Chapter 5
The next ten days fell into a predictable routine.
Luna spent every day in the lab, so Nate seldom saw her until he returned to the cabin for their evening meal.
Even so, her image never left his mind. Having her in his bed was wonderful.
And it wasn’t just the pleasure they shared.
His emotions needed the release even more than his body.
There was so much conflict and uncertainty on this planet.
Luna was like the eye of a hurricane. The storms raged around her, but she brought peacefulness and balance to his life.
His wolf, however, was still restless. His mate was within reach, and the wolf didn’t understand why Nate didn’t claim her.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t up to Nate. Betas paired with alphas and only alphas were allowed to bond with females.
The rule seemed unfair on the surface, but it kept the packs strong.
Betas were thinkers, not fighters, and only the most powerful survived on Rydaria.
By teaming up with an alpha, betas had a much better chance of succeeding in this harsh environment.
“Raiding the feline village is foolish,” Kai Walden was saying.
The Timberline pack alpha was the self-appointed spokesperson for the other alphas.
He loved to argue, and once in a while he even made a valid point.
Most of the time, however, he just liked the sound of his own voice.
It made him feel more important when everyone looked at him.
“I can only think of one reason why you refuse to attack the birds. You’re a coward. ”
Alex narrowed his eyes, but Nate saw the dangerous gleam of lupine energy.
“I’m not going to war with the birds over a handful of hostile females,” Alex insisted.
Planting his fist in Kai’s face would doubtlessly feel good, but ignoring the provocation was the wiser strategy.
“The cost for each of our past attacks has far outweighed the reward.”
“Would you say that if you were still waiting for a female?” Titus’ question was less provoking than Kai’s, but apparently his humiliating challenge hadn’t been enough to teach him respect.
Nate looked around the oblong table. The meeting room occupied one corner of the clubhouse. Alex sat at the far end of the table, Drake at the other, and four pack alphas lined each side. Betas sat in chairs around the room’s perimeter. Each sat near the alpha they were there to support.
Alex had asked Nate to scan the pack alphas as they spoke, assessing their sincerity and the truthfulness of their claims. Alex was empathic also, but Nate’s receptors were a lot more sensitive.
“We need more females,” Alex agreed. “No one can deny that fact. Attacking the birds is simply not the way to get them.”
“Neither is sitting on our asses,” Kai argued.
“If we attack the birds, the cats will retaliate,” Alex told him. “It’s obvious that they are allied.”
“I’m not afraid of the cats,” Kai countered, his tone sharp yet childish.
“You should be,” Drake snapped out. His frustration was more transparent than Alex’s, yet his expression remained composed. “Any rational being would be. The cats outnumber us almost three to one and our wolves are no match for their lions.”
“Then what the fuck do you suggest!” Kai shouted, coming up out of his seat. “All I’ve heard is what we’re not going to do. How are we going to get more females?”
“We can round up every female on the planet, and it won’t do us any good.” Alex gritted out the reminder between clenched teeth. “I’m focused on the transformation program because we can’t claim our mates without it.”
“That’s not accurate,” Caden said after a tense pause. He waited until Alex looked at him to elaborate. “Since the women arrived, six have triggered bonding fever in our males. The other females have been kept apart from the males, so we don’t honestly know how many would find mates naturally.”
It was a possibility Alex had discussed at length with his cousins, so why was Caden bringing it up now? Nate looked at Hayes, Caden’s beta, questioningly and Hayes nodded toward the door.
Nate coughed several times as if something were irritating his throat and then got up and left the room. He went outside and waited for Hayes to join him.
Hayes emerged from the clubhouse a few minutes later and said, “Let’s walk.”
Twilight gave the village a purple glow and the air was cold enough to create visible condensation of their breath. “What was that about? Caden knows better than to challenge Alex in front of the other alphas. Alex frequently considers input, but there’s a time and place to offer it.”
“I don’t honestly know what the hell is wrong with him,” Hayes admitted, his anxiety obvious. “His end of our link has been shielded for weeks, and he won’t tell me where he goes. That’s his right. He’s an alpha, but it’s not like him. We’ve always operated as a team.”
They kept their voices low and conversational, trying not to draw attention. They were just a couple of betas on their way to another part of the village. “When did he start acting strangely?”
Hayes thought for a moment then said, “After the birds attacked the mountain stronghold. He was furious that we didn’t go after them, and he’s been pissed off ever since.”
Nate paused and looked at the other beta. “Had Caden interacted with any of the females? He was one of the alphas guarding them that night.”
Hayes’ shoulders lifted in a noncommittal shrug. “He flirted with several, but it didn’t seem serious. If one of them triggered bonding fever, why wouldn’t he just tell Alex?”
“I don’t know, but Alex needs to know that Caden is sneaking around behind his back.”
Hayes tensed, looking intensely uncomfortable. “I told you about this because I’m hoping Alex can snap him out of it. My loyalty is and will always be to Caden.”
“I understand and so will Alex. Alex has always been loyal to Drake and Caden. He knows that he can’t maintain control without them.”
“It’s not Alex’s loyalty that I’m worried about,” Hayes admitted.
“I thought you two were courting Evelyn,” Nate persisted. “Is that not going well?”
“I thought it was.” Hayes raised both his hands.
“She seems receptive and Caden seems interested. That’s why Caden’s attitude is so damn confusing.
I don’t know what the hell is going on.” A sigh of frustration escaped Hayes and then he motioned off into the distance.
“I’m going to head home. Let me know what Alex says. ”
Hayes turned down a side street, so Nate circled back around and headed to the cabin he shared with Alex.
There were ten packs in the lupine village, which meant there were ten pack alphas with separate agendas.
Alex did a damn good job of keeping everyone pulling in the same direction, but an occasional conflict was almost inevitable.
The only exception to the dynamic was his cousins.
Drake and Caden were a crucial part of Alex’s power structure.
If Caden was having second thoughts, it would be disastrous for Alex.
Rather than going straight home, Nate stopped by the lab and picked up Luna. One of her guards usually escorted her, but Nate was seldom able to spend time with her unless Alex was around. “Did your day run smoothly?” he asked as they strolled along the main path.
“There was a minor complication this morning, but the afternoon was routine,” she told him.
“What happened?” Unable to suppress his need to touch her, he reached down and took her hand.
Much to his pleasure, she entwined their fingers and gave his hand a little squeeze.
“I injected Shannon three days ago and everything went so well that I scheduled Tianna for this morning. Shannon came in for a series of scans, and we found a cluster of mutated cells. The cells are benign, but I need to understand why they formed before we continue. Needless to say, Tianna is on hold for now.”
“Alex will grumble, but your caution is wise.”
Their gazes met for a second and then she smiled. Her eyes appeared particularly blue in the deepening twilight.
An agile swarmy swooped into view, circling them in an elliptical pattern. It had two sets of wings that fluttered so fast that the image blurred. This one was yellow, green, and gold, but they came in all sorts of colors.
“What the hell are those things?” Luna cried. “They are everywhere.”
Nate chuckled and shooed the creature away. “We call them swarmies for obvious reasons. I’m honestly not sure if they are insects or birds.”
“What they are is annoying,” Luna said firmly. “At least they don’t seem to bite or sting. I guess it could be worse.”
“Very true.”
She glanced up at him then said, “Speaking of things that bite and sting, how did the alpha council meeting go? Was Kai his usual pain in the ass?”
Nate laughed. “Moments after his birth Kai started arguing with his parents. He’s just one of those people.”
“I’m glad I don’t have to deal with him on a regular basis. I’d probably punch him in the face.”
“Trust me, we’ve all dreamed about it.”
They reached the cabin and Nate helped Luna out of her coat.
Unsure how much longer Alex would be, they started dinner.
Working side by side with her felt so blissfully domestic that Nate couldn’t fight back a smile.
Luna was his mate. He’d known it from the start.
If he were an alpha, he would have claimed her by now.
Of course it felt natural to spend time with her.
But he was a beta and betas weren’t allowed to claim mates.
“Oh, my God, you’re smiling,” she teased. “What brought about that expression? You never smile.”