Chapter 49 Chosen Family
forty-nine
Chosen Family
*SILAS*
Iused to think that wolf shifters were weird.
That was until I became one of them, part of their pack.
Now I think they are endearing and fascinating.
There are bad apples everywhere, but for my pack, I know for certain that I have the best pack members.
The way they see their mates and family is so inspiring.
A couple of weeks ago, Benjamin was officially announced as our gamma.
The pack celebrated him and was genuinely happy for him.
But for him, the biggest achievement was to have his mate with him.
He was so proud to carry her mark, just like Marcellus shows my sign on him to everyone who is interested – and to those who aren’t.
They celebrated Lucian being announced as beta in a similar manner, much to my surprise. I know that no one here minds having a joint coven and pack, but it’s always humbling to see in person how open and accepting they are.
“Makes me wish I had a wolf mate, too,” Lucian jokes when we watch how Lori and Benjamin flirt with each other.
“Maybe you will get lucky,” I point out.
“Who knows,” Lucian chuckles.
“We should make sure to invite a lot of guests from now on,” I offer with a smirk.
“Like last time?” he asks. “I can’t believe you stayed so relaxed face to face with Eugene, minus the not too subtle digs, of course.”
“It’s not like he is my favorite person,” I admit. “But he is Marcellus’ brother. Marc is trying to move on from his past and build something new with Eugene. As a good beloved, I support him.”
“His mom is very nice, though,” Lucian says. “The dad’s almost trying too hard. But who am I to judge?”
“No, you are right,” I say. “He is. Probably because he knows that a major part of the responsibility for his sons’ fallout lies with him.”
We don’t get to deepen the talk because Marcellus comes into my office suddenly, dropping onto one of the chairs.
“Bad meeting?” I ask in worry.
“Not really bad,” he says. “Just exhausting. These alphas can talk so much. Good thing I had Benjamin with me. He has more patience.”
“Exactly why I always send him instead of going myself,” Lucian chuckles.
Marcellus grins. “Yeah, both of us together would rage quit at a point. But Cass and Nova were there, at least.”
“Have you heard from Julianus?” Lucian asks.
“Just through Nova,” Marcellus says. “He helps out a lot in the pack, but also tries to support Alexander. He and Nova are officially marked now.”
“Looks like he is finally able to move on from his past,” I say.
“And our very favorite Atticus?” Lucian asks me.
“I try not to bother thinking about him,” I admit. “But Juniper is showing, and I think she wants him there for the birth. He was a terrible lieutenant, but it doesn’t mean he won’t be a good father. He and Juniper aren’t official, but Juni told me he is staying faithful to her.”
“He wants to prove himself,” Marcellus says. “I feel a bit sorry for him. He is really trying hard.”
Of course, he feels sorry for him. My kind-hearted alpha mate.
“He has to lie in the bed he made,” Lucian says dryly.
“I was about to say the same,” I admit.
“You two,” Marcellus grumbles.
“It’s all up to him now, so who knows, maybe he will win Juniper over,” I say.
“Talking about working hard and trying to move on.” Marcellus sits up. “I have gossip.”
I try not to perk up, but if there is one thing I secretly enjoy, it’s gossip…and soap operas. Only Marcellus knows, and he obviously knows better than to share my secret. “Remember Benji’s ex-mate.”
“Yes, I do. Isla, the mate-rejecting Marie-Antoinette wannabe,” I say.
Lucian grins. “Another person on your list to hate?”
“It’s not my fault that my family is so keen on being forgiving,” I say. “They need me to hate the ones who did them wrong. But I am all ears. What’s with her?”
“Seems like she truly regrets having rejected Benjamin,” Marcellus says.
“Aw,” I say. “Does she? Especially now that Cass is off the market, too. She could have been the gamma female had she not rejected Benjamin.”
Schadenfreude at its finest. I don’t even try to hide it. Both Lucian and Marcellus grin. “Can’t say I don’t feel like gloating, too,” Lucian admits.
“Come on,” Marcellus chuckles. “She is young and made a huge mistake, but we all know more than anyone else that people deserve a second chance. It seems she is suddenly working really hard for the pack. She even asked Nova to let her help more.”
“Nova is a do-gooder, too,” I mutter. “She probably said yes.”
“She did,” Marcellus grins. “So, here comes the real news. I only began with Isla to distract both of you.”
“That better be good now,” I warn. “Because you are certainly raising the tension."
“Flo is expecting,” Marcellus says.
Lucian and I both stare at him. “What?” I exclaim. “Cassian is going to be a dad?”
“Yes, it wasn’t planned to happen so soon. She only recently became luna, and started a new class at college after all, but well, it did,” Marcellus says. “Cass and Nova are making plans so Flo can finish her education despite that. They are clearly overjoyed.”
“So, Isla offering her help is actually a good thing,” I conclude.
“It is,” Marcellus says. “Who knows, maybe she will surprise us. She can’t allow herself to fuck up another time.”
“That’s true,” I admit.
Marcellus looks at his watch. “When is your family coming?” he asks me.
“Well, Alex is dropping by any minute,” I say.
“And Sheila and Maddie will join, of course.” I am beyond happy that I finally don’t need to hide my relationship with Maddie anymore.
I can officially treat her as my niece. My nephew and his mom moved to the pack, as well, and they have enriched my life even more by doing that.
“Dominic and his mom will also come,” I say.
“I am surprised they decided to stay,” Lucian says. “I thought they would be wary about vampires.”
“They are,” I say. “But they appreciate the wolves. It was a wolf pack that hid them after all. I am truly lucky Dominic’s mom didn’t disown the whole family.”
I look up when I feel a breeze coming through the window, playing with the curtains.
Lucian and Marcellus still chat, but I stand up to gaze out of the window, noticing Alex standing in the parking lot.
Next to him, there is a young lycan man I know very well.
That’s Marius. Alpha Elden’s second-oldest son and lune of a werewolf pack.
He is the one who works closely with us, as he leads a shelter for victims of abuse and sexual assault.
“Marius is here,” I say absent-mindedly.
Marcellus blinks, joining me to gaze out of the window. “I didn’t know he was coming.”
“Weird how he is with Alex,” I observe, my interest clearly piqued. “Let’s make sure to greet him.”
“I will take that as my cue to return to training,” Lucian says. “I am training our new group of elite warriors today,” I say.
“I am counting on you,” Marcellus says. “Make sure my wolves learn something.”
Lucian smirks. “I will,” he promises, and I do feel a twinge of pity for the poor wolves who join his training for the first time. At least Benjamin is training with them, too, and he already knows Lucian’s methods.
Marcellus and I, meanwhile, go to greet our guests. “I apologize for coming unannounced,” Marius says.
“It’s my fault,” Alex says. “I sought out his help last week.”
“Now I am intrigued,” I admit.
“Let’s have this talk in my office,” Marcellus offers, leading us into the room and closing the door behind us.
“I am still tracking down some vampires who were fleeing from Aloysius,” Alex says, coming to the point immediately. “You know he was merciless in hunting down any vampire he thought had betrayed him.”
I nod. “I know.” Some of the vampires decided to join me instead of staying with Alex. The trauma is probably too deep for some of them to trust a completely new leader.
Alex looks at Marius. “Your turn.”
“Well,” Marius puts a picture in front of us. A young boy and an even younger girl are on it. “It’s an orphaned sibling pair,” Marius explains. “Aloysius killed their parents.”
“Their mother happened to be a former member of the coven,” Alex explains.
“Aloysius likely hunted them for their so-called betrayal,” I fume.
“Yes, but not the type of betrayal you think it was,” Alex says. “It’s not because they left the coven. Actually, it was years ago that they disappeared.” He pauses. “He killed them because of their children.”
“They are hybrids,” Marius explains. “Half werewolf, half vampire.”
“No way,” I exclaim.
“Charlie isn’t the only one?” Marcellus asks breathlessly.
“No, the couple hid their children well,” Marius says. “The mother was a vampire, and she probably was aware of the danger.”
“Aloysius found and killed them only a couple of weeks ago, shortly before he died himself. It’s the reason the kids are still alive, luckily,” Alex explains.
“Over the last week, I have been discussing their fate with Lord Alexander and with my brother Liam,” Marius says.
“The father of the children was disowned when he chose not to reject his vampire mate. His parents had been trying to reach out to him though, but it was too late. And neither Liam nor I feel comfortable leaving the children in a pack they might not be welcome in.”
“I would take them in as coven members,” Alex explains. “But the coven is still a mess, and I am not sure it would be a good place for two recently orphaned, traumatized children. Especially since they were killed by someone from that coven.”
“Liam himself would take them in, seeing as he already has Charlie in his pack, and they know a thing or two about vampire hybrids,” Marius adds before he exchanges a look with Alex.
“Marius and I have been talking,” Alex says. “About what would be best for them… Wouldn’t that be a place where wolves and vampires co-exist?”
I stare at them, slowly realizing what they are asking from us.
Meanwhile, Marcellus has gone completely still, just staring at the picture wordlessly.
He is so far away that it feels like I can barely reach him, but when I probe the connection between us, I can feel what he is feeling. He is nervous, confused… hopeful.
I never believed in fate until I met Marcellus and realized I was indeed fated to him. He and I made a miracle work by building up this pack. We worked relentlessly for this dream we had, and I am proud to admit that we indeed made it work.
My heart makes a careful leap of joy. Maybe this is our reward? We can’t have children of our own after all.
Tell me what you think, I urge Marcellus.
I… I don’t want to be selfish, he says quietly. I told you when we marked each other that I don’t need children.
You said you are okay with not having bio-children, I point out. Nothing about not wanting any.
He stays quiet.
Why do you think I wouldn’t want the same? I push.
Marcellus looks at me, surprised. We haven’t talked about this in detail. This might be happening too fast.
I shrug. Who cares? We have always done things our way and at our own pace.
“What are their names?” I ask.
“The boy is called Milo. He is six. His little sister, Lilibeth, is four,” Marius answers promptly.
Marcellus puts the picture aside and looks at Marius firmly. “We are taking them in. If it’s alright with you, Silas and I will adopt them.”
“What?” Alex exclaims. “I was actually just hoping you’d to take them in. There is no need for you-“
“We know that,” I say. “But we want to.”
Marcellus smiles when he looks at the picture again. “This can’t be a coincidence. And it might sound odd, but I already feel a connection to them.”
“Me too,” I agree. “Marc and I had discussed this a while ago. We can’t have children with each other. When the time came, we were planning to either adopt or have a surrogate to carry our child. But clearly fate has different plans.”
“Besides, the house feels empty now that Benjamin has left,” Marcellus points out.
“Right?” I ask. “I felt it, too! Just didn’t want to sour the mood by moping around.”
Marcellus laughs, a joyful laugh that lights up his whole face.
I can just imagine him with two kids surrounding him.
He is going to be an amazing father. Previously, I was not sure if I would be such a great dad myself, but the more time I spend with Maddie and Charlie, and now with Dominic, the more I realize I have so much love to give.
Marius’ eyes light up in relief and joy. “I am so happy they will be in a good home with parents to love them,” he beams. “They will need a lot of support to heal.”
“We will give them all the love they need,” I say.
Under the table, I feel Marcellus secretly taking my hand and squeezing it. “And all the love we have.”