Under The Alpha's Protection

Chapter 13: The Short Conversation

In the end, Blue accepted the offer.

It's not like she had any choice. The Steele siblings were right. Even if Blue reported the attack, she'd be living life as if there was always someone in the shadows waiting to attack her. Even in her own home. Laia had assured Blue that once word of her Official Welcome into the Northern Pack spread, the Southern Pack would think twice before touching Blue ever again.

Lucian had departed from Laia and Blue, telling them he would break the news to the Council about Blue's decision and start making plans for the Official Welcome that would happen tomorrow night.

Laia had ushered Blue towards her home, saying, "We won't be seeing my dear brother for the remainder of the day."

Blue was more than okay with that.

The walk to Laia's house was short. Blue was grateful for it, because though the bruises on her abdomen from the beating she'd taken had faded considerably, her abdominal muscles were still healing, and all the moving she'd been doing since Florence had given birth was quickly catching up with her.

Laia Steele's home was quaint, the inside tidy with small details like flowers in a vase on the kitchen counter, and a framed picture of her family above the fireplace, showing Laia and her brother when they were still children. Laia pointed Blue to the bedroom, which was always the messiest room in Laia’s home, the bathroom where she wished she had a bathtub, and the small storage room she also used as a closet.

"It's small, but I don't really stay at home much.” Laia shrugged off her jacket and made her way to the kitchenette area. She pulled the refrigerator door open. "I also don't keep a lot of food here, because frankly, I can't cook for shit."

Blue giggled. "Your place is still bigger than my apartment. And I don't cook that much either. I just know enough to not starve."

There was knocking on her door, startling Blue.

Narra hadn't waited for Laia to open the door, simply pushing it open and peeking his head inside. "Hey!" He automatically greeted. Once his eyes found Blue's, they shone with recognition. The other alpha stepped further inside. "Oh, hey! I didn't know you'd be here."

"Yeah, sure, come in, Narra," They heard Laia scoff lightly, followed by the sound of the refrigerator closing. "Thanks so much for waiting politely."

Narra ignored her, closing the door behind him as he told Blue, "I heard about what you did this morning. It was a little hard to believe at first, but then my mother said Head Alpha Lucian confirmed it, and that you're being offered a place in our Pack." That bright, contagious smile was on his face again, but unlike the first time Blue had seen the tall man, his face and body weren't dripping with sweat. "It's really amazing, what you did for Florence and Jones. I heard that even Arlo was beyond impressed, because you even stitched up his arm after."

Blue let out a nervous chuckle. "Thank you, really, but um... I was just, you know," she made awkward gestures with her hands, not comfortable with so much praises. "Doing what I was trained to."

Laia clicked her tongue without looking at either of them, pouring water into three glasses. "Stop flustering the poor girl and tell me why you're being a nuisance in my house, Narra.”

Narra smiled sheepishly at Blue, like a silent apology. His look turned teasing when he replied to Laia, "I was going to be nice and ask if you wanted to come down to the communal hall with me. Yvonne made shepherd's pie."

"You? Being nice? Sounds like a trap.”

Narra sighed at the ceiling of Laia's house. It exposed the veins on his neck. "See? This is why people couldn't believe it when you agreed to be pre-mated to Dawson." Narra smirked at Blue. "Laia treats all her male alpha friends like we're the banes of her existence."

Bue couldn’t pile onto the friendly banter. Her mind had gotten stuck at something Narra had said beforehand. "Wait. Did you say Laia's... pre-mated?"

There was a commotion in the kitchen area. The handle of the water jug had nearly slipped from Laia's hand. She spun around, mouth dropped. "Goddess above," She gasped out. "All the times we've spoken, and I still haven't mentioned–"

"–that you're about to be mates with someone?" Blue laughed, nearly hysterically. For a year they'd been friends, and yet neither of them had ever thought about talking about Laia's love life.

"You haven't told Blue? I thought you were really into Dawson?" Narra asked Laia. "You're set to be mates next spring."

"You're set to be mates next spring?!" Blue's voice raised a couple of pitches, finding this hard to digest—not because Laia didn't seem likely to have suitors (quite the opposite), but because next spring was only a few months away, and Laia had never once thought to mention that she was going to be mates with someone.

Now, Laia was the flustered one. "Next spring is the tentative schedule for Dawson and I to be mated. But it’ll most likely change. As of now, neither of us are making any plans for the ceremony."

"Is Dawson part of the Northern Pack?" Blue asked, even though it seemed likely that, if this mystery man was here, she'd have met him or seen Laia with him by now.

"Dawson Waverly is the only son of Sorrel Waverly," Narra answered for Laia. "Sorrel Waverly is the Head Luna of the Eastern Pack."

A few pieces clicked together in Blue's brain at that.

She narrowed her eyes at Laia. "Is that how your Pack secured an alliance with the Eastern Pack?"

Laia shook her head. "No, that was all Lucian's doing. He managed to convince Head Luna Sorrel into a mutual partnership. Me becoming pre-mated to the Head Luna's son hadn't been part of the plan, but... Dawson had shown interest as soon as we met, and I–"

"–fell in love at first sight?" Narra teased. Blue hadn't realized the other alpha was standing closer to her now.

Laia glared at her unexpected visitor. "And I happened to think he was a nice person. We went out again, three more times, and a couple of months later, his mother suggested he and I become pre-mated as a way to further secure the longevity of our Packs' partnership."

"And you agreed to it?" Blue couldn't mask her surprise. Honestly, it was hard to imagine Laia Steele agreeing to an arranged marriage. Technically, was it an arranged... mating?

Laia hadn't taken offense to Blue's reaction though. "Like I said, there are no actual plans being made yet. Dawson and I just said the spring ceremony thing to appease his mother."

Blue felt Narra bending down in order to get closer to Blue’s head, faux whispering while still looking at Laia, "Head Alpha Lucian nearly burst a vein when Laia told him she wouldn't mind spending the rest of her life with Dawson." His breath tickled Blue's cheek.

Laia had heard every word and rolled her eyes, telling Blue, "Male alphas. The bane of my existence, truly."

Narra shot Laia a sarcastic smile before he faced Blue properly. He was even more handsome up-close. He also seemed naturally friendly, like the person at a party who'd have random conversation with strangers whenever he thought they felt lonely. "I'm gonna go now since I’m sure you and Laia want to talk some more about this. But it was very nice to see you again, Blue." Narra's hand settled over Blue's arm softly, the callouses on his palm making contact with Blue’s skin. "The Northern Pack will be lucky to have you."

Blue smiled, thanked Narra, and then watched him leave with an overly saccharine goodbye directed at Laia.

As soon as the door closed behind Narra, Laia told Blue, "His mother's Althea Sheinstone."

"The omega who's part of the Pack Council?" Althea had been at the meeting earlier.

"Uh-huh." Laia stretched her arm out, holding a glass. Blue walked into the kitchen space and thanked Laia, taking a long sip of the cool liquid.

All of a sudden, "You know Narra's into you, right?"

Blue choked on the water still in her mouth.

"Don't act too shocked now.” Laia smirked in amusement, reaching for a paper towel on the counter and passing it to Blue. "He did find out that you helped an omega in our Pack, like a total badass. Plus, a face and body like that?" Laia made a pointed up-and-down look at Blue. "Of course you're bound to get that man's attention."

Blue wiped her mouth a few seconds longer than necessary, feeling the heat climbing up her neck. "I don't think any part of that conversation was him flirting, or whatever."

"Wrong. He was sending out alpha pheromones," Laia contradicted. "Narra knows you're human, but it's just his instinct to try and get his scent to reach you. Werewolves omit pheromones more strongly when they're around their partner, or people they're interested in." She raised her glass in the direction of the front door. "Narra's certainly never released pheromones like that when it's only the two of us.”

Blue wasn't sure how to respond to this information.

Back at the clinic, she had been hit on by a few werewolves, some even trying to slip her their number, but nobody she worked with had ever mentioned anything about those werewolves releasing pheromones despite Blue not being able to smell any of it.

For now, she decided to brush it off. It wasn't anything serious. Most likely, Narra was just intrigued at her presence.

"Can we please just talk about how the whole Official Welcome Ceremony is going to go down so I don't make a complete fool of myself tomorrow?"

Laia took Blue's glass and placed it behind her on the sink. "Our Pack hasn't had an Official Welcome Ceremony since Lucian took over being Head Alpha. The Council hadn't thought anyone to be deserving of such privilege until today." She had Blue follow her into the living room area, where they sat down on the cushions covering the weaved design of the couch. "It's usually a public ceremony, but for you it'll most likely be held in the Council Room. The Council members, a few witnesses, myself, and Lucian, will be in attendance. This way, we can avoid surprises."

The end caught Blue off-guard. "Avoid surprises?"

The alpha readjusted in her seat, leaning her elbow over the back of the chair. "I'm not going to lie to you, Blue-Pixie. Lucian's probably running around the Pack right now, confirming rumors about what you did for the Ire family earlier and making sure that the people who need to know about your Official Welcome tomorrow are made aware that the Council had been the ones to advocate for it. That being said, you are still an outsider whose only connection to the Northern Pack is being friends with me. There will no doubt be more than a handful of werewolves that, if the time comes, will not protect a human, simply because they do not think it's worth the effort."

Blue tried to feel something at the thought that werewolves were already judging her just for being human. But, aside from a tinge of sadness, she couldn't even bring herself to be pissed.

Because she was lying to the Northern Pack.

The only ones who knew about who really attacked Blue a few nights ago in that alleyway were Laia, Arlo, and the Head Alpha. There was a possibility that Arlo's mate, Shae, might’ve known too, but Blue hadn't even met the woman yet.

Once the truth came out—because it would, she was certain of that—Blue wouldn't be surprised if they all forgot about what she did for the Ire family.

-----

After dinner—which Laia had insisted on bringing all the way from the kitchens so that Blue could finally have some quiet to herself—Blue had declined the offer to sleep over at Laia's house.

After the Official Welcome, Blue would head back to Bracket Town. One more day in the isolation room wouldn't hurt.

All things considered, Blue should’ve been exhausted by the time ten o'clock rolled around. She had assisted an omega giving multiple births, met with the Pack Council, and spent hours and hours talking with Laia about her soon-to-be-mate, Dawson Waverly.

And yet, Blue found herself sitting on the concrete step leading to the door of the isolation room she'd been staying in for the past week, the lightbulb over the door providing her enough light to not be completely surrounded by darkness. The sounds of insects and of branches swaying from the night breeze were the only things loud enough for her to hear. In the more populous area of the Northern Territory, multiple lights were still on at different houses. But in this elevated region, Blue couldn't hear anything of what was happening down there.

She couldn't see the hill with the terraces as clearly as she could during the daytime, but she could see the stars littered over the night sky.

With a thick blanket wrapped around her and a belly full of food, this moment felt... serene. It was a huge contrast to how her morning had gone.

Blue leaned against the closed door to more comfortably look up at the heavens, finding herself thinking about her parents and how they would’ve reacted if they found out about the things Blue did today. Not just for the Ire family, but also lying to a Pack Council.

Without all the town's pollution, Blue could make out each individual twinkle. She couldn't remember the last time she went stargazing.

It felt like minutes had passed when she heard the crunch of footsteps over dirt.

The last person she expected to see approaching her at this hour was Lucian Steele.

The Head Alpha had changed from his outfit earlier today into dark pants and a plain white shirt. He was carrying a paper bag. Dark strands of his slightly damp hair caught the light coming from above Blue, meaning he had just gotten out of the shower not long ago.

"Hello," Lucian greeted.

In the brief silence that followed, Blue seriously considered whether she should be standing up to greet the Head Alpha of the Pack who'd be protecting her starting tomorrow.

Lucian cleared his throat before Blue could make up her mind, or even say anything in return.

He took a step closer to Blue, and maybe Blue should have gotten to her feet. It felt weird to look up at Lucian Steele like this. The hand carrying the paper bag moved, holding it in the air between them. "Laia was supposed to do this, but then she caught me making my way to one of the warehouses and asked me to drop this off to you."

Blue wormed her arm out of the blanket still wrapped around her, taking the strings of the paper bag, careful not to let her fingers brush against Lucian’s.

Blue peeked inside. It was a piece of clothing.

"You'll have to dress appropriately for the Official Welcome," Lucian explained. "It'll be a small gathering, but it's tradition that you wear a long dress."

Letting the blanket fall around her, Blue used both hands to carefully pull the piece of clothing out of the bag.

"Laia said it was one of her old dresses."

For a second, Blue simply stared at it. "It's blue."

She lifted her head just in time to see Lucian arch an eyebrow, one side of his lip twitching upward. It was the most amused Blue had seen the Head Alpha by far. "Do you not wear blue clothes because your name happens to be Blue?"

Blue shook her head. "No, I have blue clothes. I'm just saying... it's blue."

Another silence.

Blue had no idea how to break the awkward air.

Lucian's cerulean eyes found the ground. "I wanted to take this time to apologize... for the way I’ve treated you."

Apparently, that's how you do it.

The Head Alpha continued, "I had my reasons to doubt you, but it was no excuse to throw endless accusations at your face, especially considering you were attacked just days ago."

Blue let the silence stretch again until Lucian met her gaze. She narrowed her eyes at him, making the joking tone more obvious when she asked, "Did your sister blackmail you into saying sorry?"

She had only meant to alleviate some of the tension. Blue had not expected the Head Alpha to press his lips together—as if hiding a grin.

Huh.

"No," Lucian shook his head, clearing his throat. The traces of humor dropped from his face. "I felt guilty. Seeing you today, so determined to help Florence even when you’re technically still healing...even after what happened to your parents." The Head Alpha sighed through his nose. "Not many humans would have done the same as you, and I felt ashamed for the way I shunned you instantly." From her angle, Blue could see Lucian's throat bob. "So, I'm... sorry."

Blue felt the desire to ask if the Head Alpha was not used to apologizing. He had told her before that he was not often wrong. Did that mean Lucian was not accustomed to saying sorry?

Lucian might take that question the wrong way.

Instead, Blue said, "Laia helped me understand why you were so doubtful about my story. But, uh... I think I should really be the one apologizing."

Lucian's brows drew in the middle. "What for?"

"You lied to your Pack Council so they'd offer me a spot in your Pack. I–" Again, Blue stopped herself from saying that she felt like she'd only caused problems since her (unsanctioned) arrival. If Lucian told Laia that Blue still felt this way, Laia would only get more worried. "I don't think I deserve to have the Pack's protection when the ones after me are..." The Southern Pack.

Lucian regarded Blue in that unreadable fashion again. "You remember what I said earlier? About how I only lie to the Pack Council when it's absolutely necessary?"

Blue nodded.

"Well, I lie to them about how often Laia goes to the towns within the Neutral Territory too. When one of the Council members asks where my sister spends most of her free time, I tell them she's in the Eastern Territory, even though Laia only goes there when she receives an actual invite."

That was a believable lie. She was pre-mated to Dawson Waverly after all.

"Why lie about that?" Bkue asked. "Does the Council not like Laia spending too much time in human-populated towns?"

"They don't like Laia spending too much time in Neutral Territory, where our Packs don't have any jurisdiction," Lucian corrected Blue, but not hostilely. "If something bad happens to her in any of the towns, the police will be in charge of investigation and arrest. They despise being part of Pack conflicts."

Oh. Right.

"So... you lied to the Council about where Laia goes?"

Lucian nodded. "Because it makes my sister happy." The Head Alpha seemed to hesitate about what he was supposed to say next. "I don't like lying to the Council... but I will, whenever I think it's worth it."

The sentence had a direct meaning, and yet the way Lucian said it made Blue believe that the Head Alpha was hiding something between the lines.

Again, before Blue could even put two words together, Lucian was clearing his throat. "So. Uh. I should go... now." He was already stepping away. "Good luck tomorrow."

"Um. Thank you?" Blue hadn't meant for it to come out like a question, but the whole interaction had been slightly confusing.

Even after Blue's head hit the pillow, her mind still reeled from that short conversation with Lucian Steele.