Page 3 of Alpha's Claim

With my inheritance from my mother and the sale of our old home I managed to get us a nice spot with some land and enough space for the pack to spread out. I was finally getting around to setting up my own house. Yari was over and helping me to sort out all my stuff and help me figure out where to put everything. She knew my style as well as I did, and she was the only one I’d trust with things like where I hid my important documents and cash. She would be the only one who knew where they were.

I was arranging my office the way I wanted it to be. It needed to be at least a little professional as much as I was just not a traditionally serious, professional person. When I was little and my grandfather was the Alpha of our clan he used to keep his office in what he liked to call ‘law office professional.’ A brass eagle, a painting of a fox hunt, paperweights, books none of us had ever read on a bookcase behind him. He hated it. I refused to spend a ton of time in an office I hated. Although I did set the stupid brass eagle on the desk where he’d kept it next to my mother and I so that neither of them would be forgotten.

At the moment Yari was setting up what would be our living room. I paused to run my hand along the wood of my mother’s desk, admiring its smoothness. It was well loved and carefully preserved for generations. I’d spent ages on the other side of it learning from my mother and now it was my turn to use it as the Alpha. It was bittersweet. I missed her. As I was about to move on to the next task, Yari walked through the door. She sighed as she fell heavily into the chair across the desk from me. She shook her head and put her feet up on the desk. Once she’d put her hands on the back of her head and leaned back slightly, she looked up at me.

“We’ve had interactions with three other clans at this point.” She said, and I sat down, furrowing my eyebrows.

“Are there any casualties?” I asked, immediately filled with concern for my pack.

“Nobody has been violent yet.” Yari said, looking up at the ceiling. “It seems like a threat of some kind, though. Like a warning to stay in our territory.”

“Well, that’s stupid. Why would we encroach on another pack’s territory? I checked thoroughly to see where the closest packs live and we’re not across any borders.” I said, rolling my eyes in annoyance. “I’ll set up meetings with the other packs’ Alphas so we can hammer out all of our expectations.”

“How very Alpha of you.” Yari teased me, grinning. “But I think that’s a good idea. And you know I’ll have your back through all this.” She said, moving to crack her knuckles as though she were my enforcer. I laughed at that.

“I don’t need some kind of goon, you know. I just need to have a frank discussion with these Alphas.” I said, leaning back into my chair. “I will have you here with me, though. You’ll be with me the whole time.”

“Like your secretary?” Yari grinned playfully and I shook my head.

“I know you, Yari. You’re going to be a great right-hand man for me. I’m glad I’ve got you as a Beta.” I said with a grin. “A secretary wouldn’t sit in on meetings with me and have the kind of access to me that you have. That’s a professional relationship and we’re never going to have that.” I said with a charming grin. “You’re going to be pretty involved in all of the ins and outs of the pack. I trust you, Yari, and I know I want you to be an equal, not some kind of subject or business associate.”

“I know. I get it, I’m great.” She grinned confidently and I nodded, chuckling softly under my breath. “For real, though, I’m glad I ended up being your Beta, you know. I’d suck at this job for anyone else but you.”

“You really would.” We both knew I meant it. It was the truth- Yari was brash, sarcastic, and was what my mother liked to call her- a pistol.

Before she had the chance to respond, my phone rang. I leaned back into my chair again and pulled my phone from my pocket. I didn’t recognize the number. And how would anyone have gotten this number yet? I’d changed it since we moved. It was a brand-new number. Nobody should have it. I answered the phone.

“Hello?” I asked, deciding to reach in a neutral tone just in case this was actually someone important.

“Weston Silverstreak,” the voice was conversational, designed to set me at ease. It kind of had the opposite reaction from me. For someone to know my number and know who I am set me on edge. “My name is Henry Onyxian. I am the Alpha of the Onyxfang pack. I think it’s a good idea for us to meet for lunch. Today.” He said, his voice never changing tone, but I felt in my gut that it wasn’t a request.

I had heard of the Onyxfang pack. They were powerful and old and had enough money to push people around. It made sense that he would have been able to get ahold of this number. Someone with that kind of power and money would have people who could do that stuff.

“Today,” I said, looking at my watch. It was nearing noon. “So right now.” I said. It also wasn’t a question as much as just a confirmation. “I’ll need the address and I’ll be there.” I said.

“That’s great to hear, my friend.” Henry replied. “I’ll tell the guards to be prepared for your arrival. It shouldn’t take you long to get here. Just present your identification at the gate and they’ll see you through. I’ll be expecting you.” At that he simply hung up.

All of this reeked of posturing, but I was used to that. Alphas had a bad habit of chest pounding. It was all a dance. A way to jockey our way to the top. I had been guilty of it as my mother’s son, but this wasn’t the time for that. We needed to lay low for a bit until we got to a point where we were established with the other packs. I hadn’t expected to hear from such an influential pack so soon. I set my phone down for just a second, sucking in a deep breath through my nose.

“That was Henry Onyxian, the Alpha of the Onyxfang pack. I have to throw on some real clothes and then I have to go. You’re in charge while I’m gone.” I said, standing and grabbing my phone. Luckily, we’d already unpacked my room so I had a nice gray suit to put on for this meeting. I wouldn’t admit that I was nervous. This was the first face-to-face meeting with the Alpha of another clan and it was with such a large, powerful pack. I didn’t like that it wasn’t on my terms. My inner Alpha bristled at that. I wanted to push back for the way I was treated, but I didn’t have an heir yet so I couldn’t afford to get killed.

I made it to the Onyxfang estate in record time. I was waved through with just a glance at my ID. The driveway was long and white without a single flaw. As I drove to the estate I took my time, afraid I’d make something less than perfect with my presence.

Everything seemed so perfect, from the house to the drive and the garden. This was too important to mess up. It seemed to take forever for me to get to the front of the building. This enormous place of opulence that spoke of the power and money the Onyxfang pack had. Henry must be a very effective leader for them to have this place and the reputation they had.

When I reached the front of the house, I made a motion to park. Without my permission one of the staff grabbed the keys from my hand and took my car, claiming they were the valet. I knew that it was actually to ensure that I was trapped here for as long as Henry wanted me to be.

I stared up at the huge mansion in front of me. Even the steps seemed huge. It was like climbing to a monument in D.C. I had never really seen a place so large. It was the dream, right? Power, money, and luxury. I couldn’t imagine Yari and I in such a place, honestly. Our little estate was perfect for us. Maybe in the future we would size up, but never like this. Not while I was Alpha.

I pushed that aside and made my way up the steps. I wasn’t sure how, but a staff member opened the door from the inside to beckon me in before I even had a chance to knock.

“Mr. Onyxian is waiting for you. I’ll lead you to him, sir.” She said, and I nodded silently.

I remained quiet as we made our way through this enormous house. From the outside I had expected the interior to be serious and sterile, but the first thing I saw was a soft, carpeted room with a few children playing happily with some toys. I couldn’t help but smile slightly. It warmed my heart. There was a small mess in there, and a severe-looking woman in a dark dress watching them.

As we made our way through the house with the woman leading me to her boss, I kept my eyes and ears on everything. The place seemed to be bustling with life in the background of my tour. There were well dressed people in an office speaking softly to one another and more staff running around on the gigantic staircase.

I was a little bewildered at how far we actually walked to get to our destination. It had to be another kind of show of power, although this one I didn’t inherently understand. It seemed to me that if I were in his position, I would be close. I would want to meet in a study or an office close to the door. I wouldn’t want anyone to see the interior of my house like this. It wouldn’t want to run the risk of someone casing the place for robbery or attack. Then again, maybe that was the point. Maybe it was to show that they didn’t need to worry about things like that. I swallowed hard at that idea.

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