After the funeral, Blake went to a place where he would be left alone to wallow in grief. The sudden death it Ian had hit him like a thunderbolt. He cursed death for taking Ian away from him. He couldn't believe Ian was gone... forever. Well, that was one thing about death. You see the person today, then suddenly they are no more.
Blake's sadness knew no bounds as he thought of how life would be henceforth. Ian was more like a brother than a beta and he could confess that he was going to miss that tough soul.
****
The next day,
Blake had calmed down a bit about Ian's death. It seemed being alone calmed him down a bit. Now, he was with his mother in the meeting room and she was bent on making him marry the Fae princess by all means.
"You have to do this for the pack, Blake. For your people," His mother said.
"Mother, I don't think this is the right time to talk about this," Blake said with his hand on his forehead. He was still trying to gather his thoughts together.
"This isn't the right time? When do you think is the right time? For goodness’ sake, we have been on the matter for ages now." His mother snapped.
"Mother, I just lost my beta and all you could think about is marriage?" He asked.
"You have to get married to prevent more lives from getting lost. For the sake of peace, Blake, you have to marry the Fae princess," she said.
"And how are you so sure that me getting married to her would stop all the killings, huh? Can't you be considerate for once?" Blake asked.
"I am showing you my act of consideration by telling you to marry the Fae princess,"
"No, mother. You are putting pressure on me. At least, let's deal with the problems we are encountering first before thinking about marriage," Blake said, hoping his mother would accept his point and just leave, me but he was wrong.
"Not when it is the same marriage that would put an end to the problems. Marry her and stop this madness!" Blake's mother snapped.
Blake sighed and facepalmed. How was he going to tell this stubborn mother of his to take things slowly? Besides, the Faes have accepted the proposal.
"But they have accepted the proposal you asked me to make. What else?" Blake asked.
"What else?" She glared at him. "Get married to her as soon as possible. We need this to bring back stability to this pack."
"And do you think the Fae princess will gladly concur with the idea?" Blake asked, judging from how she treated him when they were in the Fae lands. He knew she was against the union as well. How would she feel when marriage comes in as a shock... just like that?
"Of course she will! Who in the world wouldn't want to get married to a very handsome and powerful Alpha so as to become his Luna?" His mother asked rhetorically. "She should find herself lucky that you want to get married to her."
"Mother, let's take things gradually." Blake suggested.
"Blake, wasting of time is dangerous and_"
"But I need to think, mother, please." Blake raised his hand to cut her off.
"Think about what exactly?" His mother asked.
"Everything, Mother." He answered and stood up.
Blake's mother sighed and walked up to him, then placed her right hand on his shoulder.
"I know your beta's death hurts you; it hurt us too. That is the more reason why you should put this marriage stuff into consideration. We can't afford to lose another person, Blake. This pack should be your number one priority as the Alpha."
"It is my number one priority." Blake defended.
"Then why do you want to hurt it? It might not go well with you, but for the sake of this pack's future, you have to do it. Your father would have done the same if he had experienced something similar to this." With that said, she left without waiting for him to respond.
Blake sighed and plopped down on the chair he was sitting on. Neil entered the room and stood beside him.
"Blake?" He called and Blake looked at him, signifying that he was all ears. "I think your mother is right," Neil said, which made Blake sit up.
"What did you say?" Blake asked.
"I said your mother is right. We would all be safe if you get married to the Fae princess immediately." Neil answered.
"So, you have joined them too? They have succeeded in brainwashing you as well?" Blake asked in a frustrated tone. This is when he wished Ian was around. The Beta would always see reasons with him and stand by his side.
"I haven't been brainwashed. I am just telling you about the good of our pack. Look at how Ian died mysteriously; we don't want deaths like that anymore, please." Neil pleaded.
"Neil, you are close to me and should understand why I'm refusing. You should know better than joining them to pressure me," Blake said.
"I know, but it is for the good of the pack. An alliance with the Fae kingdom is just what we need to stand off the witches whenever they come at us. Remember, we don't know when they might attack, so we need to be ready. What other way are we going to achieve that if not to join hands with the Faes?" Neil asked rhetorically. When he saw Blake was quiet, he probed further.
"The Fae Queen is the closest to the Witch Queen. This is a golden opportunity that we shouldn't allow to slip away from our fingers," Neil said.
"And you don't seem to care about how I feel about this?" Blake asked. He didn't know why they treated the marriage stuff like it was something easy.
"It is a sacrifice that you have to make, Blake. For the sake of the entire pack. You have to do it if you don't want us to lose another wolf," Neil said, hoping that would instill fear in Blake.
Blake didn't say anything for a while. Neil was quiet as well as he studied Blake's expressionless face. Blake had many thoughts running through his head. He couldn't bring himself to make such a decision. What about Ivy? How would she feel watching him get married to another woman?
"Let's not dwell on this anymore. We have a lot to do," He said to Neil, who sighed and nodded.
The next thing on his mind was to get a Beta to replace Ian. He knew if he stayed without a beta, things wouldn't be done orderly in the pack and the workload would be much on him, so he needed a new one. He looked up and his eyes met with that of Neil. Neil should be the perfect person for the post because he had spent a lot of time with Ian and should have the basic knowledge about what a Beta was supposed to do.
Neil furrowed his eyebrows, as he couldn't fathom what his cousin was up to this time.
******
It was nighttime, and the stars lit up the sky. The only light that could be seen in the pack was the lights radiating from the standing torches placed in every corner. The people were all gathered in a place, awaiting the Alpha. It was the coronation of Neil into taking Ian's place as Beta. There wasn't any noise except for that of the rustling of the leaves of the trees or their chirping. It was the calmest that the night could ever bring.
The moon shone brightly as it cast its silvery glow onto the clearing where everyone waited for their Alpha to arrive with the person that was to be coronated.
All the members of the pack had a slight smile on their faces. They were sad, a little glad that someone would take up Ian's role as Beta from now on henceforth.
Blake arrived with Neil by his side, and they made their way to the center of the torches. All eyes were fixated on them. Everyone waited patiently to see what their leader had to say in front of the entire crowd. As soon as Blake reached the center, everyone started cheering and clapping. Blake smiled at the crowd, giving them a small nod. Then, the whole pack erupted in cheers when he made Neil stand before him. With a small smile, he faced the people.
"The pack has been sad due to the death of our beloved beta, Ian. He was a nice man who took his role seriously. We are going to miss him," Blake said, and they nodded. He continued, "But we have gathered here to pick someone who would take on the role that Ian has left behind. I present to you, Neil, our new Beta." Blake announced, and the people broke out in cheers once more.
Neil faced the people and bowed, which made their cheers louder. After everyone quieted down, he spoke up, "Great people of the Velvet Moon Pack, it is a great honour and pleasure to be chosen to carry on from where our late beta stopped. I will do my best and give quality service to you all. Thank you for this opportunity. I will not let you down." With that said, Neil bowed once more.
The people cheered and clapped vigorously. Blake hugged him, and he bowed to the Elders who nodded their heads in agreement. Neil exhaled. He was ready to take on his new role as the Beta of the Velvet Moon Pack.