Her Rebel

Flowers

Al leaned against the familiar tree, appreciating the sensation of the breeze on his face. The branches sounded above him, and he closed his eyes for a moment, listening and waiting. Addy's scent drifted past him...or it might have just been the field of wildflowers that surrounded them. Still, it reminded him of her. 

He felt Kaleb's presence like a weight around his neck. For once, he just wanted to live his life without fear. Because that's what it was, Al had realized. He'd always been afraid to lose what he had, to be alone, to live a life without love. He still was afraid of it. But he had to trust. 

Al opened his eyes and stared at the sky. It was dark out now. Addy probably didn't even know he was back at the Mansion. He felt guilty that he hadn't spoken to her. But more than that, he ached for her. He missed her in the little spot right behind his rib cage right next to his heart. 

He pressed a hand to his chest when he spoke. "I like this place. Whenever I look at these flowers, I think of Addy. For a long time, I didn't realize why I loved it here so much. I thought it was just because it was beautiful. But now, I know that whenever I come here, I remember better things."

"You two used to come out here all the time," Kaleb said. He was standing a few feet behind Al with his hands resting in his pockets. His dark hair fell down over his forehead, obscuring his good eye. Kaleb's scars glowed in the moonlight. 

"I remember," Al said. "We would pick flowers together. I think she figured out that I liked it here when we were just kids. She'd bring me here when I was feeling down because she knew I needed it." 

Kaleb didn't say anything for a long time. He stepped forward to stand beside Al, looking down at him. "I don't know if anyone ever told you this, but when I first met Kaia, I was in a dark place. I've seen so much pain in my life, the sort you've been lucky enough to never have known."

"It's-"

"I'm not saying your life has been easy, Al. I think I forgot that for a moment. But..." Kaleb looked down, staring at the scars on his arms. "I became Alpha when I was young, too young. It wasn't until I met Kaia that I realized how dark my life was. Because she's my light. The night sky is my field of flowers, Al. I look up and I see Kaia and Addy." 

Al's heart warmed. He felt a strange connection to Kaleb he hadn't felt in a long time. When he was younger, he felt it often. Kaleb had been like another father to him. But lately, Al's vision had been cloudy. He'd just wanted to impress Kaleb, to make Kaleb happy. This was the first genuine moment between them for a long time. 

"Even with Kaia to lean on, being Alpha has been hard. Everything with...with Jacob, and then the fenithrope and London. All I ever thought about was protecting the people that I love. Kaia and Addy more than anyone. But you're also one of those people." 

The breeze whispered the response that Al couldn't find. He decided just to listen. It was simpler that way. Al turned his body towards Kaleb, meeting his Alpha's gaze. 

"I can't protect Addy from becoming Alpha. I have to come to terms with that. But when I found out that you would be her Luna, I thought of all the things I've put Kaia through over the years. I thought of all of her pain, and my gut reaction was to stop it from happening. When I said that I didn't want you two to go through with this, I didn't mean that you aren't good enough for Addy."

Kaleb smiled slightly. He leaned down and picked a white flower, twisting the stem between his fingers. "The thought of you two together makes so much sense that I should have expected it years ago. When I said what I did, I was trying to spare you the responsibility of leadership and the pain that comes with it. I'd somehow forgotten that you are a brilliant, strong, brave young man. You're not a child any longer, and neither is Addy." 

Al let his hair fall in front of his eyes, hanging his head. He felt like he was going to cry. "I didn't know...you thought that." 

"Of course, I do. You've looked after Addy for her entire life. There's no one I would trust more to become her Luna," Kaleb said. "I apologize, Al. I selfishly hurt you, and I regret it." 

Al took a deep breath. His words came out more rushed than he intended. "I admire you. I always have. You and Kaia have changed the world over and over again. You've given me a family, which is more important to me than anything in the world. All I ever wanted was to make you proud." 

Kaleb looked surprised, but it quickly melted into a sort of quiet fondness. "We are proud of you, Albert. You've done away with any doubts I ever had about your bravery, your strength, or your wisdom. When you handled the Rogue in the coffee shop, I realized that you might turn out to be a better Pack leader than I am."

Al smiled, shaking his head. "I don't think that's possible, but thanks." Al took a deep breath. "I love Addy," he whispered. "I love her so much that I don't think I'll ever be able to leave her. I was thinking about what I should do if we couldn't be together. I was going to leave the Pack." 

"You what?" Kaleb asked, his voice rising. "Why the-"

"I knew that I couldn't live with Addy any longer. I didn't want to disobey you as my Alpha and as...as my family. But if I stayed, I would break. I wouldn't be able to stay away from her, and she's the sort of person that doesn't stop until she gets what she wants. It would have been too difficult, so I was going to leave." 

"This is your home, Al," Kaleb said, his voice stern. 

Al smiled, looking at the Pack Mansion. Warm light poured out of the windows, contrasted by the cold blue light of the moon. Al could almost hear people inside, laughing and talking. Al nodded slowly. "I know that."

"Good," Kaleb said. 

"I can do this, Kaleb," Al said. He raised his head and looked at Kaleb. "I can be her Luna. I want to help her, be there for her. I want to keep her safe and watch over her. Even if it does come with pain, I'm ok with that. Because Addy always had been and always will be worth it." 

Kaleb smiled. He held the flower he picked in the air between them. "Ok, then."

Al sighed in relief and took the flower from him. "Thank you." 

"You should go find her. She's probably pissed at you for not saying anything." 

"She definitely is, but I want to see her anyway. I'm alright with being yelled at," Al said, starting to walk down the hill toward the Addy. "You're not coming? You don't want to talk to her?" Al asked, pausing. 

Kaleb shook his head. "You go apologize first. She's angry at me too, remember? Just tell her that I'm...proud of her. And happy for you."

"Is Kaia mad?" 

"Kaia, in her unending wisdom, knew that I was being an idiot before I did. She was never mad. She was just disappointed. Not sure if that's worse. Your brother, though. He shouted at me."

Al chuckled. "That's strangely nice to hear." 

"Go on, then. Go make my daughter smile."

"Yes, sir," Al said, grinning and turning to walk down the hill. He stared at the flower Kaleb had picked and smiled. His heart felt lighter than it had in years. Finally, things made sense. For the first time in ages, he wasn't worried or thinking about a million things. 

He was only thinking about Addy.