Just a Wolf

Beta Nolan

The meal is quite elegant and delicious. River Moon Pack also seems motivated to form an alliance - clearly a lot of thought was put into the preparations for our visit. We enjoy the food in the dining room with the River Moon Beta and Gamma and their mates, the conversation part planning and part just becoming acquainted. I like them all, and can see us becoming good friends as well as partners.

I look forward to a visit when I can bring my own mate. I miss her. After dinner I figure I’ll go to my room and call her for a video chat so I can talk to her and the kids. I find myself absent-mindedly rubbing my fingers across the mark on my throat. The outer imprint of her teeth has long faded away, not visible any longer to anyone else. But the inner mark will always be there, a permanent part of my flesh, the token of our mating bond. It always brings me comfort to feel her mark on me when we are not together.

Once we have eaten, Ross fairly quickly pushes back from the table and stands. “Thanks for the wonderful day,” he tells Malcolm. “I’m so encouraged by how well the meeting went, and I’m looking forward to our plans tomorrow.” He clearly wants to be alone with Darlene. He has her clasped against his side, rubbing his hand up and down her back.

Having been cued by the Alpha, we all know the dinner is over. Everyone stands, together with their mates. I’m the only one here alone, and I’m eager to go upstairs and at least talk to mine. First, though, I need to make a couple of arrangements for tomorrow.

Darlene reaches up to kiss Ross, then says, “Before I come upstairs, I want to talk to Amelia just briefly, about the plan for tomorrow. Meet you up there?” He pulls her into an embrace, kisses her deeply, then lets her go.

“Luna,” I tell her, “I’m just heading into the kitchen to look for my driver. I imagine she’s in there too.” She nods and follows me to the kitchen, where most of the pack is gathered in the cafeteria seating area.

I see Dominic sitting at a table in the back of the room, and head towards him, then notice that Darlene is still walking with me. I take a second look at the table, and realize that the River Moon Gamma’s assistant is sitting there with him. Huh. Well, that’s convenient. We both approach the table, and it is clear that they are paying no attention to anyone else in the room, as though they are the only people here.

Ha! Young love. It looks like Dominic is having a little fling here with one of the River Moon girls.

We are literally standing right at their table, looking down at them, before the girl glances up at us, and gulps. I know she met us both at the meeting, but I don’t think she was expecting the Dark Woods Luna and Beta to show up at her dinner table. Dominic sees her attention shift, and follows her gaze to find us waiting, and his eyes go wide.

“Uh, sorry,” he says and starts to stand up.

Not sure what he is apologizing for. But I wave my hand, and say, “Don’t get up, I just wanted to tell you that tomorrow I’ll want you to help drive a few of us out to where the rogues attacked us yesterday. We want to surveil the area. Be ready to go by eight, please.”

He looks strangely worried, but he nods.

Darlene says, “And Amelia, while they are off doing that, I’d like for us to meet to get started on our planning.”

The girl looks over at Dominic, then back to Darlene, and says respectfully, “Of course, Luna.”

We leave them to it, the youngsters looking at each other with wide eyes, and I am chuckling when I say good night to Luna. I don’t think the kid will let this distract him from his duties, he’s a good mechanic, and a good driver, and his father is a very reliable member of our pack.

When I get upstairs into my suite, I take a minute to remove my shoes and settle in, then I pull out my phone to start the video call. I settle down on the sofa in my suite, and am delighted to see Bonnie’s face answering, holding our six-month old baby in her lap, our three year old rushing up towards her in the background to talk to me.

Ahhh. I brush my fingers across my throat as we speak.