Rise of The Phoenix Alpha

Family....

Axton

“Trent’s older brother.” I breathe out remembering him. He would watch us from the porch when we’d play.

“You’ve remembered us finally. How interesting.” He tilts his head studying me.

“What were you delivering to my father?” I ask with interest.

“I’m afraid that’s between my father and my mother. Anxious to know, aren’t you?” I don’t like his cocky smirk. His brother might be the contract killer but he’s definitely not the ass of the family.

“I wanted to make sure you were truly doing what you said. You are a stranger in my pack.”

He considers that before nodding. “True. You are a cautious Beta.”

“My job….” I link Evan what’s going on in case Oliver has bad intentions. Cause I catch that vibe from him and his wolf. When I refocus on him, he hasn’t changed his expression. “You may leave. It seems you were truly here to deliver something.”

“Still want to know what it is?” I shake my head.

“My father’s delivery is none of my business. I needed to establish if you were lying or not though.”

“I hope you are always this….thorough. Goodbye Beta.” I watch him leave while Phoenix snarls at me to stop him.

“Phoenix, I don’t want him calling Dad saying I detained him. Instead, I want to know exactly what Dad had him deliver. And then he’s cheating with Dad’s mate.” I watch him until he crosses the border. A car starts. So he has permission to be here but doesn’t pull in like a normal cleared visitor. Not fishy at all….

I need to talk to Trent Yarrow fast. I will begin calling that old head warrior later today. Since Trent came to find me after that. And this time, I will ask him how I can contact him in the future.

I double back to collect the books and my bag. Hurrying back to the cabin, I find Evan staring out the window worriedly.

“s**t Axton, I’ve been waiting for you. Dad linked me. He’s coming over later. Says he needs to talk to us about how we left.”

Fantastic! Evan leaves after breakfast to go run his training class. I beg off asking Corbin to cover it for me. I give him the lowdown on finding Oliver this morning though I leave off his last name for now. He agrees to take my training classes so I can do some digging. I call that head warrior first. I am pretty positive he contacted Trent last time and told him I was looking for him. This time when he gives me the same info and the name Kayla, I embellish my story. “I’ll give you my name. Evan. He needs a certain kind of help.”

All he says is “hmmm. Goodbye Beta.” That should do it.

I found two disgruntled ex-members of the Opulence Pack and decide to call them next. One is a female so she’s my better bet for true information. I would bet one of those assholes made a move on her and she left. Even better, she lives in the pack near Bellamy’s. Which cannot be a coincidence. I let the phone ring and hear the hesitant hello.

“Hello, my name is Beta Axton Stone. I am calling for Maryanne Johns.”

“I’m Maryanne, Beta. What can I do for you?”

“I saw you were a member of the Opulence Pack. I wanted to find out why you decided to leave them six months ago. Now before you ask, I am not their ally nor do I care for the Alpha’s son.”

She gives a bitter laugh. “No one is besides his little gang of assholes and his father.”

“He hurt my friend. She…I want to help her get revenge Maryanne. Will you tell me what happened?”

She begins talking about how he chooses a female for a period of time. She’s his exclusively and he pretty much commands them to be with him. Although many are willing. “My aunt that I lived with worked in the kitchen. She was delivering refreshments to him and his friends one night when she overheard him discussing that I was next on his list. She hurried home and told me. I left rescinding my ties and became a rogue that night to escape. I was not becoming his pet as he likes to call his girls.”

I recall him saying that to Bellamy in the first timeline. She breaks me out of that unpleasant memory with her next sentence. “He sent hunters after me. He keeps a few of them on retainer for runner girls. Luckily I was able to hide out and the Alpha hates Tylen so he gave me a spot in the pack. He gave up eventually when the Alpha killed two of his hunters.”

It keeps getting worse I swear. By dinner time that night, I’ve done everything I did in two days last time. Trying to get more info this timeline. The loud knock on the door tells me who it is. Evan lets him in hesitantly. He asks to stay for dinner and I accept. We’re a day ahead which is good. This time I have questions though. He goes through his tearful speech about missing us and blaming me for Mom’s death. When he finishes, I tell him once again we can try to work on our relationship. He’s tearfully grateful. “Could I come for breakfast tomorrow? Just me. I’ll pick up your favorites from the café and bring coffee.”

“Sure Dad.” I say quietly. He reaches over and squeezes my forearm with a small smile.

“Dad I need to ask you something.”

“Anything Axton.”

“I remembered something the other day.” I don’t miss the quick flash in his eyes. “I was trapped with a man tied to a beam in a cabin. He was setting the place on fire.”

He sits back his eyes closed. Damn I wanted to watch his eyes. He starts talking slowly. Evan stares at us with worry. “You were six. Just had your birthday. We went to another pack to pick up healing herbs for the doctor here and a man grabbed you and your friend, Trent. He was planning to ask for ransom since he knew I was a Beta. Trent escaped somehow but he couldn’t lead us back. Someone reported a burning cabin and we found it with a guy dead thirty feet away and you hiding in the forest. All you would say is you walked out after the ropes were released. And you had no idea who killed him. After a week you never spoke of it again. The therapist I took you to said not to mention it if you didn’t.”

“My friend Trent? I don’t remember him.”

“Trent Yarrow. Yeah he’s a Gamma’s son. You always played together when we went to visit. His mother made the herbs. Course now he’s a contract killer.” He mutters.

“What?” Evan breathes out and I stare at Dad.

“He’s the Yarrow assassin the council has been searching for. I would have never guessed that little boy would turn out that way.” I thought he’d lie. Hmmm…

“So that guy took me to extort money from you?”

“Yes, he was a rogue. Desperate and happened to be right at the border where you two were playing.” Dad says quietly. “Another reason I shut you out. I wasn’t fit to protect you.”

He stays another hour talking over some pack matters and telling Evan some stories about our mom. I tune him out mostly.

After he leaves, I text Bellamy that tomorrow I need to speak with her. I’m going to show her Alpha Draynor’s info and go ahead to confess to her about her mate and how I feel. Trent should meet with my doppelganger tomorrow night and I will be there waiting for them.

Bellamy agrees to meet me for lunch by our treehouse. “Axton are you ok? I had the most horrible dream last night and you died in it.”

It repeats….”I’m fine Bells but I had a nightmare too. What time did you wake out of curiosity?”

“At 4. I checked the clock worried.”

Phoenix “That’s why we wake then. She has the dream and wakes in pain.”

“Phoenix are you sure she isn’t our mate? Something isn’t adding up between us.”

“That’s hilarious. The list of what is not adding up in our life is more than something. But no she isn’t ours. At least not yet….”

“What does that mean?”

“If you win Tylen’s challenge she becomes ours.”

I nod slowly.

In the middle of the night, I wake suddenly to an urgent link in my mind. “Axton you need to get to your father’s house now! You and Evan. They were attacked!”

“Yes Alpha!” Evan is moving too, he must have been linked also. We throw on shirts and race over to the house. Alpha is there along with Lane, Corbin, and his older brother. The doctor rushes up the steps passing us. Alpha motions us inside. “Your dad hasn’t spoken to us yet. Maybe he’ll talk to you.” On the floor of the living room, lies Reyanne stabbed through the heart. Her lifeless eyes staring at the ceiling. Dad is in the kitchen leaning against the cabinets frozen in shock. His eyes are glassy. He has claw marks across his neck and chest. They aren’t healing either. “Dad.” Evan walks over slowly. Dad doesn’t stir. Only when Evan touches his cheek does he shake himself out and stare at Evan still blankly. “Evan…”

“Dad what happened?”

“I woke up to a noise. When I came downstairs, I smelled someone. Like bananas and mint. Couldn’t find them anywhere. Reyanne…..she….my poor Reyanne.” He lets out a short anguished cry. “She…..got up and followed eventually after I told her it was all clear. But it wasn’t. He….he jumped out from behind the coat closet. Before I could get to him, he stabbed her. Attacked me like a feral wolf…..clawed me. It…burned.” He looks down at the marks and I crouch in front of him. They are close together. I examine them closely and snap a few photos of them. Something isn’t right.

Doc sees me frowning and nods. “Yes it’s some type of silver powder. Keeps it from healing right away. Beta I need to irrigate this well so it can heal.” Not quite what I meant but I keep it to myself.

Dad doesn’t respond, tears now streaming out of his eyes. A few minutes later, he snaps howling in agony and starts shoving us aside. I realize why when I see one of the warriors bend down to look at Reyanne. He makes it to her side and lifts her cradling her against him. He begins snarling and snapping at anyone within reach. “Doc you may need to sedate him.” I warn and he nods. Alpha tells him to do it.

He sticks the needle in his arm as he turns to attack him. I grab his neck and hold him still until the sedative kicks in.

“Phoenix what the hell? They don’t even meet with Trent until tomorrow. How could he have come and killed Reyanne this early?”

“Are we sure it was him? We only have Dad’s word he smelled bananas. We need to talk to Trent. It also could have been his brother she screwed. Remember he smells like pine and mint. Dad says he smelled bananas and mint. They are family so it wouldn’t be hard to imitate scents.”

My phone goes off and I see a text from an unknown number. “Family can be your biggest enemy Axton. I’ll see you soon my friend.”