Page 74 of A Chance at Redemption for the Alpha

“What happened to her?” I ask quietly.

“It’s not for me to tell you the whole story,” he says. “But so you know the bare minimum, she was groomed and used by more than one person.”

My heart sinks. I am not entirely sure what this means, but something about this reminds me of how the warriors and ranked members of my old pack treated the omegas and slaves. It sounds like she was assaulted.

“She is half human,” he tells me. “It looks like she doesn’t have a wolf spirit, but we don’t know for sure yet.”

“Yes, her wolf spirit could be hiding, or too hurt to come to the surface,” I mutter, thinking about my own situation.

“Don’t worry, Benj,” Marcellus says. “I am sure your wolf will talk to you soon. You are getting stronger and more confident each day, and he will feed off that. Don’t lose hope.”

“I won’t,” I assure him.

“Good, then I’ll leave the rest of it to you and go and pick up our new pack members,” he says.

I wave him off, watching how he and Micah get into a truck, big enough to carry all the luggage Percy and Lori might have, and drive away. I am delighted that we are getting new pack members, although at the same time, mostly for sad reasons that they are coming. However, this pack is amazing, and it gives everyone a fair second chance and time to heal. When I arrived here, no one pushed me around, no one insulted or judged me. They gave me the time and patience I needed.

I will do the same for our new members.

Together with Lucian, I help make sure everything is as ready as it can be.

“So, you’ll be joining my training?” he asks out of the blue.

I look up at the vampire in shock. “What? Who said that?”

“I said it,” he says with a smirk. “Lord Silas told me you’re going to become gamma.”

“That’s not going to happen anytime soon, I-“

“It will happen soon,” he says. “So, congratulations! You were just handpicked for my training, by me personally. It’s a great honor because I usually only let wolves watch, and not join in.”

I stare at him, hoping he will tell me he is joking.

“You should close your mouth, or you might catch a fly in it,” he says with a grin. “Man, am I that much of a bully that you are terrified of my training?”

“You have a certain reputation,” I confess.

“Well, you will be able to test it out soon,” he says smugly.

He is enjoying this way too much, but something about the way he teases and prods me makes me feel an unusual surge of stubbornness. “I am not going to be an easy victim,” I say.

“Oh!” Lucian raises his brows. “Well then, I am even more curious to see how you will cope. I will make it worth your while.”

“So will I,” I say.

I thought I may have gone too far, but instead of being annoyed, Lucian looks weirdly content, and for a split second, I can even feelhispresence stir in my mind.

You liked that?I ask my wolf.I promise I will make good use of that training.

A feeling of contentment seems to flood me. It has to be my wolf spirit. It seems he is getting stronger!

Listen,I say.I know you are trying your hardest to connect with me, and I promise you I will fight for both of us. I can’t wait to meet you, but I will be patient and not rush you.

I feel another surge of feelings coming through to me, and I swear I hear him growl contentedly.

His reaction pushes me forward to try even harder and work more on myself, so I throw myself into my work. I make sure to be there for Silas as a backup when the first charge of new pack members arrives. They all look exhausted and terrified, and I make sure to stay in the background and handle their luggage, instead of interacting with them directly, not wanting to terrify them further. Silas and Sheila are better at handling this.

Minute for minute, however, I feel myself getting more and more giddy. I’m not sure why. Maybe because I felt my wolf today? The feeling doesn’t ease, but only gets stronger, until I see Marcellus’ truck driving over the rocky road towards our pack. When he halts and the door opens, I can smell it. Lavender. Like the one my former nanny used to put on my pillows to makeme sleep better. The only happy moments of my childhood were when she was around.