Page 40 of Kidnapped By the Alpha

If it had been up to me, we would have been packing up the cabins right now and finding homes in town, but I needed to wait for Nile.

“I’m just letting you know what I heard,” Killian said. “If we don’t figure out something, they might start getting restless.”

I thanked Killian for the information and went for a walk.

The pack typically thrived when they were given orders to follow, so I could see how the delay in moving to a permanent home would cause problems. To them, their promised land was just out of reach. I wondered if it was too tempting for them to pass up the opportunity to take matters into their own hands.

I was lost in thought when April joined me.

“Everything okay?” she asked. “What did Killian want to talk to you about?”

“He says the pack isn’t happy with how long it’s taking to move to Pinedale. Have you heard anything?”

“No, nothing.”

“I don’t know what to do,” I admitted. “In the past, I wouldn’t have been waiting for another alpha to make a decision that would affect the pack. But now…”

We walked a bit further, both of us deep in thought. I was so used to taking whatever we wanted and needed that I wasn’t sure how to help the pack get acclimated to a new way of life.

When we got back to the cabins, we both stopped, watching our pack. Most of them weren’t doing anything at all. The kids were playing, but we could see that the men and even some of the women were mostly sitting around our camp.

“We should hold a meeting. Right now, before the discontent gets any worse,” April said. “They need to know that you want to hear what they have to say and that you’ll take action if you can.”

I nodded in agreement, and we went down to join our pack.

“Can everyone come sit down with us, please?” I asked.

The few wolves all moved in closer, but the women and children had begun to move further away.

“Everyone,” I repeated, a little louder than before. “This isn’t just for the warriors. I want the entire pack to be here.”

The women and children looked confused, but they obeyed and came to sit among the men. As we all sat side by side,I wondered if this was what family felt like. I was hyper-aware that they were all here because they owed me their fealty, but I hoped that they would also follow me because they believed I had their best interests at heart. The only way to be sure was to find out what they were thinking.

“Luna April and I were just talking about how the pack is doing, and we wanted to get your perspective,” I told them. “If there’s anything you want to talk about or any questions you’d like to ask, we welcome them.”

Silence greeted me as everyone glanced nervously around the tables. Killian had been right. There was frustration and unhappiness here. I was glad April had the idea to speak with them. Now, I just needed to wait patiently to see who would speak first.

One of the teenagers raised his hand, and I nodded toward him so he could speak.

“Alpha, I just had my first shift into my wolf a month ago. Since that happened, I haven’t had any training,” he said. “I’m worried that we aren’t going to move to Pinedale, and that the wolves there will force us to leave. Where will we go, if we have to run?”

He was trying his best to be brave as he brought his concerns to me, but I could see just how scared he really was. It was like looking into the past at my own self. This boy could be saved from the fate that had befallen me, and that responsibility was on my shoulders.

“I swear to you, we won’t have to run anywhere,” I told him. “Alpha Nile will allow us to move into town soon, and we will live side by side with them in peace.”

One of the men sitting at our table cleared his throat, and I turned my attention toward him with interest.

“No offense, Alpha,” he began. “But how long do you think that’s going to take? You and your mate have been going to a lot of secret rendezvous with the pack in town, but there’s not much to show for it. I know you said that it won’t be long until we can move, but we’re getting bored out of our minds here.”

A chorus of agreement rose up in the pack, and others began to chime in.

“We haven’t had any conquests for weeks, Alpha.”

“When do we get to have some fun?”

“There’s nothing to do here.”

It wasn’t just fear that was causing problems in the pack. The bigger problem was boredom. After years of fighting and being on alert all the time, the peace had become mundane. The pack’s skills and strengths had been going to waste as they acclimated to a new normal, but invading other packs couldn’t continue to be their only source of entertainment.

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