Glen’s POV
I looked at Sky, who was typing something on his laptop in the pack’s office, then folded my arms with a low sigh.
“What is it?” he asked without looking at me.
“Don’t you think you are rushing things? Just because the Queen of Dragons said that to you, it doesn’t make you obliged to go through with it. Harley and I can wait until the right time to have the ceremony, brother,” I answered seriously.
“That’s the thing: no one can force me to do what I feel or think is wrong. What Harley’s mother said was right, and I want to do it while she’s still in our pack,” he said calmly and then looked at me.
“Our mate acted cold towards her mother, but we all could see it in her words how she still longed for her. Her being made Luna with part of her family witnessing it would make her and us happy, wouldn’t it?” he asked as I dropped my hands and nodded.
When she asked her mother if she was leaving, her voice indeed held longing, and it surprised me. But at the same time, I understood because I, too, wanted Berta to acknowledge me, even when she had let Lorin do all that to me.
“I understand,” I whispered softly.
“I also want you to be the official Alpha of this pack as soon as possible,” he said as I smiled at him.
“Do we need to call Mom and Dad and invite them over?” I asked.
“I already did that. Also, I called Jace to explain everything that happened, and right now I’m emailing Alpha Ian, inviting him over. Hopefully, he will be able to make it,” he answered.
“Why would you want to invite him? I know he is cool with us because of Edith being a part of our family, but no one knows how comfortable he may be with dragons,” I pointed out.
“It would be terrible if he ended up offending our mother-in-law,” I said, then smirked.
I loved how the word “mother-in-law” sounded.
“He won’t do that; I believe in him. He can’t intentionally start a war, not when he wants to be in Edith’s good graces,” he answered.
“Fine, have it your way. So, is the ceremony taking place tomorrow?” I asked simply.
“No, tomorrow we welcome those who will make it, and we will start with preparations,” he answered.
“Okay, then excuse me,” I said softly, and then walked out of the office and went to Harley’s room, standing at her door for a few minutes, listening to her laughter.
She was in there chatting with her mother and aunt.
I slowly turned and walked out of the pack house, not wanting to disturb them.
She truly was kind to forgive her mother just like that. Some people I knew would have backed away from her or cursed her out for days, perhaps months, but she forgave her in minutes.
I stopped moving when I picked up Sophie’s, Riff’s, and another she-wolf’s scent.
When I looked to my left, I saw them chatting happily. Sophie was holding Riff’s hand while nodding to whatever
the she-wolf in front of her was speaking. She looked freer than she had ever been.
When she looked my way, she smiled widely.
I lazily walked to where she was and nodded at Riff as a form of greeting. When I shifted my gaze to the she-wolf, she gave a low bow and then stood upright.
“You must be Alpha Glen. Are you single?” she asked, surprising me.
“Don’t mind her, Alpha. My sister is quite a joker,” Riff said, then chuckled.
“Sister, I see. It’s nice to meet you,” I said while extending my hand to her.
She quickly shook it, then pulled her hand back.
“Honestly, I had a crush on Alpha Sky for as long as I can remember, but he never had time for me, and he never saw me as anything besides his little sister,” she said as Riff’s expression turned sad.
“But I’m glad he rejected me because I could have never managed to run such a pack. You are not single, are you?” she asked as I shook my head.
“Veronica, both of our Alphas share a mate,” Riff answered coldly.
“Right,” she whispered and then cleared her throat awkwardly.
“Anyway, about our father, I heard the news, and I did weep for him. But there was never a day he showed love to me as much as he did to you. So although I wept, it wasn’t out of anger or love; it was more out of sadness over the horror he made Luna Berta go through when she was like a mother to us,” she said sadly.
“But I know it was different for you because you loved our father despite how he acted. I’m sorry, brother, and I’m happy that you decided to let your anger sleep,” she said and then moved her hand to Riff’s shoulder.
“Not much time has gone by, yet here you stand for your pack, and that’s something our mother would have been proud of. She wouldn’t have wanted you to hate Sky,” she said and then dropped her hand.
Riff nodded and blinked back the forming tears.
“Now tell me, what are we to do with the dragon warriors and witches in our territory?” she asked.
“Right, I too have no clue,” Sophie answered, then rested her head against Riff’s shoulder.
She was trying to comfort him and take his mind off his father’s death.
“Riff, I too have no idea what to do,” I said simply.
“We can have them stay in hotels that are in town. I think that would be the only reasonable thing to do, but then again, we have to hear what Alpha Sky will say. He might not agree,” he answered.
“How about giving them tents so they can camp at the pack’s border?” Sophie asked.
“That is actually a very good idea,” I said honestly.
“It’s actually a pretty good suggestion because I don’t think they will be going anywhere without their Queen,” Riff answered.
“Then I’ll let my brother know about it,” I said with a smile.
“Well, I will have to sleep here too and lend a hand. A healer should always be close when there are a lot of warriors nearby,” Veronica said.
“Of course, I am glad to have you here,” Riff answered seriously.
“Excuse me then, I’ll leave you guys to your chat. I’ll just continue my walk to clear my mind,” I said, and then began walking away, ignoring the stares I was getting from the dragon warriors who stood to the right side of the pack house, patiently waiting for their Queen.