Jason

Jason

I stretched and glanced at the clock. Six in the morning. The building was still blissfully quiet. The other council members likely wouldn’t show up until around ten. If I’m to believe Ryan, those Alphas only appear when an actual meeting is scheduled. There are five regions, each with their own council and council leader. If every council is as much of a disorganized mess as the one I’ve encountered here, it’s a miracle the humans still haven’t discovered our existence. I got to work on today’s meeting agenda. The Alphas had simply written down “event” as a bullet point. They didn’t even bother specifying which event. I knew they meant the annual charity ball held in this city, meant to raise funds for a chosen cause. At least, that’s the idea behind the ball. Unfortunately, in recent years, the cost of organizing it has exceeded the amount it brought in. Hopefully, the Alphas will be able to shed some light during the meeting on how that’s been allowed to happen.

At seven, I heard the “secret” door open. I turned around and saw Ryan enter. Ryan was a good friend of mine—I’d met him during Lycian training. Like me, he was forced into the program by his parents. His mother dreamed of him becoming a council member, which would automatically make him an Alpha of his own pack. That had never been his ambition. When my parents passed away and the companies became my responsibility, Ryan was there to help. He’s never had a fixed job title—he just sees what needs doing and does it. In my eyes, he’s qualified to hold any position he wants. At my company, he sorted out the finances, drafted ironclad contracts, interviewed candidates, handled legal issues… you name it, he’s done it. When classified information was leaked from the company, he quickly identified the source by posing as a new note-taker and observing the smallest movements of everyone in the room. The moment I knew I’d be made Head of the Council, I knew I needed Ryan. I called him immediately. Before I could even call back, he’d already emailed me a signed contract. When I told the council I’d be bringing my own note-taker to the meetings I attended, they protested. They already had an experienced employee doing it. But they couldn’t argue for long—I insisted no one outside the council or my personal staff would see what I looked like. I still wanted to be able to go out in public as Josh. That meant I needed my office completely remodelled. It had to be inaccessible to regular staff, hence the secret door. I also wanted my staff to have their own private entrance, so no one could easily find out who worked directly for me. The floor below my office was split in two. One half belonged to Ryan, Hunter, and Erik—each with their own office. The other half was redesigned like an apartment: living room, kitchen, dining area, laundry room, storage, and even a bathroom. The only thing missing was a bedroom.

That would be the domain of my personal maid, and also a place where my men and I could retreat. This floor could only be accessed two ways: through the secret door in my office or by a lift accessible from the building across the street.

“Oh goddess, I thought you were joking about the secret doors,” Ryan said, examining it.

I grinned. “What’s so funny about a secret door?” I teased.

“Ha-ha, you’re hilarious,” Ryan replied, rolling his eyes. “But seriously, Jason, what are you doing here so early?” he asked with a serious frown on his face. “Figured I’d put my sleeplessness to good use,” I replied, handing him the updated agenda. “You’re pretty early yourself. Planning to keep this your standard work time?” I smirked.

Ryan didn’t believe in work hours. He did what needed to be done, whenever it needed doing. He walked down the stairs through the bookcase door. “Your maid needs orientation and training. I assume you’re not doing it yourself?” he called out. I stood and closed the door behind him, then turned to the window.

After some time I was jolted out of my thoughts by the scent of vanilla and moss. It couldn’t be… could it? I spun around just as the bookcase door opened—and Ryan walked in with her. “Jason, I’d like you to meet…” “Elizabeth,” I interrupted. Ryan raised an eyebrow. Elizabeth stared at me, wide-eyed. “Uhm, do you two already know each other?” Ryan asked.

“N-n-no,” Elizabeth stammered.

Shit. She doesn’t recognize me. How do I explain this? “Not personally,” I added quickly.

Elizabeth kept staring at me in confusion. Ryan cleared his throat. “I gave Mr. Moon your information after hiring you.” Thank the goddess. He caught on quickly. Elizabeth seemed to believe it. I held out my hand, and she hesitantly took it. “Nice to meet you, Ms. Duchesse. I trust Ryan made the right choice.” As I spoke, I felt a soft tingle in my hand. Elizabeth looked at our hands. Could she feel it too? I let go slowly, which seemed to snap her back to reality.

“I’ll do my best not to disappoint,” she said quietly, looking down at her feet. I reached out and gently lifted her chin so she’d meet my eyes. “I believe you will, miss,” I said, caressing her chin with my thumb. I kept my gaze fixed on her. For a second, I thought she might recognize me… Then Ryan cleared his throat. “Right. Ms. Duchesse, please follow me—we’ll get the paperwork sorted so you can start your day.” She nodded, but glanced at me once more before leaving. I turned back to my desk and waited until the door clicked shut.

Shit. This might turn out to be a problem.

At that moment, Hunter and Erik entered my office through the hidden corridor door.

 “How early did you leave for work, in the name of the goddess?” Hunter asked, raising an eyebrow. I chuckled quietly—Hunter, of all people, concerned about my work hours? That was new. I turned to Erik. “Do you have what I asked for?” Erik shook his head. “Not yet, Alpha. So far, that name doesn’t seem to exist.” I ran a hand through my hair. How is that even possible? Hunter started walking toward the bookcase door, but I quickly called him back. He gave me a sharp look. He knew I wouldn’t interrupt him without reason. He had been assigned to run background checks on every employee in the council building—including the council members themselves. If there’s one thing I’ve learned from the business world, it’s this: no one is to be blindly trusted. Hunter clearly wanted to get started. Before I could explain why I’d asked them to wait, Ryan stepped back into the office through the bookcase door.

“You’re lucky she believed I gave you her information after hiring her. But you’d better tell me right now—how do you know her?” Ryan looked at me sharply, raising his hand toward Hunter and Erik, signalling them to stay silent.

He was the only one who could silence them with a single gesture—just a trace of Alpha energy was all it took. Erik looked too stunned to object. Hunter, on the other hand, was seething and visibly resisting Ryan’s command. I sighed and raised my own hand, calming Hunter just enough—but his glare was pure rage.

“I spoke to her at the pub last Saturday,” I said with a shrug, trying to play it cool. But Ryan wasn’t buying it.

“Don’t act like I’m an idiot, Jason. If you’d just met her at the pub, she would’ve reacted very differently to seeing you today,” Ryan said, his voice rising. Hunter took a protective step in front of me, as if shielding me from Ryan’s words. Erik tensed for a possible confrontation. They were responding to my Alpha energy, which I now realized I was releasing in full. Helios, my wolf, was on the verge of breaking through. I had to force him back and suppress my energy to a manageable level. Ryan noticed but didn’t back down—he just stood there with arms crossed, knowing he was right. I placed a hand on Hunter’s shoulder and nodded. Hunter eased up, though Erik remained on alert. “She was at the bar on Saturday night. I talked to her briefly while I was paying. Just as I was about to leave, she collapsed from her barstool. I caught her and handed her off to the paramedics.” I hesitated. Should I tell Ryan I followed her to the hospital—and nearly revealed my identity? He was the one who had helped keep my identity hidden this long.

“Whoa, whoa—what’s really going on here?” Erik asked, rubbing the back of his head.

Ryan and I were still locked in a silent stare when Elizabeth appeared in the doorway.

Hunter turned to me instantly. “What’s she doing here?” he asked through mind link.

“Apparently, Ryan hired her this week as our maid,” I replied through mind link to both Hunter and Erik. Erik’s eyes widened as realization dawned.

“S-sorry, am I interrupting?” Elizabeth stammered. Ryan’s tone softened immediately. “No, not at all. This is Hunter and thats Erik.” Said Ryan while he pointed at Hunter and Erik.

I cleared my throat. “Hunter is my Beta, and Erik is my Gamma,” I added, giving Ryan a pointed look. He knew how I felt about rank and respect. He might not care for hierarchy, but in front of others—especially Omegas—disrespect toward my authority wouldn’t be tolerated. Helios surged forward, making my Alpha aura weigh even heavier in the room. From the corner of my eye, I saw Hunter and Erik bow their necks in submission. Even Ryan, with Alpha blood himself, had no choice but to lower his head. Helios raised his head proudly. For a brief moment, I thought I saw Elizabeth lift her chin instead of bowing hers—but that couldn’t be right. She was an Omega. Helios retreated again, allowing me to scale back my aura.

“You brought something, Ms. Duchesse?” I asked, settling into my chair. She didn’t speak—just stepped forward and handed me a stack of papers. When I took them, she glanced up and gave me a small nod before quickly leaving through the bookcase door.

Could my first day get any more chaotic?

I sighed deeply and gestured for Hunter and Erik to head to their own offices while I continued staring at Ryan. As soon as the bookcase door clicked shut, Ryan opened his mouth to speak, but I raised my hand. “Undermining my authority in front of my Beta and Gamma is one thing. But showing that same disrespect in front of others? I won’t accept it. You know how I feel about the ranking system, and I’ve always respected your views. Is it really so hard to understand that when Omegas are present, I won’t tolerate this kind of behaviour from you?” I spoke calmly and clearly—Ryan knew that meant I was dead serious. He remained silent, head bowed, clearly struggling with his wolf. After a few minutes, he bared his neck in submission. I gave a small nod to show I accepted it.

He looked up—just in time to realize we were late. It was already quarter past ten.

We were late for the meeting.

---

The meeting went exactly as I expected: a complete waste of my time. The Alphas only wanted to discuss events that allowed them to flaunt their status and parade their Lunas around. Too bad for them—I had added several other, more serious topics to the agenda before the charity ball came up. Thankfully, a few of the Alphas agreed with me that we needed to address more important matters. But the majority of them spent the entire meeting sighing and groaning. Ryan kept to the sidelines, seated at his table in the corner of the room, diligently recording every word spoken. For the next meeting, we planned to present every sigh, every empty comment, every pointless remark. I wanted the council to see just how little value most of these Alphas were bringing to the table—and that, if it didn’t change, there would be consequences. In one month, I would evaluate each Alpha individually to decide who would retain their title—and who would not. I had already gotten a good sense of the group, and this was only the first official meeting. The last item on the agenda struck a nerve. I wanted to know how the revenue from the charity ball in recent years had barely covered the cost of organizing it. That was never the purpose of the event. We’re supposed to raise money for meaningful causes—like improving education for the lower ranks. The Alphas who had spent the meeting moaning and groaning suddenly fell silent. The others all turned their heads in their direction. And just like that, I knew exactly who had been involved in organizing the event. I stared them down and demanded an explanation. All I got were shrugging shoulders and excuses—blaming their Lunas. I leaned back in my chair, running my hands through my hair, shaking my head. I called them a bunch of incompetent idiots and a pathetic mess of testosterone.

I gave them the space to respond, knowing their wolves would be on edge immediately. They stood up and tried to dominate the room with their aura. It wasn’t until I heard their wolves growl that I stood up myself and slammed my hand down on the table, forcing everyone back into their seats using my Alpha aura. Their expressions said it all—every single wolf had started whimpering. I looked at each one of them one last time and simply said, “Gentlemen,” before turning around and walking out of the room. Ryan stayed behind to record every word that would still be spoken after I left. When the other alpha’s left the meeting he told me threw mind link he was heading home. I had wanted to go over this morning’s incident with him, but that would have to wait until tomorrow. The rest of the day I spent reviewing the files Hunter had compiled. We were well in sync—every time I finished reading one file, the next was already waiting for me.

Erik had spent the entire day trying to find information on the Duchesse family, but so far he had come up empty. There was no point in keeping him from his actual responsibilities. Erik was my Gamma, which meant he was in charge of all the troops within our territory. Each Alpha had their own Gamma, responsible for the warriors within their own pack. Erik, however, was above them all and also oversaw the entire warrior training program.

Since I was temporarily the Alpha of the New Moon Pack, he also served as its acting pack Gamma. Not that Erik couldn’t handle all of this, but if I kept pushing him to dig up something that didn’t seem to exist, it would eventually interfere with his real work.

I told Elizabeth we wouldn’t need dinner at the office tonight. Still, Hunter, Erik, and I stayed at the office talking until eight in the evening before heading home. I felt incredibly guilty that Elizabeth had to work from early morning until late evening on her very first day. Then again, this wouldn’t be a rare occasion—it was better she got used to the long days now. I still couldn’t believe Elizabeth was working for me. I had accepted that I wouldn’t see her again, and now she’d be near me every single day. Helios had reminded me multiple times—grudgingly—that Elizabeth already had a true mate. That’s why we kept our distance from her most of the afternoon.

Once I got home, I wanted to spend some time with Samuel and Annabelle. Unfortunately, Annabelle was on a date. I didn’t even know she had a boyfriend—she’s only 19 years old. I had to laugh at myself. "Only" 19? More like already 19. From the age of 18, a wolf’s true mate bond can be activated by the Moon Goddess. So Annabelle could’ve already met her mate this past year, yet I still saw her as my little girl.

As I walked up the stairs, I heard Samuel speaking loudly. Curious, I rushed to see what was going on. It wasn’t like Sam to raise his voice. Upstairs, I found Sam yelling at the nanny. He hadn’t noticed me yet, but the nanny looked at me desperately. “I’m not going to bed until Dad’s home!” Sam shouted. Damn. I had promised to be home in time for dinner tonight. “It’s okay, Betty, I’ll take over,” I told the nanny. She nodded politely and quickly hurried down the stairs. Sam turned to face me, startled, but the shock quickly turned to anger. He stormed into his room and slammed the door in my face. I gave him a few minutes before quietly opening the door. “Sam, I’m sorry. I completely forgot I promised to be home on time today,” I said, carefully sitting on the edge of his bed. Sam lay with his face in his pillow, his shoulders shaking—he was clearly crying. I gently placed my hand on his back.

“You promised you’d be home! You said it wouldn’t be like the Blood Moon Pack again!” he sobbed into his pillow. I sighed and felt ashamed of myself. I had indeed promised him that once we moved to the New Moon Pack and I started my role as Head of the Council, I wouldn’t work late every night anymore. I swallowed hard, trying to find the right words.

“Sam, you’re right. I got caught up in work again and completely forgot about our dinner plans.” He didn’t respond. I needed to make this right. “Sam? What can I do to make it up to you? Samuel?” In an instant, Sam shot upright with a grin from ear to ear.

Damn. I’d been played.

Me, the Lycan Alpha, Head of the Council of the largest territory—outsmarted by a nine-year-old boy.

“We can go to Moonshire Park this weekend—and you have to go on the roller coaster this time!” I had to admit, this kid was definitely a Moon. I started tickling him. “Only if you say ‘mercy’!” He burst into laughter, squirming, and finally gave in. We talked about his day at school afterward. He remained quiet about his friends and free time, so I didn’t push the topic. He eventually fell asleep while I was reading to him.

After sneaking out of Sam’s room, I went to find Betty, the nanny. She was sitting nervously on the bench near the front door, fiddling with her fingers. As I cleared my throat, she nearly jumped off the bench. “Oh! Sir—I didn’t expect you,” she stammered. “How’s Samuel doing? Was he able to fall asleep?” Her words flowed a bit more smoothly now, but it was still clear she wasn’t comfortable. “After tricking me into agreeing to a day at the amusement park, he passed out like a rock,” I said with a smile. Betty nodded, opened her mouth to say something, then closed it again. Something was definitely bothering her. “Betty, what’s going on?” She didn’t dare look at me as I asked. “Oh, no—it’s nothing… it’s just that Annabelle… Annabelle should’ve been home by now,” she mumbled while staring at her feet. I had a dozen things I wanted to say, but before I could find the right words, a car drove up the driveway. I expected it to pull all the way up, but instead, it stopped about twenty meters from the house. Annabelle stepped out and looked into the car once more before gently closing the door. She waved, and the driver quickly turned around and sped off. Annabelle walked toward the front door—but stopped when she felt my aura intensify.

“Betty, I actually wanted to ask you something about Sam. How does he usually spend his free time after school?” Betty looked at me, surprised. “Uhh, Sam always comes straight home, sir. He does his homework at the kitchen table and then goes to his room until dinner.” She looked a little uncomfortable. “I—I think he feels quite lonely, sir.”

“Thank you for your honesty, Betty. You can head inside now. I’ll handle this,” I said, gesturing toward Annabelle. She stopped walking the moment she heard me say her name. Betty nodded and wished me a good evening. She tried her best. I couldn’t hold her responsible for Annabelle being late. I folded my arms and looked at Annabelle sternly.

“Would you care to explain why you’re home well past curfew? Why the guy didn’t even bother dropping you off at the front door? And why I had to find out from someone else that you even have a boyfriend?” I had a dozen more questions, but Annabelle shot me a furious look.

“I’m nineteen years old! That curfew is ridiculous! And since when are you so interested in my private life? Don’t you have work to do or something?” she shouted as she tried to storm past me. I grabbed her shoulder—not pulling, just holding her in place. Annabelle froze.

The Alpha energy I was radiating should’ve felt crushing to her, but she kept her back straight. If I wasn’t so mad right now, I might’ve been proud of her. “Annabelle, I don’t appreciate that tone,” I said in a firm voice. I could feel how hard she was fighting against my aura. We stood like that for a solid twenty minutes before she finally threw her hands up in frustration and sat down on the bench next to the door.

I sat down beside her.

“Can you at least explain why he couldn’t even walk you to the door?” I asked with a sigh. Annabelle stood up again, facing me. “Seriously? You really have to ask? You were standing at the door. You, with your damn Alphaness—he practically froze in place,” she said, clearly irritated, arms crossed.

I couldn’t help it—I laughed, how did she come up with that word ‘alphaness’.

Annabelle didn’t appreciate me laughing at all and let out an annoyed sigh.

“Oh goddess, Ann, I’m not your enemy. The point is, you broke the rules, made Betty worry, and that has consequences—you know that.” I ran a hand through my hair.

Annabelle sat down again with a sigh. “I know. I lost track of time. Do you have any idea how embarrassing it is to be on a date and have to admit I have a curfew? I’m nineteen. I’m not a kid anymore.” She sounded defeated.

“Ann, if you don’t agree with the curfew, you come talk to me about it instead of just showing up whenever you feel like it. And you could’ve at least called Betty to let her know you’d be late.”

She stared at me in disbelief. “You seriously expect me to call the babysitter during a date?! That would be mortifying.” Now she was really testing my patience.

“Ann, you say you’re not a child, but you’re acting incredibly childish. Not coming home on time and not letting anyone know where you are—that’s exactly how a child behaves. I gave you a chance to talk this through like an adult, but you’ve made it clear you’re not quite as mature as you think you are. For the rest of the week, I expect you at my office after school every day, and you’ll help Sam with his homework. This weekend, the three of us are going to Moonshire Park—and I don’t want to hear any complaints, especially not in front of Sam, who’s really looking forward to spending time with his sister.” This was the first time in years I’d been this strict with her. My Alpha aura was so intense now that she could do nothing but stare at the ground.

“Do you understand me, Annabelle Moon?” She looked up at me, clearly offended. “I understand… Dad,” she said, emphasizing the last word. At that moment, I knew she understood exactly how serious I was.

Annabelle walked inside without saying another word and slammed the front door shut behind her.

I let out a long sigh and waited a moment before heading inside myself. It wasn’t until I stepped into the shower that I realized just how exhausted I was.

This is going to be one long week.