Page 22 of Fated Alpha Baby

“Respected sisters, alphas, and associates, I would like to thank you for joining us at this conference tonight,” Amalia begins with the graciousness of an esteemed leader as she glances around the room. “I have called upon you tonight to propose an alliance between the August Moon Circle and the werewolf packs in attendance, in the wake of the greater threat we have all been facing. Demons.”

An eerie silence fills the air as Amalia pauses.

She nods at her sisters and continues, “A year ago, August Moon and Nightcreek faced a demon attack that left us devastated.” She pauses again, and I notice that she doesn’t mention the Bloodmaw Pack—the pack that betrayed them when they didn’t show up to the battle.

“We lost sisters, and the pack lost wolves.” Amalia regards Orlando before she goes on, “And despite our best efforts to protect ourselves from the demons, they remain a threat. Blood Mill and Goldfang have also encountered the demons, suffering losses of their own over the past year. But Helena Valley is not the only place being haunted by these demons that pose a threat to beings like us. They have been operating and devastating werewolf packs in the Bitterroot Valley for more than three years. Which is why I have invited the Bitterroot Valley packs to this alliance. If there is anyone who has more knowledge about the demons, how to fight them, how to stop them, it is the packs in Bitterroot.”

Amalia turns her eyes on me. “Alpha Conan Becker of the Iron Breath Pack has joined us tonight to represent the three packs from Bitterroot Valley. He acts on behalf of his own pack, Red Moon, and Silver Stone. Because of their experience fighting the demons, the Bitterroot Valley packs joining this alliance is advantageous to all of us in Helena Valley. I would like to call upon Alpha Conan Becker to address this conference.”

When Amalia meets my eyes with a knowing expression, I frown. I wasn’t expecting to be called up to speak, but there’s something in the way she looks at me that makes me believe she knows what I want.

After all, she’s the one who introduced Hannah to me as the only witch in Augusta with the powers my true mate is meant to have.

When she steps aside from the stage, it feels like the High Priestess is opening up the floor for me to make a decision.

I have to make this count.

Patting Simon’s shoulder, I get to my feet and head to the stage, the room deafeningly silent as I take my place behind the mic.

“Good evening, fellow werewolves and respected witches. The August Moon Circle has been welcoming during my and my beta’s stay, and we thank them for it.” I glance at Amalia and give her a nod of gratitude before turning back to the room, my eyes involuntarily searching for Hannah at the back.

Her head is bent, eyes lowered, as if she’s pointedly avoiding looking at me. While I search for the next words mentally, my mind drifts to all the latest revelations over the past few days.

First, the council’s insistence on my finding my true mate. Then, arriving in Augusta, only to discover that Hannah Young is here. And she has a child now, with an absent father.

And there’s a reason she never had a wolf while she was in Iron Breath. She’s a witch, and not just any witch—she’s my true mate. That’s why I can feel it in my bones, whispering beneath my skin, humming in the air like a gentle wave of awareness that remains present even when she isn’t looking at me.

It’s no wonder I felt what I did for her in the past. The pain of her abandoning me, of learning that she moved on, may just be outweighed by having her back in my life, as fate would have it.

My inner wolf is in turmoil, desperate to have her by my side, even if it rages with jealousy that courses through my veins like poison.

How could she go on to have a child without me? How could she move on from me as if that night we shared in her cabin meant nothing to her?

It scared her so much to be my luna that she ran away as if we didn’t share something special.

There’s a part of me that wants to punish her for doing that to me. And what better way to exact my revenge than by having her by my side, even if she despises being there?

I clear my throat and proceed to address the members of the conference.

“As Sister Amalia has mentioned, the werewolves in Bitterroot Valley have been fighting demons for years now. Their attacks have become more coordinated, and they have been working with humans to infiltrate our defenses.”

I proceed to explain the situation with Marcus Hale and how we’d brought him to Augusta for the witches to question. I also bring up the south ruins of the valley, and how the demons are drawing energy from the ground, as well as dampening the werewolves and stunting our abilities to the extent that wielding air has become nearly impossible for my pack and me.

“Because of this, we have a team of dedicated researchers who specialize in uncovering the ancient texts and runes found across the valley. The team found a way for us to recover our abilities by mating with our true, fated mates—a phenomenon that was thought to be a myth. But it turns out it worked. Through the ritual found in a scroll, both alphas of Red Moon and Silver Stone found their true mates in the human world. And through mating with the alphas, these women emerged as very powerful witches. Descendants of the Ashclaw Pack from the south of the Bitterroot Valley.”

I pause to glance at Hannah, but she still doesn’t look my way. So, I continue.

“With the help of the witches who were brought to the valley as the alphas’ mates, we have succeeded in defeating the demons and shutting down the operations in the warehouse. But the threat remains, and the demons are still operating in the valley. The witches receive guidance through visions, and the demons are still active. One such vision was that the portal from which the demons are entering our world is near a sawmill.” I pause and turn to Alpha William. “After meeting with you in Augusta, I have reason to believe that the portal may well be in Milford.”

Alpha William frowns. “We have not had any portal sightings.”

I nod. “It’s only a suspicion for now. But our witches have not been wrong in the past. If the portal turns out to be in Milford, then we’re one step ahead if we find it before things escalate with the demons.”

“I’ll get my team on it. We will search the area, sweep the mountains, and look out for this portal,” Alpha William responds. “But how do you propose that we close it?”

“We are not sure of the logistics yet, but we do believe that it will be revealed in due time. For now, we must regain our powers and strengthen our defenses against the demons until we know for sure what they want and how to stop them.”

“If you are still weakened by the demons, what are your plans to regain your powers?” Amalia asks, and I nod at her.