Chapter 45
Alaric leaned back in his chair, his right hand curled into a fist against which he rested his chin. His brow was creased in thoughtful contemplation as he eyed Hope closely, but definitely not lightly.
"So…you claimed alpha…not just over the Crescents…but over ALL of the wolves?" He expressed the obvious facts.
Hope swallowed a little and gave a small nod. "Uhh…yes?"
Alaric nodded, the expression on his face unaltered and it was honestly causing Hope to feel awkwardly worried.
"And then you turned my daughter into a wolf?" Alaric asked calmly, but Hope could swear she could see the vein on the side of his neck pulsating at an alarming rate.
"Umm…yes…sir?" Hope swallowed thickly again.
"Do I even want to know how it all happened?" Alaric unclenched his fist in order to rub over his brow with his index and middle fingers.
"Ahhh…probably not. Sir." Hope smiled sweetly.
Alaric just grit his teeth.
(…)
As soon as Hope spotted Josie meandering through the corridors on her way to her next class, she set in upon her. She was barely a foot away from Josie by the time the younger girl caught sight of her and found herself immediately enveloped in a strong pair of arms. "Hide me." Hope mumbled into Josie's collar, her face hidden in the fabric around Josie's neck.
"Aww baby what's wrong?" Josie simply wrapped her arms around Hope in return and gave her a warm and comforting hug, loving the fresh scent filling her nostrils as it wafted up from Hope's hair. Josie would love nothing more than to ditch the rest of her classes and get lost in more than just the scent of Hope's hair.
"Your dad is a little…upset with me." Hope mumbled with her face hidden in Josie's neck still as they clung onto each other, but soon enough Hope pulled back in order to look her mate in the eye.
"Upset about…?" Josie implored with brows arched.
"Oh, you know, the usual. Destroying the entire wolf hierarchy. Turning his daughter into a wolf. Doing other…things to his baby girl in order to turn her into a wolf." Hope bit her bottom lip as she eyed Josie for a reaction.
Josie just about choked on her own saliva and turned a bright shade of scarlet as her eyes went wide. "You didn't! You told him… EVERYTHING?"
"I basically told him he does NOT want all of the details… but apparently that was enough to set his imagination running wild." Hope shrugged, as if there was any way she could have avoided upsetting the father of her mate and her current headmaster. She was really good at pissing him off already anyway. "So yeah, I'm not his favorite right now."
"GOD this is so embarrassing." Josie whined and dragged her fingers down her face as if she could wipe the guilt from her features. She knew she wouldn't have had it any other way. Not only was the unification absolutely insanely amazing, but she had also never felt anything better than running and being free like they had done afterwards. It was definitely her new favorite thing.
"I'm sorry." Hope sighed as she looked up into those delicious chocolate eyes once more. "But you know what though?"
"Hmmm?" Josie hummed, forgetting for a second all about her discomfort and getting lost in the icy pools of blue before her and the delicious warmth of the body pressed so tightly against her.
"I love you." Hope uttered softly with a smile and it was all the encouragement Josie needed to lean down and capture those irresistibly pink lips with her own in a soft kiss. After drawing some teasing and some jokes from those around them, Josie pulled back just enough to whisper in return, "I love you too…"
(…)
"Hey boss." Nim grinned as Josie found her sliding into the next desk beside her own. Josie felt briefly confused for several reasons.
First, she had to remember that, like herself, Nim was also a hybrid and therefore would still be taking witch-oriented classes, such as their current Nonverbal Charms class. Secondly, Nim was also the same age as Josie and thus slotted right into her year without issues, proving to be exceptionally bright and knowledgeable on top of that as well. And thirdly – boss? Josie knitted her brows in confusion as she silently formed the words with her pouty lips.
Nim cackled at Josie's confusion as she tried to wrap her head around the word and its meaning, before finally relenting and helping her out. "You're the boss, Jo. The only boss bossier than you is Hope." When Josie still seemed confused, and Nim still couldn't still her laughter, she slid her chair closer and took the time they had in waiting for the teacher to show to explain it to her.
"See, Hope is now the alpha. She is in charge, top of the food chain, the top dog – in a manner of speaking of course. Second to her is you – the alpha's mate, or the subordinate alpha. You are also an alpha, you're just not the dominant alpha." When Josie still seemed to struggle to wrap her head around it all, Nim opted for a metaphorical analogy. "It's like she's the king and you're the queen."
Josie understood everything Nim was saying, but it was struggling to sink in. All this time she had been pushing for Hope to take her birthright as alpha and lead her pack, but Josie never quite fully realized what that would entail for her. And as a brand-new wolf, she had no clue how her place in the hierarchy functioned. "Nim I need your help, please!" She asked suddenly with panicked, wide eyes. She couldn't bear the thought of disappointing her mate in any way. "I need you to teach me how to be a wolf."
(…)
"You want to challenge me? Right here, right now? Are you sure about that?" Hope's golden gaze was on fire as she went toe to toe with River later that day. The wolves had gathered for hierarchical divisions so that they could start in on their training as specific units within a bigger team.
Hope knew she would be foolish to not expect some sort of resistance.
Little did she care.
"Come on!" Hope growled loudly at River as she threw her fighting gloves to the ground off to the side, the pair of leather mitts causing the dust to swirl up equally angrily. "Or are you just going to stare at me?!"
River clenched his jaw and stepped back, lifting his hands in surrender. It would take some getting used to having to submit to the new female alpha, but he honestly knew that he'd be stupid to actually try and take her on again. She had proven well enough that with the right motivation absolutely no one could best her.
Hope finally took a deep breath and let the glow in her eyes subside by the time River had retrieved her gloves and handed them back over to her. She didn't want to fight with him. She needed to work with him. She respected him, and as long as he learned to respect and submit to her, they could make a formidable team.
"Unless anyone else has an issue?" Hope asked the group of wolves before her. They were all gathered, including Josie and Nim who had joined them once classes were done for the day. "We're not a team. We're more than that – we are family. Each and every single one of you I consider my brother and my sister. I would give my life to save yours, as long as you'd give your life to protect the pack." Hope had no real idea where the inspirational words came from, but it was as if they were just always there. It was as if she suddenly had access to this instinctual knowledge as an alpha that she was never aware of before as a simple wolf. Whatever it was though, it was uplifting and empowering and she loved it.
"There are about thirty of you, so I will have three betas. Raf, your group will be the warriors. Jed, your group will be the sentinels. And… River – your group will be the hunters. We'll rotate the groups on weekly basis so that every wolf can pick up every skill." Hope paused and looked around at the faces of her pack to ensure that there were no objections or issues.
"This pack is not just for now. It is for forever. We are not only training and preparing for wat might happen tomorrow – we are also preparing for our future. Let the whole of Virginia be known as the territory of the Salvatore Crescents. Let this be our home, and let us protect it." It quickly became clear that when Hope spoke, every wolf listened. And when Hope spoke, every single wolf cared.
When Hope spoke, the pack united.
As Hope dispersed the pack into their various factions to engage in training for the day with their betas, her gaze lingered on her mate with a soft smile, then motioned for her to follow Hope as she walked towards the mill. "You too Nim." She called over her shoulder.
When the other two girls approached Hope as she lingered in the mill, she was busy readjusting the straps on her gloves. "Nim, you are my fourth beta. You are the healer and advisor, and I want you by Josie's side at all times."
Josie didn't mind having Nim around with her, but she felt somewhat insulted as she voiced her concerns to her alpha. "Is she meant to babysit me? I can take care of myself, you know."
Hope smirked knowingly, very aware of the fact that if she didn't choose her next words carefully that she would set Josie off. And though she'd love to see it simply because the younger girl was irresistibly hot when she was angry, Hope wasn't about to risk a needless fight.
"You can take care of yourself as a witch, but how much combat training have you had?" Hope arched a brow at Josie and the hybrid couldn't argue with her insinuation.
"So, teach me." Josie growled slightly and stepped forward.
"I plan on it." Hope uttered simply and stepped right up to Josie in return, the pair nearly nose to nose as the tension crackled between them. Even though the lines had been drawn, it seemed like the power struggle between the two would still raise its head every now and then.
Hope loved it. She knew Josie would keep her on her toes, which was exactly what she needed.
"Shall I just…?" Nim started, wanting to sneak away before Hope stepped back from Josie and stopped her. "You and Josie will be training together whenever she's not training with me. You two, as hybrids, need to figure out how to work best together for the overall betterment of the pack – should we find ourselves in a sticky situation. The two of you are probably the pack's greatest resource, and I want to make sure that you are seen to and utilized in such a way."
Hope grinned for a moment then as she stepped closer to Nim, leaning into her slightly. "But if any harm comes to MY alpha, you'll be the first to die."
Nim swallowed hard, but Hope was soon laughing, indicating that she was just joking. If only it wasn't for the fact that she was shaking her head the whole time while proclaiming that she was just joking, Nim might have believed her.