All stand up upon my arrival. I greet all the anticipated people. When I reach Alpha Aidan, I shake hands with him and ask, “Hi Alpha, what are you doing here?”
He gives me a warm smile and replies, “I came here to show my support for you guys. When I was told about Roslyn’s vision, I knew I had to be a part of it and had to help you guys achieve this wonderful feat of seeing women train and defend themselves and be equally strong as men. And so, I started training the female members of my pack. I’m really glad that you guys came up with this idea and you are ready to give it your all to help this movement of empowering women. I’m really proud.”6
It takes me a moment to process all his words, but when I do, I can’t help but give him a bright smile. His encouraging words have filled me with so much positivity and hope that I take a step towards him and hug him as a gesture of my gratitude. “Thank you for your support,” I say.2
“No problem,” he says as he hugs me.
When we pull away, I tell him, “I’m glad that you’re on our side. It means a lot.”
He nods in understanding.
“Yes, it really does mean a lot,” Roslyn says while stepping forward. She looks at me and Audrey and says, “It’s time to carry out our plan.”
Audrey and I nod at the same time.
“As discussed earlier,” Roslyn starts, “Elizabeth, Audrey and I will be going to the pack while you guys will remain here.”
“I’m coming with you guys,” Alpha Aidan says simply.
“No, you’re not,” Roslyn shakes her head.
“But-“
Roslyn interrupts him, “Aidan, we had this discussion earlier. I don’t want you to come with us.”
Her stern words confuse me. While Roslyn and Aidan continue to stare at each other as if communicating with their eyes, I look at everyone else in the room. And by the look on their faces, it seems as if they find the exchange between Roslyn and Aidan…normal. I’m surprised to know that I’m the only one who’s clueless here.20
“Aidan, we’ll talk later,” Roslyn says with finality in her tone. And with that, she heads out of the pack house with Audrey and I following her. When we get inside the car, Roslyn starts the engine and we drive towards our destination.
After a few minutes into the journey, I ask her, “What’s going on between you and Alpha Aidan?”
“He’s my mate and so he’s just a little worried about me,” Roslyn says normally while my mouth hangs open at the revelation. “He wanted to come with us just to make sure that I’ll be fine and I didn’t want him to see me get hurt if I was chosen to fight. You know that werewolves are possessive about their mates.”2
“Is that the reason why he’s supporting us? Just because you happen to be his mate?” I question.
“He would’ve supported us even if I weren’t his mate,” Roslyn says in his defense.
“He’s a firm believer of gender equality,” Audrey supplies from the backseat.
“When did you find out that he’s your mate?” I ask next.
“At the Socials, when I was made the Alpha,” Roslyn answers without taking her eyes off the road.1
“How many people know about you and Alpha Aidan?”
“Not many. It’s only his Beta, Gamma, Audrey, you, my Beta and Gamma.”
“Why didn’t you tell everyone else about finding your mate?”4
Before I can get the answer to my question, the car stops. “We’re here,” Roslyn announces. When I look ahead, I find us on the territory of the River Stone Pack. Roslyn gets out and we follow her lead. The pack members who are out are looking at us in confusion. They must be probably wondering the reason for our visit.
When the pack house comes in our sight, our simple walk turns into a determined one. When we reach the pack house, the front door opens and the guard let’s us in without any questioning. Strange.
When we walk to the living room of the pack house, we find Alpha Eric, his Beta and Gamma waiting for us.