~~

Reece

~~

"Alpha!" I heard someone shout in the dream, causing me to jerk awake with a start. That was when I noticed the knocking at my door. "Alpha, it is time for you to rise, it is nearly noon." I could hear my assistant, Noah, calling to me from the other side of the door.

"Fine." I growled at him as I got out of bed. I hurriedly washed my face and dressed for the day.

Once I was ready and left my room, Noah was there waiting for me.

"You have missed several appointments already this morning." He informed me.

"It's Sunday." I grumbled.

"You're a busy man, busy men never have a day off." He informed me in his straight-laced uptight tone of voice.

"Is that why I have to see your ugly mug every day?" I asked him with a laugh.

"Laugh it up Reece, but if I wasn't here half of your work would never get done." He growled, dropping his butler voice.

"I never have you do my work for me." I growled at him.

"I never said you did, but if I weren't here, then there would be no one to make you do your own work."

"Fair point." I smiled at his words, like I said, he was the only one I had met capable of being my assistant. He made sure everything in the pack got done properly, and he was one of my best friends. One of the only people I could ever truly be myself around.

"The elders have been hounding me all morning about what happened last night. And there were several important phone calls you were supposed to take. I handled them myself as they were not beyond my ability, but honestly, you really should have been ready for work much sooner."

"Then why did you let me sleep so long?" I asked him, annoyed.

"I simply didn't have the time to come and wake you myself until now. And the ladies on the staff were too afraid to do so on their own. Apparently, you were so angry last night they didn't know if you would take it out on them for disturbing you this morning." Noah was not so politely telling me that I had lost my shit, and everyone was now walking on eggshells afraid that I would snap at them or on them, literally biting them.

"I managed to get mostly calmed down before bed. But I have to admit, I am glad you woke me, I was having a crazy dream."

"Crazy good or crazy bad." He asked, wiggling his brows.

"If it was the good kind, I wouldn't be happy you woke me up."

"There is such a thing as too much of a good thing. But I don't think you've ever experienced that, you minimalist." He sneered at me playfully. I just growled at him in response.

"Growl all you want Cujo, we have work to do."

"What's the top of the list?" I asked him.

"The meeting with the Elders." He smirked, pushing open my office door, revealing the five old men sitting in the various chairs and sofas. I growled low in the back of my throat. "They're your problem now." He said as he walked into my office ahead of me. "Sorry to keep you gentlemen waiting, the Alpha is ready for his meeting with you all." I glared at the back of his head, wishing I could rip it off in that moment.

The Elders were used to being treated as the top priority, so they had not taken kindly to being pushed aside the night before and made to wait this morning.

"Sorry gentlemen, I had a late night and overslept. My assistant was kind enough to finally come and rouse me from my slumber just recently."

"This is all very unlike you, Reece my boy." Frederick, the oldest of the Elders and my great uncle said sounding concerned. "Is everything alright.

"Everything is fine, I assure you." I gave them a placating smile.

"What happened last night boy?" Oswald, second oldest and my least favorite Elder demanded.

"My, I thought you knew, but the Harvest Moon Gathering was last night." I told him.

"That's not what I meant, and you know it." He growled at me. "I meant, why did you end the party early and demand that everyone was to leave?"

"Ah, well, that is a bit complicated." I grumbled trying to avoid the subject.

"Complicated how?" Michael asked me firmly. He made it clear they were not going anywhere unless I answered them or made them leave. I truly didn't want to make five old me leave by force, so I had no choice but to answer them.

"I believe I found my mate." I told them, making it sound simple.

"That is wonderful."

"Congratulations boy."

"Excellent son."

"This is cause for celebration."

"You should be overjoyed." They all congratulated me at once. The cacophony of voices mixed together just made my head hurt.

"It's not that simple." I told them.

"What's not simple?" Michael asked me skeptically.

"But don't you know everyone in the pack by face at least?" Michael asked me.

"I didn't see her face. There were things obstructing my line of sight, and unfortunately she ran away with her friends before I could catch her."

"How did she manage to run away from you?" Noah scoffed.

"That gaggle of giggling she-wolves that you all insisted I spend the entire night with surrounded me as soon as they saw me come back from the forest."

"Was she among that group? We can track her down that way." Oswald seemed hopeful.

"Of course she wasn't, all the girls last night were shallow and had no self-respect. They smelled of greed and manipulation."

"Then where did you meet this girl?" Michael asked me.