Alpha Maximus：The last lycan novel Chapter 24

　　Hope

　　‘Hope, could you hold Billy for me?’ Bella asks.

　　‘Of course!’ I say, excited. He is such a sweet little baby.

　　Sally and Nathan walk downstairs holding hands, and join us for breakfast. Sally's cheeks are flushed and she is all giddy.

　　‘Good morning,’ I say, with a grin. She grins back.

　　‘Good morning, Hope. I mean Luna,’ she smiles. We both giggle.

　　‘Did you sleep well?’ I ask, trying not to laugh, and watch her bite her bottom lip, and look at Nathan next to her, giggling.

　　‘Yes, I, um, slept very well,’ she smirks, and Maximus chuckles.

　　‘The whole house could hear how well you two slept,’ he says, grinning at Nathan, who slaps his arm.

　　‘Maximus!’ I scowl at him. Did you really have to say that?

　　‘What?’ He asks, chuckling.

　　I try my best to change the subject so poor Sally can stop being embarrassed.

　　‘What are our plans today?’ I ask Maximus.

　　‘I'll be in meetings with the remaining wolf packs to organise peace treaties. I’d like you to just settle in and find your way around the house. Seeing as it’s a castle after all. Nathan can give you and Sally a tour,’ he says.

　　‘Really?’ Sally asks.

　　‘You’re Nathan's mate. We expect you to move in with us,’ he offers.

　　‘Oh, I couldn't. I wouldn't want to intrude,’ she says.

　　‘We insist, don't we, Hope?’ He says, looking at me. I smile and nod.

　　‘Of course! It would mean a lot. Not only to Nathan, but to us, as well,’ I say, smiling, rocking Billy in my arms. Sally squeals.

　　‘I can't believe I'm going to live in a castle!’ She says, jumping up and down. Nathan kisses her hand.

　　‘Shall we drive you home to pack your things today?’ Nathan asks her.

　　‘Yeah. We can head there later today, and be back by the end of the week. I’ll tie up loose ends at home before I leave there for good,’ she smiles.

　　Maximus kisses me sweetly on the lips before going to his office. Sally and I follow Nathan as he gives us the grand tour of the castle, that lasts for two hours.

　　‘This place doesn’t end,’ I laugh.

　　‘It does eventually,’ Nathan chuckles.

　　‘Guys, I'm going to go to the kitchen for a drink of tea,’ I say, feeling parched.

　　‘Want me to show you the way back?’ He asks.

　　‘I'll be fine,’ I say, skipping and humming, and admiring the intricate paintings and antiques along the way. I swear the kitchen was down here. Maybe I took a wrong turn?

　　‘I think I'm lost,’ I say to myself. I slowly scan the corridors, trying to figure out which passage I should walk down, before noticing a black hole in a wall. There are stone steps going down; it’s too dark to see anything else.

　　Poking my head in, curiosity gets the better of me, and I hold the wall so I can find my way down, in the dark.

　　One slow step at a time, I get to the bottom and see a small light in the distance. I walk towards the light, with my hand on the wall. The light is coming from the moon.

　　The stone ceiling is missing a stone. I watch the moon in admiration for a moment before the wall creaks.

　　I turn, and pressing my hands against the wall, it opens. I step into a room where a wall of shelves on my left is full of scrolls. There’s a table against the wall in the middle, a large old book, an unlit candle, and matches. The wall on the right has a red velvet curtain in the centre, with bookshelves either side, holding different bottles of coloured liquids and jars of unknown substances.

　　Striking a match, I light the candle, and turn around, taking everything in. I place the candle down on the table and lightly run my fingers over the front cover of the book. ‘History of Witches,’ I read aloud.

　　I peer down at a list of names, dates of births and towns of births. I scan through the pages. The last name on the list glows. ‘Anna Glint,’ I read aloud.

　　I take a step back, shocked. Suddenly, a breeze flies through the red velvet curtain, and I step closer, and pull the curtain across. I’m in awe at the portrait of a woman who has the same white hair, and same silver and blue eyes as me. Her arms are around the neck of a light grey wolf. I feel sense of familiarity; like I’ve met them before. I study the picture closely; the way they’re looking into each other's eyes; in love. The grey-almost-silver wolf is very large and proud. You can feel the love and admiration in his eyes.