The Alpha and His Rogue (Book 3 of Forest Wold Series)

Alex’s POV    It was a typical busy week here at the Red Moon packhouse. Things were mostly quiet at the moment while I was sitting in my office working. I was on my computer looking through research and data sent to me from the research lab I own and run. As I looked over the files I heard my phone’s text tone go off and I picked it up reading the message that was just sent. I huffed at the knowledge that there was more work ahead and this work would take me away from the pack for a couple of days.      I mind-linked my Beta, Landon, to come into my office for a quick meeting. Within a few minutes, he walks into my office and closes the door behind him. Most of the time I had my office door open unless I had a meeting going on then it was closed. I enjoyed being available for my pack members and liked to talk with them as much as I could.      Landon is a short muscular guy with black mid-length hair and gray eyes. I’ve known him since we were pups and we have always been close. We went all the way through school together, graduated together, chased a bunch of she-wolves together and took over the pack together. Neither one of us has found our mates yet, so we are a pair of leadership bachelors just looking for some fun most of the time, and sometimes a little trouble.     Landon was kind of a troublemaker in some ways. If he wasn’t chasing she-wolves, he was out drinking his liver away. Though we could heal from a hangover quickly because we were werewolves, the thought of it just hurt my head. Looking at the things he did, I was actually surprised that my dad had allowed him to take over the pack with me years ago. I mean the party boy mentality doesn’t scream reliable leadership but he’s my best friend.     Landon has a seat in front of my desk and asks, “what’s up?”    “I’m going to be leaving for an Alpha’s council meeting in a week. I’ll be gone for two days. They’ve called an emergency meeting,” I tell him.     “I’ve got the pack covered as always while you're gone. Did they say what the emergency meeting is about?” Landon asks.     “Crop issues,” I remarked.     “It must be serious if they are calling a meeting about it finally,” he says surprised.     “Yeah I knew of one other pack that had been having crop issues other than us, so there must be another or several others finding themselves in the same position,” I said.     We had been resourcing our food from a town close by for about two months now. It was a town of humans, so we were having to be as careful as possible. If they learned what was going on here at Red Moon or found out what we are, my whole pack could be in danger. It could mean the end of the pack and the death of a lot of wolves. That couldn’t happen.     The human world had to be dealt with lightly and with a smart level head. If a human was a mate to our kind they would need to be brought in slowly or rejected on the spot. I had seen a few wolves in the past be successful with female humans, but I had never seen a male human with a she-wolf before. That was very unheard of.     “I hope that something good comes of this meeting and something is figured out,” Landon tells me.      “You and me both,” I say with a sigh.     “Well, I’ll let you get back to work. I have a sparring match to go watch between the younger warriors,” he tells me as he stands up.     Landon’s job was to oversee the security and the warriors. He kept them trained and kept guard duty running smoothly. Though if there was a threat, I would lead the warriors and not him.     “Alright,” I nod my head and get back to work.     Landon left my office leaving my door open so the pack members would know that I wasn’t in a meeting. I went back to the datasheets and documents I had been looking over. My work wasn’t very exciting or lavish, but it took care of my pack financially.     I took over the pack after I graduated from high school when I was only eighteen. About two years ago my dad was killed in an awful rogue attack. My mom died almost instantly after that from the pain of losing my father. I missed them both terribly.     As I worked I heard a voice that didn’t belong to my wolf, Duke. I had been hearing it quite often. It seemed like a friendly male voice, but I wasn’t quite sure I should trust it. At times it was commanding and at other times it was friendly. I had thought I was going crazy when I first heard it because no one else did. The only other person that heard this voice other than me was Duke.     “You're a strong and smart Alpha,” the voice told me.     “Thank you. I like to pride myself on being pretty awesome,” I said.     “Good.”    “I’ve been hearing you quite often lately. Who are you?”    “Just a friend that wants to help you,” he answers.     “Help me how?” I asked.     “Help you to get what you really want,” he says in a sly voice.     “And how do you know what I really want?” I ask.     “You want that pretty little she-wolf from Trinity Forest.”    “Jamie? She was a gorgeous little thing that got away from me. How do you presume to help me get her?” I asked curiously.     “If you just do a few things here and there for me. You might find that pretty little thing in your bed one day,” he tells me.     “Now that I would like to see,” I said with a big smile.     “All in due time. If you really want that. The first thing I need you to do is help me find a lone witch.”    “What witch are you looking for? And if you plan to use a spell to get her in my bed, I don’t think it will work,” I told him.     “I’m looking for a line with great power and the witch isn’t for Jamie. It’s for me.”     “I’ll ask around. I know a few witches in the area,” I tell him.     “Perfect. I’ll be back to talk to you soon, Alex.”     “Ok. Whoever you are,” I said.     The presence was gone as quickly as it came. It has been like this for about a month now. It just all of a sudden showed up one day and kept coming back. It was like a ghost reaching out but I couldn’t see it. I could only hear it.     “Duke, do you ever hear that voice too?”     “Yes. I don’t think you should trust it though,” Duke tells me.     “I think you might be right, but the thought of having that she-wolf in my bed is enticing.”     “You should look for our mate. She might be even more enticing, weirdo.”     “You might be right,” I tell him as he falls to the back of my mind.     I went back to my paperwork for a little while before I sent an email out to a few witches I know asking about a lone witch. I didn’t know if they would know what I was inquiring about but I was curious.     It wasn’t long and I got an email back about a lone witch that my friend, the voice, could contact. I wrote down the information to save for a later date. I had no idea when I would be talking with that voice again.     When my workday was finally over I had dinner with Landon in the pack dining hall. It was a simple and quiet night that I was going to enjoy. Some nights Landon would want to go out and find omegas to irritate or take back to his bed. I didn’t see anything wrong with having my fill of s****l partners until I found my mate, but tonight I wasn’t in the mood.     I was really thinking about what Duke had said about finding our mate. At the Alpha meeting, I might see about visiting some of the other packs to see if I could find her anywhere. I would never admit it to anyone, but I yearned to have the other half of my soul. I needed to be whole and I needed the pack secured with a strong Luna.     After taking a hot shower I sat in my bed watching old episodes of Friends. I loved that show. I would dance on the bed to the theme song every time it came on. Ok, so I might be a gigantic kid, but tell no one.     I love kids. There was another reason to find my mate. I wanted kids. I mean I take care of the pack orphans as my own, but that was a little different. None of them call me dad. I wanted kids of my own that would call me dad.      While watching my favorite episode of season three, I start to doze off. It had been a long day of using my brain to the max, so it was time to just shut off and rest. I turned the TV off and settled into my king-size bed that felt all too empty. I laid there calmly until sleep claimed me.