Quinn
I sat on the balcony of my room, twirling a glass of wine in my hand and lost in thoughts. What was this? Was there never going to be any rest for me? I doubted that. There had to be a rest for me. I couldn’t keep doing this. I couldn’t keep going from one adventure to another problem. I was tired. Even if Mia and my brothers weren’t tired, I was.
This was ridiculous. What a bad timing, a perfectly wrong timing. I wasn’t scared of the duel between me and my cousin. I knew that I was going to have to be the alpha one day. I had been prepared for it all my life. It wasn’t a foreign deal to me but I didn’t want it to be now.
I turned to the door as I heard it open and someone walked in. I caught a sniff of the person’s smell and smiled, knowing that I didn’t have to turn to know who had entered. My senses had improved ever since dad’s own started waning and I knew that Tyrex, my cousin would have also started feeling the same as I was. He would have known that it was time for the duel. If the previous alpha was getting old and weak, those who were next in line would start feeling the shift. Their wolves would become stronger and they would be more sensitive than they had ever been.
I had to release my grip on the cup that I was holding. Never in my life had I been so conscious of how to hold a cup. I knew that if I held it too tight, I was going to break it and I didn’t want to start sweeping my room and packing shards of glass off the floor. The staff were going to worry and ask what was wrong with me, and I didn’t want to start explaining myself to them that I was fine.
“I knew I was going to find you here. I haven’t seen you since we came back last night.”
I sighed. Wasn’t what dad told me enough to keep me inside? I didn’t know what else I was going to do with myself. I didn’t think any of my brothers would be willing for some chit-chat as well and that was why I decided to stay in my room. I wasn’t ready to do anything. I was worried for dad, myself and the pack just as how I knew that they were going to be worried for me.
The duel was always fierce and one could lose his life if not careful or the opponent was cruel enough to kill. All that was needed was a moment, a brief moment which would happen in a flash and no one would know the fatal blow had been delivered until the person was dead.
I wasn’t afraid of Tyrex. I wasn’t scared that I was going to die. I wasn’t worried that he was going to be brutal and wound me. I wasn’t worried that I was going to lose the fight. I was only a bit sad because of the bad timing. I hadn’t been expecting it at all.
“Have you been looking for me?”
“Of course, I am. What do you think? You weren’t around for breakfast and neither did you show up for lunch. Did you think that I was not going to show up, looking for you?”
I chuckled, not knowing what else I could say to that. “Thanks.”
She snorted and walked to where I was, looking at the bottle before me. “Are you drinking?”
“Yes.” I said without turning.
“Do you have a spare glass there with you?”
“No, but there is still more in the bottle. You can go to the kitchen for a glass and then come back home.”
I watched as she hissed at the stress of going back to the kitchen and picked up the bottle. She tipped the bottle in her mouth and drank. I chuckled as I watched her raise the bottle to her lips and took a huge gulp. She smacked her lips together as she dropped the bottle.
“That was needed.” She moaned.
I chuckled. “Why do you want to drink?”
“Why are you drinking?”
I went silent, knowing that I didn’t have anything to say to her. She nodded at my silence, knowing that I got her point. “Noted.” I said as I glanced at her and then started staring into space.
She broke the silence first. “When is the duel going to be? I mean, of you becoming the alpha.”
“I might not become the alpha.” I reminded her. “I still have to fight for the position.”
She snorted, as if me not becoming an alpha wasn’t a possibility that she would have considered. “I don’t know anyone in the pack who is as strong as you are.”
I chuckled. “You don’t know much in the pack. You don’t know anyone else in the pack asides us. You can’t use that to judge.”
“What I know is enough for me. I know you are strong and are also the son of the alpha. If that doesn’t say anything about you being the strongest, I don’t know what else would.”
I chuckled. “It seems like you are here to tease and boost my morale.”
“It seems like you are in a bad mood. That’s why I am here to cheer you up.”
I snorted. “I’m not in a bad mood. I only didn’t expect to have to duel to be the alpha so soon. I guess I wanted to have some time to myself.”
“You can do it.” She sighed.
“Thanks.” I smiled, grateful she was here. I was glad that I had her to boost my morale.
“When is the duel?” She asked.
“Tyrex would have felt exactly what I am feeling. His wolf would have been acting stronger and he would have known that dad was getting weak but both of us have no right to ask for the dueling ceremony. That would be seen as being disrespectful to the previous alpha.”
“Treason.” She nodded.
“Yes.” I replied her, nodding.
“Then, what makes the dueling happen?”
“Dad would have to call the elders of the pack for a meeting. He would call for them and tell them that he was getting weaker and unable to lead them any longer. That is when we will start preparing for the duel.”
“Do you want to be the alpha?” She asked me.
I looked at her, wondering why she was suddenly asking me that. Of course, I did. That was one of my dreams for years. I didn’t see anyone else who could lead the pack other than me. I had been carrying myself with that mindset for years and I didn’t know what else I was going to do with myself if I didn’t have that.
She smiled as she looked at me. “I can see you want to be the alpha. I can see the look in your eyes and I know you want to be the alpha. You have to be the alpha. There is no one else that can do it and you know it.”
I smiled. “I’m honored that you believe this much in me.”
She chuckled. “Who else would I believe in if not you?”
We talked for some more until it was time to go for dinner. “Will you come out for dinner or you will be eating inside as you have been doing since morning?”
I smiled at her. “I will join you all for dinner.”
She smiled. “Better. I would have punched you if you didn’t say you were coming to join us for dinner.”
I chuckled. “I guess it was a good thing that I said the answer you were expecting.”
Because I didn’t eat breakfast and lunch with my family, I didn’t know that dad was getting better. He was at the head of the table, eating and looked better than had last night.
“You decided to join us for dinner tonight, son. What an honor to have the alpha with us.”
I rolled my eyes as I sat at the table. “Dad, don’t tease me.”
He chuckled. “Don’t be worried about it. You will be fine.” He turned to Mia. “Thank you for dragging him out.”
Mia chuckled. “You are welcome.”
Vanessa smiled. “I’m glad that you have reconciled with your brothers, Mia.”
I looked at my brothers and we chuckled silently, hoping that we weren’t blushing. She definitely didn’t want to know how far we had reconciled. I glanced at Mia, realized she was staring at us and sobered up. We needed to find a time to tell Vanessa of our affair with her daughter.
“Let’s eat.” Albert said.
Just then, dad’s phone rang and from the shock on his face as he checked his phone, I could bet that it was a call from someone that he wasn’t expecting.