Eric
“Where the hell is she?” I yelled at Noel over mind link. It had been hours and Lilith had not returned to our room. We couldn’t mind link her and though my leg felt loads better I needed to remain in the bed for a few more hours. I was sure I could walk on it right now, but Noel being beta advised to wait just a little longer. “Eric, I don’t know.” He said, he knew I was mad. “I swear I will find her.” I rolled my eyes. She had just had a rough night and then unloaded on me and told me the extent of all of it, only to run off.
I worried she was fleeing. I didn’t think she would do that, but she was missing now. “Then go find her Noel.” I yelled at my little brother. So much was happening, the elders wanted to meet, but I told them to wait until tomorrow. I would want to stand before them when we discussed last night. Noel practically was running all over the place looking for my mate. I rubbed my temples this all was a nightmare. I didn’t want to deal with any of it. But what could I do I was Alpha, and this was my job.
I was sure now that someone would challenge Lilith. I told the pack that if by some chance they bested her, I would have her go easier on them during training. I worried now that it would not be just to best her for her to go easy on them, but to see really if there was some way to make sure she could be subdued. That would happen or it would be the opposite, and the pack would be downright terrified to try to take her on. I hoped it was the latter. If Kali lost it on one of them, that would only result in disaster. I hoped her dragging the body here and making a show of it didn’t terrify the pack but make them see that Kali was powerful and could make our pack stronger.
I still had not decide if I would tell them about the bodies that Kali had left to rot in the woods. She had only brought back the poacher that had hurt me by laying that trap. I would not disclose that Kali had made the men watch their adult sons be slaughter in front of them. I had told Lilith I wouldn’t tell anyone about that. But if the pack went out there to take care of the bodies, they would know they were butchered, they wouldn’t know that they have suffered long but they would know Kali had been rabid with them. Maybe it would be best to just let them rot naturally.
If they were found by other humans, they would know it was an animal, but Kali was small, and her bite marks would resemble a regular wolf most likely. With the damage she described they would think it was a pack of wolves. Who knows maybe they would never be found or found after they began to decay. Their families couldn’t very well send out search parties considering poaching was illegal in this area. Other animals in the forest would have probably already started eating them. I decide best thing to do was just leave them there.
There would be no trace that it was a shifter who did that. I pulled the weather up on my phone hopping to see that it would rain soon. It would help wash away any of the evidence. But unfortunately, it wouldn’t be raining until later in the week. The animals scavenging could mess up the tracks Kali probably left. I was sure this would end up fine, at least with no knowledge of our species getting out. But, I didn’t know about the pack. What was I going to say to them? I would tell Noel about the others she killed, I knew that, but not about the torture part of Kali’s attack. Lilith had confided with me on that, and I wouldn’t betray that trust.
Noel could help me decide if the pack should know if that Kali had killed more humans than the one responsible for the trap that I ran into. This could be managed. It had to be, Lilith was Luna we were mated, there was no going back now. Not unless either she was killed, or I was somehow replaced as Alpha then both of us would no longer hold any position in the pack. But I doubted either of those things happening. Kali and Lilith were both much stronger than those here. So I had no concern about her safety, and I knew no one had a chance at overthrowing me. Others had attempted and failed.
“Eric she is passed out?” Noel mind linked me. “What do you mean passed out is Lilith injured?” I responded to him over the link. “No, not like that, she is sleeping. She didn’t even wake up when I walked in. She is in deep sleep, no doubt freaking exhausted.” I again responded. “Where was she?” I asked. “In the back of the cellar.” that was a weird place for her to fall asleep. I knew she had taken her phone. I assumed she was going to call someone, and if she had, I only knew of one person she would divulge all of this with besides me, Rob.
I hated that rogue shifter. I knew he was bad, and I hated that she may have called him for support rather than leaning on me. I understood she viewed him as a father figure. She felt she could trust him, but I knew he was anything but trustworthy. He was a criminal for one. Not only that but a rogue, he had to have done something truly horrible to be kicked out of a pack. Still, he had helped my mate when she needed it. I hated that I had to thank him for helping Lilith be able to remain any kind of control over her wolf. But he had also brainwashed her into thinking crime was not that bad.
It was needed but she really almost never had remorse about it. “Noel wake her up and tell her I would like her company.” He then mind linked me back. “Eric she is not waking up. When I tried, she punched me in the freaking nose and curled up onto the stone floor. I think broke my nose.” I couldn’t help myself even with everything that happened. Lilith had in her sleep broken Noel’s nose. I didn’t know why it was so amusing, but it was. “If you are laughing that is not cool.” Noel linked me.
“Noel pick her up and bring her back up here.” I mind linked him. “You can’t be serious what if she attacks me in her sleep. She already punched me, and she is practically unconscious.” I was fighting my laughter. He was seriously scarred, and it was amusing. He was being ridiculous. “Noel stop being a baby and pick up your Luna and bring her to you alpha, yes that is a command.” I said over our link. “Fine but if you don’t hear from me, you better send someone to come and rescue me.” I responded. “Yes, yes alright.” It was silent for moments and then Noel finally mind linked.
“I hope you are thankful; Luna not only broke my nose, but I am sure my jaw is now broken too.” Okay note to self I said internally. Do not disturb Lilith when she is in deep sleep. Noel finally opened the bedroom door. His nose was crooked, and he already had two black eyes. His lip had blood on it. “You might want to have the doctor set your nose and jaw, but you know it will heal fine and fast.” Noel didn’t speak with his mouth as I was sure it probably hurt but he mind linked.
“She better tell me sorry when she wakes up and you owe me something. You know I hate being hit in the face, my arms, torso, and pretty much anywhere else I can live with but my freaking face?” He said over the link. I was trying to fight off a smile. “Sorry pretty boy, I know how much you like to look at your reflection.” He grunted and spun around leaving the room no doubt to fix what Lilith did. Noel was a kid sometimes; I loved my brother but his responses and feeling so often amused me and his vanity about his face was downright hilarious.
Lilith must have known I was close even in her deep state of sleep. Her body rolled closer to mine. My arm wrapped around her, and she slung her leg over. Her face snuggling into my chest. She was content and I liked it. I sighed there was so much that would be coming in the next few days. The pack would take a longer time to trust her, which meant she would not be in the pack link anytime soon. She was sleeping so soundly I decided I would close my eyes to.
I was tired. Since waking up after my leg was treated. I had been so stressed about the events that only took hours, but I knew it would take maybe weeks to clear up. Lilith would be at school tomorrow and I knew with her absence I would have to face all of the negative thoughts and comments about my mate. Of course, the elders would not address their concerns with her. Maybe I should point that out to them. They thought they could get me to see reason and lock down their Luna. I decide I would tell them when they no doubt came to me. That if they had issues with Lilith to take it up with her.