Alpha Ember (ALPHA KANE BOOK 2)

38. Test

Ember

For the sake of the pack, I spent the whole of Sunday pretending like there wasn't anything amiss between Kane and me- although I did go back to sleeping in my old room. To his credit, Kane didn't try to invade my space with his usual bulldozing behavior. Instead he gave me my space, occasionally bringing me snacks in a way that wasn't dissimilar to a wary villager presenting offerings to a deity they'd ticked off. The snacks pleased my stomach, but my mood stayed dark.

Because at the end of the day these were the facts: Kane had been too unconcerned during every discussion about the threat Light presented to his life. I'd been the one on the verge of losing it each time, having to tamper down on the anxiety just to keep myself together. His steely calm was actually the reason why I didn't let the worry overtake me, I thought the unshakable fortitude of his was a result of having the ring as a solid backup plan. I thought the progress he spoke of was enough to help him defeat Light.

I'd been completely and utterly wrong.

"So why the hell has he been so calm?!"

Kane's mom burst out laughing, using a tissue to dab at a stray tear before it smeared her eyeliner. "You're mad because you think Kane isn't valuing his life as much as he should, but that isn't actually the case, sweetie." She stole a pastry from Fred's plate, ignoring his protests and taking a huge bite that would've been less elegant if done by anyone else. "My son is very much concerned about his life, what he doesn't want is for you or anyone else to be concerned. If he shows that fear then you guys will only spiral further into instability. It's the same reason why you pretended you two were on good terms all day yesterday. Look at it this way: alphas are in charge of driving the pack mates safely along the ups and downs of life. The best alphas are adept at quickly throwing their darkest fears out the window in case someone in the backseat sees it, gets scared and ends up harming themselves by jumping out of the moving car. The ride is smoother that way, more in control."

When she put it that way... It's true I was more grounded whenever he was calm, but weren't we both supposed to be in the front seat, driving the pack safely along? He was always secretly taking up the bulk of the responsibility and I was sick of it.

"If all the other plans failed, he was going to sacrifice himself," I said.

May's expression grew saddened. "That's expected."

Not knowing what to say to that, I stared down into my tea and then let my gaze stray. The other people in the café looked too normal, their lives unfairly mundane considering the raving monsters searching to darken everything I knew.

A hand covered mine. May smiled, shaking her head a bit. "Don't let the fear overwhelm you and focus on achieving your goal instead. That's the best you can do for now."

"Alright," I agreed, picking up my cup and taking a swallow of the sweet drink. It had grown lukewarm but that didn't make it any less tasty. I smiled back at May. "No to worrying and yes to action."

"Good," she slid a sheet of paper towards me. "Here's my requirements for letting Kane join my lectures."

I read the first few typed lines and almost choked on my own saliva. "What is this?"

She smiled. "The first part of my own investigation. You'll be testing my son's character for me, the results will be used to decide if I'm capable of helping him change his bad habits or if a professional is needed."

"A professional," I echoed, eyes dropping back to the unbelievable list.

"I don't want to end up like those other clueless mothers who go 'I didn't know he was capable of this' when their sons finally lose it. But don't be mistaken, this is as much about you as it is about him, I promised to keep you safe. I've already spoken to Jett, he'll be nearby observing and ready to intercept if necessary while you carry out your tasks."