Alpha Micah Black: Homecoming

Chapter14

10:34 PM, March 3rd, An Undisclosed Location

Somewhere deep within the dark recesses of Wolfdale City, a clandestine meeting was taking place inside the luxurious interior of a black-colored stretch limousine. The petite, but very much in charge, blonde-hair lady cough, sorry> sat eyeing the odd couple across from her. The large muscular male had a lighter shade of brown and cold, steely eyes. His female companion was athletic, having long blonde hair styled in loose curls. Her manicured hands almost matched their host’s. Both guests could tower over the limo owner if it weren’t for them sitting.

“I trust that everything is in place and no one will connect me to any of the transactions?” the snarky little blonde inquired.

“Yes, Madam Mayor. Everything is in place,” the Blackwater Chief Security Officer replied.

“But can you assure me, Mr. Grayson, that nothing can get traced back to me?” Jabberwocky pressed her guest.

“With all due respect, Madam Mayor, Cole and I have done all that you have requested of us,” the tall blonde firmly reminded Jabberwocky. Her own steely eyes matched Jabberwocky’s.

“Here’s to Wolfdale City and the downfall of Blackwater Industries.”

The three conspirators raised their champagne glasses to toast the occasion.

Meanwhile…

Edward J. Vanguard Communications building, The Howler HQ

With random students continuing to disappear, the school’s newspaper headquarters closed early. The large room was dark except for the safety exit lights illuminated above each doorway. All was quiet inside, except for the paper’s antique–the old teletypewriter. It mysteriously turned on and began typing out sporadic words, but more accurately letters.

DAN OS AM B R UL

Wolfdale City Police Department, Forensics

The night shift minions worked steadily at their stations. Each minion is engrossed with their assignments. No one noticed the extra minion hiding their identity under a ball cap and glasses. The mysterious minion casually maneuvered past each station and entered the evidence-holding area. The figure slipped its hand into a pocket and withdrew a syringe. After entering the code on the keypad, Anderson Jacobs’ cell door opened, startling him awake. Anderson’s eyes widened, seeing the metallic sheen of the needle.

4:03 AM, March 4th, 1313 J. Butcher Blvd

The faint smell of orange blossom, soft musk, and ginger lingering in my room kept me from sleeping. I pulled out a picture frame from the nightstand. It’s the pretty lady she-wolf and me. We look happy and in love. I wish I could remember…her…us. But all I find is a hollow darkness in the recesses of my mind. However, fuzzy visions of me holding the bloody remains of Amber, my mate, take its place. Quietly, I got out of bed and headed to the bathroom. Troubling sounds came from Jewel’s bedroom. So I took a peek at her sleeping. She seemed fine. I continued to the bathroom.

Flipping on the light and partially closing the door, I looked at myself in the mirror. Dark circles and speckles of gray in my hair and facial scruff stare back at me. For a brief moment, I thought I saw a mate mark on my neck. But it quickly swirled away, leaving my regular unmarked skin.

“That’s it. I became a father and am officially losing my mind,” I quietly muttered.

Instinctively, I shook my head and rubbed my sore neck, letting out a long sigh. Then sounds of Jewel stirring caught my hearing. It sounded like she was talking to someone. I softly padded toward her bedroom and cracked open the door to peer in.

“No, I don’t want to,” she sleepily mumbled. Her face wrinkled up in a painful grimace. “Please, don’t…” she cried out, but then, “AHHH!” she screamed, sitting in bed.

Dad-mode: ON!

I rushed into her bedroom and sat beside her on the edge of the bed. She threw her arms around my neck and continued to cry harder. Her little body trembled in my embrace. Damn those nightmares! It’s bad enough dealing with them on your own, but watching your child experience one…

“Shh, I got you. You’re safe now,” I whispered into her hair, alternating between rubbing her back and smoothing down her hair.

However, my little Jewel shook her head no into my shoulder. And at the same time, my hair stood on end. Have you ever felt creeped out in your own home? It felt like someone was watching us.

“I don’t want to sleep here, Sergeant,” she pleaded through her tears. Yep, I don’t blame her for that. I suddenly don’t feel safe in this room either. It’s weird.

“How about we head downstairs to the living room and watch a little TV?” I suggested, wiping her tears from her face.

Jewel nodded her head yes. I gently scooped her and the blankets and carried her down the steps. But before leaving the room completely, I could have sworn I saw the faint remains of a figure fading in Jewel’s mirror. Yeah, let’s not go there. I’m obviously still tired. Let’s not jump to any conclusions just yet.

It wasn't long before Jewel and I found a comfortable position on the couch. She bundled up in the blankets and gently rested her head on my stomach. I semi-stretched out, using my coffee table as a footrest. One of my arms gently draped over Jewel’s body, holding her close. I placed my other arm behind my head, using it as a pillow. Occasionally, I would feel Jewel using my tee shirt to wipe away her tears and sniffles. The joys of parenthood? Note to self…buy tissues and disinfectant.

Meanwhile, across town

3:17 AM, 2526 N. Hampton Street, Blackwater Industries, Inc. building, penthouse suite

Dylan Blackwater worked late into the next morning, reviewing every available business transaction report. Every. Single. One. Dark wood paneling trimmed his home office. Rows and rows of books on built-in shelving units covered two walls. Books on business and finance, books on wildlife, and fantasy books from different authors were all categorized according to subject and alphabetized. I told you he was a nerd. And the jungle adventure theme carried on in his office. Tall and short plants littered the floor and the nooks and crannies. Framed antique world maps decorated the wall behind his desk. A bauble was on the short shelving behind his desk. According to legend, you need the bauble to read a map. What map? The one that needs the bauble. Catch-22.

Dylan kept the light dim while he worked. Across from his upcycled wooden desk, Hanna was curled up in blankets lying on the soft leather sofa. The recurring nightmares about being held hostage by Richard Abernathy, the fake Mitch Owens, plagued her dreams every time she closed her eyes. Because of the mate bond, he could sense Hanna’s fright and anxiety. But he was too afraid to sleep for fear of someone or something taking her away from him. He also was sporting dark circles under his eyes. If his Gamma, the head of Blackwater Security Company, was there doing his job–looking after his Luna–Dylan could get a decent night’s sleep.

“Any luck?” Hanna softly mumbled from under her blankets.

“No,” Dylan grumbled. “He’s not answering my calls.”

“Not even the mind link?” she innocently asked, sitting on the sofa.

“No.”

“Ha, that’s weird,” she whispered to herself.

“Yeah, it is,” Dylan answered, to her surprise. “I need to talk with him about it when he returns.” He got up from behind his desk and plopped on the sofa next to Hanna.

“Where’d he go again?”

“Back to the Blackwater Canyon pack lands. The council suggested—”

“The council?!” Hanna interrupted, balking in disbelief. “The alpha couple lead wolf packs–usually a male and a female. Mom and Pop, so to speak.”

“Usually…under normal circumstances,” Dylan agreed. He let out a frustrated sigh.

“I’m waiting for the ‘but’,” Hanna pressed.

Dylan gave her a side glare. “But—” He paused, standing up from his seat. “I don’t want to talk about it right now.”

“You never want to talk about it,” his mate complained, mimicking his frustrated sigh. She crossed her arms in front of her and arched one of her eyebrows.

“I don’t have time for this, Lil Bet,” he grumbled, sitting at his desk again. “I need to get your medical supplies ordered.”

Yep, my hard-headed cousin was avoiding the subject. Hanna wasn’t buying his excuse either and added, “Make sure to add an enema to the list.”

“An enema?” my cousin asked, obviously confused at the request. “You…”

“Oh, it’s not for me. It’s for you,” Hanna retorted, not missing a beat. “You clearly need help to remove your head from your ass.”

The corner of my cousin’s mouth twitched into a smirk and a twinkle danced in his eyes when his mate spouted off those familiar words. He immediately got up from his chair again and rushed to the sofa. Dylan then proceeded to tickle Hanna until they both laughed themselves into exhaustion. They then snuggled on the sofa and let sleep overtake them.