Klepto POV

Walking up the steps of the office building is like taking steps with cinder blocks tied to my ankles. It's not exactly easy.

Savannah holds the door open for us. She watches me carefully with her cream colored eyes. They are strange looking against her tan, Native American skin. She waits for me to enter with a critical eye.

I'm aware of Ezra's hand at the small of my back. He tries to lead me inside but I hesitate a bit. I stop and gaze into the building warily.

At this point, I'm beyond nervous. It's as if a million little ants are crawling under my skin. I know it's not from the cool temperatures, I am definitely anxious to get this over with.

I file inside slowly. King Veiler is standing there waiting for our arrival. He looks over my head at the two lycans standing behind me. I just now realize that they're his second and third in command.

I'm surrounded by a team of all powerful lycans. They communicate seamlessly without even a word spoken between them. Their eyes and expressions tell all. A wordless conversation passes that I'm not a part of.

It seems to me that Ezra would fits in very nicely with them.

"You lead us. This is your plan after all." Says Veiler, his voice a deep, burning rumble in the long hallway. I glance up at him. He's so large that it's hard to think straight, he's bigger than Ezra. He takes up the whole space with his broad shoulders and overwhelming strength.

I scoot past him and head towards the place that is ingrained in my mind. I know the way like it's tattooed on my skin.

When I'm finally faced with the door I stop and stare at the wood. I turn my head to look at Ezra for guidance. He gives me a soft smile and a simple nod, encouraging me to go ahead.

It's all the reassurance I need.

I give a light knock. We only have to wait a few seconds before the door swings open.

Dr. Paullini is on the other side. He looks down at me and then over my head at the three beasts waiting patiently at my shoulders. His mouth opens a little, forming a small circle in surprise. He leans back a little bit.

"Good morning Doctor. Do you mind if we, uh, talk?" I ask. I'm feeling awkward now. This silence is never ending. All I can hear is five pairs of lungs breathing and five hearts pounding.

I bite the inside of my cheek as every emotion imaginable crosses Dr.Paullini's features. He pushes his half moon glasses up his nose and nods fervently. His head goes up and down like a bobble head.

"Of course, of course. I was expecting your visit, but I had no idea there would be so many of you." As my therapist steps out of the way, holding open the old door, I make my way inside and take a deep, reminiscent smell of the little room I've spent so many hours in.

When I get to the burgundy chair that I am so accustomed to, I immediately sit in it. It's plush cushion sinks down and I sigh in contentment. This atmosphere is the only good part of our endless sessions.

I'll actually miss this room, and the guy that occupies it too.

"I don't have enough chairs for you all, allow me to grab some more." Dr.Paullini tries to turn and escape, but Alpha Veiler grabs him by the collar of his shirt. He pulls him back through the doorway like he weighs absolutely nothing.

"No need. My Beta and Gamma don't mind standing, do you?" My eyes widen at the words. He is already calling Ezra his Gamma before he's even officially inducted.

I make eye contact with my mate to see his grin. I am impressed with him and he knows it, I grin back. Him and his big head.

"Not at all." Savannah supplies. Her and Ezra hang back while their Alpha slides into a leather chair easily. His red eyes never leave Paullini and I feel bad for the guy.

It's not easy having all of Veiler's attention settled only you.

Paullini glances around. He's uneasy when he gently sits in the adjourning maroon chair. His busy gaze darts to me and then to the lycan King with suspicion. He wrings his long finger on his pants.

We already let him know that I'd be coming to see him, but he didn't know why. Maybe he thought we would have a good old chat like old times. Luckily for me, my "condition" has subsided somewhat in the past few weeks.

The desire to steal springs up every now and again, but it is much easier to ignore. I have had no issues with it ever since Ezra accepted me, since I made friends with his team, and started hanging out with Stacy and Miranda.

It isn't something that I'm fighting day and night.

No one really notices or mentions it other than my mate, but I think of it often. I can't just forget that part of me, it's ingrained in my brain to be aware of it. I have finally fixed what it is that everyone hated me for, well, for the most part. I know that I will eventually steal some time in the future because it's just who I am.

I've struggled my whole life trying to get to this point, and deep down I always knew the answer to stopping it, and this just confirms exactly what I suspected.

Now that I have people who love me, now that I love myself, I don't feel that need to fill the void.

And I am nothing if not thankful.

"So, what brings you here?" Dr.Paullini wonders, tapping his long fingers against the black notebook settled in his lap. That leather book is like a 5th limb attached to the Doctor, he isn't quite complete without it.

"The pack is in ruins." Veiler grumbles, his stern face like a statue. His large arms cross over his chest. I glance at my mate who is watching the interaction with an observant eye.

"Yes, it is." Paullini lets out a sigh that reveals his stress. "They're not handling it well. I knew something like this had to happen eventually."

My therapist gives me a warm look before continuing.

"This pack needed a spanking after all they've done." He explains, and I know he's talking about me. The bullying isn't something he overlooked.

I knew it bothered him as much as it bothered me. Dr. Rico Paullini is an empathetic male, and that's exactly why we're here.

"As much as that's true, I'm sure they've learned their lesson by now." Says Veiler, and Paullini looks suspicious. "They've been humbled as much as a pack can be humbled. They've experienced a tragedy. They need an Alpha to lead them."

Dr.Paullini's eyes widen, his face flushing with emotion as it suddenly dawns on him.

"You don't mean... you don't mean me, do you? You're joking." Veiler doesn't appear amused, though he never does.

Paullini is incredulous. Savannah chuckles behind me. She's shaking her head as she laughs, rolling her eyes, which seems to be her calling card.

"Don't act so surprised, going by how Klepto described you you're the only competent one in this whole lousy excuse of a pack." The Beta says with a heavy dose of sass, squinting at the poor Doctor with a huge quirked up smile.

Dr.Paullini looks at me with a strange gleam, almost a new perspective of sorts. I shift uncomfortably under his gaze. He now knows how I feel about him. Damnit! This is really awkward. I look away quickly.

"That's a wonderful compliment, and I won't deny that I'm smarter than most, but there is the problem of my not being able to fight. I'm no good on the battlefield as you all well know. I'm more of a lover." He muses, but I can pick up on the slight traces of nervousness under his breath of lies.

He's faking his confidence. I guess we have something in common after all, but I'm long past faking it.

"Not all Alphas need to fight." Veiler states, and I look back up. I can't miss this. The guy gives great speeches, what can I say? "It's more important to be compassionate and understanding as an Alpha. Being physically strong is an asset, but it's not as important as being a good confidant, leader, or a shoulder to cry on. Many Alphas miss that aspect."

His wise words settle in the room like a cloud of dust around us. I've never thought about it like that before. Veiler doesn't talk much, but when he does his words are powerful.

Clearly Alpha Green was not exactly loving as an Alpha, he wanted to hold all the power for himself. He'd hated having the lycans here, hated having competition of authority.

Alpha Veiler is clearly a great Alpha, at least from what I have seen so far. He is made for the job, after all, bred as a ruler over all shifter kind. He's kind, intelligent , and obviously a good judge of character.

I have no doubt being in the Slate Penumbra Pack will be a stark contrast to what I am used to under Alpha Green's rule.

But things are looking up for the Green Pack now, that is as long as Dr.Paullini accepts the job offer.

He is our only hope.

"I just don't know." The male werewolf rubs at his forehead gently, "It's a lot to ask. Alpha is a big responsibility."

My eyes automatically search out my mate standing behind Veiler. His face is passive, calm. Ezra looks as if he doesn't have a single care in the world. There is a certain indication in his eyes though, as if he's trying to tell me something.

One nod of my head tells him that I know exactly what he wants, and that I agree. The therapist needs to hear it from someone he actually knows. And I just happen to be that person.

As much as I don't want to, the future of the pack depends on it. I reach out and grab his hand. Paullini jumps a little at the contact and I don't blame him. He's surprised.

Not as surprised as me though. The sensation of his skin on mine is strange. I've always had a sort of disconnect around him, never wanting to open myself up to his scrutiny or advice.

Things have drastically changed since then.

"I know you can do this. You're the only wolf for the job, you have to know that. You need to be optimistic." He grins at the remark and I give him a shy smile back, "Optimism, remember?"

"Well of course I remember. I'm the one who taught you that, or have you forgotten that already?" He teases and I let out a small laugh.

Paullini is many things, a comedian he is not.

"Well, I suppose I'll give it a go. I'm not sure I'll be any good at it. I will try my hardest to be a good Alpha for this pack." I exhale a breath I didn't know I was holding until now.

He accepted! He really accepted!

Joy bubbles up inside of me and I squeal, I jump forward to give Dr. Paullini an enormous bear hug. I wrap my arms around him and I'm pretty positive I squeeze the breath from his lungs.

"Thank you! Thank you so much." I pull away to see his shocked expression. "For everything. You've helped me more than you know, more than I knew at the time. I've never gotten to thank you for that."

My therapist smiles, looking at something or someone behind me before looking into my eyes and replying.

"You're welcome. You deserved to be treated better than you were, Klepto. You've got a great future ahead of you, I have no doubt in my mind about that." He assures me with a gentle pat.

I turn to my mate who looks strained for patience. He doesn't like me touching another male. I roll my eyes and grab his hand in mine. Ezra lets out a rumble of approval and pulls me closer to his side.

I believe Dr.Paullini. I do have an amazing future to look forward to with this goof at my side. He's been a jerk, an asshole, a stupid idiot, and a lost puppy. But that doesn't discount all the times he's held me, soothed me, and loved me.

Ezra is a great mate, a fantastic mate, and I'm very lucky to have him, even if he does have a lot of redeeming to do. I love the guy, what can I say?

We finally head out of the pack office building with a weight lifted from all of our shoulders. I can tell that the lycans around me were worried about how the meeting would go. Making someone an Alpha is no easy task.

A cold breeze ruffles my short, black hair and I squish myself closer to my mate. He wraps an arm around me, rubbing his hand up and down my arm to create some warmth from the friction.

I'm excited about all we have to come. We are off to Montana in a few short days, less than 48 hours.

My bags are packed and my hopes are high. It will be a fun adventure of a lifetime.

I will finally be able to have the life I'd always wanted, and I can't wait to get it started.

"You want pizza or sandwiches for dinner?" Ezra asks casually, his tone light as we follow behind Veiler and Savannah.

I tap the tip of my finger to my lips in mock thought before shrugging.

"I say we just let Hyrum make us something special. After all, today is a day to celebrate."

The corner of his lips lift and he nods his head in agreement.

"That it is, sweetheart. That it is."

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If you're reading this, I love you:)

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