When Alex was dry and dressed in her standard ware of black tank top and shorts, she knocked on the Alpha's door and entered. The office was large and comfortable with a beautiful view of the pack's surrounding landscape, looking directly at 'Black Mountain' after which the pack was named. Alex sat in one of the brown leather chairs in front of the desk and waited for Ronan to finish his call. He was smiling so she hoped it was good news he was receiving. He hung up the phone and typed something into his computer before pulling out a notebook.

"How's Roy?" He smiled.

"Better than he deserves to be", she answered. "I probably should have hit him a bit harder. Kept him in the hospital for a few days".

"Why didn't you then?"

"He's a great fighter and a good trainer. He just needed a reminder who's the boss. I didn't want to completely humiliate him".

Alex and Ronan laughed.

"Very kind of you", Ronan said, continuing to smirk. "Right, down to business. Are you ok to do a second week in Boston next month? They want the entire building to get the security training from the sounds of it".

"Yes that should be fine. Nolan can lead things here for me while I'm gone. He has really started stepping up the last few months. I think finding his mate really focused his mind which I wasn't expecting".

Nolan was her second in command as well as her best friend. A great leader and an accomplished strategist like her. She respected him greatly and knew he felt the same way about her leadership.

Ronan and Alex spent an enjoyable hour catching up, first discussing more about their business, 'Secure International', exchanging ideas for new innovations and changes to the business strategy as well as a brief look at the sales figures which were at their highest in company history, with conversation inevitably moving to his upcoming mating ceremony. Ronan had met his mate Alice the previous year. Alice was a stunning, dark skinned, hilarious woman originally hailing from a pack in east Texas. Her short stature housed a loud and comedic personality. She was a riot to be around and had become as good as a sister to Alex since her arrival at Black Mountain. Alex loved seeing her brother so happy. Seeing them together reminded her of her own parents. They were easy in each other's company; supporting each other and having so much fun in everything they did. Alex longed to meet her own mate but she didn't hold out much hope anymore. She wondered if he was out there, thinking the same thing or whether he had already passed. It was unusual to meet a mate later on in life, but Ronan happening across Alice's path had briefly given her some renewed hope in the last year. Nowadays she thought about whether she should be thinking about the decision to take a non-fated mate and what that may look like for her. She would have the opportunity to have children of her own and perhaps have a really wonderful life.

Ronan suggested heading downstairs to grab some dinner. Alice met them at the entrance to the pack house dining room, jumping into Ronan's arms. As Alex continued into the hall, she smiled as she heard the couple fawning over each other and the time they had been apart while they had both been working. She shook her head. It was both sweet and nauseating to witness.

Alex sat with her father, Hank, and some of his friends in the huge dining room. There were fifty or so pack members dining at various tables in the hall. Some of the pack house staff were busy resetting tables and bringing out courses of wonderful food. Any pack member was free to eat at the Pack House anytime but those who took up the opportunity the most were usually the single pack members or those who enjoyed varied company and a Michelin star level of meal handed to them each day by the very talented kitchen staff.

Like Alex's father, most of those sitting at their table were retired from their jobs and enjoying a more relaxed lifestyle. Alex ran a bootcamp for the 'mouldy oldies' as she called them, much to their hearty delight, and kept them fit and their skills sharp four times a week. Some of the members who had been widowed over the years, had met a second chance mate in the group, much to the joy of their families and friends. A wolf without a mate lived a much harder and more solitary life. Alex and her brothers had encouraged their father over the years to meet someone new but his heart had never really been in it and he, instead, busied himself in projects and pack work as well as helping to look after his treasured grandchildren. Cain and his mate had produced four beautiful daughters over their 8 years together. They were energetic and brazen, one more mischievous than the last. Alex loved spending time with them and they fawned over Aunty Rex, often following her around while she was on duty or training different groups in the pack.

Alex spent a wonderful hour listening to war stories from her father and his friends. Hank could spin a tale and capture any audience. Alex loved seeing him in his element laughing and joking, to the point of tears leaking from his eyes at the belly laughs some of the memories brought up. She left the dining hall feeling elated. Her wolf started yipping inside her and before she turned in for the night, she stripped down outside her house and shifted.

The breeze ruffled the white fur of her huge wolf. She sniffed the night air, turned towards the forest and started to run.