A knock on my door pulled me from my reverie, and Rayna poked her head in without waiting for a response. “Hey! What do you think?”
I laughed, still a little overwhelmed. “Did you accidentally give me an Alpha suite? This is stunning, but way too much for just me.”
She shrugged casually. “Nope, this is how all the rooms on this floor look.” Then she added with a grin, “Except my brother’s**that one’s even bigger.” I was sure she was laughing at the stunned look on my face. “Just so you know, Jeremiah and I are on that side of you, and Ben’s room is one more down. Just in case.” Neither of us needed to say more. She was making sure I felt safe and comfortable here, and honestly, I was at a loss for words. She’d already decided I was someone worth protecting. “Now, go get changed so we can eat, and then watch these sexy boys get all sweaty.”
At the mention of food, I moved quickly, almost at lightning speed. Sleeping that long wasn’t normal for me, and I was probably as hungry as Tommy.
Rayna laughed and winked as we headed downstairs to what she called the breakfast room. This mansion was so enormous it had a room dedicated solely to breakfast. It was nuts. There were trays filled with sandwiches, fresh fruit, and vegetables, alongside bottles of water for us to grab. We ate quickly, thanking the Omegas who had prepared everything for us.
Despite all the rumors I’d heard about this pack and its Alpha, no one here looked worn out or unhappy. I’d heard whispers that this Alpha was a tyrant who took over packs for the love of power, that he needed to kill five people before breakfast, and that he enslaved and abused his pack members. But I had no idea where those stories originated. This pack was beautiful, and every person we’d met so far had been kind and welcoming.
It was actually refreshing not to get strange looks from people. I knew they could smell that I was human, but it didn’t seem to bother anyone here the way it did back home. Maybe it was because I was a guest of Rayna’s, and they didn’t want to offend her. Still, I planned to stay on my guard, especially when I was alone.
We drove about ten minutes to the training grounds, where a large group had already gathered by the time we arrived.
“I know you said your brother’s pack is huge, but wow,” I whispered to Rayna from the backseat.
“He has the most pack members I’ve ever seen,” she replied, “but I mostly see them when they come here. I don’t travel as much as he or my parents do. All my training has been right here, mostly with the pack hospital. I love helping out in the maternity ward and with the new pups.”
I caught the glance she gave my best friend, and it didn’t escape me. I was going to be an aunt within the next year**I’d bet money on it. Yet it didn’t seem to bother him at all. He just smiled that wide, beaming smile at her, like he’d give her anything she wanted right now. I wished someone would look at me like that someday. That absolute dedication was probably the only thing about mates I envied**the certainty, the faithfulness, the lack of endless guessing and doubt that comes with dating.
We all climbed out of the SUV and followed Rayna into the training grounds. Naturally, most people stopped and stared as she led us straight to the front of the group, ignoring all the whispers and curious glances.
“Beta Josh, Gamma Bennet, Delta Danny, this is my mate Alpha Jeremiah and his team. Beta Ben, Gamma Jason, Delta Tommy, and Warrior Kennedy.” We shook hands and exchanged polite greetings. Sometimes I hated all the titles and formalities we had to go through. Being part of their inner circle spoiled me**it was going to get old fast having to say all these titles all week. I knew it was part of the job, but it was still a mouthful.
We stepped aside as the leaders got started, acting as if we hadn’t interrupted at all. Watching them train, I finally understood why this pack was so feared. Their movements were lightning-fast and fluid**blink, and you’d miss it. They trained equally in both human and wolf forms.
Eventually, I was paired with the female warriors. At first, I thought it might be an insult, but I soon realized it was a challenge. One of their female warriors, Greta, immediately took me under her wing and began helping me refine my movements. She never mentioned my being human once**she simply worked with the strength I had, rather than focusing on what I lacked because of my species.
I completely lost track of the others, fully immersed in training with Greta and loving every moment of it.
Edward’s dawn ceremony was deeply moving and sincere. His devotion to the pack was unmistakable**he had poured every ounce of his heart into ensuring its survival. During the gathering, his Beta introduced me as the new Alpha, putting a face to the name and voice that everyone had heard but not yet met.
I took the opportunity to meet as many pack members as possible. I offered anyone interested the chance to accompany me on a run along the pack’s borders, to mark the territory one last time before I returned home**a final farewell to Edward. Nearly the entire pack joined in. A handful stayed behind to watch over the pups too young to shift, but the turnout was powerful. It was a clear testament to the unity and strength of this pack.
I shifted into my jet-black wolf form**twice the size of their Beta’s**and I knew my wolf’s piercing red eyes were intimidating. Many kept their distance, though none fled. Whether their restraint came from loyalty or fear, I couldn’t say. Once we completed the border run, everyone returned to their respective places within the pack. I made my way to Edward’s office, accompanied by his Beta, Gamma, and Delta.
Sitting behind Edward’s desk, I took a moment to absorb the surroundings. Edward had been fairly organized, and his Beta had given me a brief overview of the pack’s operations, but I prefer to dig deeper myself. More often than not, I’ve discovered that what an Alpha believes is happening is far from the truth. Delegating too much freedom without regular check-ins often leads to unchecked behavior. Some might call it micromanaging, but I insist on scheduled updates and random check-ins to keep everyone accountable.
“Beta Samuel, I’ll need full access to this computer, including all passwords and logins tied to our financial accounts,” I said.
“That’s easy, Alpha Ryker,” Samuel replied with a chuckle, the others smiling in agreement. He walked over to a framed aerial painting of the pack lands and pulled it aside, just like in an old movie. Behind it was a wall safe with a massive dial that looked older than my father. I couldn’t help but smile, agreeing with their assessment of how old-school this place was. We use safes too for hard copies, but ours are all modernized systems. Samuel opened the safe and handed me a worn leather-bound journal, a ledger, and a notebook.
“Like I said, old school,” he explained. “Edward had a secretary who’d input this,” he tapped the ledger, “into the spreadsheets on the computer, but he did everything by hand.”
I turned to the three men and asked, “What’s the pack’s main source of income?”
They exchanged confused glances. Apparently, they assumed Edward and I had already discussed this. We had, but I wanted to hear their perspective without assuming their knowledge of my awareness.
“Our primary income comes from construction,” Delta Jacob answered. “Mostly industrial projects, but we’ll also take on large housing developments. We travel far for these contracts, so we can charge a premium.”
“Who handles soliciting and approving these projects?”
“Edward’s secretary led the team that found available projects. She gathered all necessary information and worked with her team on supply costs and budgets. Once she had everything**including estimated start and completion dates**she’d bring it to Edward, who had the final say. If she got that far in the research, the project was usually viable and likely to be approved. From there, I managed the projects.”
That was the information I needed. It seemed this secretary held significant influence**something Edward hadn’t mentioned to me. I didn’t want to jump to conclusions, but since I didn’t know her personally, I planned to stir things up a bit. I intended to dig into the most recent dozen or so projects she had assembled and closely monitor several new ones.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.