Chapter 212

Carol’s POV

“I’m sorry, what?” Alison’s mother asked.

I turned to look at her mother and gave her a compassionate smile.

“I want your daughter to join our pack,” I told her.

“The Capitol,” Aiden told them.

Alison’s father’s eyes grew large as he stared at Aiden.

“I knew I recognized you,” he said, shock evident in his tone. “You’re the future Alpha of the pack. You are also the star hockey player, Aiden Cruz. I’m a huge fan of the Statford Freeze.”

“He’s no longer the future Alpha, he’s now the actual Alpha,” I explained, wrapping an arm through his arm. “And I’m his Luna and wife.”

“I didn’t hear that the Capitol’s Alpha stepped down,” he said, rubbing the top of his head as he thought more about that.

“It was kind of kept out of the media,” Aiden explained. “We hadn’t had an official press conference for the other packs yet. But that’ll come soon enough. We are taking care of some other business before we involve other packs and make our new leadership known.”

Alison’s father nodded thoughtfully.

“What are your jobs here?” I asked suddenly, drawing their attention to me.

Alison’s father looked at me.

“I’m one of the Gamma warriors,” he explained. “I’m in charge of the night security on the North border.”

I looked at Alison’s mother.

“And you?” I asked her.

“I’m just a stay-at-home mom,” she said lowering her gaze.

I smiled at her.

“Don’t sell yourself too short; that role is very important. Does the whole family live here in the manor?”

“Oh, goddess no,” Alison’s mother said with a nervous chuckle. “We live in a small home closer to the borders northside. Only Alison lives in the manor because she was one of the maids.”

I nodded and looked up at Aiden, who was still staring at Alison’s father. It seemed as if he was thinking deeply about something. I put a hand on his arm to draw his attention to me.

“What are you thinking?” I asked him.

“I was thinking we could always use a new Gamma warrior,” Aiden surprised me by saying. “What is your name?”

Alison’s father blinked a couple of times before he answered.

“Rick,” he answered, bowing his head in respect to Aiden. “And this is my wife, Hazel.”

Alison’s mother Hazel gave a polite and yet nervous smile up at Aiden.

“And this is my daughter, Emily, and my son Adam,” Rick continued. “My wife is pregnant, and we aren’t sure what she’s having yet.”

Aiden nodded thoughtfully.

“If you are willing to change your allegiance to me as your Alpha and accept the Capitol as your new pack, you can move with your daughter to the Capitol. We can set everything up for you,” Aiden offered.

“Change our allegiance?” Rick asked, looking at his wife’s worried gaze. “I… I’m not sure we can. We’ve lived here for most of our lives, and I am one of the top Gamma’s in the empire.”

“I understand that,” Aiden told him. “But wouldn’t you want to be close to Alison? Assuming that Alison would like to come to the Capitol instead of becoming a rogue.”

I looked at Alison who was watching this entire conversation with large eyes. When her eyes met mine, I saw a flicker of hope and excitement.

“You really want to me to come to the Capitol?” She asked. “I’ve never been there before… I don’t know what to expect.”

“It’s a large pack,” I told her. “But not as large as the empire and it’s more city-based than anything. It’ll take some time to get used to; but we have plenty of room in the packhouse and we can set you up quickly. I’m sure you’ll like it there and it’s a lot better than being a rogue.”

She bit her lip as she looked over at her mother.

“Do you think I should?” She asked her mother.

“You’d be crazy not to!” It was her younger sister, Emily, said, folding her arms across her chest. She didn’t look much younger than Alison, maybe by a couple of years. She then looked up at her father. “I want to go too! Can we? It sounds great there and I don’t want to be far away from Ally.”

Her father still looked apprehensive as he looked down at his wife who was holding her son protectively.

“This is a lot,” he admitted. “I think we need to talk it over. Maybe discuss it with the King?” He suggested.

Hazel nodded, her mind elsewhere.

“But I’d like it if Alison were to go. It would be better than her becoming a rogue. Thank you, Alpha, for this chance and for saving my daughter,” Rick said, bowing his head.

Aiden smiled and held out his hand for Rick to shake. Rick looked at it for a moment and then he took Aiden’s hand, shaking it firmly.

“You have my word that she’ll be safe at the Capitol. In the meantime, think about my offer. We can have a home for you made and a position on the Gamma force.”

Rick’s eyes grew large again.

He nodded.

“I finished packing,” Alison said, putting her suitcase on the ground. “I didn’t have much. I’m not allowed to remain in this manor. He wants me out of his pack by tomorrow night.”

“Let me speak with him and see if we can extend that for a little bit longer,” I suggested. “Aiden and his beta are leaving in a couple of days, and you can return to the Capitol with them.”

“For right now, let’s get you home,” Rick said, grabbing her suitcase. “You could use some rest.”

Emily ran to her sister and hugged her, tears in her eyes.

“I’m so glad you aren’t going to be a rogue,” she said sweetly.

Alison beamed and patted her sister’s back.

“Me too,” she replied. She then looked at me and her smile grew wide. “Thank you.”

I nodded.

“We should get some rest too,” Aiden said, wrapping an arm around me and pulling me into his side. “We can talk to the king in the morning.”

I nodded and said goodbye to Alison and her family before retreating from the room and going back downstairs and into the servant’s quarters. Alison and her family followed us down the stairs.

Eleanora jumped to her feet and rushed towards Alison.

“How are you, dear?” She asked. “Are you holding up okay? Do you need anything?”

Alison smiled at her.

“You’ve always been so kind to me, Nora,” Alison told her, hugging her. “Thank you for everything and treating me like a doctor. I will miss you.”

Tears slipped down Eleanora’s cheeks.

“You will be missed here as well. Will you be going rogue as the King ordered? Or will you be going to the Capitol?”

“I’m going to the Capitol,” she answered.

I heard some sighs of relief and light clapping from those in earshot. They were happy she decided to return to the Capitol with us; it meant she had a real chance at life.

“We’ll be leaving now,” I told them. “It was very nice to meet you, Eleanore. I hope we get a chance to meet again while I’m here.”

Eleanore nodded and gave me a small smile. I took Aiden’s hand and together we left the servant’s quarters. We traveled to the other end of the manor until we reached the private suites. I was exhausted after the last couple of days, and I just wanted to crawl into bed and sleep.

When I opened the door to my suite, I was surprised to see that Oliver and Fiona were seated on the couch, cuddling. They broke apart when they heard the door opening and Fiona was quick to jump to her feet.

“What are you guys doing in here?” I asked with a smile as I stepped further into the room.

“Fiona insisted on waiting for you. She wanted to make sure you were okay before we went to bed,” Oliver answered, shaking his head at his mate.

“Awe, I’m okay,” I assured her, turning my attention to Fiona. “Honest.”

She looked over me carefully and then let out a breath that I’m sure she’d been hiding.

“I was just worried,” she admitted. “I don’t like the idea that Jenna’s suite is near yours. Who knows what she’ll try next.”

“I don’t think she will try anything right now unless she wants to cause suspicion,” I told her. “You can rest for tonight. We can talk again tomorrow and come up with a plan to keep everyone safe.”

She nodded and then wrapped her arms around me.

“I love you,” she said softly. “Goodnight.”

She took Oliver’s hand as soon as she pulled away from me. I watched as they left the suit, leaving Aiden and me alone. I leaned against him as he ran his fingers up my back, providing me with warmth and love. I peeked up at him through my lashes and gave him a warm smile.

“We are finally alone,” I told him thoughtfully and successfully. He smirked and lowered himself, so he was at eye level with me.

“What do you suggest we do?” He asked teasingly.

I bit my lower lip.

“I could think of a few things.”