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I rolled my eyes. "I see you’re feeling back to yourself.”
"Indeed," said the older hunter. "And Arrow has been filling me in on everything I missed."
"I'm sure he has," I said flatly, shooting him a look.
He flipped me off boredly.
"I would normally lecture you both on how irresponsible and dangerous your actions were," Father Marius continued with a heavy sigh. "However, at the moment, I am notably lacking in energy for such things. And I suppose all's well that ends well." He grew serious. "This truce you made with Leonidas… how solid do you think it is?"
"Definitely more than our truce with the Order," I answered. ”I trust Arrow passed along that bit of intelligence.”
Father Marius just sighed again. "He did. But that does bring me to what I wished to discuss with you."
I already had a feeling I knew what the subject was, and the fact that Arrow was sullen to the point of sulking confirmed it. Any reminder of Marius's mortality was enough to sour his mood.
"In light of recent events, it's become clear that I need to declare a successor sooner rather than later," he continued.
Arrow clenched his jaw, looking away with a bitter expression. Yeah, that was definitely what he was pissed about.
"And I take it you've come to a decision," I said.
"Choose a successor?" Eddie asked in confusion. "I thought Castor was your successor."
"It wasn't quite a foregone conclusion," Father Marius said, glancing over at me. "I was considering you as well."
"Me?" Eddie echoed, his voice cracking a little. He gave a nervous laugh. "You're kidding, right? But I'm… me."
Father Marius's lips quirked slightly. "Quite an astute observation," he said in a dry tone.
Eddie looked at me, his eyes narrowed suspiciously. "You knew," he accused.
"Initially, yeah," I said, studying Father Marius curiously. "I didn't see a point in telling you when we found out you were an omega. I guess I just assumed he had changed his mind."
Eddie glared at me. "I mean, I think it's ridiculous for other reasons, but that's just ignorant."
I sighed. "Care to enlighten us, Father Marius?"
"Yes, I suppose it is a bit of a moot point, considering I haven't chosen either of you," he mused.
I stared at him, waiting for the punchline. "I'm sorry, what?"
"Yeah, what?" Arrow echoed, eyeing him warily. "I hope you don't mean me."
Father Marius chuckled, reaching over to pat him on the arm. "Relax, dear boy. I wouldn't subject you to such torment."
Even though I knew he was being at least somewhat tongue-in-cheek, Arrow breathed a sincere sigh of relief.
"Then who?" Eddie asked before I had the chance.
"It was a close decision," Father Marius answered, making it clear he was going to draw this out for as long as possible. "You both have your strengths and weaknesses. Eddie, you're idealistic and impulsive. And yet, you've mastered your beastly nature in a truly remarkable length of time—especially for someone with the issues you had when you came to us originally." He turned to me with a fond smile. "And Castor. My sensible, relentless Castor. Even though you weren't born into this world, you took to it as readily as a fish to water. Sometimes so well that it frightened me. Skill and determination have never been your issue, but your heart… For a long time, I must confess, I feared you would lose what remained of it to the bloodlust, and I think you would have. Then, Eddie came along."
I listened in silence, even more confused by the time he had finished speaking than before. This was all I had wanted since I had come to the Abbey. Since I had invested myself in this place, body, mind, and soul. I had given it everything I had, all the while knowing it might not be enough. At one point, I had despised Eddie for the fact that Father Marius was even considering him, but now I was furious that he wasn't.
Eddie was a better replacement for Father Marius in a variety of ways. I could match his skill, and maybe even exceed it now that I was a hybrid, if I continued to hone my abilities. His heart, though—it had taken me a long time to figure out that the gentle nature I’d always seen as a weakness was what made Father Marius such an effective leader, and I knew better than to think I could ever match that.
Eddie, on the other hand…
Then there was the added benefit that if he was in charge, it would mean that he wouldn't be out on the hunt quite as often.
