Unlike her, I had been at odds with Rufus for a long time before because of my inferiority complex.
That was why I admired Flora for her courage and confidence.
Sylvia’s POV
“When will you get married?” I curiously asked Flora.
“Soon. I originally planned on holding a wedding after I give birth. Then, I’ll have the perfect figure to wear a beautiful wedding dress. Anyway… we now decide to hold the ceremony early.” Flora’s eyes lit up in excitement as she touched her belly. “I can’t wait to see the baby, and I want to hold a wedding as soon as possible.”
“Are you sure Warren is your Mr. Right? Have you made up your mind?” I tilted my head to the side and flashed her a playful smirk. “I remember hearing someone say that even if Warren was the last werewolf in the whole world, she would rather die than marry him.”
Flora’s cheeks instantly flushed bright red. “I’ve made up my mind. Besides, I’m pregnant now. What else can I do?”
Seeing how shy she looked, I just chuckled and nodded. “That’s right. Now that you two are going to have a baby, you can only put up with it.”
“It’s not that terrible, though. It’s actually kind of great,” she murmured as she embarrassedly twirled her hair around her finger.
I gave her an amused look and changed the topic. I decided to ask her about the date of the wedding.
Flora didn’t plan on holding a grand wedding. After all, Leonard had just passed away and there really wasn’t much time left for preparation. But she told me that the wedding would be held two months later.
“Owen was the one who fixed the wedding date. I don’t know why he’s so anxious about it. It’s almost like he wants me and Warren to get married as soon as tomorrow,” Flora said as she looked at me in confusion.
“Of course he is anxious. You’re about to give birth to his grandchild.” I smiled. “He’s definitely eager to announce to the whole world that you’re Warren’s wife.”
Warren was probably involved in that matter. He had to be. I was pretty sure that he was actually much more anxious than Owen, but he just didn’t want to show it in front of Flora.
Flora pouted. “You’ll have to be my bridesmaid, then.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “A pregnant bridesmaid? My belly will probably be bigger than yours by that time.”
As I said that, I couldn’t help but feel a little worried. If Flora didn’t tell me about it today, I wouldn’t have realized that my belly was bigger than pregnant women who had the same gestation period as me. It seemed like I couldn’t continue eating the way I did, or else it would be difficult for me to go into labor.
“That doesn’t matter!” She exclaimed. “I don’t care. You just have to be my bridesmaid!”
At that point, she began to talk me through the process. I just smiled at her as I listened. I occasionally responded whenever she would ask me something.
“By the way, are you going to get married soon?” Flora suddenly asked. “I heard Prince Rufus has already proposed.”
My heart ached upon hearing that, but I tried to mask what I felt by smiling. “It hasn’t been decided yet. I don’t think we’ll be able to hold a wedding any time soon.”
“But doesn’t Prince Rufus want to marry you? Is he going to delay the wedding? But why?” She looked at me in confusion as she tried to help me figure out what Rufus was thinking.
I didn’t know how to answer her. I knew Rufus couldn’t wait to marry me, but I was dragging it on purpose.
Fortunately, Warren came back at that moment, which helped me get out of that awkward situation.
I quickly greeted him and stood up to bid goodbye to Flora. “I won’t bother you guys anymore. I’ll be leaving now.”
I quickly greeted him and stood up to bid goodbye to Flora. “I won’t bother you guys anymore. I’ll be leaving now.”
“Why don’t you stay a little longer?” Warren asked, wanting me to stay. He had already calmed down, and he seemed like his old self again. “My father and Edwin want to talk to you about something. They’re on their way here.”
I gave him a bewildered look. “What do they want to talk to me about?”
“They want you to take over the position as the Alpha. You’re Leonard’s daughter. You should come back and lead the pack,” Warren replied.
Just when I was about to refuse, the guard outside came in and reported that Owen and Edwin had arrived.
Great. Three people were working together and persuading me to take over the position now.
However, I directly refused. I had to leave sooner or later, so I couldn’t inherit the position.
“Sylvia, you’re far more capable than you think. The pack right now is facing internal and external strife. We just can’t manage without an Alpha,” Owen earnestly advised.
“I understand, but I’m afraid I can’t win the support of the public. Even though I’m Leonard’s daughter, I’m just an illegitimate daughter in the eyes of those people,” I insisted with a sigh. “When Leonard was still alive, he actually wanted to hand over the pack to Warren. You should know this already. If Alina successfully got married at that time, Leonard would probably announce Warren as the successor of the Alpha. You see. Both he and the pack members hoped that Warren could take over the position as the Alpha, so I think Warren is the best candidate.”
Sylvia’s POV
Warren was shaken up. “But I never once thought that the position would be mine, nor have I ever dreamed of seizing it. Besides, the task is so intricately heavy that I doubt I would even survive the first week upon taking the position.”
“No,” Edwin interposed, “I understand where you’re coming from, but what you think is wrong. The potential to lead is only a bonus a leader must possess; the principal integrant the position comes with is the will of the people. You grew up with the pack being aware of your abilities and achievements, Warren. What I’m saying is that you’re not a stranger to the pack. All things considered, I cannot argue that you’re indeed more suitable for this position than Sylvia is. It’s not just me who thinks so. I see eye to eye with Leonard,” Edwin finished, sincerity apparent on his face.
I stood still and silent, curtailing my presence as much as possible. As Edwin capped his confidence for Warren, I nodded in agreement. There was nothing about what he told Warren that I could refute. Even if I chose to stay, I would still put Warren forward to succeed the position. Leonard had trained Warren to be his heir ever since he had probably started to talk. All those preparations he had gone through were done in anticipation for this day. As compared with me, Warren was a more suitable person to supersede as the pack’s Alpha.
“Leonard had been training you as the successor to the spot and treated you like his own son. You may not come to acknowledge this yet, but you’re simply not a knight tasked to just guard Alina. At least, not the way you think it is,” Edwin added.
Owen drew a long sigh, but it was without words. He lifted his hand and offered Warren a gentle pat on the shoulder, as if to let him lay down the decision by himself.
Warren was silent for a moment, and we waited apprehensively. I gathered my thoughts and went on to persuade him, trying to assure him, as did the others, that he was best suited as the Alpha. “Leonard had always placed great hopes on you; he had envisioned the pack to be prospering with you on the lead. I believe that he wouldn’t make a wrong judgment about you.
“I know your hesitation and worry, but there are some things that you will experience along the way, and that’s something that comes with the bundle of managing the pack. I hope you can be more confident and give yourself more credit than we do. I know telling you to not let Leonard down and to shoulder the responsibility that trails leading the pack is a hefty combination, but if even you can’t stand for them, then the pack will lose prospects for new hope.”
After digesting what I said, the scarlet shade painted Warren’s eyes once again, and his voice trembled. He sounded like a kid as he asked, “Did Alpha Leonard really want me to take his place?”
As if to make the fact that we were making him realize more obvious, I nodded firmly. “Yes.”
I shifted my gaze to look at Owen and Edwin, trying to gather more assurance from them. They bobbed their heads and said, “We believe that you can do it well, Warren.”
Warren fell silent, pondering about what was yet to come. To our relief, he looked at each pair of eyes around him with determination and agreed. “Okay. I promise to take over as the Alpha but only temporarily. I will try my best to make the pack better until we find someone who’s much more suited for the position. If we find a better candidate in the future, I will voluntarily abdicate at any time.”
Warren’s words amused everyone. It was, after all, the least set of replies we were hoping to hear from him. But since he had practically agreed to inherit the position, no one hurriedly refuted. After all, no one among us could actually tell what would happen in the future.
Edwin opened his arms and enveloped Warren with satisfaction, ease reflected in his eyes as he did so. “That’s good to hear. The pack has a hope; you’re bringing it to them. Leonard can rest in peace knowing the pack is under your command.”
Warren’s decision was good news after all that had happened recently. I hoped that this would mark a good beginning. The dead could not be brought back to life, and the people who were alive should try their best to live well.
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