Twenty Six year old Blake Hunter is the Alpha of the largest pack in the region. Finding his mate is the last thing on his mind.
But, in the midst of dealing with uninvited relations, aspiring future Lunas and increasing rogue attacks on his easter...
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The two powerful Alpha's - one in his prime, one reaching the end of his reign - stared at each other. Assessing, calculating, manoeuvring. They played an invisible game of chess, where one wrong move could lead to disaster for the other player.
"Congratulations on your good fortune," Blake intoned, letting his suspicions surrounding the visitors go, for now. He decided to change tactics.
Let's see how far they're willing to go.
"Speaking of Rogues," he ventured casually. "I hear you've been busy negotiating a truce in the human settlements. In fact, rumour has it you're trading with them and planning on allying yourself with one of the factions out there?"
Syrus allowed his thin lips to stretch out into a painful looking smile. "You know what they say about rumours don't you? You can never be sure how much truth you're getting."
Behind his Alpha, Gareth offered him a tight smile that barely hid his discomfort.
"I agree," Blake said, sounding tired of the games. "So, how much truth am I getting?"
"What business is it of yours?" snapped Gareth, half-rising from his seat and allowing his emotions to once again get the better of him.
Truly, the man wasn't suited to be a Beta. Blake wondered why Syrus had chosen him. He had reacted exactly as expected. Blake tapped his finger on the arm of his chair, a pre-arranged signal for Simon.
Obligingly, Simon growled savagely at the Beta, warning him against challenging his Alpha. "Watch your tone!"
Blake made a show of holding up his hand to calm him, deliberately mirroring Syrus who forced his Beta back down with an irritated flick of his wrist. Two exasperated parents warning their children to behave.
"Hush, Gareth," Syrus said calmly, staring at Simon through shrewd eyes. "The Alpha is right to be concerned by such information. There's never been peace with the Rogues before."
"And for good reason," muttered Simon in the background.
Gareth glared at him furiously.
"It's true that I've been trying to garner a truce of sorts," Syrus conceded, chewing on the remaining segments of orange. "We rely heavily on trade from the nearby towns, and the Rogues can make that extremely difficult at times." He sighed like he hoped the sound would reach the back of a theatre. "I worry one day a human may get caught in the crossfire. I suggested trading as part of the truce, to sweeten the pot, so to speak. But, as far as I'm aware, none of my pack has successfully completed a trade yet - have they, Gareth?" He turned to his Beta with a clear warning in his eyes that Blake did not fail to miss.
"No, Alpha," the Beta agreed dully.
"And there's certainly no talk of an alliance - is there, Gareth?"
