Chapter 85-Best Friends

As I walk towards Ryna’s house with Andreas, I can’t help the pounding of my heart as I think of my best friend never forgiving me.
I feel Andreas squeeze my hand tightly, and I give him a small smile as we climb the steps of Ryna’s small cottage. I take a breath as we approach the door and knock.
Gino answers the door a few moments later, and I’m engulfed with the anger he feels as it radiates from his body.
“He needs time, Alpha.” He says shortly.
“We understand, Gino. But there are pack matters that need to be attended to,” Andreas says when I say nothing.
“I will make sure to deal with all pack matters,” Gino responds, never taking his glaring eyes off mine.
I swallow the lump in my throat and finally find the words I want to say. “I’m not here about pack business,” I tell him, my voice coming out as a squeak. “I came to apologize for everything that happened yesterday.”
“It’s going to take more than apologies, Alpha,” Gino says angrily.
“I know, but I can only start there.”
“Gino, it’s okay,” I hear Ryna say as he comes to the door.
I almost break down at the sad look in his eyes as he looks at me. “Ryna,” I say as I take a step forward, but I’m stopped by a growl from Gino.
Andreas growls in return, and I squeeze his hand. “He’s protecting his mate as he should,” I say to him, and turn back to Ryna.
“I’m so sorry, Ry. I know those words will never be enough, but you are my best friend, and I will spend the rest of my life making this up to you.” I tell him, tears forming in my eyes as I choke on my words.
He steps forward and pulls me into a tight hug, and for a moment we both cry on each other’s shoulder.
After some time, he finally pulls back and wipes his face. “We will get to the bottom of why this happened, but Gino is right. I need some time, Athena. As much as I hate to admit it, for the first time in my life yesterday, I feared you. And that’s not something that I can just get over easily.”
I nod my head. “I understand,” I say through more tears. “Take all the time you need,” I say with a smile.
“Alpha’s!” I hear Tony call out from behind us, and I quickly wipe my face and turn to see him running up to us.
He stops as he gets to the bottom of the stairs and looks between us awkwardly. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt.”
“It’s fine, Tony. How can we help you?” I ask.
“Well... With everything that’s happened, we haven’t had a chance to discuss my position in the pack.”
“What’s wrong with your position?” Ryna asks.
“While I’m flattered by the position of Gamma that the Alpha gave me, I don’t feel that it’s the right position for me,” he explains.
“Tony and I discussed this before we left to meet with Leon,” I add. “I haven’t had the chance to discuss this with everyone.”
“I’d like to stay as a member of the Crescent Warriors,” he adds.
“Who will you assign to be Gamma?” Ryna asks.
“As the eldest of the warriors, I would have said Harry. But I’ve assigned him as Delta.”
“With all due respect, Alpha, but I’m happy with my role as Delta,” Harry says, appearing at the side of the house.
“Who would you suggest I promote, then?” I ask. “I had thought about holding an open challenge, but that comes with its own problems.”
“I think an open challenge would be a great idea. It gives the opportunity to have fresh blood come through the ranks, and it gives the warrior’s a thorough workout.” Harry says.
“With everything that’s happened, I don’t know that they need any more workouts. If anything, they could use a break,” Gino says.
“That would be the worst thing for them,” Harry says, shaking his head. “They need to train, and they need to fight. It keeps them fresh and ready. If a war is coming, we need our best warriors at their peak. Their strongest. This competition will keep their fire burning,” he explains.
“What do you think?” I ask Andreas and Ryna.
They both nod.
“I agree with Delta Harry,” Ryna says.
“When do you think we should hold it?” Andreas asks.
“Tony and I can get this together for this afternoon,” Harry says, looking at Tony, and he nods.
“Is that too soon?” I ask.
“No, Alpha. We should have our Gamma in place before Alpha Pollux arrives. We need to hold our ceremony for the positions.” Tony says.
“Okay,” I nod in agreement, and they walk off toward the training grounds.
I turn back to Ryna, smiling at him awkwardly. “Well, I guess we should go. Will we see you at the challenge?” I ask.
Ryna nods. “I’m still Beta, Athena. I won’t let you down.”
I smile gratefully at him and turn and walk away with Andreas.
“I think we should go home and rest for a while,” I say to Andreas, trying to stifle a yawn.
“I agree, my love,” he says, turning on me and throwing me over his shoulder with a slap on my ass.
“Andreas!” I squeal in protest. “Put me down!” I yell, whisper. “People can see us!”
“Let them watch,” he chuckles. “I’m taking my Alpha home and ravishing her,” he says a little too loudly.
“Andreas!” I squeal again, which just makes him laugh harder. “You know I could just overpower you!”
“Yeah, but you won’t,” he says, sniffing the air, and I realize he can smell my arousal.
I cover my face with my hands in embarrassment as he climbs the stairs to Mom’s house and takes me inside.
*
Later that afternoon
Andreas and I walk down to the training fields and join Cassia, Harry, Ryna, and Gino on the sidelines.
“Where’s Tony?” I ask, scanning the field.
“He’s just going over some last-minute details,” Harry explains.
“Alpha,” I hear someone say nervously behind me, and I turn to find ex-beta Michael standing there.
“Can I help you, Michael?” I ask, trying to fight a growl from escaping. The sight of him still infuriates me.
“I’d like to ask for your permission to compete in the challenge,” he says, looking down at the ground.
“This challenge is only open to warriors,” Ryna answers him.
“I understand, Beta. But I was once a warrior. I was Beta. I have the experience to be Gamma,” Michael says, keeping his gaze on the ground.
“You were a Beta who betrayed your Luna,” I growl angrily.
“Alpha, while I don’t disagree with you, Michael was also in a tough position,” Cassia interjects. I look at her with a raised eyebrow. She steps forward and says, “His duty as Beta was to his Alpha, more so than me. His Alpha put him in a terrible position. And frankly, he was doing most of the legwork around here while Damon was... Busy...”
I take a moment to think about what she says, before looking at Ryna and Harry. “What do you think?”
“Besides Beta Ryna and me, he is the most qualified for the position,” Harry says, but glares at Michael. “But there would be trust issues amongst the warriors, especially the Crescent Warriors.”
“If I win, I will do everything to prove my worth and show that I am trustworthy, Delta. I just want to find my place in this pack again.”
I look at Cassia again, and she gives me a nod. I look at Andreas, and he nods as well.
“You may try out, Michael. But rest assured, if you win, there will be work for you to prove yourself.”
“Thank you, Alpha,” Michael says and runs to the field. I see him find Tony, who looks at me after a moment, and I nod to him. ‘Let him enter,’ I say through the mind link.
Ten minutes later, Tony runs up to us and tells us they’re ready to start.
“How many are competing?” I ask.
“None of the Luna guards chose to compete, and with our losses in the recent attacks, we have 132 warriors competing. So, we’re doing a knockout, round-robin type competition. It’s the quickest way to get through them all.”
“It’s going to be a long afternoon,” I say with a sigh, and walk in front of the warriors on the field.
“Thank you to everybody for coming along,” I call out, getting everyone’s attention. “There are a lot of you competing today in our open challenge. The position of Gamma is a high honor for any lycan to receive, and I hope that none of you are taking this lightly. I wish luck to all of you, and I know you will all do your best for me today.”
“Yes, Alpha!” They all call out, and Harry and Ryna come over to get the fights started.