Wolf #2: The Beast Within [COMPLETED]

Chapter 37

Chapter 37

That evening, I find myself in the kitchen with the other Wolves to help them prepare for the nightly pack dinner. It's more like a giant barbeque, and the kitchen is certainly capable of handling the sheer amount of food we prepare.

Aviva, the girl who attacked one of her friends during the summertime Heat, had invited me to come with her. Initially, I had been sceptical and certain that she was going to try backstab me. But it hasn't been the case at all, and I've been pleasantly surprised by how the Wolves welcomed me into their kitchen.

"Smells good, ladies," Kiana laughs as she walks in through the backdoor. Her grin turns crooked when she sees me carrying several containers of mac-and-cheese out of the kitchen, "So you don't just brew up potions?"

I laugh as she takes some of the food from the counter and helps me bring it outside, "Yeah, I was surprised that they wanted me near the food. But I don't mind either. It's been nice to help out."

"There's nothing quite like the community of a pack," She smiles fondly at the Wolves around her, "I remember how nervous I had been when we came out here with Adrian and Cynbel. Mac was too, though he would never admit it. And initially...I had been right."

I say nothing, only listen intently. She had grown up with Cynbel. And I know what it was like to lose someone the way they had lost her. You're never quite the same after seeing your dead loved one.

"But Adrian has created something special here. Just as special as Arianrhod had been for us," She glances up at his office window, which overlooks the backyard. I follow her gaze, but Adrian isn't there. "He may not have been born to be Alpha, but he's one of the best there is."

Initially, I don't react but then I replay her words in my head, "Wouldn't he have been raised to be Alpha, just like...his older brother?"

Kiana shakes her head, "Leon wasn't even born to be Alpha of Diurnal. Their parents were the Betas of this pack. That's why it wasn't a problem for Adrian to live in Arianrhod—they would never let a future Alpha do that. No—Leon changed more than his destiny when he murdered his Alphas and their children. He changed this pack's line of ascension."

"Did Leon...kill them? Their parents?"

Her bitter smile makes me think that she's about to say yes, but instead, she says, "No. Though he might have if they had not already been dead. Diurnal's Betas died when Adrian was in Arianrhod with us. He was sixteen, I think."

I'm jarred by the information. I had never known that about Adrian. I don't actually know a terrible lot of about him at all, save for the things we shared in common.

"Don't get me wrong, though," Kiana heads back to the kitchen for more food, "Our Alpha is the real deal. Although his parents weren't Alpha-born, he was."

"So anyone can be an Alpha?"

"Not everyone. There's a difference between an Alpha of a pack, and an Alpha-born. Generally, it's the first-born. But not always—it's a Wolf that has been blessed by the Goddesses and possesses a perfect balance between their human and fur sides. It's like how some humans are just natural-born leaders. That's what an Alpha is, except they're extremely rare. That's why most packs have an inheritable title—if the current Alpha pair don't have an Alpha-born pup, then their children will inherit the title of Alpha."

"But that doesn't necessarily make them as strong as an Alpha-born?"

"Right—it's just serves as a title. But don't take them for granted—Alphas like that fight tooth and nail for their pack's respect. They don't go down easily."