The Gamma's Birthright - Book 2

Toni takes in a deep breath.

“Guys, can the three of you try and catch something to eat, I don’t know about Alpha Joseph, but I think I could eat a horse after that.

And see if you could find some water and a way to bring it back, we need to clean the wounds”

“Yes Alpha”

Comes back to her in unison as they move away to try and find some food.

She tries to put as much feeling and energy into the words, but she’s still heartbroken about the broken bond, as much as she had voiced the rejection first, she did it to protect herself, not because she wanted to.

But now, overriding that pain is a new desire to protect her pups, she still hasn't got her head around the fact she is pregnant.

She'd assumed she would have lost them in the fall, nor that there were twins, but she already knew she would lay down her life for them.

Toni and Alpha Joseph sit in silence for a while, until she’s sure that the others are out of hearing range.

“So, what was this really about Alpha Joseph?”

She finally asks, breaking the silence

“I’m not an Alpha anymore”

He grudgingly replies.

“It wasn’t a direct challenge fight for your title until I take the oath, you are the Alpha of the Lowlands pack so you better pick yourself up out of that pity party for one.

It's not becoming and we have a lot to cover before they get back”

She snaps at him, she’s just too tired for all this shit, however hard he thinks it’s been for him; it has not been a walk in the park for her either.

No one involved in this has had an easy time and she has no intention of becoming the Alpha of his pack if she can help it.

It’s attention they don’t need, nor something she had ever considered as she hadn’t believed she would win the fight.

“So, I ask again, what was this all about, I think I deserve that much at least.”

She takes a long look at Alpha Joseph who has at least sat up now, no longer curled in a ball.

“How did you know how to fix my arm?”

“Medical training, I had to take, to deal with any injuries when in, let’s just say, less friendly areas.

Needing help was seen as a weakness from my Alpha, using the hospital was for weak wolves.

Now stop avoiding the question, unless you want to have this conversation in front of the other three, I'm trying to give you some privacy!”

She growls, feeling his inner wolf submit to her.

“I hated you…

But not for your reputation but for what you did to my child.”

He finally huffs out

“Your child? I haven’t touched any of your children?”

She’s confused by his words, his children two males of sixteen and thirteen and a female of six are, to the best of her knowledge, safe

“Not my official children, they are offspring of my chosen mate.

Many years ago, before I took a chosen mate, I met my fated mate, she was so beautiful, but she was already mated to an Alpha.

I would like to think that had that been the only thing, she would have come with me.

Her father had persuaded her that the alliance was a strong one and that waiting for her fated mate was a misjudgement, her parents were chosen mates, having both lost their fated mates in accidents and presented a strong image of how good that partnership could be.

She let herself be guided by them and agreed to the mating, she was their only child, so the packs merged into one after her parents retired.”

He pauses looking melancholy

“She was everything to me and wasn’t happy in the relationship as he often cheated on her, but he was never violent, I'll give him that.

By the time I met her, she already had 2 pups, by her chosen mate and because they were Alpha-born, they wouldn’t have been able to leave the pack even if she did.

She refused to leave if they couldn’t, feeling a parent shouldn’t abandon their pups.”

Toni reflexively put her hand to her stomach, knowing that feeling, even though her pups weren’t born, she would kill to protect them rather than lose them.

Alpha Joseph glances at her action but doesn’t say anything before he continues.

“We shared a night, just one fateful, beautiful night together as her chosen mate was away, one moment of infidelity on her part.

Rejecting each other the next day, I left heartbroken.

It was some months later that I found out she was pregnant and when the child was born, it luckily favoured her, so her mate had no reason to think it wasn’t his, but I knew.”

He takes in a deep breath, but his next words are filled with pain.

“This fight was meant to avenge her, but the Goddess didn’t agree, I failed as a mate, as a father and as an Alpha.”

Toni stares at the Alpha before her trying to pinpoint which young wolf he was referring to, luckily there aren’t many.

His pale skin, and blue eyes, realising she’d seen his features before, laughing in disbelief, causing the Alpha to look at her, annoyed that she had seemed to trivialise his pain.

“You haven’t failed, we were both fighting for the same reason.

It’s Louise, isn’t it?”

Alpha Joseph nods sadly

“I had planned to get her out of the pack on the day before her seventeenth birthday but had to put something in place before that, because of this fight.

I just didn’t know where I could send her safely that wouldn't leave her at risk of being hunted by Alpha Vincent!

Alpha Vincent made me her blood guardian, and I made James her legal guardian so if I died she could leave the pack and escape.

You can confirm it with him if you don't believe me.”

Alpha Joseph stares intently at Toni, trying to read her

“You’re kidding right?”

He finally asks, his voice is quiet but she can hear hope and disbelief mixed together.

“Hell no.

Alpha Vincent wants her for his next Luna, luckily, she’s a ward of the Royal pack until she’s eighteen, but even then, she doesn’t deserve that fate, no one does.

But to deny the Alpha in our pack is a treasonable offence, for which the only punishment is death, so she had to be out of the pack before he proposed the union.

The earliest he would do that was when she was seventeen, anything before then would be considered inappropriate, and he would never let people view him that way.

So the day before, I was going to break it to her and get her out if I hadn't done it before.”

Toni’s voice is clear and honest.

“Goddess what did I do, I tried to kill the person protecting my daughter,”

He hangs his head, the shock and an element of self-hatred are clear in Alpha Joseph’s voice

Toni starts to laugh at the idiocy they both shared, eventually, Alpha Joseph joins in and that’s how the other three find them as they come back with their haul of meat and forest fruits, astonishment and confusion on their faces that the two of them were laughing together.

James coughs lightly to gain their attention.

“Alphas, if it’s okay with you both we have a mini plan.

I’m going to cook, it’s a deer and berry stew, I had a few things with me already.

Nicky found some Chamomile plants and I had some Turmeric, so she is going to boil some water to infuse them in, to help clean your wounds.”

“That’s a good plan” Toni answers before continuing.

"Thank you, everyone, for pitching in, it allowed us both to do some much-needed talking.

Beta Oliver could you sit with us, so we can decide what happens next, we have some plans to make.”

They sit to one side Toni covered by her cloak, Joseph now in a pair of shorts.

“Alpha Antonia, if I may say, your reputation for being able to fight is understated.

Everyone thinks you sneak around, not able to fight like a wolf, but I just saw the finest most honourable of fights between the two of you.

But when you had the right to kill Alpha Joseph legally, it felt like you didn't want to, just to end it and for that, you have my utmost respect.” Beta Oliver states

“Well having your life on the line tends to focus your mind, don’t you think?” she raises an eyebrow at him smiling.

"And what is served by killing another, that words cannot solve more permanently?

So the elephant in the room, I’m technically an Alpha” Toni answers

“No, you aren’t technically an Alpha, you changed at the end.

You are an Alpha” Alpha Joseph answers

“Your eyes turned a vibrant blue at the point you ordered me to submit or die, the urge to submit was all-encompassing, you are without a doubt, an Alpha.

I’m Alpha born, a natural Alpha, and my wolf wants to submit to you, the only other people he wants to submit to are the Royal Alpha and the Royal family themselves.

Trust me, there is no ‘Technical’ about this.”

“But my wolf’s eyes are Amber, are you sure that’s what you saw?” she queries

“Maybe it was the Goddess filling you to make her judgement, but I’m sure of what I saw and felt.”

Taking a moment to steady his thoughts he continues

“You are the Alpha of the Lowlands pack to be precise” He finishes with regret in his voice.

“Right about that, it cannot happen.

If I go in as the Alpha, one of three things will happen:

First, Alpha Vincent will declare war and his pack warriors outnumber yours, he won't want to let me go that easily.

Second, every other pack will try and invade because I know what my reputation is and people are judgemental.

Third, your pack members will go rogue rather than have me as Alpha

It doesn’t matter what scenario we pick of those, the Lowlands pack ultimately fails.

I propose this, I swear you in, Alpha Joseph, as my Regent, giving you full rights to run the pack under one condition.

While Alpha Vincent lives and runs the Nightshade pack, you will not trade with him in any way, if it passes to Alpha Robert, you are free to judge and decide for yourself.

At the point your heir is ready to take over, I will word the oath in such a way as the pack passes to him in its entirety.”

“Why would you give me back, what I’d lost to you in the eyes of the Goddess?” Alpha Joseph whispers

“Because you are going to do me a favour and take my charge into the Lowlands pack.

Treat her as a member of your family and protect her with your life.

Do you agree to the terms Alpha?”

Toni’s eyes are alight with life, watching the shock register on his face as he realises that she’s just told him not only is he getting to keep his pack, but he's getting his daughter.

“That is assuming I can persuade my charge to leave, but as long as I can, the other part to that is you cannot let her re-join her original pack,

So I ask again Alpha, do you agree to these terms?”

His smile sets his face alight, understanding what he’d been offered, and in a way that he doesn’t have to admit to anyone else unless he wants to.

He will, for once, be able to protect his daughter in a way he’d always wanted to.

“Yes, I will happily swear my loyalty to you and those terms Alpha Antonia”

“And you, Beta Oliver, will you swear to be loyal to your Alpha Regent and not reveal the details of what happened here tonight?”

“I will Alpha Antonia, Nicky is also from our pack, a priestess in training, I think she will happily swear her allegiance to you, based on comments made as we foraged.

Nicky comes over with 2 bowls of steaming water and some cloths to bathe the wounds of the two combatants.

Beta Oliver helps clean up Alpha Joseph, and Nicky helps clean up Antonia and she does so in such a respectful, caring way that silences Antonia.

She’d never had anyone care for her wounds so carefully, with tenderness and respect.

“Alpha Antonia, your wounds aren’t healing quickly”

Nicky mentions quietly but the others hear.

“My wolf has other priorities at the moment, I will be fine, but thank you for the concern.”

Her tone is polite but cold, not wanting to reveal any information, old habits, after all, die hard.

Nicky drops her head

“Yes Alpha”

“Oi Asshole, what priorities”

James’ loud voice carries across from where he’s cooking

“If you don’t answer you don’t eat”

She laughs loudly

“So how do you intend to stop me eating James?”

“Because I cooked it and I know you won’t use your command on me” he taunts

“Dammit James!” she can’t help grinning

“How come I am the asshole in this relationship?” she finally queries

“Because I’ve always known you should be an Alpha, and you always told me, all Alpha’s are assholes.

Now fess up!”

His laughter resounds around the area and Toni can’t help smiling, by her own definition, she is now an 'Asshole', she can’t fault his logic.

Even if she knows there are plenty of ways, she can get around his threat, he's always stepped up for her, if she asks she decides that she can at least be a little bit open.

She sighs theatrically

“You know James, you are more trouble than you are worth!!

My mate accepted my rejection at the end of the fight, so she’s off healing herself, happy now?

And that better be one damn fine stew, James!”

“Dammit Toni”

James strides over and envelopes her in a massive bear hug

“That’s one idiotic wolf to let you go, they don’t know what they lost”

Alpha Joseph and Beta Oliver stare at them bantering and interacting as if it’s a miracle, seeing a side of Toni that she can never repress with James.

“The rest of you will never repeat a word of what you’ve just heard or seen”

She adds a small command to her voice, before melting into his healing hug, feeling the warmth and love he has for her as a friend.

Knowing she can never repay him for the support he always gives her.

After they swear the oaths and finalise the plan to get Louise out, they start to eat, Toni thinks about everything that has gone on, she doesn't understand why her eyes went blue

As much as she tries to rationalise it as the Goddess entering to make her judgement, it didn't feel like that, it felt like it came from within.

Then, she realises, that maybe that's because she was taught to carry the Goddess in her heart, maybe that's why she just felt an overwhelming desire for justice.

As she mulls over the information, she realises something important, as an Alpha, she is no longer tied to the Nightshade pack, the words of the Crown Prince coming back to her in absolute clarity

‘You may not leave the pack without your Alpha’s approval’

And thanks to this fight, she had become her own Alpha.

She was finally free, but now, she had some scores to settle!

They’d spent the night at the disused temple and while Toni wouldn’t say they’d become firm friends, a bond was formed, between all five there, a type of friendship borne out of respect and shared experience.

Oliver, Nicky and Joseph are tied to her via the Oaths taken earlier, but it wasn’t just their loyalty she felt, all the wolves, including James, seemed to look to her for direction.

James had whipped up an amazing feast over his campfire, and while she was healing slowly, Toni felt as if things were changing in her favour, eventually, but slowly she was taking control of her life.

Each one of them, even James, had started to treat her differently, even before the oaths of loyalty were sworn, she wishes Tyra were present because she knows her wolf would help her understand why.

But for now, she has to accept that they all treat her with more respect.

Tyra is still buried deep in her consciousness, dealing with the fresh emotional pain of the mate bond being irrevocably broken, but also, it almost feels like she's wrapped her energy around the pups.

Ironically, it was Andy’s acceptance of her rejection that probably allowed her to win the fight, the timing, meaning Alpha Joseph had missed her and hit the wall.

In every other scenario, she cannot see how she could have won, she’d like to give that information to Tyra, to help her accept the pain, but hopefully, she can feel the thought as she heals and cares for her pups.

If her pups survive after the blood loss and battles, she’s been through, they are going to be born fighters.

Concentrating all her senses inwards, she can still feel them, hear their heartbeats, reassuring her that they are safe, two little pups that she will protect with her life, against all threats and that starts with not letting Alpha Vincent get his hands on them, ever.

She can renounce her pack now, she can take Louise out of the pack and just walk away, but Alpha Vincent will not let them go easily and this time, she will not be able to challenge Alpha Vincent, she cannot risk her pups that way, not now she knows they live.

Unconsciously she’s placed her hands on her stomach again, Alpha Joseph once again noting her actions wordlessly.

She has a lot to plan and not much time to do it in, but so much is riding on this, she will get one chance so she needs to plan and make it work and for that, she needs information.

Clasping hands with them all, she said her goodbyes, James was being escorted back with Alpha Joseph as she had places to be and only a few days to get it all sorted.

Grasping him in a hug, she doesn’t need words to express her thanks, tears are shared between them.

James’ parting words put a smile on her face

“Don’t leave it another five years before you contact me again Asshole, or I will bake you that shit pie, I don't care if you are an Alpha or not!”