Tate

Our three SUVs pulled up to the guard shack at the entrance to Alpha Andrews territory, the SUV in front pulling over to the side allowing the middle SUV carrying my father, Kimber, and I to be the first one to the gate allowing my father to speak to the guards.

Rolling down the window the guard looked at him, "State your business." The guard spoke with ferocity, untrustworthy of the Alpha that has unexpectedly shown up on pack lands.

"I am Alpha Blackwell, I need to speak to your Alpha. It is of great urgency that I am here. " Giving a brief nod the guard went back to the building erected by the gate, picking up the phone.

After several minutes the guard returned, "Alpha Andrews has given his group permission to enter our pack lands. Follow this road straight to the pack house where our Alpha will greet you. Don't stray to other roads. " He issued the warning, a warning I am sure he had given many times.

As we traveled up the road toward the packhouse, a black truck barreling towards us, going at a high rate of speed, dust flying behind it caught my attention. Why would someone leave the pack lands so quickly? But just as quickly as my curiosity came it faded with the annoying shrill of Kimber's voice, "Oh, look the pack house! Isn't it adorable? "

I have come to loathe the sound of Kimber's voice, it is not the sweet angelic voice of Ally. Pushing my annoyance down into the deepest parts of my soul, locking it away I replied, "Yes, very." Our driver pulled to a stop in front of the pack house, my father being the first to climb out followed by myself and then Kimber. Just as we turned to face the packhouse, the Alpha and other pack members came out to greet us.

"Welcome Alpha Blackwell, Future Alpha Blackwell. I'm at Alpha Andrews, but please call me Linc. " He said reaching out his hand, my father extended his greeting. Linc then turned to me and shook my hand. He then introduced us to his Beta and Third.

"Thank you Linc, please call me Carl. This is my son and hey Tate. " My father said, waving his hand in my direction. Then continued, "Next to him is Kimber, his Future Luna." Suddenly a scoff was heard behind Linc, "I'm sorry, is something the matter?" My father questioned.

"Oh, nobody's sorry about something being stuck in my throat." Said a familiar voice behind Linc. Turning to the side Linc pulled someone to his side.

"This is my mate, Luna McKenna." He spoke with great pride, smiling down at her.

"McKenna" Kimber shouted, her eyes bulging out of her head. "How did you manage to snag yourself at Alpha?" she said with disbelief. I yanked on Kimber's arm scowling at her and mouthed 'knock it off'. Letting her know that she was being rude.

"Luna." Responded McKenna. "You may call me Luna." Spoken with finality, Kimber looked as though McKenna had slapped her across the face, stunning her to silence. Thank the Moon Goddess, I am not sure if I could have heard her speak another word tonight. I had reached the limit of my tolerance

Turning my attention back to my father and Linc, I heard Linc say "I want my men to bring your things to your rooms. I hope you don't mind Tate, but you and your future Luna will have to have separate bedrooms. It's custom in our pack that unless you're mated you don't share sleeping quarters. "

Kimber was disgusted, allowing her annoyance to seep through with an eye roll. On the other hand, I was thankful, "No problem at all, Linc. We are happy to abide by Haven Woods traditions while here. "

"Carl, Tate if you would follow me to my office, we can discuss the specifics of your unannounced visit to my territory." Turning his body slightly, he looked at Kimber, "Kimber, one of our house keepers will show you to your room. I imagine you would like to get settled in. Should there be anything you need, please let Luna McKenna know. "

McKenna gave a stiff smile to Kimber, and then spoke, "Marianne."

"Yes, Luna." Said a woman standing behind McKenna.

"Could you please show Kimber to a room on the East side of the house."

"It would be my pleasure, Luna. Miss Kimber please follow me. " The lady I was assuming was Marianne.

As Kimber walked off behind Marianne looking less than pleased, I followed behind Linc, his Beta, and my father toward the west side of the house. Stepping inside the pack house I could smell her, Allison was here or at least had been recently sending a pang of hurt through my heart. Taking in a deep breath to catch as much of her scent as I could I looked around hoping she was there, not seeing her I reluctantly follow my father and Linc.

As we started down the west corridor, Linc stopped suddenly, "Carl this is our Visiting Alpha Suite, this is where you will be staying. Across the hall here," he pointed, "Is our Beta Suite, I imagine that the room will be up to your standards Tate. You will room there."

"These will be perfect." My father spoke. Then Linc continued down the hallway to his office, stopping in front of a Mahogany Door he pulled a key from his pocket and unlocked the door.

"Please take a seat" He said, motioning to the two red leather chairs sat in front of his desk. Linc walking behind his desk and taking a seat, his Beta choosing to stand stoically behind his Alpha on the right. "Now, to what do I owe this pleasure."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Later that night I found I just could not sleep, ever since our meeting with Linc had ended I was turning over the possibility of maybe being able to see Ally. I knew that if McKenna was here, Ally wasn't too far away. For the first time in months my wolf was actually content and not trying to lash out, it was a surreal feeling.

Giving up on sleep I left my room, making my way to the kitchen for a glass of water. Hoping that the change of scenery would help me find some peace so I could finally fall asleep tonight. Opening one cabinet I found snacks, moving on to the next were a bunch of canned and boxed goods. Then a voice behind me spoke, "Glasses are in the cabinet on the right of the sink." I whipped around, startled by McKenna's voice.

"McKenna, hi." I said, "Thank you." And walked over to the indicated cabinet and opened it, pulling out a glass.

"If you are getting a glass of water, I'll take one too." She said, sitting down on the chair that sat at the center island. I just nodded and proceeded to get two glasses of water from the tap and handed her one. I continued to stand opposite McKenna as she studied me, not saying a word.

"She was here." I said. McKenna returned a blank stare to me. "I could smell her scent when I walked in earlier." McKenna didn't say a word, just narrowed her eyes at me, still undecided if she was going to reward me with a reply. After a few more heartbeats I decided I would ask a question that I desperately wanted to know the answer to.

"How is she?" I asked, unsure of myself or if McKenna would even respond.

"Leave her alone, Tate. She is finally in an okay place and she doesn't need you messing it up." She snapped at me, being unforgiving about how things ending between Ally and me. I nodded my head, dropping it in shame.

I looked into her eyes, letting her see the anguish that was still ever present in mine, "I just want to know that she is okay." I hoped that McKenna truly understood that I wish things were different.

"Why did you bring Kimber with you?" She asked, in a cold tone. This is definitely not the McKenna I remember from school, but I guess now that she is a Luna, the mother of the pack she is doing what she feels needs to be done in order to protect them, Ally included.

"I was not given a choice. My father has Kimber come anytime we leave our pack lands." I said, "I am not happy about it either." I finished, letting McKenna know that I was in agreeance with her. I sipped my water and spoke some more, "I want you to know that what Ally thinks happened is not really what happened. I never brought Kimber with me; she was waiting for me when we got to Alpha Ogden's territory."

"Let me stop you right there, Tate." She interrupted me, "It does not matter how things happened, you are just as much to blame, you have allowed them to dictate who you are with, leaving Allison without her mate. You broke her! A mate is not supposed to do that." I felt as though I was being scolded by my mother, which I guess in many ways I deserve. The disgust that she felt for me was evident, "You continue to not choose her, if you did choose her you would have stood up to your father by now and Allison would be the one with you today, not Kimber. You know as much as I do that Kimber is not your intended Luna." Yup, she was definitely scolding me I decided.

Having finished her piece, McKenna rose from her chair, walking to the sink and placing her glass in it. "I am lost without her. When I got her letter, I went insane. I even went to see her mother. After that the first two weeks I stayed in my wolf form, I was a coward, unable to face the truth. I could not handle that she was gone." I paused, and after taking a sip of my water continued, "Once I was able to find the courage to go back to the pack house, I was so distraught that my father had me sent to the hospital, I wasn't eating or drinking. I had destroyed my room, Markus and Lukas refused to speak to me. I lost myself, I lost everything that I ever cared about." I spoke so quietly I wasn't sure if McKenna had heard me, but then she turned around, looking at me and sighed letting me know that she had heard every word.

I took this as my chance to continue, "After a couple more weeks in the hospital, I was finally able pull myself out of my depression, some what but that was only due to my father threatening my Future Alpha title. And now here I am, standing here broken, a shell of the person I once was." I wanted to tell her how much I wanted and needed Ally, but I didn't think that it would change her opinions of me, so I stayed silent on that.

McKenna was unforgiving, cold "Good, you should be broken, lost. You should be the one feeling worthless, not Allison. You are a coward Tate Blackwell; you and Kimber deserve each other."

"You don't understand, McKenna." I was pleading with her to hear me out, "My father will not give me the Alpha title unless I agree to have Kimber as my Luna. I have to do this for the pack, I have to think of them!"

"All I am hearing are excuses Tate. Maybe one day you will grow a set of balls and wolf up. Allison is a good person, with a big heart and deserves someone better than you. She would be the best Luna. Any pack would be better just from her being part of it. But you are either just too naïve or stupid to see it." The venom and fire in her voice slashed me to the core of my heart. There was nothing that I could ever do or say to make this right, I was never going to get McKenna to see my side. I didn't fault her for the anger that she was lashing out at me with.

I asked the question, not really wanting to know the answer, but deep down needed to hear the truth, "Has she found someone?" At finishing that question the pain lancing through me was nothing that I could swallow down, and a few hot tears escaped my eyes.

"She has met someone, that I want her to be with. Someone that I think she could be happy with and love, if she would let herself. I know this person adores her but won't do anything about it because she is still nursing a broken heart. However, I don't think she has realized this yet. For now, they are friends."

I dropped my head, hanging it in shame. Feeling ever bit the failure that I am, "I am sorry. I never deserved someone as great as Ally." More tears escaped my eyes, this time I didn't bother to wipe them away.

"You are right, you didn't, and I am not sure you ever will." With that McKenna left me standing in the kitchen, alone.

Sulking back to my quarters I sank into my bed, my emotions all over the place. Finally letting the pain consume me as I thoughts of Ally and how things were and how things should be. I don't know how long I laid their staring at the ceiling, but finally exhaustion pulled me into her sweet grasp, and the darkness claimed me.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The next morning, I woke to someone tearing through the corridors of the pack house, it was still early in the morning, the clock reading 6am. Curiosity of what was going on pulled me from my room, as I walked toward the sound of the crashing furniture, I saw a man similar in build to Linc, sharing the same eyes and haircut. Instantly I realized that this was probably Linc's brother.

"...Don't tell me to calm down, Linc! Do you know what happened? It is unforgivable!" Crash, a glass shattered against the wall.

"ENOUGH!" Linc bellowed, enough to get me to slink back toward the hallway where I came from. I didn't want to alert them to my presence as it felt like I as intruding on a family matter, yet I couldn't tear myself away from what I was witnessing, "I do know, and I agree with you. But right now, you need to go and calm down brother. This is not the time nor the place to be having this discussion."

Walking to the door the guy yelled back to Linc, "Calm down! You want me to calm down? How rich!" He yelled at him, Linc didn't react to this disrespect, which I found a bit puzzling, he was the Alpha he should not be tolerating such behavior from a pack member. Before stalking over to the door, he looked at Linc and seethed, "It should be them, not her." Slamming the door behind him, shaking the walls of the house. The sound of the wood splintering from the force the door was slammed with and the following silence pack members started making their way out of their rooms to see what had just happened, my father and Kimber included.

Linc looked around the destroyed room and to all the eyes staring at him, "My apologies everyone, we had a slight family disagreement this morning. Everything is now handled, you can go about your day."

As if on queue McKenna strolled in, "Good Morning everyone! I hope you all slept well. Could I please get some volunteers to help get this cleaned up?" Glaring at me from the corner of her eye, I somehow knew that this 'family disagreement' had to do with me.

Instantly a few people jumped at the chance to help McKenna start cleaning the areas that had been devastated by the unknown assailant that had destroyed the pack house. Kimber chose then to walk toward McKenna, who was currently helping her pack members clean up the mess.

"Luna" she said with attitude.

"Morning Kimber." She responded with fake enthusiasm.

"When will breakfast be served?" She asked. "I am positively famished." Adding her flare for drama at the end.

"Actually, I was just going to come find you before this mess distracted me." Waving around to the mess in the living room. "I was wondering if you might be able to help in the kitchen with preparing breakfast." She said this as a request rather than a question.

"Don't you have Omega's for that?" Kimber responded with disgust in having been asked to do anything. In our pack she never had to lift a finger, honestly, she was a lazy, dirty person.

"Oh, well you see Kimber, in our pack we ask that everyone, guests included help in the daily tasks. We find that it brings the pack together as a whole and fosters community and a sense of belonging." McKenna stated, giving no room for Kimber to argue.

Yet, Kimber always tried to argue, "But..."

"Kimber, you were asked by Luna McKenna to help. It is expected of us that we behave in accordance with pack laws and traditions while we are visiting another territory. Do as you have been asked." I heard my father command from behind me.

Kimber dropped her head in submission, "Yes, Alpha." And then addressed McKenna, "My apologies Luna, I will go help in the kitchen." She bared her neck to McKenna as a sign of respect and acknowledgment of her position with a grimace of irritation showing on her face, before heading to the kitchen to help the people that were already busying themselves with morning preparations.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

After our morning meal, I returned to my room to shower and properly dress for the day. We would be leaving Alpha Andrews' pack lands today, after concluding our business with a visit to a former pack member, which is the reason that we had come.

As I was walking out with my bag in my hand, I came across McKenna. It seemed as though she was waiting for me to appear from my room, "McKenna." I bowed my head slightly to her.

She simply studied me as if there was something that she wanted to say but couldn't find the words. Then I heard Linc calling for McKenna from the stairs, "Kenz! Where are you?"

Walking away without saying anything she called to her mate, "Over here Linc. Just making sure that our guests were all set." To which Linc smiled at her with the same love and adoration that McKenna gave to him. I was instantly jealous, I wanted that. I could have had that, but now I didn't.

Looking away from the scene in front of me I walked out the front door, down the steps, and to the waiting vehicle that would be taking us on to our next stop. Linc and McKenna along with the Beta and Third were standing on the outside stairs saying their good byes to us.

Kimber walked up behind me, snaking her arms around my back, pressing her front to my back. "Hey babe. I missed you last night." She whispered in my ear making me cringe.

"I bet you did." I said flatly, not wishing to have this conversation. I pulled her arms off me and said, "Get in the car Kimber." I then got into the back seat of the SUV and shut the door.

I assume that Kimber and my father both sensed that I needed some time to myself, because they both climbed into the lead SUV instead of the one that I was now sitting in. The driver started the SUV and as we pulled away from the pack house. As we pulled from the driveway, I sank into my own mind, fighting with myself about what I wanted versus what my reality was. I now realized that my life was not my own, it was in fact owned by my father and to the duty of my pack. I then resolved myself to stop fighting against everything. I needed to let Ally go, I needed to prepare myself to take over as Alpha. To take Kimber as my Mate and Luna, whether I wanted to or not.

Staring out the window, I caught a glimpse of McKenna in the sideview mirror, just before we were out of sight. Straightening my shoulders, so I was no longer slouched over, I whispered, "Good bye my sweet Ally. I will forever love and cherish our time together." I allowed one final tear to drop down my face and then I wiped it away, locking my feelings and dreams of being with Ally away, finally realizing that dreams were the only thing that I had left of her.