CALLUM
“I’m sure you all have some questions for Ava, but I would appreciate it if you can hold off until after we’ve gone through everything that’s happened today,” Alpha Jacob said, before turning to Ava and my dad.
“What happened when you two ran this morning?”
“Three rogues by the river. I made Ava hide whilst I shifted back to talk to them. They were here on behalf of their ‘boss’, who believes his mate might be in this pack.”
“Of course, we believe they’re actually talking out of their backsides, and he’s planning on forcing a matebond on someone,” Ava continued, before throwing a concerned look towards my dad. “This she-wolf they’re looking for is apparently a special woman with a special wolf.”
Dad’s face was stressed, and just got more stressed as he looked at Ava. Was it her?
“The three wolves fled before we could do anything about it. All three of them were in the group just now, two are dead, and the third is in the cells waiting to be interrogated,” dad explained.
“What else do we know about the rogues from today?” Alpha Jacob asked.
“They were carrying a lot of wolfsbane darts, and based on the content of their bags… we believe they planned to attempt to take their target today.” Dad’s face couldn’t have looked more stressed if he tried.
“We need to increase patrols, Alpha,” Ava added. “I trust you two will stand by our agreement from earlier.”
“No, Ava, you are not doing it!” Dad shouted, his eyes bleeding through to show his wolf. “They have proven that you are the target, I’m not letting you run a border patrol!”
I watched, wide eyed as Ava stood, slamming her hands on the table and glaring at dad across the desk. Her eyes were yellow, which told me Artemis was present for this argument. “Kieran, we have already been through this. I am running a patrol route, you are either with me, or against me. Either way, I’m doing it.”
“Kieran, we did agree to this earlier,” Alpha Jacob interjected. “As we’ve all established, Ava and Artemis are an Alpha wolf, and neither of us would hide in her position, so we shouldn’t expect her to either.” He was rubbing his face like he’d had enough of this argument.
“Thank you, Alpha,” Ava replied, Artemis disappearing from her eyes.
Dad looked like he was going to argue. “I mean it, Kieran. I know Artemis and Ava are like an adoptive daughter to you, just like they are to me. You are only pushing her away right now when she needs us behind her the most.”
Dad sighed in defeat. “Fine, but I don’t like this.”
“I know you don’t, Beta, but I am not sitting this out, and that is final.” Ava’s power crackled through the room at that. Her statement had become a command, now they really couldn’t stop her.
“Alright then, now that’s settled. Boys, ask Ava your questions.”
“When did you shift for the first time?” I asked.
“I was 13,” Ava replied. “Your dad helped me through the first shift.”
She was 13?! No wonder she has such good control when she isn’t even 18 yet.
“How are you an Alpha wolf? I thought a woman can’t be born an Alpha?” Noah asked.
“Both of my birth parents were born Alphas. I have the gene from both of them. Even without that, it is possible for an Alpha to have a female heir, it is just very rare. It just so happens that my mother was born an Alpha too.”
“So, is there a pack out there that you will take over one day?” Oscar asked.
“Yes and no, but that is a story for another day.”
“How many people know you have your wolf, Ava?” Oscar asked.
She winced. “Not very many, but after this morning…” I watched her glance at dad. “The argument I had with your father might have changed that.”
“How come we’ve never been able to smell your wolf?” Noah asked.
“Artemis can hide her scent.”
“So… if Artemis and you can hide your scent, how did dad know you were there this morning?” Oscar asked, voice curious.
Ava winced. “Are we really discussing this bit now?”
I smirked, then nodded.
“Fine!” she growled. “I got distracted and my control slipped.”
That one would have been my fault, oops.
“Am I missing something here, Ava?” Alpha Jacob asked, smirking.
“You don’t want to know, Alpha.” She scowled at me.
Yeah, I could accept, if it was the distraction on the way upstairs that did it, it was entirely my fault.
“Wait a minute,” Noah piped up. “When you said you were talking to yourself in the club – you told someone to shut up… Was it Artemis you told to shut up?”
She nodded.
“Why…?”
I watched her glance between my dad and Alpha Jacob.
“Not a question I’m answering in present company, Noah. Think about the conversation we were having and you can probably work it out.”
Dad’s face was a picture, he’d probably guessed. He turned to smirk at Ava. “Was Artemis doing what I think she was doing?”
Ava shrugged. “She’s strong, she likes competition.”
Dad laughed, hard. I saw the moment Alpha Jacob put two and two together because he started to laugh too.
It was just me, Oscar, Theo and Noah that didn’t know what they were talking about…
“Dad, what is she talking about?” I asked, a little surprised at the smirks on their faces.
I watched him look at Ava, who just shrugged, still laughing.
“Son… Artemis is a very strong Alpha wolf. She instinctively wants a mate who is just as strong.”
I raised one eyebrow.
“Artemis wanted you four to fight over her,” Alpha Jacob interjected, still laughing. “Whoever won would be considered worthy.”
I see…
“Anyway… enough talking about my horny wolf. I have a question for you, Alpha,” Ava turned suddenly to face him. “Well, it’s a two part question. Why did you one, call me Alpha, and two, show deference to me?”
“Your power in wolf form is undeniable. I can feel it now in human form too, but in wolf form… your aura can be felt a long way off. Even without her own pack, Artemis is an Alpha. She doesn’t need a pack to be an Alpha, because she is one under her own right.” He smiled. “Also, I’m pretty sure you could kick my ass.”
She chuckled, but her face was still uncertain.