Chapter 1

"Alpha, I've the paperwork for the new transfers. Do you want me to file them?" Zack rubbed his knuckles wearily, stretched his legs, and heard the howl of his wolf. He wanted to go for a jog. "Go ahead." Zack sighed and pinched the area between his eyebrows. His beta raised an eyebrow at his ragged appearance. There was no doubt that Zack looked like he'd aged twenty years. He needed a break. Urgently. Suddenly the door slammed open again and his Gamma pranced in as if he owned his office. Zack growled softly at him, he rolled his eyes and jumped excitedly onto the couch. "I hear we're going to the Moonstone Pack?" Chance rushed out and pressed himself excitedly into one of the cushions. Reece exchanged a glance with Zack and went back to the filing cabinet. They both knew he was more excited about possibly finding his mate than discussing rogues. "This is us," Zack said slowly, straightening up in his seat. Chance grinned. "I hear the Alpha's daughter is hot. Like, really hot." "I hear she's a spoiled brat," Reece spoke up, slamming the filing cabinet shut. Zack's wolf growled in his head, but Zack ignored him. He was getting on his nerves with his growling. "It doesn't matter what she's. We're just here for business." Zack said in a firm voice, emphasizing the word 'business'. "Hey, don't growl at me. Dickson's already getting upset downstairs because he wants to screw her." muttered Chance, giving Zack an innocent look. His wolf growled louder and he snorted. "Listen, my wolf is really pissed off. The last thing we need is Alpha Nathan reneging on our agreement because some moron couldn't keep it in his pants." The two raised their hands defensively. "Zack, we're all still virgins out here, except Dickson of course. You know that. We just want our mates." said Reece emphatically. Chance nodded in agreement. "We're as virginal as the Virgin Mary." His wolf growled even louder, giving him a throbbing headache. Zack glared at him, trying to keep his anger under control. "And you're going to be a Bloody Mary if you don't get out of my damn office right now!" Instead of wetting his pants and running off like a normal wolf, Chance chuckled and shook his head, "You need to get laid." Zack grabbed his stapler and threw it at him, forcing him to take cover. The stapler landed on the carpet with a soft thud and Chance stood up. "Ugh, don't let up, Zack." Zack's wolf growled and Chance rolled his eyes. "Fuck off, Zack, maybe you'll be in a better mood tomorrow." Zack rose from his chair and growled at his disrespect. Best friend or not, he demanded respect from all wolves. As Chance left the room, Zack sighed and slumped back in his chair. He needed to get this meeting over with quickly before he start murdering innocent people. "Son?" His head popped up and a warm smile formed on his face. "Hey Dad." He stepped into his old office and looked around approvingly. When his eyes fell on Zack again, he beamed and walked toward his seat. "Well, you didn't strangle Chance, so that's progress," he said, winking mischievously at Zack. Zack rolled his eyes and stood up to hug him. He patted him on the back of the head while Zack leaned against his shoulder, enjoying the reassuring feeling. "You seem tense, son." A sigh escaped Zack's lips, whereupon he pulled back and rubbed his temples. "My wolf is killing me, Dad." "Really?" he leaned against his desk and tapped the wood appreciatively, "Good oak." "He's so restless. I don't know what's wrong." Zack groaned as his wolf marched back and forth in his head. His father watched his face for a while, "Maybe he's restless because you're about to find your mate." "I hope not," Zack exhaled slowly as the throbbing got worse. After working so hard to make this pack the most powerful in the nation, Zack didn't want a mate to ruin that. He couldn't have any distractions or weaknesses. "Your mother really wants grandchildren, Zack." Zack raised an eyebrow. "What about you?" He leaned against the desk and crossed his arms. "Me too, but you need to find your mate first. You need a Luna." "I'll be fine without her, Dad," Zack huffed, sitting back down and shuffling some papers back and forth. It was true, though - he was doing fine on his own. If he'd a Luna, the most she could do was look pretty on his arm. He already had too much on his plate and a relationship would just be too much of a good thing. "There are some things a Luna can do that an Alpha can't, son. You can't be the motherly figure the pack needs you to be and make logical decisions when you're stressed. The reason your mother and I did so well was because we made decisions together. We complemented each other. You need that balance when you're leading the pack. It's a two-person job, son." Zack pursed his lips at his words. His wolf, on the other hand, agreed with his father and began running back and forth in his head again. Zack groaned softly. As much as he didn't want to admit it, what his father said was true. There were some things he couldn't do, like be caring and loving, and his pack needed that. "Well," Zack said, "but I've some expectations for my 'Luna'." His father's eyebrows rose. "What kind?" Zack bit his lip and considered what his mate should be like. "She must be strong and able to fight on her own. She's to have a good heart and have only the best in mind for the pack, and she's to be smart. I don't want a stupid tramp on my arm." "Son, you can't judge a person's intelligence by the color of their hair. That's hairy." Zack gave him a blank look. "You know what I mean. I just don't want a partner who's stupid." He rolled his eyes and glared at Zack. "And your list is stupid. She's not supposed to be perfect, son. You're supposed to accept her as she's. After all, you're not perfect either. So get off your high horse and think about your actions, because it's going to really hurt someone else." 'He's right.' Great, even his wolf was against him. Zack sighed, not wanting to argue with him. "Yeah, Dad." "Good," he said cheerfully, "now go to bed. You've got a long trip tomorrow. And when you get back from this meeting, you're going to start looking for your mate." Zack nodded and hugged him again before getting back to work. As Zack rummaged through the papers, he came across a list of packs that his mother had given him. She'd explained to him that these were the packs with the most unmated females, so his mate would certainly be in one of them. His lips twisted into a smile. He might as well start looking as soon as he get back. But he didn't want pups, after all. 'I like puppies and I like the process of making them.' Zack screwed up his face at his wolf's horniness. He was definitely driving Zack crazy with his lustful thoughts.