#11 Meet Me in the Emerald Forest

Lukas

“Alpha, the Luna has a visitor today. I don’t recognize her or her scent.” Thaddous mindlinked me about two hours after I left Clem’s house.

“Let me see.” I ordered him, already on edge.

Thaddous showed me an image of a blonde haired girl about Clementine’s age ringing the doorbell.

“Keep a close eye on the house, but I bet it’s just an old friend of Clem’s.” I said, relaxing only slightly.

I was back in the pack’s community center checking out the options for lunch. Mateo and Garrick were already there as was my sister. Callie was most likely at the preschool on the pack grounds.

In keeping with the desire to be self-sufficient, we had a preschool-12th grade school that was held to the state’s standards of education. We had accredited teachers who went through the same rigorous certificate process as human teachers and a first class school house. There was one room for each grade level and, every once in a while, the grade levels were combined if there was a particularly small class. There was also a nursery school for newborns and toddlers.

I filled my plate and took my normal seat at the head of the table. It was an unspoken rule that the Alpha took the head of the table, the seat to the right was left empty for the Luna, the space to the right held the Beta family, and next to the Luna’s chair was the Gamma family.

“Heyyyyy.” Mateo looked at me with a shit eating grin and I immediately started standing up to leave.

“Sit down, Lukas.” Lily huffed at me from her spot next to Garrick, “That’s enough from you, Mateo.” She snapped at the Gamma.

“In other news….how’s the Luna?” Garrick grinned and Lily shoved him off his chair. I threw my head back and nearly choked on my water as I laughed at his ass on the ground.

“The fuck?” Garrick looked wide eyed at his mate.

“You are both neanderthals. Go back to work.” She growled. Garrick and Mateo looked at me expectantly.

“You heard the Beta Female.” I shrugged with a huge grin.

They stood up and sulked away.

“Thanks for that, sis.” I smiled but when she turned her gaze on me I knew I was still in trouble.

“Don’t thank me. I only did that so I could have you and all the information to myself.” She smirked and I knew she wasn’t teasing.

“There’s not much to tell, Lil. We just talked about her job and her parents’ case.” I sighed.

“How is she?” Lily asked and I knew she meant more than just her mood.

“She’s beautiful and amazing and so strong; ridiculously strong, stronger than she should have to be. Her emotional walls have walls and I have no idea how I’m going to break through them. And I know that the longer I keep the truth from her, the madder she’ll be when I finally tell her.” I confessed.

“Then, why wait?” Lily asked.

“Because I also know that if I just blurt it out before at least a little trust has been built up, she’ll aim a gun at me and bury my body where no one will ever find it.” I said with a straight face that told Lily I wasn’t joking.

“Fair enough.” She shrugged, “When are you going to see her again?”

“Thursday. I talked her into letting me take her to her PT appointments.” I said,

“Well, that’s a good sign.” She smiled approvingly.

“Everything’s all good here, Alpha. Judging by the squealing I’m guessing they’re old friends.” Thaddous popped back into my head.

“Thanks, Thaddous.”

“Everything okay?” Lily asked, noticing my blank stare.

“Yeah, there was an unknown visitor to Clementine’s house so her guards were just checking in.” I explained.

“Is she okay?” Lily’s eyes went wide for a second, already very concerned over her future Luna and sister-in-law.

“She’s okay.” I assured her.

“Okay, good. Anyway, I need to go check on Callie at preschool. She’s been a little bitey lately.” Lily giggled, standing up from the table.

“Bitey?”

“Toddlers are an absolute delight, don’t let anyone tell you differently.” Lily teased, rolling her eyes.

Before she left the table she grinned at me from over her shoulder,

“Oh and it’s Clemtime, huh?”

I frowned for a second before I realized that I had accidentally given her my mates name. Before I could cause a scene she winked at me and walked out of the dining room.

“Hi, Alpha.” A familiar sultry voice came up behind me. I sighed, not even bothering to turn around.

“Avery.”

“How are you?” Avery leaned over my shoulder and onto the table in front of me.

“Just fine.” I said in an annoyed tone.

“I’ve been missing you from the table lately.” She frowned.

“I’ve been busy.”

“You look stressed.” She fluttered her eyelashes at me.

“No more than usual. I have to go.” I aggressively pushed my chair away from the table and pushed past her, my appetite completely ruined.

“See you later, Alpha!” She called after me. I didn’t bother to respond.

Avery Tate was four years younger than me but that didn’t stop her from vying for my attention and the position of Luna. Her mother was rumored to be just the same at Avery’s age and she managed to land the position of Gamma Female after Mateo’s father failed to find his destined mate. So, Avery’s mother was on her case about landing an even more reputable title.

Everything about Avery was fake. From her press on nails that resembled talons to her overly plump lips and voluminous breasts. Her hair was dyed a cartoon red color and cut just above her shoulders, and she always dressed in the least amount of clothing possible. Today she was sporting a black miniskirt with a green crop top that literally just covered her nipples. She wore an unnecessary amount of perfume that purposefully covered up her scent like she was trying to mask it from her mate.

Like any other female that came after me, I didn’t give her the time of day. I was always determined to stay pure for my mate, even if she didn’t do the same. I wanted to prove to my mate that I wasn’t just another manwhore Alpha werewolf.

I tossed my garbage away and hurried out of the room in order to avoid any more Avery interactions.

It was important for an Alpha to be approachable and seen by his pack members, so I always made it a point to circle the community center and packgrounds at least once a day. Now it was the perfect distraction from thinking of my mate. I ventured into the living room first and smiled at everyone scattered on the sofa. Some sort of Disney movie was on the TV screen even though there wasn’t a single pup present in the room.

“Hi, Alpha.” The room chorused offering me smiles and waves.

“What are we watching today?” I laughed, walking behind the sofa so I didn’t interrupt the view.

“Frozen.” Tami, one of the younger pregnant she-wolves, replied.

“We are manifesting cool thoughts.” Another member, Melody, laughed and I couldn’t argue with that. It was a very stifling summer this year.

“Carry on.” I chuckled before exiting out the other side of the living room.

I wandered through the community center starting up chit chat and checking in on my pack members. I ended up in the basement playing a round of pool with some of the younger guys not on patrol duty. It was a nice break from the stresses of my current reality.

“Nice shot, Lukas!” Roy cheered.

“Thank you, thank you.” I bowed mockingly, causing the other guys to laugh.

“Yeah, it would’ve been if you were stripes.” Calvin smirked and I felt the smile get wiped from my face. I looked between the pool table and Calvin.

“Fuck!” I shouted and everyone started laughing again.

“A for effort?” Mark shrugged and I shoved him to the side.

“Note to self, don’t pick the Alpha for pool.” Roy mumbled, walking away in shame.

“Yeah, but, as Alpha, I get to quit with dignity.” I said, throwing the pool stick on the ground and stomping away.

“Awh, don’t be a sore loser!” Mark shouted after me and I just flipped him off.

I was laughing the whole way back to the house, feeling much more relaxed than I did earlier. I immediately went upstairs to shower and prep for tomorrow. I decided to research physical therapy for shoulders so I was well prepared for what Clementine would need. As a werewolf, physical therapy was a whole new thing for me and I wanted to make sure that I didn’t look like an idiot. And, of course, I wanted to be able to help my mate heal properly.