Chapter 80

Jacke's POV

As I continued showing Pete around the basement, answering his questions as they came, I realized that I had come a long way since the times when I first placed these items here. If you had asked me a century ago if I would be willing to show this room to anyone outside my family, I would've choked you with your own hands for asking a stupid question. Yet, here I was, showing Pete these artifacts from my past as if I had known the man my whole life. We continued going through the room with many questions asked and answered, and finally arrived at the most recent artifacts I had stored down here.

"This is the sword that belonged to a nobleman I had killed a decade or so ago, he had a significant bounty on his head, and I was bored that day. I grabbed two of my family members, got in one of my trucks, and flew out to Europe; He had been abusing his money and political influence to further his ends, without any care in the world for how it had affected his 'subjects'," I said as I picked up the blade, and took it out of its leather sheath, "1 meter in length, 1 and a half kilograms in weight, and sharpened to a 'T'. The bastard never even used the thing, he just kept it around to look pretty. So, when the time came, I had already taken the blade and sharpened it before plunging it deep into his heart. No one even knew he died until he was called for a council meeting and didn't respond."

"You certainly have a lot of history to share, don't you? May I hold it?" Pete asked as he studied the blade, he took in every detail as I handed it to him, "You said this nobleman just had this blade sitting in his home? Collecting dust?"

"Yes, and I took it and place it here as a trophy. Most of the weapons you've seen down here, I come down here and sharpen, maintaining them. In all honesty, I believe that leaving a weapon to dust is not only dishonoring the weapon but its wielder as well."

"You've been around the world many times over, that much is certain," He said as he handed the blade back, I put it back in its sheath and set it down, "If you ask me, I think you've got quite the collection here, and would agree that it would be a shame for it to sit down here for nothing."

"So, is that a yes to the museum idea?"

"That's not a yes, that's a guarantee, my friend, I'll make some calls later today to get-"

"There's no need, I already called my people and let them know what I would need for it, I'm just going to need some time to get everything set up. Maybe some extra hands as well, Alex, obviously, a couple of members of my family, and a set or two of extra hands you'd be willing to provide."

"Well, you'll have my help wherever you may need it, and I'll check to see if Mason will join us on this project as well. For now, let's go back upstairs to chat, it's getting rather musty down here," Pete said as he headed for the ladder, I joined him after taking a final glance at the altar and followed him up the ladder upstairs.

We got upstairs and I locked the hatch before following Pete back into the kitchen and grabbed another drink for myself, and one for him. I took a seat in the living room across from him as I started considering how we would go about building this museum. It wouldn't be easy as setting up display cases, signs for explanations of the past, and more certain isn't easy. Pete was able to see right through me, probably seeing that this was rather stressful for me to think about.

"I understand that sharing your past like this may not be easy for you, whether that be psychologically or physically, I get it. However, I would agree with both you and Alex that this is a great idea. It would allow for confidence within the pack that you trust them, at least to some degree, while also allowing them to get to know their new Luna. If nothing else, I'm sure that Alex is ecstatic that you're this open to trust us, and I can promise you that your trust won't be betrayed by us," He said as he took a sip of his soda, before giving me a thrilling look, "You know, I haven't had a soda in years, for health reasons. I have to ask, what is this?"

"That, my friend, is my soda: I made it from scratch, a combination of the standard recipe for cola, with cherry, and vanilla flavorings, along with an extra kick of energy; and before you freak out, No, it isn't caffeine. I learned that caffeine has a negative drop after the energy rush, and I didn't like that facet, so, I worked with some of my friends to find a healthier alternative."

"It's delicious! I don't think I've ever had something this tasty before," He said before taking another sip, "It's like I'm drinking something straight out of paradise, it's so good."

"Well, I always enjoyed soda when I was younger, but as I got older I realized I couldn't drink soda all the time, especially without drinking water, which was a bad habit I had. So, to fix it, I made a drink that I could have that wouldn't kill my body, while simultaneously giving me the energy I sometimes needed when I woke up feeling abysmally groggy," I said as I took a sip of my own, "It's rather ironic how I came across the basis for this drink. I had finished a Cola and wasn't getting the desired rush, so I went to a gas station and filled a fifty-two-ounce cup with sixteen of their energy shots, eight shots of their cherry, and eight of their vanilla flavoring, added a little bit of ice and filled it with Cola. That was the first instance of Lucifer's Cola I ever made, and when I say that the rush didn't end, I mean I had enough energy to finish all of my coursework, play video games for hours, and only felt the drop when I blacked out the following morning."

"So, essentially, it didn't start this way. I take it there was a lot of trial and error?"

"Years worth of trial and error, it took me two decades to get it anywhere close to where it is now, and even more to get it to the state it's in now, what I consider to be perfect for my needs in a drink like this."

We continued talking for a couple of hours, ranging from some of my favorite historical events to some of my most traumatic moments. Through all that we talked about, Pete's gaze didn't change throughout the whole conversation, he was accepting of me even as I told him some of the darker moments in my past. I wasn't expecting him to be this accepting of me, he was genuinely kind, and considerate when he responded and asked questions about what I was talking about.

"May I ask you a question of my own, Pete?"

"Of course, it'd be rather inconsiderate if I didn't satiate your curiosities."

"Why are you so accepting of all of this? There have been people that I met who even the slightest mentions of my past and they would yell or scream, calling me a monster or a horror, yet you're so calm and accepting of all this," I asked as Alex walked through the doors, she stood behind Pete's chair but didn't say anything, which I appreciated wholeheartedly.

"To be frank, Jacke, I found myself in a situation very similar to what you've been through. People call you a monster or terror simply because you're different because you aren't what they would consider being 'normal'. I would say that normality is utter bullshit, it's such obscurity because 'normal' means something different to everyone. You could ask one hundred people what normal meant to them, and I can almost guarantee you, no two people would give the same answer," He said as he finished his drink and stood up to throw the bottle away, "I would go so far as to say that normality isn't even real because everyone in this world is abnormal. We're all unique beings, and we all have our pasts. Some would want to ignore their pasts and pretend that they're perfectly fine, which they're entitled to, even if I don't think that it's healthy; Meanwhile, others accept their past experiences, and their flaws, and use them as motivation to be better every day. To me, Jacke, that's the kind of person that you are: You know your flaws, but instead of wallowing in them, letting them eat you up inside, you've embraced them and accepted them as part of who you are, using them to inspire you to be better."

He turned around and saw Alex standing with a shocked look on her face, patting her shoulder and signaling for her to take a seat, before heading to the kitchen and throwing away his soda. He sat back down and brought Alex up to speed on where our conversation was. She slapped me lightly when he brought up me asking why he was so accepting, and told me her entire family was as accepting as he was.

"I don't always agree with my niece, Jacke, but here she's entirely right. As dysfunctional as we can be, our family would be nothing if not accepting of others. We may not outright trust just anyone who walks in claiming to have good intentions, but you've done more than prove yourself not just to me, but to the pack as a whole," He said before sitting back down, "And as much as I've enjoyed our conversation, I'm sure that Alex wants to take you upstairs, but I would also suggest you grab some food before the rest of our family comes up here to eat. Avoiding the chaos that this rabble can be, it'll do you some good."

"Thank you, Pete, we will," Alex said before standing up and taking my hand with her.

We stopped by the kitchen and grabbed some food, some fruit, and a couple of pre-made sandwiches, before heading upstairs. Alex didn't let go of my hand the entire time, and I could tell she was at least a little stressed from her day. When we got to our room she put our food down on the dresser and grabbed my shoulders to push me onto the bed.

"Something tells me you've had a long day, Alpha."

"Let's just say I've got a lot of tension to burn off, Love," She said before licking her mark on my neck, and I tried my damndest not to give her the satisfaction she was looking for, but I failed.

"Tonight's going to be a long night, isn't it?"

"Considering I've had to deal with twice the stress I normally do with my pack duties. Yes, Love, yes it is."

She took her hoodie off before pulling me on top of her, pulling my shirt off, and I could already tell where she was going with this. Nervous as I was, she'd waited long enough, and she could tell I was anxious but assured me she wasn't going to be as drastic as I thought. She continued licking and toying around the area of my neck she'd marked, taking pride in the noises I let out.

"I'm way in over my head here, aren't I?"

"Just a tad, Love, but I'll be gentle. After all, I am The Criminal's Alpha, aren't I?"