My dreams were filled with bluebirds.

They were fluttering with excitement and chirping sweetly and continuously as if they were trying to pass along a message while they whizzed back and forth between the treetops, their deep blue feathers and rusty bellies a stark contrast against the emerald leaves.

I raised my hand with my palm facing the sky and watched in awe as a small male thrush hovered over it briefly before resting on my fingertips. He chirped softly and pecked at my skin as I lifted my other hand cautiously to pet his back.

And the moment my fingertips made contact with his soft plumage, I knew exactly who this bluebird belonged to.

Uncle Amos.

He used to call me his little bluebird, a sign from the angels that not all the rays of light in his life had dimmed with the death of his wife. It was the reason I had gotten a little bluebird tattooed on my hip; it was a symbol of hope, happiness, and prosperity.

And I knew this was his way of telling me that everything was looking up and that he would be beside me every step of the way, if not physically, spiritually.

As my bluebird of happiness.

***

My eyes flickered open, and I found myself staring at the clean white ceiling of my hospital room with a tiny smile on my face.

I was finally at peace.

But my moment of self-realization came to an end as the door swung open and an extremely excited Reece filled my sight.

"You're awake!" She exclaimed, helping me up as she saw me struggling to sit up straight. She pushed the pillow upright against my back and leaned me back slowly.

I blinked as the light hit me from a new angle and cleared my throat, "Wa–water."

"Way ahead of you," she smiled, holding up a paper cup with a metal straw. I took it from her hands and pulled the straw up to my lips, relishing in the fresh water as it soothed my dry throat.

As I guzzled the water down, I glanced at Reece from under my eyelashes with a questioning look, silently asking her what had happened.

"The doc cleaned your neck up," she explained, pointing at the gauze, "He said the skin may heal, but only time will tell since you're not exactly a werewolf. But other than that, your vitals look good, and you should be up and running in no time."

I nodded slowly and placed the cup on the table beside me, stretching lazily, "It'll take more than a heat cycle to take me out."

"We honestly thought we lost you," she said, shaking her head grimly, "It's practically unheard of for a mark to disappear."

My fingers trailed to the wound on my neck, and I furrowed my eyebrows, recalling the scorching sensation that had become unbearable at one point.

I dropped my hand back into my lap and shuddered lightly, "I'd rather not remember it."

"Well, Alrik's here," she blurted, diverting my attention immediately, "He's waiting outside."

"What's he doing out there?" I frowned.

She ran her fingers through the strands of her hair with a frustrated sigh, "He wanted your permission to come see you. He figured he wasn't your favorite person at the moment. Listen, Jas, he's been extremely emotional about this–"

I cut her off gently, "Would you send him in? I would like to see him."

"Yeah, of course," she jumped up from her seat and traveled back out into the bustling hallway.

I wasn't quite sure what to expect. Was it going to be awkward between us? Where did we even stand? Was he finally on the right track?

A heavy set of footsteps forced my attention away from my thoughts, and my gaze traveled up from a polished pair of dress shoes to a tight pair of slacks to a neatly tucked crisp white shirt with a black tie wrapped around his collar.

"Why, you're dressed to impress," I drawled, not bothering to hide my appreciation. My eyes finally darted up to his face that was nicely groomed just like the rest of him, despite how exhausted he looked.

His stormy eyes pierced through my skin as he studied every inch of me like he was checking to make sure no new injuries had appeared in the time he had disappeared.

I cocked my head carefully, making sure not to strain my neck, and smiled a little, "You can come closer, you know? I'm not going to hurt you."

"But I have," he said gravely, speaking for the first time since he had arrived, "I've hurt you physically, perhaps even mentally."

"Come here, Alrik," I sighed, stretching my hand out as he approached my bedside and settled in the chair next to me.

His hand squeezed my outstretched one gently, and he pressed his lips against my knuckles for a moment.

"I don't know how to apologize to you for everything," he muttered, rubbing his thumb along my skin, "I can't even look you in the eye."

I tugged my hand out of his and cupped his chin, lifting it so I could see his eyes properly, "I'm not angry, Alrik. I'm really not."

His lips formed a thin line, "Doesn't matter. You still deserve better and with your mark gone, you can find better. I won't hold you back if you wish to reject me and move on. My only wish is that we maintain a friendly alliance as leaders."

He was jumping to conclusions way too quickly. I didn't think I ever gave him the impression that I wanted to move on intentionally.

"Alrik–"

"But," he cut me off, reaching into his suit jacket that was draped over his arm, "I did want to show you something before I leave."

He pulled a crumpled piece of paper out of his pocket and handed it over to me, "I hope this can help heal some of the damage I have caused."

I frowned at the red stains on the sheet and glanced at him curiously as I unfolded it and ironed out the creases the best I could.

The dried red ink read:

On this day, April 17 of the year 2019, I, Alpha Alrik Kuznetsov, hereby ratify the following laws and declare the previous composition of pack law null and void.

Below the statement was a list of the abridged versions of the new laws along with Alrik's signature at the bottom.

I blinked hard and grazed the dried trails of ink that had smudged some of the words with my fingertips, "Alrik, is–is this blood?"

He didn't answer, and I turned my head to glare at his elbow that I remembered having a bandage around it, "You wrote the new pack law in your blood?"

"I told you it was set in stone. Now, it's written in my blood, making it even more infrangible," he explained, noticing my concerned expression, "Nothing to worry about. I've healed and typed out a more detailed version for the pack, but I thought I would show you the original."

I was completely shocked.

Not by the fact that he made new laws, but the fact that he was able to write them out so quickly. It was incredible.

"I'll give you some time to read through it," he stood up, noticing how I was still speechless, "You can let me know what you think later."

He quickly leaned over, kissed my cheek, and strode out the door before I could even form a reaction.

It was hard to tell what she was thinking when she was speechless. I didn't think this would surprise her that much so I really wasn't sure if that was a good reaction.

But now that she was up to speed, I had to handle other matters.

I exited the hospital and found my father waiting by the door for me with a professional aura around him, "Alrik."

"Dad," I nodded in greeting as I pulled my suit jacket on, "Did you receive the file?"

"I did this morning when I arrived. I'll take a proper glance at it once we're done here," he said, matching his strides with mine.

We made out way to the training grounds where a wooden platform had been placed in the middle of the field with chairs lined in front of it for miles. Pack members whispered among themselves nervously as they awaited my appearance.

My Commander and Beta stood beside the platform patiently, and we approached them swiftly as a silence flowed through the crowd when I appeared in their line of vision.

"Everyone is here and accounted for," Reece whispered, gesturing to the pack, "You're all set."

I stepped onto the platform but froze as my father called my name.

"I'm proud of you, Alrik."

A warmth filled my chest as he uttered the phrase I hadn't heard in years. The last time I heard those words had probably been when I graduated from college.

I nodded at him over my shoulder in acknowledgment and moved toward the podium where the little microphone was set up.

"Good morning, fellow Prowlers."