Sapphire Moon

Lila

*Oliver's POV* {Back to present.}

I gently picked up Lila and laid her on another tissue in the palm of my hand. She slightly adjusted herself, which signaled to me that she was still alive. 'I'm glad she didn't die.' I thought to myself. While I'm not sure I would've cared too much before we met, I care about her now. I mean, she did save James' life. My thoughts simmered down as I entered the conference room and met with the two curious faces of Devin and Shawn. I walked around the table and sat at the head. I carefully slid Lila and the tissues off of my hand and onto the table before me. Devin and Shawn looked at her with awe and then raised their gazes to meet mine.

'So, what are we going to do with her now?' Devin asked me. 'Are we letting her go? Kill her? Keep her trapped? I know she saved James' life, but are we going to overlook her actions in the forest?' I couldn't help but ask myself these same questions on the way here.

"I honestly think we should give her a chance..."

"WHAT?! Are you crazy? That faery was the queen of those sprites. You think letting her live is going.... going to help?" Shawn had cut me off. You could see his eyes were shifting color between his and his wolf's, which meant his emotions were high.

"Shawn, I understand your concern, but.... Lila did save James from the brink of death. Kate, I'm sure, will be on Lila's side. I am usually a good judge of character, and I don't sense any kind of bad intentions radiating off of her. Look at her, both of you...." Devin and Shawn both stared at Lila's sleeping form. "Do you see how peaceful she is right now?" They both nod. "That is what trust looks like. She trusts me enough to not put her in danger. Did it ever occur to you that maybe she wants to be here? I mean, she could've left while I was in the shower, or even on the way here. Yet, she didn't. I want to give her a chance to explain everything she knows, see what type of additional information on that faery she might have, and give her the option to stay here. What do you guys think?"

'Oliver, you're crazy. You know that right? As your Beta, and best friend, I have to give you a challenge or back you up. You know very well that I enjoy both.' Devin linked to me and Shawn with a smirk. I watched him look back at Lila, then back to me. 'Throughout the years, I have only ever doubted your judgement once which was when you left this morning. However, that doubt faded when you returned with this sprite and she healed James. Clearly you have some sort of clairvoyance that you have yet to figure out....' he took a big breath and finished, 'I trust you more than anything, Alpha. If you say Lila can be trusted, I will help make her feel welcome.'

"What about you?" I asked Shawn, who gave a huge sigh.

"I guess I don't have any option but to trust your gut. I'm still going to keep an eye on her. You may trust her, but I need her to earn mine." Shawn replied.

Just as we had finished our conversation about Lila, she started to stir. Soon she sat up and stretched out with a big yawn. Well, as big of a yawn a small sprite could. She realized that she's not in my room any longer and started to panic until I put my hand out to her. Lila looked up and let out a big breath, I'm guessing she didn't know she was holding. She smiled up at me and started to flitter around the room.

"Lila, this is Devin, my Beta." I motioned toward Devin. "You've already met my Gamma Shawn. We needed to catch up on what's happened in the last 24 hours, and you." I told her as she came to a stop in the middle of the table between us boys.

"Hello Devin, it's a pleasure to meet you. I bet you're good at everything you do." she teased with a smirk. Lila turns toward Shawn and glares, "No need to introduce us, he's already on my shit list." She spun back around toward me and said, "So.... What are you guys going to do with me? I know that's what you were really catching up on. What's the damage?"

"Well Lila, you're partly right. We did talk about you, but here's the thing, myself and Beta Devin would like to offer you the option to stay here." Lila looks at me with wide eyes and gasped, covering her mouth. If you looked close enough, you could see the tears welling up. I couldn't tell if she was happy that I asked her to stay or upset that she wouldn't be able to go back to her home. "While Shawn isn't quite sure if we should trust you, I'm convinced you wouldn't have saved James if you had ill intentions. You may have to earn Shawn's trust, if you choose to stay."

"Are you being genuine? I can't see between these tears." she cried. "I'd love to stay! This little time away, went from being plucked from my home to being so relaxing; not having to worry about other sprites and their intentions has allowed me to see the world as it is and not just what lies in wait for me."

"I am. I know that you have been enjoying our time together, but would you be willing to answer any questions we ask? I know Devin has his own questions for you, but I need to find out more information on your fantasy."

"Oh my. While I would be committing an act of treason against my fantasy, I don't have plans on going back. I'll answer any questions you may have."

"Good, let's start with your Queen."