Chapter 14
Alex's Point of view
I'm still finding it hard to believe my mate is here with me in this house. She even seems to be enjoying herself. She's really coming out of her shell and her alpha power gets stronger by the hour. My wolf and I couldn't be more proud of how damn strong she is, I wish my father could see her strength. But I think he’s a lost cause. I loved carrying her up to bed last night, it feels like I need to have her in my arms just to be able to breathe properly. She fell asleep instantly. Being able to watch over her while she sleeps soothes my wolf, for so long he hasn't been able to protect her. Before I could go asleep I undid her braid, I love how her hair flows and rests on the pillow, she is like an angel. I’ll have to leave my angel and go back down to the village today, we need some supplies and I should see what the mood is like. I have some men who are loyal to me, they can't ignore a direct order from my father, but they have sworn a blood oath to me as their future alpha. They will be able to tell me what’s been happening. I feel guilty being up here with my mate and not doing my duties. I miss my pack greatly, my official duties only keep me occupied for a few hours a day, but I like to go around the pack houses and talk to my people and help them with problems. Even before my father stopped being the alpha they deserved, I enjoyed helping my pack. But since my father has deserted his duties to them, I try to be out there even more, I will try visiting the pack members that I can get to discreetly.
I can hear my mate stirring beside me. "Good morning m'lady." I lean over and kiss her temple. She opens her eyes and turns to me.
"Good morning to you too, how long have you been awake? Wait, it's still dark, why are we awake now?" She looks so cute when she's all confused.
"I am awake because I have to go to the village, you are awake because, well, I don't know. Why don't you go back asleep, and take your time getting up today, I'll be back for breakfast ok?" Is she nodding or snuggling into the pillow? Either way she is already back asleep. I climb out of the bed carefully so I don't wake her, and get dressed. I'll have to shift halfway but I'll just throw the clothes over the jump. I make my way out the front door and down the trail.
Jamie should be waiting at the lake for me, we have developed a sort of pack link where we are only linked for a millisecond, it’s almost impossible for us to detect, and definitely impossible for my father to track, but Jamie and I have been practicing since we were kids. We sort of feel a buzz in our heads, I buzzed him when I woke.
We came up with the plan months ago, he knows what the buzz will mean. I strip and throw my clothes over the jump. After shifting, I jump the gap, once I get to the other side I shift again and get changed. I will put a bridge over that jump once it's safe, but I'm not going to make it easy for anyone to find my Lucy, only a few people even know about this place, and even fewer know how to get here. Jamie is one those people. He helped me carry up all the supplies in the dead of night and helped me build the house, him, Matt and Will. Three finer friends a wolf could not find. I'm almost at the meeting spot. It will be great to see Jamie again. He is in the Alpha’s guard and he will be able to give me the most information about the alpha’s reaction to Lucy and me. It does help that my father has no idea that we are even friends. Jamie is not originally from our pack, he is from another pack, we have no idea which though. He was found on the border of our territory as a pup, his now mother and father took him in. We became friends when we were pups but when my father found out, he decided to put a stop to it, he couldn’t be sure if Jamie was from an enemy pack or if he had alpha blood, if he did he could have challenged my father or my brother or me when he came of age. He has been old enough to challenge the alpha for years and there is no Alpha power coming from him, so my father can trust him now. Or so he thinks.
I get to our meeting point and Jamie is already there, sitting on a rock, looking out over the lake. It really is a beautiful place, the lake used to be my favourite place in our territory. I quietly move towards him, he hasn’t heard me yet, this is going to be good. "Boo!"
He slowly turns and smiles at me. "Alex, you can't surprise me, I'm a wolf." He stands up and grabs my hand to shake it, then pulls me into a hug. "I see congratulations are in order." He pats me on the back.
I stare at him, what does he mean congratulations, I haven't told him anything yet. He must see the confusion on my face because he points to my neck. Ah, Lucy’s claim. Of course. I was wondering why he wasn't asking me how it went. "I knew you guys would get along, but I've gotta admit I didn't think you would have marked each other yet. Wait, have you marked her?" I nod at him.
"You wouldn't believe me if I told you the story of how it happened, but yes we have claimed each other. I'll tell you everything later, but now I need to know what’s been happening down here. How did my father take it?" I need to know if it is even safe to stay here, and I don't like leaving Lucy on her own.
"Your father acted as you would expect, he has told the pack that you are a traitor, that you tried to kill him, not even as a challenge, he is saying you attacked him out of nowhere and went straight for the kill and anyone who sees you should contact him or his guard and they will be rewarded. It was an alpha order Alex, I have to obey him, I’m sorry".
"No, I don't want to fight you Jamie, I don't want to hurt you, don't do this, tell him you saw me somewhere else, bend the truth, I will have to hurt you if we fight." We are usually able to get around the vague orders from the alpha, he wouldn’t come here if he knew he would have to turn me in. Is he laughing right now? Has he lost it too?
"I'm sorry Alex, It is too funny to see you trying to figure me out, you know I'm loyal to you only, I have followed the alpha's orders though, I have told someone on the alpha’s guard .... me!"
I'll bloody kill him, getting me so worked up, I punch him in the arm, hard enough to satisfy my wanting to beat him up, but soft enough to not actually hurt him .... too much. "Have you sorted it with Matt and Will, do they know to contact you if they see me?" Jamie nods at me. "Ok, so all joking aside now, what is the packs reaction to the order?" It will hurt me to know that my pack believe that I am a traitor, they are my people and I care about every one of them.
Jamie looks at me with a serious expression. "There are some who see this as an opportunity to challenge your father, they think if you nearly killed him and you are not mated then the alpha must be weak. There has been one challenge so far, he didn't make it. He didn't deserve to be alpha, he was a weasel of a man, you know him, we trained with him, Thomas, remember?" I nod at him, he was a good fighter but he was a horrible man, he constantly cheats on his mate, talks about people behind their backs, he is a slime ball, but he shouldn't have died, my father should have shown mercy, Thomas clearly wasn't strong enough to beat my father. "But Alex most of the pack just want you to come back, they know you would not try kill your father, they don't understand what has happened, but the pack is falling apart without you here, your father does nothing to help them. They are under orders though, so you cannot go to them, but you can explain it to them, through me, if they knew that your father has kept your mate away from you for two years while he beat her and treated her like filth, they would never forgive him Alex, they would be yours without any challenge needed".
I know my pack, they are good people, I wouldn't want them to do what they would have to do in order for me to become Alpha with no challenge. "No, Jamie, I wouldn't ask them to do that, I won't tell them unless I need them to protect Lucy from the alpha. I will challenge my father once I'm fully mated. He may be an ass, but he is still my father, I wouldn't want to see him killed by his own pack." He nods at me. "Have you been talking to Bernie? How is she? What about my mother?" I wish I could have taken my mother with me, but father would have found us straight away.
"Bernie is well, she says she is missing you and Lucy, your father has no idea that she has been helping you, she feigned ignorance when the alpha asked her why she had let Lucy in. She said all she knew was the help was called Lucy, which could be anyone. She also told me to tell you that she is taking your mother to the greenhouse everyday and that she is starting to see an improvement. She is getting stronger Alex." That is great news, I don't know where I would be without Bernie.
"Jamie, can you help me get some things for the house? Well when I say help me, what I mean is can you get some stuff for the house all by yourself? If I can't been seen, I can't get them. Eh, I may have broken a few doors." He raises his eyebrows and smirks. "Don't ask, but I’ll need help building some new ones, and you could meet Lucy, just yourself for now though, Will and Matt will have to wait. She is still unmated and, I've not been myself when it comes to possessiveness over her. What do you say?" I don't actually need help with the doors, but it's important that Jamie gets to meet his new alpha and that she gets to meet my closest friend, though with the stories he could say about me, maybe that’s not such a good thing.
"Of course, I'd love to meet her, so you guys are really hitting it off? How did you convince her to come with you, what is she like? Wait, wait, I'll ask her myself. Is there anything else you need bringing up? I have the plants you wanted, I got them as soon as you left. I got the other thing you asked for too, do you want me to bring that with me or hide it here?" There is no way I could ever repay Jamie for everything he has done for me and this pack. "Bring it with you, but hide it for me ok. So we will see you after dark, I'll get a beer ready for you." I look out over the lake, it seems I'm not going to see my pack members today. I should make it back for breakfast though. I turn to leave but Jamie grabs my arm.
"I'm sorry, but we have just been spotted, I'm not sure where from but the alpha contacted me to tell me to get to the lake and bring you back to him. He says he will send more guards to hold you until I get here. What do you want me to do? I can try finding whoever spotted us and ..." Crap, this is not good.
"Jamie, you have to bring me to him, if other guards come they might find Lucy, he needs to still trust you, you can find a way to free me later, but for now grab me and make it look like you hate me ok." He grabs me and knees me in abdomen, then pulls my head back by my hair and starts dragging me with him, I fall to my knees and he bends down beside me. "I'm so sorry Alex, I have to make it look real." He whispers in my ear then drags me on my knees. "You can walk, or I can drag you, it’s up to you?" He shouts for whoever spotted us to hear. I get to my feet and start walking. This is not going to be the family reunion I was hoping for.