“Now, women won’t be helpless anymore. They will be able to defend themselves.”1
Audrey and I nod to Roslyn’s words.
After a brief silence, Audrey says, “I need to tell you something.”
Roslyn and I patiently wait for her to elaborate.
“My brother wants to step down from his position as the Gamma. And he wants me to be the next Gamma.”1
“Wow, that’s amazing!” Roslyn exclaims in excitement. Even I become happy after hearing the news. But the look on Audrey’s face fades the smile on my face.
She doesn’t look happy or excited about it. She looks serious.
I place my hand on her shoulder and ask, “Audrey, what’s wrong?”
“I don’t want to be a Gamma,” she says.
“Why?”
“Because if I become a Gamma then a lot of responsibilities will lie on my shoulders. And I don’t think I’m ready for it. I’m just eighteen,” she reasons with us.
“I had to assume the responsibilities of a Beta very early in my life,” I start. “Even I had thoughts similar to you back then. Even I had doubts about myself. But you know what, I lacked something that you don’t. You know what that it? It’s experience. You fought and defeated many leaders during these past months. You exhibited such great talents and skills. I saw you evolve so beautifully. So, you don’t need to worry about anything. You will easily handle all the responsibilities. I believe in you.”5
“I believe in you too,” Roslyn steps in. “You should believe in yourself. Women don’t get to be leaders of a werewolf pack. But you are getting such a wonderful opportunity. When you become a leader, you’ll be able to do so much more than what you are doing now. You’ll be able to bring so many changes for the betterment of women. Don’t let this opportunity go to waste.”3
Audrey nods.
“Why does your brother want to step down from his position?” I question.
“Because he’s inspired by our vision. He really wants to see women treated the same as men. So, he wants to step down so that I can take his position,” she answers. “He wants to bring about a change.”35
“You know, it’s men like him who are making it possible for women like us to fight for empowerment. I’m really proud of your brother. Things would’ve been different if all the people were like him.” Roslyn says and silence falls in the living room.1
“What does Aidan think about it?” She asks, thus, breaking the silence.
“Alpha Aidan wants me to take my brother’s position. But he also said that whatever decision I’ll take, they’ll respect it.”
“Audrey, just think about the bigger picture when you take your decision, alright? If you take the Gamma’s position, well and good. If not, then also well and good. We won’t pressurise you into doing something that you don’t want to do. Just take your time and think about it,” I suggest.2
“Can I start thinking about it from tomorrow? Because now, I want to focus on getting drunk,” Audrey says.
Roslyn and I laugh.7
All the three of us slept in the morning and woke up in the noon. After brushing and showering, all of us are about to head to the kitchen to feed our hungry stomach, but I stop midway when a photo on the bedside table catches my eye. Audrey doesn’t notice me stopping, so she keeps going. But Roslyn notices me looking at the photo on her bedside table.3
In the photo, there’s a boy and a little girl smiling.
Roslyn comes to stand beside me and points towards the photo as she tells me, “That’s me and my brother. This photo was taken when Dad was alive.” After a pause, she says, “When I look at this picture of my brother, I wonder how could such an innocent kid turn into a monster. I wish he hadn’t changed.”
After having lunch, Audrey and I pack our bags and Roslyn drops us at the airport but not before giving us tight hugs.
After our “goodbyes” and promising to meet soon, Audrey and I board the plane.
After the landing and exiting the airport, I find Lance waiting for me by his car. I go to him and we hug.
“I missed you,” I say when we pull away.
“I missed you too,” he says. “But I’m not the only one who missed you.”
“Really?” I ask teasingly.
He laughs and helps me put my luggage in the car. We get inside and drive towards our pack.
Once we reach our pack, we get out of the car, grab my luggage and enter the pack house. When Steve sees me, he hugs me and says, “Welcome back. I missed you.”
“I didn’t miss you at all,” I joke as I pull away from his hug. He shows fake hurt and I laugh.1
I pull both of my friends for a group hug and say, “I missed you guys. I’m happy that I’m back.”
Our reunion is interrupted by the knock at the front door. I eagerly go to answer the door since I know who it is. With a big smile on my face, I open the door and find Albert standing in front of me. He kisses me on my lips, then neck and finally engulfs me in his strong arms. “I missed you,” his words are emphasized by his tight embrace.
“I missed you too,” I reply.1
We pull away but we haven’t let go of each other. His arms are around my waist and my hands are on his biceps. I really missed being close to him.
“Hi, sister-in-law!”
If Fiona hadn’t screamed, I wouldn’t have realized that she had accompanied her brother.
“I’m not invisible!” She jokes. “Can I get a hug too?”
I laugh. “Sure.”
After hugging Fiona, she says, “You must be wondering why I’m here. Well, I’m here to invite you for dinner at our house.”
“Dinner? What’s the occasion?” I ask.
“Today is Albert’s birthday,” Fiona answers.
I look at Albert for confirmation and he nods. I hug him, kiss his cheek and wish him, “Happy Birthday!” When we pull away, I say, “We used to talk daily but it never crossed my mind to ask you your date of birth.”
“Well, now you know. Are you okay with having dinner with us tonight?” He questions. “If you are tired then we can have dinner some other day.”
“I’m not at all tired,” I answer. “And I would love to have dinner with your family.”
Thank God that Jolene came to the pack house to help me with choosing a suitable dress. She also helped me with my “no makeup” look. I really don’t know what I would’ve done without her.
After my friends wish me luck, I head towards the Albert’s residence with his birthday present. I decided to get him sneakers. I had called Fiona to ask about Albert’s shoe size. Today, I realized that there were things that I still didn’t know about Albert. And now, since I was finally free after accomplishing my vision, I could spend time with my mate and get to know him better.
With these thoughts in mind, I reach Albert’s house. Even before I can press the doorbell, Albert opens the door.
“You look beautiful,” he compliments me.
“Thank you. You look dapper,” I say.
He chuckles.
I give him the gift and he says, “You really didn’t have to…”
“But I wanted to,” I interrupt.
“Thank you,” he says as he hugs me and invites me in.
After entering the house, I greet Albert’s sister. We talk for a while. Her sister, Ania congratulates me on my achievements. She tells me that she’s proud of me. And Fiona teasing says that Albert was miserable without me.
When the time for dinner arrived, we all sat for the meal and resumed our conversation. It was such a happy environment that I didn’t want it to end. And the food was so delicious that I felt like eating even after my stomach was full.
When we all finished our meal, I thanked Ania for inviting me for dinner. Albert insists on accompanying me to my pack. We both leave the house. Before we can pass by his pack house, I stop and grab Albert’s arm to halt him.
“What happened?” He asks.
“I need to talk to you,” I say.