Chapter 31
Leo went to open his mouth but I gave him a swift glare and he shut it.
"If I become Alpha, I won't be able to see her. The Elders would be up my ass and they wouldn't approve of a human mate. Faith agreed to be my chosen mate for show because her mate died when they both were young. I gave her a safe place and a name for herself, whereas I was covered in regards to a mate."
Rubbing my forehead, I sighed. "Does your mate know about you? What you are?"
He shook his head and I groaned. "She doesn't know. She just knows she loves me and has a pull to me. We can be apart for longer periods of time because she is human and it isn't as strong but...Uncle, I can't reject her. I love her."
"How long have you been seeing her?"
His head fell. "Three years."
Sighing, I leaned forward, putting my elbows on the desk and placing my head in my hands. My eye contact being lost with Leo seemed to make him feel that he was free to speak.
“Are you fucking kidding me? Are you stupid? You not only didn't reject a human mate, but you also haven't told her about us after three years? How the hell do you think it's going to go now?"Content © NôvelDrama.Org 2024.
"Leo..."
He growled. “Don't you 'Leo' me. You guys gonna get married and one day she is going to catch you shifting? Or better yet, she is gonna see you have a double life living with another woman? How is that going to go? Or got forbid you get her pregnant and your pup has their first shift!”
Owen growled. "I know! I know but I want to make it work! She is my mate! She was chosen for me! It doesn't happen often but it does and I refuse to reject her just because of that!"
Suddenly, I started to laugh. My earlier conversation with Auri coming back in my mind. "We have been too closed off. Our pack has been too closed off from the rest of the world for too long and the moon goddess is forcing us to move forward."
"What?" Leo looked at me and I smiled.
"I am leaving. I will be joining the Golden Moon pack and leaving with them after they are done."
Both of their heads whipped to me, no longer glaring at each other but at me. Their eyes were as shocked as the Elders had been.
"Excuse me?" Leo growled.
"I am leaving. I will no longer be Alpha." Smiling, I nodded and laced my fingers fingers together. "I was not meant to be Alpha. My position was placeholder for you, Owen. It always was. You are supposed to usher this pack into the future. That means opening up more and not keeping us so closed off. Traditions are great but we are too holed up here." Chuckling, I shook my head. "It seems even the moon goddess agrees if she's give then rightful Alpha a human mate. Something the Elders are going to just have to deal with."
Owen shook his head. "I won't subject Kiki to that. I won't force her to be part of the pack as a human."
Taking a deep breath, I looked over at Leo. "Then Leo would be the one to be Alpha."
"Excuse me?" Both Owen and Leo said it at the same time.
I shrugged. "One way or another, this pack will be ushered into a new age. They will either have an Alpha with a human mate or an Alpha who isn't a Silver."
"What the hell are you spewing? I'm not going to be Alpha! I'm a Beta!"
"You are my brothers Beta, and mine. If an Alpha is not available to take over the pack, it would fall to the Beta, Leo. You know that. That would be you." I smiled sweetly and he growled.
He stood and started to pace, his hands running through his hair. "Owen should be the one to take over. So what if his mate is human? The important people don't give a shit."
"How can you say that? Kiki would get fucking bullied the moment she stepped onto the territory."
"Owen, our pack is ready to move forward and join the rest of the world. There are only a few who cling to the traditions and all of them are getting old enough to die. You would be Alpha and you could tell them how it is. Your mother would get over it, though your grandmother wouldn't." I smirked, thinking of the heart attack my mother would have.
Owen growled and shook his head, leaning forward. "Why are you even leaving? You've been Alpha, a great Alpha, this whole time. You're..." "Thirty, Owen. I'm thirty. There so many reasons why I need to step down. One, I'm old. I know there are older Alpha's but when a perfectly healthy, stronger Alpha is already grown, I am being pushed out already. Every action I make is second guessed and apparently someone said I looked like I was dying."
Owen flushed red and Leo opened his mouth but I held up my hand to him.
"Two, I found my fated mate."
"I...wait...that's more of a reason to be Alpha! If you found your mate then..."
I took a deep breath. "My mate is the Alpha King, Owen."
His mouth opened and then shut. Our history taught us of what could happen. We were well aware of the things that could happen and we understood what happened to Alpha Eros.
"Alpha Auri is his mother. The Golden Moon pack will be his pack when he is ready to take it over. I will be already waiting for him, as his mate." A smiled graced my face as I thought of Vale. Finally being able to be with him. "The third reason is not just with who the moon goddesses pick out for my mate but also me in general. I was never supposed to be Alpha of a pack, I'm not built be Alpha. The fight that took your grandfather and your father, wasn't ever supposed to happen. Your father would have ushered in that new age, what he wanted to do and what he talked about doing until he died. I was too weak to fight the Elders at the time and they forced me behind this desk. It's too late now. But that duty and strength would fall to you, Owen."
The two of them looked at me, shocked. I took a deep breath and leaned back against my chair. "So if you don't want it Owen, I'm not going to force it on you. But Leo would be the one to lead. As he is already Beta and already in this position."
"Oh, so you would be force me then? That's fine." Leo grumbled and plopped down on the chair unceremoniously.
Owen chuckled. "I can't believe we're stuck between the three of us. One is the Alpha King's mate, one has a human mate, and one isn't even an Alpha. This is what the pack has come to after all these years."
I laughed along with him. "Tomorrow, Alpha Auri and her crew plan on attacking. Apparently, if they wait any longer, Darkry might end up attacking us. It would put us at a disadvantage. So, they are planning on getting the jump on them. I want the warriors ready to guard the borders up north. Or whatever Auri needs."
"You gonna start calling her mom?"
Rolling my eyes, I threw a pen at Leo. "Maybe I will. She is my mother-in-law, after all. It seems fitting I call The Huntress, mother."
Everyone broke out in giggles. The tension lifted finally.
"Goddess, we are so fucked." Leo chuckled and his head leaned back against the chair.
“Honestly, I don't know why you didn't tell us sooner, Owen. We could have helped."
Owen shrugged. "I thought you would tell my mom and grandmother."
"I don't speak to either of them so I don't know why you would think that. Though, I will need to speak to my mother before I leave." I grimaced and so did they. "You will need to decide what to do in the future. But Leo, I want you to make sure Rose stays here."
His brow furrowed. "What?"
"She mentioned that she wanted to come with me. Bringing Cory. She also said that you would want to come with me but I..."
Leo laughed. "Of course I would go with you. I'm your Beta and your friend. Why did you think I wouldn't?"
"You're not coming with me, Leo. You are staying here. As is Rose and Cory. Either you're taking over or you're helping Owen with his new Beta and Gamma. Cory is probably young enough that he would be a good consideration for Gamma though." I looked and nodded to Owen. "But I will not allow anyone from this pack to come with me."
"Like hell!" Leo stood up and came over to me. "I will follow you, Alpha. You were..." He looked down for a moment. "You are my best friend. You are my Alpha. I will follow you. This little shitter will take over, whether or not he wants his mate to be Luna or Faith to be Luna. But I will be next to you, protecting you, just as your brother asked me to do."
Sighing, I rubbed my eyes. I didn't want to have this fight now. Hell, I was planning on just escaping without letting anyone know. It still seemed like the best option. Waving him off, I shook my head.
"Out, the two of you. I want you ready for the battle tomorrow. I'll give you more details on what is going on when I hear from Alpha Auri."
Owen chuckled. "You mean Mom."
I sighed and rolled my eyes. "Get out, now."
Leo gave me one last glare but left with Owen, closing the door behind him. I turned and looked out the windows. This ended up turing into a shit show. There was a sinking feeling though. It settled in the pit of my stomach and in my heart. If this was only the beginning of the war, what was our pack about to face as it opened up to the world? What was I going to be facing next to my mate? Just how much did I need to learn to even be
helpful?
They talked about a drug that I didn't know what it was or why it was important. I didn't know what it meant that they weren't able to get any information from these guys. I didn't know what it meant that our pack would only get in their way. I didn't know what war was looming. I didn't know we were even in a time considered peaceful. I didn't know what the fey had to do with anything and that there were even fey close enough to speak
to.
I tapped my thumb on the desk. Were we even ready for the fight tomorrow?