Hey Guys! Here is a bonus chapter! I hope y'all enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it!
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Whenever a new Alpha comes to power, the Alpha King comes to meet the new alpha and see how they are taking care of the pack.
We were give the summer to adjust, but the time had come. He was on his way and I was nervous. The whole pack was cleaning the pack house, the dinning room, the backyard and the grass is being cut. It was a frenzy.
The kitchen was one of the busiest places in the house. All types of meats were being cooked, the smell making my mouth water. On the other side of the kitchen, pastries were made, their aroma sweet. About 40 of my pack members were bustling back and forward from the fridge to the stove to the pantry and back to the stove.
Three hours later we were finished. The pack house and it's surroundings looked great and the food was set up at the table. The king was to arrive at any minute. I turned to face my pack. "Everyone, you did a great job. Thank you and I'll mind link y'all for dinner."
With a "you're welcome," they left. The first part of the Alpha King's visit was with the Alpha, Beta, Gamma, and head warrior. We sat in the living room in silence. Zach had officially become Beta mid summer. The Gamma was a 20-year old man named Andrew, and the position for head warrior was battled out between the experienced warriors. 21 year old Isabella won and her ceremony was held the week after Zach's. I had gotten to know them very well throughout the rest of the summer and we've learned to work very well as a team.
"Alpha, the King has entered the territory."
"Malcom linked me. The king is here," I said, getting up and heading for the door. The trio followed me.
We stood in a line: Alpha, Beta, Gamma, and head warrior. Feet together and hands at our sides. A black truck appeared from the line of trees and my heart rate spiked. I took a deep calming breath as the truck got closer followed by their warriors in wolf form. "We got this," I muttered.
The passenger side door opened and out stepped a man. He had short trimmed hair. Dark eyes and lips set in a straight line, he looked menacing. His outfit matched his attitude with black dress pants and a crisp, white collared dress shirt. He turned in our direction and I kept my eyes on his chin. Never look at the king in the eyes. It is seen as a challenge and that was certainly not my intention.
He stepped in front of me and I lowered my gaze to the floor. "King Matthews," I said in way of greeting.
A hand stuck out in my line of vision. "Alpha Rodriguez." I shook his hand and lifted my gaze. He moved to shake the hands of my members after they bowed at him.
"Shall we go inside?" He asked with a raised brow. I nodded and opened the door, letting him and a couple of his guards go in first. My members followed and I entered last. The king was sat on a couch. His posture was rigid and his gaze was wondering about the room, taking everything in. I sat in the couch opposite with Zach next to me. Drew and Isa sat in another. His warriors stood around the room.
"How long have you held the Alpha position, Alpha Rodriguez?" He inquired.
"Next week marks the third month, my king."
"How has the pack been adjusting?" He directed this question at Zach.
"Very well, my king. The pack has gotten stronger. Our defenses have multiplied. We're in a better state financially and our territory looks better kept than it has in years," he turned to me with a small smile, " She's made a difference in our lives."
The king let out a conservative smile showing his approval. "Alpha Rodriguez," he started, "what pack do you come from?"
"The Full Moon Pack, sir."
"And you left because?"
I took a deep breath as I felt my heart drop. A knot formed in my stomach and my hands shook slightly. I willed my voice to come out strong. "I was rejected." Surprisingly it did.
The king looked shocked. Rejection wasn't a common thing. Mates were chosen by the moon goddess therefore being precious to most of the werewolf race. There were some who wanted their own destiny; didn't think it was fair for the moon goddess to make the choice for them. Those who choose anyone other than their mate, more often than not, weren't as happy. Mates were like puzzle pieces, and you can't force two wrong ones to fit. However, there were special circumstances in which the moon goddess allowed two wrong pieces to fit.
As his surprise faded, rage replaced it. "He rejected you?! Someone had the guts to reject a gift from the moon goddess? Who was it?" That last question was asked frighteningly calm and his power leaked from his tone, saturating the room.
I had no choice but to reply. "It was the Alpha's son." His teeth were bared and his breathing was heavy. He took in a deep breath and closed his eyes.
When he opened them, he was physically calmer. He stood up and walked to me. He made sure to make eye contact before speaking. "There will be consequences, Rodriguez. For him, of course."
"Actually, if it is alright with you, I have a plan."
"Do say." He had a kind smile and his posture was more relaxed.
"He has the highest ranking pack, in terms of strength. I plan on replacing it. This way, he suffers and my pack benefits."
"How do you know he'll suffer from this?"
I smirked. "You see, Darius cares way too much about his image and the pack's reputation and that's all he cares about. It's everything to him. He wants to be better and stronger than everyone. And having a stronger pack lead by the woman he rejected replace his pack's standing ," I chuckled, "oh, its going to drive him insane."
"Sounds like a great plan,"He put his hand on my shoulder. "Whatever you need, I'm here."
The knot in my stomach lessened and a small smile crossed my face. "Thank you, my king."
"Please, call me Roman. You've gained my respect."
My eyes widened. "How? I tried asking as politely as possible. "All I've done is told you I got rejected. That's hardly anything to get respect for."
"Rejection does not look bad on you, it reflects on him. But the way you're handling it, now that's why you have my respect. You're moving forward; striving for better. You've built this pack up and didn't let rejection define you. You utilized it to make you stronger. That's something to respect."
I smiled, realizing his words were true. Rejection doesn't define me. It's a minuscule part of my past. "Well, thank you, um, Roman."
He gave me a smile before clapping his hands together. "Well, it's been a long journey here and I'm quite hungry."
"Oh yes. We'll show you to the dining room and I'll call the pack on the way." He nodded and we all filed out of the house. When we got to the dinning room, the whole pack was already there. They sensed the Alpha King and bowed.
"Rise," boomed Roman, loud and clear.
"I'm happy to meet everyone and specially glad the pack is doing well. Thank you for having me in your territory," he said with a smile.
"Where to?" He said turning his attention to me. I lead him to the table full of food, all still heated. He filled his plate and I lead him to my table in the back.
"I'll be right back," I said and went back to the food table. I greeted my pack members as they grabbed their food. Zach and Drew came to stand next to me as we waited for everyone to get their food. A long 20 minutes, everyone had their food. Drew got his food, then Zach, and finally me. When I got to the table, the King smiled approvingly.
"You're seventeen and not an Alpha's daughter. Tell me, how are you so great at this?" The king appeared genuinely curious.
I thought through his question before answering. My parents are well respected warriors. Growing up, I observed their leadership methods in training others and took notes.I payed close attention to how the Alpha lead our pack, and I used what I liked while modifying what I didn't."
"Well, you're doing an amazing job."He looked around the room at my pack members who were busy socializing. There was a stark difference between now and three months ago. Somberness and hopelessness was replaced by joy and knowledge of a bright future for our pack. We were, finally, a community.
Roman was quiet for a second before looking at me. "How did you become Alpha? I was told it was through a fight, however that would be impossible. You're not of Alpha blood."
"My Beta's father asked the same thing, and we have yet to come to a conclusion. He is, however, looking into my birth parent's origins,"I paused for a sip of water. "My adoptive parents never heard much about their past before my birth parents were accepted into the Full Moon Pack."
A while after my talk with Ryan, I started to wonder if maybe my birth parents were of Alpha blood. But, then why were they in another pack? How could they have kept it a secret? How could anybody not have know since the Alpha's family are similar to public figures?
It seemed too out of reach to assume my parents could be of Alpha blood, so I dismissed the notion.
"Has he found anything?"
"Surprisingly, nothing. There are no records of them in any of the packs he has talked with, however he is still working his way through all of the packs."
"I have resources,"he replied, turning to face me. "Would it be okay if I helped?"
I thought about his offer. "That would be great, thank you."
I told him their names and we continued eating.
A long conversation later, everyone was done with dinner, and pack members started to leave.
"I'll show you to your rooms," I told Roman and his warriors. We headed to the pack house and towards the guest rooms.
"I'm very impressed with what you've done with the pack, Rodriguez. It's very obvious that they love you."
"I love them. They're everything to me. They gave me direction and purpose."
He was about to reply when a shout interrupted him.
"Cami!"
It was my brother, running full speed down the hallway, his arms open. I smiled and opened my arms. He crashed into me making me stumble. I regained my balanced and hugged him. I hadn't seen him in a week.
"I missed you. I have so much to catch you up on. You won't believe- who's this?" He asked mid rant, barely noticing Roman.
"King Matthews," I replied casually.
"Que? En serio? Y no me dijiste nada? Me dejaste correr como loco! Ay, que a de pensar de mi? En serio Cami? En serio?" His hands were moving frantically and his voice was getting louder.
I was amused, but Roman looked confused. "Roman meet my brother, Lio. Lio, the king."
He bowed his head, nodded and ran off. He was literally sprinting. He only ever runs that fast towards the fridge.
I chuckled and turned towards the king. "I'm sorry."
"It's alright. It's quite a common reaction, believe it or not."
"Hmm, I wonder why? It's not like you're royalty or anything." He chuckled and shook his head.
"We're here," I said stopping in a hallway. Four doors were on each side, enough for the kings and his warriors.
"Thank you."
"No problem."
"See you tomorrow."
"See ya," I said turning around and walking to my room. Waiting in front of my door was my brother.
"You're on a first name basis with the King!"
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Until next time!!