“Good. At least that is something.” After another half an hour, we ended the call. I was sitting on my bed and looking at my phone. Before I could talk myself out of it, I called my mom.
“Armeria, I’m so happy you called. How are you?” my mother answered and I smiled.
“Hi. I’m good, mom. How are you and dad?”
“We’re fine. We are having fun with Armino. I have forgotten what it is to have a pup in the house,” she told me and I could hear how much she liked it.
“Am I interrupting something?” I asked.
“Not at all. Your father is telling the old tales in a best effort to get the little monster to go to sleep. Has something happened?” she asked.
“No. I don’t know. There are a lot of things happening right now.” My mother hummed.
“Elder told me your pack did well in the first game.”
“We did.”
“Is this about the man you fancy?” she then asked.
“Yes. And about James as well, I think.”
“It can’t be easy having the mate bond and at the same time having feelings for someone else,” she said.
“It’s easier than I thought it would be. That is what I have a problem with. Do you think there is something wrong with me? I feel like I should be torn between my mate and… the other man. But I’m not. I don’t want James, not at all. I feel the bond when we are around each other, but it’s more irritating than anything,” I explained.
“How about your wolf? They are more instinct driven creatures,” my mom asked.
“She’s the same. She has agreed with me from the start about the other man. She trusts him as much as I do and her instinct is to choose him. It was strange, the first day when we found out everything. I shook James’ hand to seal our deal and I could feel the tingling sensation everyone talks about when touching your true mate. But neither I nor my wolf was comforted by it. It was like having ants crawling over my skin, deeply disturbing,” I told her.
“There is nothing wrong with you, Armeria. James hurt you ten years ago. Not only was he your mate and therefore someone you should be able to trust, but he was also your friend. So, in a way, his betrayal was double. I’m not surprised your wolf doesn’t trust him and if she doesn’t trust him, she won’t acknowledge the bond. Why would she want to be bonded to someone she doesn’t trust?” There was a pause, as if she was thinking. “I’m not saying you should trust him, or that you should forgive him. That is up to you. But the bond is there. I would be lying if I said I didn’t like the idea of having my daughter as my Luna. It is the way it should have been. Despite that, it is more important to me that you are happy. If this other man is who will make you happy, then that is who you should be with. No God or mortal can change that,” she said.
“Thanks mom. He makes me happy and he has always believed in me. It means a lot to me. He makes me feel safe and seen.”
“I can hear how much you love him when you talk about him. Your heart has never let you down, Armeria. Even when it led you away from us. It was the right choice for you. If you let it guide you, you will not go astray. I will always support you in those decisions.”
“I love you, mom. I needed to talk to someone about all of this,” I told her.
“I’ll always be here if you need to talk.” We continued to talk about other less serious subjects. My mom had a bunch of gossip about my old pack she told me. A lot had happened in the last ten years. I told her about my new life and my new friends.
Almost three hours after I had gone up to my room, I came back downstairs. I had talked more than I usually did in a week, and I needed some tea and a snack. After getting my tea and a plate with Matilda’s cookies, I walked into the living room. Most of the group were sitting there, watching TV. But there was an empty spot on the couch between Matilda and Finlay. I sat down in it and batted Finlay’s hand away as he tried to steal one of my treats.Finlay
We were back in the council building. Amie stood beside me and we both waited. For what, we didn’t know. On the other end of the waiting area, stood my brother and his Beta. Every now and then, my brother locked eyes with me.
‘Don’t let him get to you,’ Amie mindlinked me. I looked away from my brother.
‘He is up to something,’ I told her.
‘Of course he is. He wouldn’t have brought this to the council unless he thought he had something to tip the council in his favour. There is no use trying to figure it out while staring at him. We will know soon enough,’ she told me. She was right. But I still shot my brother a side glare. Just so he would know, I knew. ‘Honestly. It’s like you are five,’ she added when she saw it. But there was amusement in her mindlink. The door to the council room opened and we were asked to enter. This was not the room with the long conference table. Instead, the council was sitting on a raised platform that was slightly curved, all in one row facing us. Amie and I were shown to a pulpit to the right, my brother and his Beta were shown to a pulpit to the left. Behind each of us, two of the council warriors stood.
“Thank you for heeding our summons. Alpha Ryder from the Ocean Shore pack has made a request for the council to force the Blue Mountain pack to merge with them as it has its origins in their pack. We will hear from Alpha Ryder why this request has been made. Then we will let Alpha Finlay respond to the request. The council will have the right to ask questions of both Alphas and their Betas until we feel we have the information needed to make a decision. Do any of you have questions regarding the procedure?” the head of the council asked. All of us remained silent. “Good, good. Then, please, Alpha Ryder. Tell us why you have filed the request.”
“Thank you. I want to start by thanking the council for taking my concerns seriously. About eight years ago, my father, Alpha Johannes, was killed defending the pack from a rogue attack. The alpha position went to me as his oldest son. My father trained me my whole life to be ready for this responsibility. My younger brother, Finlay, did not like the change.” I felt Amie tense up beside me and saw how she glared at my brother. He had not used my title and it rubbed her the wrong way. Her reaction calmed my own. My brother could call me whatever he wanted. A true Alpha didn’t need to rely on what people called him. It was in his actions.
“Alpha Ryder, you should use your brother’s title. Respect is important, it is a founding stone in our society,” one of the council members corrected him. I looked at the older woman in surprise, as did my brother.
“Of course, I apologise. Old habits, he is my little brother still. Alpha Finlay objected to the change when my father passed away. It was hard for the pack and it was hard for our family losing my father so unexpectedly. I think my brother’s grief got the better of him. It’s the only explanation I can give for his erratic behaviour. Alpha Finlay knew he could never beat me in a duel so instead he persuaded parts of the pack to break off and leave. I have asked him, several times, to stop being stubborn and return home. I have tried to tell him he is putting his pack members, wolves I still consider being under my protection, in danger by living as an unranked pack. Alpha Finlay has refused to listen, and this past fall what I had warned him about happened. Another pack attacked Alpha Finlay’s. It resulted in three of their pack members’ death, amongst them their Beta, Martin. Martin was one of my former pack members and his family still is a part of my pack. Their grief has moved me deeply. It is time for my brother to stop this tantrum of his and take responsibility. I have requested the union of the packs as a way to keep the wolves I, and my pack, still care deeply for, safe,” he finished. His little speech left me worried. He had mixed lies and exaggerations with enough truth to make everything believable. In this moment, I hated him for what he was trying to do to my pack. And I was worried that I didn’t know why he was doing this. It seemed to be too insistent to be simply because his ego couldn’t handle that we left his pack. There was more behind it. I just hadn’t figured out what.
“Thank you, Alpha Ryder. Alpha Finlay, you may speak to what your brother just told us,” the head of the council said. I nodded slowly, taking a moment to gather my thoughts.
“Thank you. As my brother says, this is not the first time we have broached this subject. I even remember he tried to make a similar request of the council a couple of years back, but it didn’t even go to a hearing. There is truth in Alpha Ryder’s words but there are also falsehoods and exaggerations. If we go back to before our packs split, after our father died, Alpha Ryder took over the Ocean River pack and as expected, things changed. The changes worried me as I saw the weaker members being pushed aside. I was not alone in my worries and I talked to my brother about it several times. He was not willing to listen and it came to the point where I considered challenging him to protect those members of the pack. I wasn’t afraid of challenging him, I wasn’t sure of a victory, but I believed I had a good chance. My mother pleaded with me not to challenge him. She had just lost her mate, I didn’t have the heart to make her lose a son as well. That was why I applied to the council to form my own pack. I did it all by the book and when it was approved, I did not force anyone to come with me. I left my brother’s pack and all who came with me did so of their own free will.” I had to pause to take a breath.
‘You are doing great,’ Amie mindlinked me.
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