Chapter 3

Damien POV

When I first got the invitation to the mating gala I was filled with dread. Every year it is out together, is another year that I don't find my mate and that is the whole purpose of the gala in the first place. The pressure for me to find my mate gets higher each day because an alpha can't successfully run his pack without a luna. I know I will find my mate when the time is right so I see no point in trying to force it, but being an alpha I have to go. I packed enough clothes for a two-day stay which is more than I wanted.

This year the gala is being held at the Blackforest pack and their reputation proceeds them. Rumor has it, the beta became the alpha ten years ago after the old alpha and luna were murdered by rogues. It is said their eight-year-old daughter helped the rogues plan the death of her parents but no one knows what happened to the little girl. The story of the murder never sat well with me. I could never figure it out but there is no way an eight-year-old helped rabid rogues sneak into the pack territory in the middle of the night and into her house without being detected and kill them.

Every time Maximus was asked to host the gala he refused saying he was doing repairs on the packhouse, but he always managed to attend it when it was held elsewhere. Once every three months, all the alphas of surrounding packs meet and go over rogues and treaties and this year everyone voted for the mating gala to be at Blackforest to find out what Max is hiding. I have never liked the guy, he's always rubbed me the wrong way. He thinks and acts as if he walks on water.

Jackson Reed is my best friend and my beta and he is a damn good one. As I walk out of my room to load my bag into my truck so were can leave with ten of our unmated warriors Jackson comes barreling into me with excitement.

"Are you ready for this man?!" He asked with the excitement of a child in a candy store.

"No, I'm not. If I were to have a mate when I turned 18, I would have found her. The only thing I'm excited about is finding out what Max has been hiding for the last ten years. And I want to know what happened to the old alpha and luna's daughter." I answered honestly and we climbed into my truck that was parked out front to leave with 3 cars to follow. Even if I lied he would know, he knows me better than anyone on this planet.

"Yeah you're right, she'll come to you when the time is right. It makes no sense why he won't allow anyone there. And the way everything went down all those years ago doesn't sit right with me. It never has." He said the last part with sorrow. His belated parents use to be close with the old alpha and luna and he had had a few play dates with their daughter Rose.

The drive was about 3 hours, I could have made it in an hour and a half running in wolf form but I already had a long day and it was almost 10:30 pm. Most of the ride was silent as Jackson slept most of the ride. When we got 30 minutes away from the territory, my wolf started to get really antsy. It's not like him to be like this but he wouldn't answer me why. Out of the blue Jackson jumps up and wakes up.

"Man my wolf is very antsy. But he won't say why and he keeps howling and it's making it hard for me to sleep." He said with a very annoyed tone.

"It's not just your wolf, mine has been doing it too and ignoring me on it too." I told him. My curiosity peeked that both of our wolfs were acting the same way.

"Dude what if it's because were are about to meet our mates?!" The joy in his tone made me chuckle, but it does make me think he is right.

As we went over the plan for our two-day stay here to find out what Max has been hiding, our wolves became more anxious. When we pulled up to the border of the town their pack had built thousands of years ago, we were dumbfounded by the number of wolves on border patrol, and all of the warriors patrolling the grounds, everywhere you look there is a warrior on high alert. I'm really glad I brought my warriors with us. The amount of security is unsettling and drives my curiosity wild with what he's been hiding all these years.

"I have never seen anyone guard their territory like this, must be something big that he's hiding." Jackson said with a startled tone.

Driving up the driveway to the packhouse, I could not have been more disgusted in my life. All the trees and plants were dying or already dead and withered away. The grass is yellow and dry due to poor maintenance. There was no wildlife running around, and even pack members weren't roaming around in wolf form like they do in most packs.

We had to show our pack marks and give our IDs to the guards before they let us into the packhouse. When I started to walk through the door, I noted the ten guards that lined the hallway and up the staircase like they were waiting for something to happen. I haven't heard of an attack on this pack for ten years, what's with the tit nit security?

When we pulled up to the front of the house, I was surprised to see Maximus standing on the front steps to greet us. Jackson and I gave each other a look of dread before we stepped out. 

"Is it just me or does this pack have an excessive amount of watchdogs?" I asked Jackson through our mindlink as I watched one of the guards stare us down as we walked by.

"Nah man, it's not just you. Something seems to be off. We have to get this figured out. He has always rubbed me the wrong way and I am so ready to wipe him out and give Rose her pack back if we can find her." His voice was laced with annoyance and anger.

"We will but we have to do this the right way. We need to get proof and take it to the elders and leave it in their hands. The last thing we need is other packs saying we faked evidence just so we could absorb this pack." I told him.

"We can't absorb it. This pack rightfully belongs to Rose and I have a feeling she is still here. I have heard rumors from members of other packs that Max has a girl that he has been severely beating for years and works her like a dog." He growled. I noticed his fists were balled up and that meant he was out for blood. 

It's not uncommon for an alpha to absorb another pack by challenging the alpha, but normally it's another alpha, not the beta. I don't need his pack, mine has become the biggest and strongest in the country in the last five years. I have the best warriors, my people are well taken care of, I started some companies so that way my pack members could earn their own money per their request. I'm not going to complain though, it gives them a sense of safety and freedom knowing they are making their own money and paying for the lifestyles they choose to live.

"Damien and Jackson, it's nice to see you guys again. " Maximus started with fake excitement.

"We are just as excited as you are." Jackson snorted at him as he opened the back seat up to retrieve our bags.

I can see just how uncomfortable he is having the mating gala on his territory, which makes my suspicion grow that he is indeed, hiding something. I plan on finding whatever it is he is hiding before we leave here so we can bring him down once and for all. All the other alphas feel the same way as I do about Maximus, but none of them have the balls to do anything about it.

" I will personally show you guys to your rooms. I want to make sure you are comfortable during your stay." He retorted. The acid in his tone as he spoke did not go unnoticed, it is almost as if he's expecting our room to not be well attended to. When I stepped through the threshold of the packhouse, the smell of honeysuckle and fresh cotton slammed into me as I had walked into a wall. I stopped dead in my tracks. From the corner of my eye, I could see Jackson was stopped where he was walking, his whole body stiff.

"Mate!" Jackson and I both said at the same time.

"Well, congrats. Hopefully, they are from another back, I would hate to lose any more pack members." Maximus spit with venom in his voice. "Right this way fellas." His lack of using our titles is complete disrespect. We followed him up to the second floor and he stopped in front of the third door on the right. Instead of taking his leave, he opened the door and stuck his head in, and looked around the room.

"She is lucky all the rooms have been spotless so far." He whispered to himself and walked back down the stairs before we even had the chance to ask him about what he had meant.

"What in the hell? What do you think he meant by that?" Jackson asked as he walked into the room and put our bags down beside the door. 

"I'm not sure but it can't be anything good." I told him as I walked into the room.

The bedroom we are staying in is pretty simple. There is a queen-size bed on the far wall when you walk in with a light tan-colored stand on both sides of the bed. The bed set was made up of a plain light blue color. To the right of the bed was a door that was the closet. On the other side of the bed was a small and plain white bathroom. Next to the bathroom was a tan couch and a cheaper-looking fireplace. 

After we both got showered and in sweats to go to bed we decided he would sleep on the couch tonight and me tomorrow night. I couldn't help but think of the strong scent of my mate that filled this whole house, even in my room. After five minutes of laying down, Jackson was out. I laid awake for another hour trying to picture what my mate looked like and what kind of personality she has. Tomorrow is going to be a day full of events, I can feel it and so can my wolf.

"Be prepared." Ace, my wolf, whispered as my eyes became too heavy to keep open and I started to drift off to sleep. What could he have meant by be prepared?