Sol reached under the table and patted her head with one hand, while the other held out a strip of chicken to her snout. The wolf grabbed the meat by her teeth and after she had gobbled it down, she expressed her gratitude by poking out her tongue and slobbering it all over Sol's hand.

Sol growled lowly at her and pushed her head away gently, but he watched her walk away with a small smile on his face. His eyes followed the wolf as she headed towards the front door, and then he turned his head slightly to look through the window. She had gone outside to play with the kids.

Turning back to his breakfast, Sol was met with the intense gaze of his friend, Clark, who appeared to have been watching the whole ordeal. "What was that about?" Clark asked, having watched the whole ordeal with the female wolf.

Sol merely shrugged his shoulders and decided to chew on some toast while he let his friend interrogate him. "What was what about?" He questioned back nonchalantly.

"That," he gestured, jerking his head towards the window. Now, Sol knew that Clark was talking about the female wolf, but he decided to carry on feigning innocence because the truth was, Sol didn't seem to know himself what he was doing and why he was even bothering to keep the wolf around. And he certainly didn't want to be thinking about such heavy such this early in the morning.

"She was hungry so I gave her some food." It was another indistinct answer, one that he was sure would not satisfy the Beta that sat across from him.

When Clark didn't reply or probe further for any information, even after a pregnant pause passed between them, Sol looked up.

I was clear that Clark was mind-linking someone. It was probably his mate, Diana, so Sol thought nothing of it.

There wasn't much meat left on his plate, especially after that wolf of his kept whining at his feet and nudging his legs with her head, but he didn't seem to mind too much.

"Sol," Clark called out. Sol looking up from his plate, still chewing his eggs. He quirked a questioning eyebrow at his best friend, his mouth still full.

Clark stood up and chugged down some water before wiping his mouth with the back of his arm. There was no doubt that if his wife was present, she would have clocked round the back of his head for his slobby behaviour, but luckily, she was helping out at the pack house that morning.

"The Alpha wants to speak to you." Clark informed his friend, shrugging his shoulders because he too, wasn't sure why Alpha Brandon wanted to speak to his guest.

"Why?"

The Beta shrugged. "He didn't say."

Sol nodded and stood up to wash his hands.

After the two men had placed their plates in the sink, they headed out to the pack house where the Alpha was.

Within a minute, Clark and Sol were walking up the steps to the pack house where some of the pups were playing outside, Sol's wolf included.

The wolf was stood on all four legs with a dozen pups surrounding her, and with two more sat on her back, clutching onto her fur. She would trot around the circle and nudge at the children playfully. It seemed that she was giving out rides to the pups.

Sol couldn't stop his smile, and Clark noticed.

Just as the two men walked past, the wolf barked out to Sol, as if asking where he was going. Sol merely nodded his head and walked into the building, not anxious, but curious to know what the Alpha wanted to speak to him about, especially since he had planned to leave back to his cabin as soon as breakfast was over.

Following closely behind Clark, the two men came to a stop outside a wooden door on the second floor. Clark knocked on the door briefly before pushing it open.

Sol walked through and looked behind him, but the door was already closed and Clark was nowhere to be seen.

He could only assume that the Alpha had wanted to see him alone and Clark had conveniently forgotten to mention that little detail.

Coward.

Turning back to face the Alpha who was sat with in his office chair behind a desk, Sol clasped his hands together behind his back and stood with his feet spread at shoulder-width, his head held high. It seemed that even after all these years, Sol hadn't forgotten what his father had taught him. The thought was both touching and bittersweet at the same time.

Clenching his jaw, Sol nodded his head at the Alpha. "Alpha Avery," he started. "You wanted to talk to me." It was more of a statement than a question, mostly because Sol's wolf was starting to feel agitated being around another Alpha. It was bad enough that he was on Alpha Avery's territory, but to be stood alone with him in a room was driving his wolf crazy, knowing that he could have had this too.

The Alpha nodded and smiled, but Sol did not return the kind gesture. The man just wanted to leave back to his cabin with his wolf, where he would be back on his own land.

"Boy, call me Brandon. That is my name."

Sol nodded. "It's disrespectful to call an Alpha by his name." He refused to call the Alpha by his name. He wasn't even a pack member to be on first name basis with the Alpha of the Lupine Woodland Pack.

"Not if its by another Alpha." Alpha Avery – Brandon – smiled. "Because that's what you are, an Alpha. Just like your father." Brandon held eye contact with the young Alpha, reminding him of the status that he had tried to run from nearly his whole life.

When Sol made no move to say anything in reply to Brandon's last reply, Avery chuckled to himself. "Take a seat," the other Alpha hummed softly and stood up, gesturing for Sol to take one of the two seats on the other side of the desk.

Sol allowed himself a brief second to make his decision. Nodding his head, Sol took the seat on the left, the one closest to the door.

This was starting to get unbearable. It also seemed that the Alpha hadn't just called him in here for a friendly chat.

"You don't seem like the kind of man to beat around the bush, so let's get right to it, shall we?" Brandon's attempt at a joke was lost on Sol.

Again, Sol didn't reply. He just sat back in his chair, watching the older man under a scrutinizing stare, pondering what the Alpha's next move would be.

If this was an attack to get rid of him – a possible threat to Alpha Avery's title – Sol wouldn't go down without a fight. Even if he didn't deserve the Alpha title, Sol still had Alpha blood running through his veins, and there was also the fact that Sol was more than half the age of Alpha Avery.

"I'm getting old." Brand chuckled, stating the facts. "And I don't have any children of my own."

It was true, the Alpha was getting old. If Sol had to guess, the man would be just shy of the modest age of 60. He had been Alpha for nearly 40 years, a very long time for an Alpha to rule. But without any children of his own, Alpha Avery didn't have anyone to pass the title onto so had been forced to remain as Alpha.

"Your dad and I used to be good friends," Sol knew this already. Alpha Avery – or Brandy, young Sol used to call him – along with his Luna, Hailey, had visited Sol's pack a countless number of times when he was younger. Their parents had been good friends and their packs had been bonded in a treaty for more than a hundred years. They were neighbouring packs, so it made sense that they had each other's backs.

"You don't need me to remind you of what happened, but I know that this is what your father would have wanted."

The younger man pursed his lips, not feeling like travelling down memory lane. "Where are you going with this?"

"I want you to take over as Alpha for me." Brandon stated simply, having finished beating around the bush. It didn't seem like Sol was the kind of man who liked to play games, sudden and abrupt seemed to be more of his thing.

Sol didn't say anything. For once, he was speechless; he had no words.

"You're a born Alpha."

"I'm not an Alpha." Sol denied and shook his head gently, his hands fisted themselves on his lap.

Brandon sighed. "I know you blame yourself for what happened to your pack, but it really wasn't your fault." When Sol made no indication that he was even listening to other Alpha, Brandon dropped his tone and smoothed it out, his voice gentler this time. "You can't keep blaming yourself."

"It was my fault." His head was hung low in shame, his hair covered his eyes.

Brandon shook his head. "You're the closest thing I have to a son, and you were born an Alpha. I'm going to announce that I am planning to step down as Alpha soon. I haven't spread the word yet, but a tournament will be held here in 3 months where wolves from any pack, both male and female, will be given the chance to fight for the Alpha role."

"And you want me to compete?"

"Yes," Brandon nodded. "If you compete, you're sure to win. You're an Alpha."

"I can't." Sol denied yet again and stood up. Nodding at the Alpha one more time, he turned around and headed for the door.

"Think about it boy," Brandon said from behind him.

Resting his hand against the door knob, Sol closed his eyes and let the other Alpha's words settle against him. "The offer still remains if you decide to change your mind."

"I won't." Sol replied gruffly and opened the door.

Heading down the stairs and out of the pack house, Sol's eyes rested on the wolf who was still giving out rides to the pups. As soon as she saw him, she gently nudged the children off of her and trotted over to stand by his feet.

It's what your father would have wanted.

Alpha Brandon's words rung in his ears as they made the drive home, him and his wolf.

Sol didn't deserve to be Alpha.

-

Layla Knight

11.04.18