Shall we begin?

Xavier POV

I couldn't stop thinking about the strange woman I met at the park.

Colton, my wolf, had become restless since that encounter. The more I tried to thrust her away from my mind, the more her picture became vivid. 

Since Selene's death, she was the first woman that lingered in my mind. I closed my eyes, trying to imagine Selene, but I couldn't. Every day, memories of her were slowly slipping away from me. I was scared of losing it. 

There was no picture of her anywhere. When she was alive, we didn't have the luxury to click and make memories and now I regretted that every day of my life. I dropped on the couch in my study room, running my hands through my hair. 

I was tired… every worse thing that could ever happen to a pack was happening to me. The people kept dying from strange illnesses, not to mention that we've not had rain for years now. Then there was inflation… and I was enemies with all the Alphas of the region. 

Things kept getting messier and my people were all moving away, leaving the pack. At this rate, it'll just be me and Lucius soon if we are not careful. The last moon priestess I had visited had suggested I remarry…but I couldn't seem to bring myself to be with another woman since Selene. 

My hand strayed to her mark on my neck and I sighed again, feeling the emptiness creep in. Even Belinda couldn't fill the void Selene left. What I felt for Selene was beyond needing her to be my strength. I loved her and I didn't realize it until she was gone. 

There was a brief knock on the door before Lucius's head peeked from the doorway. 

"You're back?" he asked through our mind link. 

Since Selene's death, I went mute, and I lost my sense of smell. I couldn't pick scents nor tell wolves apart and so far; Lucius was my stand-in at almost all the events and occasions I had to attend. I had remained indoors since that day, refusing to meet with any person except Lucius and, occasionally, Belinda. 

So, it was just Lucius running the pack in my stead. 

Then it struck me… the lady I had met at the park… I had spoken to her. Yes, I remember now. We had communicated for more than five minutes and I didn't realize that until now. 

"Yes," I replied. "Did our guests arrive already?" 

"Yes, they did, but they refused to stay in the rooms prepared for them at the pack house. They're staying in a hotel in town, but I called them a few minutes ago and fixed a meeting with them at the hotel's conference room for 10 am,". 

"Okay," I nodded. 

"So, I will go to the meeting and I'll let you know the outcome,". 

"I would also be accompanying you," I told him with a small smile "This is a big step for our pack and I want the people to know that I'm still here and we're doing our best to fix the problem,". 

Lucius's eyes widened in surprise as he stared at me. He opened his mouth several times to speak, but no words would come out. 

"Are you worried that I'm going to be in the way?" I asked. 

"Well, Alpha," he sighed, "It'll be quite obvious that you…" he trailed off "have a challenge. If the people should know that you…". 

"But I'm not meeting with people from our pack," I stopped him mid-sentence. "I'm sure these foreigners won't go about telling people that I am mute,". 

"If it's any consolation to you, I can secretly record our conversation and play it for you when I'm back from the meeting," Lucius said. 

"I insist," I said warmly. "I'll go along with you to the meeting,".

"Okay," he finally agreed, not before I saw noticed the displeased look on his face. 

I didn't want to think too much of it, so I thrust it away from my mind. 

"By the way, can you get me the information of all the tourists visiting Greyhound?"

Tourism had been the pack's major sustenance since tragedy struck us.

"Why?" he eyed me curiously. "Are you looking for someone?"

"No," I shook my head, "Just curious to know how business is doing". 

"Then, you should be asking for the records and not information about the tourists…".

I hated this rational part of Lucius. 

"You know what? Forget it." I grinned at him. 

I was going to look for that strange woman all on my own. Even though I had not the slightest idea of how or where to begin, I just had a premonition that I would find her again. 

~~~

The next day, we were up early and at the hotel's conference room by 9 am. Aside from Lucius, my Gamma Theo was with us. He had just arrived after signing a peace treaty with an Alpha from the North with hopes that eventually they would do business with us. 

Like him, I had reached out to a Lycan King, my mother's brother and uncle some months ago, requesting aid. 

Moon Whispers Pack had been at the edge of bankruptcy when things suddenly turned around. Today, they are the biggest, most flourishing and richest Werewolf Pack in the West. And rumours had it that someone had aided the Lycan. 

Curious, I had reached out to him a few months ago, requesting help and he had told me that he would send one of his advisors to visit our pack, claiming she was one of the persons that helped pull his pack out of poverty. 

At first, I had been sceptical about the advisor being a woman, but Noah had assured me she was what my pack needed. 

We were so immersed in Gamma Theo's briefing that we didn't realize we had waited for more than two hours. 

"Lucius, are you sure they know about the meeting?" I mind-linked Lucius, staring at my wristwatch. 

It was noon already, and there was no sign of them. 

"Yes, Alpha," Lucius nodded, peering at his wristwatch, "Let me call to confirm that they know the meeting is still holding,". 

As he pulled out his phone to make a call, the door opened, and a woman dressed in a two-piece blue suit with red heels walked in. 

Colton leapt with excitement at her entrance while my eyes registered shock. It was that woman from the Park yesterday. 

"Thank you for your patience, gentlemen," she mumbled as she settled at the head of the conference table. "Shall we begin the meeting?"