Isabel's Choice

Chapter 2 - Lars

Place & time: same as in the last chapter

"Mom had excess car budget...Want to share?" My brother Sven hands me the joint he lit up right after our parents left.

Normally I would be happy to take his offer, the Luna grows excellent weed that she trades with the regular humans for all sorts of rationalized things  - like cars or electronics, but first I have to clarify something with the little one.

"Eino, what the crap was that? Did you have a bad lay with your omega harem and felt the need to take it out on the Alpha?"

He looks at me with his violet eyes and replies lazily:

"I actually had an excellent one, and based on your tone, I infer it would benefit you to try that sometimes?"

"Bro," I frown at him.

Eino waves his hand in a bored gesture.

"I was only trying to help your sorry unmated ass to find a faster way to being acting Alpha."

"I wish I could believe you. But you see, our parents - whose bond you just spat on - produced three highly intelligent and equally cunning offspring. I think you are looking for ways in which you could become faster acting Alpha, third in line as you are."

"You are not entirely wrong. I do want to have my own pack at some point. Sven will maybe want that too."

"Oh no no no," Sven shakes his head in negation, "as the second born, I am fine with being acting Beta."

"This is what you think now," Eino replies in a patronizing voice, "but you don't have a wolf yet. You don't know what personality he will have when he awakens, and whether he will be on board with your plan of being second in command."

"I am not fourteen as you were when Hail suddenly awoke and almost took you over, Eino. I had the chance to be in touch with my dormant wolf for a long time. I doubt I will be surprised when I will finally meet him," Sven calmly shoots down our young brother's speculations.

"Well, we'll find out soon enough. But the point I tried to make earlier, is that I don't believe having a mate is necessary for being a successful leader. I don't believe in this bond magic if you want."

"I don't know if it's magic or not, but I really hope I will meet my mate soon," I sigh.

"If you are so unsuccessful at getting laid on your own, maybe I can convince one of my omega harem members to do you a kindness?" Eino chuckles.

There is nothing left for me to do but take the joint from Sven's hand and take a long drag, before turning again to the little one.

"Eino, I swear, sometimes I am considering getting a chosen mate just so that I can get the pack, become your Alpha, and mercilessly trash your ass."

"A strong Alpha makes good choices that protect the pack, Lars. Do you think that would be a good choice?" Eino makes the best impression of Kari's socratic questioning tone. Sven bursts out in hearty laughter and even I have to smile.

"How many raid rings do you have, Lars?" Sven also tries his hand at the Kari voice and he does it so accurately, that we completely lose it. After wiping my tears, I manage to articulate:

"Come on, it's better than "How many lambdas I had to send to search for your asses, Lars and Sven?" and we have to laugh again until we choke.

***

It's a reference to a day when Sven and I had the brilliant idea to go shopping on the Witches' Plains and potentially flirt with witch girls. It was actually my brilliant idea, and I was the one who was going to do the flirting. Sven was just my innocent wingman. I was barely seventeen - like Eino is now - and I also thought I knew everything about the world. We had planned to be back before dinner, so we didn't bother to tell anybody where we were going. We took two orange cards with us and drove on my motorbike to the River Border, where we took the tiny ferry to Lake Three.