The Lucky One [Ian]
1085 Words
"Please explain to me…slowly this time because I don't seem to understand any of this s**t…"
Pharell huffed in annoyance. "This isn't s**t, Ian, it's all on the Elders and this contract has been in the works for quite a while. It's not my fault you don't attend pack meetings."
"You weren't included in the negotiations too, no?" Ian pointed out, leaning back in his chair as he sat across from the Blue Moon Pack Alpha, Pharell Moon. "So this means you only got to know of this recently."
"f**k you. That's not the issue here. I think this has to do with an original split in the Eastern Pack in the seventies." Pharell tossed a manila folder across the desk. Ian flipped through the vast array of fiscal statements, real-estate holdings, active status reports…all the necessary bits of documents required for a pack merger.
"So you agreed to absorb their pack into ours?" Ian frowned, biting down on his bottom lip as he sifted through the most current bank statements. "All of these information is recent. As in received a week ago."
Pharell shrugged, flipping the tennis ball he'd taken from Ian's table. "Why do you care? They're going to lose their homeland on the mountain to us. They're in debt. The land will be of good use to us and we can absorb their debt to get it."
Ian hummed thoughtfully, tapping on his feet as he skimmed over the inked pages. "They could be worth millions if handled correctly. Which obviously it hasn't. I don't see how this deal will profit us."
"Not only that. According to what the Elders' told me in the last pack meeting, which you deliberately refused to attend, they have an infusion of rare genetic material."
Ian barked out a comical laugh. "Well, what do you know? Leave it to the Elders to worry about more babies around here."
"Hey, is that an indirect reference to my pups?"
Ian raised his hands up. "Hey, they take after their father, that's all. I've got nothing more to say on that."
"I don't know if I should take that as a compliment or not."
"Trust me, it could be anything other than a compliment." Ian closed the folder and pushed it across the desk. He consulted his watch briefly. "So, if all of this has been discussed, why am I here and not attending to pack business?"
"In the negotiations, to further strengthen the friendship between the East and North, one of the omegas has been selected to mate with Chase Aldvick."
Ian groaned quietly, dragging a palm down his face. He very well knew where this was going. "And is Chase aware and comfortable with this?"
"Aware? No, we thought we'd surprise him with it. But as for comfortable, well that's his problem to take up with the Elders." Pharell swiveled out his chair and crossed over to the window, peeking out. Ian joined him to look down at the forest path.
A group of pack Alphas and some of the larger betas were divided into two teams for the moonlight hunt.
The Alphas would make sure that they didn't hunt to close to non-shifter residences, to avoid a brawl with the humans. The last time that happened, a war had broken out and the wolves, no matter how reluctant they were to attack the weaker humans had no choice but to defend their kind and ended up killing almost half the human population of Finesse. Pharell had brought the war to a close with a promise and a contract stating that all wolf-shifters were to never set foot in human territory again. The pack house were then moved closer to the forest to aid hunting activities.
As the groupings shifted and bounded into the forest, their claws thumping and upturning fresh soil and leaves, Chase Aldvick in all his wolf glory stood out among them, his dazzling white fur almost blinding among the darker coloration of the rest of the pack. His genetics were the proof to the Elders that allowing a new infusion of genetics into the Blue Moon Pack had been a wise decision.
Arranging mates had been a welcomed notion ever since the Elders started to relax, and from what Ian could see they weren't letting go of it anytime soon yet. They still insisted that all unattached alphas mated as soon as they were able, regardless of whether they were fated or not.
Many weren't supportive of this idea and noisily insisted, mounting pressure on their alpha, Pharell to call for resistance.
Ian pursed his lips as he watched the wolves disappear, trudging farther into the forest and tearing at creeping vines and little animals, unfortunate to be in their way. Chase took up the lead, howling frantically as they broke apart to different directions. "How do you think he'd react? I'm not sure he'd be pleased to know all these were decided behind his back, without his consent."
"He's got to accept it anyway, like I did."
"I still can't believe you went ahead with the Elders' plan to wait until his omega got here before telling him."
"I don't think that's your problem now, Ian." Pharell turned to him, face squared and hands tucked deep into his pockets. "You have to get going now, before the rain makes a head start first."
"Aren't you gonna wish me luck?" Ian asked, digging into his pocket for his phone to let his assistant know he wasn't going to make the board meeting scheduled in two hours' time. "You never know what might happen. The Elders of the Blue Moon Pack might change their mind and have their alpha challenge me. I might not be lucky to make it home alive."
Pharell snorted. "What a wild imagination you've got, Ian. But we both know none of that's gonna happen. You're going and returning with the omega with you. No chopper or limo, you're driving."
"What? Oh come on, Pharell. I had no idea you hated me this much." When Pharell didn't back down, Ian sighed heavily, heading for the door. "Fine, but I'm stealing your car."
"Pack a bag for an overnight stay. I doubt you'd make it make on time today. That's if the rain doesn't catch up with you before you're halfway there."
"Oh, f**k you."
“Trust me on this, Ian. You're not going
to like it one bit.”
“Do I have any choice?”
“Good boy.”
- Writer
