The Luna's Alpha
Chapter 34

Tess groans as I discretely rub her back. Her belly has grown quite large and beautiful. I love holding her from behind so I can wrap her and her belly completely in my arms.

"Alright, alright, calm down everyone." Micco addresses the crowd from the raised platform behind the meetinghouse. It's been a year so we're celebrating the handoff of the pack with a pack barbecue and gender reveal of our baby, er... pup. We also have a few guests in Marco, Jared and Naomi, Holt and Val, and Uriah Lancaster. "I couldn't be more proud of my daughter, Tess, and her mate Cody. Like most of you, I too was skeptical about him being a human, but we wont hold that against him."

The crowd laughs, but over the past 7 months, I've met them all and have grown to love them. They trust in my skills and my loyalty to them. I have not had any challenges or attacks since I fought Griffin. Griffin realized that I'm stronger and better suited to be the Alpha, he's told me so while on guard duty. His grandfather is overbearing and presses him into situations he doesn't really want to be in. I actually feel bad for him. Ironically, he's my favorite partner to work with on guard duty. Elder Bram has come to accept me and doesn't give me shit, at least I haven't had any trouble from him.

"I know you are all excited to be here to support them. Alright, Miss Willow."

Willow steps up on the stage with one of Tess's training Kunai, one that is not laced with wolfsbane. Micco has been practicing with her just so she can do the honors. The target is to the right of the stage with a big black balloon. "Please be blue, please be blue." I hear her whisper. She lets go of a big breath and then takes aim. I feel Tess inhale with her lip between her teeth. Everyone is silent as we watch the blade flip through the air. Willow's aim is true and meets her target, the balloon bursts into a fog of blue powder. "Yes, yes, yes! I knew it!" Willow jumps up and down. I turn Tess around and kiss her hard. The crowd is cheering right along with us. It's a boy. We're having a boy! Micco laughs nervously. Tess and I pull apart to hug and shake hands with him and Willow. Micco is all smiles as he gets control of the pack once more. "Cody, come on over here." I take my place beside him. "Snowy Lake Pack. It has been my honor to be your Alpha over the past 30 years. Each and every one of you is important to me and I feel your love for me. However, the time has come for me to step down. Beta Morris and I look forward to lazing around and getting in some fishing." The pack laughs once more. Micco cuts both of our palms with his claw and holds them together in a form of a handshake. As they settle down he begins to speak again. "James Cody Johnson, you have proven to be an honorable and powerful... man. As such, I entrust the pack to you. Look after them, help them, and protect them."

Every muscle in my body tense up as he gives me his Alpha power. Slowly, one by one, I feel the pack members enter my soul, becoming a part of me. Each one has their own link to my mind and my heart. My head aches and my heart races. I gasp in a breath and hold it until each link is connected. Finally, my body relaxes and my mind eases from the pressure and Micco releases his hold.

My hand is still smeared with blood, but my cut is already healed. I look around at all of the smiling faces, but some of them are not smiles of happiness. I feel the jealousy from Silas, the bitterness from Stone, and the resentment from Mavis. I look at the three in turn and feel their emotions twist and turn.

"Cody. You need to initiate Donny as your Beta." Micco tells me and I nod. "Cut his palm and give him our blood." I pull out my knife, cut Donny's palm, and then hold his hand as Micco held mine. "Repeat after me. Donny Hector Morris. I appoint you as my Beta of the Snowy Lake Pack, and give you the power to assist me in caring for this pack." I repeat the words and feel a greater connection to Donny than any other member that is not part of my family. His essence is bright and I can feel his pulse beat in time to mine. Donny nods and we release our grips. "The pack is yours now," Micco says then meaningfully steps down to join everyone else.

Tess's pride in me outweighs every other emotion. I take her hand in mine and present her to the pack. "Your Luna, Tessalee Marie Johnson." The pack loves her, I can feel it in all of them except for Mavis, who is jealous, and Silas who desires her. I cock my brow at him. He shakes his head and looks down. He knows I can take him in a fight. "My pack mates. Let us enjoy the feast, then as a pack, we run." I announce and the line forms beginning with the elders and their mates. As I look around the pack, I catch glimpses of their darkest secrets and thoughts that are so deeply a part of them, that they can't hide them. I feel resentment from Elder Bram. His mate was chosen after he rejected his true mate, but she's the true mate of Elder Nunez, who never took a mate. Wow. I look to Mavis and feel her desire for Micco. I gasp and Tess squeezes my hand. "Everything alright?"

I look from Mavis to Micco. Micco nods and I clear my throat. He knows he's known the whole time. "I'm alright. The pack link is just much stronger than I imagined it would be."

"You're not kidding," Donny says from beside me as he looks between Prentis and Avery. I feel his longing for her, but they're not mates. She's older by at least 4 years. Donny then looks at Indy and smiles. I look at her and feel her pride in her brother and her best friend. She really is a treasure.

"Cody Johnson! I challenge you for the Snowy Lake Pack!" The crowd parts revealing an older, haggard-looking male. Tess gasps.

"Cody. This is the only challenger I've ever had. I beat him pretty badly and he went rogue from the disgrace. I don't know what his mental state is now, but I guarantee he hasn't been sitting around." Micco fills me in. He's taken a solid stance between Tess and Marco. I nod, understanding his warning. I

I don't recognize the guy, but he initiated a challenge, so I step away from my mate and my daughter. The pack forms a circle and Griffin's emotions consume me. He's worried, ashamed, but mostly embarrassed. Beside him, Stone crosses his arms with pride and hope. The guy looks like an older Griffin and a younger Stone. I assume he's Griffin's dad. "I accept your challenge. Although, I don't know your name."

"I'm Slate Bram, the next Alpha of this pack."

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"Dad, Don't do this." Griffin pleas. "Alpha I'm so sorry."

"Hush boy. We need a wolf in charge of our pack. Not some roided-up human. You weren't up for the task so I called someone that would be." Stone admonishes.

Tess growls and I look her in the eyes. "It's alright, Darlin'. Once this is over, he'll no longer be around." "Stone Bram. Your actions will have consequences once this challenge is finished." Stone snorts out a huff. "Oh, Goddess, big guy, please be careful. I can't lose you."

"I have you on my side." I remind her as I glance at her. Willow is squeezing her hand. I look back at my challenger and keep my eyes on him. "All tots inside. Leslie, Trish, and Avery, please look after them." They all answer with "Yes Alpha," and quickly get moving.

My challenger, Slate, has a wild look about him. His hair is tangled with a woolly beard. His black shirt is right to his thick body. His eyes dart around taking in everyone and everything. They stop when he spots Griffin's mother, Giselle. Her head is down and she slinks through to the back of the crowd. Although she's embarrassed, she's also excited to see her mate. He must feel this because he growls and steps farther into the circle with determination. For Griffin and Giselle's sake, I don't want to kill him, but for the sake of Tess, Willow, and my unborn son, I will if necessary.

I inhale a deep breath and let it fill me up. Exhaling slowly I concentrate on Slate while shaking my limbs to loosen the muscles. I crack my neck from side to side then bounce to get my blood pumping faster. With the roll of my shoulders, I step closer to my opponent, ready to go. There is no referee here, no rules, no timer, just hand-to-hand combat.

Slate pulls off his shirt, his bulk no longer hidden. His body is that of someone who lives off the land. He exudes strength. I take the time to study him carefully, but his movement is precise and deliberate. His focus is square on me. I assume this man has spent a lot of time in his wolf, so I imagine his wolf is even more powerful. For the first time since meeting Tess, I have doubts about my abilities.

As you reach the final pages, remember that 000005s.org is your destination for the complete story. Share the joy of reading with others and spread the word. The next chapter is just a visit away! "Cody, stop that. You've been training for this since day one. You have more to lose and you have me and the pack behind you." Tess reminds me. She's right. This is exactly what I've been training for. I let go of my doubts and focus. Slate grunts then makes the first move, swinging wildly, one shot after the other, face, gut, right left, forcing me back, but I'm blocking every attack. I shift my stance and lean into him, slipping a jab into his ribs. My strike catches him off guard and I'm able to land three more body blows before he blocks. I aim for his face, connecting with his jaw. He stumbles back and spits. I don't move, just wait for him to decide what he's going to do next.

He cracks his head from side to side then rolls his shoulders, keeping his focus on me the entire time. He squares back up and then begins to circle. He jabs, but I pull my blocks in tight to avoid a sneak shot. He has yet to land a blow and I can see he's getting frustrated. He moves to swing but raises his leg instead. I catch on at the last moment and brace myself for the blow. He connects with the outside of my thigh, then tries to land a blow, but I take the opening and connect with his ribs in the same spot I've landed twice already. I feel a crack under my fist. He holds in a grunt and quickly blocks before stepping back and away from me.

"You don't have to continue. There's no disgrace in knowing you're defeated." I whisper, knowing he can hear me.

"You have no idea what disgrace is, boy." He grunts out.

"But I do know. I served in the military. I've been in wars and seen things unimaginable, things I would never wish on another person, things that keep me awake some nights because I'm too afraid to close my eyes. I understand why you think you have to fight me." I must've said the wrong thing because his jaw ticks and he rushes me. I brace myself, but he manages to throw me to the ground. Using what little time I have before he gains control, I maneuver so I'm on my back and my legs are free to lock around his torso. I flip us so he's on the ground and my elbow is in his throat. "Submit." Slate fights against my hold so I push harder. "Submit!"

He grunts then claws at my side. With a flinch from me, he's free and quickly told over. By the time he gets to his feet, he's already shifted into a wolf. I pull out my karaits just as he lunges for me. I duck low and catch his shoulder with my blade. Spinning around to keep him in my sight I catch his left hip before he can scramble away.

The snarling, bleeding beast lets out a growl and then attacks straight on. I block his claws with my left arm then follow through with my right sinking a deep gash into his side. He slumps down and I wrestle on top of him with my blade to his throat. He thrashes from side to side so I tighten my hold. "Don't make me kill you, Slate. Griffin is my friend. I have a place you can stay that's close by, just submit." I whisper into his ear while applying more pressure to his throat. The wolf relaxes under me and I let out a deep breath. "Wise decision."