赤裸裸的滑稽故事

Chapter 741  Good Intentions

“You don’t want to be Alpha of Summer,” he said.

Fiona furrowed her brows and looked back at him.

“This isn’t about what I want,” she said.

Galen nodded.

“It’s about making sure that Caleb can still be Alpha if he returns,” Galen replied softly.

Fiona stared back at him, tilting her head slightly.

“When,” she said. “When he returns, he will still have his rightful place in this pack.”

In the three years since Caleb disappeared, Galen and Fiona had kept their hope of his return alive. And though they had talked a few times about that hope, they both tried to keep their minds set on reality.

Hope was a wonderful but dangerous thing.

Because they were both very well aware of that fact, neither had ever been willing to state that Caleb would absolutely return. They tried their best to keep the pack running in a way that was ready for his return, but it was always a hope, a wish, and never a guarantee.

But as Galen looked at Fiona now, he realized that, at some point, her hope had begun to change into something else. More than just a want or desire, it had become a need.

She was already wearing herself down, using all her strength and energy to keep Summer moving forward. But if she became Alpha, the pack's needs would only increase. Caleb had told him how it felt when he was made Alpha, the sudden weight that pressed down on his shoulders. He could bear it. He was strong and prepared. He was devoted to the pack and did everything he could to guide and protect them.

If Fiona took that role, hoping only to hold Caleb’s place until he returned, she would kill herself in the process.

Galen couldn’t let that happen.

“Fiona,” he said.

She looked at him.

“He made me his Beta,” Galen said.

Fiona furrowed her brows.

“I know,” she replied.

“He asked,” Galen said, “and I accepted.”

Fiona stared at Galen, a puzzled look on her face.

“You will still be Beta. I have no intention of choosing someone else…” she said.

“No, Fiona,” he said with a gentle shake of his head. He swallowed and continued, “I was his Beta, as such… it is my job to lead the pack if he can’t anymore.”

Fiona turned so that she could face him fully.

“You have led and will continue to help me lead until Caleb returns,” she said. “But if you mean to say that you will become Alpha…”

She shook her head.

“No.”

Galen took a deep breath.

“Fiona–”

“Galen, I don’t doubt you. You would make an excellent Alpha,” she interrupted. “But Caleb is the Alpha of Summer, and the only way to ensure that there still is a Summer and that he is still Alpha when he returns is if I take the role now. So that is what is going to happen.”

“Fiona,” Galen said. “That’s not what Caleb wanted.”

Fiona’s hand tightened on her cane, and her jaw clenched.

“No,” she said. “Caleb wanted to lead his pack with his Luna by his side until they grew old together and could retire. At which point, his child would rightfully assume the role of Alpha.”

“Fiona,” Galen called softly. “That’s not what I meant… I just mean that as his Beta, my duty—"

“I understand what you meant,” she interrupted, “and under normal circumstances, I would have been the first to encourage you to fulfill that duty. But these are not normal circumstances.”

Galen stepped toward her, but Fiona raised her hand to stop him.

“What happens to Caleb?” she asked. “When he comes home and learns that he is no longer Alpha of Summer, what happens to him?”

Galen swallowed and lowered his eyes.

“Answer me, Galen,” she growled. “We have spent the past three years keeping this pack running. We have fought and worked ourselves to the bone!”

“I know,” he said.

“Why did we do all that?” she asked, moving toward him angrily. “Why did we struggle to keep this pack together?”

Galen swallowed but kept his eyes turned down.

“So that when he returns, we could look him in the eye and tell him honestly that we did our best!” she growled.

Fiona took short, heavy breaths through her nose. Her jaw was clenched tightly in anger.

Galen raised his head and looked into her eyes with all the guilt and pain he felt.

“That’s what I’m trying to do,” he whispered.

Fiona furrowed her brow. She looked into Galen’s eyes. She saw the pain. She saw his guilt. But mostly, she saw the worry that was directed entirely at her.

She didn’t understand. Why was he suddenly so worried about her? Why had he suddenly decided it was time to fulfill his duty as Beta? It couldn’t just be the wolves. She had given him a solution for that, one that kept the door open for Caleb to return. So why was he choosing the option that closed that door?

There was a pit forming in her stomach.

“What aren't you telling me, Galen?” she asked. Her voice shook, but her eyes held firm.

Galen swallowed. He knew what he needed to say to her. What she needed to hear.

“For the past three years,” he began, “Myka has quietly been looking for any sign of the ley lines reconnecting to our world.”

Fiona’s eyes widened, and she took a step closer.

“Did he find something?”

Galen nodded.

Fiona drew a sharp breath through her nose, covering her mouth with her hand as she waited for Galen to continue.

“He found traces of activity worldwide,” Galen said, “he’s gone to these places, listened, and run tests.”

Galen paused. He let out a slow breath before continuing.

“He was finally able to figure out something,” he said, looking down at his hands as he spoke. “The activity he had found, it was… echoes… some kind of residual effect left behind from the destruction of the ley line.”

Fiona lowered her hand to her cane. She swallowed as she felt a hard lump forming in her throat.

“There was no sign of new activity,” he said. “Myka said there was nothing more we could do.”

“What does that mean?” she asked.

Galen looked away.

“Say it,” she demanded.

Galen took a deep breath and looked up at her. He moved to her and put his hands on her shoulders, squeezing gently.

“Caleb…” he began, his voice tender, “Caleb is gone. He’s never coming back.”

Fiona drew in a gasping breath, her brows furrowed, and the pain filled her eyes. But still, she held firm. She continued to look up at Galen, listening to his every word.

“It’s time, Mom,” he said, his voice cracking as tears glistened in his eyes. “We need to move on.”

Fiona clenched her jaw tight, taking short breaths through her nose but never enough to fill the need of her lungs. She felt a painful weight in her chest and couldn’t breathe. It was too much to bear. She let out a sob and went weak in the knees.

Galen caught her, pulling her close as he gently lowered them to the ground and held her as she cried. He patted her back and smoothed her hair, gently shushing her as he would have done for Ren after a nightmare.

His heart ached at each sob, each gasp for air. Everything he had said was true, except for one thing. Myka had followed the echoes, and there was no new activity, but he hadn’t given up. He was still searching, and so was Alice.

There was still a chance that Caleb could be found, a chance that he could come home. But the only way that Galen could keep his promise to take care of Fiona, was to let her believe that Caleb was gone.

Silent tears fell from his eyes. He kissed the top of her head, praying she would forgive him for his good intentions one day.