Chapter 5

"Can you wake her up we're almost there?" I hear Fletcher's voice faintly as I desperately try to wake up out of my groggy state. I'm not quite sure how long I've been out, but if the kink in my neck is any indication it was a while.

"Tessa." Someone shakes my shoulder effectively bringing me to the surface. I open my eyes only to squint at the bright light shining into the car. Blinking a few times to adjust to the light blinding from the sunset peeking through the trees.

"We're almost there." Della whispers resting her chin on the back of her seat in front of me. I look around confused of the time jump. Last thing I remember was eating breakfast with Victoria and now we are apparently almost to the meeting destination. Thankfully my dads already explained to me the schedule. The first night we arrive is super casual, and is mainly to get settled and mingle with everyone. There are also no mandatory meeting the first night because not everyone will have arrived yet. In the morning though we have two meetings the introductory meeting where all Alphas and Luna get introduced and are briefed on all meetings they have to attended. After the introduction meeting we have an individual meeting with the council to update them on any issues or problems within our pack. The individual meetings will take up the whole first day since they have to meet with each packs leaders. The second day is when the more important meetings happen, but we don't know exactly when they will be held until tomorrow.

"When we get there they will show us our rooms, and we can head down to grab some dinner." Fletcher says so everyone can hear, but I know he's saying it more for my own benefit. As if my stomach heard him it starts to growl with hunger.

"How are you?" Della asks brushing a stray hair out of my face. She's always so caring about others making sure we're doing well. Having her around right after my birthday, even though it was only for a few days, made it so much easier. She's been a motherly figure to me but also a best friend for as long as I can remember, and I know I wouldn't be who I am today without her.

"Better." I give her a reassuring smile. There is no point in lying to her because she'll see right through. Something I learned from an early age was to never lie to anyone especially not Della because she can tell when anyone is lying.

"I'm glad. This weekend will help keep you busy and your mind clear." She smiles Turing back around in her seat. Aidan is sitting next to her invested in reading some papers. Della leans over resting her head on his shoulder looking at what he's reading. Seeing them so in love with each other after all these years is heartwarming and heartbreaking at the same time. It's astonishing that they still love each other just as much as they did over ten years ago, yet I doubt I'll ever get to experience that for myself.

The winding road that we've been driving down opens up into a large circlular driveway with an over the top fountain placed in the middle. If I thought the fountain size was ridiculous the building/mansion whatever they call it is even more extravagant. Fletcher drives up the the front where a few men wait by the front entrence of the building. Everyone hops out of the car, but it takes me a second to shake off my shock at the sheer size and elegance of it all. I slide out almost tripping in the process luckily one of the men catches me by grabbing my arm.

"Thanks." I mumble out pulling my arm out of his grasp. Two of the men help pull all of our bags out of the back, and one hops into the drivers seat. Della hands me my suitcase shutting the trunk, and the car takes off heading towards a dirt road of to the side.

"They have a huge garage they put everyone's cars in." Aidan leans down telling me. I furrow my eyebrows following them inside keeping an eye on the dust kicked up from our van going down the dirt road. I turn back around in the nick of time otherwise I would have slammed into Aidan's back. Fletcher is talking to a woman behind a desk, so I take the moment to look around.

"Holy sh-" Aiden nudges me with his elbow giving me a stern look. The interior of the entrance is full of floor to ceiling windows that let in the sunlight that bounces of the crystal chandelier hanging between the two sets of stairs leading up to the second floor. It all seems a bit exaggerated for a simple annual meeting.

The woman at the desk hands Fletcher and Della keys pointing to the right staircase. I follow behind everyone as we walk up the grand staircase running my finger along the polished wood railing. We make it to the second floor landing and Della turns around grabbing Aidan's hand.

"We're on the second floor, so we'll see you in twenty minutes. I've got to go call the kids and make sure Emeric hasn't burnt the house down yet." I chuckle as she waves walking down what seems like an endless hallway. I turn back to my dads to find out where our rooms are taking a second to steady myself. I must have spun around a bit too quick because I get a little dizzy.

"We are on the fourth floor. It's a suite so it has two bedrooms." Ryder explains as we walk up to a small area off the second floor landing that has two elevators, one on each wall. It takes a minute for the elevator doors to open, and four people step off smiling at us while continuing their own conversation. We step into the empty elevator and Fletcher hits the bottom marked four. The inside of the elevator is just as intricately designed as the rest of the place that I've seen so far. It makes me wonder where they got the funds for all of it.

The temperature in the building has definitely been turned up because I'm already feeling hot. Being in a confined metal box isn't helping much, so I start to fan myself with my hand even though it doesn't really help.

The elevator opens revealing a brightly lit hallway filled with doors and paintings hung along the walls. Ryder looks down at the key he's holding before turning left. I follow silently taking in all the decor and beauty of this place. We stop in front of a white door marked with the gold number one hundred and twenty one. Ryder sticks the key in opening the door and holding it open for us as we walk in. Inside the room is a living room area with a small kitchen to the side right when you walk in. There are two door on either side of the living room which I'm assuming are the bedrooms.

"You take left we take right?" Fletcher asks setting his bag down. I nod heading straight for my room. My bedroom has a large bed filled with those fancy pillow no one actually sleeps on. The color scheme is simple greys, white, and hardwood adding some brown textures throughout. I set my suitcase on the foot of my bed before heading to the bathroom. Since I slept the whole car ride I really have to pee.

I leave the bathroom once I'm done with my business and open my suitcase to find something that isn't as hot, and a bit more formal than just some leggings and a sweater. I know everyone said tonight is super casual, but I want to make a good impression since I'm also representing our pack along side my dads.

I pull out plain black skinny jeans with a nice white short sleeved lace blouse deciding that it's casual yet professional in a certain sense. I change quickly as my stomach growls for the hundredth time since we got here. Slipping on my black combat boots I grab my room key off of the tv stand and head out of my room to find my dads already waiting for me.

"You ready?" Fletcher smiles taking Ryder's hand and intertwining their fingers. I nod my head setting a hand on my stomach trying to stop it from growling again. They walk ahead of me as we leave our suite talking quitely between themselves. I'm to busy trying to calm my racing heart to hear what they are saying. I must be a lot hungrier than I initially thought because I'm feeling suddenly nauseous.

We hop in the elevator and Ryder presses the ground floor button before turning back to me. His expression changes from carefree to concerned as his eyes land on my face.

"Are you okay sweetheart?" He moves to place the back of his hand on my forehead. Fletcher stands next to me looking me over for any other problems. I brush them off feeling anxious by their proximity for some reason.

"Yeah I think I just need some air. Being in the car all day didn't help." I chuckle trying to lighten the mood. Ryder nods not looking convinced, but Fletcher seems to relax. The elevator door opens and I rush out heading for the front door. Ryder moves to follow me but Fletcher stops him whispering something in his ear that makes him stop.

I rush past the lady behind the desk and out the front door taking a deep breath of fresh air. My wolf calms down slightly after a minute of taking deep breathes. I walk down the front steps towards the fountain. The moon is high in the sky illuminating the driveway and  reflecting off the water in the fountain. I sit down on the ledge of the fountain gliding the tips my fingers across the cool water. I already feel better having sat out here for only a couple minutes. My nausea disappearing as hunger sets back in.

Just as I'm about to head back inside I feel the hair on the back of my neck stand on end. I whip around, the feeling of being watched increases by the second. I know it isn't a shock that someone could be watching me since I'm at an event with hundreds of wolves, but this feeling is different. My stomach churns with dread as I frantically look around at the woods surrounding me. I don't want to fully freak out right now. It could be something as simple as one of the men from earlier. That would make most sense since they gave me the creeps before.

I stand up brushing the dirt from my pants casually walking back to the front door while keeping myself aware of my surroundings just incase. The air outside didn't seem cold until I enter the front room again and the warm draft wraps itself around me. I shiver trying to figure out which way to go to find my dads.

"Take a left it's the first door on the right." The woman behind the desk points me in the right direction with a smile. I mumble a thanks heading straight than turning left down the hallway she told me to go down. Voices can be heard chatting as I approach the set of double doors that are open. Inside holds a bunch of tables for people to sit at as well as a food area that is set up like a buffet. I scan the room until I see Della, Aidan, and my dads sat at a table alongside Elijah and Nora. It's good to see some familiar faces among the crowd of strangers. I walk over sitting down in the one empty chair left at the table.

"Are you feeling better?" Ryder hands me a plate with some chicken and potatoes. I nod my head giving him a reassuring smile, and he looks visibly releved by my admission. Della slides over a small bowl of blueberries making me snort.

"I had to ask for some because they didn't have any out." She tells me while continuing to rest her head on Aidan's shoulder.

"Thank you." She gives me a wink before turning back to the rest of the table. Elijah and Nora both greet me as I start to eat my dinner. Everyone jumps back into the conversation they were having before I showed up.

"Apparently instead of individual meetings they want to have regional meetings to save time." Nora rolls her eyes once she finished talking. I turn to my dads to see how they react to this since I don't really know how good or bad that is. Fletcher looks confused but not angry, but Ryder on the other hand looks pissed off.

"They are only doing that because they don't want to have to deal with people's problems, and by having it sectioned off by region it will silence many Alphas and Lunas because they won't feel comfortable bringing up issues in front of everyone." Ryder slumps back in his seat crossing his arms while Fletcher leans forward resting his arms on the table lost in thought.

"Has there been any issues between regions that they may want to settle privately so it doesn't become a larger problem?" Della questions stealing one of my blueberries. I shoot her a playful glare moving the bowl to the other side and out of her reach.

"Not that I'm aware of. The only possible reason I could think of was I know Quentin is asking for his pack to be formally recognized this year." Elijah shrugs taking a sip of his drink. I turn to Fletcher tilting my head silently asking him what he means.

"Quentin Alston has a pack that at the moment is considered rogue. For the past year he's been working hard to meet the requirements to formally become a recognized pack." My mouth forms an o as it all clicks. It feels nice to be included in discussions about packs now that I'm an adult. I quickly finish my chicken and start popping blueberries into my mouth as their conversation shifts to a boring discussion about different training tactics.

"We're going to head up to bed." Della announces followed by a yawn. Aidan stands up saying goodnight to everyone as Della pulls Fletcher into a side hug. Aidan leans down placing a kiss onto the top of my head before pulling Ryder into a hug. Della squeezes me tight whispering into my ear so only I can hear.

"Goodnight sweetheart. I'm glad you decided to come this year." I whisper goodnight back and they leave hand in hand. Shortly after Nora and Elijah both excuse themselves for the evening as well. Fletcher and Ryder share a look before turning back to me looking guilty.

"Go ahead I'll just explore for a while and head back up." I wave them off to go to bed. Since I slept almost the entire way here I'm not even remotely tired, but can tell they are still a bit hesitant. " I have my key and it's a council meeting nothing's going to happen." I emphasize looking around the nearly empty room except for some younger adults.

"Okay, just please be careful." Fletcher pulls me into a hug. "I love you." He kisses my temple pulling away so Ryder can hug me as well.

"I love you both too." I smile up at them. I walk with them to the lobby because I don't want to stay in the cafeteria area by myself, and it's getting extremely hot in there. Ryder hits the elevator button and turns to me as we wait for the elevator.

"I forgot to tell you there are stairs on either side of the building that lead to each level just incase. There are not to many rules here such as curfew or restricted area, but whatever you do don't get into a fight." I chuckle nodding my head.

"I promise." I wave to them as they step into the elevator and the door shuts behind them. Sighing  I walk back over looking down the long hallway trying to decide which way I want to go first. My gut tells me left so I go left hoping to find somewhere that the heater isn't on full blast. Worst case senecio I'll head back outside to admire the beautiful night sky.

Looking in every open door there doesn't seem to be much just a few conferences rooms, a library, and a lounge room with a few teenagers that are probably other Alphas kids. Not in the mood to socialize I walk back towards the main area of the lobby. Hopefully the other hallway will have something more interesting.

Most people seem to have gone to bed for the night because the place is a lot more scarce than it was a hour or two ago. The lady behind the desk near the front door is gone with the lights dimmed in that area. As I approach the cafeteria door I can hear a lot of voices talking enthusiastically about something. Anticipating to just poke my head in to see what's going on I don't think to look where I'm going which proves to be a terrible mistake. Just as I move to look inside a man walks out carrying a platter of drinks that crash and fall all over me staining my once white shirt.

My ears start ringing a bit as my wolf goes crazy. Embarrassment stills me as my cheeks heat up because I no longer hear any voices meaning they are all looking at me. In a moment of strength I decide to look up right before I plan to head out to calm my wolf down. Unfortunately that was the second mistake of mine because when I do they connect with the most hypnotic grey/blue eyes. My eyes travel from this mans eyes to his black hair noticing how disheveled it looks.

My heart is pounding out of my chest as my wolf begs to be let out, but my mind is only processing one word. The one word this man has uttered from his lips, mate.

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Song: Heartbreak by Jamie N Commons

I'm so excited to have this chapter posted and to get the next ones posted as well. I wanted to post this chapter along with the next chapter at the same time, but I am only one third the way done with it. It should be up within the next couple days depending how busy I am. The time has finally come and Tessa has found her mate, but the question is, who is he? I would love to hear your guesses. Don't worry though you'll find out his identity in the next chapter because it picks up right where this one left off. I'm sorry to leave you all on a cliff hanger but I wanted to get this chapter up early. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and if you did don't forget to vote and comment! Until next time.

~Stella Gordon