Page 33 of Alpha's Choice
Louisa pursed her lips. “Tonight. Rumors will spread fast. And it will be better for Jenny’s wolf if the pack knows. Those who have ties to her can circle close and remind her she’s not alone.”
“It sounds like the social aspect of the pack will be important.”
“Wolves are very social creatures. We live in packs for a reason.” Louisa shifted in her chair. “The well-being of wolves can be hard to sustain in larger packs. Wolves can slip under the radar.”
“Who’s responsible for preventing that from happening?”
“The Luna, dear.” Louisa gave me the sympathetic smile of someone who had been there themselves. “A good Alpha, which Tobias is, will help, but ultimately, that’s your role.”
“Well, I’m not letting Jenny slip under the radar. Can we organize the pack meeting for Tobias? He has enough going on.”
“Let me link him to find out when he’ll be back.” Louisa’s eyes glazed over for a minute. “He’s on his way. He sounded relieved that we were going to get the meeting ready.”
“Are you able to link the pack to tell them, or is there a phone tree or something?”
“No phone tree, unfortunately, though it’s not a bad idea to have one as a backup plan, just in case.” Louisa considered it for a moment before her eyes lost focus again, this time only for a few seconds. “Done. The house staff knows what to do when a call for a pack meeting comes in. They’re already on their way to set up the dining hall.”
“Does Jenny need to attend? I would think it would be hard for her. Or should her wolf be with everyone?”
“Excellent question, dear,” Louisa gave me her approval. “We’ll have Jenny and her mother wait in my office. Tobias can give her any new information before he tells the pack. She should hear it first.”
I made the call to Jenny and her mother to have them meet us in the Luna’s office, while Louisa linked Tobias about the plan. I found out who was in Jenny’s inner circle, as I wanted them to be seated near the front. They could save Jenny a seat so she would have support in the meeting.
Soon Louisa and I settled in her office on the first floor. It was tucked into a large nook off the main foyer. Two desks were in the open area for support staff, surrounded by four doors, one for each of the mates of the leadership team.
“It must be difficult with only Matthew being mated. All your mates retired, but three of you had to keep working.” I remarked.
“We don’t mind helping. And the Gamma and Delta females have been able to push most of their duties onto others. They just need to oversee their areas. And wait for their sons to find their mates so they can have grandbabies.”
She gave me a meaningful look, and I blushed. It was too soon to talk about babies. “This is a lovely office. I like what you’ve done with it.”
Thankfully, she allowed me to change the topic. “Thank you, dear. You can make any changes you want to make it your own, of course.”
We made small talk until Jenny and her mother arrived. I hurried to give Jenny a hug and helped her settle on the plush couch. “Tobias will meet us here to give you any new information he may have before the meeting.”
Her eyes were gaunt in her pale face. She clasped my hand. I don’t know how, but I could sense her wolf near the surface as she clung to me. Her mother sat on Jenny’s other side, rubbing her back with soothing strokes.
I concentrated on feeling a comforting energy and pushing it towards Jenny. Louisa had confirmed my instinct to do that earlier was correct. Wolves picked up on emotions more readily than humans did, she said. If I was tense and anxious, even if my words said otherwise, the wolf part would pick up on it.
Jenny sank deeper into the couch and leaned her head on my shoulder. She whimpered, but I suspected it came from her wolf. “We’re here for you.” I voiced our support, pushing more energy in her direction.
Her mother looked at me, tears shining in her eyes, and mouthed, “Thank you, Luna.”
It shocked me to be called Luna for the first time, but I pushed it down to process later. Right now, I needed to focus on comforting Jenny.
Tobias entered. He cleaned up for the meeting, but his eyes still held a glimpse of his sorrow. He kneeled in front of Jenny and me, taking my free hand in his.
“Here’s what we know so far.”
CHAPTER17
Tobias
After talking to Jenny and her mother, we led them to the dining hall, where Emma had some of Jenny’s closest friends ready to take over in supporting her. It was good Emma had thought of that. I could sense Jenny’s wolf near the surface, despite the grief. It was an excellent sign.
I called the room to order. “I’m sure many of you are wondering why we’ve called a pack meeting so close to the last one. Unfortunately, I have bad news. One of the patrol wolves, Neil Brown, died on duty today.”
I paused as the pack reacted. Jenny was stoic in the face of the pack watching her and whispering, but I could see a faint tremble in her muscles as she fought to keep from breaking down.
