Chapter 26: Brandon
The Oracle turns to the pack and says, "I give you Gamma Devin Laoch and Delta Xander Hawthorne."
The pack stands and cheers. The feelings of acceptance and love flow from all of us to our new leadership group. In a few days, we will do this again for me. I can't wait to be standing there, to complete what I have been trained for, what I've strived towards my whole life. A feeling of longing sweeps through me, knowing of the bond that those five now share.
Suddenly, above all the noise, I hear Devin yell, "MATE!" I am pulled out of my thoughts just in time to see him grab Xander. He yanks the right side of Xander's collar aside, ripping the shirt nearly in half in the process. He bites into Xander's neck, marking him as his mate.
I freeze and so does the pack as Xander's surprised shout turns into a hiss of pain, then a groan that is better heard in the bedroom. Devin pulls back, his fangs retracting as he laps the wounds at Xander's neck, sealing them. Xander quivers in his hold, a strangled moan leaving his throat.
"Shit, Devin," Xander says quietly. But with the room so silent and our wolf hearing, I know everyone can hear him. "I thought you could at least wait until most of the pack had left."
Devin chuckles, nuzzling his mate's neck. "You should know that I'm not that patient."
Xander kisses Devin's cheek. "No, you're not," he replies, laughter edging his words. "What's done is done. My turn now." More gently than Devin did, only in the sense that he lets Devin's shirt remain whole, Xander pulls his mate's collar aside and marks him as well.
Devin, who has always been a fan of pain and pleasure mixed, voices his pleasure loudly throughout the hall. There is a reason that we usually mark each other in private. It usually leads to...other things.
When Xander is done with his ministrations to Devin's neck, the two turn to the pack. It is at this point that I finally pull my gaze from the two of them. Like me, my father is stunned. The shock is clearly written all over his face, as well as the faces around me at the high table. And everyone in the hall. Except for the three faces that I expect it from the most.
Zak stares at Devin, a look of resignation on his face. He rubs his hand down his face and softly says, "You couldn't have waited 10 more minutes?"
Charlie looks elated, almost defiant to those who aren't as happy as she is for the newly mated pair.
The Oracle, still wrapped in the glow of the moon's rays and the power of our Goddess, smiles indulgently at Xander and Devin. "Oh, Alpha. They have waited all day. Cut them a little slack."
Former-Alpha Jared suddenly stands. He has always been an imposing figure, even standing at 5 and a half feet tall. What he lacks in height, he makes up for in muscle and brute strength. I would call him the stereotypical meathead if I wasn't afraid of him beating me into the ground. His face is so like Zak's, though his coloring is different. Where Zak is a study in browns and golden hues, Former-Alpha Jared is pale. His hair is lighter, reds shooting through it when it catches the light just right. His normally placid face is contorted in rage as he stares at Xander and Devin. "What the FUCK is going on?!?!" he demands.
Minutes later, we are standing in Zak's study. Extra chairs had to be brought in to fit all of the elders in the pack, which is composed of all the previous leadership. Meaning our parents, grandparents, and, in Charlie's case, a great-grandparent. The pack had been dismissed and orders were given not to disturb us.
Zak and Charlie sit in two large chairs in between the two couches in the room. I stand behind them, too keyed up at this point to sit. I don't really understand what is going on and I think that it's probably a good idea to shut-up and listen. I'm not sure what I feel or think at this point. This is just...I don't even know. How is this even fucking possible?
Xander and Devin sit to their left, hands and fingers entwined. The Oracle sits next to them. Everyone else, three sets of parents, Xander's mother, my father, eight sets of grandparents, and Charlie's great-grandmother have taken seats wherever they could find. Except Zak's father, who paces the floor by the window wall.
Zak, Charlie, Xander, Devin, and The Oracle seem entirely too calm for all that this situation entails. Devin and Xander will have to break the mate bond, which will likely kill one, if not both, of them. Either that or they will both have to relinquish their positions. Frankly, both options fucking suck.
"WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING?" Devin's father screams at him. The former-gamma's face is red with rage, his body visibly shaking with his effort to control his wolf. "Not only did you mark a male as your mate, but you had to do it in front of the ENTIRE FUCKING PACK?!?!"
"Richard, sit down before you have an aneurysm," Lauren, Richard's mate and Devin's mother, interjects. Her tone is tired, slightly put out. Lauren never seems phased by anything. She lives by the philosophy of live and let live. "We've known Devin is gay for years. If the Goddess truly matches people based on who is best for them, this only makes sense." She stands and walks to Xander. Putting out her arms, she embraces him while he is sitting, leaving him little choice in the matter.
Turning to her son, she says, "I just want you to be happy, Dev. Even if that means that you are no longer the Gamma of our pack. If Xander makes you happy, then I am happy for you." She kisses Devin on the cheek and hugs him to her chest.
"Actually, he is still the Gamma," The Oracle says, taking a sip of the tea she had been given before all of the omegas were shooed from the room.
"Yes, technically, he's the Gamma," my father says, annoyance lacing through his voice. "But obviously this can't stand. They can't produce an heir."
"And what will you do, Beta? Challenge Gamma Devin and Delta Xander for their titles?" The Oracle's face is peaceful, her tone matter-of-fact. "They were both inducted into their roles, accepted by the pack, and blessed by the Mother. Unless they step down or are defeated in a challenge, they have their titles. Unless you mean to speak with Lady Selene about her choice of mating them? That should be entertaining."
Holy shit, she's right. There's nothing that can be done. Zak and Charlie just sit there listening. They don't seem tense or worried, almost as if they...no. No fucking way. They knew! They knew and they didn't say anything to me. We've spent almost every minute together for the past two days and they didn't tell me.
"So, what? This is the end of the Laoch bloodline? They have been the Gamma of this pack since its inception," Former-Alpha Jared asks, his pacing slowing, but not stopping.
"That is not what I said," The Oracle said.
"What the fuck does that even mean?" Former-Gamma Richard screams, standing and literally pulling his hair with both of his hands. He is seeing his entire life's work and family legacy going down the drain. I feel for the man, but he really needs to calm his ass down.
"That's enough, Richard!" Zak firmly states from his seat. He is not quite using his Alpha tone, but it's close.
Former-Gamma Richard immediately sits down, smoothing his hair and running his hands over his face. "I'm sorry, Alpha."
"It is not me you should be apologizing to. You just screamed and cursed at the holiest person in our pack, the literal mouthpiece of our Goddess. I get that you are angry and confused, but that is unacceptable," Zak continues, reprimanding a man who is twice his age. "This is your one warning. Do it again, and there will be consequences." His tone never wavers, nor does his gaze, but there is something in his aura. Something powerful and strong. It demands submission. It is the power of an Alpha. Zak rarely, if ever, uses his Alpha power. He doesn't need to, not with his skills in negotiation and the respect that the pack has for him. The use of his aura shows that he is truly upset.
Former-Gamma Richard lowers his gaze and bares his neck in submission. "I am sorry, Oracle. I meant no disrespect."
"I understand,Former-Gamma. You are looking for answers. Unfortunately, I cannot give you all of your answers yet. There are other...events that must occur before full answers can be given. But, what I can say is that the Goddess wished for this to happen. She specifically came to Devin to tell him that this was preordained and blessed," the Oracle says.
My jaw drops, as does everyone else's in the room.
The former-alpha finally stops pacing. He faces the Oracle, his face somewhat slack. "The Goddess made an appearance?" he whispers. "When? Why?"
Looking to Devin, the Oracle nods her head.
Taking a deep breath, Devin begins. "The night that Xander and I met, two nights ago, I felt a pull to the training grounds. The Goddess was there, waiting for me in Lucille's body. She had...many important things to say. Like Lucille said, I can't say everything that Mother Selene told me. Everything that Lucille heard her say. Not yet. But soon, we can tell you. Just trust that the Goddess wants this. She knows what she is doing. She wouldn't have mated us if there wasn't a reason."
"And we are supposed to just trust you?" my father says, doubt clear in his tone.
"No," the Oracle says. "You are supposed to trust the Goddess."