Chapter 107: Inked by Paco

Kayden POV

"What time is it?" I ask no one in particular.

"11:35, are we done?" Adam asks. Even though I felt like shit we started a new training schedule for everyone. James and Percy used the equipment in Josephine's apartment to make a pretty advanced computer, they were able to contact Jason and download the unencrypted training that was on the ring. Jason didn't mention anything that is top secret, he did however said how awesome it's there, how the weather and food was perfect but that he's nervous and excited because he does start training the day after tomorrow in Bruno's team.

"Yeah, were done for today." I have to get tattooed and by what happened I want it XL, too. I got to my room to wait for Bayoán's friend, I have no idea how to feel, I just replay her message, the picture of my kids, a video of her welcoming a group from Tanzania, this was right before they declared war on The Warewolf High Council. The portal opens and this bearded tall guy with dreads, tattoos, piercings, his ears had a gauge in each one, he has some I saw on Izz.

I get out of bed and go and greet him. He doesn't have any equipment with him, just his hands in his pockets.

"You must be Frank?" And he laughs.

"Is that what that asshole called me?! Ha! Next tattoo he gets is going to be crooked! Call me Paco man, Bayoán knows I hate the English version of my name, no offense. Francisco or Paco is fine. So you got one of those nasty shits inside you? Sorry to hear, but don't worry I guarantee it won't happen again after I get you set up. You're Kayden right?" I don't know how to answer that anymore, who the fuck am I?

"Yeah. I guess I am." I feel hollow.

"Yo! Alpha Kayden man... I'm sorry for what happened, but have faith that it's going to work out. The Mirabal siblings have always been known for being headstrong, shit even Nina who's a Kappa has always been a firecracker. So Kayden where do you want it?" Paco here seems to know quite some gossip and who am I to not get the goods? She had a spy in my pack! I could use this to know more about them, especially her.

"I saw Bayoán had one on his whole back." He studied me. And started shaking his head.

"I guess it must REALLY suck to have one!" No shit!

"Alright, c'mon!" And he touches an earpiece. "Hey dumbass! Send us to my shop! Yeah I know... fuck no I'm not working here! I need my damn equipment, open the portal already!" And it opened to what I imagine is Paco's shop.

"Alright, let's measure your back, this tattoo has to be perfectly measured, we're going to be here for a while. Want a beer or something?" And he just lights up a blunt. "Do you partake?" He asks while he offers it to me and I definitely am tonight.

"This won't affect the tattoo right?" I ask while taking a hit.

"Nah man, humans are the ones who shouldn't or drink while getting inked, we heal immediately so we're good." He places the stencil on my back and makes sure it's placed correctly. He puts music and gets to work.

"So, you know the Mirabal family well?" He smiles.

"Yeah, I used to live across the street from them, I used to hang out with Nina most of the time, we were in the same class." Ok, I know her.

"And you say she was a firecracker?" He smiles.

"Nina's Dad bitched about not letting her leave the island to study abroad, even when she did passed her tests to travel, so she did what she does best, she raised hell and very publicly, Beta Ayato didn't need this bad PR, it was embarrassing for the Mirabal family! Not only have they held main Beta status for generations, but he was mated to Alpha Gúarionex's sister, add to that her Tía sat on the Alpha's Council! Bayoán usually is the most 'FORMAL' towards OG family shit on the island, but the others never really gave a fuck about it, not even Maco! Shit, they wanted to do the same thing to Izzy but she beat both her father AND Bayo in combat by herself and she didn't even use her elemental powers, he thought Nina was bad for his reputation and then came your lovely mate and our bad ass Alpha and made it worse! Her father's face was priceless and Bayo was gasping for air for a week. Quite funny for an almost 16 year old, Nina started warming up to her after that. By this time Izzy was talking! Dude when she came back from Avalon it was weird as fuck! For us she was now The Lady Loiza, we had to treat this damn 14 year old with the respect of an Elder, you know? It was weird, she left as Izzy and returned being able to do amazing things, she had the same status as The Lady Yaya. The Lady Yaya said that it would be like that for a while until her brain understands again the more pack lifestyle. Can you imagine? We take our connection to the hive of the pack so for granted that we forgot that she was not a part of it for most of her life. It took her a while to get used to it again and for her mind to be not completely individualistic, remember dude we always have our connection to the pack, it's just what it is when you're a pack animal like ourselves. But for all those years her thoughts were her own and she carries a TON of information.

"Anyway they would break out at night all the time to go the broken garita, the little sentinel forts, I got to hang out a few times, but it was mostly Nina, Ura, Izz and Natalia just talking about anything while smoking Izzy's own grown brew and the cheapest beer Nina and Ura could get, Natalia usually saved the day by lifting it from Ayiti." He took a puff and kept working.

"Wait, to leave the island you have to pass a test?" I take a puff and a chug of beer, damn this is awesome beer! Marcus had given me a heads up as to how gossipy The Osupa were when their guard was down.

"Well if you want to show that you have the self control to not call attention to yourself and by extension the rest of the pack, you're tested. If you pass, you go wherever you want, the point is to be able to blend in, we don't even want to be detected by wolves outside of Karaya, it keeps the island protected and yet still we got fucked." Thanks mother. And my head sinks.

"So Loiza beat both her father and Bayoán?" How without her powers?

"Yeah bro! Oh man she was going to get her way to go out in the field and she wasn't going to allow them do play her like they did Nina. She told them that she wasn't a Kappa, that she was a Gamma like Ura and Maco and if they tried to stop her they would have to break every bone in her body! Ha! And then to show she was serious she made a Blood Oath that she would give THEM the advantage because she wouldn't use her elemental powers! Ura and Maco wanted to stop it but Kiskeya, that was Izz's mom who was an Alpha herself, Ayiti, Nina and the Luna demanded it to continue so Beta Ayato and Bayo accepted her challenge. Dude, it was in the news! Check on your ring. Here: 'Access web'... 'Online'... 'Search Beta Ayato losses to 15 year old daughter video'... 'Searching.... found' Check this out! It's insane."

I play it a little bit anxious about what I'm going to find. And there she is! An almost 16 year old Izz with a black short bob haircut with small braids from front to back on just the top of her head to make sure her hair is out of the way, she had a black catsuit, thinner and smaller compared to her father who looks just as big as Bayoán who stood by his side, yet she still looked strong. Her only weapon was a pair of cho bows, basically like night sticks. She had a huge smile on her face and for a moment her canines came out and her eyes are Aryn's molten gold and Paco started laughing.

"You that shit?! For her this fight means more than just getting to travel. On this island this is a challenge from a female against her main patriarchs, her Beta father and brother, this is mayor reputation here. I really haven't been to many packs... here in Karaya, your word, your skill, your talent, your courage, your honor among others determine your reputation. In that moment she knows that THIS will either make her word have value among the pack or if she was an insolent brat. So instead of focusing on her Priestess skills, she fights like if she was just a regular Osupa girl, so she lets Aryn loose! With two Betas every punch matters, but she fought local!" He kept working, I really hope he's not fucking the tattoo up but apparently the whole pack knows of her and her family.

She stands erect reminding me of how Joey waited for Avis's attack, eyes closed, a bo in each hand. A human wouldn't be able to see it, Bayoán comes from the right but she dodged like an Epsilon, grabbed Bayoán's leg for momentum and sweeps her father's legs incapacitating them by hitting a place in the calf muscles with the bows immediately and jumps over him using momentum from pushing herself from his shoulders and completely incapacitating him rolling on the ground and hitting both sides of Bayoán's throat as he came with another blow, with the cho bows leaving him without breath. She put a gun to each of their heads 'AS OF TODAY I LOIZA OF THE MIRABAL FAMILY HAVE CHALLENGED MY FATHER FOR THE SACRED RIGHT OF FREEDOM TO DETERMINE MY OWN DESTINY, I USED EPSILON AND KAPPA TECHNIQUES AND BEAT TWO BETAS WITH IT! I LET ARYN LOOSE AND STILL KEPT CONTROL. NO ONE WILL EVER TELL ME AGAIN WERE I CAN OR CAN'T GO!

"Sometimes I think the shit she does is insane, then I remember and it makes total sense! That's why the pack was so obviously fine with having her as Alpha. She had already proved her Alpha blood in THIS moment, she easily beats two Betas who must have thought out dozens of possibilities yet didn't think she would use such basic techniques with her own touch, over her strength. I'm sure that little trist in London must have been fun for her! Who knew that Víctor would end up working for her after they ended like they did! The Goddess plays with our destinies that way." Come again?!

"Víctor is one of the Betas right? Are you saying they had something?" He opens another beer.

"Yup! There were quite a few but from what we would call the big families that were waiting for her to turn 18 for a match. One was Yadiel and he had just turned 18 himself, The Luna wanted the match badly, Casimar made no secret that he definitely wanted her as mate, I think their families had a pact for Temple mating offerings, they basically were 'official' in front of the tribe, Bruno was very interested as well... But after she turned 18 it got REALLY weird between her and Víctor. Everyone suspects that something happened in those little trips were he was her main gun. I think he wanted a promise from her, but Izzy's a Priestess and it's considered very taboo to give a promise of rejection here, especially if you're not 18 and to consummate anything with a Priestess before she's 18 if she's not your mate..."

"... Dude it's fine. Either way she's still MY mate. I was there, so no one did anything taboo to her." I really didn't want to think about my mate's lips on anyone other than mine. I have my own past crap that makes me sick. But it sounds like he REALLY wanted her badly and now he's her Beta. It's like what Bayoán said... 'someone grand'. Víctor may be no fae prince but I already saw him at his craft and if Izz chose him as Beta, it must be because he's one of the best. He said he was mated and seemed to respect her, did he get to see her the way I've seen her? After the way she handled Delilah I doubt that she would care much about my opinion on it.

I keep looking at the play by play of her fight with her father and brother and there was no fear in her eyes she was smiling and oozing determination, she was absolutely sure she would win. She put everything on speed and accuracy of the attack and she merely disabled them.

"Watching it live was funny, to many this might not have ment much, but to anyone who might have their family scrutinize them over leaving the island because of rank and gender, she showed that with really the most basic fighting and control of your wolf anyone should be able to pass the test and if they do it's just stupid to hold them back. After this Nina was able to go to a few places and Suania got to go out on the field. That's one of the reasons why the people are agreeing with her reforms. Anyway man, your tattoo is done! You won't be having one of those shits in you again."

She's encouraging the people to her vision of what she believes to be an utopic society. And I remember reading it not in the book Utopia but in Gaia's grimoire. When did I read that there? When was I able to read her grimoire? Izz was there! We looked different but I still loved her like I love her now.

Some cars raced on the avenue in front of the shop and Paco stopped everything.

"C'mon! Let's check this out!" I got of the chair and followed Paco out the door and sat in some chairs in front of his shop and he got a tablet out.

"It's 3:30 in the morning! You guys have races here at this time?" And he started laughing.