7 Meeting A Mate

The large vessel creaked as I moved about, looking for signs of life. It was dark below deck but leaving the latch open left enough light for me to see pretty far in. Moving to the edge of the shadows, salty air passed through my nostrils as I checked the air where I couldn't see. Satisfied that it was empty, I went above deck.

"This ship is empty." I transmitted it to the rest of the pack.

"Well, I think you should come and have a look in this ship, Alpha."

"On my way.."

The frigid water was refreshing, washing over me as I jumped overboard. Swift strokes took me three ships back in just a few minutes. I looked up in time to see a rope ladder get hoisted over the edge. As I started to climb, my men hoisted the rope up, allowing me to hop over in time. Lupin threw to fingers up and beckoned me to follow.

"There are more on the other ships, and the men are gathering them up now," Lupin said, climbing down the ladder.

"More," I questioned?

"See for yourself."

I stepped out from behind Lupin to see a bunch of scared-looking teenagers. I took a deep inhale as I stepped forward; it seems that they were all werewolves on this ship. Walking down the middle, I could see prison cells lined the boat with each scrawny teens standing outside theirs. I quickly scanned each teen, not paying attention to any of them, when my breath caught in my throat and my stomach quivered. Confusion made me spin my head this way and that, but not really knowing what I was looking for, I shook it off and walked back to the front of the ship. Scrunching my face, I looked over at Lupin. "Do you have any info on them?" I asked through a heavy sigh. He put his hands on my shoulder, turning me around to face them, and pointed into the cells. His hand moved left to right for a bit before he finally settled on a beautiful girl.

Her medium-length black hair was limp and greasy, her blue eyes heavy from unknown pain, but her soul sang out to me. I had to know her more, and my wolf stirred in agreement.

"Mate...?" He said slowly and almost questioningly

"If she were our mate, wouldn't we be more sure? That bond is supposed to be instant," I said to Banon.

I cocked my head to the side and watched her thin hips sway back and forth as she walked towards us, and I imagined our life together.

"This attraction is definitely more than your average. I bet her wolf is beautiful," Banon said huskily.

"Tell him what you told me ...uh Wendy, was it?" Lupin directed at her when she reached us.

"No, my name is Wisteria," she whispered.

"I apologize, Wisteria. Go ahead, tell him." Lupin said to her softly.

She brought her hand to her slender neck and cleared her throat.

"I am not sure where the others came from, but I am sure about how and why they stayed" Wisteria started waving her hands around the ship to the others.

" A group of carnies controlled by witches captured me at the fair. They force-fed me a potion that took away my free will" her soft, beautiful voice started to break under the pain as her eyes filled with tears. "I performed shows until one day they said that I was needed on boat and then i....we'' She waved her arms around to the others "ended up here." her eyes never made it from the floor while she was talking, but I knew that she would be my mate by the end. I need to be the one to help her heal from this pain that they put her through. I swear by the Goddess that I will find the witches that kidnapped her, and I will rip them apart. My hand raised itself on its own accord needing to comfort, but her cringe made me hold back. Rubbing my chin, I turned to Lupin and said, "The witches help the humans, huh. This sets a dangerous new precedent."

"Yes, it does." Said Lupin, nodding. "What do you want to do now?"

Turning to face the rest of the captives, I replied with, " Gather all the prisoners from the ships and set them up in the guesthouse back on pack lands. We're going to leave some men behind to raid the ships. No use letting good supplies go to waste. After we have everything of value, burn the ships." I said to Lupin.

"You got it, Alpha," he said before waving his hands to have everyone follow him. Looking at Wisteria as she stepped forward, I couldn't let her get lost in the group. Reaching out, I softly touched her arms and paused as my heart almost leaped from my chest because of the connection. Wisteria jumped back from the contact, placing her hand on the spot that I had touched.

"I didn't mean to scare you; I just wanted to thank you for being brave enough to tell us your story after everything that has happened," I said, searching her eyes for any emotion that might be there. A flash of pride ran across her face before quickly being replaced by a prolonged sadness. " I am just glad to be able to do anything on my own after all this time." she sighed.

"Invite her to our room," Banan practically shouted in my head.

"No. That would be tacky and scare her off."

"Not if she's our mate. I'm sure she feels it too.''

"It's too soon," I said to Banon before pushing him to the back of my mind.

"Just know, Wisteria, after you get settled in, as an Alpha, I have an open-door policy, and you can see me anytime about anything." I scanned her face looking for any hope in it. This fragile soul shrunk further into herself as I was looking her over and barely managed to squeak out a thank you before scampering off to catch up with the rest of the group. Moving towards the back, I took a look around at the cells. They were all empty, with no books, no personal items, or anything of entertainment. The Admiral only provided the prisoners with a thin mattress that, from the looks of it, would double as a bed and bench cushion. Wisteria's round, oval face made my heart flutter as I recalled her saying there was a potion that stripped them of their free will. I would have to know more about this potion.

"Once everyone's settled in, I want you to meet me in my office." I sent it out to my beta and top soldiers. Climbing from beneath the deck, I walked past my men putting the group in a line and herding them onto the lifeboats, so they didn't have to swim to shore. It crossed my mind to use one of the lifeboats so that I could get more time with Wisteria, but then I pictured her timid smile and thought it best to give her some time. Plus, I am still only in my boxers, and you can only have so many conversations with your future love in your boxers before you ruin your chances. Jumping over, I swam back to shore, not taking any time to enjoy how the water felt. I was glad to see that all of the things we put down were staying down, and there were only a few casualties to be seen on our side. With my arms, wide I stepped into the middle of the shore and boomed, "OK, men dig a large hole for the enemy and our lovely friend..." I looked over to the raven-haired Witch who had been critical in helping us win, continuing, "What was your name again, sweetheart? It wouldn't be right for me to keep calling you Witch." Covering her giggle, she responded with, "My name is Lillith, but after fighting with your guys today, I'd say you can call me Lilly." "Perfect," I clapped. "Our new friend Lilly here will use her magic to place them all in the whole, and you guys will cover them up." I finished turning to try and look at every one.

" Oh, I am?" Lilly interrupted. "I don't remember to clean up being in our Ally agreement." She said with a coy smile on her face. "Well, my dear Lilly, it is not," I said, walking over to her and pulling her from her seated position. "But," I said, leaning in close and gesturing to my pack with one hand. "if you help these poor tired men out, not only will the excellent deed perk up your spirits, but you can go home knowing it secured your coven free access to the rare herbs I grow in the mountain caves." I finished as a whisper in her ear. I watched her cheeks flush pink as she nodded in agreement to the cleanup. Guiding her back to where she was seated, I addressed my men again. "I'm headed back to the packhouse. There are some new wards that we have to get settled in and looked after. I will oversee that and then be in meetings. Once you're done here, you can introduce yourself if you see any out and about or go about business as usual."

I took off my boxers and shifted back into my wolf. Finding the rock where I had stored my clothes before the battle, I grabbed the rest in my mouth. My claws dug into the soft earth beneath me as I kicked off and lept over the ground. I could feel my fur ripple as the wind whirled through my fur and kissed my skin. I let my mind clear, and my legs guide me back to the packhouse. Midway ago to the packhouse, I realized that I didn't particularly want to onboard the newbies. Keeping that in mind, I passed the sprawling driveway that was in front of the mansion.

To the left was a lake fed by the underground spring, which always had a haunting fog billowing from it. Circling to the back where the forset was, I walked into the trees towards the mountain. Slow, steady steps brought me deeper into the trees, and just when the shrubs were thickest, and it seemed the mountain would block my path, I found my entrance. Dropping my clothes, I shifted back into human form and held them in my hands. No one knows this path, so there was no need to be modest. I kept my room in the castle on the bottom floor towards the back for this very reason. Yes, I had private access from the back patio, but I also liked having a secret entrance, secret even to my pack. When my father first came to this island, he built a log cabin right in the very spot where my room is now. He was a cautious man, and even though he decided it was safe enough to put down roots, he still built in a secret entrance to the cabin. Feeling along the rock, the crevice I needed revealed itself, and I stuck my finger in, pressing a button that had been there for many decades now. The original passageway had a ladder that went down to the lake, but my father put in a dumbwaiter at my behest. Looking along the rocky shoreline, I was glad that my father smoothed a path to the house and lined it with blue bioluminescent lights.

Once you stepped offshore, it was a jagged rock all the way to the cold lake. I only like to spend time at the particular underground lake during the summer since the water source is the cave and not warm hot springs. Looking at my arm, the goosebumps I got from the chill reminded me that I needed to make a note to myself to install some heating down here. I moved faster down the path to get to my room. Reaching the other side in less than 10 minutes, I hopped in the dumbwaiter and hoisted myself up to the armoire that disguised my entrance. Looking into those lost and confused faces was just not what I needed after that kind of fight. Walking into my bathroom, I turned on the shower before looking at myself in the mirror. My jaw-length blonde hair looked like it had been through battle, and rightly so. My face remained untouched, but there were lots of cuts and bruises already starting to form. I sighed as I stepped into the shower, knowing how much it would suck over the next couple of days while I healed, but then thanked the moon goddess; I wasn't human cause these would take weeks otherwise. Dipping my head under the stream, I let the warm water wash over and clear my thoughts. The best thing to do is develop a plan for those witches selling supernaturals to humans to aid them with getting into Riara Island. What could be their angle? Do the humans have something on them? Is this a land dispute? I let my head hang, and the water drip down my hair to the rest of me. I wonder if I should pull Wisteria to sit in on the meeting since she seemed to know the most? My hands moved on their own as they grabbed the soap, and I lathered up. She was a slave though, what she told us on the ship is most likely all she knows. I zoned as I watched the soap make trails down my abs and soft feminine hands appeared on my abs to wash them away. I watched as these hands caressed my stomach and moved up to my pecs. An imagined giggle sounded behind me, and wisterias malnourished face came front and center. Shaking my head, I goaded myself for even letting my thoughts go there. Just cause she was our mate doesn't negate the fact that all she needs right now care and protection. Quickly rinsing off the rest of the soap, I stepped out of the shower and put on a fresh pair of jeans and a loose t-shirt.

"Is everyone settled in enough for us to have a meeting?"

"Yes, Alpha," Lupin replied to my mind link. "I've decided to keep the meeting small to avoid panic and rumors. Only, ourselves, Delta Yohunt, Gamma Maddox, and our best scouts Ro and Sheerza will be there." He continued, " Any objections or others you would like me to invite.

"No, that's' perfect," I sent back and headed to the elevator to go to the 4th-floor meeting room. Lupin is smart and a good strategist, and it's those kinds of traits that would make me pick him as my beta even if his father wasn't my father's beta. I pressed the button for 4 and headed up. The trees and mountainous backdrop were calming, and it was a nice contrast to the stress of business. All of it was conducted up here. It held my office, an adjacent attached office for my future luna, 4 meeting rooms, and a banquet hall. Walking past all the offices to mine, I admired how the light lavender, almost grey paint looked in winter light, with the white trim providing a nice contrast. I pushed open the dark grey wooden door to my office to see everyone already in there. Lupin gathered 5 leather office chairs around my desk, and everyone was seated. I walked around my cherry wood desk, closed the laptop so I would have an unobstructed view of everyone, and sat down.

" I called you guys here because of some information that we found from the slaves aboard that ship. The witches that live among the humans kidnap and trap supernaturals and sell them to humans. " I looked around the room to shocked faces, and there were some slight gasps. Ro pushed her fiery red hair out of the way and started to say something when I raised my hand. "Please, as we don't have much information right now, let me tell you my plan, answering what I can at the end." Ro put her hand down and sat back. "Now," I said, sitting up straight. "It's crucial to find out what and why they are doing what they are. To do that, I am sending you two." I said, looking and pointing to Ro and Sheerza.

" To where the witches stay. You'll meet with them, observe and pick one to help you go undercover among the humans and witches." Both scouts nodded their heads in understanding. "You will, however, be taking Maddox with you." Ro, Sheerza, and Maddox all look confused. Continuing, " You'll be traveling together, but Maddox is going to go there to find a witch that can train us. One who can help us fight and discover an anti-potion to their mind control. That way, should any pack member be caught alive and forced to drink that swill, they could formulate a plan having the element of surprise."

"You got it, boss." Maddox nodded at me.

"Yohun, you'll be in charge of creating an outer perimeter team. They will guard the port that the humans are allowed access through and give us early warning should this happen again."

"On it," Yohun pronounced.

"As for Lupin and I, We will be sorting out the new folks. Seeing who would like to stay and who would like to go home." I stood and walked around the desk, leaning against it and crossing my arms.

"Now that I'm finished, are there any questions?" Everyone in the room stood and shook their heads. "Great," I said and led them out of my office. Now was as good a time as any to make that plan, so I sat at my desk. Opening my computer, I created a document and laid out plans. We would use the business floor banquet hall as our sorting room. We will have two booths operated by myself and Lupin. There will be a booth for those who want to stay that I will man and a kiosk for those that would like to go home run by Lupin. One side of the room would have a banquet table, and the other would have laptops to collect information. Sitting back and thinking about it, I thought it wouldn't hurt to have some entertainment. The whole thing might take a while. I set the document aside, emailed Emelia, and asked her if her band, the Moon Fangs, would play at the sorting. Looking at the list as I emailed it to Lupin, realizing it would take more than 24 hours to get it done, I advised him to let them know what I had planned when he told them about the delay. I also made sure to say that he should get the newbies in on the chore rotation in the week it would take to organize it all. Ready to be done with the day, I closed the laptop and headed down to bed.