chapter 8

Alister's POV

Alister sat at his desk, his laptop screen open on the desk, as he spoke with Elder Wilson about a recent incident involving rogue wolves and the strangers he was currently helping.

As he was deep in conversation, his beta Elijah entered the room, signaling that he had helped Lucia move into Alister's house. Alister couldn't help but feel guilty that he wasn't able to assist in the move due to being swamped with paperwork. He sighed, massaging his temples in frustration.

"I followed procedure here... they were being chased by rogues, there was no way I would have asked them to continue their journey to the council, for all we know, the rogue wolves might have followed them here…" Alister explained to the man whose face was on the screen, frustration evident in his voice.

He couldn't help but feel responsible for the safety of those in his territory, and the thought of rogue wolves wreaking havoc sent shivers down his spine.

Elder Wilson listened attentively on the other end of the line, his image flickering on Alister's computer screen. "Did they give a number...how many rogues are there? How many of them survived the attack?" he inquired, his brow furrowed.

Alister shook his head, "No, the rogues are being led by an Alpha. If they were able to kill an entire pack, then I think their number is large..." he trailed off, a sense of unease settling in the pit of his stomach.

" Plus I think Noah said only him and his family were able to escape. If there are other survivors, then he doesn't know"

Alister knew that he needed to come up with a plan to protect his pack and prevent any harm from coming their way if the council was still making their decisions.

Elijah sauntered into Alister's office, where the latter was deeply engrossed in a phone conversation with Elder Wilson. He walked over and stood behind Alister's chair, greeting Wilson with a smile.

"Hello Wilson," Elijah said.

"Hello you, was wondering where you were?" Wilson replied with a smirk.

"I had to take care of some things...actually...my Alpha is needed urgently somewhere," Elijah responded, still grinning.

Alister's face contorted into a frown as he listened to Elijah's words. What could be so urgent that Elijah had to disrupt his conversation with Elder Wilson? He couldn't shake the feeling that he should be the one handling the matter as the Alpha of the pack.

After all, he was responsible for the safety and welfare of his pack. Alister couldn't help but wonder why Elijah was yapping about the Alpha being urgently needed elsewhere when he was supposed to be calling the council and seeking help.

Elder Wilson raised an eyebrow and asked, "oh, Am I keeping him?"

Elijah looked at Alister, then back at Wilson and replied, "I'm sorry, but yes you are…I'll continue the conversation with you while he leaves to attend to the matter."

Before Alister could even utter a word, Elijah had already dragged him out of the chair.

When he was out of the way, Elijah took his seat and smiled at him. He picked a pen and on the note pad next to his computer, he wrote, “ Go home, your mate is waiting…”

Alister felt grateful for Elijah's presence. It was a relief to have someone he could rely on in his pack, especially since he was the Alpha now. Elijah had always been loyal and supportive, and Alister knew he could count on him to help him out in any situation. He couldn't imagine running the pack without Elijah by his side.

Oh, he fucking loved this guy. Yes he was going home, surely the world was not going to end with him home for a few hours. He had a mate and a family to think of now.

He quickly mouthed 'thanks' to Elijah, grabbed his phone and left his office.

As he walked out of the office building, Alister thought about the pack members who were still working late in the office building.

He knew they were doing their best to handle the situation on ground, but he couldn't help but feel frustrated with the bureaucracy that came with running a pack. It seemed like there were always endless amounts of paperwork to fill out and procedures to follow, when all he really wanted to do was protect his pack and keep them safe.

His phone buzzed in his pocket, and he quickly pulled it out to see who was calling. It was Doc, which meant that he had likely finished tending to the strangers who had arrived earlier.

Alister’s heart was racing as he answered the call from Doc. He had been waiting anxiously for an update on the strangers who were currently in one of the guest houses.

"Talk to me," he said, hoping that everything was alright.

"They are generally okay. I’ve fixed the injured guy," Doc replied, and Alister breathed a sigh of relief. "Turns out the reason he wasn't healing fast and well was because the wound had poison in it. My guess is that whatever wolf that attacked him had poison laced in their claws."

Alister's groan was audible over the phone. "They're attacking with poison?" he muttered. He made a mental note to inform the council immediately. The council needed to be aware of the new tactic being employed by the rogue wolves. It was crucial to the safety and well-being of all packs.

"And what about the kid?" Alister asked, concerned about the youngest member of the family.

"The kid was a bit dehydrated but I've placed him on fluids. Hopefully, he'll bounce back tomorrow. He's resting now," Doc reassured him.

"And his eyes? They were white earlier…" Alister enquired. He had seen the fear in the boy's eyes when he was brought in, and he hoped that the trauma hadn't caused any permanent damage.

"Back to normal," Doc told him, and Alister let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding. It was a relief to know that the little one would be okay.

"Thank you, Doc. I appreciate everything you've done for them," Alister said with a deep sense of gratitude in his voice.

"No problem, Alpha. I'll continue to monitor them. They should be okay for the night," Doc replied.

Alister smiled at Doc's dedication. He was grateful to have such a competent and caring doctor in the pack.

"Keep me updated on their progress, Doc. I'll talk to you soon, got to go," he told Doc, his frustration evident in his voice.

But then, Doc mentioned something that made Alister's heart skip a beat. "Oh hey, Congratulations...I heard it's Luciana...finally," Doc said, excitement in his voice.

Alister couldn't help but chuckle. He had been waiting for this moment for what felt like forever. "Yeah, finally," he said, unable to contain the happiness in his voice.

As Alister ended the call, he couldn't help but think about how relieved he was that the kid's eyes were back to normal. It was a close call, and it could have easily escalated into a much bigger problem.

He made a mental note to talk to the kid's father about proper training and control of their powers. The last thing they needed was unwanted attention from the council or other packs.

As he walked towards his house, Alister felt grateful for the peace that awaited him at home. It had been a long day, and all he wanted was to spend some quality time with his mate. The lights were still on, indicating that Luciana was still up. He quickened his pace, eager to be in her arms.

Before he knew it, he had reached the front door. Alister fished out his keys from his pocket and unlocked the door. As he stepped inside, he was greeted by the warmth and comfort of his home. He could smell the delicious aroma of food wafting in from the kitchen, and his stomach rumbled in response.

The warm air embraced him as he took off his coat and hung it on the rack. He listened for any sound, wondering if Luciana was still up. He knew that he had been out for longer than he had planned, and he didn't want to worry her.

He made his way down the hallway, following the faint sound of voices. As he got closer to Keita's room, he heard Luciana's gentle voice reading a bedtime story to their son.

Alister smiled, he loved the sound of that. Their son. Even though Keita was not his biologically, he had made up his mind to love the kid like he was his own son regardless.

Alister tiptoed towards the room, not wanting to disturb Keita who was already dozing off. He peeked into the room and saw Luciana snuggled up to Keita, holding a book in her hand. He smiled, feeling his heart swell with love for his new found family.

“Hey,” he whispered, alerting them of his presence. Luciana looked up, surprise and joy lighting up her face. She motioned for him to come in and sit with them. He walked over to the bed and sat down, careful not to wake Keita.

Keita stirred, blinking his eyes open. When he saw Alister, a big smile spread across his face. “Hey kiddo,” Alister muttered, rubbing Keita's head.

“I missed you today,” Keita told him, his voice still groggy with sleep.

Alister glanced at Luciana, who gave him a knowing smile. She had already told Keita that he was out on pack business.

Alister smiled back at her, feeling grateful for her understanding, “I missed you too, little man,” he replied, tucking Keita back into bed.

As Alister sat on the edge of the bed, he couldn't help but feel a sense of contentment wash over him. Being in the same room as Luciana and Keita was all he ever wanted.

He took a deep breath, feeling grateful for having a family. The room was quiet, except for the sound of Keita's gentle breathing. Alister couldn't help but wonder what Luciana had been reading to him. He looked over to her, "What were you reading to him?" he asked softly.

Luciana looked up at him, a smile still on her face. "Just a story about a boy who had magical powers," she replied. "He went on a big adventure and saved the day."

Alister chuckled, "Sounds exciting." He looked back over to Keita and watched him sleep. He wondered what kind of powers the boy in the story had. Was it anything like the one they had as werewolves? He shook his head, trying to rid himself of those thoughts.

As Luciana turned off the light and tiptoed out of the room, Alister sat in the darkness for a few moments, watching Keita sleep. He was overwhelmed with love for his new family, and he knew that he was lucky to have them in his life.

He leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on Keita's forehead, before standing up With a smile on his face.

"I'm going to go freshen up," he said to Luciana. "I'll be back in a bit." She nodded and he left the room, closing the door behind him.

As he walked down the hall, he thought about the day's events. It had been a long day, and he was relieved to be home.

He entered the bathroom and turned on the faucet. The sound of running water was soothing, and he splashed some on his face. He looked at himself in the mirror, taking note of the bags under his eyes. He definitely needed some rest.

He dried his face and headed back to his room. As he opened the door, he saw Luciana sitting on the bed, waiting for him. She patted the space next to her, inviting him to sit down.

He sat next to her and she leaned her head on his shoulder. "Are you okay?" she asked, concern in her voice.

He wrapped his arm around her, pulling her closer. "Yeah, just tired," he replied. "It's been a long day."

She nodded, understanding. "Do you want to talk about it?" she asked softly.

He shook his head, "Not right now. I just want to be here with you"

She smiled, "That's all that matters." They sat in silence for a few moments, just enjoying each other's company.

Finally, Alister broke the silence. "Doc called me earlier," he said. "He fixed the injured guy, but it turns out he was poisoned." He told her, hoping that Elijah might have briefed her on what was happening.

Luciana looked up at him, concern in her eyes. "Poisoned?" she repeated.

Alister nodded, "Yeah. It looks like the wolves are using poison to take down pack wolves."

Luciana's face fell, "That's not good."

"No, it's not," Alister agreed. "I'll have to tell the council about it."

Luciana nodded, "Okay. But not tonight. Tonight, we just need to rest."

Alister smiled, "Agreed." He leaned down and kissed her gently, feeling grateful for her understanding. The kiss was brief, but it left her spook.

He turned to her and winked, causing her to playfully smack his arm before pulling him up from the bed.

Together, they left the room, being careful not to wake Keita who was still sound asleep in the room next door.

Alister and Luciana walked down the hall and he couldn't help but feel a sense of relief wash over him. Being with his mate always made him feel more at ease, and he was grateful to have her by his side.

As they made their way towards the kitchen, Alister couldn't resist teasing her, "Heard that someone was missing me and wanted me home, didn’t know that it was Keita…" he wiggled his eyebrows playfully, enjoying the way she squirmed under his hold.

Luciana rolled her eyes but couldn't hide the smile on her face. "I see…glad you still came home. I’m sorry I pulled you out of your duties," she said, a hint of guilt in her voice.

Alister shrugged it off. "Don't worry about it. I was dying under the weight until Elijah saved me," he said, grateful to have his best friend and beta.

As they entered the kitchen, Luciana chuckled, "That man is a lifesaver. So, what do you want for dinner? I gave Keita cereals," she asked him.

"Actually, I was thinking of doing something else that wasn't dinner. Hell, it’s far from dinner," he said with a suggestive tone.

Luciana raised an eyebrow, a playful smirk on her lips. "Oh really? And what might that be?" she asked, leaning against the counter.

Alister moved closer to her, wrapping his arms around her waist. "I was thinking we could have a little fun," he whispered, his breath tickling her ear.

Luciana giggled, "I think that sounds like a wonderful idea," she said before turning around to face him and kissing him deeply.

Alister smirked mischievously, "Let's just say, it involves just the two of us and the bedroom."

Luciana blushed, but couldn't help the excitement that filled her. "Lead the way," she said, taking his hand as they made their way to the bedroom.

As he held Luciana in his arms, Alister couldn't help but feel a tinge of nervousness. He knew that Luciana had a past where she had been rejected by a mate, and he didn't want to make the same mistake. But at the same time, he couldn't resist the overwhelming urge to be close to her.

"Are you okay?" he asked, hoping that he hadn't crossed any boundaries.

Luciana let out a deep sigh and nodded her head, laying her head on his shoulder. Alister couldn't help but feel a shiver run down his spine as her breath tickled the hairs on his neck.

"I'm good with whatever you want to do," she whispered softly, her words sending a surge of desire through his body.

He couldn't resist the urge any longer and lifted her up into his arms, kissing her lips in a quick, passionate move.

"Then what do you say about this mate of yours taking care of you in our bedroom?" he said, a sly grin forming on his lips.

"I say yes to that," she replied, her voice low and sultry.

As they made their way up the stairs to his bedroom, Alister couldn't help but feel excited about what was to come. He had a lot of ideas in his head about how he wanted to please her, and the thought of the night ahead sent a thrill through his body.

As they entered the bedroom, he gently laid her down on the bed and began to slowly undress her, taking his time to explore every inch of her body. He could feel the tension building between them as they became more and more intimate, and he knew that the night was going to be long, very long.

He smiled to himself as he thought about the hours ahead, knowing that he was going to make sure that Luciana was well taken care of. The night was theirs, and he was determined to make the most of it.