Volkov's Mate

Chapter One: The Lone Alpha

          Nikolai woke up abruptly to the sound of his cellphone ringing. At first, he thought about letting it ring and readjusting the covers to fall back asleep, but he knew he had to act rationally. He reached out his arm and brought the phone to his ear.

"Volkov," he answered with a husky voice."

"This is Alpha Andrew Pierce's beta, James Gallagher. He wanted me to let you know that the upcoming council meeting has a few changes."

"What would those changes be?"

"Well, the one day council we were expecting has been extended to four days."

Nikolai growled low in his throat. "What has caused this change might I ask?"

"Warring in the northern region of Norway. I'm not sure which packs are involved yet but, with the yearly council being held amidst this conflict it was decided to settle it then. As you may know, war treaties take time and a hell lot of effort."

"Let's wrap this up okay? It's about two in the morning."

"Yes, well, this is where Alpha Pierce really wanted me to give you some news. The night of the first day will be a gala where alphas, chiefs, and betas will present their daughters and sons. Pierce says, and I will quote, 'Bring a nice suit and a leave the goddamn attitude in Russia.' See you in Italy, Alpha Volkov."

Nikolai tossed his cellphone onto the nightstand. He stared up at the ceiling through the darkness. He did not do well in large social gatherings like the yearly council and especially in galas. His pack resided in the Kovalevsky Forest and kept to themselves as much as they could. Modern culture conflicted with too many of their traditions for the pack to live comfortably. His pack was strong because of their ancient roots, but had dwindled down to a few hundred during World War Two. In their weakened state, other packs took advantage and began attacking. By 1998, more than half of their territory was occupied by their enemies. In a desperate plea. Nikolai's father asked the Council for help. The American alpha at the time addressed the issue and corrected the situation. The Volkov pack regained all their lands, but not without tension. Hostiles that found the Council's interference unjust thought that killing the Volkov leaders would settle the debt. In the end, Nikolai was left an orphan, but the drama exposed how corrupt the Russian councilman was. Over time, and with push from the old and new generation of American alpha, Nikolai rose to become an elected official – at the expense of the previous Russian councilman.

This is why Nikolai respected the American alpha. Over the years they had grown closer as friends, the quiet and secluded lone Russian alpha and the bold all-American alpha. An odd pair, but a strong ally. All in all, they were highly regarded in the werewolf community.

It was still an issue, though, that Nikolai had not found his mate yet. He was in his early thirties- and unheard of age to be mateless at. There were some werewolves in the world who were not destined to have a mate. They were weaker and regarded as useless in pack society. Packs that had mateless members usually banished them from the pack to live as rogues. This is why Nikolai's reputation faltered ever so much every year he remained without a luna. It was no surprise to him that Andrew would tease him about the gala where eligible females would be. So much as it could be joked about, the matter was actually serious. Deep in his mind Nikolai did worry about being one of the mateless. He could not imagine the uproar and snide that would be aimed at his pack if he actually was.

By the time he snapped back from his thoughts it was four o'clock. Although tired both physically and mentally, Nikolai got out of bed and walked to his closet. He grabbed two suits and an old, worn out tuxedo along with black dress shoes. He set them down on the bed and went to grab his suitcase from across the room. After neatly packing them in, he grabs some casual clothes from his dresser to accompany the nicer ones. He was not one to enjoy dressing well. Dark jeans and a black colored sweater suited him well enough.

Just as he finished his packing, he heard a honk outside the house. Checking out the window, he saw his cousin, Alec, idling in the driveway. Groggily, Nikolai carried out his things and put them into the trunk of the blue sedan. He slammed the passenger side door shut with a mere grunt of a good morning to his cousin. Alec nodded slightly in return.

"There has been a three day extension to the council meeting. While I am gone, you are in charge. If anything unreasonable or threatening happens, take command. I expect nothing less of a Volkov descendent. But listen here, boy, if you try to usurp my power over this pack, I will show you no mercy."

"I get it, Nikolai. But I'm not your competition for alpha anymore. I don't think I ever should have been considered the more qualified person just because I have a mate."

"Your mate had nothing to do with it!"

"Ahh, you see, it had everything to do with it. Nonetheless, I command, only when you command me to. Your power is safe with me," Alec said with a wink. "Now shut up. I'm trying to listen to the radio."

They spent the rest of their car ride in silence.