Chapter 347: Eleven Heads and Heavy Truths

Chapter 346: Eleven Heads and Heavy Truths

Sophia stared at Orion for a long moment, her brows knitting together in disbelief.

"Do you... even know how to count?" she asked slowly, suspicion thick in her voice. "There are ten people on the council."

Orion blinked once.

Then he chuckled. A low, warm sound that washed over Sophia and immediately made her whole body warm. No matter how many times she heard that sound from him... she still had the same reaction. And she wasn’t sure if it was ever going to change.

Honestly, she didn’t even want it to change.

"Shorty, including you," Orion said, "that makes eleven."

Sophia paused in shock.

"Did I hear you correctly?" she asked him.

"Unless you suddenly have an issue with hearing, then yes, you did," Orion told her.

"But I... how? Why?" she asked him.

Orion arched a brow. "You didn’t think things would just go back to how they were, did you?"

Sophia hesitated.

"You and I," he continued, his voice calmer now, more serious, "we’re not exactly a secret anymore. You’re my mate, Sophia. That comes with... expectations. Responsibilities. You’ll have duties within the pack."

She nodded slowly. "I know that. I just didn’t think I’d be dragged into council matters. That’s for you, right? You are the alpha, the leader of the pack. I’m just your mate."

Orion tilted his head, studying her like she had just said something profoundly confusing. "Why does your brain sometimes refuse to work the way it’s expected to?"

Sophia just gave him a look.

Orion sighed. "One, don’t you ever limit yourself to being ’just my mate,’" he told her, using air quotes.

"You are not just my mate, Sophia," he said. "You are my partner. Both of us are partners, and we are equals."

"But... but that’s not how it’s done. The mate or alpha’s partner is normally below—"

"And where did you get that information from?" he asked her calmly.

Sophia frowned. She opened her mouth, then closed it, because she realized she didn’t even know where she got it from. She had just thought it was the way of things.

Orion sighed. "Honestly," he told her, "some packs operate the way you just described, but this pack has never operated that way. You and I are equals. I report to you, and you do to me. And I wouldn’t have it any other way. The only way I’m going to be above you is if it’s during sex—and with you writhing below me."

Orion told her this with a wide smile.

Sophia gave him an unimpressed look, which only made him chuckle. 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

"Anyways, back to what we were discussing. You being my mate and my partner automatically makes you a part of the council," he told her.

Sophia paused. "B—but would they let it happen? The rest of the council?" she asked him.

Orion gave her a look. Sometimes Sophia appeared so bold and courageous, and then other times she was hesitant and shy. Perhaps that was also one of the reasons why he was absolutely smitten with her.

"I’ll let you in on a secret, shorty. While I’m the head of the pack and, yes, also head the council meetings, the ones who actually rule those meetings—the ones truly in charge—are the three musketeers," he told her.

Sophia frowned. "Three musketeers?"

Orion nodded. "Old people who are always up to date with every bit of gossip in the pack, who pushed for you and me to get together, then thought I was into men at one point, then got angry for me misleading them."

Sophia stared at him with suspicion. "Are you talking about the same people I’m thinking about?"

Orion smiled at her. "If you’re thinking about Daniel, Madam Tyler, and Caspian, then yes, you’re right."

Sophia nodded. "So you’re telling me they rule the council meetings?"

"Something like that. And they also like you—a lot. I mean, the others like you too, but if the three musketeers say no, most people will obey them. What I’m trying to say is, the council likes you. The three most difficult people to impress on the council are already waiting for you to take up your position and start working, because they feel you’ll be more approachable and less troublesome than I am. Oh—and you’re more hardworking than I am too."

Sophia smiled at that. "So I have no issue with the council? They already accept me?"

"Yes. And that means you should get that thought about them not accepting you out of your head, okay? They already accept you. The people against us being together are other members of the pack—not them," he told her.

Sophia nodded, taking his words in.

"Regarding work, I... can I start after the test?" she asked Orion.

"If it were up to me, there would be no work," Orion told her with a smile. "But yes. Yes, you can."

Sophia wasn’t even the least bit surprised by the answer, because Orion was known for skipping work... a lot.

She reached for the book on the table, playing with the pages as silence settled between them again—not uncomfortable, but heavy, laden with thoughts neither of them rushed to voice.

After a while, Orion spoke.

"Are you sure about taking the test?"

Sophia looked up. "The placement test?"

He nodded. "Yes. Are you sure about taking it, especially after what you saw at the shrine?"

She didn’t hesitate this time. "Yes."

He searched her face, perhaps looking for cracks in her resolve. Finding none, he sighed. "You’ve already decided."

"I have," she said simply. "And I’m not backing out now."

"Why?" he asked quietly.

She swallowed. "Because I hate leaving things unfinished. I started this—there was a reason I joined—and I’m not one to do things halfway. You know that."

Orion knew that.

He held her gaze for a long moment, then nodded. "Alright."

Relief flickered briefly across her features—until he added, "But you need to be careful."

"If anything strange happens during the test," he said firmly, "anything at all—you stop. You give up. No arguments."