Mia Darien - Good Things

I laughed. “Yeah, my mama can be scary when she wants to be. But especially when it comes to her pups.”

“I see that.”

“Are you ready to go outside?” Darien asked. “The rest of the pack is dying to see you.”

“I know,” I said. “But I need a shower first. I smell like a stray.”

Remy held up his hands. “I wasn’t going to say anything, but you really do.”

I rolled my eyes. “Gather the pack in the dell in about an hour. I’ll meet you there.” My cousins nodded and turned to leave. “Oh, and tell everyone I’ll be announcing the new beta then too.”

“You got it, boss,” Darien said on his way out of the room. Remy only grinned and pointed at himself.

“Get the hell out of here,” I laughed. He laughed too, then ran after Darien.

After my shower, I joined my mom in the kitchen. She had cooked enough to feed our entire pack even though it was just me and her. While we ate, we talked, but not about my metamorphosis. I could tell the whole thing had been hard for my mom to witness and honestly, I didn’t want to hear the gritty details. I remembered the pain just fine, no reminders were necessary. So we used the time to laugh about Remy’s many attempts to sneak into my cabin and watch me wolf out.

A little while later, the sound of howling let me know the pack had gathered in the dell and were calling me to join them. My mom, though reluctant, finally went home to her mate and pups, and I left my cabin for the first time in over a week.

All talking and howling stopped the moment I appeared in the dell. For a minute, everyone just stared at me. I couldn’t help but feel a little self-conscious, even though I understood how they must have been feeling. I looked completely different and that wasn’t something they would just get used to in an instant.

“Hey, X!”

“What up, X?”

“How you feelin’, X?”

I spoke to everyone who spoke to me, making sure to take a moment to shake hands with Kane. He didn’t seem so bitter anymore, but I knew this thing with Aspen wasn’t over by a long shot.

He gripped my hand, then pulled me into a one-armed hug. “Make our fathers proud, X,” he said to me. “Be the alpha I wasn’t able to be.”

“I’m gonna try, cuz,” I replied. I didn’t know what had changed in Kane, but I hoped it was there to stay.

“Speech! Speech! Speech!” Remy started chanting. It took less than a second for the rest of the pack to join in.

“Okay, okay,” I said, moving to stand in the center of the dell. “To be honest, I really don’t even know what to say right now. This is the first ascension for all of us. I know this...new look of mine is going to take some getting used to, but I’m still the same Xavier I was before all this. My changes are only physical. And now that the metamorphosis is over, we can move on. Uncle Bart left a great legacy behind, and it’s going to be up to us , not just me, to keep that going.” The pack sounded off their support with a chorus of howls.

“But first,” I said, “I have to name the beta.”

“Ooohhhh!” The pack goaded me. I just laughed at them.

“The person I’ve chosen is more than worthy of being beta,” I said. “He’s not only a cousin, but one of my closest friends. I trust him with my life, and I trust him with all of yours as well.” I pointed. “I have chosen my boy Darien as the beta of the Wesley pack.” The pack erupted with howls and cheers because everyone liked Darien and I knew he was the right choice.

“Really?” he said, coming to stand beside me. He sounded about as shocked as Remy looked.

“Yeah, really,” I said. “You deserve it. When it comes down to it, I know that I can leave my pack in your hands and not have to worry about a thing.”

“Damn, X. I don’t even know what to say.”

“Just say yes, fool.”

He grinned and stuck out his hand. “I got your back, cuz. I’m in.”

“Better be,” I laughed. We shook and then I held up my hands for silence. “I know everyone expected me to pick Remy,” I said to the pack, “but I have a different job for him.”

“Oh yeah?” Remy said. I watched his disappointment morph into curiosity.

“Yeah,” I said. “I want you to be the pack general.”

“What?” His expression let me know he hadn’t seen that one coming at all. “You serious, X?” Pack general wasn’t beta, but it wasn’t too far from it.

“Why wouldn’t I be serious? No one has hops like you. No one can fight like you. You’re a natural warrior and I’ll expect you to turn the rest of these mutts into warriors, too.”

Remy laughed into his fist. “That’s what’s up!” He came over to dap me up. “Thanks, X.”

I grinned. “It’s nothing, cuz.”

All the tension behind my reveal was gone now, and the pack was already getting comfortable with the changes. I let them spend some time saluting Darien and Remy’s new positions while fielding questions myself. But after a while, Darien pulled Remy and I aside. The other wolves looked a little confused, but of course, they weren’t going to ask what was going on.

“What’s wrong, D?” I asked with a laugh. “You look scared.” Remy smiled.

“I’m not scared, X. I’m concerned.”

“About what?”

“About the kingdom,” he said. “Is there going to be a war or something?”

I stiffened. “Why are you asking?”

“I don’t know. I guess because Uncle Bart never saw the need to have a general. First official day on the job and you’ve already got Remy signed up. What’s up with that?”

I didn’t see the point in lying to them. “Look, at my ascension, Roman told me the kingdom is in danger. He didn’t say why or what the danger was, but I believe him. Whatever it is, we need to be ready for it, that’s all.”

“Damn,” Remy said. “Guess I better start getting their asses together now rather than later.”

“I agree. Start next week, in fact. But don’t tell anyone the real reason why you’re going so hard. Tell them to just get used to it.”

Remy laughed. “That won’t be a problem.”

“Good. Darien, you and I will meet first thing in the morning. A lot of ideas came to me during my metamorphosis and I wanna talk to you about them.”

“You were able to think through all that pain?” he asked.

“Yeah, I know. Shocked me too. But it happened.”

“Okay. I’ll be there, boss,” he said with a smile. “But tonight, we celebrate. I’ve invited everyone to my cabin later. You coming through?”

I didn’t really want to, but how could I say no? “You know I am. Wouldn’t miss it.”

“All right, see you then.” Darien met up with a few of the other pack members and they vanished into the woods. I assumed it was either to go for a run or go on a hunt. Our human side preferred the grocery store, but our wolf side still enjoyed hunting fresh meat. As far as we were concerned, we had the best of both worlds.

“I’m headed to the library,” Remy said.

“The library? Do you even know where it is?”

“Ha! You’re such a comedian. Yes, I know where it is, asshole. I need to study up on battle strategy. That way, I’ll know how to train the pack.”

I didn’t think all of that was necessary, but I wasn’t about to deter Remy from taking initiative. “Sounds good,” I said.

“I’ll see you at the party tonight.” He left and that was the rest of the pack’s cue to swarm me. They loaded me up with more questions about everything from my metamorphosis to my plans to find a mate. I answered the questions the best I could, but my mind wasn’t really there. There was just too much going on inside.

Now that I’d ascended, it was time to lead my pack. That meant all the hard decisions would now be mine to make. Anything went sideways, and I would be blamed for it. I answered directly to the king and Roman wasn’t going to give me a break just because we were friends. In fact, he would probably be harder on me than any of the other alphas.