The Orphan's Mate (Werewolf Story)

Chapter 3: Just The Way You Are

"That boy should never be Alpha. It has nothing to do with being a bully or exercising power or strength. An Alpha's wisdom is to know when and where to show off strength and when not to. Your father knew that. Even his dad knows that." - Uncle Gus spoke, sounding annoyed.

At the mention of my dad, my face changes. Nostalgia grips me strongly remembering his lessons. He sought to teach me about being an Alpha since I could talk. It's a life long learning process. Noticing my absentminded self, my uncle rested a hand on my shoulder.

"You'll make an excellent Alpha. Just like your dad was, I'm sure." - He said, looking intensely at me.

"Thank you, uncle. I do appreciate your support." - I glance him with deep affection.

Despite the pain I'm feeling still, I actually had a good night of sleep. And by the time I woke up I was feeling much better. Even Tony realized it when he saw me in the morning that the bruising had subsided.

When we got to school, I was overwhelmed in love by everyone, from the students to the teachers, even the lady who serves our food at the cafeteria. Everyone asked how I was and told me I was a victim to a heinous attack. A completely unprovoked one.

Honestly, I didn't expect people to care about me this much this soon. But I guess the name Stonehold does carry a lot of water in a 200 years pack. Also, they're right. It was an unprovoked attack. Be that as it may, I still needed to make nice to the real victim in all of this, my future mate.

"Is he okay?" - I asked Sarah as I approached her table during lunch break. My tone was as respectful as I could sound.

"Physically, yes. He is. But I think it hurt him emotionally more than anything. My dad was real hard on him yesterday. And I think it stung more than he lead on." - She replied with the raw honesty I find so comforting, despite being scary.

"I wanna apologize to you if I made you feel inadequate in any way. That wasn't my intention. Or to disrespect you in any way, I hope you know that." - I said as I looked at her with pure affection in my eyes.

"There's nothing to apologize for. You didn't make me feel anything apart from maybe a bit embarrassed. But that's hardly cause for the reaction elicited by my brother. I get that he's protective of me. But in this case, there's no need. You didn't say anything offensive whatsoever." - She reassured me in a calm tone. She still blushed at the memory of my words.

"Well, I hope you know that I wish him well. And I don't blame him for anything. I mean, I would be protective of my sister too if she was still alive." - I spoke and watched as the faces of everyone in the table twisted in a guilty sorrow. Sarah looked at me with a saddened gaze.

"I'm sure she'd appreciate it. But you wouldn't need to beat anyone up over it. Us girls can take care of ourselves." - She replied. She knew there's nothing else she could say about Lilly, so she talked naturally and in doing so gave me the best answer anyone could've given me at this point.

"Of course, you can. Girls rule." - I replied with a soft grin. Then, I took my leave and went back to the table where Tony sat. As I walked away, I could hear the faint whispers of her girl friends talking about me to her and smiled.

Of course, I do blame him. It's not like he cursed at me. This were some serious injuries. But there's no point in kicking someone who's already down. Tyler had the momentum going for him as he was training with his dad for the ascension, no doubt. And his dad was campaigning for him to succeed for the last few years, I'm sure.

But no Elder is going to thrust in a loose canon for Alpha. The reason why our pack prospered and so our dynasty is because of the stability our name brought to the table. Everyone knew who we were and where they stand with us. And in this business, reputation is everything.