Chapter 237: A Suitable Beta II
"What?!"
A symphony of voices echoed throughout the clearing in a mix of surprise, denial, and horror. My voice was the loudest one of all. My ears must have been addled by magic, but so was everyone else’s.
"You can’t! Harper is just as wolfless as you are!" Dahlia screamed, her voice threatening to shatter my eardrums. "Are you fucking insane? Do you want to run Thunderstrike into the ground?"
"Not to mention, she is Beta Blaise’s mate! That makes her a member of Fangborne! You hate Fangborne, remember?" Dahlia pointed out desperately, her eyes bulging in shock.
No guesses for the reason for her overreaction; the only thing that was more humiliating than being passed over the position for Thunderstrike’s Alpha was finding out that a wolfless human from a decimated werewolf pack was now second in command.
Namely me. When I accounted for the fact that I had effectively ruined her wedding and ’snatched’ Damon from her grasp, Dahlia would want nothing more than to skewer me with a steel pipe.
Dahlia’s reaction was the biggest, but it was by no means the only one. Damon and Blaise looked like someone had bludgeoned them in the face with a hammer, for they could only blink in concussed confusion, their mouths falling open in surprise.
"Harper?"
"As your beta?"
I had to hand it to Darach. It was not every day that someone could render the two of them speechless. I could literally feel how perplexed they were through the bond. Never had I felt such strong bemusement since we had bonded.
"Guys, close your mouths. You’ll catch flies," I muttered softly.
"Didn’t you guys want me to find a beta from Fangborne’s ranks? I’m just taking your suggestion, so what’s with all the shocked faces?" Darach pointed out as he stared down at the entire crowd of werewolves, who collectively looked at him as though he had lost his marbles.
He frowned, sounding a tad more miffed than before. I wanted to laugh; if Darach was acting like this, he must have mentally recovered from his ordeal. But was his mind truly sound?
He wanted to make me his beta, for crying out loud! I wouldn’t pick myself as anyone’s beta! Unless, of course, the plan was to absolutely decimate the pack from within due to poor leadership and the lack of protection.
Despite the bravado I put up, I was far from being on par with Dahlia― I may have been the alpha’s daughter but my father had never allowed me to learn anything close to leadership skills in Stormclaw. I could only hope that my initial statement hadn’t given Darach a false impression.
"Harper is the best option here since she has clearly shown that she cares enough for me and for the wolves of Thunderstrike. I would trust her with my life. The only other person I know from Fangborne is Nicole, and I would never dream about taking her away from her calling of healing. No offense meant, Miss Nicole."
"None taken, Alpha Darach," Nicole said warmly."My place is in the infirmary, and I know that well enough."
The crowd paused as they instinctively registered the use of Darach’s new title. I couldn’t help the small smile that formed on my face.
Alpha Darach. It sounded fitting.
Dahlia stomped her foot on the ground petulantly, chewing her lips with such ferocity that I was surprised they didn’t simply fall off. Yet she remained silent, possibly due to her wolf’s influence. It would be mighty foolish for the human half to start whining about something that her inner soul had accepted.
"What do you think, Harper?" Darach asked, turning to address me. His eyes were hopeful, but there was an insecure twist of his lips as he examined my face. "I understand that this is very unplanned, much like my own sudden accession to the position of Alpha. But I truly believe that you and I can make a big difference for Thunderstrike."
"Well, I..." Suddenly, there were too many pairs of eyes staring in my direction. I gulped down a wad of saliva. My palms had begun to sweat again, but I restrained the urge to wipe them on my jeans.
That wasn’t going to give anyone a good impression of me as a beta candidate― and more importantly, me being unsure was going to cast doubts on Darach’s own ability to lead.
After all, if his first pick for Beta was a weak twitchy human, what did it imply about him?
Unknown to me, I had already begun thinking as a Beta. I felt the unseeing eyes of the oracles boring into my back.
I breathed out evenly to calm myself down before speaking.
"Darach, I’m honored by your decision. But I have to ask, are you sure about this?" I said, willing him to understand my point of view. The decision to pick a beta was not one to be taken lightly.
"You heard your sister, I have no wolf to speak of. Thunderstrike might not be safe with both of us leading."
Even if I had powers from copulating with my fated mates, they were only temporary. And if I worked for Thunderstrike, how often could I even meet my mates, let alone copulate?
Would Blaise be alright with moving to Thunderstrike? Even if he was, would Damon even let him?
"May I suggest you take some time to reconsider until we return to Fangborne?" I continued. "You can even meet other wolves from Fangborne first, just in case there are others more suitable."
I couldn’t help but think of Elijah. He was certainly a more suitable option than me, but I doubted Damon would agree to lose him.
Come to think of it, if anyone had to leave Fangborne to work in another pack, losing me would be the least catastrophic. Anyone else would be unthinkable.
Maybe I should just accept Darach’s offer.
"As of today, I do not have a wolf either," Darach replied simply, casting his father a derisive glare. Thorton Elrod seethed at the display of blatant disrespect, and he was staring at me as if he was daring me to accept his son’s offer.
"But what we lack in our wolves, we make up with our faith in the Moon Goddess. You and I have been dealt a bad hand from birth, and we hit rock bottom in our lives. We are not blessed, like the many others that are sitting in this room," Darach began, his eyes roving over Damon and Blaise, his sister and Milo, as well as other peers his age.
I could relate to his words. My family life was shit, I had no wolf, my pack got decimated, and my then-best friend turned traitor.
The only good points were finding Damon and Blaise, and even that road was full of pitfalls.
"But all those tribulations we have experienced have given us a unique perspective that is worth even the most priceless resources. Our suffering has become the solid foundation we have built our new lives from," Darach began, his voice low yet effortlessly carrying through the crowd.
"Through courage and persistence, and the help from our friends and loved ones, we have carved out a future for ourselves. Now, we have the opportunity to do the same for many others. We can change their lives for the better."
"Harper," Darach’s eyes were earnest as he gazed upon me, firm and filled with a strange amount of resolve, "will you join me in Thunderstrike?"
