“I need you to do a big, big, favor for me,” Klaus said.
Bethany bounced her ball one more time, stopped, and turned to him. “It’s going to cost you.”
“What do you want? I can give you money.” He reached into his back pocket, about to take out his wallet.
She snorted. “I don’t want your money. All I’ve got to do is ask Mom or Dad, and I can have what I want.”
Klaus growled. “Fine. What do you want?”
“To come with you on a run.”
“Not happening. You know I can’t break the rules, even for you.” He held his hand up to stop her from arguing. “Pack law, Bethany. Even I wasn’t allowed until my eighteenth birthday. I’m not going to break those rules for you. They’re there for a reason.”
“Ugh, then how about I get to tag along through some of your alpha training?”
“Dad won’t like it,” Klaus said.
“Then I guess I’m not helping you.” Bethany dropped the ball, caught it, and then started to dribble it along the path.
She was good, but then Klaus was the one who taught her how to do it. Her technique was good.
“Fine. Fine. I will bore you with an alpha class.” Once she realized it wasn’t all about fighting and fun, she might back off from thinking she was the better person for the job. Being an alpha also involved a lot of politics and understanding how to deal with problems in a non-threatening manner. His father’s words, not his. Not everything was about killing.
Klaus had looked forward to his training. Of course, his dad had started out with all the fun stuff first, which had lasted a couple of weeks. Sparring. Hunting. Training to be the strongest. When Klaus had gotten addicted to it, hungry for it, then his dad had changed tactics, and they went to class, sitting at a desk, talking about the history of the pack, the rules, the meaning behind all of the rules. How to handle difficult situations. Being aware of the lives he had to keep safe.
Being the alpha wasn’t as easy as it seemed. There was a lot of shit to learn.
It would also provide his dad with the perfect opportunity to make life so boring that Bethany stopped being a pain in the ass, for however long it lasted.
Klaus didn’t think it would last long, but at least they’d get a break.
“Awesome. What do you need me to do?”
He held his hand up first. “You’ve got to shake on it and pinky swear.”
“Pinky swear and a shake. Wow, this must be something insane you want me to do.”
“Do you think you can handle it?” Klaus asked.
“Totally. I can handle anything.” She snorted, reaching for his hand. They shook hands, firmly. He held back because it was his little sister and he didn’t have anything to prove.
They pinky swore, and Bethany chuckled. “I’m ready for what you need me to do.”
“I need you to tell Poppy how amazing I am,” Klaus said.
“Like what?”
“That’s what I need you to do. You’ve got to tell Poppy how awesome and amazing I am. That she should give me a chance.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me.”
“What’s wrong with what I’ve asked you?”
“Simple. That’s impossible for me to do.”
“No, it’s not,” Klaus said. “I’m not a bad guy.”
“Ugh! No, you’re not a bad guy to most people, but for some odd reason, when it comes to Poppy, you’ve been a giant poopy brain.”