Freedom

2: Benson

"Go do it" I snapped at Mason, my Delta.

He just stared at me before giving me a final nod and leaving my office. I had been on edge this entire week and I was starting to become concerned. I was leaving for another territory—Lake Harmony—in under thirty minutes and knew I couldn't show up there in my current state or else it could be interpreted as a threat.

My usual calm demeanor had been disrupted around Wednesday. I had only gotten a couple of restless hours of sleep in the last few days and my wolf has been uneasy to the point of frustration. I assumed it was from my journey to another pack, but this felt different, almost like nervous anticipation. I wasn't going to go visit Jake, but when he called last week about having my pack—Lyons Falls—conduct an intense training course, I couldn't refuse.

I just finished my third cup of coffee for the morning, when I heard a knock at the door. I immediately knew it was Tyler, my younger brother, coming to let me know it was time to go.

"Come in Tyler", I said.

Tyler slowly opened the door and glanced around, until his eyes settled on me. He knew how I had been feeling lately and after an incident with a fist through a wall yesterday, he was obviously nervous about the type of mood I was in.

"Just letting you know that the plane is ready to go. Is there anything else you need before we head out?", he asked carefully.

I glanced down at my desk at the finished paperwork from this morning. Grabbed my briefcase off of the floor and stuffed a few folders in it. I looked around my office one last time before I headed to the door.

"Nope, I think we are ready to go", I said locking the door behind me.

I hadn't seen Jake for eight years, right before we both took over our respective territories. We had kept in touch a little over the years, but with the demands of leadership, our friendship fell to the bottom of the list. Even though I was excited to see Jake again, I couldn't help but feel incredibly anxious as Tyler and I boarded the plane. I almost thought about just sending Tyler an email saying I couldn't make it, but I had made a commitment to be there.

The plane arrived just after nine in the evening, about an hour later than was planned. I had just made it out of the plane, when two black sedans pull up in front of Tyler and I. My wolf felt like it was jumping out of my skin and I knew that Tyler could feel the agitated energy coming from me. The cool summer air seemed to calm me slightly, but I was still feeling unsettled. I pulled at my tie, loosening the tight knot hoping it would help me breathe a little easier.

"Well look who it is.", said Jake as he exited one of the cars and pulled me into a half hug. I drew out of the hug and immediately noticed how much older he looks. He must have grown at least six inches, since our early teenage years. Once a scrawny kid now has grown into a lean and intimidating presence, but the constant amusement like gleam still lingered in his eyes. Jake always had a relaxing presence about him, and it looks like it didn't go away in the past eight years.

"Jake, how has it been? Looks like you finally grew a little, however, not enough to stand up to me", I remarked in a humorous tone.

"You beat me one time when we were younger and now you think you are invincible", he said rolling his eyes.

"It wasn't just the one time Jake", I said a smile coming to my face.

"We will just have to see about that this week. I— ", Jake started to say before his phone started to ring. Jake held up his finger to me, indicating he would be a second. "I have to take this", he said.

"Kay, are you on your way yet?" Jake said. I could hear a faint female voice in the background, and just like that, the pit in my stomach seemed to return and I couldn't help but reach up to loosen my tie a little more. I started to roll the sleeves of my white dress shirt up, when I heard Jake end the call and speak to his Beta, Michael.