赤裸裸的滑稽故事

“You said you weren’t interested in being Summer’s Alpha,” she said.

“I’m not,” he stated.

Fiona kept Landon’s gaze, searching for any sign of misdirection or dishonesty, but found only the reassuring warmth he continued offering her.

Landon took a deep breath.

“Your pack needs an Alpha,” he said. “They won’t last much longer without one.”

“I know,” she said, turning away.

Landon touched her chin, gently turning her to face him.

“Do not take offense to what I ask next,” he said gently. “I am only trying to help.”

Fiona let out a slow breath and nodded.

Landon looked into her eyes and nodded.

“If you knew Caleb was gone,” he asked gently, “would you have difficulty accepting a new Alpha?”

Fiona swallowed and closed her eyes. His voice was kind and warm, even though the words he said stung her heart. She shook her head.

“No,” she replied honestly. “If I didn’t have this... lingering doubt… I would have forced the issue a long time ago.”

Landon nodded.

“Then,” he said, “your primary hesitation is taking Caleb’s right to lead the pack away.”

Fiona nodded.

“When the pack submits to a new Alpha, the connection to the previous Alpha is severed,” she said. “Even if the new Alpha was willing to return the pack, he wouldn’t be able to.”

“That is true,” Landon said, “with one exception.”

Fiona furrowed her brows.

“When a pack has been conquered, and their Alpha forced to submit. He is often not killed but kept alive to serve his new Alpha,” Landon said.

“Yes, as humiliation and because he poses no threat,” Fiona stated. “No matter how much his people might want him to lead again, it isn’t possible.”

“He is not killed,” Landon said again, “but his family is.”

Fiona furrowed her brow, unsure what Landon was trying to say.

“Most wolves believe that to be an Alpha, the wolf must be strong, powerful, and built to lead. But the truth is, they just need the trust of others,” Landon began. “They just need the pack to trust them enough to give their loyalty.”

Fiona didn’t understand what this had to do with what they were already discussing, but she saw his point.

“Yes,” she said. “Alpha Sofia is the perfect example. She was not combat or leadership trained and had been taken from her pack for years. But they still made her their Alpha because they believed in her.”

Landon nodded.

“They believed in her because she avenged the Alpha they loved,” he said. “The one they had freely chosen and had always been loyal to. Her father.”

“I know all of this already,” Fiona sighed.

“Fiona,” Landon said. “Sofia did not have to earn the loyalty of her pack. It was already hers through her blood. Passed down from father to daughter. Just as Axel and Caleb already had theirs before becoming Alpha.”

“What does—” Fiona began, but Landon continued.

“The reason that a conqueror kills the family is because the only way for a wolf to reclaim his place as Alpha is if it is passed back to him through blood.”

Landon put his hand on Fiona’s shoulder, squeezing gently.

“There is a solution that gives both you and your wolves what you need. An Alpha to lead them, and a way that Caleb still has a claim to the role if he returns.”

Fiona felt her throat tightening and her heart pounding heavily in her chest.

“Fiona, if you become Alph—”

“Stop!” Fiona shouted suddenly. Turning away from him and holding tight to the railing as she leaned heavily on it. “Please… stop.”

Landon didn’t say another word. He carefully removed his hand from her shoulder and waited as Fiona took long, deep breaths. For several minutes, neither moved nor spoke. He just listened as her heart slowly returned to its normal rate.

As her breathing came back under control, and her heart evened out. Fiona looked out at the city hub.

“I have led this pack in some way for over thirty years,” Fiona began with a gentle, sad smile. “I have poured my blood, sweat, and tears into the safety of every wolf within this territory. I have been a soldier, a commander, a teacher, a mother.”

Fiona took a deep breath, closing her eyes as she inhaled Summer's scent. There were the artificial things, the concrete, the sterile smell that wafted through most of the buildings. But in the distance, she knew a patch of flowers bloomed, a lingering sweetness in the air. She opened her eyes and leaned forward, gripping the patio railing.

When she first became Luna of Summer, most of these buildings were small or nonexistent. Summer had always been ahead of its time. However, before Cain became Alpha, the priority had still been producing the strongest warriors.

It was his dream that had set Summer apart from the rest. His ideas and his desire to see their pack grow and help the world grow with them. It was a dream that she had shared. A dream that they had built together. She focused on their soldiers and military so that Cain could concentrate on medicine, science, and advancement.

Cain built sanctuaries for those who wished to discover. He made playgrounds for those who wanted to advance. And when Caleb took charge, he didn’t fall behind his father. He built shelters for those who sought to heal and homes for those who felt alone.

But three years ago, everything had been on the brink of collapse. Buildings were destroyed, and the lands were tainted. With both of them gone, Fiona was left to pick up the pieces of that shattered dream and piece it back together alone.

Now, these buildings had doubled and reached the sky. Down below, she saw people excitedly scurrying from one place to the other, probably with some brand-new discovery.

She smiled. Even with their sanity threatened and tensions rising, these wolves' passion for learning and growing still flourished.

They had built all of this together. Summer had existed for a long time, but this pack, these wolves, was the direct result of what her family had built together. What she had fought to maintain and restore.

And it still wasn’t enough.

Fiona swallowed, looking back up at the bright blue sky above.

“I have broken my body and heart for this pack,” she whispered. “I have been here every day. Again and again. No matter how I felt, how I hurt…”

She paused, taking a deep breath.

“My husband gave his life, and my child…”

She closed her eyes and scoffed gently.

“My child is gone. Dead or alive… he is gone,” she sighed.

Fiona let out a shaky breath.

“They both gave everything of themselves to this pack,” she said, “as is expected of an Alpha.”

Her hands tightened on the railing. With tears in her eyes, she looked up into Landon’s reassuring gaze.

“How much more must I give?” she whispered painedly.

Landon took a soft breath and put his arms around her shoulders, pulling her against him. Fiona turned into his embrace, letting go of the railing and wrapping her arms around his waist.

She rested her forehead against his shoulder, letting out gentle sobs as he stroked her hair and held her close.