Maddox POV

"Maddox!" I hear my fathers voice call me over as I slowly make my way to the council area. Our meeting will take place here today as many more alpha from surrounding packs join to discuss me being apart of their alliances.

Jax is beside him as usual and surprisingly Herk isn't here yet. I assumed since I was gracious enough to allow him to stay in my pack for the night he would be the fist to arrive. I don't like him. The way he stared at Everly last night was something I did not miss. At the thought my hands clench but I shake it off. One more day and she'll be mine forever...I'll finally be able to tell her.

"Good morning" I say to them with a small bow of my head

"Good morning Son" my Father smiles at me and it takes me back a moment

"How is Everly feeling, any better?" He asks

"I'm not sure, I didn't want to wake her this morning. She has school" I tell him and he nods

"She'll be a fine Luna no doubt" he smiles like he knows something I don't "making pups as soon as she's of age" he nods

"No...not until she's ready. She'll only be eighteen in two days. She doesn't even know-"

"In just two days?!" My Father booms and Jax takes his arm and mentally tells him to calm down. After a pause he speaks again "well we should get this on with. Where are the other alphas? we should only see the first round of alphas, I'm canceling the ones later in the day. This needs to be a quick meeting. They should be back to their own packs by nightfall"

I'm shocked by his words. I'm surprised he's not forcing me to have them stay for a week and make sure they know every aspect of how accomplished and how good of an alpha his Son is. I can't say that I mind though, I want this over with already.

"Shall we?" Jax says opening the doors but just before I hear one of my border patrol wolves speak to me

"Alpha Maddox three alphas have arrived, we have sent them your way"

"Thank you" I respond and close off the link

"The first round of alphas will be here in a moment" I tell my Father and Jax

"Jax send out a message, telling the remaining alphas that they will have to come another day, including Alpha Caleb and Luna Marcie from last night" my father tells him and he nods, I can handle one group of alphas. I'm thankful the rest of my day after this can be spent with Everly, instead of my father breathing down my neck.

Moments later three large black wolves come out of the forest. They stand tall and proud. Each shift behind a tree and come out fully clothed. They bow towards us and the three of us bow back. They are all tall and muscular but all three different hair colors and facial structures. We introduce ourself and talk for a moment about the packs, two are mated and the other is a young new alpha. We all wait on Herk.

"I've heard he's not one of the most trustworthy alphas around" one of them say and again my feeling about Herk begin to solidify. I know how much my Father likes him and has been allies with his pack for years but the more I hear and see the less I want him.

"Where is he?" I grow angry at the disrespect

"Maybe we should go ahead and start...would you mind if we ate? I'm starving. Maybe your house?" the shortest and youngest of the three say...he seems nervous but I brush it off at him having the smallest pack between all of us

I nod "that's fine" I turn and they all follow me to my home. I feel slightly odd having company, the only people who've been in here is Peter, Lena, and Everly. Nonetheless I welcome them in and show them to my office. Luckily there is enough room for all of us. I bring in some food from the kitchen and between the six of us it's gone almost instantly.

My knee shakes as I become anxious about Herk "this is completely ridiculous! We should have started by now. He's an hour late" this mixed with what happened last night makes me want to find Herk and throw him out of my pack. Even my Father seems irritated. I don't like the idea of him wondering around the pack with Everly at school without me.

"Maybe we should start without him?" The most muscular one says

I nod slowly "I'll send Peter to find him" he should be back from dropping off Everly

I open the mind link to him "Peter I need you to find Herk he's an hour late to the meeting" I don't hear a response but I hear the door open and I stand seeing Herk walk into the room. I close off the mind link. He looks dirty and pissed.

"Glad you could join us" I growl angrily gripping my desk. The other alphas grin.

"Sorry, shall we?" Is all he says

My Father looks at me with a stern look and I take a deep breath and sit down. "Yes"

For the next thirty minutes we discuss the new rules and how I will be as an alpha. They all seem on board with me. Herk sits in the corner completely unbothered by what I'm saying. And the shorter alpha, I forgot his name, is antsy. He keeps smelling the air and looking around, he seems frantic.

"Would you excuse me?" He says suddenly and stands "the restroom?" He asks

"Upstairs on the right" I say and go back to discussing boarder tactics that the other two alphas need advice on.

I hear the door open again and I almost hope it's Everly. I know she's at school but I miss her and I don't want to do this right now. Especially with Herk pissing me off and my Father and Brother looking over my every word and movement- adding their input when they see fit.

Peter walks in looking completely exhausted and pale "everyone this is my beta P-"

He cuts me off and I'm taken by surprised "alpha may I speak to you for a moment" he says in a hurry and my heart drops

They all look at me and I nod with a straight face, slowly standing and walking outside with him. Each step my anxiety grows. "What is it?" I say the moment the door closes

"It's Everly" he says, eyes wide "I'm sorry Maddox-"

"That's Alpha to you" I growl instantly angered at whatever is happening

He bows his head "she never showed up to my house. When I realised what time it was I came over but she was gone! I followed her scent but it completely disappeared on the path I assume she would take to school. I have no idea where she went...I've been looking everywhere for her. She's not at your house or school "

I feel more anger than I ever have in my entire life. I feel as if my whole body will blast up in flames or worse shift and I'll kill Peter. Before I have time to do anything my Father and Brother comes out "what's happened?" He asks

"Everly is missing" Peter says, eyes low

My Father is completely bewildered and Jaxs eyes go wide "what?!" They say together

"We have to get them out, we have to find her right now" my Father says but I continue to stand in place, too angry and afraid to move.

"I'll go get the other alphas" Jax says

He walks into the house and comes out with Herk and two of the other alphas. One still missing. I have to get away from Peter. If I stand here a second longer I'm gonna flip out. I take out my anger on the door as I swing it open and almost break it off the hinges. I storm up the stairs and reach for my bedroom door handle. Ready to grab a pair of clothes and find Everly at any cost. Where the fuck could she be? Why wouldn't she go to Peter? I told her in my letter that Peter would take her. My heart is going a hundred beats a minute as my fear grows. What if Scar got her. My wolves had been following her ever since she left but she slipped past them while they were sleeping and got away. She had stopped in several packs before, we assume thats what she is still doing. My wolves talked to the Alphas once she left but they have no loyalty to me or my pack. I have doubled the boarder patrol and still have some wolves covering her tracks. As for Logan, he has joined with his corrupted mate. I know this would only crush and scare Everly...which is why I haven't told her. I should have captured Logan when I had the chance.

At all these thoughts my heart drops dead into my stomach "Abel!" I say through the mind link to my boarder control leader "has anyone besides the three alphas passed through"

I feel his shock as he answers "no Alpha, only the alphas. There have been no other sightings of any wolves"

I sigh in relief but that only rules out one possibility. I open my door and a shocking sight is before my eyes. The shortest alpha is on my bed holding the pillow Everly lays her beautiful head on. His nose is stuffed into the plush material and his hand is down his pants. His eyes turn to me and he looks wild, pupils huge.

No words can describe the rage I feel in this moment. I growl and the floor shakes beneath me. I feel my body turn fire hot and the bones start the shift. In a second my human form has turned to the large black wolf. I howl loudly and the young alpha jumps up, his lust replaced with pure bleeding fear. I hear foot steps coming up the stairs but my only focus is tearing this man to pieces.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I didn't believe her! But it's true! I couldn't help myself!" I don't even listen to his words all I can see is red and the red that is about to cover this room.

My Father, Brother, and Peter rush into the room and all of them hold up there hands to me. Their mouths moving but I can hardly hear them.

"Maddox stop!" They all scream at different times

"Don't do this!" My Father commands and this time I turn my eyes to him, teeth bared. His eyes are turning black and I can tell he's about to shift and if that happened this place is going to be a mess. I growl loudly but take a step back from the crouched over weak alpha. My Brother goes over to him and grips him up.

I shift back, my body still shaking in anger. Without a word Peter hands me a pair of boxers and shorts. I snatch them and put them on. "What the fuck was that about?!" My Father yells "Jax let him go!" Jax looks to me, totally unfazed by my fathers words, I shake my head. I cringe as I say the actions of what this despicable creature did. All three men look at me in shock.

"Lock him up, we can handle him later" my Father says, wide eyed after a shocked pause

Jax walks out with the shaking alpha. My breathing is still heavy and I fight the urge to follow him and finish what I started. But what did he mean "I didn't believe her" I don't trust myself to go question him in this state. I need to find Everly first. "Don't worry he will be punished for what he did" my Father reassures me, seeming to be almost as mad as me

I turn on my heels and walk out without a word "where are you going?" My Father asks

"To find Everly" I say without turning back, my eyes forward and blank faced. Trying to hide every ounce of fear I have pulsing through me.