. This is incredible,” I said in awe as I studied him. 

   I looked him over while his Lycan watched me with every move I made. It was a little intimidating but I was curious. 

   “His eyes are the same color as Grant’s. Is it possible that’s where Grant got it from,” I asked as I turned back to look at Rambo and Ben. 

   “We have all thought that but there’s no way of telling,” Fenrir said in a very deep voice. 

   “Holy s**t he talks!” 

   Ben and Rambo both start laughing at me. I stood there with wide eyes as I stared at Fenrir. It was crazy that he just spoke. Our wolves couldn’t do that. Well, Jamie’s wolf could but she was a Goddess.  

   “Yeah, I talk. Did you think I was just death and destruction?” Fenrir asked. 

   “Kind of. I mean you're a warrior like none other.”

   “Yes, but I still have a brain and obviously a voice.”

   After a while, Cameron took control once more and shifted back. It was incredible to witness and I was happy to have been able to meet him. 

~

   I was at Hunter’s Moon for a total of five days. I learned a lot, I trained a lot with Cameron, I spent time with family and I met every unmated she-wolf over the age of eighteen. There were so many. None of them were my mate so it was time to keep looking for her and my Beta elsewhere. 

   I packed my things back up inside the guest room in the packhouse and called Meredith to talk with her and give her an update on what I was up to. She asked me a million questions while I was on the phone with her. I probably should have called her sooner than I had. She seemed worried. By the end of the conversation, she was satisfied and couldn’t wait to hear more of my journey the next time I called. 

   I loaded my car back up with all of my clothes. Jamie had given me the numbers to all the Alphas and told me what pack they were in charge of. 

   “I’m going to keep in contact with you everywhere I go to know what I’m walking into with each pack. What do I need to know about BJ, Katie and their pack?” I asked her.

   “BJ and Katie are nice. I don’t know any issues they have in that area,” Jamie said then looked at Cameron. 

   “BJ let me know that the only threats they have seen lately are runaway witches and the occasional hunter. Make sure you're careful,” Cameron warned me. 

   I nodded my head and said, “got it. I’ll text you when I get ready to leave there for the next pack on my list.”

   “Ok. I love you, little brother.” 

   “I love you too, Jamie.”   

   Cameron, Jamie and the boys said bye to me on the front porch. I climbed in my car and off I went to Dark Hollers after texting their Alpha, BJ. What an odd name.