The next week was spent clearing land and dealing with families who didn't want to move.
I'm exhausted, and if Clint's appearance is a reflection of my own, then I look like shit. But 10 miles of flat land is now cleared and ready for New Builds. The new Packhouse and Family homes are about two miles to the east of Alpha's house. The old packhouse will be split between Omegas and any visitors the pack has.
The old pack hospital and schools will be torn down and rebuilt on a larger scale. But the locations are central so that they will be rebuilt in the same spots. Scott has been throwing around ideas for the farther territories. Viable businesses to increase pack revenue even though we don't technically need it.
Emmett and him actually had a row over it. Scott wants the Royal pack to be the wealthiest, so other packs respect us completely. Emmett said to earn wolf respect; we need to be the strongest. Clint and I jumped in, siding with both. We need to do everything better than other packs, or we won't be viewed as strong royals. We settled on a few restaurants, a shopping mall, and a huge hotel. Riverstone is the largest pack now with its 1,304 members. And they deserved more accommodations.
Typically Luna and I handle Pack training since Clint is in the outer territories frequently. Although I am a brutal trainer, Luna has me beat. Each week she chooses two females. Over the week, she emotionally and physically beats them down before building them up on the last day.
Over the years, our pack members have gotten a fierce look in their eyes due to Luna's training. Something that doesn't hold true for the outer territory wolves. But they will soon learn.
"Heather and Tracy, head to my corner," Luna yells, striding through the pack members with her head held high. Ace and I chuckle slightly at the unmated males who watch her ass. Yeah, they wish.
Last month Luna participated in an amateur MMA competition and demolished wolves from all over the southern states. These young pups lusting after her would never be able to handle Luna. Shit, Alpha doesn't even manage that woman. My heart clinches a little, remembering why Luna needed to blow off that extra steam at the competition.
Apparently, the Goddess had visited Luna again, and the news wasn't good. Something was extraordinary about the boys. Their bloodline is so strong that it left Luna infertile. Luna didn't even tell Alpha all the details. The Goddess had forbidden it. But Luna had utterly wrecked the house over it.
"Alright, Riverstone, let's get started. Chase, front and center. Today everyone is having a one on one against me. I will be rating you so, don't hold back," I call out to the waiting wolves.
Chase goes down quickly. He is overly confident but lacks any actual skill. He uses power and puts no thought into his attacks.
"2 out of 10, Chase. Give me 300 pushups. We are off to a terrible start," I growl as I stare my fellow pack members down.
"Do not forget the Vamps want us dead. It's been quiet since the battle with Leonard, but that can change in an instant. The Vampire Lord is ancient and isn't in a rush. His plan will be cunning and dangerous. And you are NOT ready," I roar. Their faces morph as they think over my words.
The next hour I exhaust my muscles as I defeat wolf after wolf. Finally, Ethan moves forward with a smirk.
Last year he became Jason and Jackson's personal guard after I trained him into the ground. Luna had wanted to repay his undeniable/unwavering loyalty, and Ethan indeed proved worthy of the title.
"The Princes's Personal Royal Guard." The day Alpha had given him the title officially, the kid had wept. He had sworn an oath that bound his life to the twins. Almost like a mate bond, but his emotional attachment was limited. He could feel their fear, anger, and pain but nothing more. But he was tied to them until they both passed or he was murdered.
"Alright, Riverstone, pay attention," I growl, sinking into an attack crouch. Ethan quickly loses his smile as we both let our primal instincts kick in. I taught the boy to always draw blood and to attack as if I am truly an enemy.
He lunges first, catching my thigh with his extended claws. I fake a punch and kick out his knee. We both growl and lunge again at the same time. We fight confidently and relentlessly. We both have broken noses and bloody bodies when Ethan finally makes me submit. The training field fills with cheers as we lay exhausted on the ground.
As we groan back to our feet, my eyes meet a smiling Alpha and Luna. "Found anyone that fits the requirements," Emmett asks, laughing at my face.
I point to the wolves not doing pushups. Thirty-two warriors made the elite cut. For two years, I have spoken to Emmett about creating a group of Royal Elites. In the past, every Royal family had a special group of warriors that they considered elites. He had finally agreed, and today they unknowingly had tryouts.
"Well I hope you chose well. You will be leading them on their first mission tomorrow," Alpha says, meeting my eyes with a serious tone.
Lance- what's going on
Alpha- office five minutes
I nod. Heading to get cleaned up at Scott's. Worry courses through me. Is it the vampires? Hunters? A new pack of rogues?
Ace- I don't care what it is. Let's tear their heads off.
Lance- that's the plan.
After I scrub off the dirt and blood, I head next door. The whole crew is waiting in the office, and the tension is thick.
"What's going on," I say with a slight growl. I scan the room to check that all my loved ones look safe.
"Our first call as Royals," Luna says, meeting my eyes and glancing at Emmett.
"Three northern packs are having pups stolen. All the pups are male and all are 8-10 years old," Alpha growls grabbing Luna's hand.
"17 have been taken. The majority have been reported missing from White Crest Pack, and last night the Alpha's son was taken. Their trackers are coming up with nothing," Luna says, rubbing circles onto Alpha's hand
"Time to send in the bloodhound," Clint chuckles, and Scott busts out laughing at my expense.
I growl at the same time as Alpha. "This is not the time for jokes," Alpha roars, causing all of our heads to drop except Luna's. Being the link to the Goddess makes Luna immune to all commands. She can also command everyone, including Alpha, the Alpha King.
"I will only take the top ten of the new Elites. We need the others here. Anything else, Alpha," I say with my head still down.
"Yes, according to Alpha wolf, Lord Stefan lives in Canada 60 miles north of the pup-nappings. He believes the vampires are finally making a move," Emmett says lowly, staring at his mate with open protectiveness.
We all growl at the threat to Luna and Moira. My blood boils at them being put in danger, yet again. Even after four and half years, guilt still consumes me. I will never forgive myself for their kidnapping. I should have watched Luna go in. I should have also checked on them the very next day.
Lance- Ryan, Paul, Steven, Mat, Clark, Zena, Raven, Tiff, Todd, Clayton. We have our first royal mission. Pack your bags; we fly out tomorrow.
Elites- yes, gamma
"The team is packing Alpha. I will ruin whatever he is planning," I growl, standing up. Luna gives me a side hug, and Alpha nods at me before tugging her back into his side.
NEXT DAY
The flight to North Dakota was four hours long and the whole team was antsy. Ace was growling up a storm in my mind hating every minute that we were in the air.
Lance- As the Elite Team, we have to get used to flying Ace.
Ace- Wolves weren't meant to fly!!!!!
I roll my eyes at him. He is just as stubborn as me, so arguing is pointless. I can tell the other warriors are having similar conversations with their wolves. I put up a wall trying to get some shut-eye for the last two hours.
Slight turbulence jolts me awake. The elite warriors look like scared little kitties, and I chuckle at them. When we are finally allowed to grab our carry-ons and leave, the warriors scurry from the plane with their tails tucked.
White Crest Pack members immediately greet us and lead us to waiting cars. The WC wolves seem skittish and uneasy. Their wolves reek of fear and anxiety.
Lance- Elites all senses on alert.
Elites- Yes Gamma
I roll my eyes. I hate that I finally accepted a title.
"Nice to meet you, Gamma Lance. My name is Evan. I am the Beta of White Crest," a dark-haired male says while shaking my hand. He is the only wolf not reeking of fear and uncertainty. Ace perks up instantly when he shakes my hand. A faint scent of lilac and rose wafts my nose.
Ace- Mate. Lance, our mate. He was near our mate.
Lance- calm down. She is probably in his pack, Ace. We finally found her.
I take deep breathes, striping every last trace of her scent from the air. She smells like an elegant bouquet. Ace growls approvingly at the scent.
Ace- so fresh, so beautiful
With just her scent, she has us pining for her. "We are truly thankful to the Royal Elites for coming to help us. You probably already know, but the Alpha's son, Mark, was the last taken. The whole pack is truly on edge," Evan says, thinking I'm listening or that I care for his babbling.
"Yes, we are aware. When we arrive on the property, we will do a border run. I need to gather intel, and the warriors need to let their wolves out after that flight. Notify your patrol. Please take our luggage to where ever you are housing us," I say, hoping to end his small talk.
"Um. ..sure. You will be staying in the Alpha's home, and your warriors will be in the guest wing of the packhouse," Evan says, taken aback by my blunt tone. I don't need his praise or gratitude until our job is done.
"Sounds good. I will speak with your Alpha after I run the border with your patrol. What have your trackers been able to find," I say, sparing him a slight glance.
Ace- border run. NO. FIND. MATE
Ace growls viciously in our head.
Lance- we have to do our job, Ace. We are Royals now. We will find her. Do not worry.
Ace paces in our mind, growling continuously at my decision. Finally, he lays down and puts up a wall.
"Nothing Gamma. Absolutely no scent trace and all the pups were taken from their homes. They were all in their beds," Evan says while analyzing my body language.
"From their homes," I growl while searching his face. I have never heard of so many wolves disappearing, and never have I heard of them disappearing from their homes.
"Yes. None of the parents saw or heard anything," Evan answering turning away from me to look out the windshield.
Lance- Alpha.
Emmet- yes, Lance
Lance- did you know the pups were taken from their very beds as they slept.
Emmett- No...... and they have no scent trail????.
Lance- not according to the Beta. But Alpha, these wolves are giving me a weird vibe. Extremely skittish. They are stressed and afraid.
Emmett- their heir, is missing Lance. Riverstone would be the same if the boys went missing.
Lance- not like this.
Emmett- find them, Lance.
Lance- yes, Alpha.
R RATEDThe border run revealednothing. The patrol was definitely a thin team, but they didn't leave gaps, and they gave off good confident vibes. Ace and I had pinned our mate's scent to the Alpha's house.The Alpha's house and the packhouse are similar. They have a nice modern cabin feel to them. They are even fancier than Riverstone's.Finally, I shift and pull on my clothes. I send the warriors to the packhouse. Ace hadn't even focused on the scents as we ran. He was continually howling and yelling for us to follow our mate's flowery scent.Approaching the Alpha's door was scary. I have never been scared of any female until Luna. But meeting this particular female has me petrified. Self-doubt radiates through me. Ace rolls his wolf eyes at my irrational thoughts.Ace- go. Open door. NowI roll my eyes at Ace and knock. A fiery and somewhat plump she-wolf immediately opens the door. "Please come in, Gamma Lance," she says loudly.Ho
R RATEDI fill my days withinterviews. Each family with a missing pup says the same thing. They put their son to sleep, and in the morning, he was gone. No signs of a struggle and no scent left behind. The other two packs are a little different. Clayton and Raven interviewed the pack to the East, and Tiff with Ryan interviewed the pack to the west.The two other pack's male pups were taken during the day, and all were outside. That tells me that WC pups are being taken by an insider, and the other two packs are being hit by an outsider. But all three packs share one detail, no scent. Even vampires have a smell. A sickly sweet scent that should be present if they are taking pups.I call Emmett daily with my collected information. I have been gone to look for my mindlink to be active still, so phone calls are our best bet.The new builds are in full swing, and little Mike is doing good, Emmett tells me. The Elites and I want to go home, but we can't. In t
R RATEDI groan, rolling over to turn off my phone's alarm. I grab my messy bag from the floor and pull on fresh clothes. Who cares about taking a shower. I want her smell on me for Evan. I want him to know I have had her too.He is always in thekitchen when I grab my coffee from Wilma. Excitement bubbles in my chest at the thought of rubbing our sex smell in his face.As I approach the kitchen, a smirk hits my face. Evan, Alpha Layne, and Jane's scents are strong. Perfect, the whole group is together. I take long, powerful strides into the room. I let my power ooze from within me. Being Royal puts me above all the wolves here besides the Alpha, and I, for once in my life, love my new title.Alpha Layne growls lowly and glares at his daughter, who has turned a deep red. She, of course, washed my scent off her delicate skin. Wilma hands me my coffee with an amused glint in her eye. I want to laugh at the traditional wolf who is surrounded by morons.
I woke up in extreme pain. My head felt like it was splitting open. I groan, and a body shifts next to me. I freeze, remembering my late-night activities. My eyes dart to my door. Thankfully it is now closed, but I don't believe Tiff or I closed it.Slowly Iuntangle myself from Tiff's warm naked body. I feel so awkward. I have a very naked she-wolf in my bed........in mymate's house. What do I say to her? Thanks for last night, but Ummm, please act normal around me. Act like you didn't have me in every hole of your body. Oh, and please leave as fast as possible.I scoff at myself in my head. She is obviously more versed in the "morning after" than I am. I should just wake her up. I should get used to this since my mate doesn't want me. A life of different she-wolves until I can find one I care about.My head throbs more at my relentless banter. I wish Ace were up to par so he could help with my hangover."Tiff," I say, shaking her gently.Sh
I wait at the luggage claimknowing Alpha will have one bag with both his and Luna's belongings. I grab the black bag with the enormous red R on it, just as Alpha's head comes into view.I walk towards them with a genuine smile. Man, I've missed my family. Emmett gives me a quick bro hug before Luna latches me into her death grip."Lisa let him breathe, love," Emmett says with slight jealousy. Luna releases me and gives her mate a gigantic eye roll.Emmett shrugs at her, and I grin. Alpha does much better than most wolves when it comes to possessive behavior, but even he isn't perfect."Lance, how are you doing," Luna asks, cutting right down to business."Ace and I are weak. He is worried that if she doesn't reject us before mating him..........we will die or worse go rogue," I say, meeting Emmett's eyes.Emmett's eyes harden. Alpha and him have had to deliver many mercy killings, but I know snapping my neck would devastate him. Luna gasps,
I watch as Luna takes off her shirt. As usual, she is in breathable pants, a t-shirt, and a sports bra. Many of the WC wolves gasp as they see how ripped Luna is. Which, of course, makes Luna smirk.Luna loves showing off her achievements from hoursat the gym. The lady is shredded but womanly. My mate's eyes are round with shock and fear. Ace growls, he is torn between respecting Luna and our mate being in danger.Lance- Emmett, Ace is growling. He might want to protect Jane.Emmett- we won't let Lisa go too far, Lance. Lisa is using her as an example.I clench my fists tightly as her floral scent mixes with fear. I watch as Luna sinks into one of her favorite stances. Jane tries to copy her. But Luna laughs at her, "Oh honey, look how weak you are." Jane blushes hard and barely avoids Luna's right jab."Your whole pack screams weak. But that's expected from wolves who don't produce pups with their true mates. Tell me, are you a true match result
"You don't need Evan for the passcode," Jane sayslowly, and our heads snap in her direction."Does someone else have access," Emmett asks with ahopefully gleam."I know the passwordhe typically uses for everything. He doesn't know that I know it. But why are you looking into the pack's finances," Jane asks Emmett with a suspicious tone."Your Father's behavior is sending up red flags. Also, there seems to be an irregular dispersion of money inside this pack. Your members live poorly and have no real income, but somehow there are fancy cars and modern renovations in the Packhouse/ Alpha house," Luna says, folding her arms over her chest.Luna is clearly not a fan of my mate. Ace growls in my head, but I agree with her. Does Jane know something? Not knowing anything about my mate sucks. I slowly step back from her, releasing all contact. The need to protect her is no longer a raging flame in my soul.Lance- Ace, if she is involved in pup
I have never spent so much time in a library in my whole life. Clint and I have read through hundreds of books. But we have yet to find any mention of scentless wolves. Clint has groaned several times about missing Simone,and I want to beat him with the thickest book I can find.I haven't spoken about Jane toanyonebut Alpha and Luna,and I plan to keep it that way. I don't need pity or sympathetic glances.I just need to know her decision so thatI can move forward. Being home has helped tremendously with Ace. He is not as weak,and our senses are back at full strength."I think I found something," Clint said,causing me to blur to his side.Vampire TrialsJames Neal- Coven betrayal- death 1542Vanessa Claw- Wolf Mate- death 1623Clifford Starn- Wolf testing- Escaped 1872, warning- high risk dangerous. Escaped with no Scent left behind.Clint looked up at me,and we both shrug. I have to retur