The Next Step

Addy

Sherman gestures to the now-empty chairs, inviting my parents to sit. Dad approaches with caution, while Mom storms over and flops down. I wonder if he didn’t tell her about my impending transformation, or if she simply didn’t believe him. Once everyone is settled, Sherman opens a large book on his desk.

He looks at my dad, who’s visibly nervous. “You recognize this book, don’t you?”

Dad watches as Sherman’s finger taps the open page. “Yes, Alpha. It’s the book that lists the children eligible for the pack link ceremony.”

Sherman’s gaze drops to the page, his finger tracing down it. He stops about three-quarters of the way down and looks back at Dad. “Why is her name here if she never attended a ceremony?”

Dad’s hands tremble, but Mom interjects. “She didn’t deserve to join the pack that way. That child cursed me by not being the next Beta.”

“Amber, shut up!” Dad snaps at her. “We’re in the Alpha’s presence. You don’t speak to him like that.”

She whirls on him. “You’re the one who suggested we forge the documents. You said no one would find out because she’d eventually leave the pack and establish the link elsewhere. But look what happened. They found out; now we’ll be cast out with nothing, and everything we’ve built here will be taken away.”

“Enough,” Sherman’s voice echoes through the office as he rises. “We’re here to discuss many things. I suggest you keep your mouth shut, Amber, unless you have something pleasant to say. You’re dealing with an Alpha who holds your fate in his hands. If you can’t control your tongue in my office, take your smart mouth outside, and I’ll deal with my Beta alone.”

She turns back to him, bowing her head. “Forgive me, Alpha. We’ve been arguing since the ~reject~ left our house earlier. He wouldn’t tell me what I wanted to know, so I’m not in the best mood.”

Drake growls at her. “That name will no longer be used for Addy. I don’t care how long you’ve called your daughter that; it ends here and now.”

She looks at him with a small smile. “Of course, Drake. I apologize for my outburst.”

Sherman sits back down, glaring at my parents before closing his eyes and rolling his neck. “The main issue we need to discuss is why you denied this to her.”

Dad bows his head. “We were ashamed and upset by the news we received. I acted without thinking, and as the years passed, it was forgotten. I’ve served as your right hand for so long that I forgot about it. We never tried to link her because she was either with Myra or at home.”

Sherman taps his finger on the desk again, a sign he’s deep in thought. “The first thing we need to address is this issue. Adelaide, we need to link you to the pack. Come here so we can get it done.”

He gestures to the front of his desk and opens a drawer, rummaging around. I stand up slowly after Drake nudges my arm, signaling me to do as Sherman asks. As I approach the desk, I take a deep breath when a small book appears. I know what it is, the words I must recite to become a true member of this pack.

“Why are you doing that with her, Alpha? Shouldn’t her mate be here to support her?” Mom hisses.

Sherman’s eyes snap to her as she clears her throat. “I’m rectifying a wrong that’s been done to her for years. Myra told me a few years ago that she couldn’t link with her friend at school. I intended to address it when it was brought to my attention, but an emergency arose, and I too forgot about this issue. There were many times I meant to ask Paul about this, but the timing was never right, or pack business interfered. I’m at fault for not making a note to handle this sooner.”

Mom shifts in her seat, clearly not satisfied with his answer. “May I ask who her mate is and why he isn’t here to support her?”

Sherman chuckles. “Is that your only concern right now? Not the major rules that have been broken, or what your fate might be when this meeting concludes?”

She inhales sharply but says nothing. He opens the book, holding it a few inches above the desk. His eyes meet mine, and he smiles. “Adelaide, are you ready to go through with this?”

I stand tall. “Yes, Alpha. I’m ready to become a member of Silverleaf.”

He chuckles softly. “I know you’re older now, so we’ll do it as it should have been done when you came of age. It’s designed for a young child.”

I nod slowly, and his eyes drop to the book for a moment before returning to mine. “Adelaide Pinnacle, do you accept this day as the day you become a member of this pack, until the day you die or find a mate from another pack, which might result in moving to his territory?”

I smile, repeating the words I’ve known since childhood. “Yes, Alpha Sherman, I accept my responsibility of becoming a valuable member of your pack, until the day comes that I might need to cease being a Silverleaf member to take my mate’s oath with his pack.”

A shiver runs through me as voices flood my mind, causing me to clutch my head. Closing my eyes, I’m overwhelmed by the multitude of voices. I feel Drake’s hand on my arm and his voice cuts through the cacophony. “Tell the voices to stop. Each person in the pack has been notified that you’re now a member and have a link with them. Silence them by erecting a wall where they’ll have to knock, in a manner of speaking, to communicate with you.”

I visualize bricks forming as the voices gradually quiet. After a few minutes, relief washes over me as the last voice is silenced. He takes my hands in his as I slowly open my eyes to look up at him. “Wow, that was intense.”

Drake pulls me into his chest, holding me close as the last tremors from the sudden rush subside. “It’s easier when you’re young. Your body is older, so the stress is harder on it.”

I close my eyes, inhaling his scent, and my body relaxes in his arms. Behind us, I hear Mom gasp. “He’s her mate? She’s going to be the future Luna of this pack?”

Drake looks over my head at them. “Do you have a problem with who the moon goddess has chosen for me, Amber?”

I step back, but he turns me around, pulling me against his chest. My eyes meet Mom’s, which are wide with shock, as they dart back and forth between us.

“I never imagined she’d be paired with an Alpha. We always wondered who her mate would be, maybe a Gamma or Omega,” she wrings her skirt in her hands.

Drake chuckles, causing my back to vibrate. “I told your husband that Beta or Alpha-born females are always paired with a high-ranking mate. My sister’s mate will probably be an Alpha because of her bloodline, but it could be a Beta, no lower. You, of all people, should know that since both your parents were Betas. I know your father remarried after your mother died in an attack and had a son with her, who’s now the Alpha. He wants nothing to do with your side of the family because you mistreated him growing up.”

She swallows hard. “I had to. He was cruel to all the girls, hitting them or making them do things they didn’t understand were wrong. He was the apple of my father’s eye until he came of age to take over the pack. I know I lived here but still visited on the weekends.”

“We know the story, Amber,” Sherman interrupts. “We’re not here to discuss your half-brother murdering his high-ranking pack members after becoming Alpha. He turned eighteen while you’re now forty. My concern is this young woman in the room with us and the terrible things you two did to her growing up. You followed in his footsteps with your daughter, neglecting her well-being.”

Tears stream down her face. “We both know what we did was wrong. Addy, we’re so sorry for how you were treated growing up, and I don’t know what we can do to make it right now.”

I step forward, looking at the two people who made my life a living hell for over twelve years, treating their own daughter as if she didn’t exist. “I don’t know what to do about this situation. You’re my parents by birth, but I feel no sympathy for either of you.”

‘Listen to them, Addy. See where this goes before you make a decision,’ Mystic whispers.

My father rises, his face etched with regret. “Addy,” he begins, his voice heavy, “I know we messed up. We were so consumed with our inability to have more kids that we neglected the one we had. If you let us stay on these lands, we promise to keep our distance. Your mom and I will retreat to the house we’ve called home for over two decades and never bother you again. We’ll live in isolation for the rest of our days.”

“But what about our friends?” my mother’s voice pierces the air, shrill and desperate.

My father shoots her a look of pure disdain before turning back to me. “If necessary, we’ll relocate to a house on the outskirts of the pack lands. We both know we have nowhere else to go if we’re banished. If, in the future, you decide you want us in your life again, we’ll welcome you back with open arms—and better attitudes.”

Drake moves to stand behind me, his breath warm against my ear as he whispers, “Talk to my dad first. He has the final say on what happens to them, but he’ll respect your wishes.”

I turn to Sherman. “Can we talk privately for a bit?”

A smile tugs at the corners of his mouth as he dismisses my parents with a flick of his wrist. “Wait outside until you’re called. Your daughter needs to speak her mind.”

As they exit, I crumble into Drake’s arms. He scoops me up and carries me to the couch, holding me close. “You’re under too much stress. Take a few minutes to recover.”

I close my eyes, trying to steady my racing heart. I’ve never heard my parents apologize before, but here they are, begging for mercy. The stress of being officially accepted into the pack, of hearing my father plead as he did—it’s all too much. I close my eyes for a moment, trying to clear my head so I can discuss my parents’ fate with Sherman.