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“We will arrive in about an hour. We’re running a little late, so we’ll be there just in time for dinner. At least we won’t have to deal with the oaf for long today,” Gillian confirmed after a few hours on the road. The summer sun was still shining bright, and I briefly wondered if the sun even shone inside that forsaken place. I couldn’t imagine being a woman in a place like that. It must be unbearable. Other alphas I’d met at other alpha meetings had mentioned in passing how the males treated the females of the pack, but I had never stepped foot in the place before. It made my blood boil thinking about it, and as a general rule, I avoided doing business with the pack. Despite everything my father went through with his chosen mate, respecting women was something he had ingrained in me since I was a pup.
“How many pack leaders are coming?” I asked.
“About thirteen, us included. Most with one or two ranked unmated males,” Gillian answered.
“Hmm. Sounds a bit desperate.” I smirked.
“Sounds like he doesn’t want to settle for anything below gamma,” Gillian grunted.
Their territory was big. Almost as big as ours. But where our territory was well maintained and full of life, animal and werewolf, the Blood Moon territory looked as cruel as its alpha. It was full of dead and undeveloped wilderness. After crossing the territory lines, it was still another half hour before we saw any signs of civilization.
The pack house was enormous. They built wide instead of up like we did. I knew they kept most of their unmated warriors in there, which were a lot. In front of the pack house were tents filled with warriors and food. There were a few young females running around refilling beverages and picking up discarded plates. I growled when I saw men pawing at their bodies as they passed by. No woman should be disrespected, and none of these girls looked of age.
I saw a few warriors sitting to the side, also growling at how the females were being treated. They must be the guards of the other packs, and none seem to want to get involved or mingle with the Blood Moon warriors. I was glad to see one of them finally punch a drunk warrior pawing at a terrified girl as we pulled around to the front of the pack house. At least I knew they would protect the girls before they would cross a line. As much as I wanted to squeeze the neck of the handsy warriors, I knew I needed to play it cool. Two days. We just need to be civil for two days. We would be out of here first thing on the morning after the full moon.
One of my guards opened our door.‘If they cross a line with the girls, you have my permission to beat them to a pulp. Call for me. I will make sure you’re not touched. I trust your judgment,’I mind-linked my guards. They nodded at me before we heard someone opening the pack house doors.
“Alpha Markus, welcome to the Blood Moon Pack. Everyone is sitting down for dinner. I’ll escort you to the dining room and tell the kitchen you’ve arrived.” A small female addressed me with a bowed head. Taking her appearance in, I noticed immediately that she was no more than skin and bones under her outfit. I sighed internally. I knew my conscience, my wolf, and the bigger picture would war with each other the entire time I was here.
“Thank you,” I said, following the small omega to a giant dining room. Two seats were open in the middle of the room, so Gillian and I took them.
“Alpha Geoff, thank you for hosting us,” I managed to say with a pleasant voice. Atlas growled in my head. Neither of us ever liked this man.
“Alpha Markus! Glad you could join us. May I present the guest of honor for tomorrow and the reason you’re here? My daughter, Sandra.” He motioned to a girl sitting on his left. I bowed my head in her direction as a sign of acknowledgment and respect while she tried to shoot a sultry look my way. We sat down and exchanged greetings with the rest of the men at the table. Everyone was already eating appetizers from plates scattered down the middle of the giant dining table. I only took a bit from a few plates, though it all looked pretty appetizing. I bit into a bacon-wrapped scallop that seemed to be topped with some sort of creamy substance and had to suppress a moan as the taste exploded in my mouth.
“Oh, wow,” I heard Gillian say as he bit into what looked like some type of eggroll. “This is amazing!”
He motioned for me to try the one I’d loaded on my plate. He wasn’t wrong. It wasn’t a typical eggroll. It was some sort of Tex-Mex variation with black beans, cheese, chicken and jalapeno. My eyes wanted to roll into the back of my head, and I dug in, not bothering much with the chit-chat around the table except to agree with people praising the food. I managed to nab a few more of the remaining egg rolls before the appetizer plates were taken from the table, wanting to join in with the disappointing grunts from the men next to me as everything was cleared away. Not that there was much left. I wasn’t the only one that enjoyed the food.
The main course was simple, and yet, I could swear it was the best damn thing I ever tasted. We were presented with a plate of garlic butter chicken with cajun spices, creamy mashed potatoes with a drizzle of the same sauce, green beans with bacon and brussels sprouts. Most plates were practically licked clean when they were picked up at the end of the course, and a few people inquired about seconds. I didn’t blame them. In any other circumstance, I would have been running to the kitchen to see if I could lick a spoon. Alpha Geoff puffed his chest at all the compliments as if he’d made it himself.
The door to the dining room opened, and I heard an angelic voice coming from the kitchen.
“Make sure everyone gets a saucer of cream,” the voice called out as people entered the kitchen.
I stared at the door, wanting to see the face of the owner of the delicate voice when a plate was lowered in front of me. I resisted the urge to drool as I looked at the most delicious-smelling lava cake in front of me, with a tiny saucer of cream on the side and a couple of delicate raspberries on top.
‘You gonna eat that?’I mind-linked Gillian without having tasted it yet. I already knew I was going to love it and want more.
‘You bet your ass I am. If the other courses are any indication of how good this is going to be, I can die a happy man after I lick the plate,’Gillian responded.
‘I’m your alpha. I could make you,’I taunted.
‘My loyalty to you has a limit, and it appears to stop at lava cake. I will fight that command until every morsel is in my belly,’Gillian said seriously after taking a bite of his dessert. I smirked at him and then took a bite of my own.
‘Oh fuck, I don’t blame you. I’d fight me too,’I answered, and he didn’t say anything else. We were too busy eating the delectably sweet slice of heaven.
Everyone in the room was enraptured by the delicious lava cake, and there was zero talk as they enjoyed it. When the last of the plates were taken away, everyone chatted pleasantly with each other. Alpha Geoff seemed to be getting more and more drunk as the night progressed, and the other pack leaders started to feel uncomfortable. One by one, they all started to excuse themselves and headed to their assigned guest rooms.
It was also obscene how Sandra flirted with some of the alphas near her, and I thought she might want to nab the role of chosen mate as a backup plan in case tomorrow was a dud. I truly felt sorry for her mate. She was an attractive woman, but her ugly personality completely overshadowed it, and she was the daughter of the most disgusting wolf. She was completely oblivious to how uncomfortable the other alphas were around her and her unwelcome touch. By the end of the dinner, none of the unmated males were interested to discover if there was more to her than met the eye, and the men sitting nearest her were the first to leave the table.
“Please excuse us. It’s been a long journey. We will take our leave and rest for tomorrow. My compliments to the chef. Everything was impeccably delicious,” I said toward Alpha Geoff and Luna Luisa.
We made our way toward our assigned guest suites, but I stopped when I smelled the most delicious scent of honey and strawberries. It was heavenly, making Atlas stir in my head and wag his tail.They must be getting ready for tomorrow’s meals, I thought and kept going toward our rooms, excited to see what would be offered. Maybe there was a silver lining to this trip after all.
‘We should try to get some information from the kitchen staff tomorrow. Discretely. They all looked malnourished. We may be able to offer them sanctuary in exchange for their assistance,’I mind-linked Gillian as we reached our rooms.
‘I’ll see what I can do tomorrow.’he said.
