CHAPTER TWO

Kael's POV

As we walked back to our territory, the silence between us was comfortable despite what happened back with the Silverbrook pack. That's what I wanted. My pack mates chatted about the hunt, but my mind kept drifting back to the Silverbrook pack's future alpha, Tia. There was something about her that caught my attention, something that's never happened before. It was like I was seeing her in a new light, though I'd never been a fan of hers. I mean, she's from Silverbrook, but I think it's the fire in her eyes when she stood up to Jason, or the way she seemed to radiate confidence despite their failed hunting, even when faced with my pack mates' mockery. Whatever it was, I couldn't help but keep looking.

  She seemed surprised at the way my gaze remained on her, and honestly, she wasn't the only one.

  "Hey, you okay?" Jason asked, nudging me with his shoulder. "You seem a bit distracted."

  I shrugged, trying to brush it off. I had no intention of telling him about how my thoughts were straying to Tia. "Just thinking about the hunt, that's all."

  Jason raised a brow. "Really? I mean, you're not exactly the most social person, but you're never this quiet after a hunt. Seriously, is there something going on?"

  He just wouldn't let go, would he? I really wanted to brush it off, but I guess it wouldn't hurt to tell him the truth. Or at least try to.

  I sighed, wondering how I should say this. "It's just... Tia. She said some things that... stuck with me, I guess."

  Jason's expression turned serious and now seemed slightly annoyed. "Tia? You mean when she said I wasn't a real leader?"

  I let out a laugh of surprise. "What? I don't think she said that."

  "Well, she implied it," he grumbled. "You know," he began, his tone softening. "Kael, I respect you. A lot. You're my brother, you know that, right?"

  "I know," I said, wondering how we got here. I looked forward, watching our other pack mates playing around in front of us. They're a bit further from us than before, but I guess it's fine since we're going to the same place anyway.

  But Jason continued, "You're one of the strongest and most capable wolves in our pack. If you ever feel like you're being mistreated or undervalued, you need to talk to me about it. I don't want you to "ever" feel like that, even if it's a little bit."

  I felt a surge of gratitude towards my friend. I didn't expect the sudden change and offer of protection, but it seemed he'd been thinking about what Tia said back there. I didn't think too much of it then because I knew she was mad at us for mocking them, but it seemed Jason took it hard.

  "Thanks, Jason. I appreciate that," I said, smiling softly.

  We walked in silence for a moment before Jason spoke up again. "You know, I've always wondered about Tia."

  I raised a brow. "Really?"

  Jason shrugged. "I mean, she's kinda fascinating. Not saying I have a crush on her or anything, that'd be dumb. And Dad would kill me. However, I think her existence really is awesome, don't you think?" He suddenly sounded excited. "A female alpha? Stop. That's like something that's almost never happened before. Her existence is legendary!"

 I nodded. He wasn't wrong. There's only two recorded female alphas in all of werewolf history and she was now the third one. Maybe that's why I was so curious about her. I'd never seen her fight, but I was interested in that. Being an alpha was very different from the usual betas and omegas. There's never been a female leader recently, and I bet it would be really hard for her to earn respect from others.

  "Even her wolf looks like an alpha," I mentioned, remembering how unique I found her fur. She was fully red, which wasn't any color I'd ever seen on a wolf.

  "I know, right? I wish we had someone so cool."

 I hummed. He wasn't wrong, she really was cool.

  "Not saying you're not cool or anything," Jason let out, trying to explain himself for some reason. "You're really, really cool. I just-"

  I laughed, hitting him gently with my elbow. "Thanks for the compliment, but I'm not bothered about you saying Tia is cool. I think she's cool too."

  "Oh. That's great," Jason said, relieved.

  "Don't tell your Dad we were complimenting her though."

  Jason grinned. "Hey, I may not be as smart as you, but I'm certainly not that dumb, you know."

  We soon arrived at our territory, and the smell of food wafted through the air. My stomach growled in anticipation as we headed towards the communal area. Jason's mom looked like she was waiting for us as she greeted us with a warm smile, her face brightening. “Hey, boys! I saw the deer so I guess the hunt went well."

  Jason and I exchanged a look, then laughed before launching into a story of our encounter with Tia and her pack mates. She listened intently, her eyes sparkling with interest.

  "At least you didn't end up fighting,” she said when we were done.

  "Thanks to Kael's intervention,” Jason pointed out.

  "Hm. So what you're saying is that he deserves more food than you,” she said, wrapping an arm around mine, leading us inside to go eat.

  “Hey! I helped too!" Jason protested to their amusement.

  Later, after lunch, I went to sit alone in the training grounds. I could sleep right here, then wake up to train. But before I could lay down on the soft grass, I heard a sound and took in a familiar scent. It was Ronald, Jason's father and our alpha.

  I turned to look at him and he said, “Kael, can I speak to you?"

  I nodded, settling back down on the grass as he instructed with his hand. He sat down in front of me as he smiled.

  “I heard about your hunt. Good job."

  “Thank you," I replied with a smile.

  “So. I think it's time we started discussing your role in training the pack's teenagers, for protection against the disappearing cases recently."

  My eyes widened in surprise.

  "You've been doing a great job with Destin, and I think you're ready to take on more responsibility. If you'd like to, of course.”

  I felt a surge of excitement. "I'd be honored, Alpha. When do you want me to start?”

  Ronald clapped me on the back as he got up. "Let's discuss the details later. For now, just keep doing what you're doing. Whatever you do is valuable to our pack.”

  I nodded, feeling a sense of pride and purpose as I watched him walk away.

  Then my thoughts went right to Tia.