I didn't want to go into detail about the how's and the whys of everything that had happened, I owned up to my mistakes and kept to the key points, the pack was divided, uneasy, unsettled, I didn't want to say or do anything that might negatively effect them long term but I needed to out Alpha Knight as the fraud he is and let them all know what he has done and how he has jeopardized the pack in order to keep his secret. They stood there, silently, listening to the words I had to say, I had no idea if they were registering, if people believed me but it was good to not have the weight of this packs misdeeds hanging on my shoulders anymore.
"We may be a pack but you all have your own minds, whether you believe me or not is up to you to decide, I will not hold a grudge against anyone who wishes to be released from their pack obligations." I paused as I heard murmurs move through the crowd, people huddling together,
"I am not the leader you all chose, I understand that, these past weeks I haven't been putting the pack first, I've been trying to right a wrong that effects us all but by doing that my actions have ripped apart the very fabrics of our family. For those who cannot accept me as leader I say this, I don't expect you too, I am not Alpha born, it is not my right, I however was chosen by one of the most powerful Alpha's who ever lived to carry on her legacy and protect wolf-kind, that is my duty, to protect all wolf-kind but the Sapphire Shadows needs an Alpha who is only focused on protecting the pack, that is why Holden Knight" I look over at Holden standing down on the ground, bloodied, cut and bruised, naked as the day he was born, with a fire in his eyes I hadn't seen before,
"Will be taking over as Alpha from his father, Former Alpha, Conrad Knight" my eyes darted to Conrad who was kneeling submissively with the silver cuffs used on Cooper clenched tightly around his wrists.
"Decisions made regarding the pack will come from him, however regarding this war and the punishment for Conrad Knight, this will be discussed and decided upon by Myself, Alpha Knight and Alpha Viceras; now more than ever we need unity between the packs to defeat the Hunters and the Demon Wolf that plagues us. I will not tolerate the descension that has been evident for the past couple of weeks, those loyal to Conrad Knight can either pledge allegiance to the new Alpha or you are free to leave." My eyes glance over the sea of bodies and land on Jeremy, he looked at war with himself, standing in disbelief, is only now realizing that he was blindly following a coward and murderer? or was he feeling guilty for how he treated me? regardless if he chose to stay I would put it all behind us.
Holden moved from the spot he was standing and made is way onto the podium, he his presence was commanding, his eyes intense as they never left mine for a moment. He finally reached me, his eyes soaking in every inch of the newly transformed me before he turned to the crowd,
"All of you were willing to follow me once I became Alpha, I hope that is still true even now, you are all my pack, my family, I didn't turn my back on you, I turned my back on a tyrannical dictator who would risk the safety and wellbeing of his own in order to cover up his heinous crime. I let go of my own flesh and blood in order to do the right thing and I urge you all to make the right choice now, I want to build a pack that his bigger and stronger than ever before, forgetting everything that happened in the past, here tonight will be the origin story of the new Sapphire Shadow pack, the pack that helped end the war with the hunters and that helped the Infinite White defeat the Demon Wolf who will bring nothing but terror and destruction to our kind. I vow from tonight and every day from here on out I will continuously strive to be the Alpha you all deserve, and make this pack a family again, because if we stand united nothing and no one can touch us, if we stand as one, we already succeeded." Our friends, family and allies all stood in marvel at Holden, even Alpha Viceras nodding along in approval. Holden is the Alpha this pack needed, he is the Alpha it deserves and I just hope and pray, he will have a long reign.
"Lily, is my mate, as you all know but I haven't been deserving of that title, she is not only my mate, she was born a member of the Sapphire Shadows and chosen to be the Infinite White. First she belonged to the pack, then she belonged to me and now she belongs to all, she is the guiding light of all wolf kind, an emissary for the packs, and the governing hand. She is above all but the law so it will be her that looks after the packs, whether it's pack disputes, unmated marriage arrangements, treaties, ally agreements or expansions, Lily will be the one to keep harmony in our world, because she has never just looked after herself or her own, she has always thought about the greater good for all, there is no one I love or trust more than her" he turns and looks at me before bending down on one knee and bowing his head,
"I, Holden Knight, Alpha of the Sapphire Shadow Pack, hereby swear fealty and allegiance to, Lily Dexter, the Infinite White, as the governing hand for the Wolf Packs of this country. I swear to uphold the righteous name of the Sapphire Shadow Pack, to aid where it is needed, to stand for justice and maintain harmony and peace. My wolf is yours, my words are yours, my heart is yours. I swear to you from this day forth." I had no idea what to saw, I was frozen on the spot, I didn't want to see him kneeling, I wasn't worth all this pledge, I wasn't worth what they expected of me, but before I could come to my senses, Alpha Viceras had moved into position beside Holden, kneeling and bowing his head he repeated the same words for the Night Blood Pack.
"Stand" I told them, watching as the two most powerful Alpha's in the country, rise from their feet to meet my gaze, I did what I only felt was appropriate and once they stood I knelt before them.
"I don't believe I have earned the right to be the Infinite White, the governing hand or to hold the allegiance of your two packs. However, it is my honor to serve and protect wolf kind." I look up at both of them, they stood their looking concerned and I understood why, they weren't sure if I was going to reject them or not,
"I, Lily Dexter, the Infinite White, member of the Sapphire Shadow pack and mate to Alpha Holden Knight, swear to uphold Pack Law, live by the Code and ensure justice prevails. I vow to become the guiding light, the governing hand and peacekeeper for the Packs of this country. I serve my people, maintain stability and do my duty to protect all wolf kind. I swear this to you, Alpha Knight of the Sapphire Shadows and you, Alpha Viceras of the Night Bloods. I give you my wolf, my honor and my heart, to fulfil these duties from this day until my last".
***
The night was long, as expected all the remaining wolves of the Sapphire Shadow Pack pledged allegiance to Holden, one by one they lined up, knelt and swore fealty. Even those who had sort shelter and protection with Alpha Viceras had decided to come back with Holden as Alpha, Tala, my parents, my friends, I stood beside Cooper, Cole and Alpha Viceras as we watched the rightful Alpha take his place.
At the end of the pledges, Cole and Cooper took Conrad Knight to the bunker, the Sword of Justice was returned to original resting place and everyone returned to homes. I walked with Holden back to his room, his cuts and bruises has all healed by now but he was still covered in blood and dirt.
I walked straight into his bathroom and got the shower running for him, I come back into his room and grab his towel and see him just standing there. I knew his head must be reeling from everything that happened last night, we went from an execution, to a battle, to a new Alpha, having to remove his dad from the position, even though I knew he knew it was the right thing to do, it still must have been hard seeing the man he admired and looked up to his whole life become a monster. I grab Holden's hand and he looks at me, utterly defeat, a look he would only ever show me,
"Let's get you in the shower" I say, pulling him along, I lead him into bathroom full of steam and walk him into the shower, he stood under the faucet just letting the hot water run over his body, but it wasn't enough. I walked back out of the bathroom and grabbed a wash cloth from the cupboard, when I came back in, I stripped off my dirty clothes, through them in the hamper and slid in behind Holden, I prepped the wash cloth and started washing his back, I watched the water at our feet turn dirty as the soap cut through the dirt and blood.
"I know you must be feeling numb right now, everything happened so fast last night you haven't had the chance to catch your breath. I just want you to know that I am here and I'll do everything in my power to help you" I finished with his back and grabbed his shoulders to spin him around and started on his front, I could feel my heart hammering in my chest as I washed his body, being this close to him, always gave me this sensation and I should be used to it by now. I rinsed out the cloth and got more soap before I started on his neck and face, the place I had been avoiding, I didn't want to see what was in his eyes, total exhaustion, fear, pain, I didn't want to see any of that. I started on his neck and slowly stroked the dirt away, before moving up his jaw line, to his cheeks, his nose, when I finally looked at him, I was startled to see he was looking at me, but not with any of the emotions that I had feared; once I finished with his face I went to take the washer to the basin but he grabbed my wrist, staring at me intently he raised it to lips and kissed it, despite the hot water running over us the body broke out in goose bumps. He dropped my arm back to my side and gently grabbed the side of my face, giving me a soft kiss, he pulls back and brings his other hand up stroking my cheek,
"It's because of you that I can breathe at all" he tells me, pushing me against the tiled wall of the shower, he kissed me again this time longer, my lips tingled like sparklers and it moved to my stomach, he pressed his body up against mine as he deepened the kiss, my hands landed on his waist but slowly made their way up - inspecting his muscles along the way - to wrap around his neck. His hands slowly slid down my breasts, gentle rubbing my nipples before they rest came to rest on my hips. A moan flowed freely out of my mouth as he trailed his kisses along my jaw line down my neck to the sweet spot at my nape. I could feel the throbbing down below, it started getting stronger as my desire for him grew, I could feel him getting hard also as he rubbed it against my skin. His kisses kept getting lower until they found their home on my breasts, his tongue and teeth, nibbling and flicking sending them hard and making my body go crazy; I arched my back as I rest my head against the coolness of the tiles and just live in that pleasure until his hand quickly moved lower, long and slow strokes up and down, my moans became louder as I grinded against his hand, my nails digging him his shoulder as my other hand grabbed his hair. As another moan escaped, he crushed his lips against mine.
I want to feel you moan he mind linked me, as he kept kissing me through my moans as his momentum continued to build, rubbing faster now my moans were turning into sweet cries.
It was long before my body was erupting in convulsions, clutching Holden tightly to my body, as I clenched his hand between my legs and moaned into his ear.
"Fuck" he moaned softly at the sound, I smile and take the initiative, I turn the shower off and push him out onto the basin, sitting down he is the ideal height. I grab his chin and tilt his head back, devouring him in a kiss as I move my body to fit between his legs, his arms wrapping around me, holding me firmly against him, it was his turn to moan, using all his tricks against him and some of my own, I kissed alone his jaw line, and as my lips found his earlobe, his sweet spot, my hand found his penis, erect and ready to go, I slowly worked my hand up and down his shaft, using my thumb to put a bit more pressure on the under side, he moaned loudly which got my throbbing started again. I moved down lower and lower, taking my time, running kisses all over his kiss, his abs, lower and lower until my mouth took over my hands. His moans delighted me as I went to work, I tried something new but as soon as he did he gasps and pulled me to my feet, for a moment I thought I did something wrong but he held a mischievous smirk on his face,
"Naughty girl, you don't want me to finish to early do you?" his eyes were ablaze with hunger, he looked ready to devour me and I was ready to let him. He spun me around and sat me on the counter top, he pressed our bodies close together, he brought his lips down to me ear,
"What do you want?" he whispered, moving back to kiss my neck,
"You" I moan, he stops and looks at me, I trial my eyes down to below his waist and back up again, "all of you, forever" there were many different underlying meanings in those words but that ones I mean right down he understood, wrapping my legs around his waist, he lifted me up and carried me to the bed, where we wouldn't be moving from until tomorrow morning.