“Oh, are they?” Liam wiggles his brows and kisses the top of her head.
“Just be glad that pregnancy hormones make me horny,” Annie teases.
Liam’s eyes light up, while Finn gags at the prospect of his brother doing anything sexual.
It’s so cute to see how Liam is putty in her hands. He’s such a composed and stoic guy normally, with a touch of dangerous undertones about him, but he’s so sweet with Annie.
I can’t believe how many people I’m suddenly surrounded by; how many friends I have made.
My life before Annie, Ella, Dave, and Finn was so dull. But everything changed with our first meeting around three years ago.
Tomorrow I’ll have to face difficult decisions again. I have to think about what I should do with Marius and how to handle the new political connections that come with Valerie being tied to a member of the Royal Council. Plus, I still have to decide on a gamma for the pack.
But for now, I just want to relax.
The Gamma
*CELINE*
Themorningafterapack party is usually accompanied by headaches and hangovers. Werewolves don’t get drunk easily, but when they do, things can get pretty wild. And that’s exactly what happened last night. Fortunately, I didn’t drink much last night, so at least I was feeling pretty ok during our training session just now. Harmony looks a bit worse for wear, but I have to give her credit, as she didn’t let it slow her down during training.
She’s one of very few, though, who managed to keep it together. Almost all of my elite warrior group look groggy and completely green.
I cross my arms and stare at the sorry group I’ve been torturing with cardio and strength training for the past hour. “You know, if you want to party hard all night without a care, you must be able to work and train hard the following day. Anyone have any good reasons for not training at their best?” I look at one of my warriors who stands the closest to me. “James?”
“No, Alpha,” he groans. “Aside from me being stupid. The last time I hit it that bad, I was sixteen.”
The others agree.
Well, at least they are honest, I think with amusement, “Be glad I’m in a good mood.” I’ve decided for once to cut them all some slack. Their never-ending support of me as their alpha, along with their unyielding commitment to this pack and their strong work ethic, has been tremendous. It’s only fair they had an opportunity to relax and celebrate our recent achievements along with their packmates. As a way of thanking them, I add, “We’ll cut today’s training short and will add the missed hour to tomorrow’s session instead. I expect you all to be better prepared.”
A sigh of relief goes through the group.
While going through next week’s training schedules with my team, I can’t help but notice how quiet Elias and Garret are being. For a moment, I thought it was because Garret had overdone it last night, like the others, but he didn’t. He seems to be fully here physically, but mentally he looks distracted and tired. He hasn’t said a single word yet.
Meanwhile, Elias keeps throwing glances Garret’s way every so often, but doesn’t say anything either.
Oh great, the drama with these two! I wish Marcel were here to lighten the mood. But he’s the only one with an actual reason for skipping training. He’s helping Luca settle into the pack, and I felt it was important that Luca isn’t left alone during his first few days here.
I link Harmony again.What’s up with the boys this time?
Harmony shrugs.The usual, I think. They had a little argument last night during the party.
Do you know what it was about?If I know, I can at least try to be a bit sympathetic toward their current situation. In times like these, I really miss having a mate. I lack luna capabilities… for real… I’ve never put much thought into the job of a luna, but whenever I see Elden and Flora, or Liam and Annie, I realize how important the lunas of a pack are. They are more approachable, and sensitive and have a feel for the pack’s moods. Plus, they’re not afraid to point out when their alphas miss something. I’m just lucky that Harmony, Garret, and Marcel are helping me with the luna’s tasks, and we can divide them between us for now, but it’s not the same.
I’m not sure,Harmony admits.I didn’t want to pry, but when I stumbled into them yesterday, it seemed like Elias was jealous. You know how intense he can get when he misunderstands something.
I know.
Should I talk to one of them? She offers.
I think it over for a moment.No, not now. I’ll try to ask Garret about it later.I frown.Harmony, I don’t like what Elias’ pack did to him. He’s emotionally scarred, and it worries me.
Do you want me to look into it?She asks.He’s originally from Blood Snow pack, right?
Yes, but do it discreetly.
I always knew that Blood Snow was ruled with an iron fist, but I didn’t think too much about it. Elias joined our pack as soon as he met Garret. Thinking back now, it’s weird how fast he left his old pack. It was still under my father’s reign, shortly before I took over. Elias’ old alpha visited an alpha’s summit, and brought some of his high-ranking pack members along and a few guards. Elias was within the guards. When he met Garret there, he dropped everything and joined him. He didn’t even return to his old pack to pack up his things. If I had to take a wild guess now, I think maybe they wouldn’t have been too accepting of him being mated to another guy. Elias himself still struggles with it, although he told me once that he’d always known he was gay and that he knew he’d never be mated to a woman by fate. What worries me more is how hard he is on himself. Garret has broken down many of his walls, but not all of them.