The Alpha Can’t Sense His Mate

ZADOK

“Alpha Cole sent in another letter,” Azriel said, closing the doors behind him. “He is requesting a response on whether you would honour his invitation.”

He sat in front of me, “What do we do?”

I smiled in my seat. It’s been a while since I’ve seen Azriel this stressed about something, or perhaps I was too self-absorbed to care these past few years. “Come in, Azriel. I didn’t realise you’ve been knocking that long.” I joked and he rolled his eyes.

“You knew I was coming, so cut it out,” He said in defence. “What do we do about it?” He said, gesturing to the letter.

“That doesn’t negate the fact that you intruded on my privacy, Azriel.” I deadpanned, and he let out a frustrated sigh, “I could be wanking for crying out loud.”

Azriel raised his hands in surrender, and said in a dramatic tone, “I’m sorry, okay? Please. I will make sure to knock the next time I come into your office.”

“Thank you.” I relaxed on my chair, “What is that idiot trying to achieve with this? Is there some other reason he wants me there other than to check on my welfare?” I asked on a serious note.

“I have no idea.” Azriel leaned forward and spoke in a lower tone. “From my findings, you are not the only alpha getting these letters.”ConTEent bel0ngs to Nôv(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

My attention piqued, “That’s interesting. How many others are getting harrassed by Cole?”

“Everyone else.” He said and I felt confused. “Alpha Cole seems to have something up his sleeve with this year’s mating ceremony. Word on the streets is that he has a special announcement.”

“And did you find anything outside the contrary from his side?”

Azriel shook his head, “So far, his pack is the same old. Nothing serious has happened since he was here for the ceremony. Beats me what the special announcement would be.”

“Then what would be his motive?” I thought aloud, “Why is he hell-bent on gathering the Alpha’s in his pack? I doubt he has any worthwhile announcement to make, so that’s outside the point.”

“I wonder the same. I have tried to reach to my allies, but the feedback is nothing out of the ordinary.”

I let out a deep breath, my brain working at optimal speed. “I guess I will have to find out at the ceremony.”

Azriel kicked against it. “I don’t think it’s a good idea. Before we make any rash decisions, we need to find out everything we can about Alpha Cole to avoid walking into a trap.”

I nodded my head. “I agree. That’s why I’m leaving you with the task of finding out if there are any concerns. I’m certain Alpha’s harrassed by Cole would be doing the same.” I smirked, “As much as I need to be careful, I don’t think he can do anything stupid with all of us present. And in retrospect, I need all the Alpha’s present if I want to make a statement. So it’s a win-win.”

Azriel nodded and stood, “That means I better get to work. The ceremony is a few weeks away.”

“I’ll prepare my tux,” I said as a joke, and he left my office, leaving me to my duties.

*******

The mating ceremony was a week away.

Early this morning, Azriel came to seek permission to inform the people of my presence in this year’s annual mating ceremony.

Despite his extended investigation into the reason for Cole’s invitation. He didn’t come up with anything that hindered me from attending the event.

You would think it would make him more relaxed about my appearance at the event, but it made him twice as anxious. It was amusing to see him act so concerned about me.

I needed to remind him I was capable enough to handle myself.

“Alpha Cole has left no stone unturned with his letters. This is outright harassment. Why is he so bothered about your coming?” He aired his frustrations, “One would think he was finding his mate in this ceremony. He didn’t cause such an uproar when he found his mate the last time.”

“Maybe he has decided to pick a Luna.” I supplied. “Cole throws a good party, and at this point, I’d hate to miss a first-hand view of what the ruckus is about.”

“Is that your way of telling me to inform him of your presence?” Azriel deadpanned.

He knew me so well. “Put the lad out of his misery and tell him I will come to his party, okay?” I said, amused at Azriel’s expression.

“Fine. I’ll get to ensuring you are safe during the event.” He murmured, walking away.

I huffed and got back to my job.

Later that evening, I stood before my people, who waited for the announcement. They all knew the mating ceremony was at hand, and I could sense the tension in the air.

Usually, when a mating ceremony was close, the unmated wolves went the extra mile to prepare themselves in case of meeting their mate. Meanwhile, the mated wolves busied themselves with the celebration of their anniversary.

It was such a joyous occasion, you could feel it in the air. However, for some reason, my people shied away from expressing their joy and anticipation for the event.

“And why is that a surprise to you, Human?” Kir interrupted my thoughts with his less-than-human remarks.

“What are you talking about?” I asked, trying not to sound snide.

“They are concerned about you! Read the room, dummy! Even a wolf could understand that.”

Okay. That was offensive.

“What are you trying – ow!” My eyes opened as I finally got the hang of what he meant.

“But… no,” I said, my tone understanding. “We already moved past that. I don’t need them hiding their joy because I lost a mate. That’s just unfair.” I said, hating that they thought to hide their excitement for the mating ceremony because of me.

“Don’t tell me,” Kir huffed, retreating to the bottom of my mind, “Tell them.”

And I did just that.