Rise of the Underdogs: VALIK

VIII

The day I met the Grand Alpha without Logan running interference was the day I got hit with the one thing I hadn’t even considered. The option he gave me was to be adopted by the same people who took in my brother.

It wasn’t just a shock. It was a punch to the chest, a hard-hitting truth that knocked the wind out of me.

“I’m sorry… I… I don’t think I understand,” I said, not really wanting to believe the man standing in front of me was serious.

Today wasn’t sunny, but it wasn’t raining either. The sky hung low and gray, a sharp overcast that felt like it was pressing down on everything. It echoed the storm spinning in my head. Someone touched my hand, gentle and warm, and I looked up into the eyes of the woman beside him.

The Grand Luna smiled softly, her eyes motherly and kind — just like my own Mama’s. “Valik, Logan’s put all his cards on the table when it comes to you. We, Henry and I, want to make sure you get the fresh start you need.”

“But… why?”

“Ah, yer brother’s got a heart bigger than his bloody IQ,” Henry chuckled, shaking his head. “Too smart for his own good, but he means well, eh?”

I blinked at him, his accent throwing me off a bit. Despite all the stories I’d heard from Austin, these people weren’t just talking — they were actually trying to help me. Trying to make sure I didn’t end up like my sire.

And all because my brother fought for me when I couldn’t fight for myself.

The hospital room was quiet, too quiet. The kind of silence that made your thoughts louder. Pale blue walls stretched around me, sterile and cold, broken only by a single window that let in the dull gray light from outside. The bed creaked slightly as I shifted, the sheets stiff and tucked too tight. A monitor beeped softly in the corner, steady and indifferent, like it didn’t care what I was feeling.

“Numb,” I said. “You asked how I felt earlier. I feel numb. Lost. Alone. I know I’m not, but…”

“It don’t stop the feelin’, though, does it, lad?” Alpha Henry asked, his voice softer than I’d ever heard from a male Werewolf. There was a rough kindness in it, like gravel softened by rain.

Shaking my head, I let out a breath. “Okay. I’ll sign the papers.”

My eyes drifted toward the door just as Logan’s voice rang out — commanding and clear, cutting through the low hum of conversation in the hallway. I tilted my head, frowning. “He… knows?”

“Aye, Logan knows about this plan. He’s the one who brought it to our attention, so he is,” Alpha Henry said, handing me a stack of papers. “Though he’s likely to deny the heck outta it, mark my words.”

Figures. That’s just like him — always doing the right thing, even if it means pretending he didn’t. I didn’t know whether to be grateful or pissed off. Maybe both.

The room felt smaller suddenly, like the walls had crept in a little closer. The fluorescent lights buzzed faintly overhead, casting a pale glow across the papers in my lap. I read through them slowly, each page packed with legal speak that jumped out at me like it was written in code. It might as well have been another language.

What if I screw this up? What if I’m not what they expect? What if I’m just a burden they don’t realize they’re taking on?

Henry didn’t rush me. Neither did the Grand Luna. They just waited, quiet and steady, like they knew this moment needed space.

I swallowed hard, trying to push down the knot in my chest. This was happening. Whether I was ready or not.

Glancing at the bedside table, I felt the tears threaten my sanity. The polished box was there, my mother’s name carved carefully into a golden heart with swirling calligraphy. Just seeing it made my chest tighten. It felt too heavy for something so small.

Since my awakening, Ehno had gone into what he called a deep sleep until my sixteenth birthday. He’d advised me that it was what was best for me, a way to protect myself from accidental shifting while I worked through the mess in my head. My emotions. My trauma. All of it.

“He gave my mama a funeral…” I murmured.

“He did,” Luna Clara answered, her fingers gently tracing the lines of my mother’s name. “Ariel will be remembered for the life she brought into this world. For the life she fought to the death to protect. Mariana was honoured with the same reverence, Valik.”

I picked up the box, hands trembling just enough to make the lid rattle. A few tears slipped free, hot and silent.

I didn’t even know what I was crying for anymore. Grief? Guilt? Fear? All of it, probably.

“I… I’m still not sure of my place, my… my future.” The words felt too small for what I meant. Like I was trying to explain a storm with a whisper.

Then, “I… mean… I’m just waiting for the other shoe to drop. For someone to say that this is all just a test, and that I’ll be joining Mama in the afterlife.”

I didn’t say it for pity. I said it because it was the truth. That quiet fear had been sitting in my chest since the day I woke up. Like everything good was temporary. Like I didn’t deserve any of it.

“That ain’t goin’ te happen, lad,” the Grand Alpha said, his voice steady but kind. “Logan looked over everything in that contract, and it won’t be Shadow Storm ye’ll be in with.”

I blinked, unsure I’d heard him right.

“He’s takin’ ye into the Howlers.”

The words hit me like a gust of wind — sharp, unexpected, and full of meaning. The Howlers. Logan’s pack. His family. His world.

I didn’t realize how much he’d done while I wasn’t awake or aware. Logan had been fighting battles I didn’t even know existed. Making moves. Protecting me. Setting things up so I’d have a shot at something better.

Yet, this… I didn’t even know what it was, but it felt… right. Like something inside me had stopped bracing for impact. Like maybe, just maybe, I wasn’t standing on the edge anymore. I looked down at the papers again, the words still blurring together, but the meaning finally starting to sink in.

This wasn’t just a contract. It was a lifeline.