Saving The Day
BRUCE
The meeting with the Alphas has taken place, and I have to admit that it didn't go as well as I'd planned.
For starters, it felt like not a lot of people were shocked by the announcement I made, which makes me wonder just how many people knew about this and how they ever found out since it was only my family and I who knew.
And those who seemed to be surprised, well, had disappointing reactions.
Alphas are supposed to be strong. They should know how to deal with situations such as this one and protect their packs from any danger.
The problem is that they all seem lost and don't know how to act. They don't know where to go from here. They're relying on me, and that's not something I was counting on.
I can manage the Alphas, not their packs.
On the way home, Quinton looks over at me. I meet his gaze. Ever since my Beta, Rick, has been deep in the woods searching for those problematic rogues who won’t let me have a good night’s sleep, my brother has been stepping in for him, and he’s been a real help. I have to admit it.
Our father always thought that Quinton would never gain enough responsibility to be a leader, but I think he’s changed in the space of a few weeks. I definitely don’t think there’s anything wrong with his leadership skills or his way of solving problems.
“What did you think about that?” he asks me.
I sigh and run a hand down my face roughly. “I think you know. I don’t even think that they know what’s at stake here.”
“That’s the impression I got.”
I shake my head and look out the window of the moving car. I stare at the world beyond, and the thought that those rogues are out there, giving my kingdom a hard time and wanting to kill people, sickens me.
I hate that we don’t have a more concrete plan either. Before, when I married Opal, we were so sure things were going to work out.
But now, I would never use her. Not in a million years. I would much rather slit my own throat than let anything happen to her.
Or let those rogues get anywhere near her.
“We’re gonna need a better plan,” Quinton reminds me. “I don’t have a good feeling about Walter Hart.”
“What do you think he’ll do?”
“He’s selfish enough to go behind your back, that’s what I think. I mean, it’s pretty clear that he doesn’t respect you as the Alpha King, the way a lot of those older Alphas don’t either. What I don’t understand is why Mom is entertaining him so much. Why did she let him join the meeting?”
“She’s probably desperate,” I excuse, even though I’ve been wondering the same thing. I also can’t stop thinking about her in our bedroom, and before I walked in, I had the feeling that they’d been arguing, but then Mom turned to me with all smiles and Opal didn’t talk about anything.
I don’t know. Maybe I’m confusing shit.
“Yeah, but she needs to pay attention to us, too, and what we think. Dad’s gone. We have to make do with what we have.”
“And Dad told me not to trust him.”
“He did?”
I nod.
Quinton slaps his thigh. “All the more reason for us to keep him at a distance. Even Opal can’t stand him. I’m afraid he’ll do something stupid, or that he’ll want to stick to the original plan. Nobody told him it changed.”
This angers me. “I don’t have to tell him anything!”
Quinton keeps his lips sealed and opts to say nothing. We’re silent for a handful of moments, and then my phone starts ringing, and it’s the Gamma in charge of security back home.
Dwayne.
“Yes, Dwayne?” I answer. I know it’s him because he’s the only one who uses the house phone for anything.
“Give this to me!” I hear Megan say in the background before she takes the phone from him. “Hello? Bruce? We just received an emergency call from Alpha Durian. His pack’s being attacked! I didn’t want to wait for you to come home!”
“Send the rest of the men there!”
“I already did.”
“Wha is it?” Quinton asks me once I end the call.
I explain everything to him briefly, and then we turn the car around. My heart is pounding and I can feel my anger building and building. Alpha Durian’s pack isn’t that far away from where we are, but we’ll have to take a shorter cut, and I’ll have to shift.
As soon as we reach the entrance to the forest I know so well, my brother and I get out of the car and shift. I tear my clothes. I don’t care. The important thing is that we get there on time, before the rogues manage to escape.
Quinton is hot on my heels. I received more training as a youngster because everyone always knew I’d be my father’s successor, but Quinton took his training seriously, too.
We get there on time. There are still rogues around and they’re destroying everything and hurting people. I don’t hesitate.
I attack and fight with everything I have inside of me. I fight until my jaw hurts from all the bones I’ve broken with them. I lose sight of Quinton and that worries me, but then I see him fighting a rogue in human form.
Our men arrive shortly after we do, and I have to admit that this fight ended up being a success. We won. Rogues are usually quick about their attacks, but I don’t think they expected us to be so close to them.
Quinton injures the man he’s fighting with, but doesn’t kill him, and I immediately know what he’s thinking. I approach them slowly, still in wolf form, while the field all around us calms down.
I shift right away and stare at the bleeding man. Quinton took a massive chunk out of his arm, and he’s glaring at me as his eyes take in my face.
“Do you know who I am?”
His answer is him spitting on the ground, even though he’s very clearly outnumbered. A cruel smile tugs at the corners of my lips. I could tear this man apart limb from limb, right here and right now. But clearly, he’s not afraid of that.
“Here’s what we’re going to do,” I begin. “You’re going to run back to that coward of a leader of yours, and you’re going to warn him that if he ever thinks of attacking innocent people again, he’ll get his pay. Do you understand?”
I step aside and keep looking down at him. When he realizes that nobody is going to touch him, he shifts swiftly and races in the opposite direction.
“Follow him,” Quinton says to a few men behind us, who set off after him.
I don’t know if this is going to work out, or if our men will find out where they’re hiding, but this is better than nothing.
We saved lives. We prevented a disaster while at the same time, killing many rogues.
But what happens the next time?
What if they don’t take my threat seriously, despite everything?