Spending the next hour and a half asking the other alphas in the surround territories for permission to visit their packs was more frustrating than I had thought it would be. Many were surprised to hear from me; they weren't aware that I had taken back the responsibilities of leading my pack again. All gave me their condolences and went on about how amazing a person Olivia had been. It had taken every fiber of my being not to break down or lash out when they would say "I can't imagine what I would do if I lost my mate." I didn't need to be constantly reminded that I was alone while they were off living happily with their mate.
After making the arrangements to visit the other three surrounding packs, Crescent Moon, Midnight Creek, River Run, I prepared to leave with Asher. Only traveling with one other wolf was a risk, but my concern was for my pack. I didn't want to risk taking any more people with me; it would make them more vulnerable. If it hadn't been for Griffin insisting, I would have been going alone. We were to leave at first light the following morning.
Once everything was taken care of and finalized, I retired to my room for the evening. I knew I would need at least a couple hours of sleep to be able to make the run to Crescent Moon territory. After hours of tossing and turning, I finally felt my eyelids become heavy. I could feel myself begin to drift slowly off.
"Don't cry my l-love. I won't ever truly leave you." My beloved Olivia choked out. But I knew she was going to do exactly that. She was a fighter, but this was a fight there was no winning. There was just too much blood. It coated her skin and was currently seeping into the ground around her.
"I know baby. You're going to make it, just stay with me a little longer; help is nearly here." I lied, hoping she wouldn't be gripped by the same fear that had already taken root in me. I couldn't believe I was going to lose my everything.
"I won't leave you. I love you so m--" She attempted to get out. Grabbing her hands in mine, I kissed each of them.
"I love you more," I said though I knew she would no longer be able to hear me. My Olivia was gone.
A blood curdling howl ripped through me. The pounding footsteps stopped. They knew it was too late. My howl echoed through the forest as other joined in my cry. My pack was hurting as well. I crushed her lifeless body against my chest in hopes that if I held onto her hard enough maybe she wouldn't really leave me. Tears streamed down my face, as I continued to hold her rocking back and forth.
Awakening, my body coated with a thin layer of sweat, I clutched my chest as if I was still holding my beloved. My breath came out ragged; my body shook with dry sobs. I had lost her once again. She left me here alone, taking my heart with her. No matter how many times I dreamt of losing her, it didn't make it any less painful. Peering at the clock through half-open eyes, I realized I had managed to get four hours of sleep. We would be leaving in about three hours, and I needed to blow off some steam before then.
Opening the door of the pack training facility, I saw that I was not alone. It was no surprise seeing Griffin here, he often spent his free time either training or in a nearby city hitting on humans. Though he flirted with other she-wolves, he was respectful enough not to take it any farther than that, knowing they each had a mates somewhere out there
"What has you up before the sun?"
"Just training to be my best Alpha, sir," He said with a dramatic salute and a smirk creeping onto his face. He knew I hated when he called me Alpha. He was my oldest friend and the closest thing to family I had.
"Good, I didn't want to bring it up, but you are beginning to look a bit plump around the midsection." I joked. Earning me a roll of his eyes and a mischievous smirk.
"Problems sleeping still?" He asked all signs of joking gone from his voice.
"Yeah, but it's getting better." Which wasn't a total lie? Before I would be lucky if I could sleep half an hour before my nightmares started.
"Ready to head out then? Alpha Phillips seems to be looking forward to your visit." He informed me to my surprise.
"Really, why would that be?"
"I hear his mate is expecting their third child. Rumor has it the pup's a boy." Leave it to Griffin to be up on the latest gossip.
"I thought he already had an heir?"
"If I am not mistaken, he has an older daughter and a teenage son," Griffin confirmed. We shared a knowing looking. Many alphas only had one pup; that was unless their first pup was a female. They wanted to avoid animosity between male siblings.
Phillips would more than likely look to secure my pack for his unborn child. This would be ideal for both of us, but I had an unsettling feeling about this. Maybe it was simply the idea of handing over my pack. I knew it was inevitable, but the thought still didn't sit right with me.
I spent the next three hours working out, two of which were spent sparring with Griffin. He had repeatedly handed my rear end to me. Five years ago he wouldn't have stood a chance against me, even on my worst day. After working out some of my frustration in the gym, I headed back to the pack house to meet up with Asher.
"Alpha, are you ready to head out? If we leave now, we should arrive just before midday." Asher, unlike Griffin, insisted on addressing me by my title even though we had known each other all our lives. It felt weird having him call me alpha since we were such close friends, not to mention he was three years older than me.
"Yeah, let's get this over with," I replied not at all looking forward to what was to come. Phillips was not known for being subtle in the least. Out of the four surrounding packs, his I avoided the most. He craved power and did nearly anything to get it. Phillips had tried to convince Griffin to hand over our pack to him, stating that my suicide was imminent. It was wolves like him who gave alphas a bad name.
The trip there was uneventful, which I liked. It wasn't often I got to run and let my wolf free. I savored it as much as I could, but all too soon we arrived at Crescent Moon. As we entered the territory, we were welcomed by Steven, Phillips beta.
"Alpha Phillips is anxiously awaiting your arrival at the pack house, where there will be a party in honor of your visit." He happily informed us.
'He really wants our pack doesn't he?' Asher questioned through our link.
'The man has no shame.' I replied in disgust. I would have thought after the stunt he tried to pull five years prior. He would know that he didn't have a chance at my pack. He was indeed fooling himself. Still, he had a much larger pack than mine, and we were in need of as much help as we could get.
"Thank you, though that was not at all necessary. We do appreciate the warm welcome." I said graciously.
"Let me get you settled in one of our guest houses, and then I can show you to the pack house."
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