After a long warm shower, I dried my hair quickly with the dryer and made my way back downstairs. Zach was leaning against the counter, with his arms folded across his chest. He handed a large mug of hot chocolate with cream layered on the top and marshmallows sprinkled with chocolate pieces.
"Thanks." I smiled at him as I took it out of his hand.
We sat, in content silence, for a while before my phone chimed on the counter between us. "Hello?" I answered, not bothering to check the caller ID. I currently received calls from every member of my pack so saving numbers would be tedious.
"Hey El. There is someone trespassing on the borders," Tyler, my beta wolf, informed me.
"Ok, thanks Ty. I will be there in a minute. Can you go ahead and check them out?" I asked him, wanting to finish my drink before heading back out in the cold. While I was showering, the rain subsided but a strong crisp wind swirled through the valley, whipping up debris off the floor and catapulting it through the air.
"Yeah, see you in a minute." He ended the call abruptly and I knew it was because he was already half way there. Tyler was an amazing beta and although he was sceptical about how ready I was for the position of Alpha when my father died, he had helped me out loads over the past few weeks.
I let out a frustrated groan and downed the rest of my drink, scolding my tongue in the process. "I have to go," I huffed, tugging my coat off the hook.
"I heard. Stay safe ok sweetheart?" Zach responded in a pleading manner. He pulled me towards him and pressed his lips firmly against my forehead.
I planted a quick kiss on his lips in return before scurrying down the hall. "I will," I called and slipped out the front door.
Outside, the cold wind whipped my hair to and fro, matting the dark waves over my face. I tucked the strands behind my ear and progressed forward, heading in the direction of the border.
Eventually, I came across Tyler and a few of the protection wolves gathering in a circle. Tylers sharp voice could be heard over the howling wind and was directed at the man before him.
His hair was a pale shade of brown, almost copper and was windswept over his head in a messy but neat flick. It looked purposeful yet some of the hairs were flyaway from the wind, adding to a wild look he seemed to pull off with ease. Two thick and heavily hooded eyebrows arched over his piecing blue eyes.
Those cold eyes locked onto me as I approached him and a sense of familiarity went coursing through me. His scent was a concoction of wet dog and burning embers and it created a feeling of warmth within me.
He had a bulky build, with broad, squared shoulders that indicated he was ready to fight. However, upon seeing me, he visibly relaxed which boiled my blood. His muscular arms were currently being contained by two protection wolves, keeping him captive until my arrival.
"Who are you and what are you doing on my territory?" I asked sharply, not in the mood for light chit chat with the trespasser.
He smirk slightly and I couldn't stop the scowl from erupting on my face. "Hey sweetheart, I am here to see the Alpha," he stated casually, relaxing somewhat in the wolves arms.
"I'm the Alpha, what do you want?" I snapped and his expression morphed from cocky to shocked. His eyebrows shot through his forehead, brushing against his hairline, his crystal blue eyes were as wide as saucers and his mouth drooped in the corners.
"You? You're the fearsome Alpha Reed that took over from the ruthless father a few months ago?" He gasped incredulously and I nodded. "But...," he stuttered slightly, "But you're a woman."
"I am," I answered with a nod.
"I thought women couldn't be Alphas." He furrowed his brows, looking me up and down as though he was waiting for me to morph into a man at any moment.
"That was a ridiculous tradition that dated back a thousand years," I snapped, narrowing my eyes. "Now, I won't ask you again. Who. Are. You?" I spoke slowly, articulating each letter that pooled out of my mouth. I watched with great satisfaction as his throated bobbed up and down from a gulp.
"Sorry, my name is Liam. And I came here to ask for your help," he explained, looking me straight in the eye.
I nodded slowly and turned to Tyler. "Leave us please," I ordered him with a swift nod to the two protection wolves. Instantly they dropped the arms of the man and he crumpled to the floor before quickly regaining his posture.
Tyler raised his eyebrows. "Are you sure Alpha Reed?" I glanced between him and Liam and nodded - I could easily defeat him if necessary. Tyler nodded in understanding and without another word, swivelled on his heels and vanished into the thick of the forest, leaving me with the trespasser.
"Wow, you're quiet scary for a hot chick." He chuckled, raising his eyebrows in admiration as I turned back to him.
I narrowed my eyes a fraction, my face concealing any emotion to his inappropriate comment. "What exactly is it you need my help with? I'm very busy and you trespassing on my territory is punishable by death , so quit wasting my time and give me a reason why I shouldn't kill you."
Of course, I could never actually kill the man, he had done nothing wrong. However, as Alpha, I needed to scare off any trespassers that may actually want harm my pack.
"You really are scary," he commented before quickly shaking his head. "I was hoping you could help me find someone." A pleading and hopeful expression swiftly contorted his face.
"Who's this someone?" I asked, curiosity eating away at me.
"My brother, I was abandoned as a child and went on a search for my family. By the time I had found them, they were all slaughtered except for my brother. I found out about him some years later and set off to find him, I believe he may be a member of your pack." My mind flooded with questions, however I had no right to ask them so instead, I asked the one I needed to know.
"Does your brother have a name?" I thought over all the members of my pack, trying to figure out who he could be in relation to.
"His surname is Thorn, I don't know of his first name." He sighed and my jaw tumbled open. Suddenly, everything clicked into place and I saw this man in entirely different light.
The charming personality and cocky attitude, the nickname he had already called me, the identical bone structure with the sharp jawline and prominent cheekbones, the exact same muscular build and the piercing icy blue eyes I fell in love with at first sight. How could I have missed it?
Liam obviously noticed my revelation as his eyes lit up. "Do you know him?" His voice dripped with hope and desperation.
"I know someone with the surname Thorn." I nodded, my voice came out in a low whisper but he heard.
"Is there any way you could introduce them to me? Is there a possibility he could be my brother?"
"There is a large possibility, his parents were murdered along with the rest of his pack, he is maybe a few years younger than you appear and you definitely look like brothers," I informed him. "Come with me."
Liam walked at my heels and not an inch further through the woods towards the house and I could feel the hope and wishful thinking radiating off him.
"Alpha Reed?" He whispered after a few moments. It took me a while to register that he was talking to me; it was always my father that answered that name.
"Yes?" Thoughts of Zach's reaction to Liam hammered in my mind. Somehow, I didn't imagine they would run into each others arms and be happily reunited.
"What's his name?"
"Hm..." I hesitated for a second but reluctantly spilled the bit of information. "Its Zach." I could tell Liam was genuine and desperate to find his brother so I didn't feel it was right to conceal information about his possible family.
We finally reached the door to the house and my breath hitched in my throat. Zach had a brother. He had a family. I sincerely hoped that he didn't push all of that away.
I pushed the door open with baited breath, and it didn't take long before he was bundling down the hallway like a bulldozer, trampling on everything in his path, eyes ablaze with fury and fists balled at his sides.
AN:
Surprise!!
Were any of you expecting that?
Next update will be next Friday! X