Yep, he felt horribly guilty when at eight o clock in the morning he had turned over to wake Tendra and found her wide eyed and yelling for the direction to the bathroom. Her head hurt her and her stomach was having lots of fun throwing up the meal he cooked her last night.
“I brought you up some water. It might be better if you try to eat something.”
“I’ll say thanks for the water but there’s no chance I can even smell food.”
He left her to it. She had only batted his hands away when he had tried to help by holding her hair. Apparently that was a girl thing and she didn’t want him seeing her like this. So he found himself pacing the bedroom. At least she hadn’t said anything about waking up to him lying next to her.
Nine o clock found her pale faced and walking slowly out of the house to meet Tim.
“You can stay in bed if you want, I’ll bring him to you.”
“No, it’s ok.” She groaned when the front door banged shut and he saw her hand flutter to her head before realising that it wouldn’t help to touch it and put her hand back down. Ray saw an opportunity and took hold of that hand, leading her slowly towards Ashton’s house where he knew Nancy would give them breakfast. She was a lovely woman, very motherly to everyone and he loved that she made extra breakfast all the time in case he dropped in.
They had been walking a good ten minutes and she was just going to ask how much longer she had to walk when she saw in front of her a little cosy looking cottage type of house. Still in the middle of the forest, with trees surrounding it, and a little blue front door. It opened before they had even got to the door.
“Ah Alpha, come on in. And you must be Tendra, Tim hasn’t stopped talking about you.”
“Is he alright?”
“Oh yes he’s fine, he’s eating a full English as we speak. He has a right appetite has the little one.”
A woman, who looked very motherly wearing a dress with an apron with her hair pinned back, ushered them in with a beam of a smile on her face. Tendra had to admit it was contagious and she found herself smiling a long at the woman who was older than her but not yet hitting middle age.
“Come through, come through, you know the way. Ray, take Tendra with you.”
“Tendra!”
A blur of red was all she saw before little arms and hands were wrapped around her legs and squeezing tightly.
“I had a good night Tendra. We had shepherd’s pie, Nancy makes it better than you do. And this morning, come look at my breakfast!” Little Tim grabbed hold of her hand and pulled her along the hallway into the kitchen and proudly showed her a full English: hash browns, mushrooms, beans, toast, fried egg, bacon and sausage. Of course he only had one of each whereas Ashton who was sat on the opposite side of the table had two of everything and extra tomatoes and black pudding. He was reading a newspaper but looked up on her entering the kitchen.
“Ah, Alpha, Tendra, how are you this morning?”
“I’m fine,” Ray said, “Tendra might not be though.”
“Ah, show you his wine collection did he?”
Ashton turned his face to Tendra who was desperately trying to breathe through her mouth not her nose so she didn’t smell the food.
“Oh, yeah, I think we drank the whole collection as well.” She managed to whisper out.
“Haha, well sit down, I’ll make you a plate up, this is the exact breakfast you need to cure a hangover, promise.”
“We can stay for breakfast?” She asked, not that she would eat too much of it.
“Of course you can stay, I make enough to feed an army.” Nancy came bustling in carrying a jumper and jeans that couldn’t be for any other than a child.
She guessed it was her pale face and half shut eyes but Ashton, when just about to give her two pieces of bacon, turned back to look at her and after chuckling left it at just one of everything on her plate, but he handed it to her saying, “There’s seconds if you start to feel better.”
“Thank you.” She pushed the black pudding to the side and ignored it - there were just some things that were just wrong. Not knowing where to start or even if the breakfast would stay down she picked up a piece of toast and stabbed the egg yolk. She’d try at least.
“Where’s mine?” Ray asked faking offense.
“You can see the pans, do what you always do - help yourself.”
The men laughed a little and then Ray was over by the cooker tipping sausages on his plate and ignoring the tomato, adding lots of mushrooms but cutting back on the eggs. He looked like he was assessing each pan first before actually putting any on.
“Oh Ray you know I don’t mind how much or what you have, just get on what you what.”
“You don’t have many eggs left.”
“Just eat them. I’ve eaten already.”
“Promise?”
“Promise.” Nancy in motherly tendencies tended to see to everyone else first and leave herself last. He had seen her feed the whole lot of warriors a full English then sit down with toast herself because she had ran out of food. There had been mad dashes to the shops and frantic cooking from some of the warriors who presented her with a full English as well when she was about to put some washing in the machine.
“Ashton, have you a minute?”
Once he had eaten and Ashton was enjoying small talk with his wife, Ray’s phone had gone off. He had answered the text as discretely as he could but the contents needed sharing.
“Yeah sure.” They made their way outside where they couldn’t be heard and left Tendra to enjoy her time with Tim.
“We have a problem. I think the Sanguis Pack are after her father, and you know them, they don’t just kill the target but all associated with them.”
“How do you know it’s them?”
“She said the words, ‘they always follow.’”
“Oh.”
That was all there was really to say.
“I want this forest on guard twenty four seven. I want all warriors prepared and two scouts continually roaming the city.”
“Understood Alpha.”
“Good, Turner knows; I’ve been texting him all morning. He’s just come of patrol duty, I had him out late last night, probably woke him up. Anyway, I’m with Tendra today so will you tell the warriors what’s happening.”
“Of course. Alpha…? How long?”
“Until they get here? There probably already here Ashton, and I will not lose the forest.”
“Are you worried?”
“Never been more worried, they’re like parasites.”
“I’ll get onto that, I’ll take a team and patrol. I’ll see if Joshua and Rupert will scout out.”
“Good. Turner will be back about eleven o clock.”
“I’ll report to him, inform him of what I’ve done, he can take it from there.”
“Good man Ashton… Oh and another thing.”
“Yes Alpha?”
“See to it Tendra’s father is found, chained… in silver and send him for interrogation.”
“Right on it Alpha.”