The Headmaster Alpha's Mate
The Headmaster Alpha’s Mate Chapter 62

Rolling his aching shoulders and moving his neck side to side, Zander glanced over to the sofa where Chloe had passed out from exhaustion. Standing up, he walked over to where his mate lay, placing the throw she had kicked off her legs gently back over her body once more. Her sleep was restless at best, a small furrow on her brow indicated that even in sleep she was concerned about what was to come. Crouching down, he looked at his mate, she was so beautiful, and laid there sleeping, she appeared even younger than her 18 years. All Zander had wanted was for her to enjoy her teenage years, but fate had a different plan, and now she carried the weight of the world on her young shoulders. She had matured so much in the months since he first found her, taking everything in her stride and dealing with everything she had found out about herself like a rock star. Gone was the care-free, rebellious teenager, and in her place was a woman, a Luna, and a princess, and a pang of regret pierced Zander’s heart, for the loss of her youthful ways.

Walking back to his desk, Zander picked up the phone once more, and rang Alpha Liam of the Northumberland pack, another ally, to tell their story to, in the hope that they would stand with them, or abstain from any upcoming attacks that may come from some of the council members and those packs fearful of being ruled by a Royal family once more.

The others had all gone to bed some hours ago. Zander had ordered them out, despite their protests, but he needed them to be rested. However, he himself could not rest, sleep would evade him even if he attempted it. As the phone line began to ring, he took a breath.

“Alpha Zander, is everything okay?” Alpha Liam asked.

Zander looked at the clock on the side of his computer screen, 4:05, and let out a breath.

“Yes, and No, Alpha Liam. I am sorry to ring you at this hour, but I wanted to inform you and speak with you before tomorrow, or should I say today, about something important. Could you possibly go to your office and onto the secure line please?” Zander began.

“You have my attention, I will call you back when I get there.” Liam stated before hanging up the phone.

A few minutes later, Zander’s phone began to ring and he picked it up immediately.

“Okay, I am in my office, this line is secure.” Liam stated, his voice still slightly gruff from sleep.

“Liam, this concerns all of us, but it is about my mate,” Zander began, letting out a breath. He had told this story to many of his allied packs, all of which said they understood and would stand with them. Two of them, however ,Faith had declared were not to be trusted, the Tynedale Pack and Jorvick Pack.

“My mate turned 18 on the 28th of June. I was made aware almost as soon as we met. Her human parents had been childless, but a relative had been a human mate of a wolf from the Berwick pack. They were rejected and took refuge and became members of the Royal pack. Ida, my mate’s ‘aunt’, was the most trusted servant and friend of Queen Rebecca. The late queen had a child, in secret, and Ida took the child to her human sister and brother-in-law. They took the child in as their own, and changed the date of her birth to avoid suspicion.That child is my mate.” Zander paused, waiting for Liam’s reaction.

“So why are you coming to us now with this information?” Liam asked, his tone unreadable.

“Chloe’s wolf was dormant, so much so even Caesar could not detect her at first. My mate did not know anything about her heritage. Her human parents believed she would not shift or have access to her wolf until she mated and marked. They kept her in the dark hoping she would never meet me, but she did. The information they believed was not entirely true. Sheba became stronger the more time we spent together, but a prophetess who worked with the King and Queen informed us that she would shift once she knew herself and when Chloe needed her wolf the most. We kept her identity a secret, to buy more time, and to keep her safe. However, there was a rogue attack on the school, and during the attack, Chloe finally shifted. Only then did we mate and mark. However, her wolf is pure purple apart from the black tip on the end of her tail, and before she killed the rogue, it had mind linked to the leader of the rogues. That leader is the one I believe, is gathering rogues with a promise to integrate them back into packs or form their own and gift them lands, as long as they agree to attack my pack. It seems that the leader is a member of the council, and already rumours are surfacing. We are left with no choice but to announce her lineage tonight at her Luna ceremony. We were going to try and keep the secret a little longer, to postpone the war that will surely come, but that is now impossible. As my ally and my friend, I wanted to inform you, before we announce who Chloe is to my pack, as I know the council have spies everywhere, so by this time tomorrow they will all know who my mate is.” Zander waited, as Liam sat in silence at the other end of the phone.

For a few seconds that felt like hours, only the sound of the crackling of the phone line could be heard, and Zander held his breath.

“Zander, you have my word as your friend and ally that we will support you and our queen. Too long has the council run things under the pretence of democracy. When the facts are, they crave power, we had a better democracy and more say and input under royal rule. As you know, my parents also died defending the King and Queen. I will not let their sacrifice be for nothing. You have my support, and I pledge my allegiance to you as my King and your mate as my Queen. What do you need from us now?” Liam asked.

“My ambassadors are returning to the council, to try and gain support from some of the members, who had once supported the old King and Queen. if you could have your ambassadors support them, Middleton Valley, Wearside Pack, Haswell Pack and Bilton Pack have all sworn to stand with us and accept Chloe as their queen. Tynedale and Jorvick also swore, but Faith discerned that they were not to be trusted.” Zander informed him.

“Yes, your ambassador has unrivaled powers of discernment. You are lucky to have her. You have our support, Zander, I will bring almost all of my warriors with me to the Interpack games, to strengthen your numbers,leaving a few behind to protect those who are too young or old to make the journey. This will increase your numbers should the council make a rash decision. Also, I will have my ambassadors keep me informed if they gain any information on their decisions. I will see you in a few days, Zander. My King.” Liam stated, and Zander let out a breath of relief.

Chloe stirred on the sofa, blinking her eyes open, then rubbing them with the back of her hand, before sitting up and looking over to her mate.

“Hey, have you not slept?” she asked, filled with concern. Zander needed rest, and she could feel how tired he was through the bond.

“Not yet, I have two more packs to speak with, then I can go get a couple of hours’ rest. We have support from everyone, other than the two Faith discerned were not to be trusted. That is 7 out of the 12 packs, 8 if you count Silver Crescent with two more to speak with.” Zander smiled, desperate to reassure his mate.

“Good, do you think the two that remain will pledge allegiance to us?” Chloe asked.

“Doubtful, if I am honest, they are not in an alliance with us, but we are on friendly terms. Because they are located on small islands off our coast, they like to keep themselves to themselves. All I can hope is that they will not support the packs that will wage war and remain completely neutral.” Zander sighed.

“So, they are the werewolf version of Switzerland?” Chloe asked.

Zander smiled and nodded, then once again picked up his telephone.

As Zander had predicted, both Ronsay pack and the Shetland pack said they would not stand with him, nor would they stand against them. It was the best he could have hoped for. Gathering Chloe up into his arms, he carried her to their bedroom, and lay down on the bed beside her. The time was not 6 am and already the pack house was buzzing with activity as the pack members all began the preparations for the ceremony later that night.

“We have a lot to do, and for the rest of the day I want us to celebrate you and Nicki, not concern ourselves with everything else. So, we will sleep for four hours, then get up and start your special day.” Zander told Chloe, pulling her onto his chest, allowing her scent and presence to calm his racing mind.

Chloe sighed, as she once again fell to sleep, and the same dream that played on repeat began once more.

Chloe stood on the stage, hand in hand with Zander, Nicki with Josh, she voiced her Luna oath, then as the clouds parted in the sky revealing the New Moon, she shifted then stood with Caesar by her side, Jerry stood with Nicki, and the pack all let out a collective howl. In the distance, something caught her eye, a figure running away from the pack, his face hidden from view, and the feeling of betrayal and heartache hit her heart. Although the face was hidden, there was something familiar about the man, and Sheba immediately began to chase, only when she caught up with him. As the unknown man turned around, once again Chloe awoke, never seeing the face of the one who would betray them.