“Enzo!! I want the whole pack to be decorated like a bride.” Artemis's Grandfather said. “It’s my great-grandson’s birthday,” he added.
“Don’t worry, dad. I’m onto it. I have asked Rafael, Caroline’s cousin, to suggest to me the best event planner he knows, and he helped me with it. Artin will have everything best. THE BEST. I have also arranged a fake rainfall because Caroline told me that he loves playing in the water and taking baths in the rain.”
“Great!! And did you ask her what does he like the most in food?” Artemis’s Grandmother asked. Lorenzo was about to answer when Santino walked in, talking about increasing the number of guards on patrol with Lucca.
“Hey, Grandpa!!” Santino said, stopping in between and hugging him. “Hey, Grandma!!” He kissed his Grandmother’s cheek. “I thought you would return back to Manaus after enjoying your stay in Paris.”
“How could I miss our Great Grandson’s birthday?” His Grandmother questioned. “All this is my plan. I hope you don’t mind it; after all, it’s your pack now.”
“Nonsense! I got this pack from all of you. It’s not created by me, so you will always have the right to this pack before me.” Santino said before adding, “I have some work. I will see you at dinner.”
Once Santinon entered his cabin, Lucca spoke, “Alpha, I think the history will repeat again.”
“What history?” Santino questioned, opening the marker to note down how many warriors were at the patrol right now and how much more he needed for the upcoming party because these types of celebrations grabbed rogue’s attention.
“The competition between your future pup and the pup whom your cousin has adopted,” Lucca said, on which Santino’s raised his eyebrow. “I’m not poisoning your mind, just stating the fact. That pup can challenge your future pup for the Alpha position. After all, he would be the older child of the family as your pup would be a minimum of two years younger than him.”
“That pup has won everyone’s heart this soon, and if this will goes on, then your flesh and blood….”
“He is mine, Lucca,” Santino said, cutting him in between. “My flesh and blood.”
“Yo.. yours?”
“Yes, mine,” Santino admitted for the first time in front of someone who had no idea about it. “He reminds me so much of me. His cute anger and naughty habits. Everything.” Santino smiled a little, just a little, recalling his happy moment with his parents until they died.
“Then… then why is he not with you?”
“Because he needs a family. After losing my parents, I couldn’t accept my Uncle and Aunt as my parents, even though they did everything that any parents would have done for their kids. So, he should be with someone who could give him everything that I couldn’t. Also, stop calling him ‘that pup’; he has a name.”
“Oh, okay!! If I’m not wrong, then Caroline’s family is also coming to the party, which means that even her hunter brother.”
“Neither she nor her family members are dangerous, so don’t worry about it.”
***
After a few days!!
“So, pack members and all my dear guests, let's welcome the star of the party! The Alpha heir of the pack, your future Alpha!!” Santino announced because for two reasons. One, everyone was pressuring him to get a mate so that a pack has an Alpha heir, and second, it was somewhere the right of Artin if he would prove himself to be worthy of this position. He knew that Artemis had left all the work related to the pack and Alpha position, but at the same time, no one could deny the fact that he was a strong candidate for the Alpha position. So, he would train Artin to be the best warrior and a good person.
For a while, all the pack members fell silent, hearing that the Alpha had announced someone else’s pup as Alpha pup instead of his own. But then, he might would have taken that decision by thinking about something. And they took a minute to finally accept the truth before howling in joy.
Caroline softly pushed Artin to walk outside in his tiny little grey wolf costume. At first, he was scared a little by seeing so many big wolves, but then he also had a pup of his age and older than him was also between them wearing the costume of a lion, giraffe, rabbit, and many more. But it was a strict instruction that no one would get a wolf costume for their pup.
Finally mustering some confidence, he walked toward the pack members, giving them a toothy smile. He observed how everyone was observing him. He recalled what Unce Calvin had taught him to wave his hand to everyone, and he did the same looking at both sides of the pack members.
He turned back to see whether his parents were following him or not, and there they were, a few meters behind him, to assure him that they were still there.
Artin looked so cute in a wolf costume, like a tiny little wolf.
“Uncle Colt.” He screamed happily and ran toward him but stopped when he saw two Uncle Colt. He just changed his route and went to Sophia. Colton hit his twin brother for confusing Artin, who just laughed. After staying a while with Sophia, Brandon, Logan, Rebecca, Oliver, Lee, and Tee, he went to his family from his father's side. He didn’t get a chance to spend much time with them, so he wasn’t very attached to them, but Caroline was thinking of staying at least for a month in the pack so that Artin could get a chance to know other family members as well.
“He didn’t come near me,” Calvin complained.
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#TBC
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A/N: Dear Reader, I hope you remember that I will be out of the station from 14th Oct and return back on 21st Oct (around one at night).
I had planned this trip in 2019 when I had started working, but thanks to COVID, I couldn't make it in 2020 & 2021. Now, finally, it's time.