"First of all…", Axel's voice trailed and he sucked in a sharp breath as he steeled his resolve to continue talking.
"It's embarrassing to admit, but the truth is that you are stronger than I am. Alpha is the strongest one in the pack for a reason. Other than leading our people, you are also representing our pack in front of others. One needs to earn that honor. If I accept being the Alpha while you are alive and kicking, I won't be able to look people in the eyes. That alone will make me unfit to be an Alpha."
"I don't see myself as stronger than you are, Axel. You can overpower me in a second, and even if I miraculously dodge your first attack, you will defeat me with a polished fighting technique."
Axel shook his head, rejecting Talia's arguments. "You should know that strength is not defined by how heavy a punch is. Just as you are aware that I can overpower you, I know that your abilities can't be measured. You are kind and determined, and you will go above and beyond to improve the livelihood of our people."
Talia was not willing to give up easily. "Why are you making a big deal out of it? How is this different than Alpha Isaac stepping down so that you can take over?"
Axel cocked an eyebrow at Talia. "Father would step down because he is tired and because he believes I'm ready, and that means I am stronger than he is. My wolf won't allow me to challenge you, and that means you are better than I am because my wolf is always eager to fight, but he is not stupid to start something he can't win. Your existence is enough to make me unfit to lead."
Talia was not sure how to respond to this. She knew that Alphas were proud creatures who thrived when their people admired them but what was that about his wolf not allowing him to challenge her? There was no need for a challenge when she would step down on her own.
"You said that was the first thing. What's the second one?"
"Let's assume you abdicate, and I become the Alpha. If our pack is in danger, will you sit aside and watch?", Axel asked.
"No.", Talia responded right away.
Axel smirked. "You can't see our pack members suffer, and you will not only help, but you will also do whatever is necessary to protect our people. That's an Alpha."
"I will help anyone who is in trouble.", Talia tried to reason with him.
"It's not the same, Talia. Because these are our people, we share the bond, and you can feel their emotions. I can assure you that even though you have a good heart, you will treat the needs of the Midnight Guardians pack with urgency."
Talia puffed her cheeks in frustration. Why did he have reasonable counterarguments ready? "And? Is there a third thing? A fourth one? Or more?"
Axel reached to hold Talia's hand. "Just one more." He clasped her hand between his and instructed, "Close your eyes, Talia. Open your mind and soul to the pack and tell me what you feel."
Talia closed her eyes and did as instructed.
A few seconds later, Talia was looking at Axel.
"They are happy.", she said.
"Do you know why?"
"Because of the feast.", Talia responded.
Axel shook his head. "They are excited about the feast, but it's not about the food. They are happy because you are here. Our pack worships you. I know that you will say how you barely spent any time here as an Alpha, but you left a lasting impression. You connected with our people, understood what they want and need, and you are working to make it happen, and that's what a good Alpha does. Do you think I would be a better Alpha than you are? They see me as an extension of our parents while you… you are a fresh breeze that brings exciting changes. Previous Alphas believed they were keeping their pack safe, but they created this cage that was beautiful and suffocating. I can assure you that without you as the Alpha, our people will lose hope, and that will make them suffer."
He gave her hand a squeeze. "You feel the bond with the pack, right? The thought of abandoning our people is hurting you and they will be hurt if you go through with it. They believe in you, and you should believe in yourself because I know you can do it."
Axel smirked, feeling that Talia gave up on the idea to step down. "Don't worry about the workload. I will be your proxy, and with Yasmin, Kai, Meg, and Tyler, we won't disturb you unless it's necessary. We can schedule to meet occasionally where we will discuss current issues and plans for the future. We can create instant transportation points between us and the Dark Howlers pack. That will allow our members to mingle, and you can come here in an instant. Of course, we will be visiting as well."
Talia narrowed her eyes at Axel. "You were preparing for this, didn't you?"
Axel chuckled. He had a lot of time to think about things, and also… "If I didn't see this coming, I wouldn't be worthy of being your proxy, Alpha Talia.", Axel said smugly. "Meg told us about what happened at the Council of the Alphas. I hear that you are the most powerful Alpha. I would be stupid to let you go without a fight."
Talia knew what he was talking about. It was about the glowing sphere and the Guardians, and that reminded her… "I want to look into existing records to see if there is a connection between our pack and the Guardians."
"That's not a problem." He stood up and walked to one of the desks and then he got something from the top drawer.
Talia wondered if he had that information handy already, but then Axel handed her a notebook.
Talia opened the first page, and she saw writings organized in bullet points. Names, timestamps, and descriptions.
Axel explained, "The Red Moon pack wants a meeting with the Alpha of the Midnight Guardians pack, and it seems they are eager to meet with you. Among several emails, Beta Raymond called twice, and Alpha Edward personally called once. They also asked for an address where they can send a package."
"A package?", Talia asked, confusion obvious on her face. What would Alpha Edward send her? A bomb?
Axel shrugged, indicating that he didn't know more than that. "Of course, I didn't give him an address. That's a human thing and it's not like we have a post office handy. I asked them what they want to send, but they said how that's for Alpha Talia to find out."
Talia frowned at this and continued reading things that were written while Axel spoke.
"You are invited to the party to celebrate the sixteenth birthday of young Alpha James."
Birthdays of high-ranking pack members were used as a way to strengthen existing and create new connections. She would be invited as Damon's Luna anyway. Will she go? James is a nice guy, and by then Dawn will be there also, so Talia could visit her to ensure that her friend was doing well. However, Alpha Edward made Talia's skin crawl and that packhouse was full of bad memories. What if she bumps into Anna (aka her personal Omega bully) and Anna recognizes her? Will Damon go?
There were too many things to consider and Talia decided to think about James' birthday later.
Talia turned the page of the notebook and paused. "Guardians?"
