Page 9 of Destined Mate (Cross Creek Pack of San DeLain)
Chapter Six
Wesley
THE NEXT morning arrived far too quickly, its light filtering through the large windows of Wesley’s cabin. Inside the cozy space, he methodically packed the few belongings essential for his journey to San DeLain.
His fingers brushed over the well-worn leather of his duffel. As he paused, his gaze swept over the room, taking in the rustic wooden walls and the simple furnishings that spoke volumes about his past and hinted at the person he aspired to be.
Each item in the cabin, from the photographs on the shelf to the sturdy chair by the bedroom windows, held stories of his life and dreams. If he were lucky, he’d only return here to get his stuff.
If not, he’d find himself living here once more. In the worst-case scenario—he died—other pack members would inherit his cabin, and the woods would claim him when his family brought him home.
With one last glance at the familiar surroundings, Wesley stepped outside into the warm morning air. The whole damn pack was waiting for him.
Alex and Sissy stood with Wesley’s parents. Duncan and Theo, his two other best friends, were there, along with Keith. And of course, all three had a duffel slung over their shoulders. Wesley should’ve known his best friends wouldn’t let him go on his own.
Keith adjusted the weight of the duffel. “Thought you could use some company.”
Duncan and Theo grinned at Wesley.
Sissy nodded, her curly hair bouncing slightly. “Company, plus someone to keep you out of trouble,” she added with a wink.
Alex stepped up to Wesley and hugged him. “Be careful, brother.”
Next came Sissy, who he had to bend to hug thanks to her enormous belly. He hated missing the birth, but he couldn’t help it. Then his parents hugged him.
Then, of course, the whole pack.
Gratitude for his pack, his loyal friends, and his cherished family welled within him, bringing tears to his eyes. Though his journey was fraught with uncertainties and dangers, the steadfast support of his pack and best friends made it less daunting.
“Welp, looks like the gang’s all here. You ready to answer that summons?” Keith joked.
“I am if you are,” Wesley said.
“What? I mean, we’re just support. You’re the one answering the call.”
Wesley put his arm around Keith’s shoulders. “Indeed I am, but you guys are more than just support. Take you, for instance. You’re a beta, but you’re not just a beta. You’re my head beta. My Right Hand and second in charge. Interested?”
Keith stared at Wesley, open mouth. “For real?”
“For real.” Wesley hugged Keith, then approached his two gamma best friends. “Duncan and Theo, would you be my enforcers?”
“Jeez, of course!”
“Absolutely!”
“That’s settled then,” Wesley said, hugging both of them too.
Wesley had to clear his throat to get rid of the sudden lump there as a sharp pain in his chest faded quickly. That he hadn’t been expecting.
His father let out a soft grunt, a subtle sound that carried the weight of losing four pack members. Wesley turned to him, surprised. He hadn’t anticipated the severing of his own pack bond, but as he thought about it, it made sense—Wesley had just established his own pack.
The bonds he shared with the other three males crystallized, intensifying into something far deeper than mere friendship or strategic pack alliances.
It was as though an invisible thread had woven them together, forming a tapestry of loyalty and kinship that pulsed with newfound strength and purpose.
And they knew it also, if the looks on their faces were anything to go by. The pride and happiness he felt coming back through their link almost sent him to his knees.
His dad’s gaze held a blend of emotions—a deep-seated sadness for the loss was evident, yet intertwined with that was a glimmer of joy, a quiet pride in seeing his son take this monumental step into leadership.
Wesley cleared his throat again. “Okay, you three, load up so we can get this show on the road. As Mom likes to say, daylight’s wasting.”
Laughing, Keith, Duncan, and Theo did as they were told. They threw their bags in the truck’s bed and climbed inside. The engine roared to life when Wesley turned the key, and the pack waved excitedly as he pulled off.
A quick glimpse in the rearview mirror showed his dad standing with his arm around his mother, waving goodbye. It was a memory he would always carry with him.
As they drove away from the familiar landscape of their territory, a sharp feeling of finality struck Wesley. He left behind not just his home, but a part of himself that those woods had nurtured. Ahead lay the promise of new beginnings and a destiny seemingly written for him.
The road to San DeLain was a long and boring drive, but with Keith beside him, cracking jokes one minute and offering shrewd observations the next, Wesley found a comforting rhythm.
They stopped at small towns along the way to get gas or eat, places where no one knew their names, their heritage, or what they were. In each location, they kept a low profile, aware of the importance of not drawing unnecessary attention.
Which was hard to do, he admitted. They were four large, good-looking men.
BY LATE evening, they approached the outskirts of San DeLain. They had a week before the challenge’s scheduled start. The first task would be to check in with the pack here in the city called the Crimson Fangs, and its alpha, Axel Scheffler. That was common courtesy.
Wesley had heard some interesting things about the alpha, like hunters had kidnapped him, a mimic had mimicked him, and, most surprisingly, Axel had ties to the Elder of the daemons of San DeLain.
Once they checked in at the assigned hotel, Wesley called Alpha Scheffler. The conversation was brief, and now the other alpha knew he was in town. Wesley enjoyed the vibe he got from the other werewolf.
If he took over the Cross Creek pack, he would be one of the two alphas in San DeLain, and he wanted a good relationship with his counterpart.
After he ended the conversation and hung up, he noticed Keith watching him. “What?”
“He seems like a good leader,” Keith said. “He’s definitely concerned about who is taking over that other werewolf pack.”
“I got that impression too. Are Duncan and Theo settled in their rooms?”
“Yeah. They should join us in a minute. So, what are we doing now?”
“Let’s get something to eat, and now that I’ve alerted the other alpha I’m in town, let’s go do some exploring.”
“Sounds like a plan,” Keith said as he got up to answer the knock at their hotel room door. “Hey, come on in, you guys.”
Duncan and Theo crowded into the room.
“Nice digs,” Duncan said.
“Anybody hungry?” Theo asked.
Keith snorted. “We were just discussing that. Yes, we’re going to feed you, then explore San DeLain.”
“Nice,” Theo said. “Where are we eating?”
“Well, you have your fancy restaurants, your bar and grills, and hole in the walls. I did a little looking around before I went to bed last night, and honestly? I’m not really in the mood for fancy,” Wesley said.
The other three agreed.
“There’s this place called Rafferty’s I had been looking at, but then I ran across a place called Jonathan’s. Kage Dargan left a review for it. An excellent review. If the Elder of the daemons of San DeLain likes it, I bet we’ll like it.”
“But it’s not fancy, right?” Theo asked.
“I Google mapped did, and I don’t think so,” Wesley said. “It looks like it’s in the older part of the city and kind of a hole in the wall place.”
“That’s perfect,” Keith said. “Those places usually have awesome home-cooked type meals.”
“Let’s head out,” Wesley said.
Keith directed Wesley on where to go, and Wesley was thankful since he didn’t know the city. And sure enough, the restaurant was definitely in the older part of the city. Wesley pulled into the parking lot of a slightly run-down building.
As soon as Wesley stepped out of his truck, the most wonderful scent ever assaulted him. “That’s promising.”
“Got that right,” Theo said, rubbing his hands together. “I swear, my mouth is watering.”
Wesley led the way inside and immediately fell in love. It was like taking a step back in time. The place looked like something from the fifties.
There was a black-and-white checkered floor, a long white counter where people could sit, booths covered in some sort of shiny red material, and a jukebox. A lot of the things in there looked vintage too.
Wesley led them to a booth, and a server stopped by and handed out menus.
“I’m not scenting anything but humans,” Keith whispered. “Staff included.”
Duncan nodded. “Same.”
Wesley looked through the menu. Everything looked scrumptious. “Oh man, they have handmade milkshakes.”
“Did you see their hamburgers?” Duncan asked, checking what a server had on a tray as they walked by. “They’re huge.”
“Do you know how long it’s been since I’ve had a milkshake?” Keith asked. “And yeah, those hamburgers look fantastic. I know what I’m getting.”
Wesley was still chuckling when the server came back, and they ordered enough food to feed a small army. With milkshakes, of course.
After they finished eating, and tipped the hell out of the server, they piled back in the truck and started driving aimlessly around San DeLain.
Wesley had done his research. He knew who the leaders of the city were, and he made a point to drive by the Dominion, which was where Kage and his mate lived. They also drove past Club Nomadic, which was owned by the vampire Raven St. Clair, Master of the City.
The dragons and the gargoyles had territories which were outside the city, so there would be no investigating those areas without running into problems.
He wanted to drive out to the Cross Creek pack, but the Council of Wolves warned everyone to stay away until the challenge date, which bothered Wesley. Why was the pack off limits?
Why couldn’t he go out there and talk to the members and the alpha mate? He didn’t like it, but it wasn’t worth getting eliminated over. Besides, in less than a week, he would get his wish to meet the Cross Creek pack.