Fated To The Alpha novel Chapter 196

Fated To The Alpha by Jessica Hall Chapter 196

Monday

Andrei left early once again, I wished Derrick was back, I would felt more at ease knowing his father was with him and would have his back. Derrick rang earlier and said he would be over tomorrow before Dominic gets here with Kat and the kids.

Andrei was excited when I told him when he rang around lunch time, he rang to tell me he was still with the rogue camp and they had a run in with another camp, which turned out to be one of the rogue camps Jackson worked with when they had the pack wars. They weren’t happy that Andrei was wanting to initiate the rogue camp.

Staking some claim to them, saying the women were their workers which sickened me knowing this rogue camp was whoring out the woman in return for safety from the very rogue pack that was selling them. The last time I heard from them was just  after dinner time when I was getting Jonah ready for his bath. Clay, one of Andrei’s warriors, mindlinked me and said they were fine and that Andrei  attacked  the leader of  the all male rogue camp, but was fine and that only one of the warriors got injured but was already healing.

They had plans to move the camp and bring them here during the week once they organised transportation to get everyone here and we also had to sort  out  where to put   them, we had 11 vacant places which today, Malik and Zane spent most of the day with me and Nora setting up bunk beds in all the rooms to place everyone until they could order more kit homes to be built. From my understanding  Andrei’s pack  was one of the biggest ones next to Jackson’s old pack before the war and Andrei was shocked to learn that a few of those in the rogue camp were from Jackson pack originally, but fled before the war with Kat’s pack.

Malik and Zane told me that Andrie had been sending supply trucks out to the rogue camp since he found it when they went looking for information about Jonah. I was a little shocked he was able to hide it so well because I had no idea about it. I wasn’t sure if it was his guilty conscience mixed with Jonah’s arrival but I was glad to see the changes and he seemed happier within himself. I just wished he told me but I also understood  why he kept it between his father, Zane, and Malik. He didn’t want to get the pack’s hopes  up if  he couldn’t handle  it and ended up killing them.

I  had just hopped out of the shower and was getting ready for bed but once again that restless feeling rushed over me. Walking into the hall with  just my towel on I listen for noise. I don’t understand  what  it  was, I just  couldn’t shake it. Checking on Jonah he was still fast asleep in his bed. I quickly checked the security cameras but also nothing. Going back to the room I chuck on my Pajamas, the unsettling feeling easing off and I was anxious for Andrei to return home.

“Now I am bored” I mutter while digging through the pile of books on the nightstand I had read repeatedly since being here.

“You could always talk to me,” Sierra says. “It’s not the same, I want my mate”

“Yeah,  but  better  then nothing”  She   says, while yawning. She wanted  to  shift, we  hadn’t  in so long  and it  was  quite a nice night, the sky clear and the breeze warm.

“I know, I can ask Malik to come watch Jonah, or Casen” I  tell  her feeling her itching  to  go  for a run despite being exhausted.

“Please”  She  groans and I  chuckle. With everything going on, shifting was far from my mind. Sierra was not willing to ask, thinking she was adding to my stress levels. Opening the mindlink I search for Malik and Casen’s tether.

Both of them answered at the same time. “Everything alright”

“Yes, I am fine. Can one you come and watch Jonah for  me while I go  for a run? ”   I  ask them.

“I will, Malik can go for a run with you” Casen says.

“No, I will be fine by myself. I will stay within the borders” I tell them.

“Luna, Andrei won’t like you running through the forest on your own, ” Malik says.

“I know, but no need for everyone to get up, I have the mindlink and I will remain close”

“I  don’t mind coming  with you” Malik  says. “It isn’t necessary, I will see you soon, Casen.

Jonah is asleep so you can do what you want, I just don’t want him to  wake  up while I am gone and no one be here, he has been having night terrors”

“On my  way” He replies and  I cut  the link. Walking into the closet, I grab a thin dress and remove my clothes, slipping it on before heading back downstairs and opening the door. Casen was walking across the grass toward me as I stepped out.

“Luna” He says, pecking my cheek on his way past.

“The TV remote is on the mantle” I tell him.

“Have fun and yes I will lock the door” He says smiling at me as he closes it. I start walking to the side of  the house when   I  notice Malik sitting on the front steps. I roll my eyes knowing he wouldn’t be going back in until I returned, walking around the side I also found Zane laying on the grass on his back.

“Really?” I ask him.

“You are our Luna, if you think we will let you roam the forest without anyone out here you are mistaken”

“The border patrols are on, I don’t need babysitting” I tell him.

“Yes, they are but  we  have still been getting rogue   scouts along the  borders.   It isn’t safe by yourself,   since you won’t let any of us come with you, we will remain close enough in case we need to get to you” Zane says.

“I feel bad though, I will just wait  and make Andrei  take me tomorrow” I tell him and Sierra whines loudly.

“Sage go, but I am not going inside until  to you are  safely   tucked back in side the house, border patrol know you are heading out and are keeping watch, you aren’t a burden to us, we just care about you  Sage, so get  used  to it” He  says.

“Fine, well where are border patrol”

“On the borders, I won’t peek you know that and Andrei would tear out anyones eyes that did, you  are safe Sage, this your pack, your family. So if you want to go, go! ”

“I will be quick” I tell him, heading to the treeline.

“Take as long as you want, ” He says, closing his eyes. I step into the dark forest and duck behind a tree. I knew they wouldn’t watch me  but  being out in the open still freaked me out.

Shifting was harder,  the tension in my  body making the process take a little longer.  The moment I do, Sierra takes  off. Zipping in  and out  of trees and pushing herself as hard as she could. We ran for about an hour  when she  started to slow, lazily walking back toward the clearing and training   grounds. When we reach the long grass she lays down hiding amongst it on her back.

“I love this place,” Sierra tells me.

“I  do too,” I tell her.

“We should head back” I tell her, knowing we had been gone awhile.

“We will head back” I mindlink Malik, “Not necessary, just tell me where you are. I can’t pick up your scent” He says.

“Are you following me?”

“Guilty, Zane went home to kill a spider for Nora. I was becoming uneasy with  just sitting on the steps” I chuckled  to myself  that Nora needed to be rescued from a spider when she is a werewolf.

“I am in the clearing, where are you?”

“By the  waterfall,  I will head   to you” He replies. “Ok, Casen?”

“With Jonah still, he ate Andrei’s cookies that he likes,” Malik says and I chuckle. Andrei loved Montecarlos but whenever he got them they mysteriously vanished if Casen was in the house. “Oh and Andrei is a few minutes out, he should  be here soon” Malik tells me.

Excitement bubbles in me at our mate coming home and I feel Sierra get all giddy.

Closing the link, Sierra rolls over on her tummy, before spotting a rabbit. She crawls on her belly, eyes trained on her target. “Ew no, please”

“I just want play with it”

“Your idea of play and mine are two different things, I don’t play with my teeth” I tell her.

“Just let me catch it,  I will let it  go”   She says licking her furry chops, there was no way she was going to let it go, she likes the chase. She would let it  go of course  then hunt it back down until the poor thing was exhausted and practically crawled in her mouth to get some rest and die.

“Shh” She says as she snuck closer, her tail wagging behind her.

“It can’t hear me”

“But it’s distracting, just like Andrei turning the radio down when he is looking for a parking spot, it helps you see better” She says.

“We don’t look with our ears” I tell her and shushes me again. I roll my eyes at her as she bounces on it. She pins it between her paws and

starts licking it. The rabbit  thrashes as she mauls  it with her tongue.

“Why do you do that?” I ask her.

“Soften it up, tenderising with my tongue” she answers before letting it go. She lets it run a few feet away before pouncing on it again.

“And that?”

“They never should have got across the borders, we can’t cover every access point, we move them tomorrow after the Dominic  leaves, we  are stronger with numbers, we will figure out where to put them, ” Andrei says.

“This is retaliation, Andrei. We can’t afford another war right now” Malik says.

“Yes but I won’t lose anymore of my people, tomorrow be ready we are bringing them home” Andrei tells him. I try to remember what day it is, tomorrow was Tuesday wasn’t it. Malik runs off and Andrei grips my face.

“Why didn’t you tell me you wanted to run, I would have come home and taken you?” He asks.

Andrie helps  me  sit  up, and I  see  the huge jagged   scar along my shin to my knee. Another one, I swear I was 8o percent scar tissue.

“It looks bad now, it will heal neater” Andrei says and I hiss as he tries to grab me,  my  body  was drenched in blood, looking at Andrei’s, so was he. Though by the stench it wasn’t his.

“Argh” I cry out as he puts pressure on my ribs.

“Shit ok, we wait or I try to heal you more ” He says, but I know he was forced to shift back after Donnie tried to heal the worst parts of me.

Andrei grabs me under the arms pulling me between his legs. Rest, I will keep watch until you tell me I can pick you up.

“Why?” I manage to murmur. Andrei sighs.

“It’s my fault, when I went to the rogue camp  I got into a fight with one of the leaders of the male camp”

“The rogue camp attacked us?” I ask.

“No, it’s mostly women and children, but today I went there to try and convince them to join the pack. They refused because the other camp visited them last night and threatened them. Plus they are still hesitant”

“Because of you killing rogues” I answer for him and he nods.

“No, I think it is more to do with fear of the other camp. I was thinking of asking Dominic and Kat tomorrow for their opinions on how to deal with it, but now they have attacked me. I think I am going to need to ask for more than opinions” Andrei says.

“What do you mean?”

“I am going to ask them to help me take out the other camp, they are a danger to all neighbouring packs but the fact they are preying on other rogue camps won’t be taken lightly. I doubt even Dominic would  agree to let  that go on, they may be rogue but  they  are a community      as far as werewolf law goes” Andrei explains. Andrei lifted my arm up looking at my ribs, the bruises were still there but the bones healed and I could breathe easier.

“I am going to try to move you now” Andrei says and I nod letting him grab me. I bite my tongue when my leg throbs as he picks me up.

I notice Andrei has claw marks down his pack but he doesn’t seem to notice or doesn’t care as he starts walking toward the training grounds. He walks for 1o minutes before I see the packhouse surrounded by multiple warriors.

Casen rushes over with a towel when he spots us draping it over me in Andrei’s arms.

“How many and any alive?” Andrei asks him while walking. “Eleven rogues and No, three tried to attack the packhouse, Jonah slept through it and is still asleep. Then three attacked Sage, the other five I think we’re supposed    to be a distraction, one got away over the river”

“You and Jonah don’t go anywhere without warriors or Zane and Malik” Andrei  tells me before looking at Casen. “Go tell Nora and her siblings the same thing, they are not to leave her house unless someone  is with them” Casen nods darting off toward Nora’s place.

“Where did they get through?” Andrei asks as we approach a group of warriors. Vince was injured and Zane handed him a bottle of amber liquid that looked like whiskey or bourbon. Vince guzzles it down and Zane pats his shoulder.

“Ready” Vince nods and Malik grips his bicep and I watched with avid fascination and disgust as Zane broke his arm back into place after it healed wrong. Vince screamed a colourful array of curses while Andrei discussed with Clay how the rogues got in but it made me wonder if the unsettled  feeling I got earlier was the rogues because now I no longer had it.

I tried to get out of Andrei’s arms but  he  refused to put me down until we were inside and I rushed up the steps instantly to check Jonah and exactly as Casen said he was still asleep. Andrei took a shower  before  telling me to go to bed while he made some phone calls and once again nerves about tomorrow kicked in. Dominic scared me, I know he helped Andrei in the city but I just had this sickening feeling about tomorrow.

I got it every time I thought of this alleged playdate. What if it was a set up? What if tomorrow  Andrei gets carted away to prison for initiating Jonah illegally or for  killing Clive. I had no idea what to expect and I didn’t trust this apparently changed version of Dominic, something always felt off with him since I met him. Then Also Jonah’s words about his son Kyan, about some dark

magic. I didn’t know whether it was a trick of his imagination or if he really did witness dark magic being used.

“We should sleep, we will heal faster and we will need our strength tomorrow just in case ” Sierra tells me.