Stronger Together

After the run, I felt more connected to Sienna than ever. There was finally a light at the end of the tunnel for us.

But even with the spiritual experience we had had together, it still felt like there was an insurmountable distance between us, like the finish line was moving farther away, even as we took steps forward.

I knew that part of the reason for the feeling was because I still hadn’t told Sienna the whole truth, but it was also because she wasn’t being truthful with me.

A mate could always tell, and Sienna had some secrets that she’d buried so deep I didn’t know if she would ever let them out.

I wanted her to trust me so badly, without the mate bond influencing her decision.

When she found out we were mates, we’d be tethered together forever, and we needed to trust each other before that could happen.

I had thrown myself into my work the past several days, trying to get my mind off it, hoping that she would come to me, but instead, she just withdrew even more.

~How can I make you understand that you can trust me?~

“You’ve got Alpha Raphael Fernandez on the line,” my secretary, Emilia, said, her voice coming through the intercom.

~Shit,~ I thought to myself. ~What does that bastard want now?~

Our last conversation hadn’t gone so well. Raphael had told me he’d be ‘watching me.’ And if that was true, then he must’ve seen something he didn’t care for…

“Put him on,” I said, gritting my teeth.

A moment later, a low, slightly accented voice said, “Buenas tardes, Aiden.”

I closed my eyes and leaned back. “It’s an honor, Alpha Fernandez.”

There was only one man on Earth who was at the pinnacle of the werewolf food chain, and that was the alpha of the Millennium, Raphael Fernandez.

He was the strongest, fastest, most cunning alpha of us all, and we were all expected to answer directly to him.

In a sense, we were all part of his pack, his ~Millennium Wolves~, though he had his own elite task force of wolves who actually held that title.

“No need to be so formal,” Raphael said. “I’m just calling to give you some good news.”

I felt my stomach clenching, bracing for whatever he was about to say.

“Since your pack is holding the main Yule Ball this year, I’ve decided to attend as your guest of honor,” Raphael said, a hint of superiority in his tone.

~Guest of honor? Fuck that.~

“I see,” I said, trying to keep my tone even. “That’s certainly…a surprise. We’ll be more than happy to have you. I’ll send out an official invitation right away.”

“That would be wonderful, gracias,” he responded dryly. “I think it will be good for your pack to feel my presence—that of a strong and dominant alpha.”

I clutched my phone so hard I actually heard a crack.

Of course, there was an ulterior motive for his visit. He thought that I wasn’t handling my role as the alpha, and he was coming in to assert his authority over me.

“And one other thing, Aiden,” he said with a slight growl in his voice. “I’m looking forward to meeting Sienna. It seems you’ve been quite preoccupied with her. She must be ~quite~ the catch.”

Hearing my mate’s name on Raphael’s lips almost made me shift right there and then.

He hung up, leaving me with the intense urge to rip something in half. But instead, I calmed my wolf and immediately called Josh on my cell.

“Alpha Fernandez of the Millennium will be joining us at the Yule Ball,” I said the moment my Beta picked up. “Please inform the organization committee and make all the necessary arrangements.”

“Oh, that’s…that’s a good thing, right?” Josh asked, seeming a bit taken aback.

“Yeah, it’s fucking ~awesome~,” I snarled. “Just take care of it and include me in everything. We can’t afford any missteps where Raphael Fernandez is involved.”

It was technically an honor, having the One True Alpha as a guest in our Yule Ball.

But when he was coming to piss all over your pack lands and assert his dominion over you, that was a different fucking story.

I’d planned on going home early tonight so I could try to work on things with Sienna. Our conversations over the past few days had been limited to clipped ‘good mornings’ and ‘good nights.’

But now I’d have to stay late and make sure everything was perfect for Raphael’s arrival. The Yule Ball was only two weeks away.

Just as I was about to text Sienna that I wouldn’t be home for a while, I saw she had texted me.

She said she had a surprise for me when I got home, and it made my heart hurt. I just wanted to drop everything and go to her, but I couldn’t.

I tried to explain that our new VIP guest was going to make my life a living hell, but it wasn’t the first time I’d used work as an excuse this week.

I had a feeling she wasn’t very pleased with me at the moment, and I couldn’t blame her.

I dropped my phone back onto the table. “Dammit,” I muttered under my breath.

I hated doing this to her. I’d barely even seen her in the past three days. It felt like I was living at the pack house.

But I had bigger issues to deal with. Raphael knew too much, and it seemed he’d kept his promise to watch my every move. But the question was…

~Who is acting as Raphael’s eyes?~

Someone was clearly feeding him information. Someone who was potentially close to me. I needed to keep my senses heightened until the ball ended to make sure I was prepared for anything.

Josh informed me that the security I had ordered an hour ago was confirmed by the guard and would be increased tenfold, both at the ball and around the pack house in the days leading up to it.

It was a necessary precaution. Being the most powerful man in the world like the alpha of the Millennium meant you collected an impressive roster of enemies, and I did not want any surprises.

With the recent perimeter breach, it was obvious there were flaws in our system, and I was certainly not going to be taking any chances.

But given all the veiled threats from Raphael, it was really myself I was protecting.

When I went to the kitchen that night to grab dinner, I could see I got some odd looks from my pack members. I knew they thought I was being paranoid for increasing security.

They thought I was losing my strength. That having no mate yet meant my loneliness was pushing me over the edge.

I knew what it was all about, and it did not make my already negative mood any better. Because it wasn’t that they were disobeying me or disrespecting me. That would’ve been unacceptable.

No, it was more like they were worried about me. They wanted the best for their alpha, and they didn’t know how to help me get it.

It all came back to finding a mate. The looks, the whispers—it would’ve all been silenced if I was already mated.

But then again, maybe they were right to worry about me. I couldn’t let my mind drift from Sienna for a goddamn minute.

I should be focused on the pack, on the Yule Ball, and on the alpha of the Millennium’s appearance, but instead, I was worried about a few texts?

My inner wolf growled. ~Enough.~ I was alpha. The alpha did not second-guess himself.

I walked past the boardroom where Josh was reading through some documents. We had agreed to go through legal and get the signatures done, but Jeremy was running late.

“Josh, forget the paperwork. Call a pack meeting. We have some things to discuss.”

Josh looked at me, then nodded. He walked to the room’s phone and pressed a button, then barked into it: “Council to the boardroom. Council to the boardroom. Alpha’s orders.”

~Alpha’s orders.~ You got that goddamn right.

***

I jumped up onto the boardroom table that currently seated my pack members. Pacing back and forth, I looked each and every one of them in the eye, asserting my dominance.

“Everyone, listen up,” I commanded.

“Things are going to change around here, starting now. The One True Alpha is coming, and I need this pack to be a united front. So strong that no threat can break through. Understand?”

I looked around, seeing solemn faces nodding back at me.

“This pack will always have my full attention, never doubt that. But if you don’t trust my decisions, then we’re all in trouble.

“If any of you don’t feel my leadership is worthy of your obedience”—I pointed at the door—“there’s your exit.”

I took a breath as I looked from face to face. Nobody moved a muscle. So I continued.

“If we’re divided, we’re weak. And if we’re weak, then something like the perimeter breach will happen again. That is not an option. Do you understand?

“This is the fucking alpha of the Millennium,” I barked. “If we can’t protect him, then we’re no damn pack at all.”

I stepped over to Josh’s seat and lowered myself down so I was crouching.

Looking him right in the eye, I said, “Josh, my beta. I need to know that you are fully committed to your alpha. That you will follow my orders, no questions asked.”

He looked around the room, trying to keep his expression neutral, which just served to piss me off.

“What are you looking at them for?” I snarled. “I’m right here.”

He jolted. “Yes, Alpha,” he said, eyes finally locking on mine. “I have full confidence in you as pack leader. I will follow you.”

“Without question.”

“Without question,” he echoed.

“And the rest of you?” I asked, standing back up and looking around the table.

“Yes, Alpha!” they shouted.

“Which pack is the strongest from coast to coast?” I yelled, stomping on the table.

“East Coast Pack,” they echoed, stomping back.

“Fucking louder!”

“EAST COAST PACK!”

The pack howled like the warriors they were, and I felt a surge of pride that I hadn’t felt in months. This was our house, and we’d protect it with our lives.

Suddenly my phone began buzzing, and I whipped it out, adrenaline still pumping through my veins.

It was Sienna. She wrote, “A real alpha wouldn’t leave his woman alone.”

Goddammit. I was all riled up, surrounded by pure wolf-fueled energy, ready to go into battle. And here she was, questioning my alphaness. Questioning my masculinity.

I wouldn’t have it.

“Josh, as beta, you’ll run point on security for the Yule Ball. Are you up to it?”

“Absolutely. Absolutely, Alpha,” he stuttered.

Clearly, he hadn’t been expecting a promotion after the questioning I’d just pushed him through.

“You took initiative during the breach, and the lockdown was your idea. You deserve it,” I said with a nod. I had to keep the soldiers proud, I figured.

“I won’t let you down,” he replied.

“You won’t,” I barked back.

And with a final nod to the rest of the pack, I walked out of the boardroom with my head held high. About to enter a whole other type of battle.

It seemed everyone was intent on challenging me—

Raphael, Josh, my pack council, even my mate…

I’d let my pack know who was boss; I’d put them in their place.

But now it was time to remind Sienna of the true meaning of an alpha.