Page 100 of Forgotten Arcane

I grin, “He’s right, it was.”

Logan chuckles, “You guys are pretty entertaining. We’re never going to be bored.”

I turn back to a smiling Asher.

“It’s so refreshing to see joviality and kindness. It’s nice not to constantly be on edge, and having to worry about speaking out of line to the alpha and being punished for it,” he says. He adds, “You’re going to make an excellent alpha of this pack.”

My magic nudges me again.

I simply hold my hand out to him, and when he goes to take it, I grasp his forearm instead, and he grasps mine, a curious look in his eye.

“It’s not my pack,” I tell him seriously. In my alpha voice, I continue, “Asher Shadow, I hereby name you as Alpha of the Shadow Rock Pack.”

My magic rushes through him, and there’s a flare of light as it does what it had intended to do.

When I let go, my smile is huge, and he’s staring at me in shock and wonder.

“What the fuck was that?” Evander asks.

“Are you both okay?” Amari asks worriedly, and I smile.

Asher is still staring at me, and he swallows thickly as he says, “How the fuck did you just make me an alpha?”

Everyone gasps in shock.

“You made him an alpha? I mean, I know you just said you did, but seriously, you made him an alpha?” Logan asks, his eyes wide as his head comically whips back and forth between us.

“I felt it. That was some strong fucking magic,” Rana adds.

My eyebrows rise slightly. Well, that’s interesting. She shouldn’t have felt my magic, but she’s not a normal wolf. I don’t know what she is, but she definitely isn’t a normal wolf shifter.

“You made me an alpha?” Asher asks again. I know he needs confirmation.

I shake my head, “I didn’t make you an alpha. I unlocked your alpha. You were always supposed to be the alpha of this pack. They’re your people, your wolves, and you can look after them far better than I can. You have proven that you will protect them even at the cost of your own life, which is exactly what an alpha should do. The pack was stolen from you, and I’ve given it back.”

Tears flow down Amari’s cheeks, Rana is grinning, and Logan is practically beaming. I know that I’ve done the right thing. This feels right, this is how it was supposed to be.

Asher pulls me into a hug.

When he steps back, he smiles, “Thank you so much. You have no idea what this means to me, and I hope you know that you have the loyalty of the pack for life. If you need anything at all, please let me know.”

“And we all expect you to come back for cookouts,” Amari adds with an excited smile.

“Ooo, cookouts? Count me in,” Neith grins.

I nod, “We’ll be there.” My magic nudges me again, “There’s one last thing.”

Asher nods, “Yes?”

“You need to choose your beta,” I reply with a smile.

Rana frowns, “Choose?”

I nod with a grin, “Yes. You can choose who your beta is.”

“That’s awesome,” Logan grins. “Can I suggest, Henry?”

Neith interrupts, “Whoever you choose, I would suggest that you think really hard about it, because from my experiences, betas tend to be absolute assholes that none of the pack actually likes, but that the alpha can’t get rid of because of pack rules and hierarchy.”

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