Dr. Francis smiles at us both. “You have worked plenty. Please take a rest and let me handle this issue.”
I return his smile, relief filling me all of a sudden. “Thank you.”
I can see Forest’s eyes glossing over briefly, and he nods at Dr. Francis. I wonder what the elder asked of him, but I am sure he will tell me soon enough.
“Needless to say,”—Dr. Francis turns to Donna once more—“you and Harry cannot continue to be the official leaders of this pack. I will have a brief talk with Rose and Forest later, to see when they can officially take over. For now, I will have you and Harry removed from the packhouse and your offices. Is that alright with you, Forest?”
Donna has paled, the shock clear on her face, but Forest doesn’t spare her a look. “Of course,” he says. “It aligns with what Rose and I want.”
“They will stay in a cottage away from the pack center for now. Can you spare some warriors to keep an eye on them?”
Again, Forest nods.
“Then, it’s set. Forest and Rose are the interim leaders of this pack, with all the authority that entails, until they take over the rank officially next month.”
Next to me, I feel Forest freeze in surprise before his face lights up. I know he thought it would be much more of a battle to take over the pack. But this time the elders truly prove to be valuable. I need to remind myself that not all of them are as trashy as the ones from my old pack.
“I will not disappoint you,” Forest says seriously, turning towards the huge number of pack members. “And I mean, all of you. I know I wasn’t the best I could be for many years. I let my parents push me around. But I don’t want to blame them fully. I should have been stronger. I promise you I will do all I can to make this pack flourish again and to be the best alpha for you that I can be.” He nudges me. “Besides, I have a luna who will kick my ass if I break my promise.”
His words make me smile. “Forest is right,” I say, turning to the group as well. “I know I came here to the pack, hiding a lot about myself, but from now on I want to be open with all of you.”
When Forest and I finally make it to the breakfast table, there is loud chatter around us; the whole atmosphere has gone from tense to excited. I am sure it will take some time for them to truly trust Forest and me, but with this, we just won a huge battle.
thirty-five
Another Leap of Faith
*FOREST*
Martin, Rose and I enjoy our breakfast to the fullest. I was scared of today, mainly because I didn’t want anyone to harass Rose or to treat her any differently when they find out who she truly is. I guess, while it’s true that my pack members have had no trust in me in the past, it’s the same the other way around. I didn’t trust them much either. I was surprised by how accepting they were. There was curiosity, alotof curiosity, and some of them clearly wanted an explanation. However, the moment they heard everything, I couldn’t detect any hostility.
In fact, I think most of their anger is now directed at my parents, which is awesome. So, what if the luna was Jordan’s luna first, our own has been gambling with pack money. It’s good that I’ve had Rose’s support during the last weeks, and wasable to build up a better relationship with the pack to show them that I am my own person.
I am sure if this type of news had broken out with me still being under my parents’ thumb, then no one would have believed I had no idea of what my parents did.
“So, now we are all almost official,” Martin says, smiling happily.
“Yep,” I grin. “Francis made that clear.”
“More than clear, actually,” Rose says. “I did not expect that he would put your parents under house arrest,” she laughs. “The humiliation they must feel.”
“Dad will try to weasel out of it,” I say.
“But we won’t let him,” Rose assures me before turning to Martin. “You will need to contact Alpha Leonard and see what you can set up with him.”
“I am ready for some action.” He rubs his hands. “I bet if I play it right, Jordan will love having me around him and his group of allies, just to get back at you.”
“You are introverted,” Rose says. “And Jordan is not. He will deem it a weakness.”
“I plan on playing into that,” Martin verifies.
It’s funny. Only a couple of weeks ago, Martin was so awkward around me. Now I know, it’s because he didn’t know how to properly approach me and close the distance between us.
“Oh right, babe,“ I turn to Rose, once again struck dumb when she looks at me. She is so beautiful. My beautiful rose that only I am allowed to hold. I did not believe that she reciprocated my feelings… until last night. I know for her it was a big step to be intimate with me, to let her guard down and trust someone again, after everything that Jordan did. She had lost all trust in others, especially other alphas, but she was ready to trust me.
And I would rather die than disappoint her.
“Yes?” She nudges me gently before bending forward to kiss me.
