Chapter 4 Upset

**Fenrir**

I was in my office examining some documents when my beta, Ethan, came in, and from the look on his face, I knew I wasn't going to like what he had to say. I put the documents aside and stared into his brown eyes with ferocity.

"Just say it," I tell him. I see his discomfort with my words, but I can't help it. In the past few days, I haven't been myself, and it's something I can't explain.

"I just wanted to remind you of your meeting with Alpha James the day after tomorrow." My eyes go cold. I hated Alpha James terribly. The man was petty and treated his pack as if they were his subjects.

"Do I really have to go?" I ask through clenched teeth. Just the mention of his name made my wolf, Koda, growl in anger, something I didn't understand either.

"Yes, Alpha. You've already canceled the last few meetings, we can't cancel this one." he says, scratching his head. I sigh, relaxing in the chair. There was no point in crying over something that was beyond my control.

"I wonder what that idiot wants from me. He certainly has nothing that I want." I say, frustrated. It was no surprise to anyone that I hated the man, and as the years passed, my aversion to him only grew.

"You'll find out tomorrow when you travel." I look at my beta and smile. I see his face go pale; he knew what I would say.

"You're coming with me," I say, looking into his eyes.

"Come on, Fenrir!" he complains, running a hand through his hair, frustrated.

"It's pretty simple, my friend. You know I don't like him, so your duty is to stop me from killing him for boring me with his foolish talk," I say, getting up and leaving my office.

I walk towards my room, enter, and pour myself a shot of whiskey, heading out to the balcony. I loved that view; I could see the entire pack from there, as the house was higher than the others. My pack was the second largest around, and I took pride in that number. The White Fang pack grew more every day, which showed that I was doing a good job.

I finish my drink and leave again. In the past few days, Koda had been very agitated, which affected my mood, making me more stressed, so the best way to handle it was to run. I leave the house and walk towards the forest ahead of me. That's where I felt at home; being able to run through the forest was comforting, and nothing made me feel as free as that.

When I'm deep into the forest, I take off my clothes, placing them in a corner. Then I let Koda take over my body. The shift wasn't hard for me; it was part of my essence, and I just had to think about my wolf for him to come forward. I land on my paws, shaking my black fur, and dash into the forest.

"What's been bothering you?" I ask Koda after some time.

"I don't know." That confused me. Koda wasn't a confused wolf; on the contrary, he always acted coldly and calculated.

"Something's not right," he growls, jumping from one bank to the other of the river that cut through the pack.

"I don't understand what you mean," I tell him.

"I don't know either, but when I think of James, a rage rises through my body," says Koda, growling. I understood what he meant. I had never quite understood it either. Neither of us liked the Alpha of the Eclipse pack.

Koda runs to exhaustion. I don't stop him; I just let him be the animal he is. I could feel his emotions and understood well why he was doing it. When he's thoroughly tired, he decides to return. Then I shift back to my human form and dress. It was already dark when I entered the pack house. Ethan was waiting for me in the living room, sitting on the couch.

"You took a while," he says with worried eyes. I knew what he was thinking. I had reached a dangerous age for the pack and hadn't yet found my mate, so everyone was concerned I might go crazy, something I didn't believe in.

There were many packs that weakened when the Alpha didn't find their mate, so all eyes were always on me. Soon, I'd be turning thirty-two, and my age only attracted more concerned people about the future of the pack.

"Koda was stressed. I needed to calm him down," I say, sitting next to him. He looks at me apprehensively.

"I've noticed you haven't been well the past few days," he says in a low voice.

"I know. There's something bothering Koda, but he doesn't know what it is," I reply, frustrated.

"Your wolf is confused?" he asks, shocked. Ethan knew Koda was a very energetic wolf, so hearing that he was confused about something was not a good sign.

"Yes. Ever since he learned I have to meet James, he's been agitated," I say, frustrated.

"That's not good. If there's one thing I trust, it's your wolf. I think it's best to take a bigger caravan to the Eclipse pack," he says, thoughtful.

"I'll be glad if you arrange that. I really don't know if anything good will come from this meeting. Koda hates James," I tell Ethan, and I hear Koda growl in my head. That was driving me crazy. At least, the day after tomorrow, I'd be there and could see what was wrong with that place.

"I'll take care of it. I have some people who will be of great help," he says, looking at me. And I knew, from his look, that he wasn't taking those people because of a possible attack, but so that I could be restrained if it came to that. That's why Ethan was my beta. I didn't need to say certain things for him to understand them, and in these moments, he was always very efficient. I just hoped the warriors he chose would be enough to stop me, if it came to that.