Blood

Chapter Twenty: Pack Valentine

It's been three months. There month since I've seen Zev. My dreams are haunted by his death, when I sleep that is. Even on heavy duty sleeping medication my wolf is too pent up to let me sleep most times. During the days I drown myself into my various projects. The bobcat kittens are getting wilder by the day, the cabin is well on it's way to completion, and Darryl is almost completely been cured. I've been busy, if you couldn't tell.

The other part of my time is spent being the alpha of the pack. Ronan is completely useless, he's an amazing beta but in no way is capable of being an alpha. So I have, unwillingly, taken the roll, still having to act as the Luna as well. When they say there's no rest for the wicked, they're wrong. There's no rest for the overworked, under-appreciated alpha-females. As a acting Alpha I'm highly respected but no one, aside from about a fourth of our females, think I'm even a half decent Luna. What are they expecting, I've got a lot of other things occupying the plate right now, somethings are bound to fall off.

Sure maybe it would help if I wasn't raising kittens, building a cabin in the woods, and helping Darryl, but I'm not giving up the few things I've chosen to take on. The door slams open, jolting me out of my mental rant. I look up to see Ronan come in looking pissed as a drowned cat. I glare at him, looking away from the agonizing paperwork that was apparently fifty or so percent of the alpha's job.

"We've visitors," he says.

I snap my attention to my senses. Sure enough there's a large group of wolves just along our border. My lucky day. Not only am I not allowed to rant in peace but now I have to go an beat up some wolves, rouges, or whatever. I stand up and glance sadly at the desk. Zev's desk. Leaving his office, which I've adopted, i follow behind Ronan. Its a few minutes before I reach the border, leaving Ronan behind in the dust. Being an alpha, a true alpha at that, has its perks. I look at the wolves before me and almost face palm in annoyance.

"Hello, Leon, what the fuck do I owe the pleasure for?" I ask, not even bothering to pretend to care. I honestly haven't thought of my old pack since I left.

"I'd like to request asylum for my pack," Leon says. "The purger has already captured our pack lands. I need to get back to the fight, if you will only allow use refuge I can do that."

I snarl softly, "Does Zev know that your wanting your pack on his lands?" I ask annoyed.

"We were once your pack Cas," Leon says, taken aback.

"It's either Alpha or Luna, I'm acting alpha so you will respect such. And this is not my land, it's Zev's I will not go against his wishes," I snap.

"Yes I asked Alpha Zev first, he didn't give a rats behind about it. Told me to just ask you," Leon snarls. "Have you become so submissive to that monster, blinded by love?"

I scoff and have to hold back tears as I silently laugh. "Me? Love that? Preposterous. Sure the mate bond is up to tuff and all but that's all there is Leon. And next time you dare suggest I'm submissive I will personally rip your jugular our with my bare hands." I add a sweet smile in for a little extra kick behind my words. What can I say, I've gotten a bit aggressive being separated from my mate, unmated, for so long.

"So that's why Alpha Zev's been getting worse as time passes," Leon murmurs. "You marked but never completed the process."

I roll my eyes and then say, "That is none of your concern. But welcome to my packlands Leon, your pack is welcome to stay for as long as your own lands are compromised."

Ronan strolls up so I instruct him to go gather half the available warriors to help escort Leon's pack to the pack house. The other half to start finding tents, and other supplies, to 'house' them in, as there is no conceivable way for us to fit all of them into the pack house. I start walking the wolves in the direction of the pack house at a steady walking pace. It's not long before we meet up with the warriors I'd requested.