Chapter 5 #3
She smirked, pride welling within her.
“He’s not sacrificing anything,” she said.
“He’s more than a mere alpha. He’s the head of the convocation, an organizational umbrella over shifter packs, and gargoyle cairns, and basajaunak…
whatever. He’s the leader of alphas. He’s different.
He’s always been different. At least in our pack.
He’s always been a misfit, just like most of the Ivy House crew.
” She paused. “Please don’t tell him I said that.
He’d kill me if I compared him to Mr. Tom. ”
Sue huffed out a laugh. “Your secret is safe with me, mostly because I don’t want to get caught in the crossfire.”
She squeezed the shampoo onto her hand, thinking.
“Jessie and he are both different.” She dunked her head again before applying the shampoo.
“Uncle Auzzie is probably doing it out of respect for you guys, and because he honestly doesn’t care about titles, but I think it is genius.
And you know Jessie doesn’t care at all about being an alpha or the status of leadership.
She cares about her people and their futures.
Uncle Auzzie and Jessie are becoming something of an urban legend, and this will help, mark my words.
Not caring if they have a title, not batting an eye at status, while calmly parading all this power around?
” She laughed. “It’s the best kind of madness. It is history in the making.”
Sue watched her quietly as she washed and conditioned her hair, probably thinking about that. Maybe meditating—who was to say? He wasn’t bodily saying a word.
“It feels like Golden Fang was the missing piece, doesn’t it?” He finally looked away, out the window. “It feels like Austin relaxed a little when Aljoe signed on.”
“I don’t think it was because of Aljoe. I think it was when he decided to stop chasing the shifters.”
“What do you mean?”
“It was when he decided to do the conclave. He decided to make them come to him. He’s confident in his mate and the power they’ve amassed.
As opposed to his past, he knows he’s good enough now, and he’s ready to prove it on his terms. Everything else…
is falling in line.” She went for a final dunk.
“I mean, I don’t know, maybe I’m wrong—”
“No.” He was watching her again, a little crease between his brows. Studying. “You’re right.”
“We both are, in a way, though, right? Because Aljoe is going to give this thing a legitimacy we weren’t anticipating, and doing a conclave is the perfect way to unveil his return to the shifter community.
Otherwise, it would’ve been another unbelievable rumor.
This time, they’ll see it in the flesh.”
He nodded slowly. His lips curled at the corners.
“You’re going to make an incredible alpha, Aurora, especially with people like Aljoe and Austin and Jessie teaching you.
You have the best of all worlds, and the intelligence, strength, and determination to take it to the next level. You’ll be your own legend.”
She felt her cheeks heat. Those words meant a great deal coming from him, someone who wasn’t family and had no stake in the game. Someone who was watching her grow and flounder in equal measure, but who clearly wasn’t judging her for her mistakes.
“Thanks,” she said, grabbing a washcloth. “I got lucky we picked Aljoe up along the way.”
He looked away, probably noticing her embarrassment.
“We all did,” he said noncommittally. “The final reason I’m still here…
is because once I put you in the tub, I realized it would be my fault if you drowned.
I didn’t want to suffer the wrath of a couple angry alphas, and definitely didn’t want a colorful female gargoyle breathing down my neck.
I figured I’d better stick around to make sure your head stayed above water. ”
She laughed as Sue grabbed a carton of soaking salt and poured it in.
“I trust you’re beyond the stinging stage.” He put the lid on and tucked it under the sink again.
“If not, it’s too late now anyway.”
He nodded, grabbed the chair, and turned to leave. At the entrance of her room, though, he hesitated.
“Nessa is already at Ivy House, working on something with Sebastian. She’s going to get ready there. I’ll pick you up before dinner. I’ll make sure Jasper brings by your phone, and I’ll text when I’m on my way.”
With that, he was gone.
She rubbed the washcloth on a bar of soap, smirking to herself.
You could take the alpha out of the pack, but you couldn’t take the alpha out of the gorilla.
He couldn’t help looking after people. It was in his nature.
He’d probably been amazing in his role. He still was.
Uncle Auzzie was doing the right thing in making it clear to anyone visiting that Sue was an equal.
An equal with a weird name.
He wasn’t family or even kinda in the same pack anymore, but she hoped to one day do him proud for believing in her.
Until then…he’d have to dump her into a bath and make sure she didn’t drown because she didn’t know her limits.