When we walked into the lodge, I had every intention of taking Ethan back to his apartment and at least figuring out where we stood before meeting with Drake and Steven. They had others plans though, that I quickly saw when they greeted us just inside the door. Before I could speak with Ethan or even tell him goodbye, he was scurrying off with Steven. I clenched my jaw, not willing to give up so easily on us.

“Trevor!” Drake said as he shook my hand firmly.

The lodge was bustling with activity. I handed him the box as we broke apart. “I see things are in full swing. I hope my men have been helpful?”

“Very much so,” he said, fondling the box carefully. “You have some hard-working men in your pack. Tell me, how was the trip. Any problems?”

“Nothing I couldn’t handle,” I assured him. “Good,” I muttered, not wanting to tell him about the kidnapping.

“Would you like to come up for a drink?” Drake asked me, turning toward the elevator.

I shook my head. “I need to get back home and check on things. I don’t often leave them without a way to get ahold of me. Would you mind having Ethan call me?”

Drake grinned. “Absolutely, I’ll make sure that he does. Everything okay there?”

“I’ll have to get back to you on that. It was good to see you, Drake, I’ll be in touch.”

“I look forward to it,” he assured me as I headed back for the door.

As I climbed into my truck, I glanced down at my private phone. Drake would give Ethan the message, whether or not he called was still up in the air. I wouldn’t pressure him anymore. The road unfolded in front of me. It was an easy drive back to my hometown though I still felt empty inside. All I could think about was Ethan, he plagued my every thought. My fingers absentmindedly toyed with my phone, willing him to call as I pulled up in front of the large Alpha estate.

I saw my loyal second in command, Jonathan as he waved from the porch. Just as I was about to greet him, my phone started to vibrate. Without a second thought, I saw the lodge’s number appear on the phone and I shut the truck door again suddenly. My heart was racing with anticipation as I answered the call.

“Hello?”

“Trevor?” Ethan’s timid voice came.

“Hey, how are you? We didn’t really get a chance to say goodbye before I left,” I stammered quickly.

“Yeah, sorry about that. Things are just crazy here.”

Silence fell. I cleared my throat, determined to know how he felt about me. “Would you want to have dinner with me tomorrow?”

He paused. “You mean like a date?”

“Yeah,” I stammered excitedly. “Like a real first date. I really like you.”

He laughed softly. “I really like you too. I’d like that I think. Now that I’m back home, I’m not as nervous.”

“Hey, I’ll take what I can get. I’ll pick you up at seven okay?”

“Perfect,” he whispered. “See you then.”

“Okay,” I said softly.

He ended the call, but I still couldn’t wipe the smile from my face. Everything was coming together and for the first time in years, I had hope. Looking around, I saw that Jonathan wasn’t thrilled with being put on hold, but I didn’t care. They could all wait if it meant I had a shot with Ethan. I couldn’t wait to tell Jonathan and my brother, Samson, all about Ethan. Samson was perhaps the only wolf that was higher ranking in my pack than Jonathan. Blood always came first.

“Is everything okay, sir?” Jonathan asked as he made his way over to me on the steps.

I grinned and clapped him on the back. “Things have never been better! Come inside, I will tell you all about it.”

“I must say, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you so happy. I take it your trip to our allies was a success? I was surprised when you didn’t return right away.”

“Everything went wonderfully, better than I ever could have imagined!” I boasted.

“Really? I was hoping that our men would return with you. Don’t tell me you plan on returning to that place.”

My temper flared at his tone, but it wasn’t something I was ready to start a fight over. Jonathan had always been opposed to our alliance with Drake’s pack. He saw the friendship as a sign of weakness. I couldn’t believe that anyone in my inner circle still felt the way he did, but so far, it hadn’t been a big issue. Now though, things were different. I would have to gauge his reactions more carefully.

“I met someone special while I was there,” I told him. “I believe I’ve found my mate. Though he is a little reluctant. I’m sure that I will win his hand in time.”

I watched Jonathan’s face change. He went from shock to rage in a matter of seconds. Emotions, like everything else with our species was processed very quickly. Still, the rage had to be there to start with for someone to become so angry at the drop of a hat. His tension immediately made me feel on edge. I fought back the primal urge to lunge across the table and rip out Jonathan’s throat. He was supposed to be my second, the negative behavior couldn’t spread through the pack.

“A Gryther?” he seethed. “Have you lost your mind? They are nothing compared to us! The Reluson pack will not blend with that mutt blood.”

“Watch who you speak to like that,” I snapped at him, my dominant Alpha tone ringing clearly through the quiet house. Everyone there was a wolf, they could all hear the argument. “You are not the Alpha of this pack. The unity of the two packs has nothing to do with my selection of a mate.”

His eyes narrowed though his head fell out of respect. “You cannot take a Gryther as a mate! There will be retaliation.”

I was so stunned at his outburst that my jaw dropped open. In the moment that the Alpha bond was broken, Jonathan sensed his moment and ran from the room. As he did, his angry rant didn’t end. Throughout the great halls, my staff and I listened to him screaming.

“Fucking traitors! We should kill them all! Every last pathetic human lover and Gryther!”

I came back to my senses just as the doors opened and I heard his clothing rip. He shifted into his wolf form, another shocking revelation as it was prohibited during the day except during times of war. Jonathan was declaring himself against me in a bold show of rebellion. It was crippling to know that he had betrayed me, but more discomforting knowing that I would have little choice, but to kill him. No one, not even my second in command, had the right to insult and threaten the Alpha. It was a declaration of war, one that I would answer.

“What the hell is going on around here?” came a familiar and welcomed voice.

Samson boomed into the room. He had my same features and was only slightly smaller than I was. His eyes were mirrors of my own rage. Jonathan’s outburst no doubt would be spreading throughout the pack. In the few minutes that it had happened, our kind would hear about it as it echoed through the community. With everything else going on, I wouldn’t go searching for Jonathan just yet.

“You leave for two days and this place goes to hell,” Samson muttered. “I knew I should have stayed behind.”

“You were needed in Gryther. I had to have someone there to lead the others that I could trust,” I growled back.

“I can see why you didn’t send Jonathan now. What the hell is his problem?”

“As if you don’t already know,” I snapped. My temper was still burning hot.

Samson chuckled. “He never was fond of the truce. It’s a shame he let it go too far.”

I sighed, my brother had always possessed a calming aura. He could calm a room or watch it burn without flinching. Thankfully, my gifted sibling never used his powers of persuasion for the latter. There was no point in fighting the calming sensations. Even without them I knew that he was right, Jonathan had long held a grudge against the Gryther pack. My choice of mates was bound to stir up a little dust.

“So? Are you going to give me the details or should I sulk around the watering hole to find out the latest gossip?”

I laughed. “It’s good to see you, Samson.”

He grinned at me and took my hand; a firm handshake was all the contact we needed as brothers. I took a moment and poured him a stiff scotch.

“This is a day of celebration, brother,” I started. “I have found my mate and he will make a wonderful Reluson pack member.”

“And yet you aren’t sure that is what he wants?” Samson said cautiously.

I shrugged. “I know the feelings are real between us. When I am with him it is like nothing I’ve ever felt before. How could he not want to be the mate of an Alpha? Any Omega would jump at the chance to move up.”

“Or move away?” Sampson pressed. “You would be asking him to leave everything that he knows. That is a lot for anyone to take in at first. Maybe he just needs more time.”

“I believe he does. We are having dinner tomorrow. It’s so hard to be patient with him, but I know the end will be justified if I can take things slow.”

“I know that things will work themselves out in the end. Sometimes you just need to take things on faith.”

“If only I had the luxury. You know that as the Alpha I have to lead the others. How will they feel knowing that I let Jonathan go over a Gryther mate that doesn’t even yet want me?”

Samson chuckled softly, sipping his drink. He wasn’t one to be rushed when it came to giving advice. He always thought about his words carefully, a trait that I had not inherited. I was hotheaded and acted on my emotions, Samson was the counterweight to my short fuse. He shifted as I waited impatiently. When I thought that I would finally blow, he took a deep breath and cleared his throat.

“You know while you were off securing your mate, I spent my days working alongside Steven and Drake. They spoke very highly of Ethan. He is smart and caring, but also carefully considers each step that he takes. I believe what Drake said, you two are fated to be soulmates.”

“Drake told you all this?”

Samson nodded. “That and so much more. They have spent decades cultivating fruits and vegetables that sustain much of the surrounding villages. Their contributions to the fellowship of immortals is like none I’ve seen before. I think we should be proud as a pack to call them our brothers.”

“That’s high praise coming from you,” I told him, a plan already forming in my mind. “Perhaps I should send you as a peace officer to Jonathan.”

“You know how I would love to help with that situation, but given our past, do you really think that’s the best move?”

“I may not have any other options,” I muttered.

Samson and Jonathan had loved the same man years ago, the fight was a tale as old as the human race. He had chosen Samson and Jonathan had never forgiven either of them. They tolerated each other because of their closeness to me but beyond that, no bond could ever be formed between them again. Even if they both willed it, the dominant nature of our breed wouldn’t allow it.

“You will find a way, hopefully Jonathan is just blowing off steam.”

“Then what should I do if he is? You know the laws of the pack. He cannot remain.”

Samson winced, “I know.”

With a deep breath, I refused to let my mind be distracted by Jonathan anymore. “So, you think I will win over Ethan?”

“I think that you already have. Who knows, maybe he already carries your heir.”

I chucked, though the thought and wonderment of it had crossed my mind. A family would be a blessing, it would not only strengthen my seat as Alpha, but knowing my line would carry on was what every leader wanted. Ethan would make a wonderful father, he was so compassionate beneath his tough exterior.

“He says he cannot have children,” I whispered.

“Others have said that in the past, you know that it’s not always the truth.”

“But why would he lie?”

Samson shrugged. “Perhaps it isn’t a lie of his doing. Many Omegas are taught early on that bearing children isn’t a natural thing among our kind anymore. They don’t think it’s possible and use no protection against it. Plus, you have to find true love. How rare is that?”

“I believe I have found that with Ethan,” I whispered softly.

“Then why are you so worried?”

“Because Ethan is different. He doesn’t want life in the spotlight or to be the mate of an Alpha. He adores everything about his simple life in Gryther. How can I asked him to leave all that behind as you wondered?”

“If he loves you, and I mean really loves you, then it won’t be a question of if he wants too. His heart will pull him to you just as surely as yours led you to him.”

I chuckled. “You’ve always been a romantic. The only thing that brought me to Gryther was the treaty and celebrations.”

“Come now, you don’t think that it was luck, do you?” he asked.

I shrugged, unable to think of a reasonable answer. How could I be sure of anything when my heart and mind could only think of Ethan? Perhaps there was more to our meeting than I thought, but now all that concerned me was making sure that we had a future together.