*Chapter 20*
*Josh's POV*
My phone buzzed sending it spinning in a small circle on the table. I tilted my head to the side as my chin rested on my arms. I could feel the vibrations faintly crawling up the bottoms of my arm through the table. It stopped after the third time. The plan was normally to let it ring. Listen to the message. Call back if needed.
This time it stopped then immediately started again. Odd. But no voicemail to listen to yet so I just stared. On the third ring I sighed and pushed the green button followed up with the speaker microphone.
"Hello." I hated how monotone I sounded. Then again, I had just let my phone ring three times to avoid having to talk to the person on the other end of the call.
"You have to come to the hospital. You know it's your duty."
"Is it though?" I could almost feel the growl that he swallowed.
"She made her choice to leave and faced consequences for it. We have a place in this pack, and it's your job to be ready to take my place. This isn't about one person. It's about hundreds. I am leaving now and expect you to be waiting when I arrive."
The line went dead, and I made no attempt to move.
"He's right you know. Harsh way of putting it, but not altogether wrong." I jumped slightly, but it was a Saturday, and you could smell Adam from a mile away. It was no surprise he was in the house, but he doesn't normally eavesdrop.
"How can you of all people say that?" Adam shrugged and sat down in one of the chairs. He pushed the phone slightly, so it slid on the table closer to me.
"She knew at that point she wasn't under the protection of your pack..." I straightened up slightly ready to protest, but he raised his hand. "Yes, I know that you were protecting her and feel guilty, but technically she had left the protection of your pack and not yet entered the protection of ours. She made herself vulnerable to someone she already knew was an enemy."
I huffed and stood up. I didn't like the direction of this conversation. How dare someone blame her for her own attack, and her mate. "It wasn't her fault some idiot that you brought right on her doorstep kidnapped her!"
"I'm not saying it's her fault. I'm saying you have not accepted the role as her official protector in my pack. You are the next Beta in line for the pack of your family. A pack of hundreds of other people as your father has pointed out. One of those has just been born, and it is your duty to be there. Until you make the decision to renounce your role, you need to live it."
"Pot calling the kettle black there aren't we?" He looked out the sliding door as I reached for my keys. I knew he was longing to go search for her so I might as well go to the hospital.
***
I arrived just as my dad was pulling himself out of the car. For most people who were going through a tragic event you say they look older. Their face droops in a permanent sadness. Having a child suddenly stop coming home and having to comfort their best friend for the idea that they would never see their child again would age a beta. Or that's what I thought.
He stepped out of the car looking younger somehow. His shoulders were straighter. His face was shaved clean with his hair cut short all the way around. His dark wash jeans had no tears or frays, and he wore a plain blue button up with sleeves rolled up to his elbows. I parked beside his Ford and gave him a nod. It had been weeks since I had stood in front of him.
His eyes were dark with disappointment, and he looked me over. "Didn't try to hard to dress for the occasion did ya?" His southern draw stuck on to the last word of his sentence even though no other words had it.
"You didn't give me a whole lot of time. 'did ya'?"
He stepped forward gritting his teeth. I was supposed to back down. Advert my eyes. Cower.
Instead, I lifted my chin and stared into his eyes. They were growing even darker and bordering canine.
"Waylon? Josh? What are you guys still doing out here?" Leo jogged over to us with the biggest grin I had ever seen on his face. While Dad looked younger, Leo looked like he had aged at least five years. His daughter was gone, and he had been all, but living at the hospital with his wife.
He clapped me on the shoulder and all but drug us into the hospital. If he did notice the tension, he made no mention of it as he guided us to the maternity ward. He rambled on about how strong his wife had been. Told us about how beautiful his new baby girl was even though she was a premie.
I guess they replaced the one they lost.
The thought felt like a punch to the stomach. I had known our Alpha and his family my whole life. I knew that thought wasn't true when I was thinking logically, but I felt it all the same. Everyone's lives were just moving forward. It was almost like she had never been in the pack in the first place, but Adam and I were stuck. We were frozen in time until she was back. Our worlds couldn't move.
Leo pushed open the door of Luna's room. It was quiet and lights were dimmed. She had the bed slightly inclined, but her eyes were closed. She looked so small in the big room. Her hair was oily and in knots while her face had began to sink in slightly. An IV was hooked up to her arm and the beeping of a machine reading her heartrate was the only sound I could hear for a few minutes.
Elizabeth sat on the small couch playing a phone game with Oliver. His hand draped over the back of the couch, and I could tell he was fighting to stay awake. A small gurgling sound came from a corner of the room. Leo waved us over to the tiny warmer and we all circled around. She laid in a cradle with four clear walls. She was scrunched into an odd position on her stomach. Her knees were scrunched up under her and pressed against her elbows that were also tucked underneath her little body. Her butt stuck up in the air and Jack patted it gently when she started to squirm. He gave a small hush and the infant settled down. His gaze shifted to us to show off his very proud Dad smile.
"I present to you Harlow Analise." At the sound of her own name Harlow began to make even more fussing sounds. Leo glanced at the clock then whispered to Elizabeth to start making the bottle. "Since Trinity is still so weak, they have us alternating with formula so she can stay sleeping for longer."
He slipped his hands underneath her and gently flipped Harlow onto her back as he cradled her in his arms. He opened his mouth to say something, but the door opened again to reveal John and Abby. She cradled her own barely showing stomach and immediately swopped in to take the baby from her alpha. He didn't protest as she sat down on the couch beside Elizabeth and hovered the bottle over the infant's mouth until she started opening her mouth to eat. John joined us at the clinical bassinet. The thing seemed small before but while it sat empty with four grown men surround it, it looked microscopic.
"Josh. Glad you could join us." The words he said were nice, but the tone he laced them with held more meaning. I met his eyes even though I knew it was a risk. I would not back down to these people.
"The search for your sister doesn't have any new updates if that is what you were asking." His eyes tightened slightly while his lip curled showing teeth that were starting to turn canine. "Shouldn't a future alpha be better at holding his temper than that?"
Dad gripped my arm tightly digging his nails in. "I apologize for the intrusion Alpha. Congratulations on your new daughter. Please let either of us know if you need anything." Dad's head dipped a little too low. I felt sick at his submission. Leo's eyes shifted from Dad to me. I knew what he expected especially after I challenged his son, but I wouldn't dip into a full bow at a man like that. I barely tilted my head in a small nod and walked to the door.
Dad's hand had no choice, but to let go of my arm and I was gone.
That's not my Alpha.
*Lily's POV*
The door slid open, and a tray was sat down on the floor. Henry didn't say a word as he sat in a chair outside the cell. I hesitantly stepped forward and picked up the tray before backing slowly back into the corner. The last few days had gone by without a visit from Henry.
I was able to start walking around. My legs still felt weak, but I was able to support my body. After the first two months my period had stopped. I knew certain stressors changed a person's cycle, but the lack of nutrition had stopped mine altogether. I wasn't sure when it would start back or if it would.
The plate in front of me was just basic bread and a few selections of fruit. I picked up the smallest grape and placed it into my mouth.
"Have you been thinking about what I've said? The future we could create?"
"Giving me food and showing me a shred of kindness doesn't change that I am sitting in a cell on the brink of starvation. An alpha that would subject a potential ally to this is not an alpha I would follow."
His jaw clenched and his hands balled into fists at his knees. "The future is more important than our comfortableness. You've lived your entire life in a prison. Because I have made it a physical one to force you to listen to me, I am the bad one?"
"A future has to be built on humanity. Mutual understanding. A pack isn't created through fear, but by love and loyalty. You earn loyalty by being someone worth following. You are not someone worth following." He abruptly stood up and kicked the metal chair over. I flinched and shut my eyes. Maybe I shouldn't be fighting back.
He glared at me huffing then strode out of the prison clicking the door behind him. I was able to eat a full piece of bread, a strawberry, and a few grapes. There were sharp pains in my stomach, but I was able to force it to stay down. I closed my eyes and tried to center my mind on Adam.
I imagined being able to see his eyes staring into mine. The softest touch of his hand on my cheek. I imagined his scent invading my nose and circling around me. A mix of a set of woods I had never been to and a faint sweetness. I felt something pulling me gently. It was like the smallest tug at my heart and a growl/whimper left my mouth. I tried to reach out my mind as far as I could. My energy was draining quickly, but this was the closest I had been to him. We shouldn't be able to speak through our minds yet, but maybe the goddess would have mercy on us given the situation.
Adam? Can you hear me? Please tell me you can hear me. Adam...