Four days came and went. Then five. Then six. And a week after Stefan arrived at our territory, we still hadn't been attacked or threatened. Touch wood. The pack was all on their toes, jumping at the slightest sound, ready to attack. Everyone was serious, even the children seemed to have lost their sense of fun as they were locked inside.
"Maybe they aren't coming after us?" I suggested with a frown, trying to think away around this. "Maybe the got what they wanted in Stefan's pack so they don't feel the need to come here." I didn't have any tears left to cry out as memories flushed back, Ty running his hand up my back in calming circles as Brad paced up and down, sometimes slamming his fist onto the table out of frustration.
At first he had snapped when Ty tried to help me, but now he was over the close friendship we had formed (he knew he was the only one I would ever want). Stefan had changed since the attack, he was serious and stoic, always watching over his few remaining packmates. Sophia and Carter had been handed over to our pack to take care of, knowing we had the means to take care of two small children rather than to let them suffer with his pack.
"I know why they haven't attacked us yet," Brad stated, looking down at his phone. We all stared at him in question, wanting to know what he did. "Another pack was just attacked." He held up his phone, a new text message on the screen by an unknown name.
"Who's Alina?" I asked harshly, biting on my tongue to keep from saying anymore.
"She's the Alpha's daughter of Redstone pack," Brad typed away on the phone, fingers blurring at the speed he typed at. Barely holding back a growl, I looked away from him. Jealousy makes you nasty, I told myself internally, holding back from snatching the phone out of his grasp.
"I'm going to fetch them," he locked his phone and shoved it into his back pocket. "Only seven survivors made it out. Ty," Ty straightened, looking at his Alpha, "Take the other car and follow behind me." Ty nodded and walked from the room, grabbing keys belonging to one of the black Jeep's off the wall.
"I'm coming with."
"No you're not," Brad shook his head at me, taking a step forward so we were inches apart, my neck craning upwards so I could see his face, "The hunters could still be on the lookout."
"I don't care," I crossed my arms stubbornly, no ways was this Alina chick getting in the car with my mate! Brad huffed and I took that as a yes, following him from the office.
"I'll stay back and watch the pack," Stefan offered, Brad nodding but not slowing down the pace as he gracefully flung himself into a Jeep, starting the engine. I cowled at my short legs, clambering up into the car with much less grace than Brad.
We drove in silence, going in the opposite direction to Stefan's territory. A slight rain began to come down, hitting the windshield lightly as Brad picked up the pace. I heard a bleep from his phone, glaring at it on the dashboard.
"Are you going to tell me why you want my phone to burst into flames?" Brad asked softly, keeping his eyes on the road.
"It's nothing," I continued to glare out the window, trilling my fingers on the door. Brad sighed.
"Obviously there is down thing wrong, just tell me."
"No," I mumbled, flashing at my jealousy. "It's fine." The phone let out another cry, drawing my attention as I all but picked it up and threw it into the back seat.
I was shocked as Brad began to chuckle deeply, the first time I had heard him laugh in over a week! "What's so funny?" I grumbled, crossing my legs on the seat as I looked at his chiseled jawline.
"You're jealous of Alina!" He continued to laugh, eyes crinkling in the corners.
"What?! Why is this funny to you?! I don't laugh when you get jealous!" I threw my hands up in exasperation, hitting his arm as he swerved on the road. Immediately his phone began to ring and I glared at it in the backseat before seeing the caller ID.
"Hey Ty," I mumbled after I had ravaged over and snatched up the phone, watching the rain come down on the windshield as I spoke.
"What's wrong?" He asked immediately, "Why'd you swerve?"
"Brad's just being an asshole as usual, don't worry." Brad snickered as I pulled a tongue.
"Okay, phone if you need anything." At that, he hung up, rather abruptly if you ask me. I placed the phone in between the two front seats, glaring at Brad.
"My jealousy is not something to laugh about!" I grumbled to him.
"I know it's not!" He let out another laugh, "But you'll soon see why I find this amusing."
I gave up and continued my rain watching until it eventually eased up as our car pulled over onto the side of the road. Flinging open the door, I walked over to the rain drenched group. A girl with flaming red hair immediately ran over to Brad, flinging her arms around his shoulders as she hugged him. I bit back my growl, surveying the rest of them.
Three men and a woman carrying a small child in her arms. They all watched me warily, the woman pulling the child from my view. "I won't hurt any of you," I told them calmly, trying to offer them a small, empathic smile. The tension lessened but they stayed wary, Brad walking up behind me with the girl I assumed to be Alina.
Brad spun me around to face Alina, introducing me quickly. I eyes the girl up and down. She was tall with waist length red hair, dark combat boots and an all black outfit. Her green eyes seemed to eye me hungrily, "So this is Riley," she said in an almost flirtatious way. It all clicked.
"You're gay aren't you?" I asked her flatly, internally rolling my eyes. Brad grabbed my arm, pulling me towards himself as Alina's tinkling laugh filled the air.
"Much to my dead fathers delight, yes I am." The lady with the child hit Alina over the head lightly, murmuring things about respect. "This is my mother and sister," Alina introduced, the woman backing away slowly. Brad held me almost protectively as Alina looked at me as if I were a piece of meat. So this is why he was so amused at my jealousy.
"Let's get you into the cars and back to our house so we can get you all dried off," I offered a smile to the group, walking them over to the cars as Tu held open the doors. Brad mumbled something about them getting the seats wet to which I answered by smacking his arms.
"Thank you for doing this," Alina said as we began driving back towards home, her mother and sister seated in the back with her.
"It's not a problem," I said with a smile, turning in my seat to face them. "Would you like to tell us what happened?"
Alina nodded, clearing her throat as she shivered slightly either due to her wet clothes or at the memory of what had happened. "At first our pack doctor was slaughtered and left lying in the middle of our training grounds for everyone to see," I swallowed, this is exactly what happened to Stefan's pack. "We didn't know what had stacked him, it smelt like wolves but we doubted our own kind would try and kill him. Then our nurses were all killed, as if they want us to not be able to heal. Then they started attacking the houses on the outskirts of our territory, leaving their bodies strewn around." She showed no emotion as she spoke, her mother silently crying beside her.
"That's when the humans came," her eyes hardened, "they killed everyone but that's not the worst thing."
I nodded my head for her to continue; "They had werewolves on their side, our own kind! Betrayed!" Brad remained silent, calculating and formulating a plan.
I messaged ahead so that when we arrived home, our doctor and nurses were waiting for us with towels. They took them to the medical center, knowing it would be another long night.
Alex met me as I climbed out of the car, "Sophia and Cater have been asking for you." I smiled gratefully, walking into the house and heading towards my room. Seeing as there wasn't any more space to house two children, I had convinced Brad to give them out bed whilst we slept on the couch.
"Hey," I murmured as I entered the room, taking a seat on the bed beside Sophia. They had grown fond of Brad and I, refusing to speak to anyone else other than mumbling our names. I glanced at the clock which read 8:57, "You know it's late," I teased, wrinkling my nose at them.
"We wanted to say good night to you," Carter mumbled, scooting closer to me and Sophia.
"Yeah," Sophia yawned, pulling herself into my lap, "We couldn't sleep." I smoked down at the two, absently stroking Sophia's hair as Carter told me about their day.
"And then Alex threw my dinosaur across the room and said we were being unfair!"
"Yeah!" Sophia chimed in, "She's a big baby!" I laughed and kissed each of their foreheads, tucking them into bed.
"You can tell me more tomorrow, but now you have to get to sleep!" I walked to turn off the light before Carter stopped me.
"Can you lie in bed with us for a bit?" I bit my lip, hearing Brad talking downstairs about the pack. It couldn't hurt...
"Sure," I climbed under the covers with them in the middle, either one curled into my sides. Before I realized it, I was out like a light.