The Alpha’s Catharsis

5

Reid never could resist a challenge, of any kind. He wasted no time enlisting the help of four men whose tracking and investigative skills were allegedly unrivaled—within twenty minutes, they were sitting in front of Reid’s desk there in his office.

I stood to his right, my hand resting on his shoulder. Beck and Silas were finishing their breakfast, still sitting on the couch across the room.

“I need information on the Waning Moon pack,” Reid explained to his men. “I want to know about any alliances or rivalries with other packs, or with any other supernaturals. Do what you have to do to find what I’m looking for.”

With that, just as soon as the four men had arrived, they were dismissed.

I watched them go, my stomach in knots with nervous anticipation. I wasn’t nervous about losing the bet; when it came down to it, I didn’t care about the bet at all. I was nervous about the potential danger of what they may find.

Reid took my hand off his shoulder and kissed my knuckles, interrupting my thoughts.

“They’re fine,” he assured me. “They’ll disappear for a week, and then they’ll come back, and you’ll lose the bet.”

I gave him a dirty look. He stood up and kissed my forehead, before guiding me back to the sitting area where Beck and Silas were tidying up the mess from their meal.

One thing that hadn’t been affected at all by Willem’s death was Reid’s ability to read minds. I was confident now that he was being honest when he said he could only do it sometimes, but it wasn’t any less annoying.

We sat down together on the couch opposite Beck and Silas.

“You guys can go home. Rest and recover. Back to work tomorrow morning,” Reid said.

“I have to check in with Aaron,” Beck said, “to see how training went yesterday.”

“You are free to do whatever you damn well please.”

Just as Silas began to ask Reid a question, Ellie’s voice invaded my head via mind-link.

“Thanks for the live updates last night,” she said, bitter sarcasm heavy in her voice.

“I’m sorry, Ellie,” I answered genuinely. “I wound up joining the patrol. We had a pretty hectic night.”

“James told me.”

“I’m at the packhouse right now. Want me to come over when I’m done here?” I offered.

“I’ll just meet you there. I’m already out for a walk anyway.”

She didn’t give me a chance to argue—I was going to tell her she should go home and relax while she could. She promptly ended our communication. She seemed a bit testy. Something told me she wouldn’t hear an argument.

I returned my attention to Reid, Beck, and Silas just as Beck and Silas were taking their leave. We all said our goodbyes, and they shut the door on their way out.

I tucked one leg underneath me, and turned my body to face Reid. He was reclined against the back of the couch, his legs spread wide.

He smiled at me. “I missed you.”

I smiled back. “I missed you, too.”

I leaned in to give him a brief peck on the lips. Yes, he was only gone for a day, but it was the first time we’d been apart for so long.

Before I could pull away from him, he reached up to cradle the back of my head, tangling his fingers in my hair as he deepened the kiss. I didn’t have the willpower to stop him, of course, and he knew it.

I would never tire of the taste of him, or of the way we moved together in perfect sync, or of the way the sparks made my head buzz pleasurably.

But much to my dismay, he broke the kiss. He gave me a mind-numbingly handsome half-smile. “How were things while I was gone?”

I finally pulled away. I smoothed my hair. Just one simple kiss could still turn me into putty in his hands, and he knew that, too. He also knew just as well as I did that there was business to attend to. Not much, but it was there.

“Things were fine,” I responded, matching his casual tone. “I assisted Aaron with two training sessions and I received the inventory report. Nobody from any other sector reported anything off.”

“No rogues anywhere else?”

“No, and none here till late last night.” I paused, and hesitated. “What were Alpha Nicholas’s men whispering in the woods?”

He shifted in his seat, his countenance hardening a bit. “Just weird s**t. Don’t worry about it.”

I shook my head and pressed, “I’m not going to let it go till you tell me what was said.”

He studied me for a moment before he conceded, albeit reluctantly. “It was hard to understand them. They were all talking at the same time. One of them, though, he was speaking in Damon’s voice, and he kept saying—”

“Wait,” I interrupted, as Ellie mind-linked me once more.

“I’m here,” she said, “but I am not going upstairs. I’ll be waiting by the sundeck.”

I frowned. “Ellie is here,” I said to Reid.

“We can talk about this later, then.”

“Will you come downstairs with me?”

“Sure.”

I gave him a small smile, and reached out to brush that one stubborn curl away from his forehead.

I gathered up my coat and we left his office, heading down both flights of stairs and maneuvering through the halls. We turned a corner, and we were greeted by the three-stories tall wall of windows that overlooked the mountains and the crystal-clear lake beyond the sundeck—my favorite view. The sunroom itself was flooded with bright, morning light. As we walked, I stared out the windows, observing as our pack members mingled outside.

“Over here!” The sound of Ellie’s voice calling out from some distance away caught my attention.

And there she was, the only one seated on one of the large sofas along the back wall. Reid and I crossed the hardwood floor to sit on either side of her.

I was happy to see she’d changed out of her robe before leaving her house. Now, she wore a pair of what I assumed were James’s sweatpants, and a solid grey sweatshirt beneath a flannel jacket.

I gave her a side-hug and a belly rub. “Good morning,” I said. “I promise, I didn’t forget about you.”

“I know you didn’t,” she said, with a strained grunt of effort as she shifted in her seat. “Reruns of The Office can only hold my attention for so long, you know?”

“I guess. Did you get any sleep?”

A bark of laughter escaped her. “f**k no. I’ve been sleeping like shit.”

“I swear, you’ve gotten bigger since yesterday morning,” Reid teased.

“Reid, I am not in the mood,” Ellie warned, with venom in her voice.

She glared at him, and he gave her a closed-lipped smile, amusement swirling in his eyes. Her heated gaze lingered for a moment more, as if she were anticipating another comment. He stared back at her levelly, and he did manage to keep his mouth shut.

She turned her head to look at me again. “James didn’t tell me too much about what happened. He was tired. He told me there were…” She trailed off and glanced around. There were a few pack members mulling about, and all three of us knew to be wary of eavesdroppers.

She chose to utilize the mind-link. “He told me there were rogues,” she said telepathically, to Reid and I, ”and he said there were a lot of them, but he didn’t tell me much more.”

“They’re coming from Waning Moon,” I replied. “It’s the purple-eyed woman. Something terrible is happening over there.”

“How many were there?”

“Thirty-two,” Reid said.

“Thirty-two?” Ellie repeated, in disbelief.

“A lot of them.”

“What do we do if they keep coming?” Ellie asked worriedly. “As long as the purple-eyed woman is still there, I’m sure they’ll keep trying to escape. Why are they coming here?”

“We will continue to deal with them as they come,” I answered, “while you take it easy.”

Ellie gave an exasperated sigh aloud, and our mind-link was ended.

“How are you feeling?” Reid asked her.

“Like I’ve gotten bigger since yesterday morning,” she said flatly. “I just spent an hour waddling around town because Sylvie says walking is a good way to kickstart my labor.”

“Do you remember how much walking we did with Kate right before she had Cole?” I asked her, smiling as I reminisced.

Ellie and Kate had grown close since White Mountain’s absorption. They had one major, common interest—their sons. Kate gave birth to her little boy in August, and in the weeks prior, Ellie and I visited her as frequently as we could. We did plenty of walking.

“I was hoping I’d be as lucky as Kate was, but it’s past my due date, and I’m still pregnant,” Ellie said. She rested her hands on top of her swollen belly and exhaled slowly.

“Have you named this kid yet?” Reid asked.

“I’m not telling you his name,” Ellie snapped. “You’re a baby name snob.”

Reid’s brow furrowed, but he didn’t push it. I suppressed the laughter that threatened to bubble up inside my throat.

“I had contractions all night long and I’ve been having them all morning, but they aren’t strong enough or consistent enough to even let Sylvie know,” Ellie continued. “That’s specifically why I’ve been out in, like, twenty-degree weather.”

I placed a hand on her stomach. “He can’t stay in there forever. He has to come out sooner or later.”

“Hopefully sooner.”

With that, she attempted to stand. It was awkward and ultimately futile. Chuckling, Reid helped her to her feet, and all the while she grumbled about how the couch was too low to the floor.

“Where are you going?” I asked, as I stood with ease.

“I am going to walk this pup the f**k out of me. You are more than welcome to join me.”

We both looked up at Reid, but his eyes were glazed over, and I knew he wouldn’t be tagging along.

Sure enough, when his eyes refocused not a second later, he said coolly, “Patrol needs assistance.”

He didn’t have to say it. There were more rogues incoming. “Should I go, too?” I offered, maintaining my composure as to not draw attention.

“No.” He stepped around Ellie to kiss me, and then he smiled. “You’ve done more than enough for today.”

“You’re going to make me vomit with the PDA,” Ellie cut in. “I cannot handle this s**t right now. If James comes anywhere near me, my skin crawls.”

Reid ignored her and kissed me again. “I won’t be too long.”

“Be careful.”

“Never,” he quipped, as he turned to walk away.

I watched him go, forced my uneasiness aside, and then I turned to Ellie. “Let’s go walk this pup out.”

•••

We walked for hours. We stopped for a light, late brunch. Ellie was feeling queasy and could hardly stand the sight of food, but she was simultaneously starving. She did her best to eat. She was hit with a contraction mid-bite of an apple, and immediately started dry-heaving, as she clutched her belly and dropped the apple.

After that, we promptly left the cafe.

We walked till she finally decided she was tired enough for her discomfort not to deter her from the idea of sleep. I dropped her off at her house, and made sure she was safe and cozy in bed before I left. James was there to keep her company if sleep happened to not find her.

Reid was still out with the patrol team, and I wanted to see Cujo. I headed home for the first time since yesterday afternoon.

I could’ve met up with Nina. I’d made a few friends, too, my closest friend being Paige, who worked as a waitress at my favorite little hole-in-the-wall restaurant in town. That was where we met.

But now, I wanted to see Cujo.

I edged the dirt path around the small cliff, and our little brick house came into view.

We’d made many memories in this little house. Once Willem was dealt with and we really settled in at home, we finally were able to focus on learning how to live with each other.

The bond we nurtured within these walls was like nothing either of us had ever experienced. It was a deep connection, with many facets.

All of our time at home was spent with Cujo, never straying too far from wherever we were.

I crossed the threshold and called his name. He wasn’t the type of dog to come running to greet you at the door. If you wanted to be greeted, you had to go to him.

I found him in the living room, curled up in his bed. He lifted his massive head from his paws and gave one, half-assed, hardly-interested bark. I hurried across the room and dropped onto my knees next to him. He let me love on him for what he deemed to be an appropriate length of time before he go to his feet with a huff, stretched, and trotted towards the kitchen. I followed him.

His food bowl was half-full. I gave him a treat, and mind-linked Nina. “Thanks for stopping by to feed Cujo.”

“We love Cujo,” she answered. “The boys say thanks for the cookies.”

I smiled.

While Cujo devoured two more treats, I munched on a banana. My mind was busy. The events that had taken place over the past twenty-four hours swirled around in my head—I had a lot to unpack.

I decided I would take a quick shower, and then if Reid was still occupied when I was finished, I’d check on Ellie again. I went upstairs and Cujo clomped up the steps behind me. He stopped on the landing and laid down.

I went on my way. I entered the bedroom and crossed the floor to the bathroom. I turned on the shower and stripped out of my clothes. I stepped into the stream of hot water, and my tense muscles relaxed a little.

I immediately took to soaping up my hair. My mind was still racing. My thoughts wandered to the meeting with Waning Moon. I pondered Alpha Nicholas’s strange behavior—his alleged mood swings, his attempted provocation, his displays of vulnerability. It was clear that the purple-eyed woman was controlling him somehow, but why wasn’t her control consistent?

It occurred to me that I never asked when the next meeting was set for. I still didn’t think Reid would entertain Waning Moon with repeated, scheduled negotiations even under normal circumstances, but they obviously didn’t come to a resolution this time.

I finished rinsing the soap out of my hair. I closed my eyes, tipped my head back, and let the steaming hot water run down my face. I wiped my eyes clear with a washcloth, and when I opened them again, what I saw didn’t quite compute at first.

I looked from the washcloth to my hands to the shower floor. I twisted around and looked at the shower head. I wasn’t standing beneath a stream of water anymore.

It was blood.