I laughed with Rayna, then stopped and stared at Jeremiah. A thought struck me. “Is that why no one here tries to date me? Because you told them you’d beat the crap out of them?”
“Uh… no… not exactly.”
“But pretty close?”
“We may have hinted that you can handle yourself and we’d take care of whatever’s left.”
“Good to know there’s a ‘we’ to yell at,” I said, glancing at Rayna. “How far is the drive to your pack? I need to make sure I have enough material to yell at them for during the whole trip.” She giggled again, and Jeremiah paled, knowing I wasn’t joking. He only relaxed when she turned and kissed him on the cheek. “Okay, go on. You two are making me nauseous. I’ll see you in the morning.”
They both stood and headed for the door, but Jer paused and turned back. “Do you need a shirt? I can grab one for you.”
“I still have the one you gave me a couple days ago. I should be good. I have to start weaning sometime.” And just like that, we were back to being awkward. Even with some history, I wasn’t sure how Rayna felt about him giving me clothes that smelled like him.
“Let me know if you need me, alright?” he said softly.
I just nodded. There was no way I was calling for him with his mate here.
That night, I fell asleep faster than I had in the past three nights. But I wasn’t sure if it was because he was back at the packhouse or simply because I was so exhausted I had no choice.
However, that peaceful night ended abruptly. Screeching tires tore through my ears, the acrid smell of burning rubber stung my nostrils, and blood slicked the ground everywhere. Screams echoed all around me. But this time, it wasn’t my parents with me. It was Jeremiah, Ben, Tommy, and Jason. I was screaming their names, but no one answered. Their eyes were wide open, but they weren’t really seeing me. Then I was screaming, overwhelmed with panic**I’d lost them. They shouldn’t even have been there. They weren’t supposed to be in the car. Why were they there?
“Kennedy!! Wake up! Ken!! Come on, girl, come back to me! KENNEDY!!”
My eyes flew open, and I blinked slowly to focus. It felt like I was moving through thick wet sand; my body was limp, and I couldn’t control my muscles.
“Kennedy, we’re here. You’re safe now. Stop fighting,” a calm voice soothed me. The familiar scent of sandalwood drifted in**Jeremiah. I inhaled deeply again, and this time a sweet floral note mingled with the sandalwood, deepening the calm. Wait**that wasn’t familiar. Who else was with me? No one else could see me like this. It was bad enough Ben had been subjected to it. Part of my mind tried to stay logical, but everything felt foggy and slow.
“Mmmokay!” I slurred. “Be okay. Go bed.”
“Why does she sound drunk this time? She’s never sounded like that before,” I heard Ben say.
“Just tired, Ben. Back to sleep,” I mumbled, unable to move but feeling myself collapse backward. I thought I felt arms trying to hold me.
“Kennedy, wake up for us, please. Just for a few minutes, then you can sleep.” That soft voice again. Someone brushed hair from my face. The floral scent was really nice. The hands were gentle, like my mom’s.
“Nice hands,” I mumbled. My brain was working, but everything felt disjointed and confusing.
I tried to blink, and I felt something moving. There was a tightness around my arms, but it didn’t hurt. I breathed in again**it seemed the only thing I could control. A squeeze on my hands, and finally, my eyes opened wide.
**Ryker**
I’m beyond fed up with these endless meetings, yet I can’t bring myself to complain aloud**after all, this whole idea was mine to begin with. Still, I hadn’t anticipated just how whiny and entitled these former Alphas and Betas would be. Every time we gather, their behavior only seems to deteriorate further. No wonder so many of them couldn’t keep their packs intact.
Right now, I should be preparing for the ceremony to welcome the new Alphas. I don’t envy those three young men stepping into the role. Some of the older, arrogant bastards love to flex their power, trying to intimidate these newcomers into submission and warning them not to rock the boat. But that’s exactly why we bring in fresh Alphas**new blood means fresh ideas. We grow stronger by learning from both past failures and victories. Still, a few of these old-timers should have been retired long ago, never even allowed a seat on the Elders Council.
It’s been a couple of years since we last had new Alphas come of age. I’m not the most recent, but I’m close. I’m a bit of an exception to the usual path. My father was badly wounded in a massive war, and despite his Alpha heritage and healing abilities, he never fully recovered. So, at sixteen, he named me Alpha. I can hardly believe it’s been ten years already. I understand exactly how these young Alphas feel, which is why I try to serve as a buffer for them. I’ve earned a reputation as an asshole, and I wear that label like a badge of honor**especially when dealing with egotistical pricks who have long overstayed their welcome. Some of the other Alphas fear me, or more accurately, my reputation, which I use to my advantage. I usually keep quiet and let my actions speak for me, but some of these kids desperately need help standing up straight.
“Alpha Ryker? Will you help us?” The voice in front of me pulls me from my thoughts.
It’s Alpha Edward. His pack is small, and he has no heir. His Luna died giving birth, and he never found another mate, chosen or second chance. This has been inevitable. Edward and I have been negotiating the future of his pack for some time now, but a threat looms from within**some pack members believe they should be able to challenge him for leadership. His warriors have brought me rumors from neighboring packs with similar ambitions. Edward is growing weaker and more vulnerable. He’s held on as long as he can, but he can’t risk his pack any longer.
Normally, I wouldn’t interfere. I’d let the pack thin itself out before stepping in. But these neighboring packs aren’t known for settling matters peacefully. They’re more likely to use this as an excuse to kill indiscriminately, innocent or not. That means women and children could be caught in the crossfire**or worse. The conflict wouldn’t stop there; it would spill over into the territories surrounding Alpha Edward’s pack.
That’s where I come in. If Edward willingly hands over his pack to me, then the bloodshed will be minimal, if any at all. There’s always one person who thinks they deserve to be in charge and tries to challenge me. It’s rarely one of the ranked leaders, though. Those guys usually support the transfer because we negotiate for months before any transition like this happens. They ensure their pack is cared for, and I guarantee their future leaders have a place within my ranks. It makes no sense to cut off a future Beta just because their pack merged with another and the position is already filled. As long as those ranked members respect the hierarchy, they keep their titles. I’ve had to make examples of what happens when they don’t fall in line.
“Yes, of course, Alpha Edward. When do you need me to take over your pack? I thought the challengers were being dealt with.”
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.