AIDEN
I got Rafe's text that he was back at Windcrest, so I headed back to the estate. I hadn't wanted to leave my best friend alone earlier, during what must have been a very emotional time for him as he met his mother for the first time in seventeen years. Still, I knew he had Riley with him, and it didn't really make sense for me to hang around at the Boswells in the meantime.
Plus, there were plenty of things to be sorted out in the aftermath of the battle with Markolf, especially in my clan. Cyrus was gone; therefore, the Fire Dragons needed a new Alpha- or a Beta if Jason became the new Alpha- and it was my duty as the previous Beta to help the pack with the smooth transition.
It was hard to tear myself from my mate when we had nearly just lost her, but I also knew that I had to speak with Jason before she and Rafe got back to Scotland. If we were going to make this triad work, as everyone seemed to want, we needed to figure out how we would move forward and the Fire Dragons played an important role in that.
Yet, as I flew back to Rafe's packhouse after my discussion with Jason, I was going back with more questions than answers. I hadn't expected what Jason had proposed and it certainly added a new level of complexity to the already intricate situation.
Windcrest pack members greeted me as I landed in front of the mansion and someone handed me a set of clothes that I kept at Windcrest. I spent so much time with Rafe and Natalia over the years that I was practically an honorary pack member, even if Angus Macalister was not particularly thrilled to have a dragon spending so much time on his territory. But the pack itself didn't seem to mind. In fact, I had developed a good relationship with many of the Windcrest wolves.
My best friend was engrossed in his thoughts as I entered his office. He didn't look sad but he didn't appear to be happy either. Just very pensive. Whatever had happened with his mother must have put him in this mood. There was also no sign of Riley at the packhouse, which made Blaze and me feel a bit anxious.
"Hey. How did it go?" I quizzed him in the hope to snap him out of his thoughts. This seemed like one of those occasions that required a strong drink, so I cut across the room and got us both whisky before I sat down opposite him.
The deep sigh that he released told me that things had not gone the way he had hoped.
"She doesn't remember anything, Aiden. Nothing at all, other than her name. Retrograde amnesia, the pack doctor called it." With a pained voice, he explained how his own mother did not recognise him but she felt sad over Markolf's death and Rafe couldn't even tell her the truth because it could bring her too much distress and affect her negatively.
"Shit, Rafe, I'm so sorry. Does Nat know?"
"No, I haven't told her yet. I wanted to see how the Boswells' offer to help her will go down first. Hopefully, she will accept, and then Nat and I can figure out how to spend some time with her without revealing our identities."
I knew my best friend long enough to notice that his guilt over what happened all those years ago was resurfacing but I was not ready to let him torture himself again over something that he could not have prevented.
"I can't even begin to imagine how hard this must be on you, mate, but the one thing I know is that you have to stop blaming yourself for what happened with your mum. Between your dad and the cambion, thirteen-year-old you stood no chance. Not only that- you saved her last night and I have no doubt you will make sure that you are there for her now that she is back."
His jaw clenched while he contemplated my words. "How do you let go of something that has defined your whole life?" He looked at me, his eyes pleading for an answer.
"You find something else to define yourself by. Be Rafe Macalister- the mate, the Alpha. The man who stops living in the past and builds his future."
His lips slowly curled up in a weak smile. It was like watching ice crack in the warm weather but I knew that I was getting through to him, little by little. "Damn dragons- I should have known that you lot are philosophers as well." He raised his glass up and proceeded to down it, swallowing all the whisky in one go. "I guess you are right though."
A loud knock interrupted our conversation. The door opened and in walked an elderly gentleman that I was not familiar with but I knew he was one of the pack's elders.
"Alpha," the man spoke and bowed down to Rafe.
"Ah, Henry, you are just on time. Do you have the information?"
"I do, Alpha. It's all in here." Henry took the thick file that he was holding and placed it on the desk. I had no idea what it contained but whatever it was, it seemed to excite my friend, making him forget about his sadness for now at least. "The research I did was extensive, so I am confident that it is possible but all the information is inside if you want to check it yourself."
"Excellent. At least something is going well today. Thank you, Henry- I'll come back to you for the ceremony as soon as I have discussed it."
The older man nodded in respect and left the room as quickly as he entered. My curiosity was piqued but I did not want to intervene in Rafe's pack business.
"What was that about?"
"Building the future, Aiden," he smirked while I rolled my eyes at him. He really was a prick at times but I guess it was too late to find another best friend.
Yet, perhaps that was my cue to talk to him about the question that was bugging me. "Speaking of futures, Jason asked me to become the Fire Dragons' Alpha," I dropped the news and waited to see Rafe's reaction.
His face didn't give anything away. Not even a sign of surprise. But I knew he was hiding something- I could sense it through our bond.
"And how do you feel about it?" He asked in return, his poker face still in place.
Something was definitely up.
"Honestly? I don't know. I've never cared about titles. That was one of the things that my family and I never saw eye to eye on. All I ever wanted was simply to help others. That's why when Cyris offered me to become Beta, I didn't think twice about it."
"And now?" Rafe pressed me for an answer.
"Now, it is complicated. I am honoured that he thinks that I am the right man for the clan but Jason can make a great Alpha himself and there are plenty of guys who could be up for the Beta job. And anyway, we haven't figured out what we are going to do about our situation yet, so I can't throw the clan business into that as well."
I could feel Rafe's eyes on me as he studied me, carefully taking in every word I said. He picked up the folder that Henry left on the desk and offered it to me. I flicked through it enough to determine that it contained research on shifter history, the governance of shifter groups in particular.
"What is all this?"
"Our solution," Rafe retorted smugly.
"Solution to what?"
"Our situation. You, me and Riley. I've been thinking about what we would do beyond the mating ritual, providing that our mate wants to go ahead with it, of course." His eyes lit up just at the idea of mating with Riley. "Our triad is unique in so many ways, the very least because it brings together a wolf, a human and a dragon. So I asked Henry to look into some possibilities for me."
"I'm listening."
"Would you consider becoming Beta of the Windcrest pack?"
I thought I imagined things because there was no way that he was seriously offering the position of the Alpha's right hand to a dragon. This was a wolf pack, for goodness' sake.
But he was dead serious, his eyebrows raised in expectation as he awaited my reply.
"You can't be serious. Do I really have to explain to you how shifters work? Our kinds don't mix."
"Don't we? Isn't our triad an example of the opposite? And why the fuck should we follow the status quo, Aiden? We both disagree with the close-minded ways of our families. Maybe it's time that we do something about it. Stronger as one- wasn't that what our mate said?"
I was still shocked by his proposal but I had to admit that I understood what he was saying. I joined the Fire Dragons because I wanted to make a difference, yet maybe this is what we were meant to do all along- bring shifters together through leading by example.
But could we convince others to accept it and listen to us?
Rafe must have sensed my doubts because he continued arguing his case. "Listen, I need a Beta and I can't think of another man that I would ever trust with my mate or my pack, Aiden. We've been brothers for as long as I can remember, even without the blood bond. My pack respects you. You even come with previous work experience," he chuckled as he tried to lighten the mood. "And either way, it's the best option for the three of us. What would we do otherwise- split our mate and our time across two packs?"
He had a point- this was the only good option for us, and I already had a close relationship with the pack.
"It's not just me that you need to convince, Rafe. The pack would need to be on board as well. Not to mention also most of the members of the High Shifter Council, who won't be as open-minded about it as you and I are."
"Henry's research confirms that nothing is preventing this from happening and I am sure that the pack will be thrilled to get a Luna and a Beta," he smiled. "As for the Council- I couldn't give a fuck about their opinion on our internal business but if they insist, this file has all the arguments I need to defend our case. It's bulletproof."
I took another sip of my whisky. The taste of the amber liquid sent my taste buds into overdrive as much as Rafe's idea was doing to my mind as well.
Bloody hell, can this actually work?
"And Riley? Would she agree to all of this? Would she agree to be Luna?"
Rafe smirked, which was enough to tell me he already had a plan. It was evident that this vision of his was something that he had thought about for some time, which surprised me and made me proud at the same time- my best friend was finally going after the love and happiness that he deserved.
"I'm way ahead of you, Aiden. Let me make the case to our mate." He got up from the desk and went on to pour himself another drink before he brought his glass up for a toast. "So what do you say, will you become Windcrest's Beta?"