The view of the pack house loomed over me as I looked out the bus window. The wordless reminder that my day had only just begun, even though it was mid-afternoon. I wasn't going to escape this place for hours, and as frustrating as it sounded, I knew it wouldn't be boring. It was a fun-filled afternoon of my Betas constantly asking questions about the meat market weekend I'd just attended at Midland Peak.

Mick pulled up in the driveway of the pack house and then turned to look at me. He offered a plain-faced stare that was about to become a frown and chiding words.

"Shouldn't we deliver everyone to their homes first?"

"No. You and I are going into a meeting. Alec will ensure that everyone gets home safely. Now come and get your bags."

With a huff, I got up from the seat.

"I guess I'll see you when you get back."

"Yeah, lucky me. It will be a slow ride around town because I'm almost positive I've forgotten how to drive a bus."

"Well, good luck with that one. Jojo, you got life insurance, bud?"

His lips pressed tight as he narrowed an eye, trying not to laugh.

"I'll be fine, drama queen."

With a waggle of my fingers, I walked down the steps and left them to their heated conversation about the door remaining open for air flow.

"Your bus may not return in the same shape," I said, dragging my bags out from the cargo bay.

Mick shrugged and closed the door.

"Alec will be fine. Besides, I can't change anything that's about to happen. Your Betas want to discuss the issues, and we are limited to an extremely short amount of time to give the council our answer. So with that in mind, go inside and be nice. They've been stressing over it ever since they found out."

I had five Betas, Mick being one of them. They were the male elders of the pack that placed themselves as Betas after I became Alpha. With no mate, children or siblings, I had no other choice.

Gus and Frank were at the bar when we walked in. With a cheery smile, Gus pushed a drink over to me. It was a fizzy drink which wasn't what I needed before entering a Beta meeting.

"How did the mate meet-up go? Anything you want to tell us before we go into the meeting?"

"Like you lot don't already know," I muttered. "But yes, I saw Konrad there, and things might have changed."

"Changed as in what exactly?"

"He offered to be a subservient Beta to me."

Frank's eyebrows raised as he slowly turned to look at Gus.

"Was that in our information?"

"No."

"What information are you talking about?"

"We received certain pieces of information that told us things were moving well for you."

"What Frank means to say is that when the council representative rang and said that you were at the center of a mating rights ritual fight between two pack members, we started to ask questions. The representative answered our questions in detail because the hotel manager submitted a report as to how the incident began and what happened during and after. Everything that goes on at that hotel during the mate meet-up is reported to the council. It's why we know as much as we do. So, when will Konrad be coming here to make his formal offer of subservience?"

"I don't know. He was ordered into bed rest by his Beta. As it stands, all pack matters are on hold because Ezra refused to take on a temporary leadership."

Even if he really had it. Once Konrad was given the all-clear, he would be packing his bags. He'd been given the green light by me, and nothing was going to stop him now. Ezra might as well take over as Alpha because I could guarantee that Konrad already saw him as one.

"So, this is it, huh? You're really accepting Konrad as your mate?"

"He understands the value of my leadership, and he knows that this pack has grown stronger since my placement as the leader. All Konrad wanted to do was to prove that Black Ridge wasn't at the bottom of the pack placement for our zoning. He won't admit to it, but I think he was rank jumping when he took down the other wolf."

"What makes you think that?"

I shrugged, climbing up onto the stool.

"He was physically prepared for a fight even though they are rare at the mate meet-up. When the weekend began, Black Ridge was ranked at the bottom. When we left, he'd jumped them to number two."

"And number one?"

I held my arms out wide with a large grin.

"Welcome to being the Alphas of our zoning. Your girl let her wolf out, protected her injured mate and showed the world that she was not some tiny, insignificant creature."

Gus's eyes narrowed.

"You're a larger bodied wolf?"

"Apparently."

"That's common," Frank interjected. "You've already got strong blood running through your veins, you train hard, and you don't mess around with unnecessary food or substances."

"Aside from the occasional heavy drinking."

Frank rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, aside from that. The biggest of the reasons is that the wolf would have detected that you're the leader and altered the hormones to suit. She's not going to let you go too crazy in the muscle department, but she is definitely going to make it clear that you are the Alpha. Is she the reason that you stood your ground against the Blood Moon Alpha?"

"Yep. That guy is huge when he's a wolf. I have never seen a male that big before."

"And you still let the wolf out?"

I shrugged, upending the drink.

"No choice. Konrad was on the ground, and she took over. I know what you're going to say, it was dangerous, and I risked a lot by being around a male wolf but he was going nuts. The guards were shooting tranquillizers by the dozens and nothing was stopping him."

"Well, we're all glad that your wolf stood her ground and didn't end up in a terrible situation. We should start the meeting. Our clock is ticking rather loudly."

Moving my luggage into the storeroom, I entered the upstairs meeting room where Stanley and Charlie were waiting. Charlie handed me a tray full of applications.

"Would you like a rundown on those applications?"

"Sure."

"They have been arriving since Saturday. The ones received during the weekend were sent from the hotel and only a few this morning from other locations. Every single application that we received since Konrad won the fight has been a lone female wolf."

"They think he's going to take over this land."

"And that he will become Alpha."

I sighed, flicking through the forms.

"I will go through these once we've dealt with the issues surrounding the Blood Moon territory."

Charlie nodded and took back the tray. I sat down as Gus opened his notebook.

"So, the offer is that we as a pack are given the opportunity to take over Blood Moon land. You mentioned that you were concerned about the two packs between us and the territory."

"It is a valid concern," Mick offered. "We won't be given passage to the land which means that the territory will be left unguarded."

"Will the council grant us passage?" I asked.

"There is a time allowance made for us to travel to the land if we accept the offer. It is a one-time offer, unfortunately. What generally happens is the Beta from the consuming pack is given the territory to rule and in the original territory, a new Beta is placed. We have already discussed it and no one in this room wishes to leave West River land."

I had a thought about that, but before I could say anything, I heard the main door shut. Charlie was on his feet, checking to see who it was. No one should be here because this was an Alpha and Beta meeting. The pack house, while technically always open for pack members, was closed for the meeting.

No one should be walking through the front door.