Chapter 191: Peace
Chapter 191: Peace
Bernard
I am being stared at, they watch and wait more than likely wondering what I am going to do. There was no time to interrogate Matthew so I don't know if the new Beta for the Pack has been a part of the battle or if they are still here in the main town.
Children run in circles, chasing each other with sticks but they freeze as they spot me and run back to their mothers. The sticks are left abandoned in the middle of the street. Jasper crunched them as he stepped on top of the smaller ones. The crack of the branch echoed against the walls of the building.
"What exactly are we going to do?" He whispered so that the villagers couldn't hear us but it was almost too soft for me to catch.
"We need to figure out who will be the Alpha of this Pack."
He nodded and continued following me as we made our way further into the town, more and more of the wolves coming out to watch us. It wasn't until we were close to the city center that we noticed a horde of warriors surrounding a section of the town. That is exactly where we had to go.
As we drew closer to them their eyes were sharp on my every move. They weren't going to budge and they were going to make us force them to let us through or we were going to have to talk our way through. I smirked, not sure which one I preferred
"I want to talk to whoever has been in charge while Matthew is away." I demanded instead.
Though I know Matthew would never put someone in charge other than himself or maybe a trusted Beta, it is all worth a try. No one moved and no one answered either.
"I have some good news and I don't mean to bring ill intentions."
We waited some more and Jasper was beginning to grow restless. Some of the warriors turned to one another before looking at a warrior who was a bit younger than the rest. He nodded to a small hut behind them before the wolves in front of us stepped aside and pointed to it.
"Thanks," I smiled again and followed four of the warriors into the hut, leaving Jasper and the others behind.
If we didn't figure out a plan right now, then it was all going to be for nothing. I thought of Elena and clenched my jaw, I had to do something for her. I faced the four warriors that had entered the hut before me as they did the same to me.
"What do you want?" The man that asked was young but not naive.
There were a couple of scars that already adorned his cheeks and arms for a man of his age. What took me by surprise were his eyes. There was an intensity in them, not just the anger that he was showing me but the strength and range of the emotions.
He reminded me of Elena, his stance, and the clench of his jaw. If they were standing next to each other right now, it would be hard for anyone to miss the similarities between the two of them. The relief at seeing this man had a smile crossing my lips before I could even speak. This obviously set the other wolf on edge as his brow twitched and he cocked his head.
"I am sorry, I didn't mean to barge in here unannounced. I came with news of Matthew's death." The final test that would determine the future of this Pack.
His face went to war with itself, the joy, fear, excitement, and suspicion that raced across the edge of his face put my own worries at ease. This man would be capable of raising the Pack in Elena's stead. It would work best for both Packs. No one would have to leave their homeland and the Alpha of this Pack would still be family. Now, that is only if they wanted to take up the mantle of Alpha.
"Why would you come to tell us that?"
"Because that means your Pack is requiring a new Alpha to take over Matthew's position." He looked at me up and down and I could almost smell the resentment.
"And I suppose you have taken the role?"
"No, you are." I grinned.
This took him by surprise and he faltered, at least I was able to surprise him a bit.
"What are you talking about?"
"The rightful claim to the title of Alpha was neither Richard nor Matthew. It is Elena Rosalie Williams, now Joseph. She is my mate and Luna to my Pack now and doesn't want to risk the resentment of her own people by dragging you all to my pack. So, I came here instead of her as she was still healing from her wounds to see if there was another person qualified to take her place."
"Elena? Is she alive……I mean, why did you decide I should take the role since she is okay?" He shook his head and cleared his throat, he tried to puff out his shoulder.
"Because you are her cousin, aren't you? You share the same bloodline and the same right to the title. Albeit a smaller claim than she has but since she refused the title, you are next in line."
"How…."
"You both look alike."
I wasn't going to admit it but seeing Elena's determination in this man really softened me up.
"She doesn't know that I am here or speaking with you right now. To be honest, she wasn't sure you were even related, she only has a few memories as a child and they weren't pleasant. If you could raise the Pack in her stead and keep them strong and at peace, I think that would be enough to ease her mind. And possibly create a better relationship between our two packs." He stood there for a while, eyeing me before he nodded.
"For Elena's sake." I nodded in return.
"My name is Eledon, I was named after Elena. Our fathers were brothers but when Richard killed my uncle and his wife, my father hid our last names and pretended like we weren't related, he wanted to keep me safe. I knew I had a claim but I never wanted to cause bloodshed to gain that right. I thought it would be best to simply protect the people from the shadows, never showing them who I truly was but I was wrong."
"No, I think you did what was best at the time with wth resources you had been given. Both Richard and then Matthew were powerful and to take them on might have been your death. You did the right thing, once you are settled into your title, please come visit. I know Elena would love to meet you and talk about your family." He grinned, his young age giving way.
"Yes, I would love that."
I turned to leave but then remembered one thing that I was concerned about, the ones living on my land already.
"Oh yeah, I forgot, there were some of your people we took in after the death of Richard that wanted out of the Pack and desired to stay with Elena. They are having difficulty fitting in with my Pack and finding a place they can claim as theirs. If they were given the option and it is what they want. Would they have a place back here in their homeland?" He furrowed.
"Of course, they will. This will always be their home Pack. They left due to the circumstances of the leadership and quality of life. They had their own families to think of, they will always have a place here."
"Perfect, thank you, Alpha Eledon."
I reached out and shook his hand, the shock on his face evident that it was all still sinking in for him. I tried not to smile again, knowing fully well the weight of being an Alpha could have on someone.
"Good luck."
"Thank you," he nodded before he stood there and watched me leave the hut.
"Are we good?" Jasper fell into step with me quickly as we walked way back through the town.
"Yes, he seemed like he would be a good fit. There might be some growing pains but he knows he can come to us with anything that he needs, he is family after all."
"Wow," Jasper laughed.
"Who would have thought that Elena would have a cousin that is still alive after all this?"
"I know."
All I can remember is when we first met, Elena was all alone. She was coated in muck and garbage, she was all alone. She needed to be taken care of and show that her world wasn't as cruel a place as she believed. Now she is doing much better and she has everything she could ever want, I was never going to let her go back to the way things were before. I wouldn't leave her to the hands of those who wanted to take her down.
Now, my mate, my love, my wife. She is going to stay right by my side for the rest of our lives.
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