Two Halves Equal a Whole

Ch. 2 Kayce:

Ch. 2: Kayce

I woke up feeling weird. Like something was going to happen. I didn't feel sick, but I didn't feel healthy either... my wolf was giddy.

Knock it off, I grumbled to him.

He just whined in response.

Sighing, I sat up, I had a meeting with a neighboring pack to talk about some kind of treaty or alliance. I sat on the side of my bed for a good ten minutes, willing myself to get up and get dressed. Finally, I was able to get out of bed and go into my closet to find something to wear – I had showered the night before. I settled on a plain black suit with a black dress shirt because things like this calls for formal attire but, I was too lazy for that this morning.

I walked out of the top floor – it is reserved for the alpha and beta – and down to the kitchen to make myself some breakfast (peanut butter toast and coffee).

"Gooooodmorning," my beta Carter said walking down the stairs jovially (he was a morning person).

I just grunted in response.

"Oof cranky this morning, are we?" he said, pouring himself some coffee.

"I'm going to let that slide because you are my best friend..." I said, "But yes, I am cranky. You know I don't like mornings."

He just laughed, "It's too bad that every morning has to be an early morning for you Mr. Alpha sir."

I sighed again. That is why I take showers before I go to bed – it gives me a couple of extra precious minutes to sleep.

I checked my watch, "We probably do need to be on our way though, the meeting starts at seven."

We were meeting at a little cabin that sat just on our border lines for the specific purpose of meetings between our packs. I mind linked my third in command (who also happened to be a morning person and was probably on a run right now) to take care of the pack while we were in the meeting. My pack is the Blood Moon pack (cringy and stereotypical I know, but I didn't choose it), and the pack we were meeting was the Sunrise pack (which in my opinion is an even worse name than mine). Alpha John and his beta Johan were already there when we arrived.

"Still not a morning person I see," John said smirking at me.

I growled at him while my wolf was now giddier than ever before now that we were closer to his pack. Weird.

"You know I'm teasing Kayce," he said shaking his head with a smile.

"Yeah, yeah," I said trying to ignore my wolf and get my head straight.

"Before we get into the formalities, I just wanted to ask how your mom was doing," John said sincerely.

My heart clenched and I looked down, "Not the best."

"I'm sorry man," he said shaking his head.

My mom, the current Luna of the pack has been bedridden for the past couple of months ever since my father died. I wasn't sure what I'd do if she passed. I had already lost my father to a rouge attack this year. Not only would I be down a mom, but I would also be down a Luna too, with my only biological family left being my kid brother and my older sister.

No Luna.

My heart clenched again. The only way a Luna's position can be replaced is if they die, or if the current Alpha finds his mate. I was hoping that the latter would happen, and that the former wouldn't, but things were looking bleak. I was twenty-five and had not felt the slightest stirrings of a mate and was wondering if I would get one. I hoped she wasn't dead; mates weren't usually more than a year to two apart.

I sighed and looked back up, "Well, we should get this meeting going."

"Okay," Noah agreed obviously seeing that he hit a nerve.

"So," Carter said, "We heard that you've been having some problems with rouges, and with the pack to your west, Blue Rise."

"Yeah," John said, "We came here today to ask for possibly some guard help and an agreement that you would assist us if we went to war."

I was stunned. John asking for help? It must be a serious problem if John was willing to swallow his pride and ask.

"What would we get in return?" I asked trying to sound normal.

"Five-hundred thousand dollars, and the guarantee that if you ever went to war with another attack, we would help you." he said completely serious.

I couldn't hold it in anymore, "Just how serious is this problem?"

"We have had seven rouge attacks in the past week and suspect that some of them are getting paid by the Blue Rise pack," he said.

"Holy shit," I said shocked seeing how serious the situation was, "That is a lot. What did you do to them?"

"Thats just the thing, we don't know," John said.

"Okay, we'll help you," I knew John wasn't lying, our packs always got on pretty well together and have actually had a few get togethers.

He let out a long sigh of relief, "I can't thank you so much."

"Your welcome," I said.

We talked for about another fifteen minutes about the technicality before parting ways.

I was busy when I got back. Paperwork, overseeing morning training, visiting mom, more paperwork, afternoon training, walk around and make sure everything in the pack was running smoothly, more visiting my mom, shower, and then do a smidge more paperwork. I was swamped in paperwork because when mom had first fallen ill (which was a week after my father died), I started neglecting to do my duties. That and my mom wasn't able to perform her Luna duties.

It wasn't until I was staring at my ceiling trying to sleep that I let myself cry. I couldn't lose my mom. And my sixteen-year-old brother would be destroyed. He was already having to stay with Rebecca, my older sister. Eventually I fell asleep.

I was jolted awake at midnight as if somebody had punched me in the chest, a tugging running through me. I was freaking out, and mind-linked Carter just in time for my wolf to say one thing.

Mate.

The pull had begun.