Secrets of the Unity (Available on Inkitt)

Chapter 19: Partial Truth: Part 1

Olivia

"Say what now?!" I asked in shock at my grandfather's revelation.

"Your mother is the Empress of the Unity, Olivia," he repeated. Grandpa Tyson scanned my face, skeptically as I stared at him blankly, my eyes wide like saucers, as if I was in a trance. He was waiting for me to reply.

"Ho-How is that possible?" I thought aloud. My grandfather took my words as a literal question.

"I just explained it to you-" He deadpanned, but I cut him off.

"Yeah! I got that! But it just doesn't make any sense... Why would Mom keep something like this from me and Kyson our whole lives? I just don't understand." I mumbled that last part to myself. I was truly confused, and quite frankly, hurt.

Grandpa Ty saw the hurt expression on my face and quickly stepped in to defend his daughter and her friends. "Look, Olivia..." He reached forward and grabbed my hands in his in a comforting manner. "I know this may seem like a shock to you, and you may have your feelings about this, but I can assure you that your mother and her friends' pasts are not easy ones to discuss.

"The story of the Unity is a nasty and heartbreaking one. And I'm sure that if Daffodil and Broady didn't tell you and Kyson, it was probably because they didn't want to burden you with the ghosts of their pasts."

His words did little to make me feel better about being kept in the dark. And what he said next only made it worse.

"Besides, there is no right way to tell your baby girl that she's next in line to take over a Unity that's quite literally in shambles. And that she may or may not have to be the one to bring it back together."

My eyes widened even further. What in the actual fuck is he talking about?!

"Excuse me?! What do you mean, 'next in line to take over the Unity'?! I can't do that!" I rushed, my panic was starting to sink in.

"Yes... you can. It's your birthright, Olivia."

His words only confused me more. "But I'm not the eldest, Kyson is. He's the first in line to take over the Unity, not me!"

"Unfortunately, that's not how it works with the Empress Tribe. The women lead, not the men. It's an honest and old dynamic of our pack that was said to be put in place by the Moon Goddess, millennia ago when she walked the earth." My grandfather explained. But my confusion only grew. When he saw my confused expression, he took the liberty to explain further.

"For tribal wolves, most specifically, the Empress Tribe, men don't take over the Alpha position. Even if the woman is crowned as the Empress and later finds her mate, she stays in charge and rules. The man is by her side as the Alpha as well. Everyone treats him as a normal pack would treat their Luna. That is why your mother was crowned Empress—or in normal terms, Alpha— of Elemental Spirit... That's how it's always been."

"But Mom always said that you were the greatest Alpha of all time. So how is that the tradition if you stayed Alpha even after you mated with Nana Shanell?" I asked.

"Well... I'm an only child. And when you're an only child—no matter the gender—you take over the title. For me, since I'm a male, I'd take my place and run the pack as Alpha until I meet my mate, and then it'd come down to a choice... My mate would decide if she wanted to take over as the Empress, or if she preferred to stay Luna and rule by my side.

"When I came of age, I was crowned Emperor of my pack. When I met your grandmother, Shanell, I gave her the choice of becoming the Empress or staying my Luna. I was more than willing to step down, but she refused the position, saying that she wanted nothing to do with running a pack. She was fine with being at my side, and so the Empress Tribe stayed with a male Alpha for a while, until the twins were born." He finished, looking at me expectantly.