Chapter 890 Chapter 890
Ena was so annoyed. The way Foster spoke to her made her think he was accusing her of being reckless. She was anything but that. Climbing the tree had been so scary, but the clan needed to be able to communicate outside of this land or all of this was for nothing. She hadn’t wanted to do it, but she was lighter in weight and smaller than the men and knew firsthand from childhood how brittle the branches could be in the spring before everything warmed up.
She gave the new women a friendly smile as she passed them on the way to Orson’s.
Going on the roof, she had done because it needed to be covered, or there would be more things damaged to be added to the long list of things that had to be repaired. Again, her weight made it less risky than one of the big men.
Orson was talking to Gia and her mate. She paused on the steps to be polite.
“—he’s avoided it as long as we should.” Gia was saying.
“I’m not avoiding her. We were needed.” Deacon shrugged.
Orson smiled a humous light in his eyes. “It is still something that you found a sister you didn’t know you had.”
Ena looked at Deacon. How did that work?
Orson glanced at Ena.
“Jesse says he needs to talk to everyone.”
Orson’s brows went up. “I’ll go tell Heidi.” He held out his hand to Deacon. “Thank you for everything.”
Deacon looked surprised for a second before he accepted his and shook it.
Ena nodded at Gia and mouthed thank you.
Gia smiled. “It gets easier.” She whispered.
That brought Ena right back to being annoyed with Foster. Her coyote had run like her tail was on fire. They both knew it was taking a risk going for a run alone, but she’d needed those few moments to think.
Her animal alerted her, and Ena turned to see Foster standing on the edge of the driveway. Parking spot was more like it, she thought. Soon, it would be mud, and Orson’s heavy car wouldn’t be parked there. She could see he wasn’t going to budge from where he stood. Her animal nudged her. Ena didn’t think talking to him was a good idea, but she needed her coyote to be alert and not distracted. Sighing, she stepped off the porch and went toward him.
“I’m sorry.” He said quickly when she was closer. “That came out all wrong. I didn’t mean to yell at you.”
She searched his face and paused, thinking his eyes were so easy to focus on. “I wasn’t being careless, but I can’t just sit here and knit on the porch while everyone else is working.”
“I know.” He folded his arms over his chest and looked at the ground. He kicked at the mud with the toe of his boot. “I’m—” He scoffed. “I have no idea how to keep a leash on my animal and emotions around you.” Lifting his lashes, he looked at her.
She could see he was being sincere and blew out a breath. “Same.” She admitted. “Mine is all over the place, and it’s driving me crazy.”
He nodded, causing his hair to fall across his forehead. She balled her hands up so she wouldn’t reach up and brush it back.
“After—” He glanced at Jesse as he walked toward Savan’s. “—after Jesse talks to everyone, can we find a quiet spot and talk?”
Ena felt relief move through her. She nodded. “Yes. I’d like that.” Maybe that would help so she could stop feeling so strange in her own body.
He smiled with one of those playful smiles he had at the diner. Reaching over, he touched her chin very lightly with one finger and held her gaze. “Can you try not to go in any trees or run off alone for now?”
She smiled. “Yes.”
“Thank you.” He gave her a serious look. “I am sorry for earlier.”
Her eyes, without her permission, locked on his mouth, and she found herself wondering what it would be like to kiss him.
He dropped his hand away and stepped back. She was shocked to feel regret because she had missed that opportunity to kiss him. Blinking, she turned and looked at the others. What was wrong with her? She didn’t think about kissing men.
“We should go see what Jesse has to say.” He said quickly.
Ena nodded and avoided looking at him in case she grabbed his face and tried that kiss.
None of the buildings were big enough for everyone to be in, so they stood under the big canopy that had been set up. The construction supplies were stored under it. Everyone sat on stacks of lumber and supplies.
Ena checked that Nyssa had managed to get here and was glad to see her sitting beside one of the new ladies.
“I’ll try to keep this brief, so we’re not outside when the rain hits.”
Ena looked to see Gia and Deacon walking toward the road. Most of the vehicles were parked there on solid ground because of the thawing. Their steps were in synch, and they knew without looking where the other was going to move. It must be something to have a connection like that.
“Walker Marin is the liaison who will be coming to discuss a lot with you, but he has been delayed, so I was asked by the king to talk to you about some of it.”
Ena turned her attention back to Jesse.
“First, on behalf of the Alliance, I am sorry you were left on your own for so long. They will help restore your homes and get you back on your feet.”
“I still can’t believe this is all with no strings,” Harland said.
Jesse smiled. “No strings, but there are conditions.”
“Like?” Savan stood at the edge of the shelter, his arms crossed over his chest.
“Every clan or group under the Alliance protection has to have an alpha and second representative for the clan.”
“Our alpha is dead, and he had no family left,” Zach said.
“I know.” Jesse nodded and briefly looked away.
Ena saw the tail of a leopard going between two of the buildings.
“The bloodline isn’t gone, though.” Jesse looked at Heidi. “Heidi’s family are distant cousins of the original Alpha of this clan.”
Ena turned and looked at her aunt. How had she not known that? Her aunt didn’t look surprised.
“Does that mean Heidi is our new alpha?”
Heidi snorted. “I don’t want to be no alpha thinking for all of you.”
A few smiled. When her aunt looked at her, Ena froze.
“Ena’s younger and has the same blood I do. She’s educated, too.” Heidi said.
Ena moved just her eyes and saw that everyone was looking at her. “Me?” She caught the expression on Foster’s face. He didn’t look shocked at all.
“Orson’s family, way back, was the second family,” Betty said with a nod.
Ena hadn’t known that either. She had lived with these people her entire life and had no idea about any of this.
“Does that mean Ena and Orson run the clan?” Nyssa asked. “Because I really want to stay with the Alliance.”
Ena agreed with that. Nyssa needed the opportunity for education and people to help her. She looked at Orson. He was sitting there giving her that look he did when he was waiting for her to make a choice. “Me?” She said again and looked back at Jesse. “I’m only twenty-six and –” she looked at Savan for a second. “I’m not a man.”
Jesse smiled. “There are many female alphas.”
“Really?” Aunt Heidi looked at Betty, who had a smug look on her face.
“Yes.” Jesse glanced at Orson. “I don’t need an answer right this second, but the Alliance will need to know within thirty days who the alpha and second family is in this clan.” He looked at Ena.
“I think we need a bit of time to process this,” Orson said, and Ena held her breath until Jesse nodded.
“Of course.”
Ena backed up and sat on the damp lumber. Her family was from the original Alpha line? Why had no one ever told her this? Everyone was looking at her now. Did they expect her to say something Alpha-like? Because she didn’t even know what an alpha was like. It wasn’t something she could research, either.
“Jesse, don’t the alpha’s have a monthly video meeting now?”
She looked at Foster and was thankful he killed the silence.
“They do. Most of them are trying better to stay in touch.” Jesse nodded. He looked at Ena. “There’s a lot of help out there.”
She nodded but still had no words.
“I’ll join a clan with a woman leading.” One of the new women said.
“Same.” One of the men said loudly.
“All of you that came here to work—you have two weeks to decide if you are staying here as help and ninety days to figure out if you want to be part of this clan.”
Ena’s heart was still doing crazy things in her chest, but she was glad the attention wasn’t on her now.
“You are all welcome,” Orson said. “It’s been a long time looking at the same faces around here.”
There were a few chuckles.
Jesse motioned around him. “Where this shelter is set up will be where the meeting hall is going to be built.”
“We haven’t had one since I was a kid,” Harland said. “It collapsed, and a new one was never built.”
“A meeting hall?” Nyssa looked around.
Jesse nodded. “A place to gather for occasions and meetings.”
“That would be cool.” Nyssa smiled. “To have a weekly dinner or something.”
Ena heard the voices and knew there were more things being said, but it was like they had been muted and weren’t reaching her ears. She knew nothing about being an alpha. Nothing. She looked around. If she said no, who else would they choose?” She had no more relatives. She looked at her aunt. She was going to have a serious talk with her about the family tree. What else didn’t she know?
She wanted to go help find other shifters. If she agreed to alpha, did that mean she couldn’t leave here again? She remembered something her aunt had talked with Deacon about. He was looking after a new clan. Was he alpha? He was on an alliance team…
“Ena?”
She looked at Orson, who was standing beside her.
“Let’s go talk.”
Ena nodded and got up. Orson would know what to do. He almost always did. She took a few steps and then remembered she had agreed to talk to Foster after this shocking discussion. She looked over to see him with Zach and one of the new men. As if he knew she was looking at him, he turned, and their gazes met. She saw understanding, and then he gave her a small, encouraging smile. How long had he known about her family line? She exhaled and followed Orson to his house. Glancing back, she noted how the energy had changed. In a good way. What was she going to do? If she said no and gave it no consideration, what would happen to everyone here?