The Rogue Alpha

I made my way to the lobby and found my bro, sitting with none other than Sammy Sam. Luna Eleanor was approaching from the other direction.

"There you are!" I called out, making sure his attention was drawn to me.

"Hey, Luna DoJo." He replied, "Glad you could make it. You remember Samantha, right?"

I took Samantha's hand that she was offering. I instantly saw my bro, and was quite relieved. "I'm glad to see you again." I said, "Hopefully my bro, I mean Beta, doesn't let you get away."

"That's what the games are for." Luna Eleanor chimed in. "Speaking of; Beta Mitchell, don't you have something for Luna DoJo?"

"Oh, right." He said, and started 'looking' through his pockets, not hitting the correct one until the fourth. Pulling it out of the inside pocket of his jacket, he handed me the sealed envelope.

Luna Eleanor grinned and stated, "I trust you can get this delivered to Alpha Nolan."

I shrugged my shoulders and told her, "I can try, but he usually finds me, not the other way around."

Alpha Jace approached. At twenty five he was the oldest Alpha in the game, until I invited Alpha Nolan in without thinking. Alpha Jace's eyes are a much deeper blue than mine, his short hair is a darker brown than mine, and it all worked perfectly with his caramel like skin. I hated to think about the trail of broken hearts that would never take him, no matter how much they dreamed.

"Hey, Alpha Jace." I said with a smile.

He stepped around Luna Eleanor, gave my Beta Bro a quick nod of the head, and grabbed me in a hug. "I'm so glad you're here. Some of us are getting together in Alpha Zech's room, trying to make him feel better about not finding a mate yet. You wanna join us?"

I was still recovering from the image that pounced in my head when he hugged me. There were two women. One was Luna Therese. She stood in front of him, and though he could see her, he wasn't happy with what he saw. I could tell he would be happy with the other woman, but it was like he refused to look her way, and I couldn't understand why.

I managed to get enough of what he said to nod my head. I then turned to my bro. "Provided there's no other pack business."

He shook his head and replied, "I'll stick around, call when you're ready to go home."

I gave him a thumbs up. Alpha Jace and I walked away. When we got in the elevator, I waited until the elevator door closed, and then I pulled my arm out of Jace's, hoping it wouldn't offend him, but I had to get the images out of my head. "How much do you know?" I asked anxiously.

"That you can see who someone's mate is." Alpha Jace admitted, "And we're going to test your skill."

"Who all knows?"

"Just the unmated Alphas and the two unmated Lunas you told. Everyone else thinks they're coming to get advice from all the Alphas and Lunas." He explained as he handed me a silver permanent marker. "Each of us will talk to them for a bit and make a mark on a potential mate. You get the silver heart."

"Plans get put into motion pretty fast with you all." I commented with a grin.

"We have so many leaders working on everything: it was bound to be either fast and efficient, or a total mess."

I laughed.

Then there was an awkward silence.

I sighed. "You want to know, don't you?"

"Please."

"I don't think you're going to like what I saw." I warned him gently.

His eyes pleaded.

"You have two choices, one you're willing to look at, but don't like." I inform him, "The other would make you happy, if only you would look at her."

"Tell me who they are and I will look." Alpha Jace assured me.

I smiled softly. "I don't know who they are or I would surely tell you."

"And the one I can see?" He asked sullenly.

"Luna Therese." I answer, and can already see the sadness in his eyes.

I lean in close, knowing the cameras watch, but don't listen. "You may be the only hope to get Luna Therese not to throw her life away with Derek, like her aunt wants, but if you do, you'll throw away your own happiness."

I step back, letting my body language suggest flirting. He smiled at just the right moment. "What should we do about you and me?" He asks, throwing in a wink for the camera.

I shrugged my shoulders. "I'm thinking neither accept nor release each other, leave them guessing."

Alpha Jace grins. "I like your style."

The door opened and I immediately turned and walked out nonchalantly. Alpha Jace calmly walked out behind me. I almost walked directly into Luna Vicki, having to grab her to keep her from falling into Luna Therese. I immediately saw Alpha Lance.

I let go of her, and made a mental note to talk to Alpha Lance later. "I apologise Lunas, I didn't look before I stepped."

"You're forgiven." Luna Vicki replied.

Luna Therese ignored me and turned to Alpha Jace. She grabbed his hand in hers and stated, "I Luna Therese, do hereby accept you, Alpha Jace as my potential mate."

He nodded his head and smiled. "I accept your acceptance, give me just a moment and we can discuss it further."

Luna Therese huffed and dragged Luna Vicki away.

Alpha Jace turned to me and whispered, "Promise me you'll tell me if you find what you saw."

"Only if you promise me you'll look." I whispered back.

"I promise." He mouthed.

"Me too." I mouthed back, praying I could find her that would make him happy, and praying he kept his word if I did.

"Have you accepted anyone yet?" I asked Luna Vicki, as she came towards me the moment Alpha Jace left my side.

She shook her head. Then she explained, "I've been escorting Luna Therese to all of her acceptance formalities."

"She's busy." I pointed out, "And there's Alpha Lance, go get you some guy time."

"He already accepted Luna Therese's offer. She doesn't like it when I accept on the same night." Luna Vicki admitted quietly.

"When you're Luna of your own pack, are you going to call her up to see what your pack should do?"

Luna Vicki shook her head.

"Are you going to let her decide when you can have children, or pups, whatever you call them?" I ask in an angry whisper.

She gets an indignant look on her face.

"Then why let her make your choices now?" I asked her, "Is who you make babies with not as intimate of a choice as when to have them?"

Luna Vicki answered, "I won't, but part of me still wishes it was Alphas' choice."

I chuckled. Then I advised, "Don't think about is he the one, just get to know him. Friend or Mate, we all need to know each other."

"You forgot one." Vicki said quietly.

"One what?" I asked.

"One relationship you need to know." She asserted, "Your foe." She looked directly at the back of Luna Therese's head.

I grinned. "I didn't state it, but I never forget it. In her case: I'm hoping she turns friend when she starts thinking for herself."

"Some who don't deserve power, are happy to have the illusion of it instead, and will fight dirty to keep it." Luna Vicki warns in a tremendously soft whisper.

"And what about you?" I asked.

"I'll definitely count you as a friend of mine." Luna Vicki said with a grin, "If you can arrange a little alone time for me and my favorite Alpha."

I smiled and grabbed her hand with the marker in it. "Just offer to work the room together."

"Great idea!" She exclaimed. Then she was off. By the nod of his head and the smile on his face he was more than happy to accept the invitation.

As she walked away she reminded me, "Only one Mate suggestion per folder, has to be their name on the folder."

My attention was drawn to a group of warrior guys. They were scoring the chicks in their folders. Curious, I grabbed the nearest one by the shoulder. I saw half a dozen girls or so flitting through his mind, like changing the channels because there's nothing good on.

Then I saw another girl, off to the side, scared to approach him. I sensed she could make him happy, so I grabbed his folder out of his friend's hand, made sure I had the right guy, and flipped through until I found her picture. I marked it with a silver heart, and instantly sensed her in the corner of the room.

As I handed him his folder, with her picture on top, I pointed to her and whispered, "Sometimes it just takes the right guy to make a diamond shine."

I took the folder he was holding, took the seat he had been using and looked at the owner of the folder in my hand, who was holding someone else's.

I reach my hand out. When he takes it I see four women flash before my eyes, but then one fights for her spot, takes the others out of the picture. I marked her with a silver heart. She wasn't here, but he knew her.

"This doesn't mean that she's the one." I informed him, "It's just a gut feeling."

I still didn't understand how my wolf was choosing what to show me, much less if I was interpreting it correctly. I definitely wasn't ready to make their decisions off of me alone.

The one to my right offered me his hand. "Can you tell me anything?"

His eyes shone a most sincere gold. I saw a woman very clearly. She's a little younger, and full of spirit. I flipped through the pictures and was sad to see she wasn't there. I wrote him a personal note, letting him know everything I saw about her, including that she wasn't there. I handed him back his folder with a sad smile.

"My turn!" The fourth warrior declared as he grabbed my arm, yanking me to him.

The smell of booze permeated the air around him and I felt suffocated.

The only thing worse: the faces of the sad women, prospects in his mind, no matter who they were; they wanted nothing to do with being his.

I quickly grabbed his folder and wrote on the outside, "NOT READY TO BE MATED!!!"

Then I thrust his folder into his hands.

"Good thing you wanted my opinion so badly, or I might have felt bad for giving it!" I practically screamed at him.

He was instantly the center of attention with no way to hide what I had written. His face told me he now blamed me for any future rejection, or failure in his life. I hated that weight, but I bore it to save those women.

Suddenly there were multiple hands on me. I couldn't sort anything, and was completely overwhelmed. I tried to reach someone, but the room spun, everything went black, and I heard a thud

The next thing I'm aware of is being curled up, willing myself not to puke. I watched my bro and Sammy Sam watching over their children.

Then I saw Alpha Nolan holding me tenderly, protecting me against the world, feeling loved and safe. This I knew: is the future for me.