chapter 87

ARIELLA.

Returning to Kingsville was easier than I expected thanks to Lawrence's ability. It was an emotional reunion for the whole pack, especially with my father who couldn't believe that Eli and I were finally back. He cried as I approached him and apologized to me over and over again. "Please don't say sorry anymore, Father," I told him. "I can't even remember everything from my past."

Father gave me a sad smile. "But I still owe you my apology, Ariella. I haven't been a very good father to you. It was my fault that you left to start with."

"It's all in the past now, Father," I told him and we hugged. It was nice to be on good terms with him, even though my memory of what actually happened before is still hazy. The whole pack celebrated and grieved, and I saw Eli crying with his mother in a corner because of course, they're now missing his father who died in the battle at New Forks.

Emma came to me to talk too, and she was overjoyed that I was finally back. She was the one who filled me in with everything that had happened here while we were still in Alaska. "A lot of things happened already, Ariella. For starters, the Council had officially united the two packs together now that both your father and Alpha Ross are on good terms. There were a lot of Council meetings held as soon as we came back here from New Forks. They were planning for the smooth transition of the new leadership. In the meantime, the two Alphas were voted to be the temporary leaders of the newly regrouped pack, but they will soon pass the leadership to either you or Eli."

"Really? They considered me for that?" I asked Emma, shocked at what the Council had decided.

"Yeah... Why are you still so surprised? You’re the most powerful being here."

"Well, I'm not an Alpha. I'm a girl. There has never been a woman leader in the whole history of werewolves, is there?"

"I guess you're right, but there's always a first time in everything, Ariella. Anyone who will object should fight you in a duel. Nobody thinks you’re a pushover, so there wasn't even a single doubt from any of the Council members about your potential."

That warmed my heart. I think we didn't only save the whole pack, but we also changed it. Now, if I ever became the leader, new roles for women like me will open and I just got excited for that. Emma and I talked more about a lot of things but mostly girls talk. She was most excited about my mating ritual with Eli and that made me more excited too. And speaking of Eli, I went to look for him and found him talking to his friend called Adam, who they said just recovered from his injuries as well.

I let them catch up with each other and I rested for a bit in my old room, but I overslept and I only woke up because I suddenly felt a kiss on my lips. I opened my eyes and saw that it was Eli. He was on top of me and his smile was contagious when he saw me wake up. "Good evening, Miss Sleepyhead."

I scratched my eyes to adjust to the darkness of my room. "What time is it? I missed dinner."

"It's midnight. Do you want to eat? There's still food from the celebrations. I can reheat them for you."

"Later. For some reason, my hunger disappeared."

"Was it because of me?" he naughtily asked.

"Maybe."

He kissed me again but this time, we did it intensely. I knew it was probably not a good idea to do this here when people were just outside my room because of the party, but we didn't care about anyone else. We just missed each other so much and personally, I was looking forward to moments just like this when all we had to do was to be by each other's side.

The kiss ignited me though. From a simple kiss, it became passionate and hot and then the next thing I knew, my clothes were gone and Eli had kissed every part of my body. I could hear my wolf growl in pleasure as well, and Eli had to cover my moans. I almost wanted to hit him because he told me to control the noises I made, but he made it harder and harder for me every time he moved on top of me. It was crazy, but I think I kind of liked this craziness.

We were in bed for a long time. Alpha Ross had to call us when morning came though, as he said he wanted to talk to the both of us. But it still took us more than an hour before we could leave my room as Eli was just being... naughty. He didn't even want to let go of me. He just wanted to cuddle and then make love again and again and I had to pretend that I was already mad at him to make him get up.

He was still irritated when we talked to his uncle, making Alpha Ross smirk. "You don't have to frown like that, you know," he said to his nephew and I felt the secondhand embarrassment so bad that I wanted to hide my face from them. We were at the breakfast table as Alpha Ross was having coffee. "You two have your whole future ahead of you. We should talk about some important stuff."

"Of course," I replied. I then glared at Eli who was still sulking beside me. "What are we going to talk about now, Alpha Ross?"

"As Emma probably already told you, we have decided to elect you as the next leaders of the pack. Eli, you're the next Alpha. And you, Ariella, aside from being his Luna, you will be the pack's Guardian."

"Guardian? But isn't that the honor we give to the Moon Goddess?"

Alpha Ross nodded. "You're the Moon Goddess now. We suspect that the Moon Goddess wouldn't reincarnate again because of you, so no harm done. You have her powers and influence… And together with Eli, I trust your ability to keep the pack safe. So what do you say? You could reject the role too if you like. I reckon you want a simple life too."

I was glad they considered that I might decline the offer. I looked at Eli for support and he held my hands tightly. He looked proud of me as he nodded, encouraging me to accept the role. "Okay. I accept the role. I was about to do some things that would need me to have that role anyway."

"What things?"

"About the vampires," I replied and both men looked at me seriously. Eli and I had told the rest of the pack about how Darius, Blaire and Lawrence played important roles in our victory, and while they seemed reluctant to acknowledge that, no one said anything bad to them. So that was a start. "I want to work with them too as the Moon Goddess."

"Alright. We won't stop you from doing that," said Alpha Ross. "But always be cautious, Ariella. I suggest that you make a Blood Treaty with them, so we have something to hold on to. Their new leader might be a good person, but we don't know what the future will hold. But I do agree that we have to start building a relationship with them. We don't need to be friendly, but respect should be there."

I was so happy to hear that. "Thank you, Alpha Ross. I'll listen to your suggestions. I think a Blood Treaty is a good idea. But it needs to have a witness for each side right?"

"Yeah. A long-lasting, magical bond like that needs outsiders to serve as witnesses to the bond, otherwise it will easily break."

"Okay. I think I know whom to call for that kind of role," I replied, thinking about the two witches who had helped us the most in this fight. I couldn’t wait to tell them my plans, but it might take some time as judging by Eli’s glances at me right now, I might get busy doing other stuff.