Her Imposter, Her Imprinter

Chapter 20

Confession #31: If my chapters had titles, this one would be "S'mores"

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Against all of his hopes and wishes, Forrest had no time to lose to find a replacement for himself. He'd much rather stay and track Eris' progress himself, but he also couldn't allow himself to leave his pack alone. The attack on Cassian had been too close to Siriver Mount for comfort. Leaving his pack and family to fend for themselves wasn't an option.

But talk about an internal struggle. He had said that from now on he was going to put Eris as number one on his list of importance and in general he was excited to watch as she continued to grow as an Alpha. Once again he had to prioritize his responsibilities as Alpha instead. It only made him wish that he had already told Eris about what she was to him. Then his crisis would be solved because then he could just take her with him. But apparently he wasn't that lucky.

Now his only option was to call his Beta to send in his replacement. The phone only rang once before Arlo answered, which was good because Forrest didn't have the patience for dilly-dallying at the moment.

"How's everything going over there Arlo?" He questioned, opting to get right to the point.

"Functionally the pack is stable. Emotionally everyone is pretty spooked."

"No one knows who attacked Cassian though, right?" Forrest had to ask. He knew his Beta would keep the information about Henry a secret, but amongst the chaos of yesterday it was always possible for some wayward ears to hear private information that had gone astray. He didn't need his pack getting anymore freaked out and irritated than they already were.

"No. It remains a mystery to them." Forrest nodded to himself and thought of what else to ask Arlo. But only one obvious question came to mind."

"How's Nero and Cassian?" Arlo was quick with his answers, knowing Forrest was on edge.

"Cass is stable but he's not out of the woods yet. Doctor Aziel is waiting to see if any infection sets in and becomes a threat, which at the very worst will require fluids, meds, and bed rest. But it seems as though he's healing fast enough where it won't be a problem. Nero...he's okay right now. Shaken and worried of course, but the twins are distracting him well enough." Despite Arlo's words, Forrest would continue to worry about his youngest brother until he saw him with his own eyes. But he was going to feign bravery in front of his Beta.

"That's good to hear. I'm glad everything is okay despite what happened."

"You're still going to come though, aren't you?" He asked in an almost amused-like manner. Arlo always knew for Forrest to be a worry-wart. It was one of the very few flaws he noticed about him.

"Damn right. Which is why I called. I need someone sent over here immediately to monitor Eris. After that I'll be on my way over."

"You're telling me this like I have a list of people lined up for the job, which I don't by the way. Who do you want to come over?" Forrest didn't have the slightest clue. Knowing that this was the well-being of his mate he was talking about made the choice 50 times harder. Who was it that he trusted again? It felt as if he could only trust himself right now. But he couldn't hover like some helicopter parent and he definitely couldn't linger here with her despite his desire to. He had to choose someone. But the names escaped him.

"I mean I would go, Forrest, but I'd much rather stay here to help you with the pack. They won't be persuaded and soothed so easily from this fright." That was certainly true. He'd need Arlo's help. Karma would have been next on his list but he didn't have it in him to tear him away from his mate so soon in their relationship. The mated bliss that befell him and Gabriel had already been tainted by the news of Cassian's attack. He wanted the two to enjoy the time they had together. So who else could he rely on?