Chapter 3

Sean

"I hereby call to order the official meeting of the City Legion's board of leaders."

Everyone in the room became attentive as the assembly began with my opening statement. All eyes were on me as I addressed the members.

"We have received a timely notice, which is to be filed with the minutes of this meeting. Lizzie, do we have enough members present for a quorum?" I asked my secretary.

Lizzie approached me and handed over a folder containing today's agenda. I noticed that everyone already had their copies before I arrived. While I read through the details, Lizzie started calling out the names of the board members.

As the youngest member of the board at 35, it was interesting to be among these highly experienced alphas. But I got used to it, eventually, and became comfortable with my role as their leader.

I am Sean Ascott, alpha of the Silverpaw Pack, and head of the City Legion, a unified group of werewolf packs blending in the human cities throughout the continent. My domain is Whitewood City, the largest of the 15 cities within the state of Columbus.

After the roll call, I acknowledged Lizzie with a nod and continued, "You have all received and reviewed the minutes from the previous meeting. If there are no corrections, I motion to proceed."

Alpha Cassius, the former head of the City Legion, seconded the motion.

With the formalities concluded, it was time to begin the actual discussion.

"Let's get straight to the point, Alpha Sean," Alpha Cassius interjected, his tone sharp. As the leader of the Alpine Pack, which used to be the top pack in the region, he didn't hold back his directness. "We're here to discuss your plans for finding a Luna."

My body tensed up, fully aware that this topic would take center stage during the meeting. As their leader, it was expected of me to marry and find a suitable Luna. However, my inability to find my mate had been a source of frustration for the City Legion. For us werewolves, remaining single, especially for an alpha, was considered a curse.

“You are made aware of my plan to attend the recently concluded mating ritual. I want everyone to know that—”

“That you failed, AGAIN, in finding your mate. Is that it?” Alpha Cassius smirked, making me clench my fist as I tried my best to control my anger for his disrespect. “This thing could have been settled long ago if only you agreed to marry my Beta daughter, Krista.”

The room was filled with whispers and growls. It was pretty obvious why Alpha Cassius was itching for this marriage to happen. It was all because of his ambition in taking over the human cities and making them slaves to our kind. He wanted war, but cannot instigate it with only him and a few supporters backing his plans. He needed my influence, my connections,  and my pack. Once he succeeded in making me his son-in-law, it would be the end of humankind.

"Enough!" I exclaimed, exhaling deeply. "There's no need for all this commotion because I have already found my mate that night."

The room was filled with murmurs once again. Some of them looked genuinely happy, while others like Alpha Cassius and his minions looked surprised. I wasn’t planning on revealing this information until I got a hold of my mate but I was left without a choice.

 Another alpha, Alpha Alexander of Midnight Pack, raised his hand. “If you really found your mate, where is she?”

“You’ll meet her when the time is right. For now, we are still getting to know each other and was focusing on integrating our lives together. Just give me a month to settle everything.”

“Then it’s settled,” Alpha Cassius stated. Slyness was definitely hiding between his fake smiles. “I would be happy to host the welcoming party for your MATE. That is if she really exists.”

“Oh, she’s definitely real!” I said without backing down. “Make sure to prepare your biggest and grandest party to welcome her. My MATE AND FUTURE WIFE deserves only the best.”

**************

I stared blankly at the wooden desk plate sitting on top of my table. My thoughts lingered on the event that happened earlier causing me to heave a sigh.

Hoping to find something to calm my thoughts, I grabbed the pair of Chinese meditation balls from its box and played with it. As my fingers danced over the smooth surface, a gentle clinking sound filled the air, creating a tranquil ambiance that filled the entire room.

“I heard what happened to the assembly earlier. Is it true that you already found your mate?”

I must have spaced out completely that I failed to notice my Beta entering my office. Normally, I would freak out with someone barging inside my room without my approval but not in Clark’s case. He was my best friend, my brother, and my most trusted companion. Although we didn’t share the same mother, our bond was proven to stand the test of time.

A faint smile tugged at the corner of my lips. "Yes, I did."

Clark’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. "You have? Dude, finally! After long years of searching…”

My brother witnessed every heartache I got from my years of fruitless search. He had been with me for so long.

“I know,” I responded. “Who would have thought, right?”

But then, he realized something. “But why haven't you brought her into the pack then?" he questioned, his voice tinged with curiosity and concern.

"Well, it's complicated," I confessed. "She's human."

Shock reverberated through Clark, rendering him speechless. After a moment, concern etched across his face. Clark was an intelligent wolf so he easily got what was happening.

"What about her safety? Shouldn't we protect her? What if the enemy found out who she was and tries to harm her to get to you?" His voice was filled with genuine worry.

I nodded solemnly, understanding the gravity of the situation. "That's precisely why I haven't approached her," I replied with a touch of remorse laced in my voice. "I fear that she might become overwhelmed or endangered if I reveal myself to her.”

“Good call. After all, she is human and I doubt she knew about our kind.” Clark nodded in understanding.

“But we didn’t have much time," I declared before standing from my chair and looking outside my window. "The City Legion is pressuring me to introduce her to everyone. We need to act fast but with her welfare as our main consideration. We didn’t want our enemy to get their hands on her before we did.”

“Leave that to me,” Clark exclaimed. His eyes were filled with determination. “Just tell me who she is and where to possibly find her.”

A smile etched my face as I tapped Clark in gratitude. He just nodded before storming out of my room leaving me in my solitude once again.

I walked back to my table and poured myself a glass of scotch, remembering that moment when I saw my mate for the first time. She was perfect in my eyes, capturing my heart completely. But she left me with a deep longing that I haven’t felt before when fate decided to tear us away again.

“Don’t worry, Sean. We're getting closer to reuniting with our mate," my wolf Lucian spoke in my mind. I downed the contents of the glass in my hand, reflecting on the promise I had made to both my wolf and myself.