Chapter 85 - Fated to the cursed Alpha

Embry

I had been lying on this bed for three hours. Kane was furious that the three men had managed to get so close to me. How did they even know we were going to be out today? Was it just a coincidence? Maybe someone saw us and informed Victor we were away from the pack.

Adele had been and checked me over, she suspected I had indeed broken a rib but wanted to take X-rays just in case. I declined, much to Kane's dismay. Since he brought me home, I was feeling a lot better, the pain subsided a lot. I was sure my healing was kicking in already.

I was told to get some sleep, but sleep was the last thing on my mind. The bedroom door was still open, so I could hear everything that was happening downstairs. Which included Kane shouting and throwing things about. “Urgh!” I groaned as I pushed myself up out of bed. I knew Kane was angry but it was me it happened to. I was the one who should have been angry.

I listened to him shout at people down the phone, the cleanup crew managed to get everything done. He was trying to get answers from them that they didn't have. No other clues were there, nothing was on their bodies, not even a phone.

I stomped down the stairs as everyone came out to see me, “Why are you not in bed?” Kane asked as he walked out of the kitchen, shocked to see me standing there on the bottom step of the stairs.

“Why are you yelling so god damn loud! I think people in Blue moon can hear you!” I scolded him. The others all walked away, leaving just Kane and I in the foyer.

“I'm just angry, sorry, please go back to bed and rest. I'll keep the noise down” He said in a lower tone this time. As he walked towards me, he wrapped his arms around me. “It scared me Em, I was sitting there eating, oblivious to what was happening just meters away from me. They could have killed you!” He rested his forehead against mine.

“I'm fine Kane, you didn't know what was going to happen.” I tried to soothe him.

“Your not fine Em, I can see it in your face. You're tired, in pain”

“I'm pregnant!” I cut him off. Pulling back, I looked up at him. “It's what happens in pregnancy. Yes, our little one is a bit stronger, but so am I. Stop thinking you can stop all the bad things from happening to me. It's life. You take the good with the bad. We are going to be fine!” I grasped his head between my hands and kissed him. “But I will warn you, Something really bad will happen to you if I hear you shouting at people again. They don't deserve it. What's happened is not their fault, OK”

“ OK,” he sighed.

A loud rumbling noise broke us from our embrace. Kane walked towards the front door and looked out the window. “It's the baby stuff,” he said as he opened the door. He called out to the others and they all walked out of the kitchen one by one.

I walked outside with Kane to greet the delivery men. The two men got out of the lorry, looking around nervously. They both wore blue overalls, in their 20's, and both looked like the typical delivery guys. “Hi, we have a delivery for Mr and Mrs Corban,” The first man said, holding out the clipboard, as he looked up to Kane, he was a good foot taller than both the guys, in fact, I think it would be easier to say the delivery guys were a foot shorter than every other man here.

“Yep, you're in the right place,” Kane said as he took the board and the pen that was attached and signed his name on the bottom and handed it back to them.

“Beautiful house”, The other man said as he looked around, lifting the sliding door.

“What's ours?” Ryder asked as Ansel and Kane walked to the back of the lorry.

“All of it, sir,” the first man said shakily.

Kane whistled behind him. Coming out of the trees were four of our pack men. They looked like they were out on a run as they were in loose shorts and trainers. As they walked closer, I recognised them as Boyd, Liam, Luke and Abel. I had become good friends with everyone in the pack, they all had so much respect for one another. Each man nodded their head to me as they got to the lorry. “We've got this” Kane nodded at the delivery men.

The two men came and stood by me, one looking more relaxed than the other. “Are you OK?” I asked the smaller guy as he continued looking around.

“Ignore him, he thinks your all in this massive cult and gonna eat him or some shit!” The larger guy said as he laughed.

“No! I didn't say that”. The smaller guy tried to defend himself as he gave a warning glare to his work friend. “I really didn't say that. I'm sorry. I mean no disrespect. I grew up not far from this forest. There were always stories about the people who lived in the woods” he answered shyly.

“Ah I see” I answered him, “Was you a believer in these stories?” I asked.

“When I was younger, yes, but not so much as I got older” he tried to brush it off.

“But stories always come from somewhere” I smiled. He looked at me wide-eyed.

“What were these stories, that you were told?” I asked curiously.

“They were always different. As the years went on they changed constantly. It's nothing really” He tried to avoid answering my question.

“Enlighten me”, I pushed.

“Oh it's silly really, it's just ghost stories to stop people from entering the forest. But it's actually a lovely place here. My grandmother always spoke of shapeshifters and a cult living here that sacrifices trespassers to the gods. I mean, there is supposed to be a man here that owns the whole lot. He's meant to be tapped in the head, a real nasty piece of work.”

“I've heard that one actually”, the other man said. “The beast of Blackwood, they called him. If he finds you in his forest there is no way, you are getting out alive. If you survive his torture, he initiates you into his cult. If not, then it's lights out. So if you hear howling then you run!” They both spoke in a serious tone. No wonder the poor man was terrified when he first got here.

“You don't believe these stories?” I asked the two of them, keeping my face as serious as I could, trying not to burst out laughing.

“ Well, yes, I suppose. I mean you hear howling coming from the forest at nights, but I don't believe in the beast of Blackwood, why, do you?” The smaller of the two asked shakily. I looked behind them at Kane and the other guys laughing as they were back and forth carrying the furniture into the foyer of the house. All of them listening in on our conversation.

“That's all done!” Kane said as he came and stood by my side.

“Thanks, guys” I shouted to the four men as they jogged back to the forest.

“That was quick”, The larger delivery guy said as he closed the door on the back of the truck.

“What can I say, my men, are strong”? Kane smiled.

“Your men?” Both men said in unison.

“Oh yeah, let me properly introduce ourselves, I'm Kane Corban”. Kane stretched out his hand to shake theirs. “This is my wife Embry Corban, we own Blackwood”. Kane smiled. The two men paled as they looked at each other. “Everything you see here is ours, including the things you hear howling.”

“I- I'm sorry, I meant no offence” The smaller one stuttered.

“Relax” Kane laughed as he patted his shoulder. “They've all been fed, you won't be attacked on the way out, they have their orders.”

“Nah, a couple of them never showed up, so they're still out there, all hungry. Waiting for some unsuspecting delivery men”, Ryder joined in. I rolled my eyes at their attempt at humour.

“Ignore them!” I began to say as howling erupted all around us coming from different parts of the forest.

“Here they come” Kane whispered, smiling as he looking out to the trees.

“We have to leave, Thank you for your custom”. Both men said as they ran back to the lorry jumping in their cab, they shut their doors, barely giving the engine time to start running. The truck pulled away at speed.

I turned to Kane and Ryder who were both Laughing “That was mean!” I smacked both of them as I walked past them into the house.

“The howling was Boyd's idea! Don't blame us for that! What a touch though, they couldn't have timed that any better!” They both continued to laugh.

“I'm surrounded by children!”