Before I Rise

Marcus’s POV

“No, we haven’t had any unusual activity around here. Why? Have you guys been having an increase in rogue activity?” Alpha Jensen of the Desert Rose Pack said.

For the last two hours I have been on the phone discussing rogue activity with the Alphas on the east coast. Alpha Jensen was the last one on my list to call and he has said exactly what every other Alpha has said. None of them have had an increase of rogue activity or have noticed anything suspicious. It was frustrating as fuck.

“I’m not sure about the other Alpha’s on the west coast, but Alpha Alexis’s pack has been having an increase of rogue sightings. None of them ever cross over into her pack territory. They seem to be watching for something. Last night, they had completely surrounded the pack boundary line with no gaps. They didn’t attempt to engage with the pack warriors, they just stood there for 20 minutes then left. She should be calling the other west coast Alpha’s to see if anyone else has been having sightings similar to this. I’ve been calling the east coast Alpha’s all morning. You’re the last one on my list.” I explained to him.

Alpha Jensen took a second to gather his thoughts before he replied to me.

“Have any of the other east coast Alphas noticed anything?” He asked.

“No, none of them have. I don’t know yet if this is only happening on the west coast or just to Alpha Alexis’s pack. I’m waiting for her to call me after she gets done talking to the other Alphas.”

“Damn that is weird. At least with the last rogue war, all the packs were getting the same amount of rogue activity. Maybe they are getting craftier? If that’s the case, this may be worse than last time.”

I hummed in agreement. They seemed to be definitely getting smarter. But even so, it’s completely against rogue nature to be able to be organized and work together. Rogue’s are free from any type of leader and usually they don’t want to work under someone. The last war was brutal but the rogues were so dysfunctional and not on the same page with each other. It was the reason we were able to defeat them. This time, the rogues appear poised, patient, and in sync with each other. They had to be working under some type of leadership. It would have to be someone strong and very intelligent to get the rogues on the same page. This was gearing up to be a shit storm.

“Let me know what Alpha Alexis finds out. I would like to be able to keep up on this just in case.”

“Of course Alpha Jensen, I’ll keep you in the loop.” I said.

“Listen Alpha Marcus, I have been meaning to call you for sometime now. I was wondering if you would like to fix the relationship between our two packs?” He asked me.

The Desert Rose pack and my pack had a strong alliance for a couple of generations. However, that all changed when my father went off the deep end. We lost a lot of alliances because of his actions. It was one the things I have been working on rebuilding since I have taken over as Alpha. I’ve gotten a few back, but it was still a work in progress. I honestly thought I had no shot in fixing things with Desert Rose. Alpha Jensen was close with my father and I know my father’s actions hurt Alpha Jensen’s pack the most. I still have no idea why my father decided to go after Desert Rose the way he did. It was like he had a personal problem with them. The fact Alpha Jensen was willing to at least talk about things, was a freaking miracle.

“Of course Alpha Jensen, I would love to discuss that with you. I have been wanting to have this conversation with you for a while. I just didn’t think you would be willing to hear me out after everything that happened.”

Alpha Jensen let out a small sigh. “Yeah, I wasn’t at first. I considered your father like a brother, his actions towards me cut me deeply. I was determined to not fix things with you at all. But then I got to thinking. My own son, Jaxxon, will be taking over the pack next year. How fair would it be for him to have to answer for his fathers actions? Your father did those things Marcus, you shouldn't be held accountable for his digressions. I am sorry that I was stubborn and did not see that sooner. I would love to fix our alliance before Jax takes over as Alpha if you would like. I would even be willing to fly out west and stay a few days to form a new alliance with you.”

“I would be honored to host you and usher in a new alliance between our packs. Just let me know when you would like to come out.” I suddenly got teary eyed.

This was the first Alpha to try to fix an alliance with me. I typically had to contact them and give them all the reasons why they should trust me. My pack may be in the top five biggest packs in all of North America, but we definitely weren’t that high up on the trust list. Nobody trusted us after certain events. This interaction with Alpha Jensen was a breath of fresh air. I finally felt like I was being recognized for my hard work and not for my father’s actions.

“It looks like I wont be able to make it out there until three weeks from now. Is that an ok time for you?” He asked me.

“Yeah that’s perfect. Just send us your arrival time and I’ll make sure we have a car at the airport to pick you up.”

“I look forward to it Alpha Marcus. I’ll see you in three weeks.” We both said our goodbyes and hung up.

I looked at the time and realized that not only did I miss breakfast, I had also missed lunch. My whole morning had been filled with meetings and phone calls. At least I met with Jake, Luke, and Jacoby prior to calling the Alphas. Our meeting was short and simple. We decided to send at least forty elite warriors out of the two-hundred that I have to Alexis’s pack with Luke accompanying them. Luke and Jake both share the head warrior title. It was nice to have two of them instead of just one.

I wasn’t too worried about sending almost fifty warriors to her pack. Along with my elite warriors, I also have every pack member from the age ten to eighteen train daily. I wanted to make sure everyone in the pack could defend themselves in case something happens.

I took a few minutes to sit in the silence and clear my mind. A feeling in my gut told me that something big was on the verge of happening. It was the same feeling I have been having for the past few months, ever since I started having those dreams. I haven’t had one in a while, but that still didn’t make the feeling go away. In fact, it’s recently gotten worse.

A soft knock interrupted my thoughts. I just couldn’t get a minute to myself anymore.

“Come in!” I yelled out.

The door opened and in walked my favorite person in the whole universe. She wore a soft smile on her heart shaped face and was carrying a tray with her. I suddenly thought back to when she brought me that horrendous breakfast. Hopefully whatever was on that tray would at least be edible.

“Hey you, I heard you missed breakfast and lunch. I figured you might be hungry and need a little break. So I brought you some food.” She walked to my desk after shutting the door and sat the tray down. On it was a simple turkey sandwich with an orange and some chips. She sat down a water bottle right next to the tray and then sat down across from me.

“Thanks, you are literally the best!” I picked up the sandwich and began to devour it. It was actually pretty good!

“Did you make this yourself?” I ask her.

She rolled her eyes playfully and let out a small giggle. “Duh, I at least know how to make a sandwich. Though, I debated for a hot minute whether or not I should make you pancakes again.” She said with a wink.

We both let out a laugh, thinking back to that memory where I almost died of food poisoning.

“I’m glad you decided to make the sandwich, don’t think I am ready to have pancakes again. Or should I say your pancakes.” I jokingly said. Em rolled her eyes again and stuck out her tongue. I’ve noticed the more time I spend with her, the more playful Em gets.

A loud knock rang through the office. Great not only could I not get a minute alone, I also apparently can’t get a minute alone with Em.

“Come in.” I said with an eye roll.

“Hey Alpha. I just wanted to let you know that Luke and the warriors just left for Alpha Alexis’s pack.” Jake said.

“Ok good. Thanks for letting me know. I’ll call Alexis and let her know they are on their way.”

Jake nodded his head and then walked out of the office, leaving Em and I alone again.

“So, I know you’ve got a lot going on right now and are super busy with things. But, I was wondering if we could talk about a few things.” Em said, while brushing a piece of her hair behind her ear.

“Things? What kind of things? Is it bad?” Worry bubbled in my stomach. I hope it was nothing too bad.

“No! I just have questions about the Luna position and some mate things.”

“Oh ok. Do you think this can wait till tonight? I promise I will make time for you to have this conversation. I think it’s time we do.” I said.

Em took a second to think before answering. “What if instead of having dinner with the pack, we do something like a picnic so we can be alone for more than ten minutes?” She asked me.

“I would rather have a picnic with you than eat with the pack members any day. I can be done around 5pm if that works for you?” Excitement filled my whole body. Ever since our make out session yesterday, I have been wanting to be alone with her.

“Yeah, that’s perfect. I’ll get everything ready and I’ll meet you back here at exactly 5pm!” She jumped out of her seat, ran around the desk, and gave me a peck on my cheek.

Just as she was about to run off, I got up and pulled her into my arms. I lightly grabbed the back of her head and leaned down. The second our lips touched my whole body started buzzing with sparks. It felt like the first kiss all over again.

After a few seconds we departed and hugged. All the worry drained from my body, I could get used to this.

“I’ll see you at 5pm.” I said as we let go of each other.

“Not if I see you first Alpha.” Em said, as she backed away and pretended her fingers were a gun and made sound effects along with it causing me to laugh. She blew me a kiss on her way out of my office. God, I hope 5pm comes fast