Becoming the Alpha by Ivy Sinclair

the council about us in the morning.
    In the end, I was forced to pull out a red dress that had sleeves but a plunging neckline that left little to the imagination. I had bought it on a whim and always intended to return it but never got around to it. When I bought the dress, I was several pounds lighter, but now it fit me like a glove while also making it difficult for me to breathe. Judging by the appreciative looks the security guards gave me though, I hoped that Lukas would be equally pleased.
    Since I had fretted over my wardrobe for longer than I anticipated, by the time I arrived inside the tent, I heard the clanking of a bell signaling that it was time for the opening remarks. Even with my heels on, I could hardly see the front of the room.
    “Wouldn’t kill these clans to have at least a few short people in them,” I grumbled to myself as I stood on my tiptoes and strained to see over the shoulders in front of me. I knew that Lukas was likely on the stage up front because he would have to say something in greeting to the assembled crowd. The Greyelf Grizzly clan was the host of this year’s Summit.
    I winced as I heard the echo of the microphone pop. I began my slow progress of squeezing around people to move closer to the front.
    Doc Walden’s voice over the microphone was easily recognizable. “Thank you all for coming this evening. As the remaining original council member of the Greyelf Grizzly clan, I want to welcome all of you to the third gathering of the shifter Summit. I know that many of you traveled many miles from across the country to be here in our little end of the world. There are representatives from forty-four different clans represented this evening with another dozen expected to join us tomorrow as discussions get underway.”
    My eyes widened. I was fairly certain that my dad knew more about shifters than any human out there. To the best of his knowledge, he thought that were a dozen shifter clans. It just went to show how secretive the clans were in general. I had a feeling I was going to be surprised a lot over the next few days.
    I kept weaving through the crowd gaining inches toward the front with each move. Finally, I managed to push through and find a small opening right in front of the stage. Doc Walden stood at the podium and was gesturing in the air as he described all the turmoil of the past several years. I knew that I should be paying attention and taking note of what he was saying, but my eyes searched for Lukas. I found him sitting in a chair on the other side of Doc Walden. He leaned back in his chair with an air of slightly feigned boredom, but I knew that his eyes were sweeping the crowd looking for anything amiss.
    I knew the minute he spotted me by the slight twinge of a smile that played across his lips. His eyebrows rose as his eyes traveled down my body, and I couldn’t stop my blush. I was as hungry for him as he appeared to be for me, and I couldn’t wait until we had time to continue what we had started that afternoon.
    My eyes were drawn back to Doc Walden when I heard him say Lukas’s name.
    “…terrible tragedy with the loss of Markus Kasper, but Lukas has stepped into his alpha role with strength and wisdom well beyond his years.” I rolled my eyes. I figured that it wasn’t going to be public knowledge how close it had been to Lukas not becoming the alpha.
    Lukas stood up then and straightened his jacket clearly expecting to take over the microphone. I had to admire that he didn’t appear the least bit nervous about addressing the crowd of almost five hundred shifters.
    “It is also with great pleasure that I am able to announce an additional reason for celebration this evening,” Doc Walden continued. I saw Lukas frown at him. “It is well-known that there has long been a dispute regarding the treaty between the Grizzlies and our neighbors to the north, the Loper clan. Some of those disagreements have resulted in scrimmages and misunderstandings that