The moment Rolus' wolf awakened, the Pack felt it. There was a heaviness in the air whenever Rolus entered a room. The Pack felt the connection between them and their Alpha stronger, and he demanded respect without even saying a word. It was his wolf gaining back control, telling them who was Alpha and that he was back.
It was a week later that Rolus had a Pack meeting and announced the big news. The Pack was elated. The mood was lighter, even the Elders of the Pack wore smiles. It was going to be a feast before even Rolus announced it.
Sierra was the one who suggested that they have a party, and a hunt. It's been a year since they've gone hunting, with the hunt being led by their Alpha.
Rolus didn't even object. He was happy that his wolf was back, and he felt rejuvenated, energy surging through his veins.
"Are you even listening to me?" Sierra asked, frowning.
Rolus nodded. "Yes, yes. Go ahead with the preparations."
Sierra raised a brow. She pushed the papers in front of her aside, still staring at him.
"What?"
"I said, should I invite the Black Moon Pack?"
"For what?" Rolus frowned.
"For the party. I'm planning on inviting the neighboring Packs. We have to celebrate, but at the same time, show them that you have become strong again, especially to that Black Moon Alpha. It will be good, I promise."
Rolus sighed, not keen on seeing Luke again. The idea of him fratenising with Perez was unsettling to say the least. What if they were planning something? Luke was a scorned man. He still held revenge in his heart. He was in pain and unpredictable.
"I'm not too sure about inviting Alpha Luke," Rolus replied.
"We'll have tight security. Charlotte will make sure that her Warriors do their best in ensuring everyone's safety," she said, trying to convince him. It was their chance to prove to Alpha Luke that Rolus was back to his good health and he should not be messed with.
"Fine."
"Yes! Okay. Saturday we will have the party, and on Sunday night, we will have our hunt. And I'm thinking it to be two weeks from now. I'll have Zayn work on the invitations and I'll go to deliver some of them myself. I'll tell Zayn to run the invitations by you first before I deliver them. How does that sound?"
"It's fine, but I don't think everyone will be able to make it since it was short notice."
Sierra nodded, standing up and collecting the papers. "I know. But I'm sure they'll want to come see for themselves that you are alright."
Rolus sighed, unsettled with the party Sierra was organizing. He was not ready to deal with Luke and his endless questions about the mate issue. He knew that Luke was ready to ruin his life. Afterall, he did threaten to tell Sierra about his rejection.
A knock on the door disturbed Rolus from his thoughts. Before he could reply, the door was pushed open. Charlotte strutted in, her bangs clinging to her forehead due to her sweat.
Rolus stood up, and sat on his table, crossing his arms. "How was practice?"
Charlotte groaned, throwing herself on the chair and leaning against it. "Horrible. A fight broke out that had one of the teenagers injured."
"That sounds... tiring?"
Charlotte glared at Rolus, who in turn chuckled. "I see you're feeling better now. What changed?" she asked.
"Nothing," Rolus defended. Charlotte raised a brow at that.
"You saying nothing makes me even more curious. What happened? You and Si have been acting funny these last few weeks, and then bang, your wolf is back. I'm happy that it is back, but how?"
"What do you mean funny? Sierra and I were merely going about our business as usual." Rolus defended. Sierra did not want anyone to know about her dodgy connections. Of course Rolus knew all about them because he was the person she respected and trusted the most. He was on the same level as her mate, but a cm higher. The problem with Theo was that he was too clean, too innocent and too strict. He would blame Rolus for his mate's doings. It was better to leave him in the dark.
"Is there something you two are hiding?"
Rolus shook his head, struggling to hide his smile. "You know, you look cute when you're all detective."
Charlotte narrowed her eyes at him. Rolus laughed. "Don't let Zach hear you say that. You know how sensitive he is," she mumbled. That made Rolus laugh even more.
Charlotte even cracked a smile, for once relieved that Rolus was alright and doing okay mentally and physically. He was a shell of himself for the past two years.
"You and Si seem to be doing well. Something changed I should know about?" Charlotte asked. Rolus could hear the accusation. Charlotte always hated being kept in the dark. She hated when Rolus and Sierra isolated themselves and did not include her.
"We're doing alright at the moment, I think."
Charlotte raised a brow at that. "What do you mean you think?"
"Well, we haven't been at each other's throats for a while, so I think we're doing pretty good," Rolus replied, standing up from the table and urging Charlotte to do so too.
Charlotte rolled her eyes, but complied, following Rolus out of the office.
"Please make sure that security is tight during the party. I don't want any trouble," Rolus reminded.
"Of course. Is Alpha Luke of Black Moon invited?" She sounded bitter.
Rolus nodded. Charlotte groaned at that. She still remembered how Alpha Luke chased them away like they were nothing. He chased them away even when he saw Rolus unconscious. She loathed that man!
"You really hate him that much?" Rolus asked, seeing the unpleasant face Charlotte made.
Charlotte glared at him. "Despise. I despise that man. I didn't have a problem with him before, but after he chased us away from his land when you were sick, let's say I developed a very special room in my heart just for him."
Rolus smiled at that.
It wasn't very long that Rolus led them to the kitchen. They greeted Mary, the Head Cook. She was glad to have their presence.
Rolus sat down whilst Charlotte asked Mary to prepare them some snacks. If she could, Charlotte would have prepared them something, but Mary was rather protective of her kitchen. Especially when she was around. She claimed she rather not be there when they ruined her kitchen, meaning if she was in the kitchen, or one of her Cooks, then no one was to wander and touch.
Charlotte went to the fridge to retrieve two beers. She gave one to Rolus and sat down.
"Did you know that there's rumor going around that you found your mate?"
Rolus choked on his beer. He sat it down, trying to compose himself. "Who came up with that? That's ridiculous."
"Is it? What do you expect the Pack to say when you suddenly have your wolf back? The only plausible explanation is that you found your mate."
"But they know that my mate died," Rolus hissed. His Pack was too noisy.
"Yes, we all know that. But they think you were mistaken and now you've found your mate and are embarrassed to introduce them to us. Ridiculous, I know, but the Pack doesn't think so."
Mary brought their snacks. Charlotte started eating, leaving Rolus in turmoil. His damned Pack!
Mary excused herself. The moment she left, Charlotte listened to determine whether there was someone in close range who would hear them. When she established that no one was around, she turned to Rolus.
"You know, the rumors are pretty solid. You could take this opportunity to do something about your mate situation," she said, receiving a glare from Rolus. "I'm serious though. It's not like you're getting any younger. You could choose someone to be your mate, and no one has to know. You could spin the Pack's theories and claim that yes, you were wrong and have found your mate."
Rolus thought about the suggestion. He shook his head. It was too ridiculous. The Elders would never buy that. "That can't work, but you gave me an idea. You're right. I'm not getting any younger. Instead of fabricating lies, how about I choose a worthy Luna?"
Charlotte shrugged. "You could do that, or you could ask forgiveness from your mate. Maybe they'd take you back."
Rolus stiffened at that. For a moment, he thought Charlotte had figured out who it was, but then remembered that he'd told her once that he had rejected his mate. "It wouldn't work. We're sticking with my plan. I'm going to try find a replacement mate this coming party. It will be a great opportunity to find someone worthy, don't you think?"
Charlotte contemplated the idea. It wasn't bad. They needed to have heirs to the Alpha position. "It's great. It's Si handling the invitations, right? I'll tell her that instead of inviting only the Alphas, anyone can come. Maybe someone might be of interest to you."
Charlotte was already standing up from her chair. She was leaving before Rolus could say anything.
He shook his head at the mess she made on the counter. He picked up the plate and made sure to wipe the counter, then took their cans to the bin. He grabbed his plate and planned to go to his room. His mind was buzzing with the idea of finding a replacement mate. He knew that he never had a chance to live happily with his mate, if said mate was an Alpha.
He walked up the stairs, with the intent of resting his back because he had been sitting all day on his chair, working. His back was killing him, or maybe it was exhaustion.
He didn't even make it past three steps before he heard Sierra call out to him. He turned back around, facing a very seething Sierra.
He assumed whatever she had on her mind didn't need prying eyes, so he continued up the stairs, with Sierra's anger overwhelming. When they made it to his room, Sierra slammed the door closed.
"What is it I hear that you want to seek a replacement mate? Is it true?" she asked. Rolus didn't appreciate her tone, but he let it slide. Their relationship was still rocky.
He presumed it was Charlotte who told. There was no denying it since she would have found out anyway. "Yes. Is there a problem?"
Sierra glared. She crossed her arms, saying, "Why?"
"Why?" Rolus was confused. "Why? I'm not exactly getting any younger, Sierra. I'm not going to spend the rest of my life alone without a Luna, or heirs."
Sierra kept quiet. Her anger dissipated at hearing Rolus' answer. She supposed it was not fair that he be alone. Most of them had mates, and Rolus didn't. As much as she felt that Rolus was lying about what happened to his mate, she couldn't help but pity him.
"I understand. Should I tell the Alphas to bring their best members since you will be looking for a potential mate?"
Rolus shook his head, sitting down on the couch. He set the plate on the coffee table. "Some Alphas might try to sabotage me. Just tell them to bring anyone. Anyone is invited."
Sierra nodded and turned to leave. Rolus could see that she was still unsettled.
It was when the door opened and closed that Rolus sighed. He hoped he wouldn't regret his decision. No, he wouldn't regret it.