Chapter 3 Denied

Caiden

I'm pacing on the back patio of the pack house while most pack members are busy eating and watching their pups play. Goddess, life is so simple for regular pack members. They all look so happy and relaxed with their mates and families. It makes me yearn for my mate and family.

On my fifth lap around the patio I see my brother approach with the messenger he sent to Blood Moon.

I walk up to the two of them and look at them expectantly "So what'd he say?"

"He said and I quote 'Come alone or not at all. I don't give a flying fuck about Alpha Caiden's mate.'" The messenger says.

My brother gives me a hard look and I can practically hear him saying I told you so.

"Did he tell you this directly? What is he like?" I question.

"No he mindlinked the warrior at the gate his response. I never stepped onto pack lands." He responds.

"Who the fuck does this Alpha think he is?! This is grounds for war. Keeping an Alpha from his Luna is illegal! I could go to the council with this. He wants war? He'll get it." I seethe.

My anger is bubbling to the surface and my wolf wants the blood of the bastard keeping him from his mate.

"First of all brother, I doubt you'd be able to fly enough warriors out here. Which means you would need mine. Meaning you want me to declare war on my neighbor I'm trying to negotiate peace with?" Gregor says.

"I don't give a fuck about a peace treaty I want my mate! Who is this fucking Alpha anyway? You never said a name. And why do you want an official treaty so badly? Have they been attacking you?" I retort.

Gregor closes his eyes and sighs in frustration. "I don't know, no one has ever met this Alpha. He's been tight lipped. They've been focusing on rebuilding so he's never left the borders since taking office."

"Does the council know him?" I ask

"I'm sure they do, but they're also being tight lipped. A lot of decisions had to be made after the debacle here. Blood Moon was practically taken out alongside Full Moon. Even I'm not privy to all the details. They were trying to keep a lot of it under wraps to save face. Our cousin got away with a lot, more than anyone could imagine. They didn't want to give anyone else any bright ideas." My brother explains.

"Ok and why are you so obsessed with this peace treaty?" I ask again.

"The council alluded to some land disputes this Alpha has. Claims that half my land is his. Again they were vague. I don't want any attacks now that we have both rebuilt, so I need an audience to get a feel for him." He responds.

I look at him thoughtfully. That makes sense and it's good leadership to try to get ahead of any land disputes.

"Based on the animosity in his response to our request, I'm going to take a wild guess and say you won't be walking out of there with a peace treaty tomorrow." I say.

"No probably not, I'm just hoping I can avoid war." He says while running his hands down his face.

"Brother we have many allies, we won't allow anything to happen to your pack." I say putting my hand on his shoulder.

"Thank you, brother. I will try to get a feel for the pack tomorrow and see if I can discover any females powerful enough to be your mate." He reassures me.

"I don't like the thought of my mate being in a pack on the brink of war." I say with a heavy sigh.

My stomach is in knots as I think about my precious Luna fighting, especially fighting my family.

"Your mate is bound to be strong. I'm sure she'll be fine, even if it comes to that. Which I'm hoping it won't. I'd be more concerned with her being high ranking and against us to be honest." Gregor says.

"I never really thought of it that way. Even if she's high ranking, females are not usually involved in pack politics and I'm sure the family would get behind us knowing it would make them stronger." I reason.

Gregor just shrugs and walks away from me, clearly disagreeing, but not wanting to argue any further.

I sigh and head to my room, hoping to get some sleep. The memory of her scent is still swirling around in my brain. The scent is so delicious, it makes me wonder how she would taste. The chocolate and citrus couldn't be for no reason right? I could practically feel my mouth watering, imagining her arousal on my tongue. I cut the thought short and head straight for a cold shower.

My wolf is pacing in my head, usually so calm and centered, he is now on edge, unfocused. Fuck. I can't lead the pack like this. What the fuck am I going to do if this dick of an Alpha truly starts a war with my mate in his pack? If I go to fight him, I risk my mate's life.

My brain is a tangled mess and I let out a frustrated grunt. One thing is certain, I'm not leaving without my mate.