Chapter 247: A Possible Choice
I was startled; I hadn’t heard Kaine speak so many words before, and at that, hold such an even tone. He — as far as I could remember — either only expressed his thoughts with nods and shakes, or had someone else speak in his stead, namely Nicole. I suppose he probably would’ve used the pack link to converse with Damon, Blaise, and Elijah regarding important matters otherwise.
"Milo Reed?" Damon echoed. "As in, Alpha Burke’s son?"
"That is an odd suggestion," Blaise said. He rubbed his chin, seemingly deep in thought. "But I can’t say that it’s too out of this world. It’s entirely plausible for Milo to help out as Darach’s beta."
"Could you just imagine the look on Dahlia’s face if she finds out?" I said, resisting the urge to smile but failing terribly. My lips still twitched to form a crooked grin, unable to suppress the pure sadistic joy that flooded through my body at the thought. "She would be livid."
"She might just tear her hair out," Darach agreed. "But how? Milo, as you said, is Alpha Burke’s son. He would eventually become Hornstead’s alpha."
Kaine nodded. "Training," he simply said. "For his future."
"That is indeed a good point..." Blaise trailed off. "Alpha Burke might be interested in sending Milo to Thunderstrike for training. If he’s to take over Hornstead eventually as an alpha, he could do with a bit of on-hand experience with a leadership position. As a beta, that’s the closest he can get other than training directly under his father’s guidance."
"Which is something he would no doubt already have," Damon continued. "That would make it helpful for this dumb oaf in the future, especially when he eventually runs into issues."
"How could you be so sure I would," Darach shot back with a scowl.
"Oh, come on," Damon said, rolling his eyes. "You were never trained as your father’s heir― that was entirely Dahlia Elrod. Instead, you spend your time watering plants and getting your ass kicked not only here but back home. You’ve been a loser all your life; there is bound to be people who would still try to crawl all over your head even after you become alpha."
Darach’s fists clenched and unclenched, his hands repeating those movements as he stared at the floor. Fury practically radiated off of him, his cheeks colored red with embarrassment. Yet, he said nothing because everyone present in the room knew that Damon was, unfortunately, right.
Darach Elrod had been the subject of bullying and torture for decades. He had never fought back. Stronger packs who knew of this fact would no doubt try to make use of this so that they could invade Thunderstrike.
And Thunderstrike was a grand prize to have indeed.
"Dahlia would probably be your biggest worry in Thunderstrike," I said, trying to draw Darach’s attention away from Damon’s painfully truthful words. "I doubt she would just take your ascension just like that, not after everything she had worked for just to get this position after your father retires."
"That’s another thing Milo Reed would be good for," Blaise said. "After his rejection, he seems to be a lot more sound of mind. He can stand up to Dahlia, especially now that he is no longer blinded by his instinctual affection for her."
"Is there any chance she can still manipulate him through their old bond?" Darach asked, his eyes slightly red.
"It is unlikely," Damon said. "Milo accepted her rejection after the lunar eclipse― his wolf was back, making the rejection legitimate. If he had done so during the eclipse, it might have been botched."
"A rejected bond is a broken one," Blaise continued with a nod. "And you can’t cross the ravine with a broken bridge."
"Besides," Damon added, "knowing your sister’s ego, it is unlikely she would stoop so low as to eat her words and try to seduce Milo all over again. In fact, she might just detest him as much as she hates you."
"With Milo as your beta, you will essentially be mending the relationship between Hornstead and Thunderstrike as well," I said. "Your sister broke it when she publicly rejected their heir. Wouldn’t this be an olive branch?"
"But of course, everything said is still theoretical," Blaise said. "You will need to convince Alpha Burke. After all, Milo is meant to become an alpha. His father and Milo himself might not sit well with becoming someone else’s inferior. The blood of an alpha could bring about issues with ego."
"We could set up a meeting with him," Damon said. He crossed the room, headed straight for the head of the table. There was a laptop left there, most likely brought in by either Blaise or Kaine when they had been called for the meeting. "He might even be available right now."
The sound of the mouse clicking and the taps of the keyboard quickly filled the meeting room. Damon’s eyes were fixated on the screen, his fingers flying rapidly over the keys as he furiously typed.
"It is also about time we discuss with him further details of our partnership," Blaise said. "You could bring this up on your next call with him."
"Next call?" Damon echoed in confusion. "I’ve already sent him an email." There was a short beep that came from the laptop. "And he has replied." He wrinkled his nose. "Does he have nothing better to do? Who the hell replies to an email this quickly?"
"Who the hell even uses an email?" Darach retorted with a scowl. "Why can’t you just send him a message like an ordinary person?"
"It’s much more official with an email," Damon said through gritted teeth. "But you wouldn’t know, since you’re just a wee baby in comparison, ready to take your first steps in the adulting world."
I took a couple of steps closer to Blaise, leaning in with curiosity. "I didn’t realize all werewolves depended so heavily on human inventions," I said. "Especially Hornstead, since they seemed more in tune with nature and natural living."
Blaise chuckled softly, his eyes soft when he gazed upon me. "We might be two different species but we live in the same world," he replied. "Our lives are very much intertwined, more than you might think."
For some reason, I had a feeling that Blaise was no longer talking about the inventions of mankind but something else. However, before I could prod any further, a sharp ring blared across the room.
