Page 41 of Breathe Again

“That’s enough Thomas,” his father said, authority in his voice. “If it comes down to it, Cole will make a fine Alpha for Collier.”

“We don’t even know anything about him,” Thomas argued. “I get he’s a Beta for Westin, but what does that even mean?”

Collier didn’t have any Betas. It was a new system Kyle had been working out with Patrick and me to offset some of the duties of Alpha.

“You really think I haven’t kept up with him all these years? A successful business owner, he’s sat on the Pack Council for Westin for nearly a decade already. As Kyle’s explained it to me, the Beta program he’s established gives him certain Alpha roles to handle in order to alleviate the burden one wolf must carry. Ultimately, Kyle still reigns with final decision, but Cole’s judgments and decisions have been sound and undisputed, so much so that he was offered the next open position on the Grand Council.”

“What?” the others all said in unison.

“Is that true?” Lily asked.

I nodded. “Yes. They approached me last year with the offer. I turned them down.”

“I didn’t know,” Lily said, surprised something so big had slipped passed her.

“Why? Why would you turn down an opportunity like that?” Thomas asked. I looked at Elizabeth before I could stop myself. Thomas saw my line of thought immediately. “You weren’t even in contact with her, though. Were you? Why would my sister have had any bearing on a decision like that?”

I shrugged and grinned. “Just because we weren’t together doesn’t mean I didn’t belong to her, Thomas. I couldn’t in good conscience accept the role with the commitment to break all alliances and remain neutral when I was already tethered to her. I get we weren’t together and you can’t possibly understand what I’m talking about, but I knew there was no way I could remain impartial where Collier was concerned, and I seriously doubted I could do so for Westin either. My allegiances were stronger than they had anticipated. It was an honor to be considered, but I knew it wasn’t right for me.”

Elizabeth

Chapter 18

Silence fell over the group once again. Thomas didn’t even have a comeback to Cole’s confession, and I wasn’t certain my mate realized he’d just admitted to Collier Pack being his highest allegiance, because of me. I knew it had resonated with both my father and brother, though.

I genuinely hadn’t even considered the Alpha line when taking Cole as a mate. There hadn’t been a choice. He was mine. He had always been mine, all I had to do was claim him. If, God forbid, something happened to Thomas, I knew with complete certainty that Cole would lead Collier fairly and effectively. He was the strongest wolf I’d ever known.

I saw his chest puff out and the slight upturn of his lips told me he’d heard my thoughts loud and clear and they filled him with pride.

“I don’t really understand your hang-up with Cole, but Dad’s right, Thomas. I’ve given Collier Pack the best possible second. Besides, when you and Lily produce an heir of your own you’ll have less to worry about. Cole won’t stay next in line to the Alpha forever.”

I knew Lily was already quickly getting baby fever. It wouldn’t surprise me one bit if they had an entire litter of pups sooner rather than later.

I saw the moment acceptance began to sink in. Thomas’s shoulders sagged, and he sighed as he extended his hand to Cole. “Welcome to the family. Let’s get through the ceremony this weekend and we’ll discuss a training schedule. I get you are knowledgeable in Pack protocol, but each pack runs things a little differently and you need to learn the things that make Collier unique.”

Cole nodded but gave me a questioning look.

“We’re leaving next week with the other Westins after the ceremony,” I added. No, we hadn’t discussed it yet, but I knew it was the right thing to do, and if I had any doubts they were laid to rest with the relief flooding our bond.

“You give me an heir apparent and then you take him away? Lizzy, what am I supposed to do with that. He needs to be trained. Here,” he clarified.

“It honestly isn’t something we’ve discussed yet, Thomas,” Cole said. “Give us some time to figure it out. I always knew we’d never fully cut ties with Collier, but this is more than I was planning. When Kyle gets here we can all sit down and figure out something that works best for everyone involved. In the meantime, I already have a secure email you can use to send me any files or information you feel I need to be briefed on.”

I could see it wasn’t the answer my brother wanted to hear, but he surprised me by nodding. “We can start there. There’s a lot to do already this week, no need to add to it. We’ll include Kyle in our discussions and work out a schedule. I know you aren’t ready to leave Westin Pack, but you need to be in a position to, just in case the time comes for you to step up into the role of Alpha here.”

“Oh my God, we’re not even going there Thomas,” Lily said, looking visibly upset.

Thomas walked over to his mate to comfort her. “I know you don’t want to think about it, but we can’t leave the Pack vulnerable by ignoring it as a possibility, either. Don’t worry, slugger. I’m not planning on going anywhere anytime soon.”

“Promise?”

“I promise.”

It was still weird seeing my baby brother all grown up, but I was proud of him. I knew once he and Cole spent some time getting to know each other that they would become fast friends.

Don’t count on it,Cole laughed through the bond.

“Okay, we have a lot of work to do,” he said aloud. “Why don’t you ladies excuse us? We need to get down to business. Kyle arrives tomorrow.”

---