Chapter Forty-One

**Sloan**

Full circle, that’s what Sloan is referring to his life.

It’s been a couple of days since the end of the rogue murderous pandemic. He had surprised himself by attending the status report meetings in the Council Inner Chambers.

What was most shocking was the transfer of power within the council ranks and his position within the system since he was the first Lycan to come to form in centuries. Previously, Sloan was just an Alpha participating in various meetings; now, he was Head Alpha of the otherworldly community.

Almost King-like.

It was a position he reluctantly accepted and was still uncomfortable in, though the Elders were in talks about bringing back the Lycan King rule. This new status meant that he would officially oversee all of the communities’ comings and goings, act as a diplomat for international events and mitigate relations with the human world. He was hesitant because his position within the Blood Moon pack and his company would have to change. However, it wasn’t the formal transfer of powers that had him hesitant or the stress of naming his successors in both departments. He hesitated to accept the position because his Angel was laid up in the hospital, and he could use her advice about the matter.

He leaned back in the comfortable leather chair and crossed his left leg onto his right knee. The Elders insisted that he sat at the head of the Chamber to start familiarizing himself with the position. He was half listening to another team leader provide a status report from their siege of the water treatment plant. In the background, multiple projected screens displayed news coverage of the massive inferno that engulfed the abandoned structure. The fire had been burning for two days which confused humans and baffled experts. The truth was various Wiccans were strategically keeping it burning to destroy all evidence of their activities.

Two days?? It felt like a lifetime ago.

It was physical pain for him to leave Myra’s bedside, where he kept a ritualistic vigil waiting for her to wake up. She was resting comfortably back in the Pack’s clinic; both girls were brought back home from the High Priestess’ coven hospital the day before. Their surgeries were resounding successes, though they both needed blood transfusions due to their excessive blood loss. Dr Norah suggested testing mates first to seek if there was a match. This act further confirmed Tristan’s mated relationship with Leanne since they were both matches for their females.

Unfortunately, the injections the rogues gave the girls were still affecting their animal spirits, so recovery was slow.

Moreover, Skye hadn’t made an appearance since she managed to kill Elizabeth before passing out. Initially, Alpha had retreated like Skye, but Sloan felt the tired beast stirring in the background, though he remained uncharacteristically silent. His stirring behaviour gave Sloan hope.

Dr Norah was keeping an extra eye on their pup. At first, he was worried that the baby wouldn’t have survived the numerous days of trauma. But once they transferred Myra to the Coven hospital, Dr Norah used a high-definition ultrasound on Myra to produce the sweetest sound Sloan had ever heard, aside from Myra’s laughs and her cries of pleasure.

It was the steady and strong fetal heartbeat of his pup.

The moment was bittersweet because Myra was still unconscious to enjoy the moment with him, and they had quickly rushed her into surgery. Not wanting to experience too much without her, he declined to have any printouts. The next time, he wanted Myra to be alert and awake. He wanted them to gaze upon the life that was growing inside her, together.

Elder Reagan cleared his throat, gaining their attention, “Next up is Steven Amos from the Blood Moon Pack.”

The Shifter took a deep breath and walked up to the podium. He shuffled his papers and cleared his throat; the years of knowing Steven told Sloan that he was nervous. Speaking and reporting to Sloan was okay, but Steven had an uncharacteristic fear of public speaking for the massive mountain of a man.

“Good evening,” Steven started. “I was team leader for the Western Cavalry. It consisted of thirty Shifters from various packs and seventeen Wiccans.” He provided the council with initial accounts, placements and who dispatched which rogue beforehand and the total number during the siege. “No rogue offered to surrender to our group. Some of the creatures who were killed by my team were identified by either myself or other members of my group. Max Keegan, Margaret Ryan-Bell, Julia Bell - who was Margaret’s sister-in-law - Joshua Grant, David Lee…”

“*Son of a bitch, how many does that make from our pack?*” Sloan linked with Declan. This Beta was making a record of the families that were now considered threats due to their relatives’ association with the rogues.

“*Including The Marshalls and The Daytons… the count stands at seven families. However, all records on Elizabeth’s family have seemed to have gone missing. It could be a clerical error, but we don’t know for sure.*” Declan answered, “*Any link to pack internal activities have been suspended for all parties until we can conduct a thorough check.*”

The betrayal has been difficult for all involved. Some families were life-long friends of his father, who had helped run the pack and turned it into the success it was today. Thankfully most of them understood the precautions and wanted their Luna to make a full recovery while distancing themselves from their traitorous family member.

He looked about the room as everyone listened attentively to Steven’s words, but Sloan’s mind and heart weren’t present. He missed his tiny minx of an angel; yet, he took comfort knowing that she was surrounded by family back at the clinic. Just then, his phone vibrated. Looking down on the screen, he saw that Bryn had sent him another message. He hit the message icon, and a picture from earlier came up first.

It was an image of both Megan and Myrielle braiding Myra’s hair into two big braids. In the croak of her arm, Brielle was curled into her aunt, sleeping soundly. It was easy to picture Myra with their pup once she gave birth in a couple of months. He swiped across to the new picture that Bryn had sent, and his smile got bigger. Myra’s eyes were half opened, and his mother was hugging her head, kissing the top of it.

“*Myra’s awake.*” He linked with Elder Reagan; however, he was still gazing lovingly down at the picture. The longer he looked at the picture, the more he saw; especially, his mother’s happiness as tears rolled down her cheek. Myra, however, looked exhausted, and that was expected. “*How much longer Steven?*”

The man paused and reached for his glass of water. “*About three more pages.*”

“*Okay…*” Sloan answered, and Steven continued delivering his report, but Sloan wasn’t paying attention to him. “*Reagan, no more reports after Steven… we can continue this tomorrow.*”

“*As you wish, Alpha.*” It was strange being the one in authority now. Once he had time to discuss it with Myra, he would get accustomed to it.

***

Sloan pulled his car up the packhouse driveway, but instead of stopping near the main entrance, he continued towards the clinic wing. The car had barely stopped, and the engine switched off completely when he hopped out clutching an extra-large bouquet of red, yellow and white roses.

His departure from the Chambers was longer than expected. He was held back because of well wishes and invitations for him to join various communities for luncheons or dinners. Different leaders were excited to welcome the Lycanthrope to their packs, clans and covens. So, he stopped off at the nearest florist and picked up some flowers to help brighten her spirits and room.

Walking through the hallway, he was greeted with polite smiles and heads bowing in respect. He had spent years trying to get his members to treat him like a normal Shifter, but that had gone to hell. The rumours of him being a Lycan and the Alpha King, at that, have changed everyone’s perception of him.

He got to Myra’s VIP room and gently pushed open the door. It seems like he wasn’t the only one wanting to brighten up her room. One corner was bursting with bouquets, balloons and teddy bears. His Angel was loved by many. Her sweet aura will continue to win the hearts of everyone within their community.

The room’s lights were dim, and he could see her curled up in the clinic bed. She was resting on her side, quietly snoozing. It seemed as though Dr Norah had shooed away her previous visitors from earlier. He smiled, thanking God that she was finally home. He placed the flowers on the side table and gently kissed her forehead; Myra sighed deeply, and her eyes fluttered open. A precious smile curved her lips before a frown formed on her brow. She weakly reached up and touched his face specifically, running a finger over the scar on his face.

“Who did this?” She whispered, wincing as she moved a bit to better grip his face. “What happened to your face?” Sloan softly chuckled and closed his eyes as he rubbed his cheek into the palm of her hand.

“Richie,” He sighed, enjoying the feeling of her touch.

“Why would he?” She tried asking, but Sloan couldn’t control himself. It’s been days, and he just needed to kiss her. He meant for it to be brief, but the moment their lips connected, it felt like home. He didn’t feel bad for cutting her off, but reclaiming her lips and drinking in her signature taste was like a man who wandered the desert for days then suddenly found fresh water for the first time. Their tongues duelled and mated like two halves of a single lost soul finding each other in a dark abyss. He felt her fingers wrapped into his hair, pulling at the strands tightly as she tried to tug him down onto her. She moaned her contentment into his mouth, and he groaned at the familiar sound.

“**We can die in peace.**” Sloan heard Alpha growl in the back of his mind for the first time in days. However, it was the scent of Myra’s arousal that caused him to break the kiss. He pulled away to gaze into her glowing honey-coloured eyes. “I missed you… so damn much.”

“I missed you too.” She muttered, trying to kiss him again, and he chuckled, kissing the tip of her nose. All was finally right in his world.

“Teasing minx.”