The morning light was annoyingly bright, filtering through the curtains I had yet to replace. There was no use replacing them as sometimes, Damien would get really violent after a full moon and begin ripping everything in sight.
A loud bang on the door added to my headache. It felt like the pounding was in my head.
"Kaelen!" Dorian's voice boomed. "Come on, wake up. It's time to get out of bed. We have a council meeting in thirty minutes!"
"Bang on that door one more time, and I will have you horsewhipped in the council hall" He should know better than to wake me up so early after a full moon.
"I think I fear the council more than I fear you. My father will kill me if you arrive late," he continued his banging.
"Good! Then I can find a less annoying beta," I yelled back.
There were a few minutes of silence and then he was back with a lighter knock this time "I brought coffee."
Why didn't he lead with that?
I got up from bed lazily, my hair a terrible mess and my legs refusing to cooperate. Every step felt like torture. The nightmares always left me drained and the pain was so immense I could barely function throughout the day. Who in the hell scheduled a council meeting after a full moon?
I opened the door and was greeted by Dorian's tall, lean frame and his signature smug look. He held out the mug of coffee which I grabbed and immediately took a gulp.
"You look like shit," he said cheerfully.
"And you sound like an idiot," I shot back, taking another long sip. I would need about four more of these to function right.
"Glad to see you survived the full moon," he said, strolling into my room and sitting in the chair by the window "We got problems"
"Is it worse than the one I currently have?" I asked, sitting on the bed.
Dorian's expression became quite serious, "I overheard my dad and Councilman Morrison talking last night, Kaelen. They are going to bring up the topic of a Luna during the council meeting."
"What do you guys want from me? How many times are they going to bring that up in a year?" I interrupted, waving a hand.
"What are you going to do about it?"
I stared into my empty mug, wondering if it held the answers I needed. "What do you want me to do, Dorian? Throw a ball looking for Cinderella?"
"You know, that's a great idea," Dorian said, leaning back with a grin.
I glared at him. "I'm joking."
"I'm not… it's simple. We throw a party, invite ladies fit to be Luna" he replied, shrugging. "The council is impatient. The people are restless. Our rivals might consider us weak. You're 35, Kaelen. You should have a considerable number of pups by now"
"Gee, I did not know that Captain Obvious," I said weakly.
"You're putting pressure on yourself, Kaelen. Not everyone is destined to find their mates and as alpha of the pack, you have obligations. You cannot think about yourself, you have to think about a whole community. If I didn't know any better, I'd think something was wrong down there."
I growled. "Do you have a death wish?"
"If I didn't know any better, I would take that seriously," Dorian said light-heartedly and then turned serious again. "She doesn't exist"
That statement annoyed me and he could tell. I think it was the fact that I knew he may be right but my wolf didn't want to hear any of that. I heard Damien growl and my eyes turned dark.
"I'm sorry, Alpha," he said, showing a bit of fear. "But please, think about it. We have searched everywhere. We have searched neighboring packs; we have checked every rogue roaming our lands. I would go to the ends of the earth to find her for you if I knew she was there. Please…"
'She's out there,' Damien affirmed in my head. This was becoming a never-ending battle. Heavy is the head that wears the crown. My wolf won't give in to the idea of anyone else aside from our mate and my people won't let my reign go on without a Luna. I'm screwed.
"Whatever you decide to do, the council meeting is in ten minutes and they're going to want results. Be prepared."
I collapsed in my bed, the day hadn't even begun yet and I was already both physically and mentally drained.
Dorian headed towards the door. "Oh, and Kaelen?"
"What?"
"Maybe try not to look like you are on the verge of death. Nobody wants a fucked up Alpha,"
I grabbed the pillow next to him and aimed it at his head. He tried to duck but failed, laughing, as he disappeared down the hall.
*****
I walked into the council conference room, Dorian faithfully following behind me, both of us knowing what to expect. I entered the room and all six council members bowed to me including Dorian's father who was also the next best person I had to a father. He raised his head to look at me as I took my seat at the head of the table, his eyes apologetic. This is not going to be good.
"I had a terrible night, I have a lousy headache and I bet I will have a short fuse. So let's all play nice and make this a very brief, very precise meeting, and next time, whenever the hell y'all are fixing times for meetings, unless it's a life or death situation, check with me first," I warned sweeping my gaze around the room.
"Yes, Alpha," they responded in unison and proceeded to sit down.
Councilman Tarzin, Dorian's father stood up to begin, "I will go straight to the point, my alpha. The Alpha of Wolf Hounds has sent an offer for an alliance with our pack,"
I remember him; we meet frequently at the Alpha's forum once a year but have never engaged in a conversation. "What are his terms?"
Tarzin cleared his throat before continuing, "He is offering his daughter to be your Luna,"
"Not happening… next," I snapped my fingers.
"My Lord, but…,"
"You heard me when I said, next. Let me remind you about my short fuse,"
"My Lord, you have to reconsider," The councilmen got up one after the other, standing in solidarity with each other.
I got up angrily, my wolf almost beyond control. I slammed a fist into the table, "I am your alpha, and you will obey me!!!"
They all bowed in respect and fear but it was evident they had no plans of letting this go. I thought I was prepared for this, but apparently I was not.
"My Lord, we are not asking you to accept his offer. We are only asking that you schedule a meeting with him to have a proper conversation." Tarzin continued and I felt a tad bit guilty hearing the fear in his voice. Apparently, he was the bravest among them.
"I will choose a Luna on my own terms. I have given my blood, and my life to this pack. I am not going to surrender the right to choose who will share my bed, raise my pups, and be by my side for the rest of my life,"
"We would never dare ask such of you, my Lord,"
"What exactly are you asking of me then, Councilman Tarzin," my voice was approaching murderous at this point.
"We implore you to consider the longevity of our pack, consider the fact that if anything happens to you today without an offspring, your pack that I know you love will be scattered about without a leader, left as prey to other alphas, our lands will be taken over, our women disrespected, our lives will be in shambles. My Lord, we are not choosing a Luna for you, we are only asking that you choose for us a Luna… soon," he dared to raise his head and look into my eyes, a mix of daring and pleading.
"Schedule a meeting," I said and breezed out of the room. My wolf was itching to get out as I heard him howl in disagreement and disappointment in my head.