Book 1: Chapter 34

Storming off, she disappeared into the bar, the back door slamming shut behind her. Finn pulled me up by my underarm and I stood as straight as I could. He helped me back over to the bench and sat me down. I winced as the cracked or broken ribs shifted but I felt the throbbing headache from the knee to the eye. Aelia came back out with my clothes that I had changed from and a bag of frozen peas. She places the clothes on the table but gently placed the bag of cold peas on my eye.

“Sorry. I wasn’t thinking about the level of power I was using.”

Noah chuckled. “Yeah, no shit. He’s gonna have a time explaining his condition back at the pack. Man, we could be blamed for attacking an Alpha!”

I snorted. “When I asked for it? No. I’ll make up something. It’s fine. I didn’t realize I’d get my ass beat so thoroughly.”

Aelia helped me get dressed, allowing me to not move as much. I sat back on the bench, fully dressed, holding the peas to my eye as Finn served up the food. It was a pile of barbecue ribs, potato salad, and grilled corn. Noah had opened up another round of cold beers for us as well. Instead of sitting across from me, Aelia sat next to me.

“Let’s dig in! Hopefully, you didn’t knock any of Alpha’s teeth out.”

“I knew I was still lacking in some areas. I just didn’t think fighting was this one.” I chuckled, adjusting the frozen peas on my eye.

Aelia smiled. “I mean. You’ve done really well pack-wise. Despite what Father had done. Your facilities are fantastic, you have order and a place where your pack feels safe. Your pack members don’t just care about themselves either but about each other and the land. I think that’s you doing a good job at being Alpha, Sil.”

I sighed. “I feel like I’m lacking in so many areas though.”

“The mark of a good leader is not that he can do everything. It’s that he can see the potential in others and use their strengths to the betterment of the pack.” She smiled at me. “You can always be better, but some things are just not going to be your strengths.”

Noah snorted. “Yeah, like fighting.”

“Knock it off. Both of you. He did very good. Considering who he was up against.”

“Yeah. You literally at maybe 40% of your full power.”

Aelia looked down at her plate, her fork mixing the potato salad around. “I can’t even muster over 80% these days.”

“Yet you’re still an elite among elites, Sol. Don’t worry about it.” Finn reached out but she pulled her hand back away from him, her lips pursed.

Reaching out, I did something that I used to do to her as a kid. She would sometimes sink deep into her own thoughts and you could see the holes she was digging herself into just by the look on her face. The same one she had on her face now. Putting both of my hands on her cheeks, I squished them and pulled them slightly forward. Her lips squashed together to make fish lips and she growled at me, swatting me away.

“You asking for a second round, Alpha?”

I smiled, letting go of her cheeks. “If it stops you from driving in deep to that bottomless pit you call thoughts, then sure.”

Her lips quirked up into a smirk and she shook her head. “Asshole.”

My smile grew wider and I turned back to my food. I looked up as I picked up a rib and Finn was looking at me with a smile on his face. Giving him a wink, I dig into the rib.

“You know…” I took another bite and chewed. “This is damn good. You could absolutely serve this and people would pay a lot of money.”

Finn laughed. “Thank you for the compliment but I do it by request only. It takes too damn long and if it’s just me out here, I get bored. I prefer a more social environment.”

“That’s why we shut down. Sol and I stick out outside of the whole time Finn has to cook.”

“Plus, imagining having to cook for more than just these two is daunting. They already destroy what I can fit in the barbecue.”

Noah and Aelia snickered, clearly not arguing with Finn.

“Still. If it wasn’t such a big deal, I’d have you cook for our Shifting Celebrations. Everyone already loved the change in alcohol for the last one. Apparently, no one was a fan of Heartland.”

Aelia shook her head. “I mean, if you weren’t going to drink it, why do you think anyone else would?”

“I don’t usually drink at the shifting celebrations.”

“Exactly! Now you can just enjoy it with the rest of them.”

Shaking my head, I took a sip of beer. “Out here I can be Silas, but there I still have to be Alpha.”

Noah scoffed. “If you’re not getting down with your pack mates, why bother? I mean it’s the time to celebrate and really just even have an excuse to party. Why limit yourself just because your Alpha?”

Aelia looked at me, catching my eye. “Why not wake up on the other side of the lake wondering who you fucked between where you started and why you ended up?”

Laughing, I shook my head. “I never should have told you that.”

“Oh, I’m sure I could get some good college stories out of Charles.”

I growled at her. “You better not. If he even spills one story, I’ll make sure he regrets it. Not you. I’ve got enough ammo against him that he will wish he never opened his mouth.”

Roaring in laughter, Aelia leaned back, holding her stomach with one hand and the other grabbing the table so she didn’t fall back.

“Now even I want to know. How bad was our upstanding Alpha here in college?” Noah chuckled.

“None of you will ever know.”

We continued to eat, laugh, and chat but finally, my phone had enough notifications that I decided to head back. Sam was blowing up my phone. Even Nate texted me, on behalf of Sam of course, but still. Aelia offered to let me take the iced peas but I didn’t, mostly because they pretty much had melted already. Meredith kept some ice packs in the freezer at the pack house anyways.

Walking me to my truck, Aelia had her hands clasped behind her back. “Careful driving. You’re only one eyed.”

“I could say the same for you.”

She shook her head. “Nah. I see a lot more with my magic eye. It’s just not in color.”

“That must be weird.”

Aelia hummed but didn’t reply.

I opened up the drivers door but stopped to look at her. “We’re you serious about the whole happiness thing?”

“You mean that money can buy it?”

I nodded.

“Yeah, yeah I was.”

Sighing, I scrunched my nose up. “And are you happy? Now?”

There was a wistful smile that graced her features as she thought about my question before looking me in the eyes. “I received quite a bit of money for my work against the Hunters as well as the different missions I was sent on. I accumulated so much, I knew I would never be able to use it all. So I started helping and investing in businesses that families of rogues wanted to put together. Build a life within the cities. The issue with that though was I actually ended up making more money than I ever put in. Which is why I had such a ridiculous amount of accounts set up now.”

“You didn’t answer my question.”

Aelia chuckled. “I’ve made enough money where I can take care of everyone close to me, Sil. My Betas are set, Maggie, her kids, my Gamma if she decides to show her face anywhere near me. Even you and Nate. I’ve set up funds and nest eggs for all of you to be comfortable and happy, even after I’m gone. That thought alone, brings me more joy and happiness that I could possibly explain. To be able to provide for my family and give them everything they need for the future, not matter what happens, even after I’m gone, makes me the happiest person alive.”

The look in her eyes was so strong and determined that I reached out and put my hand on her head. Ruffling her short hair, I let my hand fall, but not before gently brushing the side of her cheek.

“You’re too good for us, A.”

She shrugged and gave me a slight kick in the ass. “Go home, Sil. Before your Gamma sends out the cavalry. I’d like to not fight a war in my last few months, thanks.”

I chuckled and nodded, jumping into my truck. As I drove away, I gave her a wave before turning north to my territory. Something about being with her calmed me.

*'It’s because she’s family, Silas. She’s home, even if we haven’t seen her for years. There is a comfort in her presence.'* Eros chimed in.

*'Yeah, minus when she’s beating our ass into the ground.'*

He let out an unceremonious giggle. *'Even then. She’s still someone we want to show how well we are doing. Even if we fail, there is still that level of comfort from being with her.'*

*'Even Noah and Finn seemed more at ease today. Or at least less hostile.'*

Eros hummed, his tail swishing. *'I believe they do it for her. I can’t imagine either of them agreed to tell you or telling Nate for that matter. But for the sake of her, they are sucking it up. Plus, they see much more of her deterioration than we do.'*

Sighing, I fell quiet as we drove the last ten minutes to the pack house. Stepping in, there was no sign of Sam or Nate. Slinking my way into the kitchen, I grabbed an ice pack for my eye and one for my ribs.

“Alpha! Where have you…?”

I jumped, nearly dropping the ice pack from my eye. “Goddess, you scared the crap out of me.”

“What happened? You’re covered in bruises!”

Sighing, I leaned against the counter. “Fight club. Needed to get some stuff out. Turns out, I got the shit beat out of me.”

“Well, that’s unusual.” Nate came into the room, his eyebrow raised. “Only a few people I know who could do that to you and it not be me.”

“Yeah, well, surprise. Your Alpha needs to train more. Now, can I go nurse my wounded ego on my own now without the third degree?”

Sam threw his hands up. “Nothing is going to get done today now! This pushes the whole schedule back. It will be a double load for the next three days because of this!”

“Sam, chill.” Nate put his hand on my frantic Gamma’s shoulder. “We will be fine. Even our Alpha deserves a day off here and there to go punch things. We don’t have family to visit.”

Sam huffed, turning away and stomping down the hallway. His door slammed shut to his office and I chuckled.

“Thanks for the save.”

Nate gave me a single nod. “Maybe next time, you’ll tell me the truth of where you actually went and what you were doing.”

Before I could open my mouth, he had walked down the hallways. Sighing, I hobbled up to my room and laid down on the bed, still making sure the ice packs hit the right spots. Keeping secrets from Nate was going to be the death of me.