Chapter 91: Rhys
As soon as I closed the door behind me, I hesitated. My gut was screaming at me not to leave Grace, but I was expected at the hunt. I mean, it was in honor of Grace. I knew I was just being overprotective after everything she had been through lately. I mean, she had literally been poisoned under my watch. Literally right in front of me. I couldn’t keep her safe. This was the first time in my life that I seemed unable to protect someone. And it wouldn’t be fair to her if I kept her glued to my side forever. I think that would only remind her of her past. I couldn’t trap her even if it was for her own good... And I had been at her side and still let her get poisoned... I was failing her.
“Are you okay?” Ethan asked as I walked mindlessly into the kitchen.
“I’m just hesitant to leave Grace, but I’m needed at the hunt.” I confided.
“Yea, Leon told me that’s where you all were headed. I thought you were there already, honestly,” Ethan confessed as he made himself a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. There was something about the casualness of his freedom that bothered me. It was almost as if he had always expected Grace to forgive him. He hadn’t cared that he was caught... Only that Grace was near.
“Would you mind keeping an extra ear out for her while I’m gone?” I asked. I had already set up guards to stay behind, but Grace seemed to trust him, so I figured I should try to too.
“Of course.” Ethan answered before mumbling under his breath, “Probably better than you can.”
It took all I had not to comment on his unnecessary jabs. He was lucky that I hadn’t killed him yet. He was lucky my mate was fond of him. But if these jabs didn’t stop, I wasn’t so sure I’d be able to keep my promise of not harming him. Sooner or later, if I was going to need to teach him a lesson.
“Alpha, everyone is waiting on you.” Leon mindlinked.
“I’m coming.” I responded, walking out of the kitchen and not saying another word to Ethan so I wouldn’t bite his head off.
Any time I ever gathered my pack in this manner, I was always amazed to see everyone gathered together. It would have been amazing to have Grace as my Luna at my side, so that I could prove to everyone that she was harmless, but I also knew that her staying home was what was best for her.
The crowd howled as I climbed the stage. I kept my face neutral, putting on the mask I had worn for so many years before I had met Grace. I had gone a little soft since meeting Grace.
“Tonight, we celebrate!” I shouted into the crowd.
Cheers met my ears. This was the power of being an Alpha King. I am the Alpha King.
“My people, let’s shift!”
We immediately began to shift and with one final howl at the moon, we were on the run. In the past, the new Luna would be hidden in the woods, and it would be up to the Alpha to find her first or forfeit her. Obviously, that was an outdated practice, and now, the Alpha and his pack would just run through the woods. Some would hunt smaller animals, but it was more about the gathering and the togetherness than anything else.
You could hear wolves howl in every direction as we ran through the woods. There was something so freeing about running at top speed. Leon and Sawyer were the only two who could even remotely keep up with me, but that was okay. They were my crew through everything, and even they were a couple steps behind.
Eventually the sound of paws behind us became quieter and quieter. Everyone had split off into groups of similar speeds and wolves that they wanted to spend time with. And I was glad. As much as I loved the support of my people, I did not want to be surrounded for an extended period of time.
“Do you hear that?” Leon mindlinked, suddenly coming to a halt.
“Hear what?” I asked, stopping myself, looking around. All I could hear was silence. Everything was still. Nothing was moving.
“The breathing.” Leon responded. His mindlink was quiet as if he thought someone would hear us even though it was impossible.
“Sawyer?” I turned toward him trying to see where he stood with this.
“I think we should head back.” Sawyer answered uneasily.
Suddenly, a Lycan monster jumped out of the tree, landed on Sawyer, and sent them both rolling.
Sawyer howled in pain. He had never been a very good fighter, but this creature was over twice his size. He was never meant to succeed.
Leon and I immediately got to work, teaming up to help Sawyer, who was trying everything in his power to get the Lycan off of his back. I immediately went for the Lycan’s upper body and Leon went for the lower body just as the creature attempted to break Sawyer’s neck.
The long claws of the creature tore at Sawyer’s skin as we knocked him off, and Sawyer let out a yelp in pain as his body twisted in a weird way. However, now that Sawyer was free, Leon and I would show no mercy. I snapped my jaws at the larger-than-life creature before it started to shift right before our eyes, surprising us enough to pause a moment.
“Please!” A young girl stood naked in front of us. She couldn’t have been any more the 15. “Please! I don’t want to die! He made me do it! He said I had to!”
“You’re a child.” Leon shifted so he could communicate, even if I thought it was dumb. Child or not, she attacked Sawyer. She knew what she was doing.
“Yes, yes,” She cried, blood streaming down her arm.
“Who sent you?” Leon demanded.
“Alpha Adrian. He would kill my sister if I didn’t!” She sobbed.
“Are there more of you?” Leon demanded as I scanned the trees.
“Yes, but not super close to here.” She answered. “I was the one given this sector. Please. I have to help my sister. I can’t die today!”
“I don’t understand,” Leon frowned, giving me a look, but still keeping his eyes on the girl as Arlo approached us with one of our lead warriors, Kate.
No one else in the pack was screaming out that they were being attacked... She had only attacked once we had stopped. It didn’t make any sense.
“Alpha King!” Eli mindlinked.
And my heart stopped. Eli was at the packhouse and I realized why they would be in sectors. They were a distraction from the real problem. They were here for one thing and one thing only: Grace.
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