Chapter 7

ALPHA SAMSON

“Alpha,” Jenson muttered, pulling me from my thoughts. I shook my head and motioned to follow them into the hall.

Jenson was right. The ceremony was about to kick off and we were ushered to our seats.

I sat down next to Alpha Zander and Jenson on the other side. I looked to where Luna Madaline was, standing next to Alpha Karl. He placed his hand around her but leaned into her. He spoke, but the way her face changed and her eyes darted to the man she walked in.

Something was up.

I opened a mind link to Paul. “I need you to go further into the forest,” I muttered, remembering the group of people who left when they spotted me talking. “There was a group of people there, on the left side of the pack house not too far from the cell building. I want you to tell them that we are not here to harm them, only want to know what is happening and if we can help in any way.”

“Sure,” Paul said and closed the link.

I looked over to Jenson, who stared at me. I opened a link to him. “Luna was in the cells with the guard,” I muttered, looking toward Alpha Karl and his Luna, who seemed to be in some deep conversation.

“The Luna was in the cells,” he asked, sounding confused. “That’s odd and in a dress too.”

Luna’s usually don’t have anything to do with cells. The alphas are usually the ones who dish out the punishments or the betas. The Luna has the job of looking after the pack members, making sure everyone is looked after.

“I know,” I muttered.

“And the blood,” Jenson said. “They could have—”

“Can we all have your attention please?” Alpha Karl shouted, cutting Jenson off. I closed the link and looked at him. Alpha Karl stood center stage with his Beta to the near side, but no Luna.

Savage came close and listened in but said nothing. I could feel his anger ripple through me. What the hell has gotten under his fur?

“When this is over,” Savage muttered. “We are going to the cells.”

With that Savage moves back as Alpha Karl talks again.

“As you all know,” Alpha Karl continued. “Today is the day that my son, Lincoln, will be placed as my heir of the pack. I know many of you have questions as to why I am doing this now. The reason is that I have waited so long to have an heir that I wanted to share this with you all. I wanted my son to

see all the faces that will have his back when he needs help. I want him to see alphas, all like a family and there for one another.”

Alpha Zander grunted beside me, making me look at him. He faced me and frowned. “Yeah, right,” he muttered. “We all are friends, not family. He’s delusional.”

I have to agree with him on that one. All the alpha’s would, too. My eyes scanned around; a few nodded with him, but others looked shocked at what he said.

Alpha Karl spoke again, and then the ceremony began. His son, who held his mother’s hand tightly, looked around, scared at everyone staring at him. He was petrified, you could tell. Why would a father put his young son through all this?

An elder came forward and made the declaration of when the son would take his rightful place as alpha at the age of eighteen unless his father died.

The ceremony only lasted a few minutes when Alpha Karl asked for food to be served to us. I watched everything unfold while everyone else began to talk.

Alpha Karl moved from the stage and went to talk to three alphas—Lawrence, Jemery, and Martin. They seem to be friendly. I leaned toward Alpha Zander. “Is it me, or do those four look super friendly lately?” I murmured.

Alpha Zander looked toward the alphas and let out a slight laugh. “Lawrence and Karl have been friends since school,” he muttered, keeping his eyes on them. “As for Jemery, he started after his father passed away. His father and Karl were friends, too.”

“What about Martin?” I asked. “I’ve never seen him with them before.”

Alpha Zander shrugged. “I don’t know,” he said and frowned. “He never talks to any of us. Keeps himself to himself. He has witches near his pack; maybe Karl helped out of a jam or something.”

I said nothing, keeping my eyes on the four alphas.

Alpha Karl wouldn’t have helped anyone unless it benefited him somehow. I knew that.

Glancing over to Jenson, who seemed to be talking to Beta Logan, I spotted Madaline with her son. She smiled at him. My attention went to the young alpha, who seemed to be missing his mouth when he ate. Her eyes darted up and looked toward where Alpha Karl was, but her face changed into a hardline.

I looked over to see Alpha Karl talking, but it wasn’t just the three other alpha’s now. There were four women, and one was holding onto Alpha Karl. “It seems the Luna hates sharing,” Alpha Zander said, leaning toward me. I looked over to the Luna, who indeed, was giving both her mate and the woman daggers.

“Did you see the row of women along the wall in the corridor?” Alpha Carter chimed in, making me look over to him. He grinned. “Apparently, all of them are looking for an alpha and their mate.”

I said nothing, but Savage was close to hearing what was said. “Maybe they whoring them out for all of them,” he muttered. “Some of these are stupid enough to hook up with some.”

There was no doubt about that. Many of the alphas here were single and wanted a casual hook-up. Alpha Zander and Alpha Carter were amongst them.

“Alpha,” Paul said when he opened a new mind link. Worry came flooding in, making me wonder what he found out. “What did you find out?” I asked, opening a link to Jenson for him to listen.

“Alpha,” he said. “I did what you asked and followed those people. I found them not that far from the cell building. Some wanted to go inside but couldn’t. No one could tell me when I asked who or what was happening.”

I frowned.

“What do you—” I asked, but Paul cut me off. “Alpha, they couldn’t tell me,” he said. “It is like they were forced not to talk about something. But when you see them, you know there is something they want to tell me.”

My mind raced, only for Savage to growl loudly in my head. “Alpha command,” he grunted. “He used an alpha command on them.”

That was the only explanation that made sense.

“Alpha, the people I spoke to are the gammas,” he said, making me tense.

The Gammas.

Gammas are very protective of their alpha and Luna. None of this made any sense.

“We need to look inside the cells,” Paul blurted out. “They can’t tell me what. But they told me if you are here to help, then you need to go in there. You will understand when you do.”

Well, I have been asked.

Savage grunted and paced. “We need to look in there,” he said, pacing my head. Something was up with him. Ever since the Luna and guard walked past us, he was on edge again.

“Meet me by the cells,” I grunted and closed the link. I looked to Jenson, who moved up from his chair and headed out. I looked around and noticed Alpha Karl was gone. Where the hell did he go?

Moving up from my chair, Alpha Zander and Alpha Carter looked up at me. “Where are you going?” he asked.

“I need to contact my gamma,” I muttered. “He needs to give me an update on something.”

They both nodded while I stepped away and walked to the door. Some alphas murmured some words to me, but I ignored them. I needed to know what was going on.

I stepped out and went to the pack’s front door when I heard a moan. I looked over my shoulder and saw a door ajar. I walked over and looked inside, and spotted Alpha Karl, who had the woman from earlier who was on his arm with the others around him, kissing her deeply.

I looked around and noticed another two figures doing the same—Lawrence and Jeremy.

Stepping back, I walked back to the front door and stepped outside, only to bump into someone. I looked up and realised who it was straight away—the guard. He smiled. “Alpha,” he said, taking a bow.

Savage growled loudly in my head.

I stared at the man, but a scent wafted toward me—blood, but there was something else. Something sweet.

What the hell was that?