Page 17 of A Luna's Revenge (Stone Mountain Shifters)
Jenson
Stone Mountain City is a vast metropolis similar to New York City in the human world. The most significant difference is that we have a much smaller crime rate per capita. But mainly because we have our Alpha Commander. He is in charge of all the packs in this territory. He has the power to control all wolves, including Alphas.
Each pack is self-governing, and the Alpha is free to run his pack as he sees fit as long as he follows the territory laws mandated by the Alpha Commander. These laws protect everyone's freedom. However, the pack handles most legal matters unless you commit an infraction against those higher territory laws.
Fated mate bonds fall under the territory laws because it’s rare for pups to be born outside fated mate unions. Therefore, due to population decline, fated mate bond tampering is a serious crime. The goddess creates these pairings, and you will receive many blessings for accepting them.
Alternatively, you will also receive condemnation for unjustly rejecting your fated mate. Everyone is free to choose who they mate; rejection is legal.
For this reason, Alpha Commander has developed a task force. It consists of Alpha Blake Collins, Alpha Devon Wright, and myself. We also have a couple of our lead enforcers, Enforcer Orson, Enforcer Hill, and Enforcer Fillion.
Our assignment is to investigate the nuances of the crime andprosecute the recent perpetrators. We are also directed to determine how to prevent future occurrences.
We decided to meet at Stone Mountain City headquarters this morning. I’ve been advised that the rest of the Alphas are meeting here today with a new tech company that has developed facial recognition software. This latest innovation will help us keep our lands safe.
I enter Stone Mountain City Headquarters and am immediately overcome with an odd feeling. It’s similar to the mate bond I shared with Charlie but different; it’soverly protective and familial.
For the first time in almost a year, I feel the stirrings of my wolf, Asher. He raises his head from the darkness in my mind and shakes out his fur. Whining, he sinks back into oblivion. I lose my balance momentarily, grasping at theairandattempting to remain standing.
One of the five security enforcers approaches. "You all right, Alpha?" This building has one of the tightest security teams in the city.
I steady myself. "Yeah. I just lost my balance there for a moment. Thanks." I scan my ID card and head straight to the elevator bank. Since it’s still early, there isn't a lot of foot traffic yet. The doors open as soon as I press the up button. Selecting the 12th floor, the doors close, and I am on my way to the top floor where the conference rooms are, as well as the Alpha Commander's office.
Once alone inside the elevators, I lean against the wall, gasping for air. What is happening to me? That eerie echo of the mate bond surges as the elevator ascends. I feel off. Or maybe I feel normal for the first time in a long while. The weak stirrings from Asher make me hopeful. Is my wolf finally waking up?
Exiting the elevator, there is signage before me.
This building is enormous, and the two conference rooms are on entirely different sides of the building. I wouldn't have all the Alphas in one place simultaneously, but security is high here. No safer place to be than here. That makes sense because theAlpha Commander is the authority over us all. Kidnapping him could bring our entire territory to its knees.
I turn leftbutfeel a pull to the right, almost like an itch I can't scratch. My body rebels, trying to turn right. This is disarming. I am off-kilter. I force myself to the left and continue down the corridor.
Coming to the last conference room, I enter. I am not the first here, as my Beta Ben sits at the conference table talking on the cell phone.
"Great news, Aiden. Keep up the good work." Aiden is our Gamma and Ben's brother. They are the best team an Alpha could have. He disconnects the call as I approach. "That was Aiden. He says all is quiet on the home front."
"Good to hear." I nod, place my hologram device on the table, and lean back in my chair. Raking my hand across my face so roughly, I can almost feel theskin peeling off. "I don't know what is wrong with me," I say as I move to rub my sternum. "I don't know if I have a rash or what. I have an itchy feeling that won't stop." He eyes me warily. "Good news though, I felt my wolf stir a few minutes ago. He may be reviving."
"That is good news," he says. "Uh-listen. I heard some of the enforcers talking downstairs. They were talking about a gorgeous silver-haired she-wolf that came in earlier to hold that tech conference down the hall." I eye him in confusion. "They said she is a mastermind in the tech world, the one who developed the facial recognition software."
"Your point?" I quiz.
"They called her Charlie."
My brain malfunctions. "What did you say?"
"You heard me right."
Dazed, I stand and shoot out the door. Rounding the corridor, I approach another conference room, and I feel that itchy sensation becoming more frantic, pulling from the other side of that door.
Hearing voices inside, I slam the door back in time to see Charlie standing from the conference table. "It's true!" I gasp.
Charlie
Oh, my goddess, it's Jenson! "Jenson," I whisper. I notice he doesn't look so good. He is paler and thinner than I remember, but his hair has returned to its regular length.
"Charlie!" He chokes out as he reaches for me.
"What's going on here?" Alpha Stone exclaims.
"That's my wife."
"Ex-wife." I correct.
He eyes me up and down, pausing at my stomach. "Wow. You sure work fast. You must have been pregnant when you left." He sneers. "Who's the father?"
"What?" I am in shock. He gets another she-wolf pregnant and then dares ask me who's the father of our pup. I feel a murderous rage. He is lucky I can't shift because Lana is ready to slice and dice his junk off. My claws come out as I reach for Jenson.
“What? Were you taking birth control before?”
I look around at the Alphas surrounding the table, staring at us in shock. How dare he make such an accusation in front of all these males.
A loud, explosive shock wave suddenly rips through the air. The building quakes and leans a bit. A massive plume of dust engulfs the room. Choking for air, I am knocked to the ground. Roland rushes to me. "We need to get you out of here." I can barely hear him for the alarms that are piercing the air.
As the building trembles, he lifts me in his arms and tears out the door. Luckily, emergency stairs lead out next to the conference room since we are at the end of the hall. Roland pushes the bar on the door, and more alarms blare.
The dust cloud is thick in the emergency stairwell, too. But I can now smell smoke as well. I vaguely make out that other people are following us down the stairs. As we continue down, the smoke gets thicker, and I choke on the fumes. The sprinkler system finally engages, and we are quickly becoming soaked.
I grip Roland tighter around his neck and dig my face into his coat in an effort to draw in a clean breath. Finally, we make it to the ground floor. We exit the building, but Roland keeps running to the park across the street. As Roland sits me on a bench, we look up to see that a massive chunk of the building is missing as it sags to the side.
It’s utter chaos. Ambulances and fire trucks begin to arrive. Coughing and choking to breathe, I feel horrible pain in my lower back. I lean forward, screaming as a gush of water soaks the front of my skirt and legs. "Goddess, Roland. My water just broke."
Without missing a beat, he rushes me to the nearest ambulance. "We need help." He yells. "She's in labor. She has inhaled a lot of smoke."
A burly EMT rushes up. "Let's lay her on the stretcher." He and Roland manage to help me lie down. I am writhing in pain and can't seem to manage a full breath. The EMT lays me back gently and straps an oxygen mask to my face. "Breathe deeply,"he says. "Shhh. Relax, ma’am. You are safe." He doesn't skip a beat but continues to connect wires and leads to my chest and stomach. The monitors come to life, and we can hear the racing heartbeats of both my pup and me. "Take deep breaths, for the pup." He goes to the back door of the ambulance and shouts. "Rex, we need to transport. Female in labor." After closing the doors, he places a blood pressure cuff on my arm and continues his ministrations.
I feel the vehicle shift as his partner climbs in the front and puts the ambulance in drive. Through the window, I watch Roland, disheveled and panting, as he turns to look up at the chaos of the burning building. My eyes stay on him until we turn down the street toward the hospital, and he disappears from view.