Sunday morning was calm at the Pack House. The traffic through the House didn't pick up until noon when we started to get our bags ready. We loaded our bags into the cars and were sitting in the common room when Esmeralda came by with a young girl around our age. The older Witch said her greetings to us before going to talk to Alpha Jeremy and Luna Monica.
About 15 minutes later, Esmeralda and the girl came back to the common room and sat down. The girl was pretty with fair skin, blonde hair, and big blue eyes. She stared at me until Esmeralda started talking.
"I talked to Alpha and Luna, and I would like to offer something. Andrew, your plan is to reclaim the thrones during the summer, right? My first offer is to heal your leg again. You only have 4 months before summer, and you'll need all your spare time to train."
"I would greatly appreciate that, Lady Esmeralda." I replied before taking the brace off. Esmeralda healed my leg before sitting down again.
"My second offer, with permission from Alpha Jeremy, is to let my former apprentice follow you home. She has completed her training with me, so she will be of help if it is needed."
Thinking about this second offer, I don't reply right away. If she trained under Esmeralda, then she would have knowledge on healing, herbs, and potions. Honestly, that really would be helpful. Taking a breath, I turned to the girl before speaking.
"I would appreciate it greatly if you would accompany us back home. Your knowledge would be of immense use, especially when the war breaks out. May I ask what your name is?" I asked formally since she's technically a Pack Witch.
"My name is Clover Bleu. Thank you for accepting me. Since I'm unable to receive visions, no Pack wants me as their Witch. Lady Esmeralda is the one that suggested going out of the Pack, and came up with this offer. Clover replied in a musical voice.
"Even though you spoke plainly, why does it sound like you're singing?" I asked curiously.
"It's a side effect of my magic. You see, my magic is amplified if I sing, so it changes how my voice sounds." Clover replied with a blush.
"Andrew, are you sure that this won't cause issues?" Mom asked, speaking for the first time.
"What do you mean, mom?" I asked, confused.
"I mean, isn't she going away from her friends? Won't she have to change schools?" Mom said, clarifying what she meant.
"Actually, ma'am, you don't need to worry about that. I don't have friends, except for the Alpha's children, and all of my schooling is online." Clover stated calmly.
"Well, what about your parents? What do they think about this?" My dad asked next.
"I don't have parents. They passed away six years ago, and Lady Esmeralda took me in." Clover said, looking at the ground.
"As Clover's legal guardian, I've talked to Alpha about this, and he's agreed to let her go. That is, if you agree." Lady Esmeralda said.
"I'm okay with it as long as my parents are." I said, looking at my mom and dad.
"If it's really alright with Alpha Jeremy and Lady Esmeralda, then I guess it's okay." My dad said, looking at my mom. She nodded in agreement and Clover smiled. At this time, Alpha Jeremy walked into the common room.
"Andrew, I have news regarding what you asked about yesterday." The Alpha said, standing beside me.
"Oh? You managed to do the meeting with the other Alphas despite the short notice?" I asked, surprised by his effectiveness.
"Yes. After a long discussion, and an argument, they agreed to join the fight. The Hunter's Association is a threat to all of us, so it's only right that we help as well." Alpha Jeremy said.
"I really appreciate this. Every able bodied fighter that we have is a godsend." I said as I stood up to shake the Alpha's hand.
"There is one condition, though." He said as I sat down again.
"What is it?" Confusion laced my voice as I asked the question.
"We'll fight, but you'll be the one to lead us." Alpha Jeremy said in a serious tone.
"Why me?!" I exclaimed, not comprehending the logic behind this condition.
"Because, if we fight, we want another Shifter to lead us. We don't have an official Werewolf King, so since you're a Dual Shifter King, then You're the one we've chosen to lead us." He said, explaining the decision.
"I don't even know the first thing about fighting a war. How am I going to lead an army?" By the end of my little rant, my anxiety was spiking.
"The first thing for you to do is breath, Andrew." He waited for me to calm down before continuing. "Now, I can assume that your godfathers have helped prepare you to reclaim the thrones. They should be able to help you learn battle strategies and tactics as well. If not, then they'll know someone who can guide you. But I suggest that you take back both thrones as soon as possible. You'll need all the time you can get to know how many people will be fighting with you, and how well trained they are." Alpha Jeremy advised. It was soon time for us to leave, so we said our goodbyes and helped Clover load her two suitcases into the cars. The rest of her things would be delivered, so she only packed the necessities. On our drive home, I called Umbra.
"Hey, Andrew. What'd up?" Umbra's mellow voice said when the call connected.
"I have a question for you. Do you, Nigel, or Nixis know anything about strategies or tactics for war? If I'm going to lead the Dragons, Ayakashi, and Werewolves, then I'm going to need all the education that I can get." I said, feeling overwhelmed by everything that was happening.
"We can't teach you that, but I know someone who can. And what do you mean by Werewolves?" Umbra said, surprised. I told him about asking for Alpha Jeremy's help and how the other Alphas also agreed to join the fight, if I was the one leading them. Umbra said that he would contact the strategist that he knew and that he'd tell me when he would be at the house.
"I appreciate that, Umbra. Also, just so you know, something has changed. Instead of reclaiming the thrones in 4 months, I'm going to do it next month instead." I said, making up my mind.
"Thanks for letting me know. I'll let your other godfathers know as well." Umbra said before hanging up. The rest of the drive was uneventful. I spent most of it texting Miranda, and I invited her over tomorrow after school. She was excited and was looking forward to it. I could tell that she was also a little nervous about meeting my parents, but I reassured her that they were nice. After we got home, mom started making a simple dinner. I took this time to let my mom know about Miranda.
"Hey, mom? I just wanted to let you know that I invited someone over after school tomorrow." I said after walking into the kitchen.
"Oh? Who is it? Do I know them?" She asked as she browned some ground beef for goulash.
"No, um, her name is Miranda. She's my girlfriend." I said while rubbing the back of my neck.
"Your girlfriend? When did that happen?" Mom asked, turning to me with a smile.
"This past Friday." I answered while going to the fridge for a bottle of water.
"Wow, and you're already inviting her over?" Mom said with a wiggle of her eyebrows.
"It's not like that!" I exclaimed before going upstairs. With my enhanced hearing, I could still hear my mom laughing from the kitchen.
Dinner was a little awkward with mom telling dad that I had a girlfriend, but he didn't make a fuss over it. After dinner was over, I went back to my room. Tomorrow felt like it was going to be a long day.