Chapter 30 - 29. Alpha Carter

Glen turned to the person who had just grabbed his arm. He looked down to find an old woman in a simple dark brown tunic that came down to her ankles. Her silver hair framed a face where age had left more than visible traces of its passage. The old werewolf loosened her grip on the arm and grabbed his hand with a softer, almost delicate gesture. She slightly squeezed the man's fingers. A glimmer of compassion and care shone in the pale gray irises. However, the aura surrounding the woman showed a strength that surprised the alpha. This strength wasn't physical. Glen could see goodness transpired through the piercing gaze the stranger gave him.

The old woman's pheromones, though those of a dominant, indicated her low rank, which shouldn't inspire so much strength in an alpha. However, she exuded such power that he was almost overwhelmed. The alpha was unsettled and frowned. He was about to ask for an explanation when she spoke.

"It must have been tough."

The dominant flinched at her words. The woman was staring at him straight in the eyes but somehow he didn't feel like she was talking to him. A strange warmth was spreading from the fingers wrapping around his hands and the restlessness he felt all the time immediately subsided. His wolf, attentive and docile, seemed hypnotized by the old woman.

She blinked and, in a moment, he knew that, now, she was talking to him.

"You can't shift. They locked up your wolf."

Glen tensed and his eyes widened slightly. Has anyone from Eden's family spoken? How should he react? His mind was blank.

"H-How do you know?"

"A curse was cast on you to separate you from your wolf, but they didn't plan how strong he was." She placed a hand on his chest and closed her eyes. "He was strong and he knew all along that your mate was going to find him so he held on until this day. However, even if your wolf is strong, remember that your real strength is your bond with your mate. He'll come back when he's ready. When that moment comes, trust your wolf, but above all, trust your bond."

Both hands gently released Glen's fingers. The woman then turned and walked away. Glen watched her for a moment, confused and puzzled. She seemed to know something about his condition, but his instincts told him it was better not to ask. He let the silhouette disappear in the distance, a multitude of questions rushing through his head.

The Elder returned to the cave where she had left her apprentice with Silver Bloodhood and his still sleeping son. When she stepped inside the room, the young Soul healer snapped out of her trance. Her gaze was lost in space. The leader was scrutinizing her, trying to guess the reason for her expression.

"Everything's going to be alright. Your son will wake up soon. You don't have to worry."

"When? When will he regain consciousness? And what's wrong with him? "The alpha asked with a hint of concern in his voice.

"It's hard to predict exactly when he will wake up. He has already stored up a good amount of energy. I think it will be soon. Wait for a few days more."

The woman glanced at the werewolf's chest where tufts of golden fur appeared.

"Your son… " she turned her head towards the bed where Eden was sleeping. "And his mate have great destinies awaiting them."

"What do you mean?" He hadn't expected such a statement when he had simply called in the two healers to inform him of his son's condition. The woman walked over to the alpha and put a hand on his shoulder. The grip was oddly firm for his old age, and the sense of comfort he felt at the touch surprised him. An enigmatic smile curved the Elder's lips.

"Your son will wake up soon. Isn't it right, Willow?" She was addressing the young woman who, although back from her trance, had a lost expression as if she hadn't quite recovered her senses. The copper-haired werewolf nodded softly to answer her professor's question. She was staring at the young man as if she saw something impossible.

"Don't you know exactly when he's going to wake up?" Silver insisted and the old woman shook her head.

"It's impossible to predict. The wolf in him is growing. All he needs is a lot of energy and rest. When he is finally ready, he will wake up from his sleep on his own." The woman paused and she narrowed her eyes. "I saw your son's mate."

"I've never seen such a curse. He was like someone tried to kill his wolf. But they failed. He's strong."

"Curse?"

"It's a curse that keeps your son's alpha from transforming."

"How do you know he ..."

"Lucky for him, his wolf is stubborn and very attached to his mate, whom he has patiently waited to meet. Without it, I'm sure he wouldn't have survived until now. "

She didn't give Silver time to react and turned to head for the exit. The Soul healer named Willow turned away from Eden and followed suit, leaving the alpha to his questions. He was about to speak when he received a link that left him in a bad mood. He walked the two women back to the entrance of the cave where a car was waiting to take them home.

When a few hours later they finally closed the door to their house behind them, Willow who had refrained from speaking turned to the old lady.

"Elder, that omega… Did you feel it too?"

The old woman hummed as an answer. The Elder walked to the kitchen, washed her hands then wiped them dry. As if under impulse, she pulled out several herbs and ingredients from her cupboards as well as an ancient book with a thick purple leather cover.

________

In Bloodhood Cave, the leader was on the verge of losing his temper. Several hours ago, Acher linked Silver to inform him that the alpha of the Grey Wolf Pack had arrived, unannounced. The leader was seething with rage ever since he heard the reasons for his presence.

When the young alphas returned home after the banquet, each had to face the wrath of their leader. Indeed, the suitors for the mating proposal were simply kicked out of the traditional pack territory, as some of them tried to attack the omega which had suddenly gone into heat. An alpha out of nowhere was touted as the fated mate of the omega. A Fated mate! As if they were going to believe this fable.

Fated mates weren't even worthy of being told today. Mating was a political affair and omegas had to comply without protest. For all the leaders whose ego has been offended, Bloodhood had crossed the line. Never they had been treated with such disrespect just for the sake of an omega.

Silver had arrived in front of Basile Stone, the alpha of Grey Wolf, already foaming with anger. Just knowing that one of the packs of those who tried to prey on his son dared to come and hold him to account, put him in a terrible mood. Almost three hours later, he was still seated across from the man who had asked to wait for the other person involved in his request.

Silver's fingers tapped on the wooden table with an impatience he couldn't hide. The werewolf didn't even bother to hide the expression on his face that showed his murderous urge. Abruptly, he stood up, making his chair creak on the floor.

[Throw him out of my cave.]

The man had just linked his beta who glanced sideways at the werewolf across the table who was playing nervously with his fingers. When it came to his son, Silver Bloodhood had no self-control. Acher already knew what turn events would take when he briefed his leader. However, several packs were angry. They hadn't sorted out the issues with Crescent Moon yet and now other packs were starting to get restless.

[Alpha…]

"I told you to throw him out!" Silver said loudly. His voice came out like a growl and the beta had no choice but to obey the alpha command. Silver was about to walk through the door when he bumped into someone he didn't expect to see anytime soon.

"Silver, what a pleasure!" The man said with a hypocritical smile.

"Alpha Carter," The Bloodhood leader uttered, threatening.

"My, my! Why the polite tone? After all, if I got it right, you and I are supposed to be family now."

Silver Bloodhood didn't respond to the provocation. He knew this moment had to come sooner or later but with Eden's state, the alpha had delayed the matter. Unfortunately, the leader of Red Creek didn't wait.

________

In a corner of the cave, Connor was chatting with Dante and Cherry when the young beta paused for a few seconds, staring into space, then stood up.

"Sorry, I have to go get Glen and bring him to the meeting room. Alpha Silver's order. "

"Is there a problem with Eden?" Connor asked, worried.

"No, it's just that Alpha Carter is here. I didn't know he was supposed to come today. I thought we would wait for Eden to recover. I guess I was wrong. " He had said the last sentence with a slight icy tone that didn't escape the WIA agent.

"What is it about exactly?"

"Well, most of the time when an alpha leaves his pack to mate with an omega, the omega's pack has to offer some compensation. It's not easy for a dominant to leave his pack because we are raised to defend them. But things are different for alphas. There can only be one mature alpha in a pack. If more than one werewolf develops alpha pheromones within the same pack. Only one can stay. The others must mate outside the pack to respect the hierarchy."

Connor gritted his teeth and his hands clenched into two fists.

"And what is Red Creek going to get from the mating between Glen and Eden?"

"I believe that Alpha Silver's proposal includes a brothership pact."

"In other words… Bloodhood's power will become that of Red Creek." Connor laughed. A laugh that sounded strange even to Dante. The young man didn't pick up and took his leave. "Wait a minute! I'm coming with you."

The agent stood up and accompanied Dante to Eden's cave where they found Glen. When Dante told Glen his leader's order, the alpha's entire body tensed and he found it difficult to control himself. A mixture of angry, intimidating, and alpha pheromones started to disperse before the man removed them altogether. He looked at his omega worriedly to see if he had reacted and placed a kiss on his forehead. Before following the young beta to the boardroom. Dante pushed the curtain aside and let the two men in before leaving.

Silver looked up at Glen and observed his reaction to his father's presence. The alpha bowed slightly in front of him in respect as he had done since he had agreed to be Eden's mate. When he turned to his father, respect vanished into intense contempt. A smirk appeared on the lips of the leader of Red Creek who stood up to approach his son.

"It's been a long time, Son."

As he raised his arms, a blade came and pressed against his carotid artery, biting the skin which started to burn. The metal was soaked in wolfsbane. Connor held a switchblade in his good hand, an expression between hatred and anger plastered on his face.

"I remembered. You're the little human who was always stuck with my son. You grew up well, but… "

He spread his claws and he tried to dig them into the agent's neck when Christopher Fern's hand grabbed his wrist. The blade cut a little deeper into the werewolf's skin, pulling a grimace from him as the poison was infecting his body. The leader of Red Creek glanced at Silver who didn't budge an inch.

"Are you sure about that, Alpha Silver? You're threatening a leader of another pack on your territory. A-And there is a witness. "

"I think you're twisting the truth, Alpha Carter. I'm not threatening you, he is. " Silver pointed at Connor. "He's not a member of my pack but an exclusive liaison agent. So, my man protecting him from any harms it's a given. Also, unfortunately, I can't boss him around like my packmates. He's free to do as he pleases and he chose to do this on his own."

"I came here to…"

"I didn't invite you. My men were nice enough to let you in because this shrimp-like alpha told them he was expecting someone but, I didn't allow you. You're trespassing. You know the price for trespassing, don't you?"

A drop of sweat ran down Carter's temple, and he peeked to Grey Wolf's Alpha for support. The werewolf looked away, his hands crossed in front of him. Carter Red Creek looked at Glen who was idly staring at the scene and he gritted his teeth. He refused to swallow his pride. He came all this way with a purpose, he wasn't going to turn around. He would start a war if he had to.

"You stole an alpha from my pack. You must… "

"When Glen came here, I met two cocky humans and I heard a very interesting story. It was about two little boys and a human pack… "