Page 49 of Forgotten Arcane (Broken Ashes #6)

River

“T hen it should be given back to the rightful Alpha,” I reply, running on pure instinct.

Asher smiles sadly, “I appreciate the gesture, I really do. But the only way that I could take over the pack would be if I killed you.”

A violent growl from Neith shocks the shit out of me, and turns me the fuck on all at the same time.

Asher holds his hands up, a knowing look in his eyes as he looks at Neith, “Rest assured, I would never do that. I will not sink to the same levels as Derek.”

Neith smiles a little sheepishly, “Sorry, that was sort of out of my control.”

“It was hot,” Reed says, making her cheeks tint red and us all smile.

I grin, “He’s right, it was.”

Logan chuckles, “You guys are pretty entertaining. We’re never going to be bored.”

I turn back to a smiling Asher.

“It’s so refreshing to see joviality and kindness. It’s nice not to constantly be on edge, and having to worry about speaking out of line to the alpha and being punished for it,” he says. He adds, “You’re going to make an excellent alpha of this pack.”

My magic nudges me again.

I simply hold my hand out to him, and when he goes to take it, I grasp his forearm instead, and he grasps mine, a curious look in his eye.

“It’s not my pack,” I tell him seriously. In my alpha voice, I continue, “Asher Shadow, I hereby name you as Alpha of the Shadow Rock Pack.”

My magic rushes through him, and there’s a flare of light as it does what it had intended to do.

When I let go, my smile is huge, and he’s staring at me in shock and wonder.

“What the fuck was that?” Evander asks.

“Are you both okay?” Amari asks worriedly, and I smile.

Asher is still staring at me, and he swallows thickly as he says, “How the fuck did you just make me an alpha?”

Everyone gasps in shock.

“You made him an alpha? I mean, I know you just said you did, but seriously, you made him an alpha?” Logan asks, his eyes wide as his head comically whips back and forth between us.

“I felt it. That was some strong fucking magic,” Rana adds.

My eyebrows rise slightly. Well, that’s interesting. She shouldn’t have felt my magic, but she’s not a normal wolf. I don’t know what she is, but she definitely isn’t a normal wolf shifter.

“You made me an alpha?” Asher asks again. I know he needs confirmation.

I shake my head, “I didn’t make you an alpha.

I unlocked your alpha. You were always supposed to be the alpha of this pack.

They’re your people, your wolves, and you can look after them far better than I can.

You have proven that you will protect them even at the cost of your own life, which is exactly what an alpha should do.

The pack was stolen from you, and I’ve given it back. ”

Tears flow down Amari’s cheeks, Rana is grinning, and Logan is practically beaming. I know that I’ve done the right thing. This feels right, this is how it was supposed to be.

Asher pulls me into a hug.

When he steps back, he smiles, “Thank you so much. You have no idea what this means to me, and I hope you know that you have the loyalty of the pack for life. If you need anything at all, please let me know.”

“And we all expect you to come back for cookouts,” Amari adds with an excited smile.

“Ooo, cookouts? Count me in,” Neith grins.

I nod, “We’ll be there.” My magic nudges me again, “There’s one last thing.”

Asher nods, “Yes?”

“You need to choose your beta,” I reply with a smile.

Rana frowns, “Choose?”

I nod with a grin, “Yes. You can choose who your beta is.”

“That’s awesome,” Logan grins. “Can I suggest, Henry?”

Neith interrupts, “Whoever you choose, I would suggest that you think really hard about it, because from my experiences, betas tend to be absolute assholes that none of the pack actually likes, but that the alpha can’t get rid of because of pack rules and hierarchy.”

Asher chuckles and then frowns slightly, “You know, actually, I know quite a few betas that are assholes.”

“There must be something about being second and not the top that they can’t deal with,” Rana suggests with a shrug.

Logan shakes his head, “It’s not about that though, is it?

Being a beta means that you are responsible for helping to look after the pack.

You take the pressure off the alpha so that he doesn’t have too much on his plate.

You’re there to support the alpha, be his sounding board, and someone to discuss difficult decisions with.

An alpha should be able to trust the beta to lead the pack in his absence.

The beta should also be able to stand up to the alpha and call him on his shit if something goes wrong.

It’s all about balance. A beta keeps an alpha grounded and holds him accountable when no one else can.

A beta is just as important as an alpha, but in a different way. ”

I share a smile with Asher. I know that Logan would be my choice. He’s been absolutely amazing today and has stepped up in ways that no one else has.

I nod in agreement to Asher’s silent question.

Asher smiles at Logan, “Well said, so what do you say, will you be my beta?”

Logan’s eyes widen in shock, and he glances around at all of our smiling faces.

“Seriously?”

“How could he not want you as a beta after that speech you just made?” Rana grins.

“Not to mention everything that you’ve done today,” I tell him. “If I were going to continue being the alpha to this pack, I would have chosen you as my beta.”

Logan practically glows with happiness.

Asher proves just how good of an alpha he is when he says seriously, “You are in a really fortunate position though, where you can decide not to accept the offer. There will be no hard feelings if you don’t want to be my beta and no backlash.”

Logan nods seriously, “I understand. I would be honored to be your beta.”

I grin and reach my hand out to Logan. He doesn’t even hesitate as he grasps my forearm, a broad and proud smile on his face.

“Logan Dark, I hereby grant you the gift of being a Beta.”

My magic does its thing, and the beta power floods his system.

“Whoa,” he mutters.

I look at him concerned, “Are you okay?”

He nods as he lets go of me, “I’m good.”

“Perfect,” Asher smiles. “We’ve got our work cut out for us. There are a lot of bad things we need to undo.”

“May I suggest that you burn down the current main pack house, and have a witch bless the land before you rebuild,” Neith says, and I look at her in surprise. She shrugs and continues, “It’s really important that you do.”

Asher studies her closely but nods, “Absolutely. I think that’s probably a really good idea. Derek’s evil will have tainted a lot of the area, and definitely the house.”

“I know a really strong witch who will be more than happy to help out,” Logan offers. “I’ll contact her in the next few days.”

“Great,” Asher smiles. “Come on, let’s head back.”

Everyone begins to follow them as they walk back through the woods, and Logan stops me so that there’s a bit of space between us and them, before we start walking too.

“What’s up?” I ask. “Are you having second thoughts about becoming a beta? I’m not entirely sure that I can take it back now that I’ve given it to you.”

He grins, “No, that’s the best thing that has ever fucking happened to me.

I’ve looked up to Asher for a long time.

He deserves this, he’s been acting as the alpha in the shadows for the whole time that Derek has been in charge.

He was still really young in wolf years, and not ready to take up such responsibility when his parents were murdered, but it didn’t stop him.

He’s been punished for all the help that he’s given the pack, he still never stopped. ”

“He’s the perfect alpha for this pack,” I agree with a smile.

“He is, and I want to thank you for giving it back to him. You didn’t have to do that, and many in your position wouldn’t have, and would have instead kept the pack for themselves,” he adds with a slight frown.

I grin, “I have never been one to do what I’m supposed to do. That’s just not who I am. Sometimes to my own detriment. Although thankfully, it has worked out well this time.”

Logan chuckles. “You know, I get that vibe off of both you and your Luna Regia. Neith doesn’t exactly give off the I follow the rules vibe.”

I burst out laughing, “No, she absolutely does not.” My gaze finds her ahead of us, being pulled out of the way of a tree by Reed just before she walks into it.

Completely oblivious to the fact that she nearly did as she talks animatedly with Rana.

I correct Logan, “She’s not my Luna Regia, though. ”

Without meaning to, I let sadness seep into my voice, and Logan, of course, immediately picks up on it.

He studies me closely with a confused frown, “Yes, she is. I’ve seen it happen enough, and the connection that you guys have is one of the strongest that I have ever seen.”

I shake my head, “She’s not my mate.”

“If she weren’t your mate, she wouldn’t have been able to stand next to you without faltering when even your friends fell to their knees when you were dealing with Derek.”

I sigh as I forcefully push down the hope that begins to stir, “Thanks, man, you have no idea how much I want that to be true, but it’s impossible for me to have a mate. Neith is just special, she doesn’t react to magic how she’s supposed to, that’s all that was.”

Logan’s eyebrow rises as he looks at me skeptically, “I would bet my left fucking nut that she is your mate and a true mate at that.”

“She’s not my mate,” I repeat. Really hoping that he’s going to drop it now.

“You’re a kitsune, so have you asked her if she’s got the mark?”

My gaze snaps to his as we stop walking, “How the fuck do you know about that? That’s kitsune only knowledge. The guys don’t even know about that. Although, to be fair, that’s mostly because I didn’t see the point in telling them because I can’t ever have a mate.”

Logan shrugs, “I have my sources, and I really fucking love to read.” He raises his eyebrows, “Well? Have you asked Neith if she has the mark?”

Opening my mouth, Neith’s voice interrupts me, “What mark?”

My eyes widen in panic.

I haven’t asked her because if she hasn’t got it, then it means that she’s not my mate, and I really don’t have one, and quite frankly, that would absolutely destroy me.

I never planned to ask her if she had the mark.

I wouldn’t even let myself search for it when she was floating near the ceiling and completely naked, but that was out of respect for her more than anything else.

I start to shake my head, “It’s noth . . . “

Logan interrupts me, and I have to remind myself that it is not good practice to break someone’s neck just for talking, even if those words could potentially tear your world apart and destroy your soul.

“Have you got a mark that looks like a heart on you anywhere?” he asks her. “It might be a mole, or a red mark that doesn’t go away. It’s probably something that you’ve had forever?”

My heart is in my throat, and then immediately plummets as she shakes her head.

“No, I don’t think,” she pauses. “Oh, wait, do you mean something like this?” She turns around, so her back is to us, and then frowns when she realizes she’s wearing a dress.

Shrugging, she says, “It’s ruined anyway,” she then makes a hole in the back of it over the top of her left ass cheek. Revealing a small patch of skin.

My jaw drops open, and I stare in utter shock.

“Told you,” Logan says proudly.

Neith carries on talking, completely oblivious to my reaction, “I call it my butt butt mole because it’s a butt shaped mole on my butt, and I thought that was amusing, but I suppose it could be considered a heart.

Did you know that the way that we draw hearts when we’re not being anatomically correct is actually to mimic the shape of a woman’s ass and has nothing to do with the actual heart?

That’s why they look nothing alike,” she pauses.

“Huh, that’s odd. It’s bigger than it was, I’m not seeing things right?

That’s the letter ‘R’ and the number nine next to it? ”

She finally looks up at me and then spins back around, “You're as white as a ghost, what’s wrong?”

I shake my head, “It can’t be.”

It was right there, the mark.

I gently take hold of Neith’s hand and turn her around so that I can see the mark again.

My mark.

She’s my mate.

“I know my ass is fantastic, but it’s never rendered anyone speechless. Now that I think about it, I’m pretty fucking offended by that actually,” she says indignantly.

I laugh, lift her into my arms, and then spin her around.

Her expression is full of surprise before she grabs my face, and her lips meet mine. I don’t let her stay in control for long, as my arms tighten around her even more and my tongue dances with hers.

My mate.