Growling with frustration, I take the folder from Fabian’s hand and flip through it, my brows furrowing in annoyance. It seems the Silver Moon pack and the Hidden Howl pack are disputing over a strip of land that the human government put up for sale. The Silver Moon pack rightfully bought it, but the Hidden Howl claims they have been hunting there for years. Because of this, a war is on the brink of breaking out.
“Have both alphas scheduled for a conference call in three hours. We need to settle this before wolves lose their lives over senseless greed,” I order, throwing the file onto my desk and massaging my temple. I haven’t been feeling well all day, and I wonder if it is an aftereffect of my last rut.
“Already on it. I had a feeling you would want to nip this situation in the bud before anything could happen. I already found some land owned by our royal pack closest to Hidden Howl that they can purchase from us,” Fabian says, handing me another folder. I grin, flipping through this new file and agreeing that this is a good solution. Hidden Howl gets a better hunting ground, war is avoided, and the royal pack gets more money from the sale.
“We will bring this up at the meeting then,” I agree. Looking out the window behind my desk, I watch as a few pups run past the garden, smiles on their faces. I close my eyes and think about my mate, wondering if she is okay, if those three days we spent in my room ended with her pregnant with my pup. Goddess, I would give anything to see my mate again, to hold her in my arms and breathe in that scent of vanilla custard.
“How is the search for her going?” I ask, my voice hoarse.
“Like I said, Julian, your mate is gone. I don’t think she is coming back,” Fabian states with a sigh. I can hear the annoyance in his voice, causing anger in me to grow. How could my mate not want to come back? We are meant to be together.
Goddess, some days I swear I feel the bond has been broken and wonder just what might have caused it.
“You said that, other than that gold digger and the wolves who found their mates in the Nightstone pack, three other wolves left the pack?” I ask, hearing Fabian sigh once again.
“I did. They went on vacation and will be back in a few weeks,” Fabian answers.
Good. When those three wolves return, I plan to greet them and find out which wolf is my mate. Deciding I need to work to get my mind off my missing mate, I dismiss Fabian from my office. My mate will show herself soon, and when she does, I will demand answers as to why she left me and what Hannah did to her.
Hannah. My heart skips a beat at the thought of her name, and my frown deepens. Hannah is supposed to be the woman who ruined my life, so why do I find myself thinking about her when I am not busy? Goddess, I even thought of her during my rut, imagining her lips surrounding my cock as I stroke it to douse the flames that licked my body. I wanted her, wanted to be inside her, and I chalk it up to her being the one I woke up beside in bed.
With a growl of frustration, I stand from my chair and rush out of my office. My feet carry me up the familiar steps of the royal wing and past my bedroom door. A few moments later, I am inside the one room I haven’t entered for the last two years. The walls are bare, with only a hint of an outline where posters and picture frames used to hang. Hannah used to love posters of movies she saw in theaters.
Taking a deep breath, all I smell is dust and cleaning supplies. There is no scent belonging to Hannah left. Goddess, I can’t even remember what she smelled like. I avoided her outside of pack duties. Now I am starting to feel like a bitter and insane man as I realize just how much she has done for me.
With a sigh, I turn and leave Hannah’s room. My parents would be disappointed in me if they knew how I treated her. They would yell at me for being a fool for chasing away a loyal wolf. Most importantly, they would yell at me for banishing her if it meant she knew where my mate was.
Maids whisper as I pass them, their words wondering why I was in that room with Hannah’s name banned from being spoken in front of me. My frown turns into a scowl as I rush down the stairs, my anger coursing through me. I need to find a way to calm down before the conference call with the alphas of Silver Moon and Hidden Howl.
16
Hannah
Standing in front of the old mansion surrounded by the fresh scent of pine and maple, I smile, already imagining how this place will look after renovations. Most of the ivy crawling up the stone will need to be removed to prevent further damage, from what I can see. Not only that, but I will also need to repave the driveway from the main road all the way to the mansion that will become my future pack house.
“I already have the paperwork for you to sign if you are sure about turning this place into a home. Hell, I have been looking for a pack to join and would be happy to call you my alpha,” a sultry voice calls, making me grin. I look over at the real estate agent, a woman named Serina Vaults, and take in her excited gaze as she looks at the mansion.
A month has passed since I found out I am pregnant, and I spent that time talking with Fabian after Mrs. Singh—who insisted Icall her Jiya—and I discussed creating my own pack. Fabian was excited when I explained the idea, stating that I would need a place to call home, and what better way than to make my own. We both knew my alpha blood would not be easy to contain now that I had found my mate, even though he rejected me.
Of course, the problem now was finding a place close enough to Ottawa that I could drive to my classes but far enough into wolf territory that a couple of houses popping up wouldn’t be suspicious. In the end, Fabian asked me to wait a week, as he had an idea and a connection in Ottawa, which led me to Serina Vaults.
“I am serious about this. I have had to hide who I am for years. It’s time I accept being an alpha wolf,” I answer confidently.
Serina smiles at me, motioning for me to take the lead. With a grin, I climb the front steps and push open the double doors to the mansion, a three-story building built over a hundred and fifty years ago. This house and the surrounding four hundred acres of land were supposed to be sold separately after the original owner passed, leaving only one heir who wanted nothing to do with the old property and sought only its monetary value. Everything inside has been modernized, thankfully, but all the furniture was left for the new owner to take care of.
When Serina heard from Fabian that I was looking to start my own pack and needed a place to build everything from the ground up, she gathered all the necessary documents to sell both the house and the vast land surrounded by forest and wildlife. The best part is that a conservation park is just outside the territory, meaning any wolf who joins my pack would not have to worry about shifting and being seen by humans. We couldeven hunt to our hearts’ content without worrying about the dwindling effects of prey caused by hunting.
“I already have the king’s approval to start a new pack,” I state as I tour the dusty mansion, noticing the work that will need to be done inside. My throat clenches as I try and fail to mention Julian. I wonder if he has realized that I was telling the truth yet. Even if he did, it wouldn’t matter. I would not be taking him back.
“All I need to do is find a suitable territory for this new pack, and I believe this mansion would make the perfect pack house,” I continue after clearing my throat.
Serina just nods, holding a handkerchief to her nose to keep the dust at bay while handing me one. I thank her, holding the cloth to my mouth, and do my best not to breathe in the dust as well.
“Do you think we can get the deal done by the end of the week?” I ask, motioning for us to head outside.
This property has been sitting idle for the last month due to the death of the previous owner. The seller did not even bother to maintain it while waiting for it to sell. I take a deep breath of fresh air as soon as we are outside, relishing the scent of sugar maple and pine. Maybe we could collect and produce our own maple syrup here.
“I would say yes. The current owner doesn’t want anything left on the property and is willing to sell it right away. You said ten million dollars is fine, right?” Serina answers, shaking out her handkerchief.
