Chapter 98

I still couldn’t believe that Benjamin was the other traitor. How could he be a traitor? He is one of the pack's Elders…they were the last ones that I would have expected to betray me, betray the pack. Even if they were upset about the fact that I was going to be the next Alpha...

Plus, I kind of felt like an asshole. I mean, when I was told that it was someone of power, my mind instantly jumped to Elder Christopher. Now that I could have believed, easily. Zero questions asked.

Christopher has a hate for me that I do not even understand. I used to think that someone could not hate me solely based on my gender, but I had come to learn that was a false idea. He really just doesn’t like the concept of having a female Alpha.

I left my spot leaning against the wall and decided that I would take a walk around the pack house and I mulled over the events of today.

The one thing that kept drawing me back was what Benjamin had said about his daughter. He one hundred percent blamed my family for the end results of what happened to Lisa. I am sure that his mate blames us too…and, in essence, we have now taken her mate away from her too. That was never something that I wanted to do, but we could not let this remain unpunished.

Was there anything different my father could have done to ensure the safety of the pack? To prevent what happened to Lisa from happening to anyone else? I am sure that if I did not have the support of my family and Oliver, that I would have killed myself too. From everything I have heard though, Lisa did have support from her family and I know that if her friends knew, at least if she had told Michael, that he would have been there for her and gave her the support that she so desperately needed.

Maybe I would take another look at the file that my father had on the case and see if I could get anything new out of it…maybe it was not a rogue, but a pack member or someone from another pack. There had to be a reason that she didn’t want to talk to the therapist or tell anyone some of the details that were centered around the attack.

I stopped once I reached the training outhouse. It has been a while since I did some training for the hell of it versus doing what is expected of me.

Maybe I would practice with some weapons. It has been a while since I have thrown some knives, or even since I practiced with my katana.

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Several hours passed and no one tried to bother me. No one tried to link me. I was left in the outhouse, training with my knives and katana.

When I finally stopped, I noticed that I had gathered a small crowd of warriors who were watching me in aww destroy the different targets and practice dummies.

As I was putting up the weapons, Aziel walked up to me, “You know I don’t think I have even been scared of you. Well, up to now. I never want to be on the receiving end of one of your knives. Your accuracy was fucking crazy good.”

I laughed at him. “Guess you better now piss me off,” I said with a wink.

I went to the locker room and showered before I went to go find Justin.

As I was finishing with towel drying my hair, I received a link from my father asking me to be in his office in the next ten minutes. Apparently, the King wanted to speak with me about something.

‘Hey, will you meet me at my dad’s office in ten minutes?’ I linked to Justin.

‘Sure…where are you coming from? I can meet you wherever you are and we can walk there together. I missed you.’

‘I am in the training outhouse. I am about to head back to the packhouse. Just finished with some weapon training and I scared the shit out of your best friend.’

He laughed and told me to wait for him before I headed to the packhouse.

When Justin finally arrived, we were quiet at first as we made our way back to the packhouse, walking hand in hand.

“Are you okay?” he asked me.

Such a loaded question. Do I answer it honestly? Am I okay? Truthfully, I don’t know if I am okay. I felt like I should be, but then I thought about the look on Benjamin’s face as he was telling me the reason that he hated me, hated my family.

I shrugged my shoulders, not looking at him, slamming my walls in place. He doesn’t need to be burdened with my pain or emotions.

“Kataleya, don’t do this. I could tell you were upset. That is why I gave you the space you were needing…I may have asked Aziel to watch you for me if you needed me, since you had your walls up at first. I can’t help you if you don’t tell me what is bothering you. I just want to know what you are thinking. Today has been rough on you. I just want to check and see how my mate is doing.”

I sighed. I knew he wasn’t going to accept the shrug as an answer.

“I am struggling with the why. I understand his anger, his pain. He feels that, because I am the Alpha’s daughter, that I received special treatment. He didn’t see the hell my father went through while trying to figure out what happened to Lisa. He spent days locked in his office with his beta trying to determine what happened and what clues were left. My mother and father were upset when Lisa refused the therapy. I never knew what really happened to Lisa, besides the fact that she died. My parents were pretty tight-lipped about everything, but I remembered what I saw. The month preceding her death and the months following. My father worked long hours trying to figure it out, but never could. I know why he is angry. He feels that my father did not care about the pain that his mate and him went through after her attack and following her death. I was just meant to be collateral. He never cared about what happened to me. He truly just wanted to get back at my father and was going to use me for his petty revenge…he did not care about everyone else that would have been affected. My mate. My brothers. My friends…I want to look through the records that my father kept on Lisa. I want to see if maybe I could deduce something, so that hopefully I can at least provide them with some type of closure…”

Justin stopped walking and pulled me to him. “You are right. Benjamin didn’t think. You were just going to be collateral to him. You were the way to make the Alpha pay for not doing more. However, love, this isn’t your fault. As I told you with Anna, you do not control the actions of others. He knows the difference between right and wrong. If you choose to look at the files, I will support you wholeheartedly, but, at the same time, I don’t want you to feel as if you are obligated to do it.”

His arms were wrapped around me and I had a few tears trickle down my cheeks. I took a deep breath and pulled away.

“Come on. We needed to go see what my father needed. He told me that the King needed me for something.”

We finally made it to the packhouse and in my father’s office. I was shocked to see Luna Everleigh here. He must have left after dealing with Benjamin to get her.

I rushed over to her, engulfing her in a hug. “It is so good to see you!” I squealed.

She rubbed my back and laughed, “It is good to see you as well, future Alpha. I see that you have finally given into your bond.” She said with a smile in her voice.

I felt my face reddening while everyone else in the room laughed. Lucas walked over to us, “I would love it if you would stop manhandling my mate now.

She laughed and swatted at him. “This is what you get for leaving me for a couple of weeks.”

He laughed and rubbed the back of his neck, looking at the ground. “Duty called, my Luna.”

“I know, my King. And for that I forgive you, especially since you brought me here to see my favorite little Alpha.”

You know, I should probably take offense to her calling me little, but I guess I will let it slide since she told me that I was her favorite.

“Anyway, there must have been a reason you asked for me to come here?” I mused.

Lucas laughed. “Of course, direct as always, Kataleya. There is a reason. I had decided that after everything that has happened to you recently, maybe I should offer you something that might brighten your day. So, right after we got you back, I contacted my Luna and asked her to arrange something for me. She graciously did and I hope you enjoy it.”

“But first,” my father interjected, “we need to discuss your Alpha ceremony. I am sorry, kid, but I am ready to retire and spend time with your mom. Plus, after the way you graciously handled the issues that arose with Anna and…Benjamin, I think that you are ready to hold this title.”

I was shocked. I figured my father would have been disappointed in me. After all, I didn’t handle the situation with Benjamin. I had pushed it onto the King because I was too weak to deal with the problem myself.

‘Kataleya, it took a true Alpha to realize that they may have been too close to the situation to deal out a fair and just punishment. That is why your father left the room…. That is why the king was so willing to help you with the punishment. You handled it beautifully. I am proud to call you my human.’ Skye chimed in my head. ‘Now let’s get ready to become Alpha! We have worked our ass off for this!’

I looked at my father with tears in my eyes and waited for him to continue. “We will have the ceremony in two weeks. At the ceremony, it will double as the Alpha and Luna ceremony, since you have already found your mate, Kataleya.”

I nodded my head. He was going to be in for a real surprise for my announcement at the Alpha ceremony. Hopefully, he isn’t too mad at me.

I can’t believe the time for me to be Alpha was almost here. It felt surreal.

I think during these next two weeks, I am going to find a time to meet with the Elders to gauge their concerns and hopefully try to put the rest of them at ease. I don’t need to start my reign as Alpha with angry Elders, who will try to sabotage me at every turn.

“Ready for your surprise?” the King asked.

I eagerly nodded my head. I can’t tell who was more excited, the King or me. Usually, I don’t like surprises or presents, but I think coming from the king I am going to enjoy this one.

“Good. Let’s go. Your surprise is in the conference room with your Beta.”

I rushed to the conference room and threw the door open. In the middle of the room, talking to my Beta, was a woman. She was tall, appearing to be five foot eleven inches. She had long, black Amazonian hair. Her eyes were blazing green and they were incredibly bright. As she stared at me, it was like she could see into my soul. Her skin was beautifully tanned with clear skin. She was wearing a dark purple sundress and purple strap-on heels.

She was a Lycan and with the aura admitting from her, there was only one person that this could be.

Queen of the upper Canadian region. Queen Indigo.

King Lucas and Luna Everleigh walked into the room right behind me.

“Kataleya, I would like to introduce you to one of my dear friends, Queen Indigo. Since her father had decided to officially pass the title onto her while he was still alive, versus making her wait until he passed.”

Queen Indigo held out her hand to me and I took it, shaking it firmly.

“It is a pleasure to meet you, Queen Indigo,” I said as I made a small curtsey.

Queen Indigo laughed, “Shh, young Alpha. You do not need to curtsey to me and please call me Indigo. You don’t need to always use my title. The honor is all mine. I am excited about meeting the young Alpha that my dear friends speak so highly of. Luna Everleigh, and King Lucas have told me all about you. About your struggles, about your pack, but more importantly, about your personality and how you will be a great asset to your pack. From what I have heard, you have been showing the true signs of becoming a great leader.”

So, we sat and we talked for hours. It felt like. Eventually, the only ones left in the room with me and Indigo were King Lucas and his guardian, Luna Everleigh, and Justin.

The moment that Justin yawned, I realized how late it was and how we had forgone dinner.

“I guess it is time for us to get ready to end the night. Will you be staying the night? I can have a few of the Omegas set up a room for you and provide you with some dinner from the kitchen. They will do whatever you want at this hour.”

She laughed. “Of course. Your father has already asked me to stay a little while. He wanted me to stay through your Alpha ceremony, if that would be alright. He mentioned that he wanted me to tell you about some of my experiences being an Alpha female and how my kingdom eventually came around…and your additional abilities should soon be coming with the Alpha ceremony up ahead. I can help you hone in those abilities. He already had a room arranged for me and my warriors. I hope you don’t mind that I brought some of my warriors. They have requested to attend your training. My father is still antsy when I leave the territory after a few people have tried to have me killed, so, even though I am now the ruler, I bring the warriors just to appease him. You know how fathers are.” She finished with a shrug of her shoulders.

Ain’t that the truth…I will be shocked if my father doesn’t try to lock me in my room until my Alpha ceremony. He did tell me that I was a danger magnet, so I guess he wasn’t wrong.

“That would be perfect. Thank you for agreeing to come to our pack. We are eternally grateful.”