Chapter 69

NATHANIEL

It has been a week since we had the big war. We held a morning service for all those who all lost their lives.

I stared out of the office window, watching many pack members walking back to their homes after having food.

It hasn’t been the same here, not just because of the war, but the departure of Mila and Archer has hit many people. Well, I mean, a few members of the town are threatening to move back down there as they all want to follow Mila, but how am I going to persuade them to stay when they don’t trust me.

Ox had been quiet for a few hours; I could hear his snoring in my head.

Emily walks into view of the window, and I watch her. She has been through so much. She not only had to kill her father but her mother too. Everything hit her all at once for her, and she was in pain, and with Mila leaving, it took a toll on her.

She’s grieving for her parents, but also she wants her sister back.

I watched as Dane ran up to her, but she stared blankly at him. He has been at her side; I told him to be with her. She needs him more than I do.

“Nate,” comes a voice from behind me.

I have been working with my father to get things ready for my Alpha ceremony, but he has been helping me more with everything. He may be my father, but he was there for me last week.

“Huh,” I say, turning to face him.

My father stares at me; his expression changes when he sees me.

“Have you eaten today?” He asked.

I shook my head. “No, I have been too busy with the paperwork,” I say as I walk back to the desk.

An image of Mila comes into my head, and I hear Ox whine when he sees it. He misses his mate, and so do I.

I was an idiot to be a dick with other women, but I will prove to Mila that she is all I ever want.

“You should eat,” my father says as he comes closer to the desk with concern on his face.

All I have been doing this week is sleeping and working.

I need to keep busy, but I seem to forget the other things, such as spending time with my family and eating. I know Sam has been trying to spend time with me, but I have pulled back.

“I will; I just want...” I say, but he shakes his head. “No, now,” he says.

He walks to the side of me but frowns. “I will tell your mother, and if she finds out that you are letting yourself go, she will kill me and force-feed you.”

I can’t help the smirk that comes on my face. “I would like to see her try,” I say.

My father looks at me but sighs. “You might not be saying that if she hears you,” he says as he moves away but looks over to me. “Son, you need to eat, and not only that, you need to talk to Miles before he leaves with Anna; they leave in two hours, and he would like to talk to you before he goes back to his pack.”

I nod.

I get up, but a loud growl erupts around the room. My father looks at me with an amused look but smirks at me. “Either Ox is telling you to eat, or that is your stomach; if that's your stomach, it sounds like Ox.”

I groan, but I hear some snickering my head. “Alpha dad is funny, but you need to eat and look after yourself,” Ox says. He stares back at me, “Mate will want us to be strong and ready for when she comes back.”

I sigh. I can hear the hope in his voice, and I need to feel it to myself, but I am in my own self-pity at the moment.

Ox growls. “Human, get your head from your ass and be a man,” he says and glares at me. “Mate will come to accept us but no more whores.”

“I don’t want anyone,” I say to him. “I want Mila.,” with a slight whine.

Ox smirks. “That’s what I want to hear human,” he says and stares more, but his smirk widens more. “No more smelly whores; we wait for mate. Like me, you will end up horny, but it be funny to watch you.”

I groan.

Sex is the least of my problems. “You need to put a sock in it now,” I say to him and look towards my father, smirking uncontrollably.

“Ox giving it good, I take it,” He says.

I groan.

“You know it,” I say as I walk toward him.

We headed out of the office door and went straight in the direction of the grand hall.

There weren’t many people there, but Miles and Anna were sitting down at a table on their own, eating some food.

“I will get your food; you go and talk to them,” he says as he stares.

I look to where he is staring at Anna.

Anna was looking at me, and she watched me.

I walk over to her, but Anna’s eyes are completely white when I get closer.

“She's talking to someone,” says Miles as he looks up at me.

“Who is she talking to?” I ask, praying for some word from Archer to know that Mila is alright.

I sit opposite him, and he smiles. “You need to eat and also,” he says as he sips his coffee but scrunches up his nose, “and a shower too.”

Ox laughs loud in my head, and I ignore him.

“I’m going to eat now, and then I will have a shower; I need to sleep too,” I say.

He nods.

“They are safe,” blurts Anna.

Both Miles and I look at her; her eyes are back to normal.

“Archer and Mila are safe; they arrived where they needed to be,” she says.

“How is she?” Miles asks before I can register what Anna has said.

Anna smiles. “She is fine; she's exhausted,” she says, but she turns to look at me.

“You okay, Nate,” she asks as she picks up her drink.

“I am, I just...” I say but sigh. “I just wish I could tell her that I'm waiting for her, and I'm sorry for everything I have put her.”

Miles looks at me; his gaze glazes over, but when he returns. “I think Nate, as long as you keep your word and prove she's the one you want. I mean no women and make this her home; she will be back in no time but,” he says as he pushes the chair back and turns to look at the doorway, his mate walks in. “You need to look after yourself, and we need to kill this Aria before she comes back, or we may need to be ready for when Mila returns; we need to be ready,” he says as his mate nods at him.

Miles turns to look at me, “Our car is here; we need to leave,” he says, but he places his hand on my arm before he gets up.

“Nate, I will be back in a week. I need to collect my things from my old pack and explain to them everything about Mila. I won’t be able to call you, but I will be back,” he says as he looks at Anna, who nods. “I will make sure before I leave that my pack will be on high alert so we can ask them for their assistance in whatever we need in the following weeks or months ahead.”

I nod at him.

I know I have to get more alphas to join in our plan to stop Aria, but I haven’t done much as I have been learning more about the alpha's duties and dealing with the aftermath of the war.

“I will be back way before your alpha ceremony,” he says, smirking.

I frown. “We are not doing that yet, not till Mila is back,” I said. Still, he laughs, “You will do it before she comes back because you need alphas to agree with us about Aria, but I will tell you one thing,” he says as he leans over to my side so no one can hear what he says to me. “My sister needs her alpha mate; she will be more powerful when she is back, and trust me, you need to be alpha not just for her but for the war of all wars.”

I move back and look back at him, and I scrunch my eyebrows together.

“I will become Alpha when both my father and I say I will,” I say. “I will be who or whatever Mila needs me to be.”

Miles doesn’t say anything, but he glances at Anna but looks at me and smiles.

“I will see you in a week, Nate,” says Miles.

I nod.

He turns away and walks away with his mate next to him.

“I think Mila just wants you to be happy and safe and healthy,” blurts Anna.

I look up at her, and her smile is wide.

“My brother will watch her, and we will watch over you while she is not here and when we come back, I will help you in whatever you need; even Miles will too,” she says.

I smile at her.

She walks away, but she doesn’t get far before she turns to look at me. “I will let you know if I hear anything about Mila when I get back,” she says and turns around.

I stared at her; she left and was out of sight.

A plate was placed in front of me, and I looked up to see my father, who had a smile on his face.

“How much of that did you hear?” I asked him as he took the seat next to me.

My father doesn’t look at me, but he places his napkin over his lap. “I think Miles is right; we will need to do your Alpha’s ceremony soon, but I can also understand why you want to wait for Mila, but Nate,” he says and looks up at me. “Mila will need you strong, healthy, and ready for whatever comes with her or after her.”

I stare at him. I know both Miles and my father are right. I need to be everything they say, ready for Mila but also for myself.

“I know,” I said as I looked at my food. The amount of food he placed on my plate made my stomach growl aloud.

“Eat, and then you will need to rest,” he says.

I don’t say anything. I dug into my food which was the most mouth-watering burgers I have ever tasted.

After I had another plate full of food and more drinks, I was stuffed to the rim.

I was feeling tired.

My father and I walked to my room, and he hugged me. “We will get through all this Nate,” he says.

I nodded and walked into my room.

I crashed in the office most of last week due to getting work done.

This was my first time back in my room, and I couldn't wait for my bed.

I headed straight to the shower and had the longest hot shower I have ever had and known to man. The water washes over me, taking away all the tension in my shoulders.

After an hour, I switched off the shower and wrapped a towel around my body. I walked into my room. I grabbed a pair of sweatpants and put them on.

Once I was ready, I lay down on my bed and placed the covers over me.

Sleep is not far behind my eyes closing, and I know I need to sleep.

Ox snores are soft, but he is flat out.

I'm not long pulled into slumber with Mila invading my dreams.