Chapter 5 – Owen
Chapter Five
Owen
“It is time that you took a mate, Alpha,” Frederick McPherson told his Pack leader, Owen McGregor. Frederick had been Chief Pack Elder for more than two hundred years now.
During that time, their pack had seen six Pack leaders, and every one of them was more volatile, abusive, and greedy than the last. This was the first time in those two hundred years that they had gained a leader who had put the Pack needs first and made sure that the wealth of the Pack was split equitably, so that all were making a decent living and able to provide for their families.
In fact, Owen was the first Pack leader to ensure that the children attended proper schools and the older wolves who wanted college degrees got one. Despite their Pack numbers, which had grown to over ten thousand members, every family was allotted adequate housing and all unmated adults lived in Pack high-rise apartments on the vast Scottish estate, which was a combined property of Owen’s ancestral home and the estate gifted to Owen by Alexi Petrov for his and his brothers’ many centuries of service to the Petrov family.
The estate was several thousand acres of magnificent farmland, woodland, and coastland, all centered around a spectacular, majestic red stone castle. The Pack had flourished amid the fertile grounds, abundant fishing waters, and vast grazing grounds.
Since the gift, Owen had expanded the estate by acquiring additional properties in the nearby town. So, in addition to farming, cattle and horse ranching, and textile manufacturing businesses on the estate, the Pack had lucrative ventures in the major cities in Scotland. Their ventures included hotels and casinos and their apparel lines, which were exclusively designed and sown by Pack members but distributed to major department stores throughout the world.
“Are you lacking for anything, Elder?” Owen asked with deceptive cool.
“It is not a matter of lack, Alpha,” Frederick explained patiently. “It is the Alpha’s responsibility to uphold our tradition and ways and lead by example so that the young among us will follow. You are the most popular Alpha we have ever had. Our young people follow you. This is the most unmated group of wolves that has ever existed in our Pack.”
“That’s to be expected. This is the largest the Pack has ever been,” Owen said dryly. “When I combined my Pack to Conrad Greyson Jr.’s, we were two Packs with slightly under five thousand members in each. A little over five years later, I am not surprised that the Pack has grown, not only from normal procreation but also from lone adult wolves wanting to join us. The number of unmated wolves among us has nothing to do with my status.”
“Respectfully, I disagree,” Frederick persisted. He looked steadily up at Owen, his Alpha.
Owen was the largest male in their Pack, with his brothers not too far behind. At six-foot-nine, he was a broad, brawny wolf with chiseled, packed muscles in every line of his body. He knew he was an imposing figure and instilled fear and respect with his physique alone. Frederick had told him many times that his dirty-blond hair was slightly longer than the elder wolf liked, but Owen ignored the criticism. His square jawline and rugged features eliminated any chance of him looking even slightly feminine, so he kept it how he liked it.
“You have done so much for us,” Frederick said earnestly. “The Pack wants nothing but your happiness and well-being, Alpha. We are proud to be in a Pack with you and the other ancient wolves. Any she-wolf would be honored to be your mate. You have earned this respect and deserve personal peace for all the work you have done and continue to do for us.”
“And you think I need a she-wolf to give me those things?” Owen asked dryly. “Tell me, Frederick, do I look unhappy or something?”
“Not unhappy per se,” Frederick hedged. “However, as Alpha, an Alpha Pack bitch at your side will only strengthen your position.”
“And here I was thinking that I’m plenty strong and powerful,” Owen snarked.
“I am not implying that you’re not strong, Alpha. I am simply?—”
“Going to mind your own damn business,” Owen said in a hard voice, giving off Alpha vibes that the Elder couldn’t help but heed and submit to.
“Em…my apologies, Alpha,” Frederick stammered.
Owen hadn’t given a thought to taking a mate. For centuries he had been tasked with the Petrovs’ safety and the wellbeing of his Pack. About seven years ago, his Pack had increased. So, he had been busy growing the Pack’s wealth. Even after, one by one, his brothers had started taking mates, Boggs being the first to do so, and then Desmond, Owen hadn’t even entertained the thought. Now it was only him and Aidan without mates.
Perhaps, sometime in the very far future, he might start to consider the notion, but that was not today. He was content with the current sampling of she-wolves and human females. He was not spoiling for variety, and he was in no hurry to settle on one meal for the rest of his very long life.
Just then Owen felt his phone buzzing. He glanced at his smart watch and immediately grabbed his phone, while waving Frederick away.
Frederick, already fearful that he had offended his Alpha, didn’t hesitate and left the room as fast as his legs could take him.
“What happened?” Owen growled into his phone. He knew that if Aidan was calling him that something was wrong. The brothers and the other eight elite wolves rarely called in between their monthly meetings, since they usually met in person and there were very few issues they couldn’t resolve on their own.
“Tristan met Kali,” Aidan said quietly.
“How the fuck did that happen?” Owen was not expecting this. After all these years, he thought that this was not even a remote possibility. Alexi had entrusted them to protect Kali and shield her from the immortal world. Not even Alexi’s sons were aware of Kali’s existence.
“He saw her as we were driving to another destination in Vegas. Before I realize what had happened, he was out of the car and in pursuit. He thinks that she is his mate.”
“Fuck!” Owen wasn’t a wolf prone to overreact or have a meltdown, but even he felt shaken at those words. If a vampire scented a female as his mate, there was nothing he or any being could say or do that would deter them from claiming her. Still, Owen and the other wolves would have to try and stop Tristan. “This cannot happen! We’re not sure what she is, but she sure as hell is not an immortal.”
“You’re not telling me anything that I don’t know,” Aidan said through clenched teeth. “This is a fuckin’ mess!”
Owen could almost feel his brother’s frustration coming through the phone lines.
“Why the fuck would Alexi task us to protect her but put Tristan in the same fucking city?” Aidan growled.
“You would know the answer to that better than the rest of us,” Owen muttered.
“I had no fuckin’ idea that he would do this,” Aidan bit out.
“To claim her, Tristan would have to turn Kali immortal, turn her into a vampire,” Owen hissed into the phone. He tunneled his fingers through his hair, getting more agitated as he thought of the impossible situation Kali was now in.
“You don’t have to fucking remind me. I know.”
“You were Alexi’s personal guard,” Owen continued. “He couldn’t have wanted this,”
“I know he would not willingly put Kali’s life in danger. She is as much a part of his legacy as his sons, Tristan, and Meredith.” Aidan sighed in frustration. “But I’m not sure he would have considered her being turned into an immortal such a bad thing. And you know how he felt about Tristan.”
“Fuck!” Owen muttered again. Alexi loved Tristan as he loved Kali. He thought of them as his children. It is impossible to know whether Alexi would want this or not.
“What do you want me and Cyrus to do?” Aidan asked.
Owen closed his eyes, hoping that some inspiration or answer might come that had eluded him so far. This is such a fucking mess , he thought again. He breathed out deeply before saying, “For now, try to keep Tristan occupied and too distracted to go after Kali—until I can get there.”
Aidan sighed again. “Unfortunately, he just disappeared on us.”
“Fuck!” Owen growled.