The Alpha's Rebel

Chapter 35

"Before we get started, I would like to introduce you all to my mate and your luna, Harper Matthews." There's a chorus of "good to meet you"s and "luna"s with a slight head bow. I take the time to offer a smile at everyone. "I trust that everyone will treat her with the same respect you treat me." My eyes are on Lea when he says this, and the satisfied smile that plays on her lips is all I need to see to know the two of us will get along just fine.

"I called you all here today to discuss a certain threat that has come to light. We don't know much about it yet, only that the threat is a hunter. We will be putting together a plan to track the hunter whilst keeping our pack members safe, and hopefully things will not escalate. It is my hope that we can handle things in a civilized manner without any blood shed."

Hearing Maddox talk so professionally amazes me, because I've hardly seen that side of him yet. I've seen angry and stoic Maddox (due to my stubbornness), fun and lighthearted Maddox (all the goofing around), romantic Maddox (he made me dinner on the first night), and the Maddox that is driven by nothing other than lust (need I explain more?). The most I've seen of Alpha Maddox is when we found the second arrow and met with Matthew at the border yesterday.

"Harper and I will also be reaching out to other alphas to see if they know anything. Even just a little piece of information could help us ensure everyone's safety." There's a silence as his words sink in, an aura of respect strong in the air.

I want to say something, so I open my mouth and add, "I know this is my first time I'm meeting most of you, but I'm going to do everything in my power to help keep our pack safe. My family and my friends are the most important things in the world to me, and my pack is no exception."

"What's our plan of attack for now?" Lea asks. It's the first time I hear your speak. Her voice is level and strong. The "don't mess with me" vibes clearly run through her blood.

"To not attack. This hunter has already snuck onto our lands twice now, and they've remained undetected both times. We don't know what we're up against, so our only plan right now is safety. We'll be upping border control and have more warriors stationed throughout the pack at all times. If anyone notices anything suspicious, you immediately come to Harper and I."

Lea nods as does the rest of the room. "Are there any questions?" Maddox asks, and when everyone shakes their head "no", he thanks everyone for coming and dismisses them.

Once the room has cleared out of all the head pack members and elders, I turn to Maddox and ask, "Now what?"

"Now we start reaching out to nearby alphas. You all are more than welcome to join us," he responds, turning to my friends, "But I'm afraid there won't be much to do."

"You guys can go back to the house and hang out if you want. We'll be back in a few hours," I say. They look amongst each other and nod.

"Sounds like a plan," Vinnie grins.

"What do you two want for dinner?" Molly asks.

"Oh, Mols, you don't need—"

"Harper, do not deny me the joy of cooking when I am stressed. How does pasta sound?"

"Pasta sounds great," Maddox laughs, grabbing my hand and squeezing.

The four of them leave the room, and then it's just Maddox and I. I sigh and lean into his shoulder. He pulls me into his arms and presses a kiss to the top of my head. "You did great. You're a natural."

"Am I?" I ask, totally unsure of myself. I just had my first real experience as the luna of this pack, and it couldn't have gone smoother. Despite that, I still feel like I'm not going to be good enough. What if I can't keep my pack safe?

"You are, Harper. You're a natural born leader. You and I both know that."

"Yeah," I say. I tilt my chin up to meet Maddox's gaze, and he presses a kiss to my lips.

"You're going to be the best luna to this pack," he whispers.

We stay like that for a few minutes. I need the relief his arms are granting me after meeting all the pack officials. I held it together for the meeting, but now that it's over and just Maddox and I left in the room, I can relax.

I'm surprised that I'm so worked up about it. I've never been one to be unsure of who I am and my position.

Never. Not once.

I know why I am, though. There was no care for failure when I was just a normal teenage werewolf. I could be who I wanted and do whatever the fuck I want and protect the people I love with ease. I could be the badass that I am.

There is room for failure with leading a pack though, and, natural born leader or not, I'm terrified that I'm not going to be a good enough luna and let my entire pack down.

I pull away first, knowing that Maddox will hold my until I need him to. If I didn't pull away first, we would never leave this room. "Come on," I say, taking his hand in mine and leading him to his office.

The first thing Maddox does is go to one of the filing cabinets behind his desk. It's full of files, each titled with a different pack name in alphabetical order. He pulls out a stack of them from the front and sits down at the desk. I sit down opposite of him and pull the top file towards me. I open it up, and the first sheet has much of the pack information.

The Amethyst Pack. Their alpha is Harry Rogers. They have a small pack of just over one hundred in the northern tip of Maine. Harry's contact information is listed under his name, and I pass it to Maddox so he can give him a call.

I can't control my bouncing leg as the phone rings. If no alphas know anything about hunters, we're not any further along in solving this problem. Even just one teensy little piece of information would make a huge difference.

"Alpha Rogers speaking." His voice is gruff, and the sound puts my at a stand still.

"Hi Harry, this is Maddox from the Firestone pack."

"Maddox, man, it's good to hear from you." The gruffness is gone, and he sounds like he's talking to an old friend.

"I wish it wasn't under these circumstances. My packs been having some issues with a hunter. We've never heard of a threat like this before, so I'm reaching out to see if you know any information."

"A hunter? Like, a supernatural hunter?"

"Yes."

"I can't say I do. I've never heard of a supernatural hunter. May I ask what's happened?"

Maddox explains the random arrows and other occurrences to Harry, and I sit impatiently.

The conversations don't change. We don't get through all the packs before deciding to call it a night, feeling slightly more hopeless than before. No alpha has even heard of a hunter before us mentioning it.

"This sucks," I say, shaking my head as we step out of Maddox's office. He closes the door and locks it behind him.

"I know," he responds quietly. He leads the way to the front door, and once we're outside in the warm evening air, he says, "I want to take you to meet someone. Follow me."

He shifts without another word and takes off. I don't hesitate to shift and follow him into the woods, falling into line behind him. The run isn't long, but it takes us deep enough into the forest for me to understand that the person I'm about to meet is a big fan of their solitude.

The log cabin is small, but there's two stories. A small balcony juts out from the back and looks over a small lake, and a dock extends from the backyard. A quick glance reveals no other houses on this lake.

Maddox and I shift back into our human forms, and he grabs my hand in his. I let him lead me to the front door, and he doesn't hesitate in letting us in. This person is someone he's very close to.

The main floor is all one room, a combination of a living room, kitchen, and dining room. The log cabin theme continues throughout the room and up the stairs. Maddox pulls me to the second floor, a loft bedroom and a bathroom. The double doors to the balcony are wide open, and an older man sits at the table. There's three open chairs.

The man notices us, and Maddox waves, "Hey dad."