Not My Alpha (Completed)

Chapter Fifty-Nine - The Night We Live

Samuel paused while walking forward, glancing at me from the side of his eye. I took the cue to stop, take a struggling breath, and wince. Several pairs of eyes flashed to us, but I kept my gaze averted. Samuel acknowledged the others as we continued walking again, nodding his head to any person who bothered to keep staring. He'd also warned me of this. The pack is curious about me. They can't help but stare. Of course, his warnings didn't make it any more comfortable.

Once we'd almost reached the fire, we stopped again and I took another deep breath. This one was more for my sake than anyone else's. Despite being plastered to Samuel's side with him practically holding me up, I was overwhelmed and intimidated.

I was facing an entire pack of werewolves, all of whom were sizing me up as their newest addition. Each one of them had a different reaction. Some of them regarded me with disinterest, others with disgust. There were a few who shared looks of pity, and even fewer that shone with excitement. Samuel never introduced me to any of them, as they all were told that I was struggling to stay alive and couldn't hold much of a conversation. That was all the better, for me. I didn't particularly want to hold an extensive discussion with what looked like hundreds of wolves.

"How are you feeling?" Samuel's voice cut into my ears.

I glanced up at him before coughing, a shiver running down my spine. "Fine."

A corner of his mouth quirked up, only enough for me to see. We were close enough now that the firelight was flashing on his face. When his eyes were illuminated, I tried to hold back a gasp. They were changing colors, going from obsidian blue to bright red with each passing moment.

"Samantha," he mumbled, breaking me from my stare. When I looked away, I noticed he had placed us in the center of the clearing, right next to the heart of the fire. I knew what was coming next, and by the way by heart began beating out of my chest, I wasn't ready for it.

Samuel looked me up and down, smirked, then turned toward the crowd that had begun to gather in front of us. Despite the number of people packed into the clearing, the night was quiet. A breath of a whisper would escape here and there, but for the most part, Samuel held the entire pack's attention.

I recognized a few faces spread throughout the sea of strangers, taking comfort when I met the gazes of Raven, Marshall, or even Goldie. When my eyes fell upon Payton Bray, I tried not to flinch away. He was already watching me, a sharp glint lighting up his eyes. It was as if he too could sense my discomfort, and only relished in it. Like a ghost from my past, his words from the other night rang through my ears, and I found myself trying to back away from Samuel. He held me at his side though, refusing to let me out of his grasp.

As if knowing his actions might cause me to panic, Samuel slipped his fingers into mine and gave me a gentle squeeze. His small comforting act brought me back to reality, and for the next few moments, I forgot about Payton, completely.

When the movement in the crowd ceased, Samuel cleared his throat and raised his voice to travel through the night. "Tonight is a night that many of us thought would never come. We go through our lives, tending to forget how fragile they actually are. It shouldn't take nights like these to remind us, but we are here, nonetheless.

"I will not tell you that tonight is not the time to mourn. I will not tell you to hold back your tears and celebrate. We have suffered a significant loss from our family as a pack. Fathers, brothers, mothers, sisters, have all been lost. The only comfort we can take is knowing they are not gone, forever."

Samuel let his words sink into the crowd, glancing down at me before he continued. His voice was thick with sorrow, but he never let an emotion crack his face.