Gamma No More - Book 3

Toni sits quietly, listening to the update from her council.

“There are some bad seeds. We have five that were paid by this ‘Tane’ and were more than happy to get involved in the troubles.

While you were away, we agreed that the best option was to remove them from their existing packs and send them to Lowlands, Deadfalls, Westmoor and Freedom packs and ideally, you would take one into the Veiled Pack so they are in packs with strong leadership.

But on the whole, most wolves are happy that the troubles are over.

Some wish their pack had achieved a higher status, which is what some of the Alphas had promised, but honestly, we should be able to release them all.

We’ll keep watch on the worst packs and take action if necessary.”

Joseph quietens momentarily, before taking a deep breath

“I also have a request.” His eyes find Toni.

“This last injury” He rubbed at his scarred neck.

“Makes shifting harder. While I wouldn’t have missed being here, I think it’s time for me to pass on the leadership to my son.

I humbly request your permission, Toni, as your Alpha Regent, to do so.”

Toni looks at him, knowing it’s his way of asking if his son can still take over, but the other Alphas have quizzical expressions.

“You may, but I need to appoint you as an Elder. That way, you can provide advice to my named and rightful heir of the Lowlands pack, your son, Alpha Ryan.

And I won’t release you from my council or service yet. As an Elder, I am appointing you as the Chamberlain of the council; I believe your official title would be Lord High Chamberlain, Elder Joseph.

Your knowledge of customs and ceremonies will guide us still, but I need you to review all the old customs as well. We have translators from my pack that can help you with the old texts.”

Joseph answers formally

“It would be my honour to serve Lycan Antonia. I assume this means you are going to continue to lead us, then?”

Toni nods

“I have already named my Beta Karl as Lord High Marshall, in charge of my armies, since he never lets me travel unescorted!

Which leaves the two of you. ”

She turns to Lance and Dimitri

“Lance, you and your pack seem to make money easily, so I am going to use that knowledge and name you Lord High Treasurer. Currently, there’s a large fat zero in the purse, but you and I will agree tribute rates from the rest of the Alphas here that we haven’t already covered, to help pay for this mess and that will be your starting point and I will also give you the names of the Alpha’s I am sanctioning directly.

Dimitri, as someone who lives and works in the Neutral Zone, you appear best placed to be the diplomat of the Council, as you already have ties to the other species and most of the packs.

I name you Lord High Chancellor and ask you both to continue to serve on the council with me.

The titles are just that, but wolves understand ranks, so I think that’s something that will help in the immediate aftermath.

The titles are not hereditary, but for as long as you will help me, they are yours. But when you choose to retire, I will ask your advice on your successor.”

Dimitri, Lance and Joseph all get up, as if they knew she would take the leadership role; taking a knee, they pledge their loyalty, before they get back to their seats. In her head, Tyra is preening.

We just need our mate now

Toni rolls her eyes

Soon Tyra, soon, I promise we’ll talk to him.

“And it’s just Toni, please.” She reiterates to the assembled group.

“From the Alphas, well, I removed Alpha Bates permanently. His son will take over the Shadow pack, but we’ll need to keep a regular eye on that pack.

It also houses my… siblings, so must be safe.”

Four faces stare at her, shock written across each of them before Lance speaks up.

“I thought your parents died when you were nine.”

Toni takes a long, cleansing breath. This should be public knowledge. Secrets only come back to bite you.

“They faked their deaths, leaving me behind. I found out not long before I left the Nightshades’ pack.

Unfortunately, Killian Parker and his wife Marcie are my parents, although I’ve threatened to kill them if they ever try to claim the relationship publicly.

I do, however, recognise my siblings, so how do we watch the new Alpha and that pack in general?”

“Toni…”

The sympathy in Lance’s voice hits her, and she holds her hand up to stop him from saying more.

“Its old history and I care only about my three siblings, which means the traitors live because killing them would hurt my sister and brothers. I need solutions for the future.

I have also removed Alpha Knight. His two sons are under-trained, and one of them becomes the new Alpha. They, too, will need to be supported to keep peace in their packs.”

“I will send Delta Eric to the Blue River. He has extended family there, and while he’s gruff, he’s good at his job.

He can support Elijah or Kade in their roles and train them privately.” Lance offered.

“In which case, I will send Delta Cage to the Shadow pack to do the same and ensure your siblings are safe and treated well.”

Toni flinches slightly

“I may need to appropriate Cage for a different role. Is there another that could help them?”

Dimitri has a sly look on his face

“Appropriating my pack member huh…, I’m pretty sure Cage will love being singled out!

I’ll send a Gamma, Nick, instead, not sure I can afford to lose two of my Deltas. You are probably more concerned with the ranked wolves anyway, and he’s a powerful wolf with very good morals.”

“Thank you both.

This leads to the last few issues. Shadow Stalkers, we are going to need to remove both the Alpha and the Beta, Alpha Randall is too weak, Beta Harper has been running the pack inappropriately, and neither has a pup that’s of age to lead and even if they were, I’d have concerns after visiting their pack.”

“Beta Oliver would make a good Alpha. He’s stronger than he looks and loyal to you already, Toni.

He would shake it up. The new Beta, I would have to say, is up to him. Let him find the right choice. I will send a few good warriors to help him settle the pack.

It also allows Ryan to pick his own Beta in the Lowlands when he takes over.”

Joseph smiles at Toni as she nods. Beta Oliver had already sworn to Toni, but more than that, he was a good wolf.

“And it’s not too much change for your pack?” she queried

“No, I’ve been getting them ready to hand over, and you recognising him on the battlefield, even after his mistake, which I know he won’t make again, gave him confidence.

I’ll also be there, as an Elder to advise him.”

Joseph knows his pack best. He was only ever regent in her eyes because she knew he felt he should face a penalty for losing the challenge.

“Ok, then as long as it’s not Roy, I approve.” She grins as Joseph rolls his eyes.

“Finally, the Royal pack will no longer be the ruling pack, as you all guessed earlier. I deemed Petrus as, well, let’s just say, not suited to lead.

His actions were to protect his pack, not the packs that were being attacked.

Lance, you have the right to take tributes from each pack in my name, but I think the largest should come from them. They do, after all, take a pack tithe each year.

Which will stop going forward. However, the money already collected needs to be used to benefit the packs.

I don’t care if they continue to call themselves the Royal Pack, but we will make it known they are no longer the ruling pack. That burden will fall on the Veiled Pack.

After we have released the packs, we can discuss the fact that I have a lead on Tane, a few actually, but I’d prefer to discuss it with fewer wolves close by.

Tents don’t make for soundproof walls.”

They close off the meeting, with the details on how they will make the announcements to the packs and start sending them home, packs being sent off at intervals, two packs at a time, in opposite directions, starting with those that have the furthest to travel.

Toni wants no chance of packs fighting as they travel back to their lands.

It didn’t take long for Toni to agree with Beta Oliver that he would take over the Shadow Stalkers’ pack, so she makes it her priority to swear him in as Alpha in front of those that are left of that pack.

She felt sorry for him; he didn’t intend to bring his mate Louise over for a few weeks until things settled and he knew she would be safe, but Toni promised she would escort her there.

Toni had missed her mating ceremony, at the time, she still had the warrant hanging over her and she had no desire to bring trouble to the doors of the Lowlands pack

Joseph ensured he had twenty warriors to go with him in case of problems, but as Toni scanned the remaining members of that pack, she couldn’t find anyone who looked like they would cause issues.

More relieved that they avoided the same fate as their original Alpha.

Finally, she takes Alpha Ryan’s oath as the new Lowlands Alpha, finding it a pleasant way to end before the announcements to their gathered prisoners.

As her council takes on the remaining tasks, releasing packs one at a time, Toni finds some space to watch the proceedings, mulling over the two leads she has on Tane.

The nicely parcelled-up information has the advantage of matching up with Leif’s phone blip, but for someone so meticulous who had organised so much, it just seemed too coincidental.

Either way, she would find out once they found Rowena, and that seemed to be most likely at the house Killian had been to, so that’s where she would head first after she’d discussed it with the council and Raine.

Leaning back, she looked up at the snippets of sky visible through the forest canopy, focussing on the sounds of the leaves as the breeze catches them. She can almost forget about taking on the role of leader to every werewolf.

“So the reluctant leader is stepping up, I hear,” Cage’s amused voice interrupts her reverie.

“Well, I have to keep the gossip going” The joke in her voice is clear as she sits up.

“I need to talk to you, Cage.”

“So my Alpha told me something about you having a job for me. He didn’t know the details, so it’s left both of us intrigued?”

Toni groaned as he raises an eyebrow at her

“That’s not.” She stops herself.

“Oh, Goddess,” she mutters quietly

“I guess yes, in a way.” She can feel herself starting to blush, but luckily Cage misses her embarrassment.

“Sit with me, please.”

They sit in silence for a while, and seconds turn to minutes while Toni tries to work out how to broach the subject, suddenly feeling awkward in case Cage didn’t feel the same way.

After five minutes had passed, Cage broke.

“So tell me, how bad is this task if someone that doesn’t baulk from taking on the massed packs at some of the worst odds in our history doesn’t want to let me know the details?

I’m a big boy, Toni, short of accusing me of treason. I doubt anything can be that bad.”

Toni lets out a huffed laugh.

“Can I ask some personal questions first?” She turns to Cage, watching him shrug.

“Go ahead, that just makes me more curious about what this task is…” he laughed.

“How hard is it to find your mate in the Neutral zone?”

He stares at her for a while, trying to understand where the conversation is going, as she resolutely keeps her eyes trained on the packs being released before he finally answers

Tell him or I will force you to

Tyra huffs in Toni’s mind, almost unable to stay calm with her mate so close.

Hush Tyra, I’m getting there, stop distracting me

Toni scolds her wolf, pushing her down further as Cage lets out a sigh and answers.

“For most people, not really.

We mingle with each of the packs in the Neutral Zone regularly, and most packs in Werewolf territory allow us to visit.

With the Mating ball the Royal pack held last year, most that had been waiting a while found mates.

I guess that’s the same for a lot of packs, not just Neutral Zone ones. Why do you ask?

Because if you are after someone to organise a mating ball, then I’m not your man. I suck at that kind of work.” He chuckles lightly at his observation, before glancing over and changing the conversation slightly.

“If you are asking about me personally, when I hit twenty-eight, with no mate in sight, having been to the Mating ball last year, I figured my mate had died and there was no second chance mate.

I don’t know that for sure, but I’m not the only wolf to suffer that fate in the history of wolves, or maybe my mate is human and we just haven’t crossed paths, it’s happened before, but some humans never leave their territory.

That’s the most likely scenario, I guess, and you may, or may not know, that we can’t cross over without a valid reason and searching for mates isn’t an accepted reason.” A small sad sigh escapes his lips.

“If you have a task that requires someone with few ties and no mate to risk, I’m your man.” He smiled, but under his façade, she can see his pain.

“When I shifted, I realised I had found my Erasthai, and it’s been hard pushing that to the side, but with so much else to concentrate on…” She begins slowly.

“It’s your old mate, isn’t it?” Cage ventures.

He feels a pang of resentment, that the Beta should get a second chance mate and a second chance with Toni is painful to him and his wolf.

Not long after they met outside the club, Cage had admitted to Dimitri that both his wolf and he had felt an attraction to her, but Hakan knew she wasn’t his mate. He had been confused, but hopeful about taking a Chosen Mate, until she had come back bearing a mating mark.

Dimitri had, as a friend, done everything he could to send Cage on ‘errands’ to her pack, hoping Cage may have had a chance, deep down he wanted Cage to find a mate, he was a good honourable wolf, but he far preferred strong she-wolves and not the kind who were looking for a protector.

Unfortunately for Cage, it was the latter that threw themselves at his feet.

“Lucky bastard getting a second chance,” he spat out

“No, it’s not, it’s you,”

She blurted out, unable to hide it anymore, but her words stun Cage into silence. She doesn’t hear the increase in his heart rate in her effort to explain.

“But mating with me, and being bitten by me… well, you lose your chance at your wolf’s mate and I don’t know if that’s what you want.

And according to the history records, you will change into a Lycan, so it will rip you from the life you know, so I…”

“Are you kidding me?”

He grabs Toni’s face, forcing them to look at each other and Toni stops hiding her emotions for once, her desire for him shining through.

“No, but all your friends and family, you will see them grow old and die. That’s a heavy burden for anyone to bear.

Plus, there’s a chance people will target you as a Lycan, so I understand if…”

That’s as far as Toni gets before Cage pulls her closer, knowing she must have built walls up to go so long since her shift without acknowledging the bond.

He lets his lips gently caress hers, letting their lingering touch relax her, as he kisses her slowly, savouring the taste and warmth of her lips and the feeling it brings him.

He pulls her body to his, needing to feel her closeness.

She finally feels accepted and whole, more so than she ever felt with Andy. There is something deep inside that feels whole, something she had never felt before.

She embraced and deepens the kiss and time seemed to flow so naturally over them; she didn’t know how long it had been before he pulled away feeling breathless at the revelation, Hakan howling in delight in his mind.

“I don’t care.

Honestly, I felt drawn to you the first time we met, but my wolf was adamant you weren’t my mate, so we didn’t understand the potent feelings he had for your wolf and neither did I.

I was gutted when I saw your mating mark in the club. So throw me every negative side effect you can, but damn well bite me and make me yours.”

Toni and Cage had slipped off away from the others for hours.

As packs slowly got sent back and the excess tents removed, they had stolen six glorious hours together, starting to get to know each other’s bodies and minds in both forms, allowing the bond to grow.

It was the epitome of a whirlwind romance, both painfully aware of the last task they had to complete, hunting down Tane, but for that brief few hours, they celebrated their union in isolation from the rest of their world.

The sun had set as they made their way back, Cage’s arm slung protectively around Toni’s shoulders, bringing her as close to him as he could. They made their way back to the vastly reduced camp.

For the first time in days, Tyra was quiet in Toni’s mind, although Toni was sure that she was bonding with Hakan in her own way.

She had never felt so relaxed, content and happy as she had with just those few stolen hours shared with Cage, she was an open book, nothing hidden and it felt right to her, with Andy she had always held back the truth of who she was.

Karl is the first one to see them return and his face morphs from one of worry as his alpha had disappeared without an escort, to shock, before settling on surprise as his eyes make out the mating mark on Cage’s neck, a sly smile coming to his face.

“Alphas welcome back,” He grins at Toni as the rest of the assembled people turn to look at them.

“Cage you dirty dog, you kept that quiet.” Dimitri roared, making Toni blush.

“I didn’t know, but you knew I had a thing for her for ages, so hush now.”

Toni finds herself crushed beneath her friend James’s arms

“About time you found a decent man Asshole”

He mumbled, hearing a small possessive growl from Cage

“Shut it Cage, I’ve known her since she was eleven. I get permanent hugging rights, so live with it.”

For the next hour, they bask in the closeness of each other and the good wishes of the remaining wolves, all her allies, along with Henry, Susan, Raine and a few others who will join them from Blood Moon.

They aren’t sure when or if Cage will shift, but it’s nice to feel like they are just, for at least this night, living a normal life.

Oh, I saw you, yes you, and as I’ve told you before, some things I won’t and don’t share…

You must remember I’m a strong-willed wolf. It’s been hard enough not acknowledging him initially, but I’ll be dammed before I have to share those private moments with him with you as well!