Arrow Inferno
Chapter 74: Stanley ‘STAN’ Norris vs. Ian ‘WILL’ Williams ~ Meeting the Teams!

***

"And what have you been doing if you don't mind me asking?" Will raised a brow curiously.

"You know...using fireballs, freezing, turning people into babies..."

"You can do all that?" Will's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. "Turn grown people into babies?" Sylver nodded. "Dad says I shouldn't turn people into animals so I turn them into babies instead."

"And they remain babies forever?"

"No, silly." Sylver laughed. "Dad always turns them back."

"You don't do that to your friends though, do you?" Will looked fascinated but at the same time wary." Surely the kid was making the stories up.

"No. Just bad people and people who are annoying." He grinned. "I can turn the bad people you shoot into babies. Then you wouldn't have to shoot them."

"I won't be able to arrest them for their crimes if they're babies." Will laughed. "Hungry?"

"I've already had breakfast."

"Let's have lunch then." Will reached out to take Sylver's hand as they both got off the bed. "You can tell me all about what people do to annoy you as we eat." In case the little boy was being truthful, it was important to know what annoyed him, Will thought.

"Rogues are annoying," Sylver stated as they went to the dining area. "That is why they have to be watched closely."

"Really? What do they do that makes them annoying?"

"They are destructive and always trying to kill others. That's why I need to learn how to shoot."

"Right." Will chuckled as he pulled out a chair for Sylver. "So you want to be a warrior like Stan when you grow up?"

"Yes." Sylver gushed. "Or a soldier like you."

Will laughed as he dished out some food for them. There was so much food as usual. But he was used to his mate's ways so he wasn't surprised at all.

"I'm sure you will be the best warrior this pack has ever seen."

"Yes, like my grandmother. Everyone says she was the best." The little boy said proudly.

"Mama G?" Stan's jaw virtually dropped.

"Yes. She is the..."

"Sylver?" Both Will and Sylver heard a voice call out just as someone knocked on the door.

"Dad is here." Sylver gave a naughty grin as Ryan entered.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Will," Ryan said apologetically as he went to his son. "Sylver, you know better than to bother..."

"He's not bothering me at all, Ryan." Will chuckled. "On the contrary, I'm loving his company."

"Are you sure?" Ryan ruffled his son's hair.

"Positive. Sylver is my new friend and protector," he grinned. "Would you want to join us?" he gestured at the spread on the dining table.

Ryan laughed softly. "I will leave you two to enjoy your meal." He leaned down to press a kiss to his son's head and whispered, "be a good boy, Syl."

"I will be very good, Dad. Oh, Will says he will teach me how to shoot a gun when I'm eighteen," he grinned with delight.

"I see." Ryan tried to stifle his laughter but he wasn't successful. "Well, all the best, Will. You will need it." He turned to leave. "Talk to you two later. Remember what I said, honey..."

"Be a good boy, Syl." Sylver called out with an eye roll. Will burst into laughter.

The two ate and talked about a lot of interesting things. For a kid, Sylver seemed to know a lot which impressed Will. Although some of the things Sylver said seemed a bit farfetched, Will found himself listening to everything with rapt attention. And for Will, that was hands down the most interesting and fascinating table talk he'd ever had.

***

Later that day, Stan took Will to the elders and introduced him officially. They all welcomed him and expressed how thrilled they were to finally meet him. The high priestess encouraged Will to do the needful to make Stan's wolf happy. "He doesn't have to until he's ready," Stan said sharply. "I don't want to pressure him into..." he trailed off when Will quickly entwined his fingers with his.

"It will be sooner than later, ma'am." Will addressed the high priestess. "You have my word."

"Thank you." The priestess touched her palm to her chest in a gesture of gratitude.

After chatting with the elders for a while, Stan took Will to meet his four deputies and all the various heads of units in the pack. There were heads of the warriors, sentinels, hunters, assassins, medics, scouts, were resources, pup watchers, and the omegas...all of who reported to Stan. Will already knew the heads of sentinels, warriors, assassins, and hunters in the person of Paige, Kate, Pete, and George respectively. Everyone was so happy to meet him. The heads, however, wanted to know whether Will was ready to come for some orientation in each unit to help him decide on which one to join.

"Guys, give him a moment to breathe." Stan chuckled. "He just got here." When he saw Kate's hand up, he gestured for her to speak.

"I suggest we allow Will to observe one of the Arena Training Games," Kate said. "There, he will see the strength and skill of each unit. Then he can join the unit he admires the most."

"I think he's already agreed to be in my..." George began but never got to complete his sentence.

"He agreed to no such thing." Pete snapped, drawing laughter from Will. "He's a soldier for fuck's sake. He will be brilliant in the assassin unit."

"And he's my fucking mate so he will be in my personal unit. How about that?" Stan's growl shut everyone up. "We'll do it your way, Kate." Stan ruled just as Philip entered the conference room.

"You two should know better than to try to claim your boss' mate before he's even made a full claim himself." Philip threw Pete and George an admonishing look as he took a seat.

"With that mark, he's already claimed his arse, brother." Paige drawled.

"Shut up, Slip," Philip groaned at his sister's words. "Sorry about that, Will. My sister is..." but he trailed off when everyone suddenly started howling.

When he saw why the Howl of Respect was being given, the alpha laughed and then joined in. Will had pushed down the collar of his shirt for the heads to see his mark. That Stan had managed to mark his mate without actually turning him was not a small feat. That took mega-strength and control. The sheer discipline that had been exercised by the beta impressed the hell out of the heads. For them, the Howl of Respect was well-deserved. Stan stood and took a bow, the look on his face a cross between emotional and pride. It wasn't everyday one received the Howl of Respect from a powerful team such as his. It was humbling. When they settled down, Will finally addressed the heads.

"I'm honoured that all of you want me to be part of your teams." Will smiled. "I wish I could be part of each team. I..." He paused and turned to look at his mate, "Is that possible?"

"No, it's not." The deep rumble of warning in Stan's lowered voice was unmistakable.

"Yes, it is." Philip countered. "Whenever you feel up to it, talk to the various heads, understand what they do, and give your inputs. Feel free to join whoever you want to at any point in time. You can be our Keyman. A Keyman fits everywhere." "I'd love that." Will grinned. "Thank you, Philip." The applause that ensued was thunderous.

"You know he won't be here all the time, Alpha." Stan sounded almost bored.

"All the more reason he should be part of all the teams," Philip responded and then resorted to their mind-link. 'It's the best and quickest way for him to learn, Will. He will be a powerhouse and a force to reckon with. Trust me.' Stan nodded as he watched his mate interacting with the heads. Despite the unexpected outcome of the meeting, he was happy that his team had accepted his mate as one of them. That meant a great deal to Stan.